Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor after initial chemotherapy for elderly patients with primary acute myelogenous leukemia. Cancer and Leukemia Group B

The Impact of Inflammation-Induced Tumor Plasticity during Myeloid Transformation

Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is an aging-associated condition characterized by the clonal outgrowth of mutated preleukemic cells. Individuals with CH are at an increased risk of developing hematopoietic malignancies. Here, we describe a novel animal model carrying a recurrent TET2 missense mutation frequently found in patients with CH and leukemia. In a fashion similar to CH, animals show signs of disease late in life when they develop a wide range of myeloid neoplasms, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Using single-cell transcriptomic profiling of the bone marrow, we show that disease progression in aged animals correlates with an enhanced inflammatory response and the emergence of an aberrant inflammatory monocytic cell population. The gene signature characteristic of this inflammatory population is associated with poor prognosis in patients with AML. Our study illustrates an example of collaboration between a genetic lesion found in CH and inflammation, leading to transformation and the establishment of blood neoplasms.

SIGNIFICANCE

Progression from a preleukemic state to transformation, in the presence of TET2 mutations, is coupled with the emergence of inflammation and a novel population of inflammatory monocytes. Genes characteristic of this inflammatory population are associated with the worst prognosis in patients with AML. These studies connect inflammation to progression to leukemia. See related commentary by Pietras and DeGregori, p. 2234 . This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 2221.

A precision medicine classification for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in older patients

Background

Older patients (≥ 60 years) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) often have multiple, sequentially acquired, somatic mutations that drive leukemogenesis and are associated with poor outcome. Beat AML is a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society-sponsored, multicenter umbrella study that algorithmically segregates AML patients based upon cytogenetic and dominant molecular abnormalities (variant allele frequencies (VAF) ≥ 0.2) into different cohorts to select for targeted therapies. During the conception of the Beat AML design, a historical dataset was needed to help in the design of the genomic algorithm for patient assignment and serve as the basis for the statistical design of individual genomic treatment substudies for the Beat AML study.

Methods

We classified 563 newly diagnosed older AML patients treated with standard intensive chemotherapy on trials conducted by Cancer and Leukemia Group B based on the same genomic algorithm and assessed clinical outcomes.

Results

Our classification identified core-binding factor and NPM1-mutated/FLT3-ITD-negative groups as having the best outcomes, with 30-day early death (ED) rates of 0 and 20%, respectively, and median overall survival (OS) of > 1 year and 3-year OS rates of ≥ 20%. All other genomic groups had ED rates of 17–42%, median OS ≤ 1 year and 3-year OS rates of ≤ 15%.

Conclusions

By classifying patients through this genomic algorithm, outcomes were poor and not unexpected from a non-algorithmic, non-dominant VAF approach. The exception is 30-day ED rate typically is not available for intensive induction for individual genomic groups and therefore difficult to compare outcomes with targeted therapeutics. This Alliance data supported the use of this algorithm for patient assignment at the initiation of the Beat AML study. This outcome data was also used for statistical design for Beat AML substudies for individual genomic groups to determine goals for improvement from intensive induction and hopefully lead to more rapid approval of new therapies.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT00048958 (CALGB 8461), NCT00900224 (CALGB 20202), NCT00003190 (CALGB 9720), NCT00085124 (CALGB 10201), NCT00742625 (CALGB 10502), NCT01420926 (CALGB 11002), NCT00039377 (CALGB 10801), and NCT01253070 (CALGB 11001).

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13045-021-01110-5.

Open-Label Phase II Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study of Romyelocel-L Myeloid Progenitor Cells to Reduce Infection During Induction Chemotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

PURPOSE

Standard cytotoxic induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) results in prolonged neutropenia and risk of infection. Romyelocel-L is a universal, allogeneic myeloid progenitor cell product being studied to reduce infection during induction chemotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred sixty-three patients with de novo AML (age ≥ 55 years) receiving induction chemotherapy were randomly assigned on day 0 (d0), of whom 120 were evaluable. Subjects received either romyelocel-L infusion on d9 with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) starting daily d14 (treatment group) or G-CSF daily alone on d14 (control) until absolute neutrophil count recovery to 500/µL. End points included days in febrile episode, microbiologically defined infections, clinically diagnosed infection, and days in hospital.

RESULTS

Mean days in febrile episode was shorter in the treatment arm from d15 through d28 (2.36 v 3.90; P = .02). Similarly, a trend toward decreased microbiologically defined infections and clinically diagnosed infection in the treatment arm was observed from d9 to d28 (35.6% v 47.5%; P = .09), reaching a statistically significant difference from d15 to d28 (6.8% v 27.9%; P = .002). Because of this, antibacterial or antifungal use for treatment of an infection was significantly less in the treatment group (d9-d28: 44.1% v 63.9%; P = .01). Significantly fewer patients in the treatment arm received empiric antifungals from d9 tod28 (42.4% v 63.9%; P = .02) and d15-d28 (42.4% v 62.3%; P = .02). Patients in the treatment arm also had 3.2 fewer hospital days compared with control (25.5 v 28.7; P = .001). Remission rates and days to absolute neutrophil count recovery were similar in the two groups. No patients in the romyelocel-L plus G-CSF group died because of infection compared with two patients in the control arm. No graft-versus-host disease was observed.

CONCLUSION

Subjects receiving romyelocel-L showed a decreased incidence of infections, antimicrobial use, and hospitalization, suggesting that romyelocel-L may provide a new option to reduce infections in patients with AML undergoing induction therapy.

Age and remission induction therapy for acute myeloid leukemia: An analysis of data from the Korean acute myeloid leukemia registry

Objective

The clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are influenced by patients’ age. We evaluated the impact of age on remission induction therapy for AML.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 3,011 adult AML patients identified from a nationwide database between January 2007 and December 2011.

Results

Three hundred twenty-nine (10.9%) acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and 2,682 (89.1%) non-APL patients were analyzed. The median age was 51 years and 55% of patients were male. Six hundred twenty-three patients (21%) were at favorable risk, 1522 (51%) were at intermediate risk, and 743 (25%) were at poor risk. As the age increased, the proportion of those at favorable risk and who received induction chemotherapy decreased. After induction therapy, complete response (CR) was achieved in 81.5% (243/298) of APL and 62.4% (1,409/2,258) of non-APL patients; these rates decreased as the age increased, with an obvious decrement in those older than 60 years. The median overall survival of non-APL patients was 18.7 months, while that of APL patients was not reached, with a 75% five-year survival rate.

Conclusions

Age impacts both the biology and clinical outcomes of AML patients. Further studies should confirm the role of induction remission chemotherapy by age group.

A Quantitative Paradigm for Decision-Making in Precision Oncology

The complexity and variability of cancer progression necessitate a quantitative paradigm for therapeutic decision-making that is dynamic, personalized, and capable of identifying optimal treatment strategies for individual patients under substantial uncertainty. Here, we discuss the core components and challenges of such an approach and highlight the need for comprehensive longitudinal clinical and molecular data integration in its development. We describe the complementary and varied roles of mathematical modeling and machine learning in constructing dynamic optimal cancer treatment strategies and highlight the potential of reinforcement learning approaches in this endeavor.

Efficacy and cost-benefit of filgrastim administered after early assessment bone marrow biopsy during induction therapy for acute myeloid leukemia

The role of filgrastim during acute myeloid leukemia (AML) induction therapy remains controversial. At our institution, newly diagnosed AML patients from 2003 through 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were stratified on whether they received filgrastim within 5 days after early assessment bone marrow (BMBx) and divided into early GCSF group (eGCSF) and no-eGCSF group. A total of 121 patients were included. We found significantly shorter hospital stay (median 24 vs 26 days, p < .01), absolute neutrophil count recovery days (median 23 vs 25 days, p = .03), and intravenous antibiotics days (mean 18.5 vs 21.4 days, p = .01) in patients with eGCSF comparing with no-eGCSF. There was no significant difference regarding complete response rates; however, for those failed to achieve remission, eGCSF was associated with higher blast count. There was no significant difference regarding overall survival or progression-free survival. The use of eGCSF was associated with cost savings of $5199 per patient over no-eGCSF.

Mutational landscape and clinical outcome of patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia and rearrangements involving 11q23/KMT2A

Balanced rearrangements involving the KMT2A gene, located at 11q23, are among the most frequent chromosome aberrations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Because of numerous fusion partners, the mutational landscape and prognostic impact of specific 11q23/KMT2A rearrangements are not fully understood. We analyzed clinical features of 172 adults with AML and recurrent 11q23/KMT2A rearrangements, 141 of whom had outcome data available. We compared outcomes of these patients with outcomes of 1,097 patients without an 11q23/KMT2A rearrangement categorized according to the 2017 European LeukemiaNet (ELN) classification. Using targeted next-generation sequencing, we investigated the mutational status of 81 leukemia/cancer-associated genes in 96 patients with 11q23/KMT2A rearrangements with material for molecular studies available. Patients with 11q23/KMT2A rearrangements had a low number of additional gene mutations (median, 1; range 0 to 6), which involved the RAS pathway (KRAS, NRAS, and PTPN11) in 32% of patients. KRAS mutations occurred more often in patients with t(6;11)(q27;q23)/KMT2A-AFDN compared with patients with the other 11q23/KMT2A subsets. Specific gene mutations were too infrequent in patients with specific 11q23/KMT2A rearrangements to assess their associations with outcomes. We demonstrate that younger (age <60 y) patients with t(9;11)(p22;q23)/KMT2A-MLLT3 had better outcomes than patients with other 11q23/KMT2A rearrangements and those without 11q23/KMT2A rearrangements classified in the 2017 ELN intermediate-risk group. Conversely, outcomes of older patients (age ≥60 y) with t(9;11)(p22;q23) were poor and comparable to those of the ELN adverse-risk group patients. Our study shows that patients with an 11q23/KMT2A rearrangement have distinct mutational patterns and outcomes depending on the fusion partner.

Benchmarking treatment effects for patients over 70 with acute myeloid leukemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

The majority of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are aged 70 and over. However, there is uncertainty about how and whether older patients with AML should receive cytotoxic treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Medline and Cochrane library search was performed for studies in newly diagnosed AML which enrolled at least 20 patients per arm (for randomized controlled trials), or 50 patients (for non-randomized studies) over the age of 70. References were hand searched for additional eligible studies. Study investigators were contacted to maximize relevant data. Dual independent data extraction was done using standardized data collection forms. Data was collected on study and treatment characteristics, baseline patient information, and outcomes. Study methodological quality was assessed. The primary outcome was 1 year overall survival (OS). Impact of treatment [intensive chemotherapy (INT), low-dose chemotherapy (LOW), hypomethylating agents (HMA), or best supportive care (BSC)], cytogenetics, performance status, and comorbidity were assessed.

RESULTS

The search produced 11,846 references of which 38 randomized controlled trials and 30 non-randomized studies met inclusion criteria, representing 13,381 patients, with a worldwide distribution. One-year OS with INT was 37% (31-42%), with LOW 11% (6-18%), with HMA 35% (18-54%) and with BSC 17%(13-21%). Two-year OS was 22% (18-26%), 11% (7-15%), 22% (16-28%), 6% (2-12%), respectively. We present subgroup data based on the studies including cytogenetics, performance status, and comorbidity. Formal direct comparisons with adjustment for all prognostic factors were not possible.

CONCLUSIONS

In this largest to date series of AML patients aged 70 and older, we provide benchmarks for treatment efficacy and effectiveness that may be used for decision analysis models and for the future development of clinical trials focusing on these patients.

Clinical and molecular characterization of patients with acute myeloid leukemia and sole trisomies of chromosomes 4, 8, 11, 13 or 21

Sole trisomies of chromosomes 4, 8, 11, 13 and 21 account for 89-95% of all sole trisomies in adult AML patients. We analyzed clinical and molecular characteristics of 138 de novo AML patients with sole +4, +8, +11, +13 or +21, and compared them with AML patients with those trisomies occurring in addition to other chromosome abnormalities (non-sole trisomy) and with cytogenetically normal AML (CN-AML) patients. Mutations in methylation-related genes were most commonly observed within each sole trisomy group (+4, 55%; +8, 58%; +11, 71%; +13, 71%; +21, 75% of patients). Patients with sole trisomies, excluding +4, also had frequent mutations in spliceosome genes (+8, 43%; +11, 65%; +13, 65%; +21, 45% of patients). In contrast, +4 patients frequently had mutations in transcription factor genes (44%) and NPM1 (36%). While 48% of patients with sole trisomies harbored mutations in a spliceosome gene, spliceosome mutations were observed in only 24% of non-sole trisomy (n = 131, P < 0.001) and 19% of CN-AML patients (n = 716, P < 0.001). Our data suggest that mutations affecting methylation-related genes are a molecular hallmark of sole trisomies. Mutations in spliceosome genes were also commonly observed in many sole trisomy patients and represent a novel finding in this cytogenetic subgroup.

Mutations associated with a 17-gene leukemia stem cell score and the score's prognostic relevance in the context of the European LeukemiaNet classification of acute myeloid leukemia

Leukemia stem cells (LSC) are more resistant to standard chemotherapy and their persistence during remission can cause relapse, which is still one of the major clinical challenges in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A better understanding of the mutational patterns and the prognostic impact of molecular markers associated with stemness could lead to better clinical management and improve patients’ outcomes. We applied a previously described 17-gene expression score comprising genes differently expressed between LSC and leukemic bulk blasts, for 934 adult patients with de novo AML, and studied associations of the 17-gene LSC score with clinical data and mutation status of 81 genes recurrently mutated in cancer and leukemia. We found that patients with a high 17-gene score were older and had more mutations. The 17-gene score was found to have a prognostic impact in both younger (aged <60 years) and older (aged ≥60 years) patients with AML. We also analyzed the 17-gene LSC score in the context of the 2017 European LeukemiaNet genetic-risk classification and found that for younger patients the score refined the classification, and identified patients currently classified in the European LeukemiaNet Favorable-risk category who had a worse outcome.

Genetic Characterization and Prognostic Relevance of Acquired Uniparental Disomies in Cytogenetically Normal Acute Myeloid Leukemia

PURPOSE

Uniparental disomy (UPD) is a way cancer cells duplicate a mutated gene, causing loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Patients with cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML) do not have microscopically detectable chromosome abnormalities, but can harbor UPDs. We examined the prognostic significance of UPDs and frequency of LOH in patients with CN-AML.Experimental Design: We examined the frequency and prognostic significance of UPDs in a set of 425 adult patients with de novo CN-AML who were previously sequenced for 81 genes typically mutated in cancer. Associations of UPDs with outcome were analyzed in the 315 patients with CN-AML younger than 60 years.

RESULTS

We detected 127 UPDs in 109 patients. Most UPDs were large and typically encompassed all or most of the affected chromosome arm. The most common UPDs occurred on chromosome arms 13q (7.5% of patients), 6p (2.8%), and 11p (2.8%). Many UPDs significantly cooccurred with mutations in genes they encompassed, including 13q UPD with FLT3-internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD; P < 0.001), and 11p UPD with WT1 mutations (P = 0.02). Among patients younger than 60 years, UPD of 11p was associated with longer overall survival (OS) and 13q UPD with shorter disease-free survival (DFS) and OS. In multivariable models that accounted for known prognostic markers, including FLT3-ITD and WT1 mutations, UPD of 13q maintained association with shorter DFS, and UPD of 11p maintained association with longer OS.

CONCLUSIONS

LOH mediated by UPD is a recurrent feature of CN-AML. Detection of UPDs of 13q and 11p might be useful for genetic risk stratification of patients with CN-AML.

Complex karyotype in de novo acute myeloid leukemia: typical and atypical subtypes differ molecularly and clinically

Complex karyotype (CK) with ≥ 3 abnormalities is detected in 10-12% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and associated with poor prognosis. The most common unbalanced abnormalities found in CK result in loss of material from the 5q, 7q, and/or 17p chromosome arms. The presence of 5q, 7q, and/or 17p abnormalities denotes typical CK and their absence denotes atypical CK. Since molecular features of CK-AML are not well characterized, we investigated mutational status of 81 leukemia/cancer-associated genes in 160 clinically well-characterized patients. They included 136 patients with ≥ 3 exclusively unbalanced chromosome abnormalities, 96 of whom had a typical CK and 40 atypical CK, and 24 patients with ≥ 1 balanced abnormality in addition to ≥ 2 unbalanced ones. Patients with atypical CK-AML differed from those with typical CK-AML: they carried TP53 mutations less often (P < 0.001) and more often PHF6 (P = 0.008), FLT3-TKD (P = 0.02), MED12 (P = 0.02), and NPM1 (P = 0.02) mutations. They were younger (P = 0.007), had higher WBC (P = 0.001) and percentages of marrow (P < 0.001) and blood (P = 0.006) blasts, higher complete remission rates (P = 0.02), and longer overall survival (P < 0.001), thus indicating that atypical and typical CK-AMLs constitute distinct disease subtypes. We also identified smaller patient subsets within both typical and atypical CK-AML that differed molecularly and clinically.

Ten-year outcome of patients with acute myeloid leukemia not treated with allogeneic transplantation in first complete remission

The probability that adult patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving intensive chemotherapy in the absence of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HCT) in first complete remission (CR1) will be disease-free at 10 years after diagnosis, a long-term surrogate of cure, is unknown. To address this question, we examined 2551 AML patients (1607 aged <60 years, and 944 aged ≥60 years) enrolled in Cancer and Leukemia Group B treatment protocols and the cytogenetics companion protocol 8461 between 1983 and 2004. At 10 years, 267 (16.6%) of patients aged <60 years and 23 (2.4%) of those aged ≥60 years were alive and disease-free. This disease-free AML group consisted predominantly of patients with core-binding factor AML with t(8;21)(q22;q22) or inv(16)(p13q22)/t(16;16)(p13;q22) and those with a normal karyotype. Occurrences of AML beyond 10 years were infrequent and associated with cytogenetic findings different from those at diagnosis. These data provide evidence that the frequency of long-term cure of AML is low among younger and especially older patients in the absence of Allo-HCT in CR1. In older patients not appropriate for Allo-HCT, these data provide further justification for early use of alternative treatments outside of intensive chemotherapy.

Application of a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) design in older patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

BACKGROUND

Ibrutinib therapy is safe and effective in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Currently, ibrutinib is administered continuously until disease progression. Combination regimens with ibrutinib are being developed to deepen response which could allow for ibrutinib maintenance (IM) discontinuation. Among untreated older patients with CLL, clinical investigators had the following questions: (i) does ibrutinib + venetoclax + obinutuzumab (IVO) with IM have superior progression-free survival (PFS) compared with ibrutinib + obinutuzumab (IO) with IM, and (ii) does the treatment strategy of IVO + IM for patients without minimal residual disease complete response (MRD- CR) or IVO + IM discontinuation for patients with MRD- CR have superior PFS compared with IO + IM.

DESIGN

Conventional designs randomize patients to IO with IM or IVO with IM to address the first objective, or randomize patients to each treatment strategy to address the second objective. A sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) design and analysis is proposed to address both objectives.

RESULTS

A SMART design strategy is appropriate when comparing adaptive interventions, which are defined by an individual's sequence of treatment decisions and guided by intermediate outcomes, such as response to therapy. A review of common applications of SMART design strategies is provided. Specific to the SMART design previously considered for Alliance study A041702, the general structure of the SMART is presented, an approach to sample size and power calculations when comparing adaptive interventions embedded in the SMART with a time-to-event end point is fully described, and analyses plans are outlined.

CONCLUSION

SMART design strategies can be used in cancer clinical trials with adaptive interventions to identify optimal treatment strategies. Further, standard software exists to provide sample size, power calculations, and data analysis for a SMART design.

Genomic landscape and clonal evolution of acute myeloid leukemia with t(8;21): an international study on 331 patients

Acute myeloid leukemia with t(8;21)(q22;q22) is characterized by considerable clinical and biological heterogeneity leading to relapse in up to 40% of patients. We sequenced coding regions or hotspot areas of 66 recurrently mutated genes in a cohort of 331 t(8;21) patients. At least 1 mutation, in addition to t(8;21), was identified in 95%, with a mean of 2.2 driver mutations per patient. Recurrent mutations occurred in genes related to RAS/RTK signaling (63.4%), epigenetic regulators (45%), cohesin complex (13.6%), MYC signaling (10.3%), and the spliceosome (7.9%). Our study identified mutations in previously unappreciated genes: GIGYF2, DHX15, and G2E3 Based on high mutant levels, pairwise precedence, and stability at relapse, epigenetic regulator mutations were likely to occur before signaling mutations. In 34% of RAS/RTKmutated patients, we identified multiple mutations in the same pathway. Deep sequencing (∼42 000×) of 126 mutations in 62 complete remission samples from 56 patients identified 16 persisting mutations in 12 patients, of whom 5 lacked RUNX1-RUNX1T1 in quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. KIT high mutations defined by a mutant level ≥25% were associated with inferior relapse-free survival (hazard ratio, 1.96; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-3.15; P = .005). Together with age and white blood cell counts, JAK2, FLT3-internal tandem duplicationhigh, and KIT high mutations were identified as significant prognostic factors for overall survival in multivariate analysis. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on 19 paired diagnosis, remission, and relapse trios. Exome-wide analysis showed an average of 16 mutations with signs of substantial clonal evolution. Based on the resemblance of diagnosis and relapse pairs, genetically stable (n = 13) and unstable (n = 6) subgroups could be identified.

Daunorubicin and cytarabine for certain types of poor-prognosis acute myeloid leukemia: a systematic literature review

INTRODUCTION

Induction chemotherapy based on anthracyclines and cytarabine (Ara-C) combination remains the standard of care for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who are considered candidate for intensive and curative approaches. However, the toxicity of this regimen is high, with disappointing clinical outcomes among the so-called poor-prognosis AML subsets, which generally refer to patients with adverse cytogenetic risk, secondary AML including therapy-related AML, poor-prognosis mutations, especially FLT3-ITD, and relapse/refractory AML. Areas covered: To the best of our knowledge, the role and efficacy of 7 + 3 schedules containing daunorubicin (DNR) and Ara-C for certain types of poor-prognosis AML has not been systematically assessed. A critical approach to the role of DNR and Ara-C induction could be relevant to establish which patients should be enrolled in clinical trials using novel therapies. Expert commentary: In this regard, a recent randomized clinical trial (RCT) showed improved results in older patients with sAML or high-risk cytogenetics who received CPX-351 compared with standard 7 + 3 combination. We perform a systematic literature review to analyze the clinical outcomes reported with DNR plus Ara-C regimens in adult patients with poor-prognosis AML, the use of liposomal formulations of DNR and Ara-C and the RCTs which compared standard 7 + 3 with the addition of a third drug.

NF1 mutations are recurrent in adult acute myeloid leukemia and confer poor outcome

Targeted mutation assessment of 81 genes in 1,021 adults with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) identified recurrent mutations in the neurofibromin 1 (NF1) gene in 52 (5.1%) patients, including 36 (5.2%) younger and 16 (4.8%) older patients, which suggests NF1 belongs to the 20 most frequently mutated genes in adult AML. NF1 mutations were found throughout the gene, and comprised missense, frame-shift and nonsense mutations. One mutation hotspot, at amino acid threonine 676 (Thr676), was found in 27% of AML patients with NF1 mutations. NF1-mutated patients belonged more often to the adverse European LeukemiaNet (ELN) risk category than NF1 wild-type patients. Among patients aged <60 years, the presence of NF1 Thr676 mutations was associated with lower complete remission (CR) rates (P=0.04) and shorter overall survival (OS; P=0.01), as was the presence of any NF1 mutation in patients in the adverse ELN risk category (CR, P=0.05; OS, P<0.001). CR rates were also lower in NF1-mutated patients aged ≥60 years compared with NF1 wild-type patients (P=0.001). In summary, our findings provide novel insights into the frequency of NF1 mutations in AML, and are suggestive of an adverse prognostic impact in patients treated with standard chemotherapy.

Staged Treatment in Early Psychosis: A sequential multiple assignment randomised trial of interventions for ultra high risk of psychosis patients

AIM

Previous research indicates that preventive intervention is likely to benefit patients "at risk" of psychosis, in terms of functional improvement, symptom reduction and delay or prevention of onset of threshold psychotic disorder. The primary aim of the current study is to test outcomes of ultra high risk (UHR) patients, primarily functional outcome, in response to a sequential intervention strategy consisting of support and problem solving (SPS), cognitive-behavioural case management and antidepressant medication. A secondary aim is to test biological and psychological variables that moderate and mediate response to this sequential treatment strategy.

METHODS

This is a sequential multiple assignment randomised trial (SMART) consisting of three steps: Step 1: SPS (1.5 months); Step 2: SPS vs Cognitive Behavioural Case Management (4.5 months); Step 3: Cognitive Behavioural Case Management + Antidepressant Medication vs Cognitive Behavioural Case Management + Placebo (6 months). The intervention is of 12 months duration in total and participants will be followed up at 18 months and 24 months post baseline.

CONCLUSION

This paper reports on the rationale and protocol of the Staged Treatment in Early Psychosis (STEP) study. With a large sample of 500 UHR participants this study will investigate the most effective type and sequence of treatments for improving functioning and reducing the risk of developing psychotic disorder in this clinical population.

Clonality in context: hematopoietic clones in their marrow environment

Clonal hematopoiesis occurs normally, especially with aging, and in the setting of disease, not only in myeloid cancers but in bone marrow failure as well. In cancer, malignant clones are characterized by recurrent somatic mutations in specific sets of genes, but the direct relationship of such mutations to leukemogenesis, when they occur in cells of an apparently healthy older individual or after recovery from immune aplastic anemia, is uncertain. Here we emphasize a view of clonal evolution that stresses natural selection over deterministic ontogeny, and we stress the selective role of the environment of the marrow and organism. Clonal hematopoieses after chemotherapy, in marrow failure, and with aging serve as models. We caution against the overinterpretation of clinical results of genomic testing in the absence of a better understanding of clonal selection and evolution.

Design and Analysis Considerations for Comparing Dynamic Treatment Regimens with Binary Outcomes from Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trials

In behavioral, educational and medical practice, interventions are often personalized over time using strategies that are based on individual behaviors and characteristics and changes in symptoms, severity, or adherence that are a result of one's treatment. Such strategies that more closely mimic real practice, are known as dynamic treatment regimens (DTRs). A sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) is a multi-stage trial design that can be used to construct effective DTRs. This article reviews a simple to use 'weighted and replicated' estimation technique for comparing DTRs embedded in a SMART design using logistic regression for a binary, end-of-study outcome variable. Based on a Wald test that compares two embedded DTRs of interest from the 'weighted and replicated' regression model, a sample size calculation is presented with a corresponding user-friendly applet to aid in the process of designing a SMART. The analytic models and sample size calculations are presented for three of the more commonly used two-stage SMART designs. Simulations for the sample size calculation show the empirical power reaches expected levels. A data analysis example with corresponding code is presented in the appendix using data from a SMART developing an effective DTR in autism.

Management of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in the Elderly

BACKGROUND

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a hematopoietic neoplasm that primarily affects older adults. Despite scientific advances into the epidemiologic, genetic, and biological features of AML, this disease remains fatal to the majority of patients, particularly older individuals.

METHODS

We review the biologic and clinical characteristics of AML in the elderly and the treatment options that have emerged for them during the past several years.

RESULTS

Several biologic features of AML differ between older and younger individuals. Older patients often have disease that expresses multidrug resistance phenotype and cytogenetic abnormalities, which may be responsible in large part for the poor outcomes observed in older-aged subgroups. Traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy is associated with a low complete response rate and a high treatment-related mortality in older patients, which explains in part the poorer outcomes in cohorts over 60 years of age. Research into the pathophysiology of AML has revealed an abundance of intracellular signaling events that govern proliferation and survival of the malignant cell. Such discoveries have promoted recognition of new molecular and antigenic targets (eg, Flt-3 kinase, Ras, CD33 antigen) to which therapeutic development may be aimed.

CONCLUSIONS

New therapies directed against these unique targets may add to the current arsenal of antileukemic regimens and improve response rates and survival in older patients.

Characteristics and outcomes of older patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia according to treatment approach

BACKGROUND

The development of newer strategies to improve outcomes for older patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (s-AML) is a critical unmet need. Establishing baseline metrics for evaluating newer approaches is important.

METHODS

s-AML was defined as 1 or more of the following: a history of an antecedent hematologic disorder (AHD), a diagnosis of therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and AML with karyotype abnormalities characteristic of myelodysplastic syndrome. Newly diagnosed s-AML patients aged 60 to 75 years were grouped into 5 treatment cohorts: 1) patients receiving high- or intermediate-dose cytarabine-based intensive chemotherapy (IC), 2) patients receiving a hypomethylating agent (HMA) or HMA combinations, 3) patients receiving low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) combinations, 4) patients receiving CPX-351, and 5) patients receiving investigational (INV) agents. Nine hundred thirty-one patients met the age and s-AML criteria.

RESULTS

Complete remission rates were statistically lower in the HMA group (36%) versus the IC (46%), CPX-351 (45%), and LDAC groups (43%). Patients receiving less intensive regimens (the HMA and LDAC groups combined) had superior overall survival (OS) in comparison with patients receiving IC-based regimens (median 6.9 vs 5.4 months; P = .048). Only 4.3% of the IC patients proceeded to transplantation, whereas 10.3% of the patients on lower intensity regimens did (P = .001). There was no difference in median survival between patients treated with CPX-351 and patients treated with conventional lower intensity approaches (P = .75). Age > 70 years, an adverse karyotype, and a prior AHD were associated with decreased OS in a multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower intensity approaches are associated with lower early mortality rates and improved OS in comparison with intensive regimens. OS is poor with currently available therapies with a median OS of 6 months (5.4-7.6 months across regimens). Unsatisfactory outcomes with other INV agents underscore the need for more effective therapies. Cancer 2017;123:3050-60. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

The mutational oncoprint of recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities in adult patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia

Recurrent chromosomal abnormalities and gene mutations detected at the time of diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are associated with particular disease features, treatment response and survival of AML patients, and are used to denote specific disease entities in the World Health Organization classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia. However, large studies that integrate cytogenetic and comprehensive mutational information are scarce. We created a comprehensive oncoprint of mutations associated with recurrent cytogenetic findings by combining the information on mutational patterns of 80 cancer- and leukemia-associated genes with cytogenetic findings in 1603 adult patients with de novo AML. We show unique differences in the mutational profiles among major cytogenetic subsets, identify novel associations between recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities and both specific gene mutations and gene functional groups, and reveal differences in cytogenetic and mutational features between patients younger than 60 years and those aged 60 years or older. The identified associations between cytogenetic and molecular genetic data may help guide mutation testing in AML, and result in more focused application of targeted therapy in patients with de novo AML.

Decitabine as a First-Line Treatment for Older Adults Newly Diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

PURPOSE

Decitabine, a DNA hypomethylating agent, was recently approved for use in Korea for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are not candidates for standard chemotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate the role of decitabine as a first-line treatment for older adults with AML.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-four patients with AML who received at least one course of decitabine (20 mg/m²/d intravenously for 5 days every 4 weeks) as a first-line therapy at Severance Hospital were evaluated retrospectively.

RESULTS

The median age of the patients was 73.5 years. The longest follow-up duration was 502 days. A total of 113 cycles of treatment were given to 24 patients, and the median number of cycles was four (range, 1-14). Thirteen patients dropped out because of death, no or loss of response, patient refusal, or transfer to another hospital. Twenty-one (87.5%) and 12 (50%) patients completed the second and fourth cycles, respectively, and responses to treatment were evaluated in 17. A complete response (CR) or CR with incomplete blood-count recovery was achieved in six (35.3%) patients, and the estimated median overall survival was 502 days. Ten patients developed grade >2 hematologic or non-hematologic toxicities. In univariate analysis, bone marrow blasts, lactate dehydrogenase, serum ferritin level, and bone marrow iron were significantly associated with response to decitabine.

CONCLUSION

Five-day decitabine treatment showed acceptable efficacy in older patients with AML who are unfit for conventional chemotherapy, with a CR rate 35.3% and about a median overall survival of 18 months.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the Elderly

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are hematologic diseases that frequently affect older adults. Treatment is challenging. Management of older adults with MDS and AML needs to be individualized, accounting for both the heterogeneity of disease biology and patient characteristics, which can influence life expectancy and treatment tolerance. Clinical trials accounting for the heterogeneity of tumor biology and physiologic changes of aging are needed to define optimal standards of care. This article highlights key evidence related to the management of older adults with MDS and AML and highlights future directions for research.

Secondary Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia: a Review of Our Evolving Understanding of a Complex Disease Process

OPINION STATEMENT

Secondary AML (s-AML) encompasses AML evolving from myelodysplasia (AML-MDS) and treatment-related AML (t-AML) after exposure to chemotherapy, radiation, or environmental toxins. S-AML has traditionally been considered a devastating disease, affecting a vulnerable population of heavily pretreated, older adults. A limited understanding of disease pathogenesis/heterogeneity and lack of effective treatments have hampered overall improvements in patient outcomes. With the recent understanding that the secondary nature of sAML does not by itself incur a poor prognosis and incorporation of cytogenetics and molecular genetics into patient care and the advancement of treatment, including improved supportive care, novel chemotherapeutics agents, and nonmyeloablative conditioning regimens as part of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), modest gains in survival and quality of life are beginning to be seen among patients with s-AML.

G-CSF and GM-CSF in Neutropenia

G-CSF and GM-CSF are used widely to promote the production of granulocytes or APCs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved G-CSF (filgrastim) for the treatment of congenital and acquired neutropenias and for mobilization of peripheral hematopoietic progenitor cells for stem cell transplantation. A polyethylene glycol-modified form of G-CSF is approved for the treatment of neutropenias. Clinically significant neutropenia, rendering an individual immunocompromised, occurs when their number is <1500/μl. Current guidelines recommend their use when the risk for febrile neutropenia is >20%. GM-CSF (sargramostim) is approved for neutropenia associated with stem cell transplantation. Because of its promotion of APC function, GM-CSF is being evaluated as an immunostimulatory adjuvant in a number of clinical trials. More than 20 million persons have benefited worldwide, and >$5 billion in sales occur annually in the United States.

Hypomethylation of TET2 Target Genes Identifies a Curable Subset of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

BACKGROUND

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is curable in a subset of cases. The DNA methylation regulator TET2 is frequently mutated in AML, and we hypothesized that studying TET2-specific differentially methylated CpGs (tet2-DMCs) improves AML classification.

METHODS

We used bisulfite pyrosequencing to analyze the methylation status of four tet2-DMCs (SP140, MCCC1, EHMT1, and MTSS1) in a test group of 94 consecutive patients and a validation group of 92 consecutive patients treated with cytarabine-based chemotherapy. Data were analyzed with hierarchical clustering, Cox proportional hazards regression, and Kaplan-Meier analyses. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS

In the test cohort, hierarchical clustering analysis identified low levels of tet2-DMC methylation in 31 of 94 (33%) cases, and these had markedly longer overall survival (median survival 72+ vs 14 months, P = .002). Similar results were seen in the validation cohort. tet2-DMC-low status was shown to be an independent predictor of overall survival (hazard ratio = 0.29, P = .0002). In The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset where DNA methylation was analyzed by a different platform, tet2-DMC-low methylation was also associated with improved outcome (median survival = 55 vs 15 months, P = .0003) and was a better predictor of survival than mutations in TET2, IDH1, or IDH2, individually or combined.

CONCLUSIONS

Low levels of tet2-DMC methylation define a subgroup of AML that is highly curable and cannot be identified solely by genetic and cytogenetic analyses.

Long-term follow-up of the AML97 study for patients aged 60 years and above with acute myeloid leukaemia: a study of the East German Haematology and Oncology Study Group (OSHO)

INTRODUCTION

Treatment of patients (pts) with acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) above 60 years remains a challenge. We report long-term follow-up of the AML97 study, where pts were registered at diagnosis and received treatment dependent on their comorbidities: dose-intense cytarabine (AraC) and anthracycline in the curative arm, and low-dose chemotherapy in the palliative arm or best supportive care.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 618 pts were enrolled in this protocol (curative 471, palliative 115 and supportive 32). In the curative arm, complete remission (CR) was obtained in 66.8 % of pts and the estimated probability of being alive at 2 years was 0.30 (±0.02 SE). In multivariate analysis, gender (p = 0.005), performance status (p = 0.04) and cytogenetics (p = 0.002) were significant factors for CR. With a median follow-up of 10 (range 0.1-11.8) years, the estimated probability of being event-free after 2 and 5 years according to cytogenetics was 0.48 ± 0.11 and 0.48 ± 0.11 for favourable, 0.20 ± 0.03 and 0.09 ± 0.03 for normal, 0.18 ± 0.06 and 0.10 ± 0.05 for other standard risk and 0.10 ± 0.03 and 0.05 ± 0.02 for unfavourable karyotypes, respectively. The median survival time for pts treated with palliative chemotherapy was 54 and 11 days with best supportive care only.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, treatment of older AML pts with dose-intense AraC is feasible in the majority of pts and induces high rates of CR. Nevertheless, except for favourable karyotype, OS and event-free survival remain low. These results need to be viewed in relation to the new modalities including stem cell transplantation following non-myeloablative conditioning, epigenetic and molecular therapies.

How Center Volumes Affect Early Outcomes in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Early mortality (EM) is all too frequent during induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. Older patients shoulder an undue amount of this burden as a result of the inherent biology of their disease and increased comorbidities. EM rates in academic centers have seen a sharp decline over the past 20 years; however, data from population-based registries show that EM rates for the general population have significantly lagged behind. In this review, we analyze the data available on EM in academic centers and the general population, explore recent improvements in supportive care and the use of predictive models, and finally investigate the relationship between case volume and complications during chemotherapy.

Mitigating Fear and Loathing in Managing Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The contemporary care of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is made complex by potentially toxic treatments, continuously advancing science, aging patients, and individual treatment goals. By taking a survey of present-day approaches, we aim to dispel some of the trepidation surrounding that care of patients with AML. At the beginning is the initial presentation, and we will discuss whether or not AML should be considered a medical emergency. We will explore the complex realm of patient decision-making about initial therapy, including the intricate straits of patient-doctor communication, and available options for initial treatment. We will then address post-remission approaches and the controversies that lie therein, and survivorship issues. Finally, we will investigate the current role molecular assessments are playing in therapy recommendations.

Prognostic and biologic significance of DNMT3B expression in older patients with cytogenetically normal primary acute myeloid leukemia

DNMT3B encodes a DNA methyltransferase implicated in aberrant epigenetic changes contributing to leukemogenesis. We tested whether DNMT3B expression, measured by NanoString nCounter assay, associates with outcome, gene and microRNA expression and DNA methylation profiles in 210 older (⩾60 years) adults with primary, cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML). Patients were dichotomized into high versus low expressers using median cut. Outcomes were assessed in the context of known CN-AML prognosticators. Gene and microRNA expression, and DNA methylation profiles were analyzed using microarrays and MethylCap-sequencing, respectively. High DNMT3B expressers had fewer complete remissions (CR; P=0.002) and shorter disease-free (DFS; P=0.02) and overall (OS; P<0.001) survival. In multivariable analyses, high DNMT3B expression remained an independent predictor of lower CR rates (P=0.04) and shorter DFS (P=0.04) and OS (P=0.001). High DNMT3B expression associated with a gene expression profile comprising 363 genes involved in differentiation, proliferation and survival pathways, but with only four differentially expressed microRNAs (miR-133b, miR-148a, miR-122, miR-409-3p) and no differential DNA methylation regions. We conclude that high DNMT3B expression independently associates with adverse outcome in older CN-AML patients. Gene expression analyses suggest that DNMT3B is involved in the modulation of several genes, although the regulatory mechanisms remain to be investigated to devise therapeutic approaches specific for these patients.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for acute radiation syndrome: innovative medical approaches in military medicine

After a radiological or nuclear event, acute radiation syndrome (ARS) will present complex medical challenges that could involve the treatment of hundreds to thousands of patients. Current medical doctrine is based on limited clinical data and remains inadequate. Efforts to develop medical innovations that address ARS complications are unlikely to be generated by industry because of market uncertainties specific to this type of injury. A prospective strategy could be the integration of cellular therapy to meet the medical demands of ARS. The most clinically advanced cellular therapy to date is the administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Results of currently published investigations describing MSC safety and efficacy in a variety of injury and disease models demonstrate the unique qualities of this reparative cell population in adapting to the specific requirements of the damaged tissue in which the cells integrate. This report puts forward a rationale for the further evaluation of MSC therapy to address the current unmet medical needs of ARS. We propose that the exploration of this novel therapy for the treatment of the multivariate complications of ARS could be of invaluable benefit to military medicine.

Acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes in older adults

Treatment of older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is challenging because of disease morbidity and associated treatments. Both diseases represent a genetically heterogeneous group of disorders primarily affecting older adults, with treatment strategies ranging from supportive care to hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Although selected older adults can benefit from intensive therapies, as a group they experience increased treatment-related morbidity, are more likely to relapse, and have decreased survival. Age-related outcome disparities are attributed to both tumor and patient characteristics, requiring an individualized approach to treatment decision making beyond consideration of chronologic age alone. Selection of therapy for any individual requires consideration of both disease-specific risk factors and estimates of treatment tolerance and life expectancy derived from evaluation of functional status and comorbidity. Although treatment options for older adults are expanding, clinical trials accounting for the heterogeneity of tumor biology and aging are needed to define standard-of-care treatments for both disease groups. In addition, trials should include outcomes addressing quality of life, maintenance of independence, and use of health care services to assist in patient-centered decision making. This review will highlight available evidence in treatment of older adults with AML or MDS and unanswered clinical questions for older adults with these diseases.

Harnessing the power of alloreactivity without triggering graft-versus-host disease: how non-engrafting alloreactive cellular therapy might change the landscape of acute myeloid leukemia treatment

Human leukocyte antigen-mismatched leukocyte infusions outside of the context of transplantation are a promising strategy for acute myeloid leukemia. Recent studies using such non-engrafting alloreactive cellular therapy (NEACT) revealed that survival of elderly patients increased from 10% to 39% when NEACT was given following chemotherapy, and that durable complete remissions were achieved in about a third of patients with relapsed or chemorefractory disease. We review the clinical reports of different NEACT approaches to date and describe how although T-cell and NK alloreactivity could generate immediate anti-leukemic effects, long-term disease control may be achieved by stimulating recipient-derived T-cell responses against tumor-associated antigens. Other variables likely impacting NEACT such as the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from donor-host bidirectional alloreactivity and the choice of chemotherapeutics as well as future avenues for improving NEACT, such as optimizing the cell dose and potential synergies with adjuvant pharmacologic immune checkpoint blockade, are discussed.

Prophylaxis of infectious complications with colony-stimulating factors in adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy-evidence-based guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Working Party AGIHO of the German Society for Haematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO)

BACKGROUND

Current evidence on myelopoietic growth factors is difficult to overview for the practicing haematologist/oncologist. International guidelines are sometimes conflicting, exclude certain patient groups, or cannot directly be applied to the German health system. This guideline by the Infectious Diseases Working Party (AGIHO) of the German Society of Haematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO) gives evidence-based recommendations for the use of G-CSF, pegylated G-CSF, and biosimilars to prevent infectious complications in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, including those with haematological malignancies.

METHODS

We systematically searched and evaluated current evidence. An expert panel discussed the results and recommendations. We then compared our recommendations to current international guidelines.

RESULTS

We summarised the data from eligible studies in evidence tables, developed recommendations for different entities and risk groups.

CONCLUSION

Comprehensive literature search and expert panel consensus confirmed many key recommendations given by international guidelines. Evidence for growth factors during acute myeloid leukaemia induction chemotherapy and pegfilgrastim use in haematological malignancies was rated lower compared with other guidelines.

A phase I dose escalation study of oral bexarotene in combination with intravenous decitabine in patients with AML

The response rate of non-M3 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to all trans retinoic acid has been limited. Using Affymetrix expression arrays, we found that in diverse AML blasts RXRA was expressed at higher levels than RARA and that mouse Ctsg-PML-RARA leukemia responded to bexarotene, a ligand for RXRA. We therefore performed a phase I study of combination bexarotene and decitabine in elderly and relapsed AML patients. We found that this combination was well tolerated, although outcomes were modest (1 CRi, and 3 PR among 19 patients). Correlative studies found that patients with clinical response had increased differentiation to bexarotene both in vivo and ex vivo, suggesting that pre-treatment analysis might identify a more susceptible subgroup of patients.

SMART designs in cancer research: Past, present, and future

BACKGROUND

Cancer affects millions of people worldwide each year. Patients require sequences of treatment based on their response to previous treatments to combat cancer and fight metastases. Physicians provide treatment based on clinical characteristics, changing over time. Guidelines for these individualized sequences of treatments are known as dynamic treatment regimens (DTRs) where the initial treatment and subsequent modifications depend on the response to previous treatments, disease progression, and other patient characteristics or behaviors. To provide evidence-based DTRs, the Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) has emerged over the past few decades.

PURPOSE

To examine and learn from past SMARTs investigating cancer treatment options, to discuss potential limitations preventing the widespread use of SMARTs in cancer research, and to describe courses of action to increase the implementation of SMARTs and collaboration between statisticians and clinicians.

CONCLUSION

There have been SMARTs investigating treatment questions in areas of cancer, but the novelty and perceived complexity has limited its use. By building bridges between statisticians and clinicians, clarifying research objectives, and furthering methods work, there should be an increase in SMARTs addressing relevant cancer treatment questions. Within any area of cancer, SMARTs develop DTRs that can guide treatment decisions over the disease history and improve patient outcomes.

Estimation of optimal dynamic treatment regimes

BACKGROUND

Recent advances in medical research suggest that the optimal treatment rules should be adaptive to patients over time. This has led to an increasing interest in studying dynamic treatment regime, a sequence of individualized treatment rules, one per stage of clinical intervention, which maps present patient information to a recommended treatment. There has been a recent surge of statistical work for estimating optimal dynamic treatment regimes from randomized and observational studies. The purpose of this article is to review recent methodological progress and applied issues associated with estimating optimal dynamic treatment regimes.

METHODS

We discuss sequential multiple assignment randomized trials, a clinical trial design used to study treatment sequences. We use a common estimator of an optimal dynamic treatment regime that applies to sequential multiple assignment randomized trials data as a platform to discuss several practical and methodological issues.

RESULTS

We provide a limited survey of practical issues associated with modeling sequential multiple assignment randomized trials data. We review some existing estimators of optimal dynamic treatment regimes and discuss practical issues associated with these methods including model building, missing data, statistical inference, and choosing an outcome when only non-responders are re-randomized. We mainly focus on the estimation and inference of dynamic treatment regimes using sequential multiple assignment randomized trials data. Dynamic treatment regimes can also be constructed from observational data, which may be easier to obtain in practice; however, care must be taken to account for potential confounding.

Role of induction and consolidation chemotherapy in elderly acute myeloid leukemia patients

The present study sought to elucidate the role of induction and consolidation therapy in elderly patients. We retrospectively collected data of 477 patients who were aged over 60 years at the time of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosis. The median overall survival (OS) was 339 days in the induction group (n = 266) and 86 days in the best supportive care group (n = 211) (P < 0.001). In the induction group, the complete remission (CR) rate was 58.3 %, and treatment-related death was 15.4 %. Successful induction was related to good performance [Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG <2)] [hazard ratio (HR) 3.215; P = 0.002]. Mortality correlated with failure to achieve CR (HR 4.059; P < 0.001) and poor performance status (ECOG >2) (HR 2.731; P = 0.035). In CR patients, poor karyotype and absence of consolidation (HR 2.313; P = 0.003) correlated with mortality. More than one cycle of consolidation was associated with better OS (P < 0.001). Lack of salvage therapy was associated with mortality in patients who did not achieve CR (HR 3.223; P = 0.005). Intensive induction in patients with good performance and >1 cycle of consolidation after CR may be the best strategy for improving OS in elderly AML patients.

Inference for the median residual life function in sequential multiple assignment randomized trials

In survival analysis, median residual lifetime is often used as a summary measure to assess treatment effectiveness; it is not clear, however, how such a quantity could be estimated for a given dynamic treatment regimen using data from sequential randomized clinical trials. We propose a method to estimate a dynamic treatment regimen-specific median residual life (MERL) function from sequential multiple assignment randomized trials. We present the MERL estimator, which is based on inverse probability weighting, as well as, two variance estimates for the MERL estimator. One variance estimate follows from Lunceford, Davidian and Tsiatis' 2002 survival function-based variance estimate and the other uses the sandwich estimator. The MERL estimator is evaluated, and its two variance estimates are compared through simulation studies, showing that the estimator and both variance estimates produce approximately unbiased results in large samples. To demonstrate our methods, the estimator has been applied to data from a sequentially randomized leukemia clinical trial.

Combined molecular and clinical prognostic index for relapse and survival in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia

PURPOSE

Cytogenetically normal (CN) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the largest and most heterogeneous cytogenetic AML subgroup. For the practicing clinician, it is difficult to summarize the prognostic information of the growing number of clinical and molecular markers. Our purpose was to develop a widely applicable prognostic model by combining well-established pretreatment patient and disease characteristics.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Two prognostic indices for CN-AML (PINA), one regarding overall survival (OS; PINAOS) and the other regarding relapse-free survival (RFS; PINARFS), were derived from data of 572 patients with CN-AML treated within the AML Cooperative Group 99 study (www.aml-score.org).

RESULTS

On the basis of age (median, 60 years; range, 17 to 85 years), performance status, WBC count, and mutation status of NPM1, CEBPA, and FLT3-internal tandem duplication, patients were classified into the following three risk groups according to PINAOS and PINARFS: 29% of all patients and 32% of 381 responding patients had low-risk disease (5-year OS, 74%; 5-year RFS, 55%); 56% of all patients and 39% of responding patients had intermediate-risk disease (5-year OS, 28%; 5-year RFS, 27%), and 15% of all patients and 29% of responding patients had high-risk disease (5-year OS, 3%; 5-year RFS, 5%), respectively. PINAOS and PINARFS stratified outcome within European LeukemiaNet genetic groups. Both indices were confirmed on independent data from Cancer and Leukemia Group B/Alliance trials.

CONCLUSION

We have developed and validated, to our knowledge, the first prognostic indices specifically designed for adult patients of all ages with CN-AML that combine well-established molecular and clinical variables and that are easily applicable in routine clinical care. The integration of both clinical and molecular markers could provide a basis for individualized patient care through risk-adapted therapy of CN-AML.

Treatment of acute myeloid leukemia in older patients

Acute myeloid leukemia carries a dismal prognosis in patients over 60 years of age and, despite many clinical trials of both novel and conventional agents, there has been no significant improvement in overall survival during the last 30 years. Combinations of anthracyclines and cytarabine remain the cornerstone of therapy and produce complete remission in 45-55% of older patients, with a median survival of only 8-12 months. These statistics become even worse in patients over 70 years and those with unfavorable cytogenetics and/or poor performance status. Deciding which older acute myeloid leukemia patients would benefit from intensive chemotherapy is difficult and efforts are underway to improve existing risk-assessment tools. Many new agents are under development, including signal transduction inhibitors, farnesyl transferase inhibitors, antibodies and novel chemotherapeutics. To date, small-molecule inhibitors and targeted therapies have had limited single-agent efficacy and have required combination with chemotherapy. The role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in older patients is under investigation. All patients over 60 years of age with acute myeloid leukemia should be encouraged to participate in a clinical trial if possible.

GAS6 expression identifies high-risk adult AML patients: potential implications for therapy

Emerging data demonstrate important roles for the TYRO3/AXL/MERTK receptor tyrosine kinase (TAM RTK) family in diverse cancers. We investigated the prognostic relevance of GAS6 expression, encoding the common TAM RTK ligand, in 270 adults (n=71 aged <60 years; n=199 aged ≥60 years) with de novo cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML). Patients expressing GAS6 (GAS6+), especially those aged ≥60 years, more often failed to achieve a complete remission (CR). In all patients, GAS6+ patients had shorter disease-free (DFS) and overall (OS) survival than patients without GAS6 expression (GAS6−). After adjusting for other prognostic markers, GAS6+ predicted CR failure (P=0.02), shorter DFS (P=0.004) and OS (P=0.04). To gain further biologic insights, we derived a GAS6-associated gene-expression signature (P<0.001) that in GAS6+ patients included overexpressed BAALC and MN1, known to confer adverse prognosis in CN-AML, and overexpressed CXCL12, encoding stromal cell-derived factor, and its receptor genes, CXCR4 and CXCR7. This study reports for the first time that GAS6 expression is an adverse prognostic marker in CN-AML. Although GAS6 decoy receptors are not yet available in the clinic for GAS6+ CN-AML therapy, potential alternative therapies targeting GAS6+-associated pathways, e.g., CXCR4 antagonists may be considered for GAS6+ patients to sensitize them to chemotherapy.