Lori Muffly

Measurable residual disease (MRD) is an adverse prognostic factor in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can detect MRD with a sensitivity of 10–6, but the prognostic value of NGS-based MRD in adult patients with ALL undergoing HCT remains minimally studied. To evaluate the prognostic value of NGS-based MRD in adult patients with ALL undergoing HCT, patients aged ≥18 years with ALL who underwent allogeneic HCT at Stanford University or Oregon Health & Science University between January 2014 and April 2021 and were evaluated for MRD using the NGS-based clonoSEQ assay were included in this study. MRD was assessed before HCT (MRDpre) and up to 1 year after HCT (MRDpost). Patients were followed up for leukemia relapse and survival for up to 2 years after HCT. In total, 158 patients had a trackable clonotype for MRD monitoring. The cumulative incidence of relapse was increased at all levels of MRDpre, including in patients who had low MRDpre of <10–4 (hazard ratio [HR], 3.56; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.39-9.15). In multivariable analysis, MRDpre level remained significantly prognostic; however, detectable MRDpost was the strongest predictor of relapse (HR, 4.60; 95% CI, 3.01-7.02). In exploratory analyses limited to patients with B-cell ALL, the detection of post-HCT immunoglobulin H (IgH) MRD clonotypes, rather than non-IgH MRD clonotypes, was associated with relapse. In this analysis across 2 large transplant centers, we found that the detection of MRD by NGS at a level of 10–6 offers significant prognostic value in adults with ALL undergoing HCT.

The treatment landscape of relapsed/refractory (R/R) classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) has evolved significantly over the past decade following the approval of brentuximab vedotin (BV) and the programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors. We evaluated how outcomes and practice patterns have changed for R/R cHL patients who underwent autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) at our institution from 2011-2020 (N=183) compared to 2001-2010 (N=159) and evaluated prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in both eras. OS was superior in the modern era (4-year estimates 89.1% vs 79.0%, HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.33-0.85, p=0.011) with a trend towards lower non-relapse mortality beyond 2 years post-transplant. Among patients who progressed after AHCT, 4-year post-progression survival increased from 43.3% to 71.4% in the modern era, reflecting increasing use of BV and the PD-1 inhibitors. In multivariable analysis for patients transplanted in the modern era, age ³45 years, primary refractory disease, and lack of complete remission pre-AHCT were associated with inferior PFS, while receipt of a PD-1 inhibitor-based regimen pre-AHCT was associated with superior PFS (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.05-0.80, p=0.030). Extranodal disease at relapse was associated with inferior OS (HR 3.12, 95% CI 1.25-7.77, p=0.014). Our study demonstrates improved survival for R/R cHL after AHCT in the modern era attributed to more effective salvage regimens allowing for better disease control pre-AHCT and improved outcomes for patients who progressed after AHCT. Excellent outcomes were observed with PD-1 inhibitor-based salvage regimens pre-AHCT and support a randomized trial evaluating immunotherapy in the second line setting.