Large-scale immune monitoring is becoming routinely used in clinical trials to identify determinants of treatment responsiveness, particularly to immunotherapies. Flow cytometry remains one of the most versatile and high throughput approaches for single-cell analysis; however, manual interpretation of multidimensional data poses a challenge to capture full cellular diversity and provide reproducible results. We present FlowCT, a semi-automated workspace empowered to analyze large datasets that includes pre-processing, normalization, multiple dimensionality reduction techniques, automated clustering and predictive modeling tools. As a proof of concept, we used FlowCT to compare the T cell compartment in bone marrow (BM) vs peripheral blood (PB) of patients with smoldering multiple myeloma (MM); identify minimally-invasive immune biomarkers of progression from smoldering to active MM; define prognostic T cell subsets in the BM of patients with active MM after treatment intensification; and assess the longitudinal effect of maintenance therapy in BM T cells. A total of 354 samples were analyzed and immune signatures predictive of malignant transformation in 150 smoldering MM patients (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.7; P <.001), and of progression-free (HR: 4.09; P <.0001) and overall survival (HR: 3.12; P =.047) in 100 active MM patients, were identified. New data also emerged about stem cell memory T cells, the concordance between immune profiles in BM vs PB and the immunomodulatory effect of maintenance therapy. FlowCT is a new open-source computational approach that can be readily implemented by research laboratories to perform quality-control, analyze high-dimensional data, unveil cellular diversity and objectively identify biomarkers in large immune monitoring studies.
Introduction: Carfilzomib dosed at 56 mg/m2 twice a week in combination with dexamethasone (Kd) is a standard of care for RRMM after 1-3 prior lines (PL) based on the ENDEAVOR study. Later, the ARROW study showed Kd dosed at 70 mg/m2 weekly to be superior to Kd dosed at 27 mg/m2 twice a week on RRMM patients (pts) after 2-3 PL. On the other side, Cyclophosphamide is an alkylating agent that has been widely combined with proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs in MM, improving their efficacy with a good safety profile. In this phase 2 randomized study, we have compared Kd plus cyclophosphamide (KCyd) with Kd in RRMM after 1-3PL, both with K dosed weekly at 70 mg/m2. Patients and methods: RRMM after 1-3 PL of therapy were included in the trial. Consistently with the ENDEAVOR population, previous therapy with proteasome inhibitors was allowed but refractory patients were excluded. Pts were randomized 1:1 to receive K at a dose of 70 mg/m2 iv on days 1, 8 and 15 plus dexamethasone at a dose of 20 mg PO the day on and the day after K plus/minus KCyd at a dose of 300 mg/m2 IV on days 1, 8 and 15 of each 28 days-cycle, as continuous treatment until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was PFS and key secondary endpoints included response rates, safety profile, and OS. Results: Between January 2018 and February 2020, 198 RRMM pts were included. 97 pts were randomized to KCyd and 101 to Kd. The baseline characteristics of the patients were well balanced between both groups. The median age was 70 years, and 70% and 28% of pts were older than 65 and 75. The median number of PL was one; 61% of pts had received 1 prior line. 94% and 92% of patients had been exposed to bortezomib in the KCyd and Kd and all of them were sensitive. 72% and 67% of patients had been exposed to IMiD's and 51% and 55% of them were IMiD's-refractory in the KCyd and Kd. Only 4 and 6 patients in KCyd and Kd, had received anti-CD38 antibodies being all refractory. After a median f/u of 15.6 months, median PFS was 20.7 m and 15.2 m in KCyd and Kd (p=0.2). In pts after 1PL, median PFS has not been reached in any arm (p=0.4) and in patients after 2-3PL, KCyd resulted in a median PFS of 20.7 vs 11m for Kd (p=0.4). Of note, in the IMiD-refractory population, the addition of Cy to Kd resulted in a significant benefit in terms of PFS: 26.2 months vs 7.7 months in the Kd arm (p=0.01). OS is immature with 23 and 25 events so far in KCyd and Kd, respectively. The ORR was 78% for KCyd and 73% for Kd: 20% of patients in both arms achieved at least complete response, 33% and 28% very good partial response, respectively, and 25% partial response in both arms. The MRD-ve rate was 4% and 5%. As far as toxicity is concerned, neutropenia was the only hematological adverse event more frequently reported in KCyd compared with Kd, of any grade (24% vs 11%) and grade 3-4 (13% vs 7%). This did not translate into more infections and the rate was comparable in both arms (5% G3-4 in both arms). Thrombocytopenia of any grade and grade 3-4 occurred in 14%/1% and 18%/10% in KCyd/Kd. Cardiovascular events of any grade occurred in 22% and 30% of patients in KCyd and Kd. Nine pts in KCyd developed G3-4 cardiovascular events, these included atrial fibrillation (1pt), cardiac failure (2 pts), myocardial infarct (2 pts), and hypertension (4 pts). In the Kd arm, 11 patients developed G3-4 cardiovascular events and consisted of hypertension in most of them (9 pts). Conclusion: Cyclophosphamide added to Kd 70 mg/m2 weekly in RRMM pts after 1-3 PL prolonged the PFS as compared to Kd particularly in the lenalidomide-refractory population. The administration of K at a dose of 70 mg/m2 weekly was safe and more convenient and overall, the toxicity profile was manageable in both arms. Disclosures Mateos: Abbvie/Genentech: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Regeneron: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen-Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria; PharmaMar-Zeltia: Consultancy; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Ocio:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Asofarma: Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; GSK: Consultancy; MDS: Honoraria; Secura-Bio: Consultancy; Oncopeptides: Consultancy. Sureda Balari:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Merck Sharpe and Dohme: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead/Kite: Consultancy, Honoraria. Oriol:Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GlaxoSmithKline: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Rosinol Dachs:Janssen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria. Blade Creixenti:Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. San-Miguel:Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Takeda, Sanofi, Roche, Abbvie, GlaxoSmithKline and Karyopharm: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Continuous treatment with lenalidomide (R) and dexamethasone (d) is a standard of care for multiple myeloma (MM) patients (pts) not candidates for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). As previously reported, the addition of Clarithromycin (C) to Rd has proven to be safe and effective, and case-control analyses suggested a significant additive value with the combination. C optimizes the therapeutic effect of glucocorticoids by increasing the area under the curve, has immunomodulatory effects and may have direct antineoplastic properties. However, there are not randomized phase III trials confirming these results. GEM-Claridex in an open, randomized, phase III trial for untreated newly diagnosed MM pts ineligible for ASCT. Enrolled pts were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive 28-day cycles of R (25mg po qd days 1-21), d (40mg po [20mg in pts >75 years], days 1, 8, 15 and 22) plus or minus C (500mg po bid) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS) and minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate and safety. MRD was evaluated in 99 pts using Euroflow NGF (limit of detection, 2x10-6). As expected, most pts in CR were tested for MRD whereas the majority of pts with missing MRD data achieved VGPR or less and were thus considered as MRD-positive for intent to treat analyses. Two hundred and eighty-eight pts were included (144 to C-Rd and 144 to Rd). Median age was 76 (range: 65-93), 36.8% of pts had ISS 3 and 15.6% presented with high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities. Key baseline characteristics were well balanced between the two arms. The addition of C to Rd resulted in deeper responses with a ≥ complete response (CR) rate of 20.1% in the C-Rd arm compared to 11.2% in the Rd arm (p = 0.037). Also, the ≥ very good partial response (VGPR) rate was 52.8% in the C-Rd arm as compared to the 37.1% in the Rd arm (p = 0.007). MRD analysis was performed at suspected CR and yearly afterwards. On intent-to-treat, 5/144 (3,5%) and 9/143 (6,2%) of pts achieved undetectable MRD with C-Rd and Rd, respectively (p = 0,7). With a median follow-up of 16 months (range, 1-47), no significant differences were observed in PFS: in the C-Rd arm the median was 23 months and has not been reached in the Rd arm (p = 0.09); furthermore, although disease progression and/or death rate was comparable in both arms (C-Rd: 57/144 [39.6%] vs Rd: 45/144 [31.2%]), a trend towards shorter PFS was observed in the C-Rd group (Figure 1). This effect was less evident in younger (<75) pts (median PFS, C-Rd: 24 months vs Rd NR, p = 0,588) but, in older pts (≥ 75), the addition of C to Rd resulted into a significant deleterious effect on PFS (median PFS, C-Rd: 19 vs Rd 28 months, p = 0.03) (Figure 2a and 2b). Irrespectively of treatment arm, pts with MRD negative had significantly longer PFS (NR vs 26 months, p = 0,03). Concerning OS, no differences have been identified (p = 0.41), although median has not been reached yet in any arm. Out of the 33 and 28 deaths documented in the C-Rd and Rd arms respectively, the percentage of pts dying w/o documented PD was significantly higher in the C-Rd group (27/33 [82%] vs 13/27 [48%], p = 0.004). Furthermore, in the C-Rd arm, the most frequent causes of death were severe infections (14/27 [52%] and cardiovascular events 6/27 [22%]) the majority of them occurring in older (≥75) pts (20/27, 74%). The most common G3-4 adverse events (AE) in the C-Rd and Rd arms were hematologic (neutropenia: 10,4% vs 16,7% [p = ns] and anemia: 2,1% vs 6,9% [p = 0,04], respectively). G3-4 infections occurred in 16% of cases in both arms and were the most frequent non-hematological AE. 7% of pts in both arms developed G3-4 GI toxicity and there were no differences between the two arms in G3-4 skin-related AEs (2,8% vs 3,5%). Only one case of invasive SPM (colon cancer) in the C-Rd arm was reported. In conclusion, the addition of C to Rd in transplant ineligible newly diagnosed MM pts significantly increases the rate and depth of responses but it is not associated with an improved PFS and OS due to a higher proportion of deaths in the C-Rd arm, mostly infectious, in pts > 75 years and being early deaths. Overexposure to steroids due to the delayed clearance induced by C in this elderly population could explain our results. Figure Disclosures Puig: The Binding Site: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Rosinol Dachs:Janssen, Celgene, Amgen and Takeda: Honoraria. De Arriba:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria. Oriol:Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. De La Rubia:AbbVie: Consultancy; AMGEN: Consultancy; Celgene Corporation: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy. Amor:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Martín Sánchez:GILEAD SCIENCES: Research Funding. Rossi:BMS: Research Funding; Janssen, Celgene, Amgen: Consultancy. Coleman:Merck: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Speakers Bureau; Kite Pharmaceuticals: Equity Ownership; Gilead, Bayer, Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Paiva:Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Roche, and Sanofi; unrestricted grants from Celgene, EngMab, Sanofi, and Takeda; and consultancy for Celgene, Janssen, and Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. San-Miguel:Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, and Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria. Bladé:Jansen, Celgene, Takeda, Amgen and Oncopeptides: Honoraria. Niesvizky:Takeda, Amgen, BMS, Janssen, Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding. Mateos:EDO: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pharmamar: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive: Honoraria.
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