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Question 1 of 1
In patients with low-risk B-ALL, which of the following sites of first relapse did blinatumomab significantly improve disease-free and overall survival rates for?
A
B
C
D
Despite significant improvements in survival rates for children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 10–15% still experience relapse.1 The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates for children and young adults with B-cell ALL (B-ALL) at first relapse are poor, ranging from 35–50%.1
Time from diagnosis, site of relapse, and minimal residual disease (MRD) status after 4 weeks of re-induction chemotherapy are key predictors of outcomes at first relapse. Patients with bone marrow (BM) relapse with or without an extramedullary (EM) relapse ≥36 months, or isolated EM relapse ≥18 months from diagnosis with low MRD (0.1%) at the end of re-induction chemotherapy, have historically been classified as low-risk (LR) due to their favorable prognoses.
Blinatumomab is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bispecific T-cell engager for the treatment of adults and children with relapsed/refractory B-ALL and MRD-positive B-ALL. Previous results from the AALL1331 Children’s Oncology Group study (NCT02101853) demonstrated improved OS and reduced toxicities with blinatumomab in high- and intermediate-risk patients at first B-ALL relapse.1
The ALL Hub previously reported the efficacy and safety results for LR patients treated with blinatumomab at first-relapse of B-ALL. Here, we summarize the full trial results, published by Hogan et al. in The Journal of Clinical Oncology.1
AALL1331 is a randomized phase III trial which included patients aged 1–30 years with B-ALL at first relapse. Patients who completed end re-induction risk assessment and were classified as LR were included. Relapses were defined as follows:
The study design is shown in Figure 1. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS), defined as the time from randomization until relapse, second malignancy, or death. The secondary endpoint was OS, defined as the time from randomization until death from any cause.
Figure 1. Study design*
B-ALL, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
*Data from Hogan, et al.1
Of the 255 patients with LR B-ALL at first relapse, 128 received chemotherapy and 127 received blinatumomab + chemotherapy. The baseline characteristics were similar between the two treatment arms, as summarized in Table 1.
Table 1. Baseline characteristics*
BM, bone marrow; EM, extramedullary; IBM, isolated bone marrow; IQR, interquartile range. |
||
Characteristic, % (unless otherwise stated) |
Blinatumomab |
Chemotherapy |
---|---|---|
Age at enrolment, years |
||
Median (IQR) |
11 (7−15) |
10 (7−15) |
1–12 |
66.1 |
66.4 |
13–20 |
29.1 |
30.5 |
21–26 |
4.7 |
3.1 |
Age at initial diagnosis |
||
Median (IQR) |
6 (3−9) |
5 (2−9) |
<1–9 |
78 |
75.8 |
10–17 |
22 |
21.9 |
18–23 |
― |
2.3 |
Sex |
|
|
Male |
59.8 |
59.4 |
Female |
40.2 |
40.6 |
Site of relapse |
|
|
IBM |
55.1 |
56.3 |
BM plus EM |
13.4 |
11.7 |
Isolated EM |
31.5 |
32 |
Cytogenetic group† |
|
|
Favorable |
32.5 |
35.6 |
Unfavorable |
4.2 |
1.9 |
Other |
63.3 |
62.5 |
Figure 2. 4-year A OS and B DFS rates in blinatumomab vs chemotherapy arm according to the site of relapse*
BM, bone marrow; EM, extramedullary site; iBM, isolated bone marrow relapse; IEM, isolated extramedullary relapse; LR, low risk.
*Data from Hogan, et al.1
Figure 3. Cox aggression model of DFS rates across various subgroups with iBM or BM ± EM relapse*†
BM, bone marrow; EM, extramedullary site; DFS, disease free survival; iBM, isolated bone marrow;
*Data from Hogan, et al.1
†p value for comparison of blinatumomab arm versus chemotherapy arm was one-sided, whereas p value for comparison of patient/disease characteristics was two-sided.
Figure 4. AEs of interest in 3rd block chemotherapy vs 1st blinatumomab arm *
AEs, adverse events.
*Data from Hogan, et al.1
This randomized study showed that overall, there was no statistically significant difference in DFS or OS between the blinatumomab and standard chemotherapy arms for children, adolescent, and young adult patients with low-risk first relapse of B-ALL. However, blinatumomab significantly improved DFS and OS for patients with BM with or without EM relapse and those with isolated BM relapse, thus establishing a new standard of care for these populations. Notably, blinatumomab was well-tolerated overall, with significantly lower severe hematologic and infectious toxicity compared with patients treated with standard chemotherapy. Furthermore, patients with isolated CNS relapse had poor outcomes with or without blinatumomab; therefore, future studies should investigate new treatment strategies for these patients.
References
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