Publications by authors named "Amy Ruppert"

Clinical bleeding events are reported here from 773 patients with B-cell malignancies receiving pirtobrutinib monotherapy from the phase 1/2 BRUIN study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03740529), either in the presence or absence of antithrombotic therapy (antithrombotic exposed [AT-E],  = 216; antithrombotic nonexposed [AT-NE],  = 557). Among the AT-E cohort, 51.

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  • Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) have significantly improved treatment for B-cell malignancies, but many patients stop using them due to side effects, with cardiac issues being the most common reason for discontinuation.* -
  • The BRUIN study tested pirtobrutinib, a new non-covalent BTKi, on 127 patients who were intolerant to previous BTKi treatments, finding that many experienced fewer or no cardiac issues while showing a high overall response rate.* -
  • Results indicated pirtobrutinib had a median time on treatment of 15.3 months, with notable side effects like fatigue and neutropenia; overall, it proved to be a safe and effective alternative for
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  • Richter transformation is a serious form of aggressive lymphoma found in about 10% of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients, with no approved treatments and a grim outlook.
  • Pirtobrutinib, showing good results for patients with B-cell malignancies who have relapsed or are resistant to conventional therapies, is being studied for its safety and effectiveness in treating Richter transformation.
  • The study included 82 adult patients who received pirtobrutinib daily, tracking overall response rates and safety, with results indicating the drug was well tolerated and active in this difficult subset of cancer patients.
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Although it is evident that standard-dose whole-brain radiotherapy as consolidation is associated with significant neurotoxicity, the optimal consolidative strategy for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is not defined. We performed a randomized phase 2 clinical trial via the US Alliance cancer cooperative group to compare myeloablative consolidation supported by autologous stem cell transplantation with nonmyeloablative consolidation after induction therapy for PCNSL. To our knowledge, this is the first randomized trial to be initiated that eliminates whole-brain radiotherapy as a consolidative approach in newly diagnosed PCNSL.

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A041202 (NCT01886872) is a phase 3 study comparing bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) with ibrutinib and the combination of ibrutinib plus rituximab (IR) in previously untreated older patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The initial results showed that ibrutinib-containing regimens had superior progression-free survival (PFS) and rituximab did not add additional benefits. Here we present an updated analysis.

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Selinexor, an oral inhibitor of the nuclear transport protein Exportin-1, shows promising single-agent activity in clinical trials of relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and preclinical synergy with topoisomerase (topo) IIα inhibitors. We conducted a phase 1, dose-escalation study of selinexor with mitoxantrone, etoposide, and cytarabine (MEC) in 23 patients aged < 60 years with R/R AML. Due to dose-limiting hyponatremia in 2 patients on dose level 2 (selinexor 40 mg/m), the maximum tolerated dose was 30 mg/m.

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Next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify pathogenic mutations is an integral part of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapeutic decision-making. The concordance in identifying pathogenic mutations among different NGS platforms at different diagnostic laboratories has been studied in solid tumors but not in myeloid malignancies to date. To determine this interlaboratory concordance, we collected a total of 194 AML bone marrow or peripheral blood samples from newly diagnosed patients with AML enrolled in the Beat AML Master Trial (BAMT) at 2 academic institutions.

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  • SMART designs are useful for evaluating adaptive treatments, allowing patient re-randomization based on intermediate outcomes to make more personalized treatment decisions.* -
  • The paper focuses on designing a two-stage SMART with binary tailoring variables and survival endpoints, using chronic lymphocytic leukemia as a case study to explore various statistical aspects.* -
  • Simulations show that the response rate of tailoring variables significantly affects statistical power, and an R-shiny app is provided for calculating power based on sample sizes in SMART designs.*
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  • Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) often struggle after failing treatment with covalent BTK inhibitors, prompting the need for new options like pirtobrutinib, a selective noncovalent BTK inhibitor designed to resume BTK inhibition.* -
  • In a phase 1-2 trial involving 317 patients, 73.3% responded positively to pirtobrutinib, with a notable 82.2% response rate when including those showing partial responses with lymphocytosis; the median progression-free survival was reported at 19.6 months.* -
  • Common side effects from pirtobrutinib treatment included infections (71%),
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  • The study explores how a comprehensive geriatric assessment can predict clinical outcomes in older adults (65+) with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), focusing on various geriatric domains such as social activity and nutritional status.
  • It involves 369 patients aged 65 and older, analyzing their functional, psychological, and social factors in relation to treatment outcomes in a trial comparing different therapies for CLL.
  • Results show that social activity and recent weight loss significantly impact patients' progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), underlining the need for thorough geriatric evaluations to identify those at higher risk.
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Background: Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who have tumor protein p53 (TP53) mutations or a complex karyotype have a poor prognosis, and hypomethylating agents are often used. The authors evaluated the efficacy of entospletinib, an oral inhibitor of spleen tyrosine kinase, combined with decitabine in this patient population.

Methods: This was a multicenter, open-label, phase 2 substudy of the Beat AML Master Trial (ClinicalTrials.

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Background: Quantitative methods of Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) interpretation, including the percent change in FDG uptake from baseline (ΔSUV), are under investigation in lymphoma to overcome challenges associated with visual scoring systems (VSS) such as the Deauville 5-point scale (5-PS).

Methods: In CALGB 50303, patients with DLBCL received frontline R-CHOP or DA-EPOCH-R, and although there were no significant associations between interim PET responses assessed centrally after cycle 2 (iPET) using 5-PS with progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS), there were significant associations between central determinations of iPET ∆SUV with PFS/OS. In this patient cohort, we retrospectively compared local vs central iPET readings and evaluated associations between local imaging data and survival outcomes.

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  • Treatment with covalent Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) is important for managing relapsed mantle cell lymphoma, but these treatments aren't curative and many patients still relapse.
  • Pirtobrutinib is a new, noncovalent BTKi that effectively targets both normal and mutant forms of BTK and offers continuous inhibition due to its favorable oral pharmacology.
  • A phase III study is underway to compare the effectiveness of pirtobrutinib against standard covalent BTKi treatments in patients with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma.
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Purpose: Patients with bulky stage I/II classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) are typically treated with chemotherapy followed by radiation. Late effects associated with radiotherapy include increased risk of second cancer and cardiovascular disease. We tested a positron emission tomography (PET)-adapted approach in patients with bulky, early-stage cHL, omitting radiotherapy in patients with interim PET-negative (PET-) disease and intensifying treatment in patients with PET-positive (PET+) disease.

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Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder, comprising only 2% of all leukemias. The Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation (HCLF) has developed a patient data registry to enable investigators to better study the clinical features, treatment outcomes, and complications of patients with HCL. This system utilizes a centralized registry architecture.

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A diagnosis of leukemia can have a profound effect on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL), however this has not been measured prospectively in patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL). At the request of patients living with HCL who had identified this gap in knowledge about the disease, we conducted a longitudinal study of HRQoL among patients enrolled in the HCL Patient Data Registry (PDR). From September 1, 2018 to September 1, 2020, 165 patients were enrolled in the study and completed the baseline survey.

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Purpose: Dual blockade of Bruton's tyrosine kinase with ibrutinib and selinexor has potential to deepen responses for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Patients And Methods: In this phase I study (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02303392), adult patients with CLL/NHL, relapsed/refractory to ≥1 prior therapy were enrolled.

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Mortality rates of infants (younger than 1 year of age) and neonates (younger than 1 month of age) remain unacceptably high in some geographic regions. After the first week of life, infection is a significant cause of neonatal and postneonatal mortality. Biannual mass azithromycin administration has been shown to reduce all-cause childhood mortality by as much as 25% among infants 1 to 5 months of age in Niger.

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Rare, recurrent balanced translocations occur in a variety of cancers but are often not functionally interrogated. Balanced translocations with the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus (IGH; 14q32) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are infrequent but have led to the discovery of pathogenic genes including CCND1, BCL2, and BCL3. Following identification of a t(X;14)(q28;q32) translocation that placed the mature T cell proliferation 1 gene (MTCP1) adjacent to the immunoglobulin locus in a CLL patient, we hypothesized that this gene may have previously unrecognized importance.

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Introduction: The Alliance A041202/CCTG CLC.2 trial demonstrated superior progression-free survival with ibrutinib-based therapy compared to chemoimmunotherapy with bendamustine-rituximab (BR) in previously untreated older patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We completed a prospective trial-based economic analysis of Canadian patients to study the direct medical costs and quality-adjusted benefit associated with these therapies.

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Complex karyotype, defined as ≥3 cytogenetic abnormalities, is prognostic of survival in patients treated with ibrutinib or venetoclax in relapsed/refractory (RR) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Recent studies re-evaluating this dichotomous variable have shown that higher numbers of cytogenetic abnormalities (ie, ≥5) have a worse overall survival in patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy. We sought to determine if increasing karyotypic complexity, treated as a continuous variable, was prognostic of survival for patients treated with ibrutinib for CLL.

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Ibrutinib has superior progression-free survival compared with bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) in older CLL patients, however, differences in treatment duration, six monthly BR cycles versus continuous ibrutinib, complicate adverse event (AE) comparisons. We introduce the AE burden score (AE) to compare AEs, calculated for each patient by summing over products of reporting period length and grade for each all-cause grade 1-4 AE and dividing by the length of time over which AEs are assessed. A total of 176 patients received BR and 361 ibrutinib alone or with six cycles of rituximab.

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