bims-hemali Biomed News
on Hematologic malignancies
Issue of 2025–01–12
nineteen papers selected by
Alexandros Alexandropoulos, Γενικό Νοσοκομείο Αθηνών Λαϊκό



  1. Blood. 2025 Jan 10. pii: blood.2024026830. [Epub ahead of print]
      Patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have poor outcomes. Gemcitabine + oxaliplatin (GemOx) with rituximab, a standard salvage therapy, yields complete response (CR) rates of approximately 30% and median overall survival (OS) of 10-13 months. Patients with refractory disease fare worse, with a CR rate of 7% for subsequent therapies and median OS of 6 months. Epcoritamab, a CD3xCD20 bispecific antibody approved for the treatment of R/R DLBCL after ≥2 therapy lines, has shown promising safety and efficacy in various combinations. We report results from the phase 1b/2 EPCORE® NHL-2 trial evaluating epcoritamab + GemOx in patients with R/R DLBCL who were ineligible for or had failed autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Patients received 48-mg subcutaneous epcoritamab after 2 step-up doses until progression or unacceptable toxicity; GemOx was given Q2W for 8 doses. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR). As of December 15, 2023, 103 patients were enrolled (median follow‑up, 13.2 months). Patients had a median age of 72 years and challenging-to-treat disease: ≥2 prior therapy lines, 62%; prior CAR T, 28%; primary refractory disease, 52%; refractory to last therapy, 70%. ORR/CR rates were 85%/61%. Median duration of CR and OS were 23.6 and 21.6 months. Common treatment‑emergent adverse events were cytopenias and cytokine release syndrome (CRS). CRS events had predictable timing, were primarily low grade (52% overall, 1% grade 3), and resolved without leading to discontinuation. Epcoritamab + GemOx yielded deep, durable responses and favorable long-term outcomes in ASCT‑ineligible R/R DLBCL. NCT04663347.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2024026830
  2. Br J Haematol. 2025 Jan 05.
      Most transplant-ineligible patients present with multiple myeloma (MM) refractory to lenalidomide and/or anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody at first relapse and represent a difficult-to-treat population. The Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome phase 2 study iberdomide, ixazomib and dexamethasone (I2D) evaluated the oral triplet iberdomide, ixazomib and dexamethasone in MM patients aged ≥70 years at first relapse (NCT04998786). Seventy patients were enrolled to receive iberdomide (1.6 mg on day 1-21), ixazomib (3 mg on day 1, 8, 15) and dexamethasone (20 mg on day 1, 8, 15, 22 on cycle 1-2 and 10 mg on day 1, 8, 15, 22 on cycle 3-6) (28-day cycle) until disease progression. Median age was 76; 50% patients were frail according to the International Myeloma Working Group frailty score; 74% and 37% were refractory to lenalidomide and daratumumab respectively. With a median follow-up of 14 months, the overall response rate was 64%, including 36% very good partial response or better. The 12-month progression-free survival, duration of response and overall survival were 52%, 76% and 86% respectively. The most common (46%) grade 3-4 toxicity was neutropenia. Non-haematological adverse events were mostly grade 1 or 2. Overall, I2D demonstrated a favourable risk-benefit profile in elderly MM patients at first relapse, including in patients with lenalidomide and daratumumab refractory disease.
    Keywords:  elderly; iberdomide; ixazomib; myeloma
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.19978
  3. Ann Hematol. 2025 Jan 10.
      Selected chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients may discontinue their tyrosine kinase inihibitor (TKI) in an attempt to achieve sustained treatment-free remission (TFR), which mitigates therapy-related side effects and limits treatment costs. TFR has been extensively studied following the discontinuation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - competitive TKI. However, there is minimal data concerning TFR after the discontinuation of the novel TKI asciminib. Here, we present two CML patients intolerant to multiple ATP-competitive TKIs who achieved a deep molecular response (DMR) during asciminib treatment and sustained this remission after asciminib discontinuation. One of the cases developed transient myalgia and arthralgia after asciminib discontinuation consistent with a TKI withdrawal syndrome. Both patients have been free of molecular relapse for more than at least 8 months after TKI discontinuation without increase in molecular BCR::ABL1 signal. These two cases provide proof of principle that sustained TFR after discontinuing asciminib in CML patients is feasible.
    Keywords:  Asciminib; Chronic myeloid leukemia; TKI withdrawal syndrome; Treatment-free remission
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-024-06170-4
  4. Front Oncol. 2024 ;14 1463505
      The prognosis of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) patients is relatively poor, and there is currently no standard treatment plan. Most patients choose high-dose chemotherapy based on methotrexate. While traditional chemotherapy combined with biological therapy has achieved limited results, some patients still do not respond to treatment or cannot tolerate its toxicity and side effects. Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a key enzyme in B-cell receptor signaling, and its activation is critical for B-cell survival and proliferation. In recent years, BTK inhibitors have shown great potential in treating lymphomas derived from various B cells because of their strong targeting ability and relatively few side effects. They may also be a reasonable treatment choice for PCNSL. This article reviews the mechanism of action, clinical research, adverse reactions, and other issues of BTK inhibitors in treating PCNSL to provide a reference for individualized treatment of patients with PCNSL.
    Keywords:  B-cell receptor signaling; Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors; lymphoma; mechanism; primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2024.1463505
  5. J Clin Oncol. 2025 Jan 07. JCO2402242
       PURPOSE: In patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), brentuximab vedotin (BV) as monotherapy or combined with either lenalidomide (Len) or rituximab (R) has demonstrated efficacy with acceptable safety. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of BV + Len + R versus placebo + Len + R in patients with R/R DLBCL.
    METHODS: ECHELON-3 is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, phase 3 trial comparing BV + Len + R with placebo + Len + R in patients with R/R DLBCL. Patients received BV or placebo once every 3 weeks, Len once daily, and R once every 3 weeks. The primary end point was overall survival (OS), and secondary end points included investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR). A prespecified interim analysis was performed after 134 OS events, with two-sided P = .0232 as the efficacy boundary.
    RESULTS: Patients (N = 230) were randomly assigned to receive BV + Len + R (n = 112) or placebo + Len + R (n = 118). Two patients in the placebo arm did not receive treatment. With a median follow-up of 16.4 months, the median OS was 13.8 months with BV + Len + R versus 8.5 months with placebo + Len + R (hazard ratio, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.45 to 0.89]; two-sided P = .009). The median PFS was 4.2 months with BV + Len + R versus 2.6 months with placebo + Len + R (hazard ratio, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.38 to 0.73]; two-sided P < .001). The ORR was 64% ([95% CI, 55 to 73]; two-sided P < .001) with BV + Len + R and 42% (95% CI, 33 to 51) with placebo + Len + R; complete response rates were 40% and 19%, respectively. Treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) occurred in 97% of patients in both arms. In both arms, the most common treatment-emergent AEs were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, diarrhea, and anemia.
    CONCLUSION: BV + Len + R demonstrated a statistically significant survival benefit with a manageable safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with R/R DLBCL.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO-24-02242
  6. Ther Adv Hematol. 2025 ;16 20406207241311776
       Background: Medical resources, especially blood products, were in short supply during the COVID-19. Less intensive therapy with hypomethylating agents/venetoclax (VEN) seems an effective treatment option for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
    Objectives: To retrospectively analyze the efficacy and safety of VEN combined with azacitidine (AZA) in young adult patients with newly diagnosed (ND) AML.
    Design: This was a retrospective study.
    Methods: The clinical data of 25 AML patients treated with the VEN + AZA regimen from January 2021 to December 2023 at our center were collected, compared with a randomized historical study cohort that was administered intensive chemotherapy (IC) from January 2018 to December 2019.
    Results: No rate of complete remission/complete remission with incomplete count recovery differences observed between the two arms reached statistical significance. Compared to traditional IC, minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative remission was achieved more quickly in patients treated with VEN + AZA regimens (after cycle 1: 8% in the IC group vs 56% in the VEN group, p = 0.0004; after cycle 2: 16% in the IC group vs 72% in the VEN group, p = 0.0001), especially in those AML patients who had a poor prognosis. The dependency of transfusion of red blood cell (RBC) and platelets during induction treatment was significantly lower in the VEN + AZA group (RBC: p = 0.0269; platelet: p = 0.0054). Compared with the standard IC, the incidence rate of non-hematological adverse events in VEN + AZA group was significantly decreased (infection: 100% vs 20%, p = 0.0001; gastrointestinal side effects: 48% vs 12%, p = 0.0055). The total hospitalization cost of the VEN group was significantly less than that of the IC group (p = 0.0395).
    Conclusion: In conclusion, our study indicated that VEN + AZA with a higher MRD-negative remission rate and less toxic appeared to be a therapy option for young patients with ND AML. However, further well-designed studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to confirm the benefits of VEN + AZA in this population.
    Keywords:  acute myeloid leukemia; azacitidine; venetoclax; young patients
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/20406207241311776
  7. J Cancer Res Ther. 2024 Dec 01. 20(7): 2133-2140
       BACKGROUND: Patients with transplant-ineligible relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) have limited treatment options and poor outcomes.
    METHODS: This phase III study (NCT04236141) evaluated the efficacy and safety of polatuzumab vedotin plus bendamustine and rituximab (Pola+BR) versus BR in Chinese patients with transplant-ineligible R/R DLBCL to support regulatory submission in China. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive Pola+BR or placebo+BR. The primary endpoint was complete response (CR) at the end of treatment (EOT) by positron emission tomography-computed tomography.
    RESULTS: Overall, 42 patients were analyzed (Pola+BR, n = 28; placebo+BR, n = 14). At data cutoff (July 12, 2021; median follow-up: 7.5 months), CR at EOT was 25.0% (7/28) with Pola+BR and 14.3% (2/14) with placebo+BR, 10.7% difference [95% confidence interval (CI): -19.0, 40.4]. The median investigator-assessed progression-free survival was 4.6 (95%CI: 3.1-6.4) months with Pola+BR and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.9-4.6) months with placebo+BR, with a 50% reduction in risk of progression or death (unstratified hazard ratio: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.24-1.05). The median overall survival was 10.6 [95% CI: 5.5-not evaluable (NE)] and 6.5 (95% CI: 6.0-NE) months, with a 45% reduction in risk of death. The incidence of Grade 3-4 adverse events was similar between Pola+BR (20/27 patients, 74.1%) and placebo+BR arms (11/14 patients, 78.6%).
    CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy findings were consistent with results of the GO29365 study (NCT02257567); treatment with Pola+BR led to clinically meaningful improvements in response rates in Chinese patients with transplant-ineligible R/R DLBCL with no new safety signals.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_269_24
  8. Int Cancer Conf J. 2025 Jan;14(1): 7-11
      Mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) with BCR::ABL1 fusion is a rare leukemia subtype exhibiting both myeloid and lymphoid traits. Standard treatment involves chemotherapy with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). However, establishing the optimal treatment strategy for elderly patients with MPAL with BCR::ABL1 fusion is challenging due to their intolerance to intensive chemotherapy. It has not yet been determined whether therapy with a TKI and prednisolone, a combination known to be effective in elderly patients with B-lymphoblastic leukemia with BCR::ABL1 fusion is also safe and effective for MPAL with BCR::ABL1 fusion. Here we report the first example of an elderly patient with MPAL with BCR::ABL1 fusion who was treated successfully with ponatinib and prednisolone. Despite achieving complete response with dasatinib plus chemotherapy, the patient suffered a relapse during the withdrawal of dasatinib and had two episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding attributed to the dasatinib therapy, necessitating therapy discontinuation. The treatment was then switched to a regimen of ponatinib and prednisolone, and the patient achieved and maintained complete molecular remission for over seven years without any serious adverse events. This case suggests that ponatinib, with or without prednisolone, could be a potential salvage option for elderly patients with MPAL with BCR::ABL1 fusion who suffer relapse or are intolerant to dasatinib.
    Keywords:  BCR::ABL1 fusion; Mixed-phenotype acute leukemia; Ponatinib
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s13691-024-00725-y
  9. Front Immunol. 2024 ;15 1466443
       Background: Clinical studies have demonstrated the high efficacy of using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and orphan G protein-coupled receptor, class C group 5 member D (GPRC5D) to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). In this study, we compared the efficacy and safety of BCMA CAR-T-cell therapy (BCMA CAR-T) and GPRC5D CAR T-cell therapy (GPRC5D CAR-T) in patients with RRMM.
    Methods: We retrieved and included eligible clinical trials of BCMA or GPRC5D CAR-T for RRMM patients. The primary outcomes for efficacy were overall response rate (ORR), complete response rate (CRR), minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity, and relapse rate. The primary outcomes for safety were cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS).
    Results: We incorporated 18 early-phase, single-arm clinical trials, which included 503 and 133 patients receiving BCMA CAR-T and GPRC5D CAR-T, respectively. For the GPRC5D CAR-T cohort, the estimated ORR, CRR, MRD negativity rate, and relapse rate were found to be 89.8% [95% confidence interval (CI), 82.8%-96.9%], 50.5% (95% CI, 38.0%-62.9%), 78.8% (95% CI, 53.0%-100%), and 26.0% (95% CI, 7.4%-44.6%), respectively. In the BCMA CAR-T group, the ORR was 76.3% (95% CI, 67.9%-84.7%), the CRR was 34.3% (95% CI, 25.9%-42.7%), the MRD negativity rate was 76.5% (95% CI, 63.1%-90.0%), and the recurrence rate was 57.3% (95% CI, 47.7%-66.9%). These values were significantly lower than those observed in the GPRC5D CAR-T cohort. Both BCMA and GPRC5D CAR-T demonstrated acceptable safety. The estimated incidence of BCMA CAR-T resulting in grade 3-5 CRS and ICANS was only 5.4% (95% CI, 2.0%-10.4%) and 3.3% (95% CI, 0.6%-8.0%), respectively. The estimated incidence of GPRC5D CAR-T resulting in grade 3-5 CRS and ICANS was only 1.6% (95% CI, 0.0%-6.5%) and 2.7% (95% CI, 0.7%-6.2%), respectively.
    Conclusion: GPRC5D CAR-T potentially demonstrates enhanced effectiveness relative to BCMA CAR-T in treating patients with RRMM. Therefore, GPRC5D CAR-T can be regarded as the preferred therapeutic option for RRMM, particularly among patients who have undergone relapse subsequent to BCMA CAR-T treatment.
    Keywords:  B-cell maturation antigen; G protein-coupled receptor; car-T; class C group 5 member D; relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1466443
  10. Korean J Intern Med. 2025 Jan;40(1): 124-134
       BACKGROUND/AIMS: To determine the effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) plus reduced-intensity therapy in adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-positive ALL), this retrospective study compared treatment outcomes and induction mortality according to backbone regimen intensity.
    METHODS: The data of 132 patients diagnosed with Ph-positive ALL were retrospectively collected from five centers. Patients received imatinib plus intensive chemotherapy (modified VPD, KALLA1407, or hyper-CVAD) or reduced-intensity chemotherapy (EWALL) for curative purposes. This study analyzed 117 patients, of which 35,22,46, and 14 received modified VPD, KALLA1407, hyper-CVAD, and EWALL, respectively. All patients used imatinib as a TKI.
    RESULTS: The median age of the patients who received reduced-intensity chemotherapy was 64.4 years, while that of the patients with intensive regimens was 47.5 years. There was no induction death in the reduced-intensity group, while nine patients died in the intensive therapy group. Major molecular response achievement tended to be higher in the intensive chemotherapy group than in the reduced-intensity group. More patients in the intensive chemotherapy group received allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). There was no statistically significant difference in long-term survival between the two groups in terms of relapse-free survival and overall survival rates.
    CONCLUSION: When imatinib plus reduced-intensity therapy was used as a frontline treatment, there was no inferiority in obtaining complete remission compared to imatinib plus intensive chemotherapy or significant difference in long-term survival. Since imatinib plus reduced-intensity therapy has limitations in obtaining a deep molecular response, proceeding to allo-SCT should be considered.
    Keywords:  Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Philadelphia chromosome; Stem cell transplantation; Tyrosine kinase inhibitor
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2024.227
  11. Recent Pat Anticancer Drug Discov. 2025 Jan 08.
       BACKGROUND: BCL-2 was the first gene identified to have antiapoptotic effects, and venetoclax is an oral selective BCL-2 inhibitor, which has great potential in the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are not candidates for intensive therapy. Notably, posaconazole, an oral antifungal drug, is also a strong factor that can affect blood venetoclax concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, the relationship between BCL-2 expression, posaconazole, and venetoclax, as well as their influence on treatment efficacy and the prognosis of patients with AML, has not been reported.
    OBJECTIVES: In this single-center retrospective study, the relationship between BCL-2 expression and blood venetoclax concentration was analyzed in 35 patients with AML. After that, we explored the differences in curative effect, adverse reactions, and outcomes between patients with different BCL-2 expression levels and patients with different venetoclax concentration levels, respectively.
    METHODS: BCL-2 mRNA expression levels were examined by reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Blood venetoclax concentrations were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry.
    RESULTS: The results revealed that among patients with AML, those with lower primary BCL-2 expression had a higher complete remission (CR) rate (p =0.005), overall response (OR) rate (p <0.0001), and progression-free survival time (p =0.04). Posaconazole was revealed to be a strong factor that was able to increase blood venetoclax concentration (p <0.001) and CR rate in the venetoclax plus posaconazole group compared to that in the venetoclax monotherapy group (p =0.002); however, no significant difference was identified in the occurrence of adverse reactions between these groups. Among low and high-blood venetoclax concentration groups, the event-free survival of the former group was significantly higher (p =0.013).
    CONCLUSION: Higher levels of BCL-2 expression at initial diagnosis may have adverse effects on the efficacy and prognosis of patients, and higher levels of venetoclax concentration may advance the time of adverse reactions in patients, thus adversely affecting event-free survival (EFS).
    Keywords:  Acute myeloid leukemia; BCL-2 expression; BCL-2 inhibitor; posaconazole.; venetoclax
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2174/0115748928330206241104161111
  12. Ann Hematol. 2025 Jan 10.
      T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL) is a subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia characterized by the proliferation of abnormal T-cell precursors. Nelarabine, a purine analog, has been approved as a targeted therapy for patients with refractory or relapsed T-ALL. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Nelarabine, either as monotherapy or in combination with other therapies, in treating T-ALL. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. We searched Cochrane CENTRAL, PubMed, and Google Scholar up to August 2024 for studies evaluating Nelarabine's efficacy and safety in T-ALL patients. The primary outcome was complete response (CR), with secondary outcomes focusing on adverse events (AEs). Data were analyzed using a random effects model, with statistical significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Sixteen studies involving 1,865 patients were included, with 1,345 receiving Nelarabine. The pooled analysis revealed a CR rate of 37.9% (95% CI: 20.5-55.4%, p < 0.001) for Nelarabine monotherapy. Significant adverse events included neutropenia at 29.1% (95% CI: 9.1-49.1%, p < 0.001), thrombocytopenia at 32.4% (95% CI: 14.8-50.0%, p < 0.001), peripheral motor neuropathy at 17.1% (95% CI: 4.2-30.1%, p = 0.001), and peripheral sensory neuropathy at 15.3% (95% CI: 5.8-24.9%, p = 0.003). For combination therapy, infections occurred in 65.0% (95% CI: 27.1-103.0%, p < 0.001) of patients, febrile neutropenia in 48.7% (95% CI: -8.8-106.3%, p < 0.001), peripheral motor neuropathy in 10.5% (95% CI: 7.9-13.0%, p < 0.001), and peripheral sensory neuropathy in 23.1% (95% CI: 10.6-35.7%, p < 0.001). Nelarabine shows significant efficacy in treating refractory or relapsed T-ALL, with notable CR rates. However, its use, both as monotherapy and in combination therapy, is associated with considerable adverse events, particularly neurotoxicity and hematologic toxicities, necessitating careful monitoring. Further research is needed to optimize its application across diverse patient populations and to better manage its associated toxicities.
    Keywords:  Adolescent; Nelarabine; Neutropenia; Odds ratio; Peripheral nervous system diseases; Precursor T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia-lymphoma; Survival rate; Young adult
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-024-06121-z
  13. Am J Hematol. 2025 Jan 05.
      Adding inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO) to hyper-CVAD and blinatumomab may improve outcomes in newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Patients with newly diagnosed B-ALL received up to four cycles of hyper-CVAD followed by four cycles of blinatumomab. Beginning with patient #39, InO 0.3 mg/m2 was added on Days 1 and 8 to two cycles of high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine, and two cycles of blinatumomab. The primary endpoint was the relapse-free survival (RFS) rate. Seventy-five patients were treated (median age of 33 years; range, 18-59), of whom 37 (49%) received hyper-CVAD with blinatumomab and InO (cohort 2). Measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity by next-generation sequencing (sensitivity: 1 × 10-6) was achieved in 79% of patients in cohort 2. The median follow-up was 44 months (range, 13-90) overall, and 26 months (range, 8-39) in cohort 2. For the entire cohort, the estimated 3-year RFS rate was 82% and the 3-year overall survival rate was 90%. These rates were 90% versus 74% (p = 0.06) and 100% versus 82% (p = 0.01) in patients who did or did not receive InO, respectively. No sinusoidal obstruction syndrome was observed. In summary, hyper-CVAD with blinatumomab and InO improved the outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed B-ALL.
    Keywords:  ALL; chemotherapy; frontline; immunotherapy; survival
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.27576
  14. Blood. 2025 Jan 07. pii: blood.2024024846. [Epub ahead of print]
      Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) improve survival of patients with mature B-cell malignancies. Fcγ-receptor dependent effector mechanisms kill tumor cells but can promote antigen loss through trogocytosis, contributing to treatment failures. Cell-bound mAbs trigger the complement cascade to deposit C3 activation fragments and lyse cells. Within 24 hours after ofatumumab administration to patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), circulating tumor cells had lost CD20 and were opsonized with C3d. We hypothesized that C3d provides a target to eliminate residual CD20 negative tumor cells. To test this hypothesis, we generated C8xi, a mouse/human chimeric IgG1 that reacts with human but not mouse C3d. C8xi was effective in a patient-derived xenograft model against CD20 negative, C3d opsonized CLL cells from patients treated with ofatumumab. We also generated rabbit mAbs, two of which were chosen because they bound mouse and human C3d with low nanomolar affinity but were minimally cross-reactive with full-length C3. Anti-C3d rabbit/human chimeric IgG1 in combination with ofatumumab or rituximab prolonged survival of xenografted mice that model three different types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). For example, in a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma model (SU-DHL-6), median survival with single-agent CD20 mAb was 114 days but was not reached for mAb combination treatment (P=.008). In another NHL model (SU-DHL-4), single-agent and combination mAb therapy eradicated lymphoma in most mice. In long-term survivors from both cohorts, there was no evidence of adverse effects. We propose that C3d mAbs combined with complement fixing CD20 mAbs can deliver a one-two punch and increase efficacy of mAb-based therapy.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2024024846
  15. J Hematol Oncol. 2025 Jan 05. 18(1): 4
      Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma rarely presents with circulating lymphoma cells (CL) at diagnosis. Previous studies were limited by small sample size precluding robust analysis. Hence, we evaluated the prognostic relevance of CL cells in newly diagnosed DLBCL patients. Based on peripheral blood (PB) immunophenotyping, patients were grouped into CL + and CL-. CL was defined as detectable clonally restricted B-cells that matched the actual or expected B-cell immunophenotype of DLBCL. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and diagnosis-to-treatment interval (DTI). Among the 1266 patients with DLBCL, 621 had PB flow at diagnosis, and after excluding patients not meeting eligibility criteria, 588 cases remained. Among these, 85 (15%) were CL + and 503 were CL- (85%). Patients in CL + group were younger (67 vs. 70 years, p = 0.03) with a higher proportion of non-bulky disease (85% vs. 56%, p < 0.0001), normal albumin (79% vs. 54%, p < 0.0001), and MYC/BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements (18% vs. 7%, p = 0.003) compared to the CL - group. Patients with CL at diagnosis had significantly inferior PFS and OS compared with those without CL. After adjusting for factors associated with inferior PFS and OS in univariable analysis, presence of CL remained significantly associated with inferior PFS (HR = 2.04, 95%CI = 1.47-2.84, p < 0.0001) and OS (HR = 1.61, 95%CI = 1.1-2.36, p = 0.01), respectively. There was no significant difference in DTI between the two groups. Given the prognostic relevance associated with presence of CL, clinicians should consider checking PB flow at diagnosis in all newly diagnosed DLBCL patients.
    Keywords:  CL; Circulating lymphoma cells; DLBCL; Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; Overall survival; Prognosis; Progression-free survival
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13045-024-01658-y
  16. Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2025 Jan 08.
      Many oncoproteins are important therapeutic targets because of their critical role in inducing rapid cell proliferation, which represents one of the salient hallmarks of cancer. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a cancer of hematopoietic stem cells that is caused by the oncogene BCR-ABL1. BCR-ABL1 encodes a constitutively active tyrosine kinase protein that leads to the uncontrolled proliferation of myeloid cells, which is a hallmark of CML. A current therapeutic approach for the treatment of CML, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs), effectively inactivates BCR-ABL1 kinase activity; however, drug resistance to TKIs limits the long-term potential for this treatment. Proteolysis Targeting Chimera (PROTAC) has emerged as a promising pharmacological approach for degrading, rather than inhibiting, targeted proteins by harnessing the ubiquitin-proteosome system. This process involves tagging a Protein of Interest (POI) with ubiquitin by the E3 ubiquitin ligases, which subsequently target the protein for proteasomal degradation. The N-end rule or the N-degron concept describes the correlation between the metabolic stability of a protein and the biochemical identity of its N-terminal amino acid. A recent work unveiled that N-degron PROTACs could offer a potential treatment for CML by targeting and degrading BCR-ABL1 proteins. Herein, we present the molecular and biochemical implications for targeting chronic myeloid leukemia.
    Keywords:  10.2174/0118715206367166241230111659
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2174/0118715206367166241230111659
  17. Ann Hematol. 2025 Jan 07.
      Chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients largely benefit from an expanding tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) toolbox that has improved the outcome of both diseases. However, TKI success is continuously challenged by mutation-driven acquired resistance and therefore, close monitoring of clonal genetic diversity is necessary to ensure proper clinical management and adequate response to treatment. Here, we report the case of a ponatinib-resistant Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph + ALL) patient harboring a BCR::ABL1 p.I293_K294insSLLRD mutation. Using in vitro proliferation assays on newly generated Ba/F3 cell lines, we confirmed that the mutation confers moderate resistance to ponatinib, and to imatinib and nilotinib. In contrast, BCR::ABL1SLLRD Ba/F3 cells remain highly sensitive to dasatinib. Unexpectedly, the insertion also provides resistance to asciminib with no inhibitory effect up to 1000 nM. Based on predicted structural models, we speculate that the p.I293_K294insSLLRD disrupts the interaction between the SH3 domain and the kinase domain, shifting the equilibrium toward the active conformation. This shift confers resistance to TKIs that preferentially bind to the inactive conformation, as well as to the allosteric asciminib inhibitor. However, the mutation retains sensitivity to dasatinib, which targets the active form of the kinase.
    Keywords:  ALL; BCR::ABL1; CML; Cancer resistance; Insertion mutation; Tyrosine kinase inhibitor
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-024-06142-8
  18. Eur J Haematol. 2025 Jan 08.
       OBJECTIVES: The study evaluated the impact of lifestyle and environmental exposure on the etiology of multiple myeloma (MM).
    METHODS: A multicenter case-control study was conducted in 20 hematology centers and in 5 outpatient clinics in Poland. The questionnaire on exposure to potential risk factors including sociodemographic data, lifestyle, and environmental factors was completed.
    RESULTS: A total of 274 patients with newly diagnosed MM and 208 patients from primary healthcare centers in the control group were enrolled in the study. Regarding lifestyle, sports practiced systematically for at least half a year play a protective role in the development of myeloma (OR = 0.40, 95% CI, 0.28-0.58, p < 0.001). Among environmental factors harmful exposures that increase the likelihood of the development of MM include pesticides (OR = 3.29, p < 0.001), asphalt (OR = 2.42, p = 0.026), coal dust (OR = 2.27, p = 0.004), organic vapors (OR = 2.11, p = 0.001), metal dust (OR = 2.07, p = 0.023), exhaust fumes (OR = 2.03, p < 0.01), and chemicals (OR = 1.80, p < 0.01).
    CONCLUSIONS: The pathogenesis of MM is complex with the impact of modifiable factors. Lifestyle, with physical activity, seems to play a key role.
    Keywords:  etiology; exposure; lifestyle; multiple myeloma; physical activity; risk factors
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/ejh.14356