International Journal of Hematology最新文献

Lenalidomide is an oral immunomodulatory agent approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) in Japan. Post-marketing surveillance (PMS) was conducted to confirm its safety and effectiveness. From April 2017 until April 2020, safety data were obtained for 77 patients and effectiveness data for 65 patients (31.2% of patients had progressive disease as the best response to their most recent prior regimen). Forty-nine patients (63.6%) in the safety analysis set experienced an adverse drug reaction (ADR). Grade ≥ 3 ADRs occurred in 42.9%. The most common Grade ≥ 3 ADRs were neutrophil count decreased/neutropenia and platelet count decreased/thrombocytopenia (11.7% each). Serious ADRs occurred in 26 patients. Five patients had previously received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Among these, one experienced acute graft versus host disease (GvHD) during lenalidomide administration and two responded to lenalidomide. Effectiveness analysis showed that an objective response was achieved in 29.2% of patients. No statistically significant differences were observed in the objective response rates of patients aged < 70 versus those aged ≥ 70 years (33.3% vs 28.0%, respectively; p = 0.6904). No new safety signals were observed in this PMS, and lenalidomide demonstrated a favorable benefit-risk balance in Japanese patients with ATLL.

Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have improved the prognosis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), some patients do not respond to TKIs. We evaluated 21 patients with CML treated with asciminib, which is effective in heavily pretreated patients. The median age was 63 years (range 25-82). Fourteen patients (67%) had been treated with at least three TKIs (range 2-5 prior lines). The switch to asciminib was due to intolerance in 14 patients (67%) and failure in seven patients (33%). The median duration of asciminib exposure was 237 days. With a median follow-up of 273 days, three patients (14%) discontinued asciminib due to failure and two (10%) due to intolerance. Among the 20 evaluable patients, the cumulative rates of molecular response with a two-log reduction, major molecular response, and four-log reduction were 80%, 60%, and 15%, respectively. The six-month event-free survival rate was 74.7%. The most frequent adverse events were liver dysfunction (29%), elevated amylase levels (14%), and renal dysfunction (10%). No patient experienced cardiovascular events. Six patients (29%) experienced cross-intolerance to asciminib, a rate similar to that for previous TKIs. Our study supports the efficacy and tolerability of asciminib in heavily pretreated CML patients in real-world settings.

Ganciclovir and foscarnet are two representative anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) agents. A previous regional study revealed a lower risk of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients who received pre-emptive foscarnet. We conducted a retrospective nationwide study to confirm the results. A total of 8890 patients aged 16 or older with hematological malignancies who received foscarnet (n = 1555) or ganciclovir (n = 7335) during their first hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were included. The risks of chronic GVHD (hazard ratio [HR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-1.40; P < 0.001) and extensive chronic GVHD (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.33; P = 0.033) were higher with ganciclovir. Among male patients with a female donor, the incidence of extensive chronic GVHD 3 years after HSCT was clearly lower with foscarnet (13%; 95% CI, 9-16%) than with ganciclovir (27%; 95% CI, 25-29%; P < 0.001). In male patients who received HSCT from female donors, foscarnet recipients showed significantly lower incidence of extensive chronic GVHD than ganciclovir recipients, regardless of donor source or previous acute GVHD. While caution is necessary, these results indicate that foscarnet affects alloimmunization and might reduce the incidence of chronic GVHD.

Despite the introduction of new drugs, multiple myeloma (MM) still remains incurable. We previously reported that CD34⁺ MM cells, which are clonogenic and self-renewing, are therapy-resistant and persist as a major component of minimal residual disease, expanding during relapse. To investigate the effects of immunotherapies such as immune-checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T therapy, and bispecific antibodies on CD34⁺ MM cells, we analyzed immune profiles of both MM cells and T cells from MM patients using microarrays and flow cytometry. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed 14 out of 289 canonical pathways were more active in CD34⁺ MM cells compared to CD34^- cells, many of which were involved in inflammation and immune responses. Notably, PD-1 signaling-related genes were highly expressed in CD34⁺ MM cells. Among 10 immune-checkpoint molecules, CD34⁺ cells more frequently expressed CD112, CD137L, CD270, CD275, and GAL9 than CD34^- cells in both newly diagnosed and relapsed/resistant patients. In addition, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells more frequently expressed TIGIT and CD137, suggesting that CD112/TIGIT and CD137L/CD137 interactions may suppress T-cell activity against CD34⁺ MM cells. Furthermore, our finding of higher FcRH5 expression on CD34⁺ MM cells is encouraging for future research into the efficacy of FcRH5-targeted therapy in MM.

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that is associated with an elevated risk of thrombosis. Treatment strategies are based on thrombosis risk classification. Phlebotomy is a commonly recommended treatment for all patients with PV, regardless of their risk classification, and reduces the incidence of thrombosis by lowering hematocrit levels. However, patients with PV frequently present with iron deficiency at diagnosis due to increased erythropoiesis, which repeated phlebotomy can exacerbate. This can produce symptoms that diminish quality of life, such as fatigue, lethargy, and impaired concentration. Recently, hepcidin mimetics have been developed to suppress iron utilization in erythropoiesis. Among them, rusfertide has been shown to control hematocrit levels without requiring phlebotomy. Further studies are needed to identify new treatment strategies for PV that also consider iron deficiency.

The advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), significantly improving patient prognosis. Asciminib, a novel specifically targeting the ABL myristoyl pocket inhibitor, has shown promise for CML patients unresponsive or intolerant to traditional TKIs. However, its use in hemodialysis patients remains underexplored. We present a case of a 71-year-old man with CML undergoing hemodialysis, successfully treated with asciminib. Initial treatment with bosutinib was effective but later failed, prompting a switch to asciminib. The patient achieved a major molecular response within 2 months without adverse effects. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed significant drug clearance during hemodialysis, necessitating dosage adjustments. This case highlights the potential of asciminib in managing CML in hemodialysis patients, emphasizing the need for individualized treatment plans and close monitoring. Further studies are warranted to establish comprehensive guidelines for asciminib use in this unique patient population.

Objective: This interim analysis of a phase 1/2, open-label, single-arm study assessed the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of gilteritinib plus chemotherapy in adults with newly diagnosed FLT3 mutation-positive acute myeloid leukemia.

Methods: In sequential phase 1 and 2 studies, induction and consolidation therapy with gilteritinib 120 mg/day plus chemotherapy (induction: idarubicin/cytarabine once daily; consolidation: cytarabine twice daily) was followed by maintenance gilteritinib 120 mg/day monotherapy. Endpoints included maximum tolerated dose (MTD), recommended expansion dose (RED), and dose-limiting toxicity (phase 1), and complete remission (CR) rate following induction therapy (primary endpoint), overall survival (OS), safety, and pharmacokinetics (phase 2).

Results: In phase 1, MTD was not reached and RED was 120 mg/day. In phase 2, the CR rate was 50.0% after induction (90% confidence interval [CI] 40.4, 59.6); however, the lower confidence limit did not exceed the pre-defined 55% benchmark. Composite CR (CRc) rates were high following induction (86.6%, 95% CI [77.3, 93.1]), consolidation, and maintenance therapy (87.8%, 95% CI [78.7, 94.0], each). The probability of OS was 86.6% at 12 months. No new safety findings were reported.

Conclusion: In this interim analysis, gilteritinib 120 mg/day in combination with chemotherapy was well tolerated, with similar CRc rates to previous studies.

The Japan Children's Cancer Group Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Committee conducted a prospective observational study (ALL-R14) to explore promising reinduction therapy regimens for relapsed ALL to investigate in future trials. In Japan, clofarabine- and bortezomib-based regimens were of interest since they were newly introduced for ALL in the study period (2015-2018). Seventy-five pediatric patients were enrolled in total. The 2-year event-free/overall survival rates in patients with first (n = 59) or second (n = 11) relapse were 40.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 25.5-52.3%)/66.3% (95% CI 52.3-77.0%) and 34.1% (95% CI 9.1-61.6%)/62.3% (95% CI 27.7-84.0%), respectively. Clofarabine- or bortezomib-based regimens were used only in patients with high-risk disease. The first reinduction therapy used in the 41 patients with early or multiple relapsed B-cell precursor ALL was clofarabine in 7 patients and bortezomib in 9 patients. The odds ratio for reinduction failure risk with a clofarabine- or bortezomib-based regimen compared with other regimens was 9.0 (95% CI 0.9-86.4, P = 0.057) or 1.9 (95% CI 0.4-8.7, P = 0.42), respectively. Thus, clofarabine- or bortezomib-based regimens had no obvious advantage as reinduction therapy for relapsed ALL in children.