Safety and efficacy of fedratinib in patients with myelofibrosis previously treated with ruxolitinib: primary analysis of FREEDOM trial.

The phase 3b FREEDOM trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03755518) evaluates efficacy/safety of fedratinib in intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis patients with platelet count ≥50 × 109/L, previously treated with ruxolitinib. The trial design included protocol specified strategies to mitigate the risk for gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs), thiamine supplementation, and encephalopathy surveillance. Due to COVID-19, accrual was cut short with 38 patients enrolled. In the efficacy evaluable population (n = 35), nine (25.7%; 95% confidence interval 12.5-43.3) patients achieved primary endpoint of ≥35% spleen volume reduction (SVR) at end of cycle (EOC) 6; and 22 (62.9%) patients showed best overall response of ≥35% SVR up to end of treatment. Sixteen (44.4%) patients showed ≥50% reduction in total symptom score at EOC6 (n = 36). Compared to previously reported JAKARTA-2 trial, rates of GI AEs were lower, and no patient developed encephalopathy. Overall, FREEDOM study showed clinically relevant spleen and symptom responses with fedratinib, and effective mitigation of GI AEs.

The E592K variant of SF3B1 creates unique RNA missplicing and associates with high-risk MDS without ring sideroblasts.

Among the most common genetic alterations in the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are mutations in the spliceosome gene SF3B1. Such mutations induce specific RNA missplicing events, directly promote ring sideroblast (RS) formation, and generally associate with more favorable prognosis. However, not all SF3B1 mutations are the same, and little is known about how distinct hotspots influence disease. Here we report that the E592K variant of SF3B1 associates with high-risk disease features in MDS, including a lack of RS, increased myeloblasts, a distinct co-mutation pattern, and a lack of the favorable survival seen with other SF3B1 mutations. Moreover, compared to other hotspot SF3B1 mutations, E592K induces a unique RNA missplicing pattern, retains an interaction with the splicing factor SUGP1, and preserves normal RNA splicing of the sideroblastic anemia genes TMEM14C and ABCB7. These data have implications for our understanding of the functional diversity of spliceosome mutations, as well as the pathobiology, classification, prognosis, and management of SF3B1-mutant MDS.

Treatment of patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN): focus on the use of tagraxofusp and clinical considerations.

BPDCN is an aggressive myeloid malignancy with a poor prognosis. It derives from the precursors of plasmacytoid dendritic cells and is characterized by CD123 overexpression, which is seen in all patients with BPDCN. The CD123-directed therapy tagraxofusp is the only approved treatment for BPDCN; it was approved in the US as monotherapy for the treatment of patients aged ≥2 years with treatment-naive or relapsed/refractory BPDCN. Herein, we review the available data supporting the utility of tagraxofusp in treating patients with BPDCN. In addition, we present best practices and real-world insights from clinicians in academic and community settings in the US on how they use tagraxofusp to treat BPDCN. Several case studies illustrate the efficacy of tagraxofusp and discuss its safety profile, as well as the prevention, mitigation, and management of anticipated adverse events.

Oral decitabine-cedazuridine versus intravenous decitabine for myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (ASCERTAIN): a registrational, randomised, crossover, pharmacokinetics, phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: The DNA methyltransferase inhibitors azacitidine and decitabine for individuals with myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia are available in parenteral form. Oral therapy with similar exposure for these diseases would offer potential treatment benefits. We aimed to compare the safety and pharmacokinetics of oral decitabine plus the cytidine deaminase inhibitor cedazuridine versus intravenous decitabine. METHODS: We did a registrational, multicentre, open-label, crossover, phase 3 trial of individuals with myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia and individuals with acute myeloid leukaemia, enrolled as separate cohorts; results for only participants with myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia are reported here. In 37 academic and community-based clinics in Canada and the USA, we enrolled individuals aged 18 years or older who were candidates to receive intravenous decitabine, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 or 1 and a life expectancy of at least 3 months. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive 5 days of oral decitabine-cedazuridine (one tablet once daily containing 35 mg decitabine and 100 mg cedazuridine as a fixed-dose combination) or intravenous decitabine (20 mg/m2 per day by continuous 1-h intravenous infusion) in a 28-day treatment cycle, followed by 5 days of the other formulation in the next treatment cycle. Thereafter, all participants received oral decitabine-cedazuridine from the third cycle on until treatment discontinuation. The primary endpoint was total decitabine exposure over 5 days with oral decitabine-cedazuridine versus intravenous decitabine for cycles 1 and 2, measured as area under the curve in participants who received the full treatment dose in cycles 1 and 2 and had decitabine daily AUC0-24 for both oral decitabine-cedazuridine and intravenous decitabine (ie, paired cycles). On completion of the study, all patients were rolled over to a maintenance study. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03306264. FINDINGS: Between Feb 8, 2018, and June 7, 2021, 173 individuals were screened, 138 (80%) participants were randomly assigned to a treatment sequence, and 133 (96%) participants (87 [65%] men and 46 [35%] women; 121 [91%] White, four [3%] Black or African-American, three [2%] Asian, and five [4%] not reported) received treatment. Median follow-up was 966 days (IQR 917-1050). Primary endpoint of total exposure of oral decitabine-cedazuridine versus intravenous decitabine was 98·93% (90% CI 92·66-105·60), indicating equivalent pharmacokinetic exposure on the basis of area under the curve. The safety profiles of oral decitabine-cedazuridine and intravenous decitabine were similar. The most frequent adverse events of grade 3 or worse were thrombocytopenia (81 [61%] of 133 participants), neutropenia (76 [57%] participants), and anaemia (67 [50%] participants). The incidence of serious adverse events in cycles 1-2 was 31% (40 of 130 participants) with oral decitabine-cedazuridine and 18% (24 of 132 participants) with intravenous decitabine. There were five treatment-related deaths; two deemed related to oral therapy (sepsis and pneumonia) and three to intravenous treatment (septic shock [n=2] and pneumonia [n=1]). INTERPRETATION: Oral decitabine-cedazuridine was pharmacologically and pharmacodynamically equivalent to intravenous decitabine. The results support use of oral decitabine-cedazuridine as a safe and effective alternative to intravenous decitabine for treatment of individuals with myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia. FUNDING: Astex Pharmaceuticals.

The Impact of Renal Impairment in Multiple Myeloma Patients Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation With Melphalan Conditioning.

Background: There are no standard renal dose adjustments for melphalan conditioning for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of melphalan dosing and chronic kidney disease (CKD) on transplant-related outcomes, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed, and MM patients who underwent ASCT between February 2016 and September 2021 were included. Melphalan 200 mg/m2 (Mel200) or 140 mg/m2 (Mel140) was administered. The cohort was divided based on renal function: creatinine clearance (CrCl) ≥ 60 mL/min (no-CKD) and CrCl < 60 mL/min (CKD). Outcomes measured include PFS, OS, treatment-related mortality (TRM), incidence of adverse events, hospitalization duration, and hospital readmission within 30 days. Statistical analysis included Chi-square test, t-test, and Kaplan-Meier method. Logistic regression model was used to account for melphalan dose adjustment. Results: A total of 124 patients were included (n = 108 no-CKD, and n = 16 CKD). Median age was 62 years, majority (62%) were male, and 97% had at least a partial response at time of ASCT. Of the 124 patients, nine (7%) received Mel140. Five of these patients had CKD (CrCl range: 26 - 58 mL/min), with one on hemodialysis. Median time to neutrophil engraftment was 13.6 vs. 14.9 days and median time to platelet engraftment was 18.3 vs. 18.5 days in the CKD group vs. no-CKD group, respectively (P = 0.03 and P = 0.8). When adjusting for melphalan dose reduction, the median time to neutrophil engraftment was not statistically significant (P = 0.11). At a median follow-up of 28.7 months, the median PFS for the CKD vs. no-CKD group was 60 vs. 46 months (P = 0.3). One-year OS was 93.8% in the CKD group vs. 97% in the no-CKD group. There was a higher incidence of grade 3 or 4 mucositis in the CKD group vs. no-CKD group (P = 0.013). Conclusions: There is no significant difference in engraftment, PFS, or OS for MM patients with CKD vs. no-CKD receiving melphalan conditioning for ASCT. Severe mucositis was significantly more common in the CKD group, including when accounting for melphalan dose reduction.

Donor Cell Leukemia Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Approximately 25,000 allogeneic transplants are performed annually worldwide; a figure that has steadily increased over the past three decades. The study of transplant recipient survivorship has become a cogent topic and post-transplant donor cell pathology warrants further study. Donor cell leukemia (DCL) is a rare but serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) where the recipient develops a form leukemia originating from the donor cells used for transplantation. Detection of abnormalities predicting donor cell pathology might inform donor selection, and the design of survivorship programs for early detection of these abnormalities might allow therapeutic intervention earlier in the disease course. We present four recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) from our institution who developed donor cell abnormalities allogeneic SCT, highlighting their clinical characteristics and challenges.

The E592K variant of SF3B1 creates unique RNA missplicing and associates with high-risk MDS without ring sideroblasts.

Among the most common genetic alterations in the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are mutations in the spliceosome gene SF3B1. Such mutations induce specific RNA missplicing events, directly promote ring sideroblast (RS) formation, generally associate with more favorable prognosis, and serve as a predictive biomarker of response to luspatercept. However, not all SF3B1 mutations are the same, and here we report that the E592K variant of SF3B1 associates with high-risk disease features in MDS, including a lack of RS, increased myeloblasts, a distinct co-mutation pattern, and decreased survival. Moreover, in contrast to canonical SF3B1 mutations, E592K induces a unique RNA missplicing pattern, retains an interaction with the splicing factor SUGP1, and preserves normal RNA splicing of the sideroblastic anemia genes TMEM14C and ABCB7. These data expand our knowledge of the functional diversity of spliceosome mutations, and they suggest that patients with E592K should be approached differently from low-risk, luspatercept-responsive MDS patients with ring sideroblasts and canonical SF3B1 mutations.

Treatment Selection and Survival in Patients with Gray Zone Lymphoma: A Comprehensive Population-Based Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are no treatment guidelines for gray-zone lymphoma (GZL), given the disease's rarity and being a relatively new entity. Our objective was to assess factors affecting treatment selection in GZL and its effect on survival, focusing on combined modality treatment (CMT) versus chemotherapy alone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We identified 1047 patients with GZL treated with CMT or chemotherapy alone between 2004 and 2016 from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). We excluded patients without histologic confirmation of the diagnosis, those who did not receive chemotherapy, and those who started chemotherapy >120 days or radiation >365 days from diagnosis to account for immortal time bias. Factors affecting treatment selection were investigated using a logistic regression model. A propensity score-matched methodology was used to compare survival outcomes. RESULTS: Only 164 patients (15.7%) received CMT, while 883 (84.3%) received chemotherapy alone. Treatment selection was affected by clinical factors (age, odds ratio [OR] 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98-0.997, p-value 0.01 and advanced stage, OR for stage 4: 0.21, 95% CI 0.13-0.34, p-value < 0.001) but not socioeconomic factors. Higher median income was associated with better survival, while increased age, higher comorbidity score, and B symptoms were associated with worse survival. The use of CMT had a survival advantage over chemotherapy alone (hazard ratio [HR] 0.54, 95% CI 0.351-0.833, p-value 0.005). CONCLUSION: CMT is associated with survival advantage in our analysis. Careful selection of patients is essential to achieve the best outcomes with minimal toxicity. Socioeconomic factors affect treatment selection in patients with GZL that can alter outcomes. Future work should focus on strategies that access disparities without compromising survival.

Testicular Plasmacytoma Masking as Epididymo-orchitis in a Known Multiple Myeloma Patient.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is defined as a localized plasma cell neoplasm that arises in tissues other than the bone. The most common sites of involvement of EMP are the upper airways followed by lymph nodes, gastrointestinal tract, thyroid gland, skin, brain, liver, and lungs. Testicular plasmacytoma has a very rare occurrence with about 70 cases reported in literature to date. CASE REPORT: We describe a 52-year-old-male with a diagnosis of multiple myeloma presenting with lytic lesions of the axial skeleton. He had lambda light chain restricted, R-ISS stage II with high risk cytogenetics as he tested positive for t(4;14). He underwent four cycles of cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and dexamethasone followed by auto-peripheral stem cell transplantation. He was kept on ixazomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone maintenance therapy, but relapsed soon after and was diagnosed with plasmacytoma of the left lung. Therapy was switched to daratumumab, carfilzomib and dexamethasone and the patient received radiation of his left lung. He then developed left painless testicular mass which was treated with six weeks course of antibiotics. However due to persistence of concerning features on scrotal ultrasound post-treatment, the patient underwent radical orchiectomy with pathology coming back positive for plasma cells. CONCLUSION: The testes serve as a sanctuary site for hematological malignancies due to the presence of the testicular-blood barrier. Hence, it is imperative to keep a high index of suspicion for testicular plasmacytoma in the right clinical context when evaluating a patient with known multiple myeloma.

Intrathecal Chemotherapy as a Potential Treatment for Steroid-refractory Immune Effector Cell-associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of various B-cell malignancies. However, it can cause serious adverse effects like immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). ICANS is attributed to disruption of the blood-brain barrier due to inflammatory cytokines and increased levels of immune effector cells (IECs) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Corticosteroids and supportive management are the mainstays of ICANS treatment. However, no guidelines exist for the treatment of steroid-refractory ICANS. Some reports have shown favorable outcomes with no long-term complications in patients with steroid-refractory ICANS treated with intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy. CASE REPORT: We describe the outcomes of two patients with steroid-refractory ICANS treated with IT chemotherapy. Both patients had refractory large B-cell lymphoma and were not candidates for autologous transplant. They developed steroid-refractory ICANS after CAR T-cell infusion. IT chemotherapy with 12 mg methotrexate and 50 mg hydrocortisone resulted in prompt neurological improvement in both patients. One of them passed away due to multiple other comorbidities, and the other patient continues to do well without any complications. CONCLUSION: IT chemotherapy could be considered as a potential approach for the management of steroid-refractory ICANS based on our experience. Prospective studies are needed to validate this approach.

Polyserositis as a Unique Presentation of Isolated Myeloid Sarcoma: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Myeloid Sarcoma (MS) are tumors containing myeloid blasts occurring in a location other than the bone marrow, including lymph nodes, skin, and soft tissues. MS presenting as polyserositis however is very rare, with only a few cases in the literature. CASE REPORT: A 20-year-old male presented with cough, shortness of breath and was found to have left upper lobe consolidation, left pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, and a large anterior mediastinal mass. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed pericardial effusion with tamponade physiology. He underwent emergent pericardiocentesis and thoracentesis. The fluid studies showed flow cytometry findings consistent with MS/ acute myeloid leukemia (AML) phenotype. A bone marrow aspirate and biopsy were unremarkable and showed no immunophenotypic findings diagnostic of acute leukemia or a lymphoproliferative disorder. Cytogenetics was negative for AML abnormalities per FISH analysis. Videoassisted thoracoscopy surgery (VATS) with biopsy of the mediastinal mass, pericardium, and left upper lobe of the lung was consistent with MS. He was treated with induction cytarabine and idarubicin, and a follow up PET-CT scan showed complete remission. He is currently day 200 + post stem cell transplant with no evidence of disease recurrence. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of isolated myeloid sarcoma presenting as polyserositis, without prior leukemia/ bone marrow involvement. Hence, fluid studies should involve cytometry analysis and MS should be entertained as a differential for polyserositis, even without a history of prior leukemia. Timely diagnosis can expedite aggressive chemotherapy required for a potentially life-threatening disease.

Predictors and Long-Term Outcomes for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) Patients Undergoing Surgery Prior to Systemic Therapy: A Nationwide Analysis.

BACKGROUND: A minority of patients diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) undergo surgery before the initiation of systemic therapy. The aim of this study is to explore the characteristics of patients undergoing surgery prior to systemic therapy (surgfirst), the predictors for surgfirst, and the survival outcomes. METHODS: The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with DLBCL diagnosed between 2006 and 2015, and we performed a subgroup analysis of patients that received surgfirst. Time-to-initial therapy (TTI) was defined as the time in days (d) from diagnosis to systemic therapy. Overall survival was measured from the day of diagnosis in terms of months (m). RESULTS: Factors associated with lower likelihood of surgfirst were non-Hispanic Black race (p-value<0.005), rural location (p-value<0.005), treatment at academic center (p-value<0.005), Medicaid insurance (p-value=0.01), comorbidity score >=3 (p-value 0.007), year of diagnosis, advanced stages of disease, and presence of B-symptoms. The TTI of systemic therapy was delayed in the surgfirst group - 34 (IQR 22-52) days vs. 23 (IQR 13-38) days, p-value<0.005. The five-year overall survival was 62.7% (95% CI 62.1-63.2%) vs. 58.3% (95% CI 57.7-60.0%) - HR 0.87 (95% CI 0.85-0.89), p-value<0.005. The factors associated with higher mortality were advanced comorbidities, lower educational status, disease primarily located in the bone, brain, and spinal cord, advanced clinical stage, presence of B-symptoms, and advanced age. CONCLUSION: Despite the delay in systemic therapy, we could not identify a detrimental impact of surgfirst on survival. This needs to be confirmed in large-scale multicenter studies. We identified clinical and socioeconomic factors that affect treatment selection and survival.

Tagraxofusp followed by combined azacitidine and venetoclax in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm: A case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and aggressive hematologic malignancy that originates from plasmacytoid dendritic cells. It can involve skin, bone marrow, and/or lymph nodes. There is no consensus recommendation regarding treatment especially in the relapsed setting. Tagraxofusp, a CD123 directed agent, was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat BPDCN. We report a case of an elderly patient with diagnosis of BPDCN who was treated initially with tagraxofusp followed by azacitidine and venetoclax combination on relapse. CASE REPORT: A 79 year old male presented with violaceous skin lesions. He had no other symptoms. Biopsy of these lesions was consistent with a diagnosis of BPDCN. Further testing showed no extracutaneous involvement.Management and outcome: Tagraxofusp was started at full dose (12 mcg/kg). This dose was not tolerated well. Patient could only tolerate the lowest dose (5 mcg/kg). Toxicities included elevated liver function tests, hyperglycemia, capillary leak syndrome, and pancreatitis. Dose escalation on progression was not possible due to side effects. Treatment was switched to venetoclax and azacitidine. Combination treatment was tolerated very well and patient showed major cutaneous response after 5 cycles and continues to do well. DISCUSSION: Tagraxofusp is a novel therapy that needs more real-world experience. This case describes the clinical course of an elderly patient on tagraxofusp. We also review the literature of azacytidine/venetoclax combination as a potential yet tolerable treatment option for this rare disease entity. This is the fourth case in literature to be treated with this combination.

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis that spontaneously resolved: a case of EBV.

A 23-year-old Caucasian woman, presented with recurrent fevers, elevated liver function tests and pancytopenia. Her labs at presentation were white blood cells 1.5 ×109/L, haemoglobin 8 g/L, platelets 59 k/mcl, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) over 2000 U/L, aspartate aminotransferase 593 U/L, alanine aminotransferase 1321 U/L, alkaline phosphatase 223 U/L and ferritin 7665 µg/L. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) IgM and IgG antibodies were positive in serum. A soluble interleukin 2 receptor was elevated at 2458. A bone marrow biopsy revealed scattered macrophages containing erythrocytes and other cellular elements. Immunohistochemistry for CD68 highlighted macrophages with erythrophagocytosis and in situ hybridisation was positive for EBV. She met the diagnostic criteria for haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). She was initially treated with broad spectrum antibiotics which were eventually discontinued once the diagnosis was established. Over a period of 2-3 weeks her fever, transaminitis, ferritin and LDH improved spontaneously. She continued to improve clinically and was subsequently discharged. HLH is an aggressive, life-threatening hyper-inflammatory syndrome which, if not promptly recognised and treated, can be fatal. Treatment involves etoposide-based chemotherapy and possible stem-cell transplantation. This patient showed signs of improvement spontaneously and a decision was made to not treat her. This was a rare case of EBV-associated HLH which resolved spontaneously without any intervention. This young patient was not subjected to unnecessary chemotherapy. So far only few cases of spontaneous resolution of EBV-associated HLH have been reported.

Safety of gemtuzumab ozogamicin as monotherapy or combination therapy in an expanded-access protocol for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) remained available to US clinicians through an open-label expanded-access protocol (NCT02312037) until GO was reapproved. Patients were aged ≥3 months with relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, or acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), and had exhausted other treatment options. Three hundred and thirty one patients received GO as monotherapy for R/R AML (n = 139), combination therapy for R/R AML (n = 183), or treatment for R/R APL (n = 9). Corresponding treatment discontinuations occurred in 68, 39, and 33% of patients. All-causality grade 5 AEs occurred in 52, 22, and 22% of patients in the monotherapy, combination, and APL groups, respectively. Corresponding grades 3 and 4 treatment-related AEs were reported in 60, 55 and 78% of patients. Hepatotoxicity occurred in five patients: veno-occlusive disease (n = 4) and drug-induced liver injury (n = 1). GO was generally well tolerated in patients with R/R AML or APL. Most frequent treatment-related grade ≥3 AEs were hematologic AEs.Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02312037.

Ruxolitinib for the treatment of steroid-refractory acute GVHD (REACH1): a multicenter, open-label phase 2 trial.

Patients who develop steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation have poor prognosis, highlighting an unmet therapeutic need. In this open-label phase 2 study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02953678), patients aged at least 12 years with grades II to IV steroid-refractory aGVHD were eligible to receive ruxolitinib orally, starting at 5 mg twice daily plus corticosteroids, until treatment failure, unacceptable toxicity, or death. The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR) at day 28; the key secondary end point was duration of response (DOR) at 6 months. As of 2 July 2018, 71 patients received at least 1 dose of ruxolitinib. Forty-eight of those patients (67.6%) had grade III/IV aGVHD at enrollment. At day 28, 39 patients (54.9%; 95% confidence interval, 42.7%-66.8%) had an overall response, including 19 (26.8%) with complete responses. Best ORR at any time was 73.2% (complete response, 56.3%). Responses were observed across skin (61.1%), upper (45.5%) and lower (46.0%) gastrointestinal tract, and liver (26.7%). Median DOR was 345 days. Overall survival estimate at 6 months was 51.0%. At day 28, 24 (55.8%) of 43 patients receiving ruxolitinib and corticosteroids had a 50% or greater corticosteroid dose reduction from baseline. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were anemia (64.8%), thrombocytopenia (62.0%), hypokalemia (49.3%), neutropenia (47.9%), and peripheral edema (45.1%). Ruxolitinib produced durable responses and encouraging survival compared with historical data in patients with steroid-refractory aGVHD who otherwise have dismal outcomes. The safety profile was consistent with expectations for ruxolitinib and this patient population.

Isolated testicular recurrence of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in an adult: rare case.

An 80-year-old man who was previously diagnosed with Philadelphia+ B cell-acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) in remission post-allogeneic matched unrelated donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant. Five years later, he was found to have unilateral testicular relapse of Philadelphia+ B-ALL proven by pathology after radical orchiectomy. Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy did not show evidence of leukaemia. Patient was treated with adjuvant radiation therapy and started on dasatinib 50 mg daily. Given his age and absence of disseminated acutelymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), no adjuvant chemotherapy was utilised. He is monitored with monthly PCR studies. At 1-year follow-up, no findings suggestive of recurrence of ALL have been identified and the patient is maintained on the dasatinib. Although isolated testicular recurrence is common among paediatric population, it is a rare event among adults as it is considered an immunological sanctuary for cancer cells.

Case series of unique adverse events related to the use of ibrutinib in patients with B-cell malignancies-A single institution experience and a review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor has reformed the treatment of various B-cell malignancies including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma, and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia. Although generally well tolerated, here we describe our institutional experience of unique adverse effects encountered with the use of ibrutinib in patients with B-cell lymphomas. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study done at a tertiary care facility, to evaluate adverse events in patients with B-cell malignancies on treatment with ibrutinib between 2014 and 2018. Further details including type of malignancy, cytogenetics, interventions for treatment of the side effect, and outcomes were obtained through electronic health record. CASE SERIES: We found 10 patients with unique adverse events related to ibrutinib. Among those, six had chronic lymphocytic leukemia, two had Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, and two had mantle cell lymphoma. The events included palindromic rheumatoid arthritis, diffuse spongiotic dermatitis, bullous pemphigoid, recurrent hemorrhagic stroke, peripheral neuropathy, recurrent paronychia, intramedullary fibrosis, recurrent joint pains, pulmonary aspergillosis, dyspnea with exacerbation of atrial fibrillation, and resolution of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. CONCLUSION: Our case series illustrates the wide variety of unique events recognized in patients treated with ibrutinib, some of which required cessation and most had dose reduction of the treatment. Thus, stressing the importance of early identification and intervention for the events to avoid worsening of toxicity and inability to continue treatment in such patients.