Michael Ozga

Clinical outcome of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with patient demographics and genetic features. Although the associations of acquired genetic alterations with patients’ sex have been recently analyzed, their impact on outcome of female and male patients has not yet been comprehensively assessed. We performed mutational profiling and outcome analyses in 1726 adults with AML (749 female and 977 male) and centrally reviewed cytogenetic data who were treated on frontline Cancer and Leukemia Group B/Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology protocols. We analyzed a validation cohort of 954 patients (465 female and 489 male) treated on frontline protocols of the German AML Cooperative Group. We found differences between women and men in frequencies of select gene mutations, co-occurring mutation patterns, cytogenetic characteristics and assignment to genetic-risk groups per the 2022 European LeukemiaNet classification, and in prognostic impact of some genetic alterations. The mutation-associated splicing events and gene-expression profiles also differed between sexes. In patients aged < 60 years, WT1 mutations were female-specific and SF3B1 mutations male-specific adverse outcome prognosticators. We conclude that sex differences in the AML-associated genetic alterations and mutation-specific differential splicing events highlight the importance of considering patients’ sex in analyses of AML biology and prognostication.

Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains an effective treatment option for many patients with systemic light chain (AL) amyloidosis. While maintenance post ASCT in multiple myeloma is now standard, the decision to utilize maintenance in AL amyloidosis remains largely unexplored. The present study aims to determine the prognostic significance of utilizing maintenance therapy following ASCT and assess the impact of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) abnormalities, bone marrow plasma cell burden (BMPC), and degree of organ involvement on this decision. Methods and results: This is a retrospective analysis of fifty AL amyloidosis patients who underwent ASCT at The Ohio State University. Twenty-eight patients received maintenance and twenty-two did not. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to compare the effect of maintenance therapy with no significant difference in PFS (p = 0.66) and OS (p = 0.32) between the two groups. There was no difference in survival based on maintenance when further categorized by FISH, PFS (p = 0.15), and OS (p = 0.65); BMPC ≥ 10%, PFS (p = 0.49), and OS (p = 0.32); or with 2 or more organs involved, PFS (p = 0.34) and OS (p = 0.80). Conclusion: Maintenance therapy post ASCT did not impact PFS or OS when categorized by FISH abnormalities, increasing BMPC, or ≥2 organs involved in AL amyloidosis patients.

Introduction: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains an effective treatment option for many patients with systemic AL amyloidosis (AL). However, the decision to utilize maintenance therapy following ASCT remains controversial and largely unexplored. Studies have shown the benefit of post-ASCT maintenance therapy in multiple myeloma (MM) with lenalidomide, but to date, no study has evaluated maintenance in AL patients following ASCT. Furthermore, the growing relevance of cytogenetics in AL may help dictate the incorporation of maintenance therapy as well. It is also relevant to note the emergence of novel targeted therapy options for AL patients, including the plasma cell monoclonal antibody daratumumab, that could be a valuable addition to combination therapies. As such, the present study aims to a) determine the prognostic significance of utilizing maintenance therapy following ASCT b) assess the potential role of cytogenetics on the efficacy of maintenance treatment, and c) investigate the outcomes of daratumumab-treated patients who have undergone ASCT. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on 50 consecutive AL patients treated at The Ohio State University who underwent ASCT. Patients received high dose Melphalan (140 or 200 mg/m²) prior to ASCT. Patients were divided into subgroups based on FISH data obtained within 90 days of diagnosis, as well as whether or not they had received maintenance therapy following transplant, which was defined as therapy greater than six months following ASCT. Patients' characteristics were summarized using medians and ranges, or frequencies and percentages, and compared using Mann-Whitney rank sum test or fisher exact test. Primary endpoints were progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), per updated NCCN guidelines, including both organ and hematologic criteria. PFS was defined as the time from date of transplant to day of progression or death from any cause. OS was defined as the time from date of transplant to death from any cause, with censoring those who were still alive at the last follow up. Kaplan-Meier survival function was used to estimate the PFS and OS. The log-rank test was used to test the equality of survivor functions between different groups of patients. Results: Twenty-eight patients (56%) received maintenance and 22 (44%) did not. Majority of patients received lenalidomide maintenance. The median age at transplant was 58 (range 33-71) years, with 66% male. There was no difference in age, dose of melphalan used, disease stage and number of organs involved between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in OS (p=0.32) and PFS (p=0.66) between patients who received maintenance versus those patients who did not receive maintenance (Figure 1A). Among patients with abnormal FISH, there was no difference in survival between these two groups as well (OS: p=0.65; PFS: p=0.15) (Figure 1B). Finally, we tested the efficacy of daratumumab in combination therapy with ASCT in a small patient subset. There was no difference in OS or PFS among patients who underwent ASCT for consolidation, whether or not they received daratumumab. Conclusion: In this small retrospective analysis, maintenance therapy post ASCT had no impact on the PFS or OS of patients with AL. Furthermore, survival was not affected by maintenance in patients with cytogenetic abnormalities or addition of novel monoclonal antibodies. A larger prospective study is needed to assess the benefit of maintenance post ASCT and daratumumab in AL amyloid patients.