Autologous Transplantation in Follicular Lymphoma with Early Therapy Failure: A National LymphoCare Study and Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Analysis

Results of R-ESHAP as salvage therapy in refractory/relapsed follicular lymphoma: a real-world experience on behalf of GELCAB group

There is no standard treatment for relapsed follicular lymphoma (FL). Although platinum-based combinations are one of the most used treatments, few data have been reported in this setting. Our aim was to analyse R-ESHAP efficacy in relapsed FL patients. We retrospectively analysed 80 FL patients treated with R-ESHAP in the first or successive relapses. Responding patients received a stem cell transplantation following R-ESHAP. Seventeen histologically transformed patients were included. Median age was 50 years. At R-ESHAP initiation, 85% of the patients were in an advanced stage, 28% had a bulky disease and 40% had increased LDH. There were no statistically significant differences between POD24 and non-POD24 patients in terms of response to R-ESHAP (ORR 72% vs. 93%, p = 0.109). When analyzing R-ESHAP efficacy according to the response to the immediately previous line, patients achieving CR or PR had better CR rates to R-ESHAP than those who did not respond (CR of 57% vs. 15%, respectively, p = 0.009), as well as differences in OS (7.2 vs. 1.4 years, p < 0.0001) and in PFS (2.1 vs. 0.3 years, p < 0.0001). R-ESHAP is an effective treatment in relapsed FL patients who respond to the previous line and has to be considered as an adequate alternative for some patients.

Finalization of autologous stem cell transplant in complex and multirelapsed follicular lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is characterized by frequent relapses and need for multitude lines of therapy, which includes different immunochemotherapy regimens, novel monoclonal antibodies, novel drugs, and autologous or allogenic stem cell transplant. Early use of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) improves prognosis in patients with FL who may be candidates for an aggressive approach.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report the case of a 49-year-old woman with thrombophilia with relapsed/refractory grade 3A FL, heavily pretreated, who achieved third complete remission after high-dose chemotherapy and ASCT, despite experiencing life-threatening adverse events during her treatment history.

CONCLUSIONS

Stem cell transplantation has emerged as the standard of care for young patients with FL but may be effective also in complex and multirelapsed clinical cases.

Progression of disease within 2 years (POD24) is a clinically relevant endpoint to identify high-risk follicular lymphoma patients in real life

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with heterogeneous outcomes. Progression or relapse of FL within 2 years (so-called POD24) after diagnosis is associated with a poor outcome for patients treated with R-CHOP (rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) in clinical trials. POD24 needs further validation before it can be used as a relevant endpoint to assess treatment efficacy. In the present retrospective monocentric study, we investigated the predictive value of POD24 in a cohort of grade 1, 2, or 3a FL patients treated in our institution (Nantes Medical University, France) and registered in our local database. We investigated the nature of treatment lines, patients' outcomes, and the prognostic value of POD24. Between 2007 and 2016, 317 patients were included. After first-line therapy, 60 patients relapsed within 2 years (POD24-pos cohort), and 254 patients did not relapse within 2 years (PO24-neg cohort). Thirty-three patients died, and 34 patients had an aggressive transformation. The median follow-up is 59.9 months (1.6-395.5). The median PFS is 59.9 months. Overall survival (OS) at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years is 98.4% [97.0-99.8], 95.1% [92.6-97.6], and 92.5% [89.3-95.9], respectively. The 5-year OS was statistically lower for POD24-pos patients (82% [71.9-93.5]) than for POD24-neg patients (93.3% [88.98-97.8]) (p = 10^-5). In multivariate analyses, transformation was predictive of OS, and PS (≥ 1) was predictive of POD24. POD24 is predictive of a worse OS and may be recommended as a relevant endpoint in clinical trials and in real life in particular for patients with advanced disease.

Early Progression of Follicular Lymphoma: Biology and Treatment

Follicular lymphoma is the most common subtype of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Although a majority of patients have a favorable prognosis, a subset of patients experiences early treatment failure. Progression of disease within 24 months of initial chemoimmunotherapy is associated with inferior survival. The biology of early progression is the subject of ongoing study and depends on the unique genetic composition of neoplastic cells and their interaction with a complex tumor microenvironment. Clinicogenetic prognostic indices have been developed to identify high-risk patients. Several have been validated but are limited in identifying those at risk for early treatment failure.

Follicular lymphomas in vulnerable/older patients

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Unlike for diffuse large-cell lymphoma, both the management of elderly patients with follicular lymphoma and the role of comprehensive geriatric evaluation to optimize treatment choices have been rarely addressed. This review analyses available evidence on follicular lymphoma occurring in aged persons.

RECENT FINDINGS

Most retrospective studies and expert recommendations agree that the diagnostic approach and the treatment algorithm in elderly follicular lymphoma should not differ from younger patients up to the age of 80. However, slowly progressing follicular lymphoma low-tumor burden should start treatment even though asymptomatic. Prospective identification of those unfit patients is needed where a treatment deintensification may not be detrimental. Octogenarians have more aggressive disease and do not benefit from chemoimmunotherapy more than from single-agent rituximab. An activity of daily living loss significantly impact on their outcome and specific prognostic scores may help in the better manage these oldest patients.

SUMMARY

Given the lack of prospective studies there is an urgent need to investigate if geriatric assessment including comorbidities, geriatric parameters, patient's reported outcomes and quality of life issues, may help selecting those frail elderly follicular lymphoma patients less suitable for full-dose treatments. In addition, the potential usefulness of the new noncytotoxic agents of proven efficacy in follicular lymphoma warrants specific investigations in older patients.

Indications for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Immune Effector Cell Therapy: Guidelines from the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy

The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) published its first white paper on indications for autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in 2015. It was identified at the time that periodic updates of indications would be required to stay abreast with state of the art and emerging indications and therapy. In recent years the field has not only seen an improvement in transplantation technology, thus widening the therapeutic scope of HCT, but additionally a whole new treatment strategy using modified immune effector cells, including chimeric antigen receptor T cells and engineered T-cell receptors, has emerged. The guidelines review committee of the ASTCT deemed it optimal to update the ASTCT recommendations for indications for HCT to include new data and to incorporate indications for immune effector cell therapy (IECT) where appropriate. The guidelines committee established a multiple stakeholder task force consisting of transplant experts, payer representatives, and a patient advocate to provide guidance on indications for HCT and IECT. This article presents the updated recommendations from the ASTCT on indications for HCT and IECT. Indications for HCT/IECT were categorized as (1) Standard of care, where indication is well defined and supported by evidence; (2) Standard of care, clinical evidence available, where large clinical trials and observational studies are not available but have been shown to be effective therapy; (3) Standard of care, rare indication, for rare diseases where demonstrated effectiveness exists but large clinical trials and observational studies are not feasible; (4) Developmental, for diseases where preclinical and/or early-phase clinical studies show HCT/IECT to be a promising treatment option; and (5) Not generally recommended, where available evidence does not support the routine use of HCT/IECT. The ASTCT will continue to periodically review these guidelines and update them as new evidence becomes available.

Follicular lymphoma: 2020 update on diagnosis and management

DISEASE OVERVIEW

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is generally an indolent B cell lymphoproliferative disorder of transformed follicular center B cells. Follicular lymphoma is characterized by diffuse lymphadenopathy, bone marrow involvement, and splenomegaly. Extranodal involvement is less common. Cytopenias are relatively common but constitutional symptoms of fever, night sweats, and weight loss are uncommon in the absence of transformation to diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

DIAGNOSIS

The diagnosis is based on histology from a biopsy of a lymph node or other affected tissue. Incisional biopsy is preferred over needle biopsies in order to give adequate tissue to assign grade and assess for transformation. Immunohistochemical staining is positive in virtually all cases for cell surface CD19, CD20, CD10 and monoclonal immunoglobulin, as well as cytoplasmic expression of bcl-2 protein. The overwhelming majority of cases have the characteristic t(14;18) translocation involving the IgH/bcl-2 genes.

RISK STRATIFICATION

The Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) uses five independent predictors of inferior survival: age > 60 years, hemoglobin <12 g/dL, serum LDH > normal, Ann Arbor stage III/IV, number of involved nodal areas >4. The presence of 0-1, 2, and ≥ 3 adverse factors defines low, intermediate, and high-risk disease. There are other clinical prognostic models but the FLIPI remains the most common. Other factors such as time to relapse of less than 2 years from chemoimmunotherapy and specific gene mutations may also be useful for prognosis. Regardless of the prognostic model used, modern therapies have demonstrably improved prognosis.

RISK-ADAPTED THERAPY

Observation continues to be appropriate for asymptomatic patients with low bulk disease and no cytopenias. There is no overall survival advantage for early treatment with either chemotherapy or single agent rituximab. For patients needing therapy, most patients are treated with chemoimmunotherapy, which has improved response rates, duration of response and overall survival (OS). Randomized studies have shown additional benefit for maintenance rituximab. Lenalidomide was non-inferior to chemoimmunotherapy in a randomized front-line study and, when combined with rituximab, was superior to rituximab alone in relapsed FL. Kinase inhibitors, other immunotherapies, and stem cell transplantation (SCT) are also considered for recurrent disease.

Outcomes of rituximab-BEAM versus BEAM conditioning regimen in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma undergoing autologous transplantation

BACKGROUND

Although rituximab-based high-dose therapy is frequently used in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT), data supporting the benefits are not available. Herein, we report the impact of rituximab-based conditioning on auto-HCT outcomes in patients who have DLBCL.

METHODS

Using the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) registry, 862 adult DLBCL patients undergoing auto-HCT between 2003 and 2017 using BEAM (BCNU, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan) conditioning regimen were included. All patients received frontline rituximab-containing chemoimmunotherapy and had chemosensitive disease pre-HCT. Early chemoimmunotherapy failure was defined as not achieving complete remission (CR) after frontline chemoimmunotherapy or relapse within 1 year of initial diagnosis. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The study cohort was divided into 2 groups: BEAM (n = 667) and R-BEAM (n = 195). On multivariate analysis, no significant difference was seen in OS (P = .83) or progression-free survival (PFS) (P = .61) across the 2 cohorts. No significant association between the use of rituximab and risk of relapse (P = .15) or nonrelapse mortality (P = .12) was observed. Variables independently associated with lower OS included older age at auto-HCT (P < .001), absence of CR at auto-HCT (P < .001) and early chemoimmunotherapy failure (P < .001). Older age (P < .0002) and non-CR pre-HCT (P < .0001) were also associated with inferior PFS. There was no significant difference in early infectious complications between the 2 cohorts.

CONCLUSION

In this large registry analysis of DLBCL patients undergoing auto-HCT, the addition of rituximab to the BEAM conditioning regimen had no impact on transplantation outcomes. Older age, absence of CR pre auto-HCT, and early chemoimmunotherapy failure were associated with inferior survival.

Maintenance Therapies for Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas After Autologous Transplantation: A Consensus Project of ASBMT, CIBMTR, and the Lymphoma Working Party of EBMT

Importance

Maintenance therapies are often considered as a therapeutic strategy in patients with lymphoma following autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) to mitigate the risk of disease relapse. With an evolving therapeutic landscape, where novel drugs are moving earlier in therapy lines, evidence relevant to contemporary practice is increasingly limited. The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT), Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), and European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) jointly convened an expert panel with diverse expertise and geographical representation to formulate consensus recommendations regarding the use of maintenance and/or consolidation therapies after auto-HCT in patients with lymphoma.

Observations

The RAND-modified Delphi method was used to generate consensus statements where at least 75% vote in favor of a recommendation was considered as consensus. The process included 3 online surveys moderated by an independent methodological expert to ensure anonymity and an in-person meeting. The panel recommended restricting the histologic categories covered in this project to Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and follicular lymphoma. On completion of the voting process, the panel generated 22 consensus statements regarding post auto-HCT maintenance and/or consolidation therapies. The grade A recommendations included endorsement of: (1) brentuximab vedotin (BV) maintenance and/or consolidation in BV-naïve high-risk HL, (2) rituximab maintenance in MCL undergoing auto-HCT after first-line therapy, (3) rituximab maintenance in rituximab-naïve FL, and (4) No post auto-HCT maintenance was recommended in DLBCL. The panel also developed consensus statements for important real-world clinical scenarios, where randomized data are lacking to guide clinical practice.

Conclusions and Relevance

In the absence of contemporary evidence-based data, the panel found RAND-modified Delphi methodology effective in providing a rigorous framework for developing consensus recommendations for post auto-HCT maintenance and/or consolidation therapies in lymphoma.

Controversies in the Treatment of Follicular Lymphoma

The overall prognosis of patients with follicular lymphoma has substantially improved over the last decades with a 10-year overall survival of around 80% for the majority of patients. However, for most patients follicular lymphoma it is still a relapsing and remitting disease. Furthermore, certain subsets of patients still have much shorter survival. Currently, there is no established standard how to treat high-risk follicular lymphoma. With advances in the understanding of the biology and pathogenesis of B cell malignancies, a plethora of new compounds have been investigated in FL. These compounds have the potential to increase efficacy if added to current regimens or even replace them. The implementation of these compounds in treatment algorithms is another unsolved issue. This overview highlights major controversies in the treatment of follicular lymphoma and discusses the most recent and relevant clinical trials.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of relapsed follicular lymphoma after autologous stem cell transplantation in the rituximab era

High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a therapeutic option for patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma (FL). The clinical characteristics and outcomes of FL relapse after ASCT in the rituximab era have not yet been fully elucidated. We retrospectively reviewed 414 FL patients treated with ASCT between 2000 and 2014 in four hematology departments. All patients received rituximab as a first-line treatment. We specifically analyzed the clinical characteristics, treatment strategies at relapse, and outcomes of 95 patients (23%) who relapsed after ASCT. The patients (median age, 57 y) received a median of two lines of therapy (range, 2-6) prior to ASCT, with 92% in complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) before ASCT. Histological transformation at relapse after ASCT was observed in 20% of the patients. Treatment at relapse after ASCT consisted of chemotherapy with or without rituximab (n = 45/90, 50%), targeted agents (18%), rituximab monotherapy (14%), or consolidation allogeneic transplantation after induction chemotherapy (12%) and radiotherapy (6%). After relapse, the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 1 year (95% CI, 0.541-1.579) and 5.5 years (95% CI, 1.910-9.099), respectively. In the multivariate analysis, histological transformation (HT) was associated with OS (P = .044; HR 2.439; 95% CI, 1.025-5.806), and a high FLIPI score at relapse was associated with PFS (P = .028; HR 2.469; 95% CI, 1.104-5.521). This retrospective study showed that the period of PFS of patients who relapsed after ASCT is short. A biopsy should be performed for these patients to document the HT. Our results indicate that new treatment strategies will need to be developed for these patients.

Impact and Intricacies of Bone Marrow Microenvironment in B-cell Lymphomas: From Biology to Therapy

Lymphoma, a group of widely prevalent hematological malignancies of lymphocyte origin, has become the focus of significant clinical research due to their high propensity for refractory/relapsed (R/R) disease, leading to poor prognostic outcomes. The complex molecular circuitry in lymphomas, especially in the aggressive phenotypes, has made it difficult to find a therapeutic option that can salvage R/R disease. Furthermore, the association of lymphomas with the Bone Marrow (BM) microenvironment has been found to portend worse outcomes in terms of heightened chances of relapse and acquired resistance to chemotherapy. This review assesses the current therapy options in three distinct types of lymphomas: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma. It also explores the role of the BM tumor microenvironment as a secure 'niche' for lymphoma cells to grow, proliferate and survive. It further evaluates potential mechanisms through which the tumor cells can establish molecular connections with the BM cells to provide pro-tumor benefits, and discusses putative therapeutic strategies for disrupting the BM-lymphoma cell communication.

Follicular lymphoma: Update on management and emerging therapies at the dawn of the new decade

Follicular lymphoma is the most common indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Survival has improved over the last several decades, mainly because of the incorporation of the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab into preexisting or rediscovered agents. The disease has a relapsing and remitting pattern, coupled with a risk of transformation into an aggressive lymphoma, and considered incurable for most patients. Next-generation sequencing technologies have increased our understanding of the biology and genetic landscape of the disease, identifying potential druggable targets for treatment. Current prognostic models cannot accurately identify patients at risk of early progression and despite the availability of treatment options for relapsed/refractory disease, rational treatment selection balancing disease control, efficacy with toxicity, and quality of life remain unmet needs. This review provides an overview of biology, prognostication, treatment options, and emerging therapies that provide valid grounds for optimism.

Where does transplant fit in the age of targeted therapies?

The role of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for indolent lymphoma has evolved over the last 5 years with the availability of novel low-toxicity therapies and a better understanding of the prognosis of these entities. However, despite numerous treatment options for patients with follicular lymphoma, none are thought to be curative, and many require ongoing therapy with chronic toxicity. Historical trials indicate that autologous HCT as initial consolidation leads to improved progression-free survival, but not overall survival (OS) and, thus, is not typically recommended. However, autologous HCT for chemosensitive relapse can be carried out with ∼1% early mortality risk, affording disease control lasting a median of 3 to 5 years and the potential to improve OS. These results may compare favorably in efficacy, toxicity, and cost vs multiple sequential novel therapies with shorter durations of benefit. Recent data indicate that autologous HCT in follicular lymphoma patients with early initial progression will result in more than one third being alive and without relapse at 5 years, leading to improved OS when used within a year of the first recurrence. Unlike other available therapies, allogeneic HCT has the potential to cure up to one half of those transplanted with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, although the risks need to be recognized and appropriate patient and donor selection is critical to ensure the best outcomes. HCT continues to remain a viable option in the current era of multiple targeted agents.

Follicular Lymphoma: Recent and Emerging Therapies, Treatment Strategies, and Remaining Unmet Needs

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a heterogeneous disease with varying prognosis owing to differences in clinical, laboratory, and disease parameters. Although generally considered incurable, prognosis for early- and advanced-stage disease has improved because of therapeutic advances, several of which have resulted from elucidation of the biologic and molecular basis of the disease. The choice of treatment for FL is highly dependent on patient and disease characteristics. Several tools are available for risk stratification, although limitations in their routine clinical use exist. For limited disease, treatment options include radiotherapy, rituximab monotherapy or combination regimens, and surveillance. Treatment of advanced disease is often determined by tumor burden, with surveillance or rituximab considered for low tumor burden and chemoimmunotherapy for high tumor burden disease. Treatment for relapsed or refractory disease is influenced by initial first-line therapy and the duration and quality of the response. Presently, there is no consensus for treatment of patients with early or multiply relapsed disease; however, numerous agents, combination regimens, and transplant options have demonstrated efficacy. Although the number of therapies available to treat FL has increased together with an improved understanding of the underlying biologic basis of disease, the best approach to select the most appropriate treatment strategy for an individual patient at a particular time continues to be elucidated. This review considers prognostication and the evolving treatment landscape of FL, including recent and emergent therapies as well as remaining unmet needs. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: In follicular lymphoma, a personalized approach to management based on disease biology, patient characteristics, and other factors continues to emerge. However, application of current management requires an understanding of the available therapeutic options for first-line treatment and knowledge of current development in therapies for previously untreated and for relapsed or refractory disease. Thus, this work reviews for clinicians the contemporary data in follicular lymphoma, from advances in characterizing disease biology to current treatments and emerging novel therapies.

Recent Advances in CAR-T Cell Therapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Adoptive cellular immunotherapy with anti CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell has changed the treatment landscape in relapsed/refractory B cell lymphomas. They have emerged as effective therapy in patients with multiple relapsed/refractory disease, capable of sustaining durable remissions. Two CAR-T cell products (axicabtagene ciloleucel and tisagenlecleucel) are currently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. A third anti CD19 CAR-T cell, lisocabtagene ciloleucel is currently being evaluated in large clinical trials and may also be United States Food and Drug Administration-approved soon. CAR-T cell-related toxicities, including infections, cytokine release syndrome, and neurotoxicity are potential complications of therapy. With increasing use of CAR-T cells, the mechanism of toxicities and mitigation strategies needs to be developed. Additionally, reasons for CAR-T cell failure and progression following this therapy needs to be further studied. We describe the recent developments in this field, with emphasis on the complications of therapy and factors contributing to toxicities, efficacy, and resistance. We also describe the ongoing research in this field and the newer CAR-T cell constructs that are being developed to counter the challenges that have been identified in this field.

Early progression as a predictor of survival in marginal zone lymphomas: an analysis from the FIL-NF10 study

Marginal zone lymphomas (MZLs) are indolent nonfollicular B-cell lymphomas (INFLs) and have heterogeneous clinical behavior. Recently, time to progression of disease at 24 months (POD24) was identified to stratify overall survival (OS) in follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma and in INFL. Here, we examined the ability of POD24 to predict subsequent OS in a large, international cohort of MZL as part of the NF10 prospective international registry headed by Fondazione Italiana Linfomi (FIL). POD24 was only calculated for MZL patients requiring immediate therapy and was defined as experiencing lymphoma progression within 24 months from diagnosis. Among the 1325 patients enrolled in the NF10 study, we identified 321 patients with MZL for whom immediate therapy was planned right after lymphoma diagnosis. Overall, POD24 was confirmed in 59 patients (18%). Three-year OS for patients with POD24 was 53% with a hazard ratio of 19.5 (95% confidence interval, 8.4-45) compared with patients without POD24 (3-year OS, 95%). Association of POD24 with OS was confirmed for the subgroup of splenic and extranodal MZLs. Assessment of POD24 stratifies subsequent outcome in MZL and identifies a high-risk population. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02904577.

Early progression after bendamustine-rituximab is associated with high risk of transformation in advanced stage follicular lymphoma

Despite widespread use of bendamustine and rituximab (BR) as frontline therapy for advanced-stage follicular lymphoma (FL), little is known about the risk of early progression or incidence of histological transformation. We performed a retrospective analysis of a population-based cohort of 296 patients with advanced-stage FL treated with frontline BR and maintenance rituximab. As previously demonstrated, outcomes with this regimen are excellent, with 2-year event-free survival estimated at 85% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 80-89) and 2-year overall survival 92% (95% CI, 88-95). Progression of disease within 24 months (POD24) occurred in 13% of patients and was associated with a significantly inferior outcome with 2-year overall survival of 38% (95% CI, 20-55). The only significant risk factor for POD24 at baseline was elevated lactate dehydrogenase (P < .001). Importantly, the majority of POD24 patients (76%) had transformed disease. Compared with a historical cohort treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone, event-free survival has improved and the risk of POD24 has decreased, but a higher proportion of patients with POD24 harbor transformation. The overall incidence of transformation appears unchanged. The presence of occult or early transformation is the main driver of POD24 in FL patients treated with frontline BR. Identification of biomarkers and improved management strategies for transformation will be crucial to improving outcomes.

Obinutuzumab combined with lenalidomide for relapsed or refractory follicular B-cell lymphoma (GALEN): a multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 study

BACKGROUND

Lenalidomide plus rituximab is approved to treat patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. Obinutuzumab has been shown to enhance antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, phagocytosis, and direct B-cell killing better than rituximab. Our aim was to determine the activity and safety of lenalidomide plus obinutuzumab in previously treated patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma.

METHODS

In this multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 study, patients were enrolled from 24 Lymphoma Academic Research Organisation centres in France. Eligible patients (age ≥18 years) had histologically confirmed CD20-positive relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma of WHO grade 1, 2, or 3a; an ECOG performance status of 0-2; and received at least one previous rituximab-containing therapy. Patients received oral lenalidomide (20 mg) plus intravenously infused obinutuzumab as induction therapy (1000 mg; six 28-day cycles), 1-year maintenance with lenalidomide (10 mg; 12 28-day cycles; days 2-22) plus obinutuzumab (1000 mg; alternate cycles), and 1-year maintenance with obinutuzumab (1000 mg; six 56-day cycles; day 1). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who achieved an overall response at induction end as per investigator assessment using the 1999 international working group criteria. The secondary endpoints were event-free survival, progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety. Analyses were per-protocol; the efficacy population included all patients who received at least one dose of both obinutuzumab and lenalidomide, and the safety population included all patients who received one dose of either investigational drug. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01582776, and is ongoing but closed to accrual.

FINDINGS

Between June 11, 2014, and Dec 18, 2015, 89 patients were recruited and 86 patients were evaluable for efficacy and 88 for safety. Median follow-up was 2·6 years (IQR 2·2-2·8). 68 (79%) of 86 evaluable patients (95% CI 69-87) achieved an overall response at induction end, meeting the prespecified primary endpoint. At 2 years, event-free survival was 62% (95% CI 51-72), progression-free survival 65% (95% CI 54-74), duration of response 70% (95% CI 57-79), and overall survival 87% (95% CI 78-93). Complete response was achieved by 33 (38%, 95% CI 28-50) of 86 patients at induction end, and the proportion of patients achieving a best overall response was 70 (81%, 95% CI 72-89) and 72 (84%, 74-91) of 86 patients during induction and treatment, respectively. The most common adverse events were asthenia (n=54, 61%), neutropenia (n=38, 43%), bronchitis (n=36, 41%), diarrhoea (n=35, 40%), and muscle spasms (n=34, 39%). Neutropenia was the most common toxicity of grade 3 or more; four (5%) patients had febrile neutropenia. 57 serious adverse events were reported in 30 (34%) of 88 patients. The most common serious adverse events were basal cell carcinoma (n=5, 6%), febrile neutropenia (n=4, 5%), and infusion-related reaction (n=3, 3%). One patient died due to treatment-related febrile neutropenia.

INTERPRETATION

Our data shows that lenalidomide plus obinutuzumab is active in previously treated patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, including those with early relapse, and has a manageable safety profile. Randomised trials of new immunomodulatory regimens, such as GALEN or using GALEN as a backbone, versus lenalidomide plus rituximab, are warranted.

FUNDING

Lymphoma Academic Research Organisation, and Celgene and Roche.

How I manage patients with follicular lymphoma

Recent advances in the treatment of follicular lymphoma (FL) have provided insight into molecular and biological influences on pathogenesis and prognosis. Additionally, numerous available treatment strategies for both newly diagnosed and relapsed disease require thoughtful consideration of patient selection to avoid the burden of overtreatment and toxicities. This review provides a broad overview on our approach to managing patients with low grade FL.

CAR T-cell therapy for B-cell lymphomas: clinical trial results of available products

Adoptive cellular immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell has changed the treatment landscape of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), especially for aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Single-center and multicenter clinical trials with anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy have shown great activity and long-term remissions in poor-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) when no other effective treatment options are available. Two CAR T-cell products [axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) and tisagenlecleucel] have obtained US Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of refractory DLBCL after two lines of therapy. A third product, liso-cel, is currently being evaluated in clinical trials and preliminary results appear very promising. CAR T-cell-related toxicity with cytokine-release syndrome and neurotoxicity remain important potential complications of this therapy. Here, we review the s biology, structure, clinical trial results and toxicity of two commercially approved CAR T-cell products and others currently being studied in multicenter clinical trials in B-cell NHLs.

How I treat early-relapsing follicular lymphoma

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most frequently occurring indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with generally favorable outcomes but a variable clinical course. Recent studies have elucidated the consistent and reproducible frequency of early disease progression in FL, occurring in ∼20% of patients. Relapse of FL within 24 months of chemoimmunotherapy (POD24) is now established as a robust marker of poor survival, leading to increased risk of death. Currently, there is no established method of identifying patients at risk for early disease progression at the time of their FL diagnosis. However, numerous studies worldwide are investigating clinical, pathologic, and radiographic biomarkers to help predict POD24, thereby improving subsequent outcomes and adapting therapy based on individual risk. There is also a paucity of standardized treatments for patients with POD24, but investigations are ongoing testing novel targeted therapies and autologous stem cell transplantation strategies. This review provides an overview of early-relapsing FL and our approach to patient management based on recent available data.

New Treatment Options in Advanced Stage Follicular Lymphoma

Follicular lymphoma is one of the most common non-Hodgkin's lymphomas with an expected survival of more than 20 years for the majority of patients. This impressive outcome has been achieved with the introduction of immunochemotherapy, as first line treatment with remissions lasting over 8 years, followed by other treatment options at first or subsequent relapse. However, certain groups of patients still have a poor prognosis. In recent years the efficacy of chemotherapy regimens has been augmented by new compounds selectively targeting the cell surface, intracellular pathways, and/or the microenvironment. Some of these are beginning to change the therapeutic landscape. This review summarizes prognostic factors in follicular lymphoma in order to identify patients with greatest medical need for these new treatment options and reviews recent data from prospective clinical studies testing new agents in first-line and relapsed follicular lymphoma. Finally, we assess the current role of immunochemotherapy and discuss the requirements for future clinical trials.

Strategies to improve outcomes of autologous hematopoietic cell transplant in lymphoma

High-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HDT-AHCT) remains an effective therapy in lymphoma. Over the past several decades, HDT with BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan) and CBV (cyclophosphamide, carmustine, and etoposide) have been the most frequently used preparatory regimens for AHCT in Hodgkin (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). This article reviews alternative combination conditioning regimens, as well as novel transplant strategies that have been developed, to reduce transplant-related toxicity while maintaining or improving efficacy. These data demonstrate that incorporation of maintenance therapy posttransplant might be the best way to improve outcomes.

Advances in Transplantation for Lymphomas Resulting from CIBMTR Lymphoma Working Committee's Research Portfolio: A Five-Year Report (2013-2018)

The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) is a research collaboration between the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). The CIBMTR collaborates with the global scientific community to advance hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and cellular therapy worldwide to increase survival and enrich quality of life for patients. The observation research program within CIBMTR is organized into 15 working committees. This review is aiming to highlight the observational research studies published by the CIBMTR Lymphoma Working committee over the last five years (2013-18) and to summarize how these studies have impacted the field by helping inform clinical practice in scenarios where prospective data from high quality randomized trials were not available or where owing to the rarity of a particular transplant indication such data were unlikely to be generated, outside the setting of a large observational research database. The salient findings reviewed include; (a) studies supporting role of autologous HCT in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients with sensitive relapse of disease within one year of diagnosis, (b) role of autologous HCT vs allogeneic HCT in follicular lymphoma patients with early therapy failure, (c) prognostic scoring system development for classical Hodgkin lymphoma and DLBCL patients with prior autograft failure, (d) defining the role of alternative donor transplantation in lymphomas, (e) evaluating appropriate conditioning regimens for HCT in lymphoma, and (f) outcomes of HCT in rare lymphoid malignancies.

Autologous transplantation versus allogeneic transplantation in patients with follicular lymphoma experiencing early treatment failure

BACKGROUND

Early treatment failure (ETF) in follicular lymphoma (FL), defined as relapse or progression within 2 years of frontline chemoimmunotherapy, is a newly recognized marker of poor survival and identifies a high-risk group of patients with an expected 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of approximately 50%. Transplantation is an established option for relapsed FL, but its efficacy in this specific ETF FL population has not been previously evaluated.

METHODS

This study compared autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HCT) with either matched sibling donor (MSD) or matched unrelated donor (MUD) allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) as the first transplantation approach for patients with ETF FL (age ≥ 18 years) undergoing auto-HCT or allo-HCT between 2002 and 2014. The primary endpoint was OS. The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival, relapse, and nonrelapse mortality (NRM).

RESULTS

Four hundred forty FL patients had ETF (auto-HCT, 240; MSD hematopoietic stem cell transplantation [HCT], 105; and MUD HCT, 95). With a median follow-up of 69 to 73 months, the adjusted probability of 5-year OS was significantly higher after auto-HCT (70%) or MSD HCT (73%) versus MUD HCT (49%; P = .0008). The 5-year adjusted probability of NRM was significantly lower for auto-HCT (5%) versus MSD (17%) or MUD HCT (33%; P < .0001). The 5-year adjusted probability of disease relapse was lower with MSD (31%) or MUD HCT (23%) versus auto-HCT (58%; P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with high-risk FL, as defined by ETF, undergoing auto-HCT for FL have low NRM and a promising 5-year OS rate (70%). MSD HCT has lower relapse rates than auto-HCT but similar OS. Cancer 2018;124:2541-51. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Melphalan-Based Reduced-Intensity Conditioning is Associated with Favorable Disease Control and Acceptable Toxicities in Patients Older Than 70 with Hematologic Malignancies Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) is offered increasingly to elderly patients with hematologic malignancies. However, outcome data in those who are 70 years or older are limited, and no standard conditioning regimen has been established for this population. In this retrospective study we evaluated the outcome of 53 consecutive patients aged 70 years and older who underwent alloHCT with melphalan-based reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) at City of Hope. Engraftment was prompt, with median time to neutrophil engraftment of 15 days. More than 95% of patients achieved complete donor chimerism within 6 weeks from HCT, consistent with the "semiablative" nature of this regimen. With a median follow-up of 31.1 months, the 2-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) were 68.9%, 63.8%, and 17.0%, respectively. Cumulative incidence of relapse at 1 and 2 years was 17.0% and 19.3%, respectively. One hundred-day cumulative incidence of grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease was 37.7% (grades III to IV, 18.9%), and 2-year cumulative incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease was 61.9% (extensive, 45.9%). The only significant predictor for poor OS was high/very high disease risk index. Transplant-related complications and morbidities observed here did not differ from the commonly expected in younger patients treated with RIC. In conclusion, alloHCT with a melphalan-based conditioning regimen is associated with acceptable toxicities and NRM, lower incidence of relapse, and favorable OS and PFS in patients aged 70 years or older.