Lifelong TKI therapy: how to manage cardiovascular and other risks

Beginning with imatinib and now spanning 6 oral, highly active, and mostly safe agents, the development of specific targeted therapy for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has created a new world featuring chronic maintenance chemotherapy for all treated as such, treatment-free remission, and functional cure after prolonged deep remission in a subset. As a result comes a necessary shift in focus from acute to chronic toxicity, increasing attention to patient comorbidities, and critical thinking around specific adverse events such as metabolic, cardiovascular, and cardiopulmonary effects, which vary from agent to agent. This review aims to pull together the state of the art of managing the “C” in CML—a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm treated at present over many years with oral BCR-ABL-targeted agents in a population whose overall health can be complex and potentially affected by disease and therapy—and determine how we can better manage a highly treatable and increasingly curable cancer.

RADT-16. CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PROGNOSIS OF ADULT BRAIN STEM GLIOMA: A SINGLE-CENTER 10-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 81 PATIENTS

OBJECTIVE Adult brain stem glioma (ABSG) is a subset of brain tumor with a low incidence rate. This study reviewed the clinical characteristics and the risk factors affecting the prognosis of ABSG in a single center and explored the proper therapeutic mode for ABSG. METHODS The clinical data of adult patients (age over 18 years old) with brain stem gliomas from January 2010 to January 2021 of Guangdong Sanjiu brain hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Overall survival (OS) were determined by the Kaplan-Meier method, and Log-rank test was used for univariate analysis, COX proportion hazards regression was used for multivariate analysis. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS Eighty-one ABSGs, including 46 males and 35 females, were analyzed. The median age of patients was 37 years (range, 19 to 67), and the median follow-up time was 17 months (range, 3 to 108) . The median OS of 81 patients was 18 months, and the OS for 1, 2, 3, and 5 years was 87.4%, 75.8%, 61.0%, and 36.5%, respectively. Univariate analysis demonstrated that the lesions enhancement on MRI, the WHO classifications, the expression status of H3K27M, radiotherapy status, and the status of adjuvant chemotherapy were related to prognosis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age, the WHO classifications, radiotherapy status, and the maintenance chemotherapy followed radiotherapy were independent predictors for OS. CONCLUSIONS Radiotherapy is still the main treatment of ABSGs, and patients can be benefit from maintenance chemotherapy followed radiotherapy. The age > 40 years and WHO IV grade were two independent unfavorable prognostic factors. Research with expanded patient volume would help to further explore the influence of H3K27M expression on ABSG prognosis.

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a case report and review of literature

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is characterised by isolated thrombocytopenia which may be idiopathic or due to a secondary aetiology. ITP is being increasingly recognised secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the current pandemic. Here, we report a case of a five-and-a-half-year-old female child on maintenance chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who subsequently developed ITP secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our patient had prolonged thrombocytopenia secondary to ITP, requiring the use of second-line agents including romiplostim and eltrombopag. This is a unique case where ITP was recognised secondary to SARS-CoV-2. In such cases of thrombocytopenia, ITP should be considered as an important differential in addition to relapse of leukaemia or thrombocytopenia due to chemotherapy drugs.

924. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Retinitis during Maintenance Chemotherapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background Acute leukemia patients are at risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, though the disease can also occur in non-transplant adult leukemia patients. Emerging data suggest a shift to pediatric-inspired chemotherapy regimens in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) can lead to increasing cytopenias and impaired functional immunity, placing these patients at risk for this opportunistic infection. Here we describe a case of CMV retinitis in an ALL patient following a lower-intensity regimen during maintenance chemotherapy. Methods Chart review. Results A 55-year-old male with ALL presented to his optometrist with complaints of visual changes including “fogginess” and “floaters”. The patient had completed 8 cycles of dose-adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and rituximab (EPOCH-R) and achieved complete remission. He had been on maintenance chemotherapy with 6-mercaptopurine, vincristine, methotrexate, and prednisone (POMP) for 2 months at the time of symptom onset. He was referred to his local ophthalmologist who had concerns for bilateral, zone 1 CMV retinitis based on fundoscopic exam (Figure 1). Vitreous aspiration was performed and CMV DNA PCR returned positive at 1.6 million IUs/ml. Peripheral blood CMV DNA PCR was also positive at 1133 IU/ml. He was started on combination therapy with intravitreal ganciclovir injections and oral valganciclovir 900 mg twice daily (Figure 2). The patient received 14 intravitreal injections with resultant stability of his eye exam, though he remained on induction valganciclovir for 5 months due to persistent blood CMV DNAemia. Letermovir was added to help suppress his peripheral CMV DNAemia and he attained partial vision recovery. Figure 1. Fundoscopic images Conclusion CMV retinitis is an uncommon and highly morbid infection that can occur during maintenance chemotherapy in adult non-transplant ALL patients. Early identification of the disease is imperative as delay can result in blindness or further systemic CMV disease. Treatment is challenging, involving systemic and intravitreal antiviral therapy, serial ophthalmologic exams, serum CMV monitoring, and close coordination with the treating hematologist. Disclosures Michael Boeckh, MD PhD, AlloVir (Consultant)Ansun Biopharma (Grant/Research Support)Astellas (Grant/Research Support)EvrysBio (Consultant, Other Financial or Material Support, Options to acquire equity, but have not exercised them)Gilead Sciences (Consultant, Grant/Research Support)GlaxoSmithKline (Consultant)Helocyte (Consultant, Other Financial or Material Support, Options to acquire equity, but have not exercised them)Janssen (Grant/Research Support)Kyorin (Consultant)Merck (Consultant, Grant/Research Support)Moderna (Consultant)Symbio (Consultant)Takeda (formerly known as Shire) (Consultant, Grant/Research Support)VirBio (Consultant, Grant/Research Support) Ryan Cassaday, MD, Amgen (Grant/Research Support, Advisor or Review Panel member)Kite/Gilead (Grant/Research Support, Advisor or Review Panel member)Merck (Grant/Research Support)Pfizer (Grant/Research Support, Advisor or Review Panel member)Seagen (Other Financial or Material Support, Spouse is employee and hold stock)Vanda Pharmaceuticals (Grant/Research Support)

Post-chemotherapy maintenance treatment by nicotinamide riboside, a poly ADP ribose polymerase 1 inhibitor, in BRCA mutated advanced ovarian cancer – A perspective

Poly ADP ribose polymerase 1 (PARP-1) inhibitors are approved for post-chemotherapy maintenance in BRCA mutated ovarian carcinoma. Various PARP-1 inhibitors such as olaparib, rucaparib, niraparib, and veliparib are approved for this indication. These PARP-1 inhibitors are costly as well as having toxic potential, anemia, and neutropenia is the major side effects. Most of the middle-aged women in Indian subcontinent are anemic and prescription of PARP-1 inhibitors is tricky in such conditions, besides their cost is at times unaffordable as maintenance chemotherapy. Hence, we need an affordable yet lesser toxic PARP-1 inhibitor to solve this problem. Nicotinamide, a vitamin B3 amide can be re-purposed as PARP-1 inhibitor. Nicotinamide, albeit at a higher dose, can be efficacious as well as economical in its use as maintenance chemotherapy. It has toxic potential but the toxicity is both rare and manageable. We need a clinical trial for this purpose. Following perspective is on the current evidence on high dose nicotinamide and it is re-purposing as PARP-1 inhibitor.