Prestigious Medical Meeting Spotlights Latest Innovations in Hematology

Hematologists and oncologists from around the world presented new research and clinical findings at the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) 64th Annual Meeting and Exposition. This year’s meeting was held in New Orleans from December 10-13, 2022.

Widely considered the world’s leading event in malignant and non-malignant hematology, ASH has sponsored the annual meeting for more than 60 years. The scientific program features presentations and data updates, including diagnostic developments and other advances in hematology.

This year’s scientific program highlights new and late-breaking data, including diagnostic developments by experts in multiple myeloma and other hematologic malignancies at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC). Here are some highlights.

Saturday, Dec. 10, 1:15 p.m. CT

Discussion Session: 653.Myeloma and Plasma Cell Dyscrasias: Prospective Therapeutic Trials: Bispecific Monoclonal Antibodies in Myeloma

Alnuctamab (ALNUC; BMS-986349; CC-93269), a B-Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) x CD3 T-Cell Engager (TCE), in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM): Results from a Phase 1 First-in-Human Clinical Study. Sandy W. Wong, MD, is first author and presenter for this study of long-term follow-up data for IV ALNUC and preliminary data for SC ALNUC in patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) treated in the phase 1 study. Wong is an assistant clinical professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at UCSF. View Abstract 162

Saturday, Dec. 10, 2:45 p.m. CT

Discussion Session: 652. Multiple Myeloma and Plasma Cell Dyscrasias: Clinical and Epidemiological: Relapsed and/or Refractory Myeloma (RRMM)

Clinical Outcomes and Salvage Therapies in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma Following Progression on BCMA-Targeted CAR-T Therapy. Kevin R. Reyes, BS, is first author and presenter for this study. The researchers performed a single-center retrospective analysis of RRMM patients who received any BCMA CAR-T therapy between January 2017 and June 2022, including patients treated in clinical trials and those who received standard-of-care idecabtagene vicleucel or ciltacabtagene autoleucel. Subgroup analysis of those who had PD after BCMA CAR-T was performed to assess overall survival (OS) from time of PD and types of salvage regimens utilized including ORR and treatment duration for subsequent line therapies. Reyes is a UCSF medical student working with Alfred Chung, MD, UCSF assistant professor of hematology and oncology and senior author of the study. View Abstract 250

Saturday, Dec. 10, 4:30 p.m. CT

Discussion Session: 703. Cellular Immunotherapies: Basic and Translational II

Structural Surfaceomics Reveals an AML Specific Conformation of Integrin-B2 as an Immunotherapeutic Target. First author Kamal Mandal, PhD, discusses how the research team explored the hypothesis that tumor surface antigens may harbor cancer-specific protein conformations, invisible to standard target discovery strategies focusing on gene or protein expression alone, that may create selective immunotherapy targets. Their results underscore the potential of “structural surfaceomics” to expand the toolkit of target discovery in cancer, with possible applications in other diseases, while motivating further preclinical evaluation of aITGB2 CAR-Ts in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Mandal is a UCSF postdoctoral scholar working in the Arun Wiita Lab. Arun Wiita, MD, PhD, is senior author of the study and an associate professor of laboratory medicine at UCSF. View Abstract 357

Sunday, Dec. 11, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT

Poster Program Session: 652. Multiple Myeloma and Plasma Cell Dyscrasias: Clinical and Epidemiological.

A Real-World Study on the Feasibility of Minimal Residual Disease Testing by Next-Generation Sequencing in Systemic Light-Chain Amyloidosis. Study first author and presenter isSireesha Asoori, MBBS, MPH. Despite achieving a deep hematologic response after therapy, systemic light-chain amyloidosis (AL) patients may not attain an organ response, possibly due to a persistent plasma cell clone below the detection threshold of traditional serological methods. Previous studies demonstrated the utility of minimal residual disease (MRD) by mass spectrometry and next-generation flow cytometry in AL. MRD by next-generation sequencing (NGS) was studied prospectively in AL, however, there is no data of using NGS in the real-world setting in AL. This study assesses the feasibility of NGS in AL patients in the real-world setting. Asoori is a research data analyst in the UCSF Hematology and Oncology Division. View Abstract 3218

Monday, Dec. 12, 11 a.m. CT

Discussion Session: 652. Multiple Myeloma and Plasma Cell Dyscrasias: Clinical and Epidemiological: Therapeutic Impact in Multiple Myeloma

Isatuximab Plus Carfilzomib and Dexamethasone in Patients with Early Versus Late Relapsed Multiple Myeloma: Ikema Subgroup Analysis. Thomas Martin, MD is the presenter and senior author of this study. Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) frequently relapse requiring successive lines of therapy; those who experience early relapse (within 12 months of therapy initiation) have worse outcomes. He describes the results of a final progression-free survival analysis of the Phase 3 IKEMA study, performed two years after the prespecified interim analysis. This subgroup analysis of IKEMA examined updated efficacy and safety of Isa-Kd vs. Kd in pts with multiple myeloma who experienced early vs. late relapse. Martin is a clinical professor of medicine, associate director of the UCSF Myeloma Program and co-leader of the UCSF Cancer Immunology & Immunotherapy Program. View Abstract 753

Monday, Dec. 12, 5 p.m. CT

Discussion Session: 604. Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Resistance: Myeloid Neoplasms: Immune Signaling and Antibody-Therapeutic Targeting in Myeloid Neoplasms

Multi-Omic Single-Cell Sequencing Reveals Genetic and Immunophenotypic Clonal Selection in Patients with FLT3-Mutated AML Treated with Gilteritinib/Venetoclax. Study first authorVanessa E. Kennedy, MD, discusses using single cell (SC) multi-omic profiling to identify drivers of resistance to the combination of the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib with the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (VenGilt) in relapsed/refractory (R/R) FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Kennedy is a UCSF hematology and medical oncology fellow, working with senior author Catherine Smith, MD, a UCSF assistant professor of hematology and oncology. View Abstract 933

See ASH 2022 for a complete listing of abstracts.