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1905 36-Month Follow-up Results of the Gimema ‘Veritas’ Trial of Front-Line Venetoclax and Rituximab (VenR) in Young and Fit Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and an Adverse Biologic Profile

Program: Oral and Poster Abstracts
Session: 642. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Clinical and Epidemiological: Poster I
Hematology Disease Topics & Pathways:
Lymphoid Leukemias, CLL, Combination therapy, Diseases, Therapies, Lymphoid Malignancies, Minimal Residual Disease
Saturday, December 9, 2023, 5:30 PM-7:30 PM

Francesca Romana Mauro1*, Irene Della Starza, PhD1*, Monica Messina, PhD2*, Gianluigi Reda, MD3*, Livio Trentin4, Marta Coscia, MD, PhD5*, Paolo Sportoletti, MD6*, Lorella Orsucci, MD7*, Valentina Arena, MS2*, Gianluca Gaidano, MD, PhD8, Roberto Marasca, MD9, Roberta Murru, MD10*, Luca Laurenti, MD11*, Caterina Stelitano12*, Donato Mannina, MD13*, Fiorella Ilariucci, MD14*, Massimo Massaia15, Gian Matteo Rigolin, MD16*, Lydia Scarfo, MD17, Monia Marchetti, MD18*, Luciano Levato, MD19*, Monica Tani20*, Annalisa Arcari, MD21*, Gerardo Musuraca, MD, PhD22*, Marina Deodato, MD23*, Piero Galieni, MD24*, Valeria Belsito Patrizi, MD25*, Daniela Gottardi, MD26*, Anna Marina Liberati, MD27, Annamaria Giordano, MD28*, Maria Chiara Molinari, MD1*, Sara Pepe, MD, PhD1*, Costanza Andriola, MD1*, Veronica Mattiello, MD3*, Andrea Visentin, MD, PhD29*, Candida Vitale, MD, PhD5*, Francesco Albano, MD28*, Antonino Neri, MD3*, Maria Stefania De Propris, MD, PhD30*, Mauro Nanni, PhD1*, Ilaria Del Giudice31*, Anna Guarini, PhD30*, Paola Fazi, MD2*, Marco Vignetti, MD32*, Alfonso Piciocchi, MS2*, Antonio Cuneo, MD16* and Robin Foà, MD30*

1Hematology, Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
2GIMEMA Foundation, Data Center and Health Outcomes Research Unit, Rome, Italy
3Hematology Department, Foundation IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico of Milan, Milan, Italy
4Hematology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
5Division of Hematology, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino and Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
6Department of Medicine and Surgery, Institute of Hematology, Centro di Ricerca Emato-Oncologica (CREO), University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
7Hematology Division, A.O.U Città della Salute e della Scienza, Ospedale S. Giovanni Battista Molinette, Torino, Italy
8Division of Hematology, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
9Hematology Unit and Chair, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Modena, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
10Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Ospedale Oncologico A. Businco, ARNAS "G. Brotzu", Cagliari, Italy
11Division of Hematology, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico A Gemelli di Roma, Rome, Italy
12Department of Hematology, Azienda Ospedaliera Bianchi Melacrinò Morelli, Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria, Italy
13Division of Hematology, Azienda Ospedaliera Papardo, Messina, Messina, Italy
14Hematology Azienda USL - IRCCS Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
15Division of Hematology, Santa Croce e Carle Hospital, Cuneo, Italy
16Hematology Section, St. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara, Italy
17Strategic Research program on CLL, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele and IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
18Hematology Unit, AO Santi Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy
19Department of Hematology, Pugliese Ciaccio Hospital, Catanzaro, Italy
20Division of Hematology, Santa Maria delle Croci Hospital, Ravenna, Italy
21Division of Hematology, Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital, Piacenza, Italy
22Hematology Unit, Istituto Scientifico Romagnoli per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori-IRST, Meldola, Italy
23Department of Hematology, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy
24UOC Ematologia Ospedale Mazzoni, Ascoli Piceno, Italy
25Hematology Department, Umberto I Hospital, Nocera Inferiore, Italy
26University Division of Hematology and Cellular Therapy, A.O. Ordine Mauriziano, TORINO, ITA
27Università degli Studi di Perugia, Azienda Ospedaliera Santa Maria di Terni, Terni, Italy
28Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
29Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
30Division of Hematology, Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
31Hematology, Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University, Roma, Italy
32GIMEMA Foundation, Rome, Italy

Introduction: Based on the efficacy of the fixed-duration venetoclax and rituximab combination (VenR) in the setting of relapsed/refractory (R/R) patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), we investigated the efficacy and safety of the front-line VenR regimen in young (≤65 years) and fit patients with CLL and an unfavorable biologic profile in the GIMEMA LLC1518 VERITAS trial. Here, we report the 36-month updated results of this phase II, single-arm, multicenter, front-line study for young patients with CLL carrying an unmutated IGHV profile and/or a TP53 disruption.

Methods: Seventy-five CLL patients requiring treatment, according to the International Workshop on CLL (iwCLL) criteria, were enrolled between October 2018 and May 2020. Treatment consisted of the five-week Ven ramp-up, six-monthly courses of the VenR combination, followed by six monthly courses of Ven single agent. Patients received tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) prophylaxis with urate-reducing agents and oral or iv hydration. The primary endpoint of this study was the complete remission (CR) rate assessed at the end of treatment (EOT, month 15) according to the iwCLL criteria. Measurable/minimal residual disease (MRD) was assessed on the peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) by ASO-PCR at baseline, EOT and during the follow-up. MRD was categorized as undetectable (uMRD) with a cut-off of <1 cell in 10,000 leukocytes.

Results: The median age of patients was 54 years (range 38-65); 96% had unmutated IGHV, 9 (12%) had TP53 disruption, and 4% showed mutated IGHV with TP53 disruption. At the EOT, the overall response rate (ORR) was 94.7%, with a CR rate of 76%. On an intention-to-treat basis, 52 (69.3%) patients showed a response with uMRD in the PB and 44 (58.7%) in the BM. At 33 months from the EOT, uMRD was maintained by 50% of patients who had achieved an uMRD in the PB and by 57% of those with a prior uMRD in the BM. The 33-month PB MRD-free survival was 50% (Figure 1). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with a significantly shorter MRD-free survival were the presence of an unmutated IGHV associated with a TP53 disruption (HR: 3.43 [95%CI: 1.13-10.4]; p=0.029), Binet B stage (HR: 0.16 [95%CI: 0.06-0.43]; <0.001) or, Binet C stage (HR: 0.19 [95%CI: 0.07-0.52]; p=0.001), while the clinical response, CR, or PR, did not show a significant impact. Three patients have died due to COVID-19. Despite iv hydratation, the administration of anti-uric acids, fatal TLS occurred in a patient who used self-administered fentanyl patches for analgesis purposes during the ramp-up phase. The 36-month OS was 96%. A further lymphoproliferative disorder was diagnosed in 2 patients (follicular lymphoma, 1; large granular cell leukemia, 1) and a second malignancy in 1 (prostate cancer), while no cases of Richter transformation were recorded. No unexpected adverse events were observed during the follow-up.

Conclusions: The updated data from the VERITAS trial show that in young and fit patients with adverse genetic characteristics the front-line VenR combination was an effective regimen with high rates of deep responses with uMRD. Furthermore, at 33 months from the EOT, uMRD was maintained in the PB and BM in about half of the patients.

Disclosures: Mauro: Abbvie, Janssen, Beigene, Astra Zeneca, Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Reda: Abbvie, Janssen, Beigene, Astra Zeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: At the time of the presented study Dr Reda was employed as MD at the 3Hematology Department, Foundation IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico of Milan. Currently Dr Reda is employed at ASTRA-Zeneca , Speakers Bureau. Sportoletti: Abbvie, Janssen, Beigene, Astra Zeneca, Takeda, Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Gaidano: Abbvie and Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Abbvie, Astra-Zeneca, BeiGene, Incyte, Janssen, Lilly: Other: Advisory board. Marasca: Abbvie, Janssen, Astra Zeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Murru: Abbvie, Janssen, Astra Zeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Rigolin: Janssen, Abbvie, Gilead, Astra-Zeneca, Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Scarfo: AbbVie: Consultancy; BeiGene: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Lilly: Consultancy; Octapharma: Speakers Bureau. Tani: Abbvie, Jansen-Cilag, Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Arcari: Janssen, Abbvie, Takeda, Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Musuraca: Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Pepe: Abbvie, Astra-Zeneca, Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel grant. Visentin: Janssen, Abbvie, Astra-Zeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Vitale: Janssen, Abbvie, Astra-Zeneca, Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Del Giudice: Astra-zeneca, Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Vignetti: ER Congressi: Honoraria; Dephaforum: Honoraria; Uvet: Honoraria; AbbVie: Honoraria; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; IQVIA: Honoraria.

*signifies non-member of ASH