Comparison of prognostication by IPSS-M, IPSS-R and AIPSS-MDS in the context of limited availability of molecular data in daily clinical practice.

The IPSS-M was developed to revolutionize the prediction of MDS patients' survival by incorporating molecular data. To compensate for lack of access to molecular analyses, the AIPSS-MDS, a supervised machine learning algorithm exclusively based on clinical and cytogenetic data, was developed by the Spanish MDS Group. We used data of the Düsseldorf MDS Registry and included 207 of more than 8500 registry patients whose IPSS-M-requested complete molecular data were known to compare and validate prognostication regarding OS and LFS of the IPSS-M, IPSS-R and AIPSS-MDS.

The histone-methyltransferase DOT1L cooperates with LSD1 to control cell division in blast-phase MPN.

Persistence of JAK2-mutated clones that may undergo clonal evolution and malignant transformation remains a challenge in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), Novel therapeutic approaches to attenuate clonal evolution and progression to blast-phase are therefore urgently needed. LSD1 (KDM1A) inhibitors reduce symptoms and clonal burden in MPN, but whether these compounds may be effective in advanced disease stages remained so far elusive. Using a chromatin-focused CRISPR-Cas9 screen, we identified the histone methyltransferase DOT1L as a synthetic lethal target under pharmacologic LSD1 inhibition.

Pharmacokinetics and outcome of high-dose melphalan followed by autologous stem cell transplantation in dialysis-dependent patients with multiple myeloma.

High-dose melphalan followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains the standard of care for fit patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, individuals who are dependent on hemodialysis are frequently excluded from ASCT. Recommendations on chemotherapy dosing and hemodialysis scheduling vary in literature and definite conclusions are impeded by the heterogeneity of cohorts.

Cell-free DNA for detection and monitoring of extramedullary AML relapse.

Isolated extramedullary manifestations (IEM) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are recurrent events, especially following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT). To date, measurable residual disease (MRD) assessment for this difficult-to-treat patient cohort has not been established. In this study, we evaluated highly sensitive next-generation sequencing (NGS) of IEM-AML tumor and compared it with cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from plasma, as well as highly sensitive NGS analysis of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), in a cohort of 15 IEM-AML patients with 19 IEM-AML episodes.

Impact of myelodysplasia-related and additional gene mutations in intensively treated patients with -mutated AML.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the myelodysplasia-related gene (MRG) as well as additional gene mutations on outcomes in intensively treated patients with -mutated ( ) AML. Targeted DNA sequencing of 263 genes was performed in 568 AML patients (median age: 59 years) entered into the prospective AMLSG 09-09 treatment trial. Most commonly co-mutated genes were (49.

A novel prognostic risk model for patients with refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukemia receiving venetoclax plus hypomethylating agents.

Off-label hypomethylating agents and venetoclax (HMA/VEN) are often used for relapsed and refractory (R/R) AML patients. However, predictors of outcome are elusive. The objective of the current retrospective observational multicenter study of 240 adult patients (median age 68.

Dose-Reduced FLA-IDA in Combination with Venetoclax Is an Effective and Safe Salvage Therapy in Relapsed and Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia (R/R AML).

Despite the development of targeted therapies in first-line AML, complete remissions (CR) cannot be achieved in 30-40%, and relapse rates remain high. In R/R AML the intensive treatment regimen of fludarabine, cytarabine, idarubicin combined with venetoclax (FLA-VIDA) showed improved remission rates compared to FLA-IDA. In this retrospective single-center analysis, we investigated the efficacy and safety of dose-reduced FLA-IDA with and without venetoclax to minimize the risk of infectious complications and excessive myelosuppression; Methods: Between 2011 and 2023, 89 R/R AML patients were treated with dose-reduced FLA-IDA (fludarabine 30 mg/m day 1-4, cytarabine 2000 mg/m day 1-4, idarubicin 10 mg/m day 1 + 4).

Role of molecular alterations in transplantation decisions for patients with primary myelofibrosis.

The aim of our study was to analyze the potential survival benefit associated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) according to clinicobiological scores, which incorporate mutation-enhanced international prognostic score system (MIPSS) to facilitate decision-making in this context. One transplant (n = 241) and 1 nontransplant cohort (n = 239) were used to test the hypothesis that patients with primary myelofibrosis with higher risk molecular score benefit from HSCT. A weighted propensity score was applied to balance confounding factors with the transplanted cohort as reference.

Impact of TP53 Mutation Status in Elderly AML Patients When Adding All-Trans Retinoic Acid or Valproic Acid to Decitabine.

In a randomized phase II trial (AMLSG 14-09, NCT00867672) of elderly, newly diagnosed AML patients, ATRA combined with decitabine (DEC) significantly improved the overall response rate (ORR) and survival also in patients with adverse-risk genetics, without adding toxicity. We performed a post hoc analysis to determine the predictive impact of TP53 status. Despite a nominally higher ORR, the clinically meaningful survival benefit when adding ATRA to DEC was diminished, but not completely negated, in TP53-mutated patients.

Measurable residual disease monitoring in AML with FLT3-ITD treated with intensive chemotherapy plus midostaurin.

Measurable residual disease (MRD) monitoring in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITDpos) has been hampered by the broad heterogeneity of ITD mutations. Using our recently developed FLT3-ITD paired-end next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based MRD assay (limit of detection 10-4 to 10-5), we evaluated the prognostic impact of MRD at different time points in 157 patients with FLT3-ITDpos AML who were enrolled in the German-Austrian Acute Myeloid Leukemia Study Group 16-10 trial and who were treated with a combination of intensive chemotherapy and midostaurin, followed by midostaurin maintenance. MRD negativity (MRDneg) after 2 cycles of chemotherapy (Cy2), which was observed in 111 of 142 (78%) patients, was predictive of superior 4-year rates of cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) (4y-CIR; 26% vs 46%; P = .

Clonal relapse dynamics in acute myeloid leukemia following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who experience relapse following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) face unfavorable outcomes regardless of the chosen relapse treatment. Early detection of relapse at the molecular level by measurable residual disease (MRD) assessment enables timely intervention, which may prevent hematological recurrence of the disease. It remains unclear whether molecular MRD assessment can detect MRD before impending relapse and, if so, how long in advance.

How I treat refractory and relapsed acute myeloid leukemia.

Most patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) develop refractory/relapsed (R/R) disease even in the presence of novel and targeted therapies. Given the biological complexity of the disease and differences in frontline treatments, there are therapies approved for only subgroups of R/R AML, and enrollment in clinical trials should be first priority. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only potentially curative strategy for most patients.

CAR-Ts redirected against the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen CD176 mediate specific elimination of malignant cells from leukemia and solid tumors.

Introduction: Chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T cells (CAR-Ts) are investigated in various clinical trials for the treatment of cancer entities beyond hematologic malignancies. A major hurdle is the identification of a target antigen with high expression on the tumor but no expression on healthy cells, since "on-target/off-tumor" cytotoxicity is usually intolerable. Approximately 90% of carcinomas and leukemias are positive for the Thomsen-Friedenreich carbohydrate antigen CD176, which is associated with tumor progression, metastasis and therapy resistance.

Germ line variant GFI1-36N affects DNA repair and sensitizes AML cells to DNA damage and repair therapy.

Growth factor independence 1 (GFI1) is a DNA-binding transcription factor and a key regulator of hematopoiesis. GFI1-36N is a germ line variant, causing a change of serine (S) to asparagine (N) at position 36. We previously reported that the GFI1-36N allele has a prevalence of 10% to 15% among patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 5% to 7% among healthy Caucasians and promotes the development of this disease.

Phase I study evaluating the Fc-optimized FLT3 antibody FLYSYN in AML patients with measurable residual disease.

Background: About half of AML patients achieving complete remission (CR) display measurable residual disease (MRD) and eventually relapse. FLYSYN is an Fc-optimized antibody for eradication of MRD directed to FLT3/CD135, which is abundantly expressed on AML cells.

Methods: This first-in-human, open-label, single-arm, multicenter trial included AML patients in CR with persisting or increasing MRD and evaluated safety/tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary efficacy of FLYSYN at different dose levels administered intravenously (cohort 1-5: single dose of 0.

MRD as Biomarker for Response to Donor Lymphocyte Infusion after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Patients with AML.

Donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) can directly target leukemic cells through a graft-versus-leukemia effect and play a key role in the prevention and management of relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT). Predictors of response to DLIs are not well established. We evaluated measurable residual disease (MRD) before, 30 and 90 days after DLI treatment as biomarkers of response.