Complete hematologic and molecular response in adult patients with relapsed/refractory philadelphia chromosome-positive B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia following treatment with blinatumomab: Results from a phase II, single-arm, multicenter study

Purpose: Few therapeutic options are available for patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who progress after failure of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-based therapy. Here, we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of blinatumomab in patients with relapsed or refractory Ph+ALL. Patients and Methods: This open-label phase II study enrolled adults with Ph+ALL who had relapsed after or were refractory to at least one second-generation or later TKI or were intolerant to second-generation or later TKIs and intolerant or refractory to imatinib. Blinatumomab was administered in 28-day cycles by continuous intravenous infusion. The primary end point was complete remission (CR) or CR with partial hematologic recovery (CRh) during the first two cycles. Major secondary end points included minimal residual disease response, rate of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, relapse-free survival, overall survival, and adverse events (AEs). Results: Of 45 patients, 16 (36%; 95% CI, 22% to 51%) achieved CR/CRh during the first two cycles, including four of 10 patients with the T315I mutation; 88% of CR/CRh responders achieved a complete minimal residual disease response. Seven responders (44%) proceeded to allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, including 55% (six of 11) of transplantation-naïve responders. Median relapse-free survival and overall survival were 6.7 and 7.1 months, respectively. The most frequent AEs were pyrexia (58%), febrile neutropenia (40%), and headache (31%). Three patients had cytokine release syndrome (all grade 1 or 2), and three patients had grade 3 neurologic events, one of which (aphasia) required temporary treatment interruption. There were no grade 4 or 5 neurologic events. Conclusion: Single-agent blinatumomab showed antileukemia activity inhigh-risk patients with Ph+ALL who had relapsed or were refractory to TKIs. AEs were consistent with previous experience in Ph-ALL.