Papers by Raphael Itzykson
Blood Cancer Journal, Sep 23, 2022
Annals of Hematology, Feb 11, 2023
Hyperleukocytosis is associated with a significant early mortality rate in patients with acute my... more Hyperleukocytosis is associated with a significant early mortality rate in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). To date, no controlled trial has ever evaluated a strategy to reduce this risk, and the initial management of these patients remains heterogeneous worldwide. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of a short course of intravenous dexamethasone on the early outcomes of patients with hyperleukocytic AML with white blood cell (WBC) count above 50 × 10 9 /L. Clinical and biological data of all consecutive patients (1997-2017) eligible for intensive chemotherapy from a single center were retrospectively collected. A total of 251 patients with a median age of 51 years and a median WBC count of 120 × 10 9 /L were included, 95 of whom received dexamethasone. Patients treated with dexamethasone had higher WBC count and a more severe disease compared with those who did not, and they presented more often with leukostasis and hypoxemia, resulting in a more frequent need for life-sustaining therapies (p < 0.001). To account for these imbalances, patients were compared after adjusting for a propensity score, which included all variables with a prognostic influence in the overall cohort. In the matched cohort, dexamethasone was associated with lower early death (OR = 0.34, p = 0.0026) and induction failure rate (OR = 0.44, p = 0.02) and better overall survival (HR = 0.60, p = 0.011), with no impact on relapse risk (cHR = 0.73, p = 0.39). The overall survival benefit was confirmed among all tested subgroups. This study suggests that dexamethasone administration is safe and associated with a lower risk of induction mortality in patients with hyperleukocytic AML and deserves prospective evaluation.
BMC Bioinformatics, Oct 28, 2022
Background Monitoring the disease progression in blood cancers requires the identification of pat... more Background Monitoring the disease progression in blood cancers requires the identification of pathology-specific molecular markers. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), one of the strongest risk factor used for risk stratification is the presence of an internal tandem duplication in the FLT3 gene (FLT3-ITD), which occurs in 20-30% of the cases [1-4]. FLT3-ITD are in-frame duplications of highly variable size, ranging from 3 to more than 400 nucleotides, mostly located within the receptor's autoinhibitory juxatamembrane domain. This mutation represents a strong prognostic biomarker
Haematologica, Dec 10, 2020
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Sep 1, 2014
We report a case of polyarthritis with axial involvement in a young female patient treated for ac... more We report a case of polyarthritis with axial involvement in a young female patient treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Detection in the hip fluid of Ureaplasma urealyticum by broad-range PCR followed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry allowed the diagnosis of septic arthritis and ad integrum recovery upon adapted antibiotic therapy.
Leukemia, Apr 26, 2022
By querying metabolic pathways associated with leukemic stemness and survival in multiple AML dat... more By querying metabolic pathways associated with leukemic stemness and survival in multiple AML datasets, we nominated SLC7A11 encoding the xCT cystine importer as a putative AML dependency. Genetic and chemical inhibition of SLC7A11 impaired the viability and clonogenic capacity of AML cell lines in a cysteine-dependent manner. Sulfasalazine, a broadly available drug with xCT inhibitory activity, had anti-leukemic activity against primary AML samples in ex vivo cultures. Multiple metabolic pathways were impacted upon xCT inhibition, resulting in depletion of glutathione pools in leukemic cells and oxidative stress-dependent cell death, only in part through ferroptosis. Higher expression of cysteine metabolism genes and greater cystine dependency was noted in NPM1-mutated AMLs. Among eight anti-leukemic drugs, the anthracycline daunorubicin was identified as the top synergistic agent in combination with sulfasalazine in vitro. Addition of sulfasalazine at a clinically relevant concentration significantly augmented the anti-leukemic activity of a daunorubicin-cytarabine combination in a panel of 45 primary samples enriched in NPM1-mutated AML. These results were confirmed in vivo in a patient-derived xenograft model. Collectively, our results nominate cystine import as a druggable target in AML and raise the possibility to repurpose sulfasalazine for the treatment of AML, notably in combination with chemotherapy.
The European respiratory journal, May 24, 2018
Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is a well-characterised late-onset noninfectious pulmonar... more Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is a well-characterised late-onset noninfectious pulmonary complication of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), occurring in 2% to 26% of recipients [1]. It is considered to be a pulmonary manifestation of graft versus host disease (GVHD) [2] and is associated with a mortality rate varying from 14% to 100% in historical series [3, 4]. Although immunosuppressive drugs are modestly effective, early diagnosis and treatment could improve its outcome [5]. After lung transplantation, home spirometry monitoring of pulmonary function allows early detection of BOS [6]; it is associated with a better response to steroids [7] and consequently is considered as a standard of care [8]. Our group was the first to report the use of home spirometry in 37 HSCT recipients [9]. More recently, CHENG et al. [10] showed a good correlation between home spirometry and classical laboratory spirometry in this population. We present here the incidence and long-term outcome of BOS occurring after HSCT in an extended cohort of 110 patients monitored with home spirometry.
Haematologica, Apr 1, 2011
Background There is no standard post-remission therapy in older patients with acute myeloid leuke... more Background There is no standard post-remission therapy in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Design and Methods From 1999 to 2006, the Acute Leukemia French Association group ran two concurrent randomized trials with overlapping inclusion criteria for patients aged 65 to 70 with acute myeloid leukemia, with different post-remission strategies: two intensive courses in the 9801 trial, one intensive course or six outpatient courses in the 9803 trial. We analyzed the outcome of these patients per protocol and per post-remission therapy. Results Two hundred and eleven patients aged 65 to 70 years with de novo acute myeloid leukemia were enrolled in trial 9801 (n=76) or 9803 (n=135). The patients in the two trials had comparable white blood cell counts (P=0.3), cytogenetics (P=0.49), and complete remission rates (70% and 57%, respectively; P=0.17). Overall survival was identical in both trials (32% and 34% at 2 years, respectively; P=0.71). Overall survival after complete remission was identical in the 103 of 130 patients who received the planned post-remission courses (n=44 with two intensive courses, n=28 with one intensive course, n=31 with six outpatient courses; 41%, 55%, and 58% at 2 years, respectively; P=0.34). Even in patients with favorable or normal karyotype (n=97), overall survival from complete remission was not improved by more intensive postremission therapy. Conclusions In patients aged 65 to 70 years with de novo acute myeloid leukemia in complete remission after standard intensive induction chemotherapy, there is no apparent benefit from intensive postremission therapy.
Blood Advances, Jul 23, 2018
IST leads to a response in nearly half, and to RBC transfusion independence in about a third, of ... more IST leads to a response in nearly half, and to RBC transfusion independence in about a third, of selected lower-risk MDS patients. • Hypocellularity of bone marrow and the use of horse ATG plus cyclosporine are associated with increased rates of transfusion independence. Most studies of immunosuppressive therapy (IST) in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are limited by small numbers and their single-center nature, and report conflicting data regarding predictors for response to IST. We examined outcomes associated with IST and predictors of benefit in a large international cohort of patients with MDS. Data were collected from 15 centers in the United States and Europe. Responses, including red blood cell (RBC) transfusion independence (TI), were assessed based on the 2006 MDS International Working Group criteria, and overall survival (OS) was estimated by Kaplan-Meier methods. Logistic regression models estimated odds for response and TI, and Cox Proportional Hazard models estimated hazards ratios for OS. We identified 207 patients with MDS receiving IST, excluding steroid monotherapy. The most common IST regimen was anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) plus prednisone (43%). Overall response rate (ORR) was 48.8%, including 11.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.5%-18.4%) who achieved a complete remission and 30% (95% CI, 22.3%-39.5%) who achieved RBC TI. Median OS was 47.4 months (95% CI, 37-72.3 months) and was longer for patients who achieved a response or TI. Achievement of RBC TI was associated with a hypocellular bone marrow (cellularity , 20%); horse ATG plus cyclosporine was more effective than rabbit ATG or ATG without cyclosporine. Age, transfusion dependence, presence of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria or large granular lymphocyte clones, and HLA DR15 positivity did not predict response to IST. IST leads to objective responses in nearly half the selected patients with the highest rate of RBC TI achieved in patients with hypocellular bone marrows.
Blood Cancer Journal, Jun 24, 2022
Leukemia, Feb 9, 2021
The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The title was incorrect. ... more The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The title was incorrect. The corrected title is given below. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes: myth and reality The original article has been corrected.
Blood Advances
Whether the LSC17 gene expression can improve risk stratification in the context of next generati... more Whether the LSC17 gene expression can improve risk stratification in the context of next generation sequencing–based risk stratification and measurable residual disease (MRD) in patients with intensively treated AML has not been explored. We analyzed LSC17 in 504 adult patients prospectively treated in the ALFA-0702 trial. RUNX1 or TP53 mutations were associated with higher LSC1 scores while CEBPA and NPM1 mutations were associated with lower scores. Patients with high LSC17 scores had a lower rate of complete response (CR) in a multivariable analysis (odds ratio, 0.41; P = .0007), accounting for European LeukemiaNet 2022 (ELN22), age, and white blood cell count (WBC). LSC17-high status was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) (3-year OS: 70.0% vs 52.7% in patients with LSC17-low status; P < .0001). In a multivariable analysis considering ELN22, age, and WBC, patients with LSC17-high status had shorter disease-free survival (DFS) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.36; P = .048) than ...
Leukemia
Tandem duplications (TDs) of the UBTF gene have been recently described as a recurrent alteration... more Tandem duplications (TDs) of the UBTF gene have been recently described as a recurrent alteration in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, by screening 1946 newly diagnosed adult AML, we found that UBTF-TDs occur in about 3% of patients aged 18–60 years, in a mutually exclusive pattern with other known AML subtype-defining alterations. The characteristics of 59 adults with UBTF-TD AML included young age (median 37 years), low bone marrow (BM) blast infiltration (median 25%), and high rates of WT1 mutations (61%), FLT3-ITDs (51%) and trisomy 8 (29%). BM morphology frequently demonstrates dysmyelopoiesis albeit modulated by the co-occurrence of FLT3-ITD. UBTF-TD patients have lower complete remission (CR) rates (57% after 1 course and 76% after 2 courses of intensive chemotherapy [ICT]) than UBTF-wild-type patients. In patients enrolled in the ALFA-0702 study (n = 614 patients including 21 with UBTF-TD AML), the 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival of UBTF-T...
Leukemia
By querying metabolic pathways associated with leukemic stemness and survival in multiple AML dat... more By querying metabolic pathways associated with leukemic stemness and survival in multiple AML datasets, we nominated SLC7A11 encoding the xCT cystine importer as a putative AML dependency. Genetic and chemical inhibition of SLC7A11 impaired the viability and clonogenic capacity of AML cell lines in a cysteine-dependent manner. Sulfasalazine, a broadly available drug with xCT inhibitory activity, had anti-leukemic activity against primary AML samples in ex vivo cultures. Multiple metabolic pathways were impacted upon xCT inhibition, resulting in depletion of glutathione pools in leukemic cells and oxidative stress-dependent cell death, only in part through ferroptosis. Higher expression of cysteine metabolism genes and greater cystine dependency was noted in NPM1-mutated AMLs. Among eight anti-leukemic drugs, the anthracycline daunorubicin was identified as the top synergistic agent in combination with sulfasalazine in vitro. Addition of sulfasalazine at a clinically relevant concentration significantly augmented the anti-leukemic activity of a daunorubicin-cytarabine combination in a panel of 45 primary samples enriched in NPM1-mutated AML. These results were confirmed in vivo in a patient-derived xenograft model. Collectively, our results nominate cystine import as a druggable target in AML and raise the possibility to repurpose sulfasalazine for the treatment of AML, notably in combination with chemotherapy.
Biomedicines, 2021
BET inhibitors (BETi) including OTX015 (MK-8628) and JQ1 demonstrated antileukemic activity inclu... more BET inhibitors (BETi) including OTX015 (MK-8628) and JQ1 demonstrated antileukemic activity including NPM1c AML cells. Nevertheless, the biological consequences of BETi in NPM1c AML were not fully investigated. Even if of better prognosis AML patients with NPM1c may relapse and treatment remains difficult. Differentiation-based therapy by all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) combined with arsenic trioxide (ATO) demonstrated activity in NPM1c AML. We found that BETi, similar to ATO + ATRA, induced differentiation and apoptosis which was TP53 independent in the NPM1c cell line OCI-AML3 and primary cells. Furthermore, BETi induced proteasome-dependent degradation of NPM1c. BETi degraded NPM1c in the cytosol while BRD4 is degraded in the nucleus which suggests that restoration of the NPM1/BRD4 equilibrium in the nucleus of NPM1c cells is essential for the efficacy of BETi. While ATO + ATRA had significant biological activity in NPM1c IMS-M2 cell line, those cells were resistant to BETi. Gene ...
Blood, 2021
To design a simple and reproducible classifier predicting the overall survival (OS) of patients w... more To design a simple and reproducible classifier predicting the overall survival (OS) of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) ≥60 years of age treated with 7 + 3, we sequenced 37 genes in 471 patients from the ALFA1200 (Acute Leukemia French Association) study (median age, 68 years). Mutation patterns and OS differed between the 84 patients with poor-risk cytogenetics and the 387 patients with good (n = 13), intermediate (n = 339), or unmeasured (n = 35) cytogenetic risk. TP53 (hazards ratio [HR], 2.49; P = .0003) and KRAS (HR, 3.60; P = .001) mutations independently worsened the OS of patients with poor-risk cytogenetics. In those without poor-risk cytogenetics, NPM1 (HR, 0.57; P = .0004), FLT3 internal tandem duplications with low (HR, 1.85; P = .0005) or high (HR, 3.51; P < 10−4) allelic ratio, DNMT3A (HR, 1.86; P < 10−4), NRAS (HR, 1.54; P = .019), and ASXL1 (HR, 1.89; P = .0003) mutations independently predicted OS. Combining cytogenetic risk and mutations in these 7 ...
Blood, 2021
A multistage model instructed by a large dataset (knowledge bank [KB] algorithm) has recently bee... more A multistage model instructed by a large dataset (knowledge bank [KB] algorithm) has recently been developed to improve outcome predictions and tailor therapeutic decisions, including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We assessed the performance of the KB in guiding HSCT decisions in first complete remission (CR1) in 656 AML patients younger than 60 years from the ALFA-0702 trial (NCT00932412). KB predictions of overall survival (OS) were superior to those of European LeukemiaNet (ELN) 2017 risk stratification (C-index, 68.9 vs 63.0). Among patients reaching CR1, HSCT in CR1, as a time-dependent covariate, was detrimental in those with favorable ELN 2017 risk and those with negative NPM1 minimal residual disease (MRD; interaction tests, P = .01 and P = .02, respectively). Using KB simulations of survival at 5 years in a scenario without HSCT in CR1 (KB score), we identified, in a similar time-dependent analysis, a significant interaction...
Blood, 2019
Background : Point mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genes are seen in 20% of adult pat... more Background : Point mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genes are seen in 20% of adult patients (pts) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Prognostic significance of each IDH1/2 mutation (mut) analyzed with co-occurring mutations treated with intensive chemotherapy (IC) remains inconsistent, particularly with the advent of IDH inhibitors. Furthermore, the role of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) in IDH-mutated without favorable-risk features is not known. Patients & Methods: Between 2009 and 2016, 262 pts with IDH1/2 mutated AML (101 IDH1mut, 115 IDH2R140Qmutand 46 IDH2R172mut) were treated with IC in younger ALFA-0702 (NCT00932412, n = 133) and older ALFA-1200 (NCT01966497, n = 129) prospective trials. Median age was 50 [42-54] and 67 y [64-71], respectively (resp). Targeted 37-gene next-generation sequencing (NGS) information was available for all pts. According to ELN 2010 classification, non-favorable CR/CRp pts were eligible for SCT if they had a sibling or match...
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Papers by Raphael Itzykson