Pharmacodynamic Monitoring of the Efficacy of a Targeted Therapy with Midostaurin By Plasma Inhibitor Activity (PIA) Analysis in FLT3-ITD Positive AML Patients within the AMLSG 16-10 Trial: A Study of the AML Study Group (AMLSG)

Background: Activating mutations in receptor tyrosine kinases like FLT3 (FLT3^mut) lead to an aberrant signal transduction thereby causing an increased proliferation of hematopoietic cells. Internal tandem duplications (FLT3-ITD) or mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain (FLT3-TKD) occur in about 25% of younger adult patients (pts) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with FLT3-ITD being associated with an unfavourable outcome. FLT3^mut present an excellent target for small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). The multi-targeted kinase inhibitor midostaurin (PKC412) is currently under investigation as a FLT3-inhibitor in combination with intensive chemotherapy. Monitoring of the efficacy of such a targeted therapy and correlation of the results with clinical outcome will be of major importance. The plasma inhibitor activity (PIA) assay allows the visualization of the level of dephosphorylation of the target under TKI therapy. Preliminary data suggest a correlation between the grade of dephosphorylation, as a marker for the activity of the TKI, and clinical outcome.

Aims: To individually measure the level of FLT3 dephosphorylation by PIA analysis in a large cohort of FLT3-ITD AML pts treated within our AMLSG16-10 trial (NCT: NCT01477606) which combines midostaurin with intensive chemotherapy, and to correlate the results with clinical outcome.

Methods: Plasma samples from pts (age 18-70 years) with newly diagnosed FLT3-ITD AML were obtained at different time points for PIA analysis. All pts were enrolled on the ongoing AMLSG 16-10 trial applying intensive therapy in combination with midostaurin (50mg twice a day). For consolidation therapy, pts proceeded to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) as first priority; pts not eligible for alloHSCT were intended to receive 3 cycles of age-adapted high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) in combination with midostaurin from day 6 onwards. In all pts one year of maintenance therapy with midostaurin was intended. PIA analyses were performed at defined time points (day 15 of induction, each consolidation cycle, at the end of each treatment cycle, every 3 months during maintenance therapy) as previously described (Levis MJ, et al. Blood 2006; 108:3477-83).

Results: So far, PIA analyses were performed in 63 pts (median age, 51.6 years; range, 20-70 years) during (n=63) and after (n=73) first and second induction cycle, during (n=40) and after (n=53) consolidation therapy with HiDAC as well as during maintenance therapy (n=82). During and after induction therapy median levels of phosphorylated FLT3 (p-FLT3) were 46.6% (4.5-100%, <20% in 7.9%) and 39.4% (0.3-100%, <20% in 20.5%), respectively. Co-medication with azoles had no impact on p-FLT3 levels. In pts with a FLT3-ITD mutant to wildtype ratio above our recently defined cut-off value of 0.5, levels of p-FLT3 <20% were associated with a complete remission (CR)-rate of 100%, whereas in those pts with p-FLT3 levels ≥20%, 4 out of 22 pts (18%) had resistant disease. In contrast, response in pts with a mutant to wildtype ratio below 0.5 was independent of the p-FLT3 level. During and at the end of consolidation cycles as well as during maintenance therapy p-FLT3 levels in pts treated with midostaurin were 52% (14.8-100%, <20% in 5%), 63% (7.6-100%, <20% in 7.4%) and 60.2% (11.5-100%, <20% in 3.7%), respectively. In pts concomitantly treated with azoles levels of p-FLT3 were lower without reaching significance. 39 of 63 pts received alloHSCT in first CR; those pts with p-FLT3 levels <20% after induction therapy had an in trend better survival, whereas no impact of phosphorylation levels was evident in pts receiving chemotherapy alone.

Conclusion: In our study of FLT3-ITD AML pts treated with midostaurin in combination with intensive chemotherapy we could show that the lowest levels of p-FLT3 were reached during and after induction therapy. In pts with a FLT3-ITD mutant to wildtype ratio >0.5, levels of p-FLT3 <20% during and after induction therapy were associated with a high CR-rate. When receiving alloHSCT these pts had an in trend better survival compared to those with p-FLT3 levels >20%. An update of the data will be presented at the meeting.