<p>The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) have been used by most clinical trials globally since the 1980s to record the incidence and severity of toxicities associated with systemic anticancer therapy.<span><sup>1</sup></span> The most recent update (v6) was released in the summer of 2025 with planned implementation for clinical trials on January 1, 2026. One of the notable changes includes a significant update to the neutrophil grading criteria, which essentially translates neutrophil count grade up by one level, where absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 1500–1000/µL is now Grade 1 (previously Grade 2), and Grade 4 is now ANC < 100/µL (Table 1).</p><p>The potential reasons for this timely and necessary CTCAE neutrophil count grade update were outlined in a previous HemaTopic and summarized in Figure 1.<span><sup>2</sup></span> The change is more inclusive for people with the Duffy null variant—a genetic variant commonly found in people with genetic ancestry from Sub-Saharan Africa or the Arabian Peninsula resulting in lower ANC without increased risk for infection.<span><sup>3</sup></span> Additionally, this update is likely an acknowledgment that many modern therapies are targeted and the mechanism of cytotoxicity (if any) is different than older therapies.<span><sup>2</sup></span> It also integrates decades of observational data on neutrophil levels correlated with the degree of concern for febrile neutropenia or serious infectious complications.<span><sup>4</sup></span> However, we now must grapple with the implications of a change to a key adverse event criterion for ongoing and future clinical trials.</p><p>Encouragingly, these CTCAE changes are in line with recent recommendations from the coalition for reducing bureaucracy in clinical trials (RBinCT).<span><sup>5</sup></span> This cross-disciplinary group involving patient advocates and medical societies has identified the need to streamline the communication of safety reports communicated to investigators to reduce “alarm fatigue” and ensure that investigators react quickly to relevant reports.<span><sup>5</sup></span> The updated neutrophil count grading criteria will help with this goal. For example, if safety reports are routinely generated for a Grade 3 or 4 neutrophil count, this will now trigger a report when ANC is <500/µL by CTCAE v6. A neutrophil count of 300/µL (Grade 3 by CTCAE v6) is much more concerning and urgently actionable (e.g., granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration) than an ANC of 900/µL (Grade 3 by CTCAE v1–5). This will likely reduce excessive safety reports, which will help investigators respond quickly and appropriately to medically relevant concerns.</p><p>One potential issue to reconcile is the disconnect between the definition of febrile neutropenia and updated neutrophil count grading. In both CTCAE v5 and CTCAE v6, febrile neutropenia is defined as an ANC < 1000 with a temperature of >38.3°C or sustained at >38
{"title":"A paradigm shift in neutrophil adverse event grading: What now?","authors":"Lauren E. Merz","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70266","DOIUrl":"10.1002/hem3.70266","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) have been used by most clinical trials globally since the 1980s to record the incidence and severity of toxicities associated with systemic anticancer therapy.<span><sup>1</sup></span> The most recent update (v6) was released in the summer of 2025 with planned implementation for clinical trials on January 1, 2026. One of the notable changes includes a significant update to the neutrophil grading criteria, which essentially translates neutrophil count grade up by one level, where absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 1500–1000/µL is now Grade 1 (previously Grade 2), and Grade 4 is now ANC < 100/µL (Table 1).</p><p>The potential reasons for this timely and necessary CTCAE neutrophil count grade update were outlined in a previous HemaTopic and summarized in Figure 1.<span><sup>2</sup></span> The change is more inclusive for people with the Duffy null variant—a genetic variant commonly found in people with genetic ancestry from Sub-Saharan Africa or the Arabian Peninsula resulting in lower ANC without increased risk for infection.<span><sup>3</sup></span> Additionally, this update is likely an acknowledgment that many modern therapies are targeted and the mechanism of cytotoxicity (if any) is different than older therapies.<span><sup>2</sup></span> It also integrates decades of observational data on neutrophil levels correlated with the degree of concern for febrile neutropenia or serious infectious complications.<span><sup>4</sup></span> However, we now must grapple with the implications of a change to a key adverse event criterion for ongoing and future clinical trials.</p><p>Encouragingly, these CTCAE changes are in line with recent recommendations from the coalition for reducing bureaucracy in clinical trials (RBinCT).<span><sup>5</sup></span> This cross-disciplinary group involving patient advocates and medical societies has identified the need to streamline the communication of safety reports communicated to investigators to reduce “alarm fatigue” and ensure that investigators react quickly to relevant reports.<span><sup>5</sup></span> The updated neutrophil count grading criteria will help with this goal. For example, if safety reports are routinely generated for a Grade 3 or 4 neutrophil count, this will now trigger a report when ANC is <500/µL by CTCAE v6. A neutrophil count of 300/µL (Grade 3 by CTCAE v6) is much more concerning and urgently actionable (e.g., granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration) than an ANC of 900/µL (Grade 3 by CTCAE v1–5). This will likely reduce excessive safety reports, which will help investigators respond quickly and appropriately to medically relevant concerns.</p><p>One potential issue to reconcile is the disconnect between the definition of febrile neutropenia and updated neutrophil count grading. In both CTCAE v5 and CTCAE v6, febrile neutropenia is defined as an ANC < 1000 with a temperature of >38.3°C or sustained at >38","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12745037/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145862865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Thieblemont C, Gomes Da Silva M, Leppä S, et al. Large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL): EHA Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. HemaSphere. 2025;9(9):e70207. doi:10.1002/hem3.70207.
The abbreviation CSF was incorrectly defined as “colony-stimulating factor” in the Abstract and Table 2. The correct definition is “cerebrospinal fluid.”
Additionally, in the author listing of the manuscript, the name of an author was incorrectly listed as Marie-José Kersten. The correct name is Marie José Kersten.
The original article has been updated. We apologize for these errors.
[这更正了文章DOI: 10.1002/hem3.70207.]。
{"title":"Correction to “Large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL): EHA Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up”","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70273","DOIUrl":"10.1002/hem3.70273","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Thieblemont C, Gomes Da Silva M, Leppä S, et al. Large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL): EHA Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. <i>HemaSphere</i>. 2025;9(9):e70207. doi:10.1002/hem3.70207.</p><p>The abbreviation CSF was incorrectly defined as “colony-stimulating factor” in the Abstract and Table 2. The correct definition is “cerebrospinal fluid.”</p><p>Additionally, in the author listing of the manuscript, the name of an author was incorrectly listed as Marie-José Kersten. The correct name is Marie José Kersten.</p><p>The original article has been updated. We apologize for these errors.</p>","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12745033/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145862878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giovanni Caocci, Alessandro Costa, Francesca Palandri, Paola Guglielmelli, Andrea Patriarca, Alessandra Iurlo, Alessia Tieghi, Elisabetta Abruzzese, Thomas Baldi, Elena Rossi, Eloise Beggiato, Monia Marchetti, Carmen Fava, Simona Tomassetti, Elisa Rumi, Claudio Fozza, Mario Luppi, Fabrizio Pane, Sara Bigliardi, Massimo Breccia, Elena Maria Elli, Francesca Tartaglia, Olga Mulas, Paola Fazi, Marco Vignetti, Alessandro Maria Vannucchi, Fabio Efficace
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) may be impaired across several domains. In this multicenter observational study, we evaluated HRQoL and symptoms in a cohort of MPN patients with validated measures, including the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score (MPN-SAF TSS), and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale (FACIT-Fatigue) questionnaire. The primary objective was to compare the HRQoL profile of patients, by disease subtype, with that of the general population according to the EORTC QLQ-C30. A total of 572 patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET, n = 228), polycythemia vera (PV, n = 207), and myelofibrosis (MF, n = 137) were assessed. Worse statistically and clinically significant differences were observed for role functioning (ET: ∆ = 8.9, P < 0.001; PV: ∆ = 11, P < 0.001; MF: ∆ = 16.7, P < 0.001) and fatigue (ET: ∆ = 5, P < 0.001; PV: ∆ = 8.3, P < 0.001; MF: ∆ = 11.5, P < 0.001) in all three diagnostic groups. However, patients with MF also reported impairments in other important health domains. Fatigue was the most frequently reported and burdensome symptom, with greater severity correlating with a broader and more complex array of associated symptoms. Our analysis also revealed a substantial underestimation of symptoms by treating hematologists in paired physician–patient reports. Current findings may help to disentangle specific HRQoL limitations and symptomatology experienced by patients with MPNs, and underscore the importance of incorporating patient-reported outcomes into routine practice to better reflect the patient's perspective of the disease and treatment-related burden.
骨髓增生性肿瘤(mpn)患者的健康相关生活质量(HRQoL)可能在多个领域受到损害。在这项多中心观察性研究中,我们评估了一组MPN患者的HRQoL和症状,包括欧洲癌症研究与治疗组织生活质量问卷-核心30 (EORTC QLQ-C30)、骨髓增生性肿瘤症状评估表总症状评分(MPN- saf TSS)和慢性疾病治疗-疲劳量表(facit -疲劳)问卷。主要目的是根据EORTC QLQ-C30比较按疾病亚型划分的患者的HRQoL概况与普通人群的HRQoL概况。共有572例原发性血小板增多症(ET, n = 228)、真性红细胞增多症(PV, n = 207)和骨髓纤维化(MF, n = 137)患者被评估。两组在角色功能方面的差异有更大的统计学意义和临床意义(ET:∆= 8.9,P
{"title":"Health-related quality of life and symptom profile of patients with BCR::ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms: Real-world evidence from the GIMEMA-PROPHECY observational study","authors":"Giovanni Caocci, Alessandro Costa, Francesca Palandri, Paola Guglielmelli, Andrea Patriarca, Alessandra Iurlo, Alessia Tieghi, Elisabetta Abruzzese, Thomas Baldi, Elena Rossi, Eloise Beggiato, Monia Marchetti, Carmen Fava, Simona Tomassetti, Elisa Rumi, Claudio Fozza, Mario Luppi, Fabrizio Pane, Sara Bigliardi, Massimo Breccia, Elena Maria Elli, Francesca Tartaglia, Olga Mulas, Paola Fazi, Marco Vignetti, Alessandro Maria Vannucchi, Fabio Efficace","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70274","DOIUrl":"10.1002/hem3.70274","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) may be impaired across several domains. In this multicenter observational study, we evaluated HRQoL and symptoms in a cohort of MPN patients with validated measures, including the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score (MPN-SAF TSS), and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale (FACIT-Fatigue) questionnaire. The primary objective was to compare the HRQoL profile of patients, by disease subtype, with that of the general population according to the EORTC QLQ-C30. A total of 572 patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET, <i>n</i> = 228), polycythemia vera (PV, <i>n</i> = 207), and myelofibrosis (MF, <i>n</i> = 137) were assessed. Worse statistically and clinically significant differences were observed for role functioning (ET: ∆ = 8.9, P < 0.001; PV: ∆ = 11, P < 0.001; MF: ∆ = 16.7, P < 0.001) and fatigue (ET: ∆ = 5, P < 0.001; PV: ∆ = 8.3, P < 0.001; MF: ∆ = 11.5, P < 0.001) in all three diagnostic groups. However, patients with MF also reported impairments in other important health domains. Fatigue was the most frequently reported and burdensome symptom, with greater severity correlating with a broader and more complex array of associated symptoms. Our analysis also revealed a substantial underestimation of symptoms by treating hematologists in paired physician–patient reports. Current findings may help to disentangle specific HRQoL limitations and symptomatology experienced by patients with MPNs, and underscore the importance of incorporating patient-reported outcomes into routine practice to better reflect the patient's perspective of the disease and treatment-related burden.</p>","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12745044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145862827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Danielle M. Brander, Andrew W. Roberts, Thomas J. Kipps, Shuo Ma, Mary Ann Anderson, Michelle Boyer, Piers Blombery, Relja Popovic, Jordan Roser, Zhuangzhuang Liu, Brenda Chyla, John F. Seymour
<p>Treatment approaches for chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) have evolved significantly in recent years with the incorporation of novel therapies including those targeting Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) downstream of B-cell receptor signaling as well as venetoclax, a potent inhibitor of the antiapoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) protein.<span><sup>1, 2</sup></span> However, despite these therapeutic advances improving outcomes versus chemoimmunotherapy,<span><sup>3, 4</sup></span> CLL remains incurable for most patients. Time-limited approaches with these targeted agents are attractive due to the potential for fewer adverse events, reduced patient burden, lower costs, and, theoretically, a reduced risk of selection for resistance mutations.<span><sup>5, 6</sup></span> As most patients with CLL/SLL will suffer disease relapse after their first treatment, the need remains for understanding effective strategies in the relapsed/refractory (R/R) setting, including options for retreatment that have the potential to extend the duration of benefit of a drug class used previously.</p><p>Venetoclax is approved in combination with obinutuzumab for treatment-naive CLL, and venetoclax is approved in R/R CLL as monotherapy or in combination with rituximab; treatment with venetoclax plus rituximab (VenR) for up to 2 years has demonstrated durable remissions in patients with R/R CLL/SLL that can be sustained off treatment.<span><sup>1, 2</sup></span> In addition to limited cost and toxicities, fixed-duration regimens are of interest given their potential to avoid the resistance that could compromise the effectiveness of later lines of treatment independent of the drug target. Patients with double BTK inhibitor (BTKi)/BCL2 inhibitor (BCL2i) exposures have no standardized approach to their disease management; survival in this group of patients is discouragingly short, and the subsequent duration of response to recently approved noncovalent BTKi is also shortened in this group of patients.<span><sup>7-9</sup></span> It remains an area of interest to understand strategies to extend disease control with the available agents.</p><p>The M13-365, a Phase 1b study examining the safety and outcomes of patients treated with VenR,<span><sup>10</sup></span> was the first prospective trial demonstrating that patients with CLL in deep response (complete response [CR] or undetectable minimal residual disease [uMRD]) could stop therapy with venetoclax and achieve similar outcomes to those with continuous therapy. An analysis of 5-year outcomes of patients with R/R CLL/SLL treated with VenR with fixed-duration or continuous venetoclax in this study revealed that 74% of patients who achieved a deep response maintained their response for 5 years or longer.<span><sup>10</sup></span> Retreatment with venetoclax is of increasing importance given the recurrent nature of CLL/SLL, and there is great interest in understanding that this option may extend the
{"title":"Retreatment with venetoclax and rituximab following disease progression while off therapy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia","authors":"Danielle M. Brander, Andrew W. Roberts, Thomas J. Kipps, Shuo Ma, Mary Ann Anderson, Michelle Boyer, Piers Blombery, Relja Popovic, Jordan Roser, Zhuangzhuang Liu, Brenda Chyla, John F. Seymour","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70284","DOIUrl":"10.1002/hem3.70284","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Treatment approaches for chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) have evolved significantly in recent years with the incorporation of novel therapies including those targeting Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) downstream of B-cell receptor signaling as well as venetoclax, a potent inhibitor of the antiapoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) protein.<span><sup>1, 2</sup></span> However, despite these therapeutic advances improving outcomes versus chemoimmunotherapy,<span><sup>3, 4</sup></span> CLL remains incurable for most patients. Time-limited approaches with these targeted agents are attractive due to the potential for fewer adverse events, reduced patient burden, lower costs, and, theoretically, a reduced risk of selection for resistance mutations.<span><sup>5, 6</sup></span> As most patients with CLL/SLL will suffer disease relapse after their first treatment, the need remains for understanding effective strategies in the relapsed/refractory (R/R) setting, including options for retreatment that have the potential to extend the duration of benefit of a drug class used previously.</p><p>Venetoclax is approved in combination with obinutuzumab for treatment-naive CLL, and venetoclax is approved in R/R CLL as monotherapy or in combination with rituximab; treatment with venetoclax plus rituximab (VenR) for up to 2 years has demonstrated durable remissions in patients with R/R CLL/SLL that can be sustained off treatment.<span><sup>1, 2</sup></span> In addition to limited cost and toxicities, fixed-duration regimens are of interest given their potential to avoid the resistance that could compromise the effectiveness of later lines of treatment independent of the drug target. Patients with double BTK inhibitor (BTKi)/BCL2 inhibitor (BCL2i) exposures have no standardized approach to their disease management; survival in this group of patients is discouragingly short, and the subsequent duration of response to recently approved noncovalent BTKi is also shortened in this group of patients.<span><sup>7-9</sup></span> It remains an area of interest to understand strategies to extend disease control with the available agents.</p><p>The M13-365, a Phase 1b study examining the safety and outcomes of patients treated with VenR,<span><sup>10</sup></span> was the first prospective trial demonstrating that patients with CLL in deep response (complete response [CR] or undetectable minimal residual disease [uMRD]) could stop therapy with venetoclax and achieve similar outcomes to those with continuous therapy. An analysis of 5-year outcomes of patients with R/R CLL/SLL treated with VenR with fixed-duration or continuous venetoclax in this study revealed that 74% of patients who achieved a deep response maintained their response for 5 years or longer.<span><sup>10</sup></span> Retreatment with venetoclax is of increasing importance given the recurrent nature of CLL/SLL, and there is great interest in understanding that this option may extend the ","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12745032/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145862807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Estelle Balducci, Thomas Steimlé, Agata Cieslak, Guillaume Charbonnier, Antoine Pinton, Mathieu Simonin, Charlotte Smith, Valentine Louis, Mélanie Féroul, Manon Delafoy, Sophie Kaltenbach, Audrey Bidet, Béatrice Grange, Lauren Rigollet, Patrick Villarese, Aurore Touzart, Hervé Dombret, André Baruchel, Nicolas Boissel, Vahid Asnafi
The T-cell Leukemia Homeobox 1 (TLX1) oncogene is frequently deregulated in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL). In most instances, TLX1 overexpression results from its juxtaposition with a T-cell receptor (TCR) locus caused by interchromosomal translocations. However, in the subset of non-TCR-translocated TLX1-positive (non-TCR TLX1+) T-ALL cases, the underlying mechanisms driving TLX1 overexpression and their clinico-biological implications remain unclear. By integrating high-resolution data from next-generation sequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization, karyotyping, optical genome mapping, and long-read whole-genome sequencing across a cohort of 1122 adult and pediatric T-ALL/T-LBL cases, we identified TLX1 overexpression in 11% of T-ALL/T-LBL cases, with an unexpected 14% incidence of non-TCR TLX1+ cases among TLX1+ cases. Non-TCR TLX1 + T-ALL cases show distinct clinico-biological features, including a lower frequency of cortical phenotype compared to the TCR-translocated TLX1+ (TCR TLX1+) subgroup, regardless of TLX1 expression levels. In non-TCR TLX1⁺ cases, TLX1 deregulation results mostly (83%) from the hijacking of the ANKRD1 and PCGF5 enhancer at 10q23.31 through various chromosomal aberrations. Genomic analyses revealed that these aberrations juxtapose the ANKRD1 and PCGF5 enhancer with TLX1, driving its overexpression. Importantly, survival analysis revealed that non-TCR TLX1+ patients had significantly poorer outcomes compared to their TCR TLX1⁺ counterparts (3y-OS: 55% vs. 90%, P < 0.001 and 3y-DFS: 45% vs. 75%, P = 0.02). These findings, consistent with our previous observations in TAL1-driven T-ALL, confirm that the clinico-biological impact of an oncogene is influenced by the specific mechanism underlying its deregulation.
{"title":"TLX1 translocation variants and enhancer hijacking influence clinical outcome in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia","authors":"Estelle Balducci, Thomas Steimlé, Agata Cieslak, Guillaume Charbonnier, Antoine Pinton, Mathieu Simonin, Charlotte Smith, Valentine Louis, Mélanie Féroul, Manon Delafoy, Sophie Kaltenbach, Audrey Bidet, Béatrice Grange, Lauren Rigollet, Patrick Villarese, Aurore Touzart, Hervé Dombret, André Baruchel, Nicolas Boissel, Vahid Asnafi","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70281","DOIUrl":"10.1002/hem3.70281","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The T-cell Leukemia Homeobox 1 (<i>TLX1</i>) oncogene is frequently deregulated in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL). In most instances, <i>TLX1</i> overexpression results from its juxtaposition with a T-cell receptor (<i>TCR</i>) locus caused by interchromosomal translocations. However, in the subset of non-<i>TCR</i>-translocated <i>TLX1</i>-positive (non-<i>TCR TLX1</i>+) T-ALL cases, the underlying mechanisms driving <i>TLX1</i> overexpression and their clinico-biological implications remain unclear. By integrating high-resolution data from next-generation sequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization, karyotyping, optical genome mapping, and long-read whole-genome sequencing across a cohort of 1122 adult and pediatric T-ALL/T-LBL cases, we identified <i>TLX1</i> overexpression in 11% of T-ALL/T-LBL cases, with an unexpected 14% incidence of non-<i>TCR TLX1</i>+ cases among <i>TLX1</i>+ cases. Non-<i>TCR TLX1</i> + T-ALL cases show distinct clinico-biological features, including a lower frequency of cortical phenotype compared to the <i>TCR</i>-translocated <i>TLX1</i>+ (<i>TCR TLX1</i>+) subgroup, regardless of <i>TLX1</i> expression levels. In non-<i>TCR TLX1</i>⁺ cases, <i>TLX1</i> deregulation results mostly (83%) from the hijacking of the <i>ANKRD1</i> and <i>PCGF5</i> enhancer at 10q23.31 through various chromosomal aberrations. Genomic analyses revealed that these aberrations juxtapose the <i>ANKRD1</i> and <i>PCGF5</i> enhancer with <i>TLX1</i>, driving its overexpression. Importantly, survival analysis revealed that non-<i>TCR TLX1</i>+ patients had significantly poorer outcomes compared to their <i>TCR TLX1</i>⁺ counterparts (3y-OS: 55% vs. 90%, <i>P</i> < 0.001 and 3y-DFS: 45% vs. 75%, <i>P</i> = 0.02). These findings, consistent with our previous observations in <i>TAL1</i>-driven T-ALL, confirm that the clinico-biological impact of an oncogene is influenced by the specific mechanism underlying its deregulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12745038/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145862795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elia Colin, Ivan Ferrer-Vicens, Dror Brook, Mohammad Salma, Charlotte Andrieu-Soler, Elisa Bayard, Alicia Fernandes, Chantal Brouzes, Carine Lefèvre, Romain Duval, Michaël Dussiot, Thiago Trovati, Geneviève Courtois, Slim Azouzi, Mohammed Zarhrate, Anne Lambilliotte, Sophie Park, Benjamin Carpentier, Martin Colard, Sandra Manceau, Despina Moshous, Patrick Mayeux, Emilie-Fleur Gautier, Annarita Miccio, Jean Soulier, William Vainchenker, Liran Shlush, Lydie Da Costa, Jan Frayne, Eric Soler, Olivier Hermine, Lucile Couronné
The emergence of next-generation sequencing techniques has led to the genetic characterization of numerous congenital erythroid disorders, emphasizing crucial pathways in both normal and pathological erythropoiesis. In this study, whole exome sequencing of a single patient with atypical congenital pure red cell aplasia revealed a mutation in the CDAN1 gene, typically associated with congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type 1 (CDAI), together with a previously unreported mutation in the MMS22L gene. Combined mms22l and cdan1 haploinsufficiency results in severe anemia in a zebrafish model. In human erythroid progenitors, loss of MMS22L leads to proliferation and differentiation arrest associated with activation of the p53 pathway and global epigenetic alterations, showing that MMS22L plays an indispensable role in erythropoiesis. Furthermore, MMS22L and CDAN1 are involved in the same protein complex whose nuclear import is mediated by the importin 4 (IPO4) protein, and MMS22L nuclear import is impaired in CDAI patients due to a defective interaction between CDAN1 and IPO4. Overall, through the genetic description of a single case characterized by digenic inheritance, we identified MMS22L as a novel key factor in erythropoiesis and brought new insights into normal erythropoiesis regulation and CDAI pathophysiology.
{"title":"MMS22L is a novel key actor of normal and pathological erythropoiesis","authors":"Elia Colin, Ivan Ferrer-Vicens, Dror Brook, Mohammad Salma, Charlotte Andrieu-Soler, Elisa Bayard, Alicia Fernandes, Chantal Brouzes, Carine Lefèvre, Romain Duval, Michaël Dussiot, Thiago Trovati, Geneviève Courtois, Slim Azouzi, Mohammed Zarhrate, Anne Lambilliotte, Sophie Park, Benjamin Carpentier, Martin Colard, Sandra Manceau, Despina Moshous, Patrick Mayeux, Emilie-Fleur Gautier, Annarita Miccio, Jean Soulier, William Vainchenker, Liran Shlush, Lydie Da Costa, Jan Frayne, Eric Soler, Olivier Hermine, Lucile Couronné","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70264","DOIUrl":"10.1002/hem3.70264","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The emergence of next-generation sequencing techniques has led to the genetic characterization of numerous congenital erythroid disorders, emphasizing crucial pathways in both normal and pathological erythropoiesis. In this study, whole exome sequencing of a single patient with atypical congenital pure red cell aplasia revealed a mutation in the <i>CDAN1</i> gene, typically associated with congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type 1 (CDAI), together with a previously unreported mutation in the <i>MMS22L</i> gene. Combined <i>mms22l</i> and <i>cdan1</i> haploinsufficiency results in severe anemia in a zebrafish model. In human erythroid progenitors, loss of <i>MMS22L</i> leads to proliferation and differentiation arrest associated with activation of the p53 pathway and global epigenetic alterations, showing that MMS22L plays an indispensable role in erythropoiesis. Furthermore, MMS22L and CDAN1 are involved in the same protein complex whose nuclear import is mediated by the importin 4 (IPO4) protein, and MMS22L nuclear import is impaired in CDAI patients due to a defective interaction between CDAN1 and IPO4. Overall, through the genetic description of a single case characterized by digenic inheritance, we identified MMS22L as a novel key factor in erythropoiesis and brought new insights into normal erythropoiesis regulation and CDAI pathophysiology.</p>","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12723439/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145827735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alessandra Iurlo, Daniele Cattaneo, Umberto Gianelli, Francesco Passamonti
Atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML) is a rare form of myelodysplastic (MDS)/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) overlap disorder characterized by neutrophilic leukocytosis with circulating immature myeloid cells (IMC), frequent hepatosplenomegaly, and poor prognosis with high rates of leukemic transformation. In the 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) classification, aCML was therefore renamed to “MDS/MPN with neutrophilia.” Diagnostic criteria for aCML include leukocytosis ≥ 13 × 109/L, circulating IMC ≥ 10%, dysgranulopoiesis, and at least one cytopenia for MDS-thresholds (per International Consensus Classification [ICC]). Bone marrow is hypercellular due to granulocytic proliferation, associated with dysplasia in granulocytes ± other cell lines. Mutations can be used to support the diagnosis in both classifications, that is, SETBP1 and ASXL1 or SETBP1 and/or ETNK1. Absence of monocytosis, basophilia, or eosinophilia, <20% blasts, and exclusion of other MPN, MDS/MPN, and tyrosine kinase fusions are mandatory. Cytogenetic abnormalities are identified in roughly 20%–40% of aCML patients, along with a complex genomic context with high rates of recurrent somatic mutations in ASXL1, SETBP1, SRSF2, TET2, EZH2, and, less frequently, in NRAS/KRAS, CBL, CSF3R, JAK2, and ETNK1. Unfortunately, effective risk stratification systems for identifying prognostic subgroups of aCML patients are lacking, resulting in the absence of a standard of care for its management. The most used agents include hydroxyurea, interferon, hypomethylating agents, and JAK inhibitors, although none of them are disease-modifying. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant remains the only potentially curative approach and should be considered in all eligible patients. Actionable mutations (CSF3R, NRAS/KRAS, and KIT) have also been identified, supporting the development of new agents targeting the involved pathways.
{"title":"Atypical chronic myeloid leukemia: From diagnosis to molecular features and therapeutic options","authors":"Alessandra Iurlo, Daniele Cattaneo, Umberto Gianelli, Francesco Passamonti","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70270","DOIUrl":"10.1002/hem3.70270","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML) is a rare form of myelodysplastic (MDS)/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) overlap disorder characterized by neutrophilic leukocytosis with circulating immature myeloid cells (IMC), frequent hepatosplenomegaly, and poor prognosis with high rates of leukemic transformation. In the 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) classification, aCML was therefore renamed to “MDS/MPN with neutrophilia.” Diagnostic criteria for aCML include leukocytosis ≥ 13 × 10<sup>9</sup>/L, circulating IMC ≥ 10%, dysgranulopoiesis, and at least one cytopenia for MDS-thresholds (per International Consensus Classification [ICC]). Bone marrow is hypercellular due to granulocytic proliferation, associated with dysplasia in granulocytes ± other cell lines. Mutations can be used to support the diagnosis in both classifications, that is, <i>SETBP1</i> and <i>ASXL1</i> or <i>SETBP1</i> and/or <i>ETNK1</i>. Absence of monocytosis, basophilia, or eosinophilia, <20% blasts, and exclusion of other MPN, MDS/MPN, and tyrosine kinase fusions are mandatory. Cytogenetic abnormalities are identified in roughly 20%–40% of aCML patients, along with a complex genomic context with high rates of recurrent somatic mutations in <i>ASXL1</i>, <i>SETBP1</i>, <i>SRSF2</i>, <i>TET2</i>, <i>EZH2</i>, and, less frequently, in <i>NRAS/KRAS</i>, <i>CBL</i>, <i>CSF3R</i>, <i>JAK2</i>, and <i>ETNK1</i>. Unfortunately, effective risk stratification systems for identifying prognostic subgroups of aCML patients are lacking, resulting in the absence of a standard of care for its management. The most used agents include hydroxyurea, interferon, hypomethylating agents, and JAK inhibitors, although none of them are disease-modifying. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant remains the only potentially curative approach and should be considered in all eligible patients. Actionable mutations (<i>CSF3R</i>, <i>NRAS/KRAS</i>, and <i>KIT</i>) have also been identified, supporting the development of new agents targeting the involved pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12687300/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145722510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lucca L. M. Derks, Konradin F. Müskens, Markus J. van Roosmalen, Aniek O. de Graaf, Nina Epskamp, Laurianne Trabut, Rico Hagelaar, Joop H. Jansen, Caroline A. Lindemans, Maaike G. J. M. van Bergen, Ruben van Boxtel, Mirjam E. Belderbos
Clonal hematopoiesis (CH), a prevalent and premalignant state in the elderly, has been detected in young individuals under selective pressures such as hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, the origin of CH and mutational processes underlying CH driver mutations in young blood systems remain unclear. Here, we used genome-wide somatic mutation profiles to retrospectively trace the origin of DNMT3A-mutant CH in three individuals, 14–41 years after childhood HCT. Both the rate and spectrum of somatic mutations in individuals with posttransplant CH were consistent with normal age-associated mutagenesis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that DNMT3A-mutant HSPCs were present in the donor before 6.8 years of age, including during fetal development, despite being undetectable with a limit of detection of variant allele frequency of 0.001 at the time of transplantation. These findings were validated by comparing the observed mutations to expected age-dependent mutational signatures. Our results reveal that undetectable DNMT3A-mutant clones in young donors can expand into significant CH clones within decades upon transplantation. The rapid expansion of these clones in this context indicates that specific environmental pressures, rather than solely mutation acquisition, drive the development of CH.
{"title":"Posttransplantation clonal dynamics of hematopoietic stem cells carrying prenatal and early-life DNMT3A mutations","authors":"Lucca L. M. Derks, Konradin F. Müskens, Markus J. van Roosmalen, Aniek O. de Graaf, Nina Epskamp, Laurianne Trabut, Rico Hagelaar, Joop H. Jansen, Caroline A. Lindemans, Maaike G. J. M. van Bergen, Ruben van Boxtel, Mirjam E. Belderbos","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70262","DOIUrl":"10.1002/hem3.70262","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Clonal hematopoiesis (CH), a prevalent and premalignant state in the elderly, has been detected in young individuals under selective pressures such as hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, the origin of CH and mutational processes underlying CH driver mutations in young blood systems remain unclear. Here, we used genome-wide somatic mutation profiles to retrospectively trace the origin of <i>DNMT3A</i>-mutant CH in three individuals, 14–41 years after childhood HCT. Both the rate and spectrum of somatic mutations in individuals with posttransplant CH were consistent with normal age-associated mutagenesis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that <i>DNMT3A</i>-mutant HSPCs were present in the donor before 6.8 years of age, including during fetal development, despite being undetectable with a limit of detection of variant allele frequency of 0.001 at the time of transplantation. These findings were validated by comparing the observed mutations to expected age-dependent mutational signatures. Our results reveal that undetectable <i>DNMT3A</i>-mutant clones in young donors can expand into significant CH clones within decades upon transplantation. The rapid expansion of these clones in this context indicates that specific environmental pressures, rather than solely mutation acquisition, drive the development of CH.</p>","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12686829/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145721721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kazimierz Groen, Febe Smits, Kazem Nasserinejad, Mark-David Levin, Josien C. Regelink, Gert-Jan Timmers, Esther G. M. de Waal, Matthijs Westerman, Gerjo A. Velders, Koen de Heer, Rineke B. L. Leys, Roel J. W. van Kampen, Claudia A. M. Stege, Maarten R. Seefat, Inger S. Nijhof, Ellen van der Spek, Saskia K. Klein, Niels W. C. J. van de Donk, Paula F. Ypma, Sonja Zweegman
<p>Non-transplant eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NTE-NDMM) who are categorized as frail according to the International Myeloma Working Group Frailty Index (IMWG-FI) show pronounced heterogeneity in clinical characteristics, leading to differences in frailty scores—ranging from 2 to 5—based on the type and number of geriatric impairments and comorbidities. As a result, clinical outcomes may differ markedly within this subgroup.<span><sup>1</sup></span> Indeed, a post hoc analysis of the HOVON-123 trial, in which patients were treated with nine cycles of dose-adjusted melphalan, prednisone, and bortezomib, revealed that the overall survival (OS) of frail patients with an IMWG-FI of 2 had an OS comparable to intermediate-fit patients and superior to frail patients with scores of 3–5. In addition, treatment discontinuation after 9 months was considerably higher in patients with higher frailty scores.<span><sup>2</sup></span> Accordingly, in the IFM 2017-03 trial, in which daratumumab–lenalidomide was compared with lenalidomide–dexamethasone, progression free survival (PFS) was significantly prolonged in patients with a frailty score of 2 compared to those with scores of 4–5.<span><sup>3</sup></span> Notably, a similar frailty score may capture distinct aging phenotypes: for example a score of 2 may solely result from advanced age or may reflect significant geriatric impairments in a younger individual. To address this heterogeneity, frail patients may be more rationally stratified based on the underlying drivers of frailty, yielding three frail subgroups: frail-by-age (>80 years, no comorbidities or impairments in [I]ADL), frail-by-impairments (≤80 years, with comorbidities and/or impairments in [I]ADL), and ultra-frail (>80 years, with comorbidities and/or impairments in [I]ADL). The prognostic impact of these three distinct frailty subgroups on OS has been variably reported. In the HOVON-143 trial, in which patients were treated with nine cycles of ixazomib, daratumumab, and dexamethasone (IDd) followed by a maintenance phase of IDd for a maximum of 2 years, patients classified frail-by-age-alone demonstrated superior OS, although the difference did not reach statistical significance, likely due to limited sample size.<span><sup>4, 5</sup></span> In contrast, a retrospective analysis of the original IMWG-FI patient cohort reported comparable OS between patients classified frail-by-age-alone and all other frail patients.<span><sup>6</sup></span> To resolve this inconsistency, we examined the impact of frailty subtype on OS in a larger group size by pooling data of two prospective HOVON trials (HOVON-123 and HOVON-143) in NTE-NDMM patients. The studies were conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and were approved by the institutional review board and ethics committees before study initiation. All patients provided written informed consent.</p><p>The subsets of frail NTE-NDMM patients from the HOVON-12
{"title":"Uncovering the ultra-frail: A distinct subgroup in non-transplant eligible newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma, with an inferior clinical outcome","authors":"Kazimierz Groen, Febe Smits, Kazem Nasserinejad, Mark-David Levin, Josien C. Regelink, Gert-Jan Timmers, Esther G. M. de Waal, Matthijs Westerman, Gerjo A. Velders, Koen de Heer, Rineke B. L. Leys, Roel J. W. van Kampen, Claudia A. M. Stege, Maarten R. Seefat, Inger S. Nijhof, Ellen van der Spek, Saskia K. Klein, Niels W. C. J. van de Donk, Paula F. Ypma, Sonja Zweegman","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70268","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hem3.70268","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Non-transplant eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NTE-NDMM) who are categorized as frail according to the International Myeloma Working Group Frailty Index (IMWG-FI) show pronounced heterogeneity in clinical characteristics, leading to differences in frailty scores—ranging from 2 to 5—based on the type and number of geriatric impairments and comorbidities. As a result, clinical outcomes may differ markedly within this subgroup.<span><sup>1</sup></span> Indeed, a post hoc analysis of the HOVON-123 trial, in which patients were treated with nine cycles of dose-adjusted melphalan, prednisone, and bortezomib, revealed that the overall survival (OS) of frail patients with an IMWG-FI of 2 had an OS comparable to intermediate-fit patients and superior to frail patients with scores of 3–5. In addition, treatment discontinuation after 9 months was considerably higher in patients with higher frailty scores.<span><sup>2</sup></span> Accordingly, in the IFM 2017-03 trial, in which daratumumab–lenalidomide was compared with lenalidomide–dexamethasone, progression free survival (PFS) was significantly prolonged in patients with a frailty score of 2 compared to those with scores of 4–5.<span><sup>3</sup></span> Notably, a similar frailty score may capture distinct aging phenotypes: for example a score of 2 may solely result from advanced age or may reflect significant geriatric impairments in a younger individual. To address this heterogeneity, frail patients may be more rationally stratified based on the underlying drivers of frailty, yielding three frail subgroups: frail-by-age (>80 years, no comorbidities or impairments in [I]ADL), frail-by-impairments (≤80 years, with comorbidities and/or impairments in [I]ADL), and ultra-frail (>80 years, with comorbidities and/or impairments in [I]ADL). The prognostic impact of these three distinct frailty subgroups on OS has been variably reported. In the HOVON-143 trial, in which patients were treated with nine cycles of ixazomib, daratumumab, and dexamethasone (IDd) followed by a maintenance phase of IDd for a maximum of 2 years, patients classified frail-by-age-alone demonstrated superior OS, although the difference did not reach statistical significance, likely due to limited sample size.<span><sup>4, 5</sup></span> In contrast, a retrospective analysis of the original IMWG-FI patient cohort reported comparable OS between patients classified frail-by-age-alone and all other frail patients.<span><sup>6</sup></span> To resolve this inconsistency, we examined the impact of frailty subtype on OS in a larger group size by pooling data of two prospective HOVON trials (HOVON-123 and HOVON-143) in NTE-NDMM patients. The studies were conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and were approved by the institutional review board and ethics committees before study initiation. All patients provided written informed consent.</p><p>The subsets of frail NTE-NDMM patients from the HOVON-12","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hem3.70268","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145695522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lukas Scheller, Xiang Zhou, Henry Loeffler-Wirth, Markus Kreuz, Sofie-Katrin Kadel, Sven Schimanski, Hannah Schulze, Anna Ruckdeschel, Florian Eisele, Verena Konetzki, Maria Jornet Culubret, Maximilian Merz, Julia Mersi, Johannes Waldschmidt, Sophia Danhof, Ulrike Köhl, K. Martin Kortüm, Leo Rasche, Hermann Einsele, Johannes Düll, Max S. Topp, Michael Hudecek, Kristin Reiche, Miriam Alb
Hematotoxicity and infections are the main drivers of non-relapse mortality after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy. Consequently, reliable predictive biomarkers are highly needed to improve risk assessment and optimize patient management. In this study, we applied the immune-related adverse outcome pathway concept to delineate key events and risk factors of CAR-T-associated hematotoxicity. To identify predictive biomarkers, we performed flow cytometry and multiplex assays before and early after CAR-T infusion on 78 patients (ide-cel n = 31; axi-cel n = 24; and cilta-cel n = 23) undergoing CAR-T therapy. Severe hematotoxicity was linked to endothelial dysfunction, as evidenced by reduced levels of ANG1, soluble selectins, and increased soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) early after CAR-T infusion. Increased sVCAM-1, reflecting endothelial dysfunction, elevated soluble IL-2R (sIL-2R), indicating a proinflammatory state, and high tumor burden before lymphodepletion were key risk factors for CAR-T-associated hematotoxicity. Patients with elevated sVCAM-1 and sIL-2R at baseline (pre-lymphodepletion) exhibited significantly reduced overall survival (OS) (sVCAM-1; P = 0.0009), prolonged Grade 4 neutropenia (sVCAM-1; 12.1 vs. 6.0 days; P = 0.0016), more aplastic neutrophil recovery (5% vs. 30%; P = 0.007), and more severe infections (22.4% vs. 55%; P = 0.011). Baseline sIL-2R and sVCAM-1 demonstrated robust predictive value for prolonged neutropenia, severe infections, and mortality independently of key clinical variables such as the underlying disease and CAR-T product. Integration of these markers improves existing models and can help to refine risk assessment and guide individualized patient management in CAR-T therapy.
血液毒性和感染是嵌合抗原受体(CAR)-T治疗后非复发死亡率的主要驱动因素。因此,非常需要可靠的预测性生物标志物来改善风险评估和优化患者管理。在这项研究中,我们应用免疫相关不良结果通路概念来描述car - t相关血液毒性的关键事件和危险因素。为了确定预测性生物标志物,我们对78名接受CAR-T治疗的患者(idel - cell n = 31, axial - cell n = 24, cilta- cell n = 23)在CAR-T输注前后进行了流式细胞术和多重检测。CAR-T输注后早期ANG1、可溶性选择素水平降低和可溶性VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1)升高证明了严重的血液毒性与内皮功能障碍有关。反映内皮功能障碍的sVCAM-1升高、表明促炎状态的可溶性IL-2R (sIL-2R)升高以及淋巴细胞清除前的高肿瘤负荷是car - t相关血液毒性的关键危险因素。基线(淋巴细胞耗损前)sVCAM-1和sIL-2R升高的患者表现出明显降低的总生存期(OS) (sVCAM-1, P = 0.0009),延长的4级中性粒细胞减少(sVCAM-1, 12.1天对6.0天,P = 0.0016),更多的再生中性粒细胞恢复(5%对30%,P = 0.007),更严重的感染(22.4%对55%,P = 0.011)。基线sIL-2R和sVCAM-1对长期中性粒细胞减少症、严重感染和死亡率具有强大的预测价值,与潜在疾病和CAR-T产品等关键临床变量无关。这些标志物的整合改进了现有的模型,可以帮助改进CAR-T治疗中的风险评估和指导个体化患者管理。
{"title":"Endothelial dysfunction and proinflammatory state determine severe hematotoxicity and inferior outcome of CAR-T therapy","authors":"Lukas Scheller, Xiang Zhou, Henry Loeffler-Wirth, Markus Kreuz, Sofie-Katrin Kadel, Sven Schimanski, Hannah Schulze, Anna Ruckdeschel, Florian Eisele, Verena Konetzki, Maria Jornet Culubret, Maximilian Merz, Julia Mersi, Johannes Waldschmidt, Sophia Danhof, Ulrike Köhl, K. Martin Kortüm, Leo Rasche, Hermann Einsele, Johannes Düll, Max S. Topp, Michael Hudecek, Kristin Reiche, Miriam Alb","doi":"10.1002/hem3.70267","DOIUrl":"10.1002/hem3.70267","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Hematotoxicity and infections are the main drivers of non-relapse mortality after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy. Consequently, reliable predictive biomarkers are highly needed to improve risk assessment and optimize patient management. In this study, we applied the immune-related adverse outcome pathway concept to delineate key events and risk factors of CAR-T-associated hematotoxicity. To identify predictive biomarkers, we performed flow cytometry and multiplex assays before and early after CAR-T infusion on 78 patients (ide-cel <i>n</i> = 31; axi-cel <i>n</i> = 24; and cilta-cel <i>n</i> = 23) undergoing CAR-T therapy. Severe hematotoxicity was linked to endothelial dysfunction, as evidenced by reduced levels of ANG1, soluble selectins, and increased soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) early after CAR-T infusion. Increased sVCAM-1, reflecting endothelial dysfunction, elevated soluble IL-2R (sIL-2R), indicating a proinflammatory state, and high tumor burden before lymphodepletion were key risk factors for CAR-T-associated hematotoxicity. Patients with elevated sVCAM-1 and sIL-2R at baseline (pre-lymphodepletion) exhibited significantly reduced overall survival (OS) (sVCAM-1; P = 0.0009), prolonged Grade 4 neutropenia (sVCAM-1; 12.1 vs. 6.0 days; P = 0.0016), more aplastic neutrophil recovery (5% vs. 30%; P = 0.007), and more severe infections (22.4% vs. 55%; P = 0.011). Baseline sIL-2R and sVCAM-1 demonstrated robust predictive value for prolonged neutropenia, severe infections, and mortality independently of key clinical variables such as the underlying disease and CAR-T product. Integration of these markers improves existing models and can help to refine risk assessment and guide individualized patient management in CAR-T therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":12982,"journal":{"name":"HemaSphere","volume":"9 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12684805/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145714175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}