JACC Cardiovasc Imaging
August 2025
Background: Technetium-99m-labeled 3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (Tc-DPD) scintigraphy is a critical part of the validated nonbiopsy diagnostic algorithm for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). With the advent of novel disease-modifying therapies for ATTR-CM, there is intense interest in establishing the utility of DPD scans as an indicator of treatment response.
Objectives: The authors conducted a retrospective multimodality imaging study to determine the utility of Tc-DPD to track treatment response in ATTR-CM.
Renal prognosis in light-chain amyloidosis (AL) is determined by categorizing patients into three renal stages at diagnosis and assessing Renal Response or Renal Progression following chemotherapy after 6 months. We evaluated, in a test (N=1935) cohort of patients with renal AL amyloidosis who were followed for a median of 95 months, a modified 4-stage model where Renal Stage 2 was sub-categorized according to preserved (2A) or reduced (2B) estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR). A hybrid model for evaluation of Renal Progression was also introduced, using an eGFR cut-off of 30ml/min/1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Patients with transthyretin (ATTR) cardiac amyloid infiltration are increasingly diagnosed at earlier disease stages with no heart failure (HF) symptoms and a wide range of cardiac amyloid infiltration.
Objective: To characterize the clinical phenotype and natural history of asymptomatic patients with ATTR cardiac amyloid infiltration.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study analyzed data of all patients at 12 international centers for amyloidosis from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2023.
Systemic light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare clonal plasma cell disorder characterized by the production of amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chains, which causes the formation and deposition of amyloid fibrils, leading to multi-organ dysfunction. Current treatment is directed at the underlying plasma cell clone to achieve a profound reduction in the monoclonal free light chain production. The standard-of-care first-line therapy is a combination of daratumumab, cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (D-VCd regimen), resulting in high rates of haematological and organ responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBr J Haematol
July 2024
Systemic light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a relapsing plasma cell disorder. Therapy is limited, particularly for triple-class refractory disease. We report the use of belantamab mafodotin, a BCMA-directed drug-antibody conjugate, for relapsed AL amyloidosis, including patients traditionally excluded from clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeukemia
September 2023
Aims: To perform evaluation of widely embraced bone scintigraphy-based non-biopsy diagnostic criteria (NBDC) for ATTR amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) in clinical practice, and to refine serum free light chain (sFLC) ratio cut-offs that reliably exclude monoclonal gammopathy (MG) in chronic kidney disease.
Methods And Results: A multi-national retrospective study of 3354 patients with suspected or histologically proven cardiac amyloidosis (CA) referred to specialist centres from 2015 to 2021; evaluations included radionuclide bone scintigraphy, serum and urine immunofixation, sFLC assay, eGFR measurement and echocardiography. Seventy-nine percent (1636/2080) of patients with Perugini grade 2 or 3 radionuclide scans fulfilled NBDC for ATTR-CM through absence of a serum or urine monoclonal protein on immunofixation together with a sFLC ratio falling within revised cut-offs incorporating eGFR; 403 of these patients had amyloid on biopsy, all of which were ATTR type, and their survival was comparable to non-biopsied ATTR-CM patients (p = 0.
Cardiac AL amyloidosis is a medical emergency causing rapid deterioration of cardiac function; however, it remains to be a diagnostic challenge especially when presenting with unusual symptoms and clinical findings. We present case of a 44-year-old patient with typical angina, persistently elevated troponin and normal epicardial coronary arteries. He was initially treated for myocarditis due to chest pain with troponin rise.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSubcutaneous daratumumab plus bortezomib/cyclophosphamide/dexamethasone (VCd; D-VCd) improved outcomes versus VCd for patients with newly diagnosed immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) amyloidosis in the phase 3 ANDROMEDA study. We report a subgroup analysis of Asian patients (Japan; Korea; China) from ANDROMEDA. Among 388 randomized patients, 60 were Asian (D-VCd, n = 29; VCd, n = 31).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatient-reported outcomes in AL amyloidosis have not been well-studied. We analyzed health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and AL amyloidosis symptoms data from the phase 3 TOURMALINE-AL1 trial (NCT01659658) (ixazomib-dexamethasone, n = 85; physician's choice of chemotherapy [PC], n = 83). HRQOL and symptom burden were measured with the SF-36v2, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group Neurotoxicity subscale (FACT/GOG-Ntx), and an amyloidosis symptom questionnaire (ASQ).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare disease characterized by amyloid fibril deposits made up of toxic light chains causing progressive organ dysfunction and death. Recent studies suggest that hematologic response may be an important prognostic indicator of overall survival (OS) in AL amyloidosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trial-level association between hematologic complete response (CR) or very good partial response or better (≥ VGPR) and OS in newly diagnosed patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare, debilitating, often fatal disease. Symptoms of cardiomyopathy are common presenting features, and patients often are referred to cardiologists. Cardiac amyloid infiltration is the leading predictor of death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with amyloid light chain amyloidosis and severe cardiac dysfunction have a poor prognosis. Treatment options that induce rapid and deep hematologic and organ responses, irrespective of cardiac involvement, are needed.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of baseline cardiac stage on efficacy and safety outcomes in the phase 3 ANDROMEDA trial.
Eur Heart J
December 2022
Aims: To assess the ability of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to (i) measure changes in response to chemotherapy; (ii) assess the correlation between haematological response and changes in extracellular volume (ECV); and (iii) assess the association between changes in ECV and prognosis over and above existing predictors.
Methods And Results: In total, 176 patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis were assessed using serial N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), echocardiography, free light chains and CMR with T1 and ECV mapping at diagnosis and subsequently 6, 12, and 24 months after starting chemotherapy. Haematological response was graded as complete response (CR), very good partial response (VGPR), partial response (PR), or no response (NR).