Publications by authors named "Maria Paola Martelli"

83 Publications

SiCoDEA: A Simple, Fast and Complete App for Analyzing the Effect of Individual Drugs and Their Combinations.

Authors:
Giulio Spinozzi Valentina Tini Alessio Ferrari Ilaria Gionfriddo Roberta Ranieri Francesca Milano Sara Pierangeli Serena Donnini Federica Mezzasoma Serenella Silvestri Brunangelo Falini Maria Paola Martelli

Biomolecules 2022 Jun 28;12(7). Epub 2022 Jun 28.

Department of Medicine and Surgery, Section of Hematology and Clinical Immunology, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy.

The administration of combinations of drugs is a method widely used in the treatment of different pathologies as it can lead to an increase in the therapeutic effect and a reduction in the dose compared to the administration of single drugs. For these reasons, it is of interest to study combinations of drugs and to determine whether a specific combination has a synergistic, antagonistic or additive effect. Various mathematical models have been developed, which use different methods to evaluate the synergy of a combination of drugs. We have developed an open access and easy to use app that allows different models to be explored and the most fitting to be chosen for the specific experimental data: SiCoDEA (Single and Combined Drug Effect Analysis). Despite the existence of other tools for drug combination analysis, SiCoDEA remains the most complete and flexible since it offers options such as outlier removal or the ability to choose between different models for analysis. SiCoDEA is an easy to use tool for analyzing drug combination data and to have a view of the various steps and offer different results based on the model chosen.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biom12070904DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9313187PMC
June 2022

Prevalence and Prognostic Role of IDH Mutations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Results of the GIMEMA AML1516 Protocol.

Authors:
Monica Messina Alfonso Piciocchi Tiziana Ottone Stefania Paolini Cristina Papayannidis Federica Lessi Nicola Stefano Fracchiolla Fabio Forghieri Anna Candoni Andrea Mengarelli Maria Paola Martelli Adriano Venditti Angelo Michele Carella Francesco Albano Valentina Mancini Bernardi Massimo Valentina Arena Valeria Sargentini Mariarita Sciumè Domenico Pastore Elisabetta Todisco Giovanni Roti Sergio Siragusa Marco Ladetto Stefano Pravato Eleonora De Bellis Giorgia Simonetti Giovanni Marconi Claudio Cerchione Paola Fazi

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Jun 18;14(12). Epub 2022 Jun 18.

GIMEMA Foundation, 00182 Roma, Italy.

/ mutations are common in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and represent a therapeutic target. The GIMEMA AML1516 observational protocol was designed to study the prevalence of / mutations and associations with clinico-biological parameters in a cohort of Italian AML patients. We analyzed a cohort of 284 AML consecutive patients at diagnosis, 139 females and 145 males, of a median age of 65 years (range: 19-86). Of these, 38 (14%) harbored and 51 (18%) mutations. mutations were significantly associated with WHO PS >2 ( < 0.001) and non-complex karyotype ( = 0.021) when compared to -WT. Furthermore, patients with mutations were more frequently -mutated ( = 0.007) and had a higher platelet count ( = 0.036). At relapse, /2 mutations were detected in 6 (25%) patients. As per the outcome, 60.5% of -mutated patients achieved complete remission; overall survival and event-free survival at 2 years were 44.5% and 36.1%, respectively: these rates were similar to /-WT. In /-mutated patients, high WBC proved to be an independent prognostic factor for survival. In conclusion, the GIMEMA AML1516 confirms that / mutations are frequently detected at diagnosis and underlines the importance of recognizing /-mutated cases up-front to offer the most appropriate therapeutic strategy, given the availability of IDH1/2 inhibitors.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cancers14123012DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9221405PMC
June 2022

The absent/low expression of CD34 in NPM1-mutated AML is not related to cytoplasmic dislocation of NPM1 mutant protein.

Authors:
Giulia Pianigiani Francesca Rocchio Sara Peruzzi Vibeke Andresen Barbara Bigerna Daniele Sorcini Michela Capurro Bjørn Tore Gjertsen Paolo Sportoletti Mauro Di Ianni Maria Paola Martelli Lorenzo Brunetti Brunangelo Falini

Leukemia 2022 07 14;36(7):1931-1934. Epub 2022 May 14.

Section of Hematology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Center for Hemato-Oncological Research (CREO), University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41375-022-01593-2DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9252915PMC
July 2022

Healthcare resource utilization trends in patients with acute myeloid leukemia ineligible for intensive chemotherapy receiving first-line systemic treatment or best supportive care: A multicenter international study.

Authors:
Tomoki Ito David Sanford Ciprian Tomuleasa Hui-Hua Hsiao Leonardo José Enciso Olivera Anoop Kumar Enjeti Alberto Gimenez Conca Teresa Bernal Del Castillo Larisa Girshova Maria Paola Martelli Birol Guvenc Cat N Bui Alex Delgado Yinghui Duan Belen Garbayo Guijarro Cynthia Llamas Je-Hwan Lee

Eur J Haematol 2022 Jul 13;109(1):58-68. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Objectives: This retrospective chart review examined real-world healthcare resource utilization (HRU) in patients with AML ineligible for intensive therapy who received first-line systemic therapy or best supportive care (BSC).

Methods: Data were collected anonymously on patients with AML who initiated first-line hypomethylating agents (HMA), low-dose cytarabine (LDAC), other systemic therapy, or BSC. HRU endpoints included hospitalizations, outpatient consultations, transfusions, and supportive care.

Results: Of 1762 patients included, 46% received HMA, 11% received LDAC, 17% received other systemic therapy, 26% received BSC; median treatment durations were 118, 35, 33, and 57 days, respectively. Most patients were hospitalized, most commonly for treatment administration, transfusion, or infection (HMA 82%, LDAC 93%, other systemic therapy 83%, BSC 83%). A median number of hospitalizations were 2-6 across systemic groups and two for BSC, with median durations of 8-18 days. Transfusion rates and outpatient consultations were highest for HMA (80% and 79%) versus LDAC (57% and 53%), other systemic therapy (57% and 63%), and BSC (71% and 66%). Antivirals/antibiotics and antifungals were used more frequently than growth factors (72-92%, 34-63%, and 7-27%, respectively).

Conclusion: Patients with AML ineligible for intensive therapy have high HRU; novel therapies are needed to alleviate this burden.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ejh.13769DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9324937PMC
July 2022

Real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with AML unfit for first-line intensive chemotherapy.

Authors:
Toshihiro Miyamoto David Sanford Ciprian Tomuleasa Hui-Hua Hsiao Leonardo José Enciso Olivera Anoop Kumar Enjeti Alberto Gimenez Conca Teresa Bernal Del Castillo Larisa Girshova Maria Paola Martelli Birol Guvenc Alexander Delgado Yinghui Duan Belen Garbayo Guijarro Cynthia Llamas Je-Hwan Lee

Leuk Lymphoma 2022 04 11;63(4):928-938. Epub 2022 Feb 11.

Department of Hematology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) predominantly affects the elderly, and prognosis declines with age. Induction chemotherapy plus consolidation therapy is standard of care for fit patients; options for unfit patients include hypomethylating agents (HMA), low-dose cytarabine (LDAC), targeted therapies, and best supportive care (BSC). This retrospective chart review evaluated clinical outcomes in unfit patients with AML who initiated first-line treatment or BSC 01/01/2015-12/31/2018. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), time-to-treatment failure (TTF), and response rates were assessed. Of 1762 patients, 1310 received systemic therapies: 809 HMA, 199 LDAC, and 302 other therapies; 452 received BSC. Median OS was 9.9, 7.9, 5.4, and 2.5 months for HMA, LDAC, other, and BSC, respectively. Median PFS was 7.5, 5.3, 4.1, and 2.1 months for HMA, LDAC, other, and BSC, respectively; median TTF was 4.9, 2.1, 2.2, and 2.1 months, respectively. Our findings highlight the unmet need for novel therapies for unfit patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2021.2002321DOI Listing
April 2022

INCB84344-201: Ponatinib and steroids in frontline therapy for unfit patients with Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Authors:
Giovanni Martinelli Cristina Papayannidis Alfonso Piciocchi Valentina Robustelli Simona Soverini Carolina Terragna Giovanni Marconi Roberto M Lemoli Fabio Guolo Antonella Fornaro Monia Lunghi Paolo de Fabritiis Anna Candoni Carmine Selleri Federico Simonetti Monica Bocchia Antonella Vitale Luca Frison Alessandra Tedeschi Antonio Cuneo Massimiliano Bonifacio Maria Paola Martelli Stefano D'Ardia Silvia Trappolini Patrizia Tosi Piero Galieni Francesco Fabbiano Maria Chiara Abbenante Muriel Granier Zhaoyin Zhu

Blood Adv 2022 03;6(6):1742-1753

Incyte Corporation, Wilmington, DE.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have improved survival for patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, prognosis for old or unfit patients remains poor. In the INCB84344-201 (formerly GIMEMA LAL 1811) prospective, multicenter, phase 2 trial, we tested the efficacy and safety of ponatinib plus prednisone in newly diagnosed patients with Ph+ ALL ≥60 years, or unfit for intensive chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Forty-four patients received oral ponatinib 45 mg/d for 48 weeks (core phase), with prednisone tapered to 60 mg/m2/d from days-14-29. Prophylactic intrathecal chemotherapy was administered monthly. Median age was 66.5 years (range, 26-85). The primary endpoint (complete hematologic response [CHR] at 24 weeks) was reached in 38/44 patients (86.4%); complete molecular response (CMR) in 18/44 patients (40.9%) at 24 weeks. 61.4% of patients completed the core phase. As of 24 April 2020, median event-free survival was 14.31 months (95% CI 9.30-22.31). Median overall survival and duration of CHR were not reached; median duration of CMR was 11.6 months. Most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were rash (36.4%), asthenia (22.7%), alanine transaminase increase (15.9%), erythema (15.9%), and γ-glutamyltransferase increase (15.9%). Cardiac and vascular TEAEs occurred in 29.5% (grade ≥3, 18.2%) and 27.3% (grade ≥3, 15.9%), respectively. Dose reductions, interruptions, and discontinuations due to TEAEs occurred in 43.2%, 43.2%, and 27.3% of patients, respectively; 5 patients had fatal TEAEs. Ponatinib and prednisone showed efficacy in unfit patients with Ph+ ALL; however, a lower ponatinib dose may be more appropriate in this population. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01641107.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004821DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8941470PMC
March 2022

A Curious Novel Combination of () Gene Mutations Leading to Aberrant Cytoplasmic Dislocation of in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

Authors:
Alessandra Venanzi Roberta Rossi Giovanni Martino Ombretta Annibali Giuseppe Avvisati Maria Grazia Mameli Paolo Sportoletti Enrico Tiacci Brunangelo Falini Maria Paola Martelli

Genes (Basel) 2021 09 16;12(9). Epub 2021 Sep 16.

Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Centro di Ricerche Emato-Oncologiche (CREO), University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy.

mutations occurring in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (about 50 so far identified) cluster almost exclusively in exon 12 and lead to common changes at the mutants C-terminus, i.e., loss of tryptophans 288 and 290 (or 290 alone) and creation of a new nuclear export signal (NES), at the bases of exportin-1(XPO1)-mediated aberrant cytoplasmic . Immunohistochemistry (IHC) detects cytoplasmic and is predictive of the molecular alteration. Besides IHC and molecular sequencing, Western blotting (WB) with anti- mutant specific antibodies is another approach to identify -mutated AML. Here, we show that among 382 AML cases with exon 12 mutations, one was not recognized by WB, and describe the discovery of a novel combination of two mutations involving exon 12. This appeared as a conventional mutation A with the known TCTG nucleotides insertion/duplication accompanied by a second event (i.e., an 8-nucleotide deletion occurring 15 nucleotides downstream of the TCTG insertion), resulting in a new C-terminal protein sequence. Strikingly, the sequence included a functional NES ensuring cytoplasmic relocation of the new mutant supporting the role of cytoplasmic as critical in AML leukemogenesis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/genes12091426DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8468273PMC
September 2021

Novel NPM1 exon 5 mutations and gene fusions leading to aberrant cytoplasmic nucleophosmin in AML.

Authors:
Maria Paola Martelli Roberta Rossi Alessandra Venanzi Manja Meggendorfer Vincenzo Maria Perriello Giovanni Martino Orietta Spinelli Raffaella Ciurnelli Emanuela Varasano Lorenzo Brunetti Stefano Ascani Corinne Quadalti Valeria Cardinali Federica Mezzasoma Ilaria Gionfriddo Francesca Milano Roberta Pacini Alessia Tabarrini Barbara Bigerna Francesco Albano Giorgina Specchia Calogero Vetro Francesco Di Raimondo Ombretta Annibali Giuseppe Avvisati Alessandro Rambaldi Franca Falzetti Enrico Tiacci Paolo Sportoletti Torsten Haferlach

Blood 2021 12;138(25):2696-2701

Munich Leukemia Laboratory, Munich, Germany.

Nucleophosmin (NPM1) mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) affect exon 12, but also sporadically affect exons 9 and 11, causing changes at the protein C-terminal end (tryptophan loss, nuclear export signal [NES] motif creation) that lead to aberrant cytoplasmic NPM1 (NPM1c+), detectable by immunohistochemistry. Combining immunohistochemistry and molecular analyses in 929 patients with AML, we found non-exon 12 NPM1 mutations in 5 (1.3%) of 387 NPM1c+ cases. Besides mutations in exons 9 (n = 1) and 11 (n = 1), novel exon 5 mutations were discovered (n = 3). Another exon 5 mutation was identified in an additional 141 patients with AML selected for wild-type NPM1 exon 12. Three NPM1 rearrangements (NPM1/RPP30, NPM1/SETBP1, NPM1/CCDC28A) were detected and characterized among 13 979 AML samples screened by cytogenetic/fluorescence in situ hybridization and RNA sequencing. Functional studies demonstrated that in AML cases, new NPM1 proteins harbored an efficient extra NES, either newly created or already present in the fusion partner, ensuring its cytoplasmic accumulation. Our findings support NPM1 cytoplasmic relocation as critical for leukemogenesis and reinforce the role of immunohistochemistry in predicting AML-associated NPM1 genetic lesions. This study highlights the need to develop new assays for molecular diagnosis and monitoring of NPM1-mutated AML.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.2021012732DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9037756PMC
December 2021

Actinomycin D Targets NPM1c-Primed Mitochondria to Restore PML-Driven Senescence in AML Therapy.

Authors:
Hsin-Chieh Wu Domitille Rérolle Caroline Berthier Rita Hleihel Takashi Sakamoto Samuel Quentin Shirine Benhenda Claudia Morganti Chengchen Wu Lidio Conte Sylvie Rimsky Marie Sebert Emmanuelle Clappier Sylvie Souquere Stéphanie Gachet Jean Soulier Sylvère Durand Jennifer J Trowbridge Paule Bénit Pierre Rustin Hiba El Hajj Emmanuel Raffoux Lionel Ades Raphael Itzykson Hervé Dombret Pierre Fenaux Olivier Espeli Guido Kroemer Lorenzo Brunetti Tak W Mak

Cancer Discov 2021 12;11(12):3198-3213

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) pathogenesis often involves a mutation in the NPM1 nucleolar chaperone, but the bases for its transforming properties and overall association with favorable therapeutic responses remain incompletely understood. Here we demonstrate that an oncogenic mutant form of NPM1 (NPM1c) impairs mitochondrial function. NPM1c also hampers formation of promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies (NB), which are regulators of mitochondrial fitness and key senescence effectors. Actinomycin D (ActD), an antibiotic with unambiguous clinical efficacy in relapsed/refractory NPM1c-AMLs, targets these primed mitochondria, releasing mitochondrial DNA, activating cyclic GMP-AMP synthase signaling, and boosting reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The latter restore PML NB formation to drive TP53 activation and senescence of NPM1c-AML cells. In several models, dual targeting of mitochondria by venetoclax and ActD synergized to clear AML and prolong survival through targeting of PML. Our studies reveal an unexpected role for mitochondria downstream of NPM1c and implicate a mitochondrial/ROS/PML/TP53 senescence pathway as an effector of ActD-based therapies.

Significance: ActD induces complete remissions in NPM1-mutant AMLs. We found that NPM1c affects mitochondrial biogenesis and PML NBs. ActD targets mitochondria, yielding ROS which enforce PML NB biogenesis and restore senescence. Dual targeting of mitochondria with ActD and venetoclax sharply potentiates their anti-AML activities in vivo. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 2945.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0177DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7612574PMC
December 2021

Dissecting Clonal Hematopoiesis in Tissues of Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients.

Authors:
Alessandra Venanzi Andrea Marra Gianluca Schiavoni Sara G Milner Roberto Limongello Alessia Santi Valentina Pettirossi Simona Ultimo Luisa Tasselli Alessandra Pucciarini Lorenza Falini Sofia Sciabolacci Maria Paola Martelli Paolo Sportoletti Stefano Ascani Brunangelo Falini Enrico Tiacci

Blood Cancer Discov 2021 05 10;2(3):216-225. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Institute of Hematology and Center for Hemato-Oncology Research, University and Hospital of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Clonal hematopoiesis predisposes to hematological malignancies. However, clonal hematopoiesis is understudied in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), a mature B-cell neoplasm exhibiting the most abundant microenvironment. We analyzed clonal hematopoiesis in 40 cHL cases by sequencing microdissected tumor cells and matched normal cells from blood and/or lymph nodes. Five patients had blood and/or tissue clonal hematopoiesis. In three of five patients (all failing first-line therapy), clonal hematopoiesis spread through the tissue microenvironment extensively, and featured mutant , and + * in 33%, 92% and 60% of non-neoplastic cells, respectively. In the latter case, mutant clonal hematopoiesis seeded the neoplastic clone, which was infected by the Epstein-Barr virus and showed almost no other somatic mutations exome-wide. In the former case, -mutant clonal hematopoiesis did not originate the neoplastic clone despite dominating the blood and B-cell lineage (~94% leukocytes; ~96% mature blood B cells), yet led to -mutated acute myeloid leukemia 6 years after therapy for cHL. Our results expand to cHL the spectrum of hematologic malignancies associated with clonal hematopoiesis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/2643-3230.BCD-20-0203DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7611041PMC
May 2021

Fatigue in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia: general population comparison and predictive factors.

Authors:
Laura B Oswald Adriano Venditti David Cella Francesco Cottone Anna Candoni Lorella Melillo Roberto Cairoli Gabriella Storti Prassede Salutari Mario Luppi Francesco Albano Maria Paola Martelli Antonio Cuneo Agostino Tafuri Silvia Maria Trisolini Alessia Tieghi Paola Fazi Marco Vignetti Fabio Efficace

BMJ Support Palliat Care 2021 May 3. Epub 2021 May 3.

Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Objectives: This study compared the burden of fatigue between treatment-naïve patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and the general population and investigated patient factors associated with fatigue severity.

Methods: Pretreatment patient-reported fatigue was assessed with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue questionnaire in a sample of 463 newly diagnosed patients with AML who were enrolled in a clinical trial. Multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the adjusted mean differences in fatigue between patients with AML and adults from the general population (n=847) by AML disease risk categories. A clinically meaningful difference in fatigue was defined as ≥3 points. Univariable and multivariable linear regression models were used to identify sociodemographic, clinical and molecular correlates of worse fatigue in patients with AML.

Results: Patients with AML reported adjusted mean fatigue scores that were 7.5 points worse than the general population (95% CI -8.6 to -6.4, p<0.001). Across AML disease risk categories, adjusted mean differences in fatigue compared with the general population ranged from 6.7 points worse (patients with favourable risk: 95% CI -8.6 to -4.8, p<0.001) to 8.9 points worse (patients with poor risk, 95% CI -10.5 to -7.2, p<0.001). Overall, 91% of patients with AML reported fatigue that was equal to or worse than the general population's median fatigue score. Higher pretreatment fatigue was independently associated with female sex, WHO performance status ≥1 and lower platelet levels.

Conclusions: Patients with newly diagnosed AML reported worse fatigue than the general population, and mean differences exceeded twice the threshold for clinical significance. Our findings may help to identify patients with AML most likely to benefit from supportive care interventions to reduce fatigue.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002312DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8563490PMC
May 2021

IDH1/IDH2 Inhibition in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Authors:
Claudio Cerchione Alessandra Romano Naval Daver Courtney DiNardo Elias Joseph Jabbour Marina Konopleva Farhad Ravandi-Kashani Tapan Kadia Maria Paola Martelli Alessandro Isidori Giovanni Martinelli Hagop Kantarjian

Front Oncol 2021 29;11:639387. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Hematology and Clinical Immunology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Recently, the discovery of biological and clinical properties of mutated isoforms 1 and 2 mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenases (IDH) 1 and 2, affecting approximately 20% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), lead to the development of an individualized treatment strategy. Promoting differentiation and maturation of the malignant clone targeting IDH is an emerging strategy to promote clinical responses in AML. Phase I/II trials have shown evidence of safety, tolerability, and encouraging evidence of efficacy of two small molecule inhibitors targeting IDH2 and IDH1 gene mutations, respectively enasidenib and ivosidenib. In this review, the contribution of IDH1/IDH2 mutations in leukemogenesis and progress of targeted therapeutics in AML will be highlighted.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.639387DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8063727PMC
March 2021

Diagnostic and therapeutic pitfalls in NPM1-mutated AML: notes from the field.

Authors:
Brunangelo Falini Sofia Sciabolacci Lorenza Falini Lorenzo Brunetti Maria Paola Martelli

Leukemia 2021 11 20;35(11):3113-3126. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Institute of Haematology, Centro Ricerche Emato-Oncologiche (CREO), Ospedale S. Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Mutations of Nucleophosmin (NPM1) are the most common genetic abnormalities in adult acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), accounting for about 30% of cases. NPM1-mutated AML has been recognized as distinct entity in the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of lympho-haematopoietic neoplasms. WHO criteria allow recognition of this leukaemia entity and its distinction from AML with myelodysplasia-related changes, AML with BCR-ABL1 rearrangement and AML with RUNX1 mutations. Nevertheless, controversial issues include the percentage of blasts required for the diagnosis of NPM1-mutated AML and whether cases of NPM1-mutated myelodysplasia and chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia do exist. Evaluation of NPM1 and FLT3 status represents a major pillar of the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) genetic-based risk stratification model. Moreover, NPM1 mutations are particularly suitable for assessing measurable residual disease (MRD) since they are frequent, stable at relapse and do not drive clonal haematopoiesis. Ideally, combining monitoring of MRD with the ELN prognostication model can help to guide therapeutic decisions. Here, we provide examples of instructive cases of NPM1-mutated AML, in order to provide criteria for the appropriate diagnosis and therapy of this frequent leukaemia entity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41375-021-01222-4DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8056374PMC
November 2021

Dactinomycin induces complete remission associated with nucleolar stress response in relapsed/refractory NPM1-mutated AML.

Authors:
Ilaria Gionfriddo Lorenzo Brunetti Federica Mezzasoma Francesca Milano Valeria Cardinali Roberta Ranieri Alessandra Venanzi Sara Pierangeli Calogero Vetro Giulio Spinozzi Erica Dorillo Hsin Chieh Wu Caroline Berthier Raffaella Ciurnelli Melanie J Griffin Claire E Jennings Enrico Tiacci Paolo Sportoletti Franca Falzetti Hugues de Thé Gareth J Veal Maria Paola Martelli Brunangelo Falini

Leukemia 2021 09 2;35(9):2552-2562. Epub 2021 Mar 2.

Hematology, Center for Research in Hemato-Oncology (CREO), University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mutated NPM1 accounts for one-third of newly diagnosed AML. Despite recent advances, treatment of relapsed/refractory NPM1-mutated AML remains challenging, with the majority of patients eventually dying due to disease progression. Moreover, the prognosis is particularly poor in elderly and unfit patients, mainly because they cannot receive intensive treatment. Therefore, alternative treatment strategies are needed. Dactinomycin is a low-cost chemotherapeutic agent, which has been anecdotally reported to induce remission in NPM1-mutated patients, although its mechanism of action remains unclear. Here, we describe the results of a single-center phase 2 pilot study investigating the safety and efficacy of single-agent dactinomycin in relapsed/refractory NPM1-mutated adult AML patients, demonstrating that this drug can induce complete responses and is relatively well tolerated. We also provide evidence that the activity of dactinomycin associates with nucleolar stress both in vitro and in vivo in patients. Finally, we show that low-dose dactinomycin generates more efficient stress response in cells expressing NPM1 mutant compared to wild-type cells, suggesting that NPM1-mutated AML may be more sensitive to nucleolar stress. In conclusion, we establish that dactinomycin is a potential therapeutic alternative in relapsed/refractory NPM1-mutated AML that deserves further investigation in larger clinical studies.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41375-021-01192-7DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8410589PMC
September 2021

Haploidentical age-adapted myeloablative transplant and regulatory and effector T cells for acute myeloid leukemia.

Authors:
Antonio Pierini Loredana Ruggeri Alessandra Carotti Franca Falzetti Simonetta Saldi Adelmo Terenzi Claudio Zucchetti Gianluca Ingrosso Tiziana Zei Roberta Iacucci Ostini Sara Piccinelli Samanta Bonato Sara Tricarico Antonella Mancusi Sara Ciardelli Roberto Limongello Mara Merluzzi Mauro Di Ianni Rita Tognellini Olivia Minelli Cristina Mecucci Maria Paola Martelli Brunangelo Falini Massimo Fabrizio Martelli Cynthia Aristei Andrea Velardi

Blood Adv 2021 03;5(5):1199-1208

Division of Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the most effective treatment in eradicating high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we present data from a novel HLA-haploidentical HSCT protocol that addressed the 2 remaining major unmet medical needs: leukemia relapse and chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Fifty AML patients were enrolled in the study. The conditioning regimen included total body irradiation for patients up to age 50 years and total marrow/lymphoid irradiation for patients age 51 to 65 years. Irradiation was followed by thiotepa, fludarabine, and cyclophosphamide. Patients received an infusion of 2 × 106/kg donor regulatory T cells on day -4 followed by 1 × 106/kg donor conventional T cells on day -1 and a mean of 10.7 × 106 ± 3.4 × 106/kgpurified CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells on day 0. No pharmacological GVHD prophylaxis was administered posttransplantation. Patients achieved full donor-type engraftment. Fifteen patients developed grade ≥2 acute GVHD (aGVHD). Twelve of the 15 patients with aGVHD were alive and no longer receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Moderate/severe cGVHD occurred in only 1 patient. Nonrelapse mortality occurred in 10 patients. Only 2 patients relapsed. Consequently, at a median follow-up of 29 months, the probability of moderate/severe cGVHD/relapse-free survival was 75% (95% confidence interval, 71%-78%). A novel HLA-haploidentical HSCT strategy that combines an age-adapted myeloablative conditioning regimen with regulatory and conventional T-cell adoptive immunotherapy resulted in an unprecedented cGVHD/relapse-free survival rate in 50 AML patients with a median age of 53 years. This trial was registered with the Umbria Region Institutional Review Board Public Registry as identification code 02/14 and public registry #2384/14 and at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03977103.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003739DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7948281PMC
March 2021

CD123 Is Consistently Expressed on -Mutated AML Cells.

Authors:
Vincenzo Maria Perriello Ilaria Gionfriddo Roberta Rossi Francesca Milano Federica Mezzasoma Andrea Marra Orietta Spinelli Alessandro Rambaldi Ombretta Annibali Giuseppe Avvisati Francesco Di Raimondo Stefano Ascani Brunangelo Falini Maria Paola Martelli Lorenzo Brunetti

Cancers (Basel) 2021 Jan 28;13(3). Epub 2021 Jan 28.

Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06131 Perugia, Italy.

-mutated (mut) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) comprises about 30% of newly diagnosed AML in adults. Despite notable advances in the treatment of this frequent AML subtype, about 50% of mut AML patients treated with conventional treatment die due to disease progression. CD123 has been identified as potential target for immunotherapy in AML, and several anti-CD123 therapeutic approaches have been developed for AML resistant to conventional therapies. As this antigen has been previously reported to be expressed by mut cells, we performed a deep flow cytometry analysis of CD123 expression in a large cohort of mut and wild-type samples, examining the whole blastic population, as well as CD34CD38 leukemic cells. We demonstrate that CD123 is highly expressed on mut cells, with particularly high expression levels showed by CD34CD38 leukemic cells. Additionally, CD123 expression was further enhanced by mutations, which frequently co-occur with mutations. Our results identify -mutated and particularly double-mutated AML as disease subsets that may benefit from anti-CD123 targeted therapies.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cancers13030496DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7865228PMC
January 2021

ARPIR: automatic RNA-Seq pipelines with interactive report.

Authors:
Giulio Spinozzi Valentina Tini Alessia Adorni Brunangelo Falini Maria Paola Martelli

BMC Bioinformatics 2020 Dec 21;21(Suppl 19):574. Epub 2020 Dec 21.

Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Background: RNA-Seq is an increasing used methodology to study either coding and non-coding RNA expression. There are many software tools available for each phase of the RNA-Seq analysis and each of them uses different algorithms. Furthermore, the analysis consists of several steps regarding alignment (primary-analysis), quantification, differential analysis (secondary-analysis) and any tertiary-analysis and can therefore be time-consuming to deal with each step separately, in addition to requiring a computer knowledge. For this reason, the development of an automated pipeline that allows the entire analysis to be managed through a single initial command and that is easy to use even for those without computer skills can be useful. Faced with the vast availability of RNA-Seq analysis tools, it is first of all necessary to select a limited number of pipelines to include. For this purpose, we compared eight pipelines obtained by combining the most used tools and for each one we evaluated peak of RAM, time, sensitivity and specificity.

Results: The pipeline with shorter times, lower consumption of RAM and higher sensitivity is the one consisting in HISAT2 for alignment, featureCounts for quantification and edgeR for differential analysis. Here, we developed ARPIR, an automated pipeline that recurs by default to the cited pipeline, but it also allows to choose, between different tools, those of the pipelines having the best performances.

Conclusions: ARPIR allows the analysis of RNA-Seq data from groups undergoing different treatment allowing multiple comparisons in a single launch and can be used either for paired-end or single-end analysis. All the required prerequisites can be installed via a configuration script and the analysis can be launched via a graphical interface or by a template script. In addition, ARPIR makes a final tertiary-analysis that includes a Gene Ontology and Pathway analysis. The results can be viewed in an interactive Shiny App and exported in a report (pdf, word or html formats). ARPIR is an efficient and easy-to-use tool for RNA-Seq analysis from quality control to Pathway analysis that allows you to choose between different pipelines.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12859-020-03846-2DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7751108PMC
December 2020

How I diagnose and treat NPM1-mutated AML.

Authors:
Brunangelo Falini Lorenzo Brunetti Maria Paola Martelli

Blood 2021 02;137(5):589-599

Institute of Hematology, Centro Ricerche Emato-Oncologiche, Ospedale S. Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Mutations of the nucleophosmin (NPM1) gene, encoding for a nucleolar multifunctional protein, occur in approximately one-third of adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML). NPM1-mutated AML exhibits unique molecular, pathological, and clinical features, which led to its recognition as distinct entity in the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of myeloid neoplasms. Although WHO criteria for the diagnosis of NPM1-mutated AML are well established, its distinction from other AML entities may be difficult. Moreover, the percentage of blasts required to diagnose NPM1-mutated AML remains controversial. According to the European LeukemiaNet (ELN), determining the mutational status of NPM1 (together with FLT3) is mandatory for accurate relapse-risk assessment. NPM1 mutations are ideal targets for measurable residual disease (MRD) monitoring, since they are AML specific, frequent, very stable at relapse, and do not drive clonal hematopoiesis of undetermined significance. MRD monitoring by quantitative polymerase chain reaction of NPM1-mutant transcripts, possibly combined with ELN genetic-based risk stratification, can guide therapeutic decisions after remission. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry can be very useful in selected situations, such as diagnosis of NPM1-mutated myeloid sarcoma. Herein, we present 4 illustrative cases of NPM1-mutated AML that address important issues surrounding the biology, diagnosis, and therapy of this common form of leukemia.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.2020008211DOI Listing
February 2021

Bcor deficiency perturbs erythro-megakaryopoiesis and cooperates with Dnmt3a loss in acute erythroid leukemia onset in mice.

Authors:
Paolo Sportoletti Daniele Sorcini Anna G Guzman Jaime M Reyes Arianna Stella Andrea Marra Sara Sartori Lorenzo Brunetti Roberta Rossi Beatrice Del Papa Francesco Maria Adamo Giulia Pianigiani Camilla Betti Annarita Scialdone Valerio Guarente Giulio Spinozzi Valentina Tini Maria Paola Martelli Margaret A Goodell Brunangelo Falini

Leukemia 2021 07 6;35(7):1949-1963. Epub 2020 Nov 6.

Centro di Ricerca Emato-Oncologica (CREO), University of Perugia, Perugia, 06132, Italy.

Recurrent loss-of-function mutations of BCL6 co-repressor (BCOR) gene are found in about 4% of AML patients with normal karyotype and are associated with DNMT3a mutations and poor prognosis. Therefore, new anti-leukemia treatments and mouse models are needed for this combinatorial AML genotype. For this purpose, we first generated a Bcor knockout mouse model characterized by impaired erythroid development (macrocytosis and anemia) and enhanced thrombopoiesis, which are both features of myelodysplasia/myeloproliferative neoplasms. We then created and characterized double Bcor/Dnmt3a knockout mice. Interestingly, these animals developed a fully penetrant acute erythroid leukemia (AEL) characterized by leukocytosis secondary to the expansion of blasts expressing c-Kit+ and the erythroid marker Ter119, macrocytic anemia and progressive reduction of the thrombocytosis associated with loss of Bcor alone. Transcriptomic analysis of double knockout bone marrow progenitors revealed that aberrant erythroid skewing was induced by epigenetic changes affecting specific transcriptional factors (GATA1-2) and cell-cycle regulators (Mdm2, Tp53). These findings prompted us to investigate the efficacy of demethylating agents in AEL, with significant impact on progressive leukemic burden and mice overall survival. Information gained from our model expands the knowledge on the biology of AEL and may help designing new rational treatments for patients suffering from this high-risk leukemia.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41375-020-01075-3DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8257496PMC
July 2021

Enasidenib and ivosidenib in AML.

Authors:
Maria Paola Martelli Giovanni Martino Valeria Cardinali Brunangelo Falini Giovanni Martinelli Claudio Cerchione

Minerva Med 2020 Oct 21;111(5):411-426. Epub 2020 Sep 21.

Unit of Hematology, IRCCS Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST), Meldola, Forlì-Cesena, Italy.

The isocitrate dehydrogenases enzymes, IDH1 and IDH2, catalyze the conversion of isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate (αKG) in the cell cytoplasm and mitochondria, respectively, and contribute to generating the dihydronicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) as reductive potential in different cellular processes. Mutations in IDH1 and IDH2 genes are found collectively in about 20-25% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Mutant IDH enzymes have neomorphic activity and convert αKG to the oncometabolite R-2-hydroxyglutarate (R-2-HG) which accumulates at high levels in the cell and hampers the function of αKG-dependent enzymes, including epigenetic regulators, thus leading to altered gene expression and block of differentiation and contributing to leukemia development. Inhibition of the neomorphic mutants induces marked decrease in R-2-HG levels and restores myeloid differentiation. Enasidenib and ivosidenib are potent and selective inhibitors of mutant IDH2 and IDH1, respectively, act as differentiating agents and showed clinical activity in relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML harboring the specific mutation. As single agents, both drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of R/R AML. The relevance of IDH targeting within either single agent approach or, most importantly, combinatorial treatments in AML will be discussed.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.23736/S0026-4806.20.07024-XDOI Listing
October 2020

NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia: from bench to bedside.

Authors:
Brunangelo Falini Lorenzo Brunetti Paolo Sportoletti Maria Paola Martelli

Blood 2020 10;136(15):1707-1721

Institute of Hematology, Centro Ricerche Emato-Oncologiche, Ospedale S. Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

The nucleophosmin (NPM1) gene encodes for a multifunctional protein with prominent nucleolar localization that shuttles between nucleus and cytoplasm. NPM1 mutations represent the most common genetic lesion in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML; about one third of cases), and they act deterministically to cause the aberrant cytoplasmic delocalization of NPM1 mutants. Because of its unique features, NPM1-mutated AML is recognized as a distinct entity in the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of hematopoietic neoplasms. Here, we focus on recently identified functions of wild-type NPM1 in the nucleolus and address new biological and clinical issues related to NPM1-mutated AML. The relevance of the cooperation between NPM1 and other mutations in driving AML with different outcomes is presented. We also discuss the importance of eradicating NPM1-mutated clones to achieve AML cure and the impact of preleukemic clonal hematopoiesis persistence in predisposing to second AML. The contribution of HOX genes' expression to the development of NPM1-mutated AML is also highlighted. Clinically, yet unsolved diagnostic issues in the 2017 WHO classification of myeloid neoplasms and the importance of NPM1 mutations in defining the framework of European LeukemiaNet genetic-based risk stratification are discussed. Finally, we address the value and limits of NPM1-based measurable residual disease assessment for treatment guidance and present the results of promising preclinical studies with XPO1 and menin-MLL inhibitors.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.2019004226DOI Listing
October 2020

Decreased NOTCH1 Activation Correlates with Response to Ibrutinib in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Authors:
Beatrice Del Papa Stefano Baldoni Erica Dorillo Filomena De Falco Chiara Rompietti Debora Cecchini Maria Grazia Cantelmi Daniele Sorcini Manuel Nogarotto Francesco Maria Adamo Federica Mezzasoma Estevão Carlos Silva Barcelos Elisa Albi Roberta Iacucci Ostini Ambra Di Tommaso Andrea Marra Guido Montanaro Maria Paola Martelli Franca Falzetti Mauro Di Ianni Emanuela Rosati Paolo Sportoletti

Clin Cancer Res 2019 12 2;25(24):7540-7553. Epub 2019 Oct 2.

Institute of Hematology-Centro di Ricerca Emato-Oncologica (CREO), University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Purpose: Ibrutinib, a Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi), has improved the outcomes of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but primary resistance or relapse are issues of increasing significance. While the predominant mechanism of action of BTKi is the B-cell receptor (BCR) blockade, many off-target effects are unknown. We investigated potential interactions between BCR pathway and NOTCH1 activity in ibrutinib-treated CLL to identify new mechanisms of therapy resistance and markers to monitor disease response.

Experimental Design: NOTCH activations was evaluated either and in CLL samples after ibrutinib treatment by Western blotting. Confocal proximity ligation assay (PLA) experiments and analyses of down-targets of NOTCH1 by qRT-PCR were used to investigate the cross-talk between BTK and NOTCH1.

Results: ibrutinib treatment of CLL significantly reduced activated NOTCH1/2 and induced dephosphorylation of eIF4E, a NOTCH target in CLL. BCR stimulation increased the expression of activated NOTCH1 that accumulated in the nucleus leading to HES1, DTX1, and c-MYC transcription. Results of PLA experiments revealed the presence of NOTCH1-ICD/BTK complexes, whose number was reduced after ibrutinib treatment. In ibrutinib-treated CLL patients, leukemic cells showed NOTCH1 activity downregulation that deepened over time. The NOTCH1 signaling was restored at relapse and remained activated in ibrutinib-resistant CLL cells.

Conclusions: We demonstrated a strong clinical activity of ibrutinib in a real-life context. The ibrutinib clinical efficacy was associated with NOTCH1 activity downregulation that deepened over time. Our data point to NOTCH1 as a new molecular partner in BCR signaling with potential to further improve CLL-targeted treatments.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-1009DOI Listing
December 2019

Germline NPM1 mutations lead to altered rRNA 2'-O-methylation and cause dyskeratosis congenita.

Authors:
Daphna Nachmani Anne H Bothmer Silvia Grisendi Aldo Mele Dietmar Bothmer Jonathan D Lee Emanuele Monteleone Ke Cheng Yang Zhang Assaf C Bester Alison Guzzetti Caitlin A Mitchell Lourdes M Mendez Olga Pozdnyakova Paolo Sportoletti Maria-Paola Martelli Tom J Vulliamy Modi Safra Schraga Schwartz Lucio Luzzatto Olivier Bluteau Jean Soulier Robert B Darnell Brunangelo Falini Inderjeet Dokal Keisuke Ito John G Clohessy Pier Paolo Pandolfi

Nat Genet 2019 10 30;51(10):1518-1529. Epub 2019 Sep 30.

Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Department of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

RNA modifications are emerging as key determinants of gene expression. However, compelling genetic demonstrations of their relevance to human disease are lacking. Here, we link ribosomal RNA 2'-O-methylation (2'-O-Me) to the etiology of dyskeratosis congenita. We identify nucleophosmin (NPM1) as an essential regulator of 2'-O-Me on rRNA by directly binding C/D box small nucleolar RNAs, thereby modulating translation. We demonstrate the importance of 2'-O-Me-regulated translation for cellular growth, differentiation and hematopoietic stem cell maintenance, and show that Npm1 inactivation in adult hematopoietic stem cells results in bone marrow failure. We identify NPM1 germline mutations in patients with dyskeratosis congenita presenting with bone marrow failure and demonstrate that they are deficient in small nucleolar RNA binding. Mice harboring a dyskeratosis congenita germline Npm1 mutation recapitulate both hematological and nonhematological features of dyskeratosis congenita. Thus, our findings indicate that impaired 2'-O-Me can be etiological to human disease.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41588-019-0502-zDOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6858547PMC
October 2019

Fibrin-associated large B-cell lymphoma: first case report within a cerebral artery aneurysm and literature review.

Authors:
Magda Zanelli Maurizio Zizzo Marco Montanaro Vito Gomes Giovanni Martino Loredana De Marco Giulio Fraternali Orcioni Maria Paola Martelli Stefano Ascani

BMC Cancer 2019 Sep 13;19(1):916. Epub 2019 Sep 13.

Pathology Unit, Ospedale di Terni, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Background: Fibrin-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (FA-DLBCL) is a rare Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positive lymphoproliferative disorder included in the current World Health Organization (WHO) classification. It arises within fibrinous material in the context of hematomas, pseudocysts, cardiac myxoma or in relation with prosthetic devices. In these clinical settings the diagnosis requires an high index of suspicion, because it does not form a mass itself, being composed of small foci of neoplastic cells. Despite overlapping features with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma associated with chronic inflammation, it deserves a separate classification, being not mass-forming and often following an indolent course.

Case Presentation: A 64-year-old immunocompetent woman required medical care for cerebral hemorrhage. Computed Tomography (CT) angiography identified an aneurysm in the left middle cerebral artery. A FA-DLBCL was incidentally identified within thrombotic material in the context of the arterial aneurysm. After surgical removal, it followed a benign course with no further treatment.

Conclusions: The current case represents the first report of FA-DLBCL identified in a cerebral artery aneurysm, expanding the clinicopathologic spectrum of this rare entity. A complete literature review is additionally made.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12885-019-6123-1DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6743119PMC
September 2019

GIMEMA AML1310 trial of risk-adapted, MRD-directed therapy for young adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia.

Authors:
Adriano Venditti Alfonso Piciocchi Anna Candoni Lorella Melillo Valeria Calafiore Roberto Cairoli Paolo de Fabritiis Gabriella Storti Prassede Salutari Francesco Lanza Giovanni Martinelli Mario Luppi Patrizio Mazza Maria Paola Martelli Antonio Cuneo Francesco Albano Francesco Fabbiano Agostino Tafuri Anna Chierichini Alessia Tieghi Nicola Stefano Fracchiolla Debora Capelli Robin Foà Caterina Alati Edoardo La Sala Paola Fazi Marco Vignetti Luca Maurillo Francesco Buccisano Maria Ilaria Del Principe

Blood 2019 09 8;134(12):935-945. Epub 2019 Aug 8.

Hematology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.

We designed a trial in which postremission therapy of young patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was decided combining cytogenetics/genetics and postconsolidation levels of minimal residual disease (MRD). After induction and consolidation, favorable-risk patients (FR) were to receive autologous stem cell transplant (AuSCT) and poor-risk patients (PR) allogeneic stem cell transplant (AlloSCT). Intermediate-risk patients (IR) were to receive AuSCT or AlloSCT depending on the postconsolidation levels of MRD. Three hundred sixty-one of 500 patients (72%) achieved a complete remission, 342/361 completed the consolidation phase and were treatment allocated: 165 (48%) to AlloSCT (122 PR, 43 IR MRD-positive) plus 23 rescued after salvage therapy, for a total of 188 candidates; 150 (44%) to AuSCT (115 FR, 35 IR MRD-negative) plus 27 IR patients (8%) with no leukemia-associated phenotype, for a total of 177 candidates. Overall, 110/177 (62%) and 130/188 (71%) AuSCT or AlloSCT candidates received it, respectively. Two-year overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of the whole series was 56% and 54%, respectively. Two-year OS and DFS were 74% and 61% in the FR category, 42% and 45% in the PR category, 79% and 61% in the IR MRD-negative category, and 70% and 67% in the IR MRD-positive category. In conclusion, AuSCT may still have a role in FR and IR MRD-negative categories. In the IR MRD-positive category, AlloSCT prolongs OS and DFS to equal those of the FR category. Using all the available sources of stem cells, AlloSCT was delivered to 71% of the candidates.This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01452646 and EudraCT as #2010-023809-36.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.2018886960DOI Listing
September 2019

Flower cells of tropical descent: a challenging case of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

Authors:
Giovanni Martino Magda Zanelli Andrea Marra Martina Quintini Maurizio Zizzo Stefano Ascani Maria Paola Martelli Brunangelo Falini

Tumori 2019 Dec 1;105(6):NP38-NP42. Epub 2019 May 1.

Hematology and Clinical Immunology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

Background: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive disease associated with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infection, with a very high prevalence in tropical areas but exceptionally rare in Europe and Western countries.

Case Presentation: We describe a challenging case of ATLL in a young male patient with Brazilian origin and adopted as a child by an Italian family, presenting to our clinic with atypical T-lymphocytosis and life-threatening lung infections.

Conclusions: Diagnosis of ATLL outside of endemic areas can be difficult, requiring a high index of clinical suspicion with careful evaluation of the patient's clinical history. Prognosis is affected by disease stage at presentation and degree of immunosuppression. Few effective treatments are available, although new molecular insights have highlighted the role of host immune response and immune checkpoint blockade inhibitors, given the overexpression of PD-L1 on lymphoma cells and on microenvironment cells.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0300891619847756DOI Listing
December 2019

Getting away with phase transition: NPM1-mutated bone myeloid sarcoma mimicking Ewing sarcoma.

Authors:
Andrea Marra Giovanni Martino Stefano Ascani Maria Paola Martelli Brunangelo Falini

Ann Hematol 2019 Aug 16;98(8):2017-2018. Epub 2019 Mar 16.

Institute of Haematology and Centre of Haemato-Oncology Research (CREO), University and Hospital of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00277-019-03664-4DOI Listing
August 2019

Characterization and dynamics of specific T cells against nucleophosmin-1 (NPM1)-mutated peptides in patients with NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia.

Authors:
Fabio Forghieri Giovanni Riva Ivana Lagreca Patrizia Barozzi Daniela Vallerini Monica Morselli Ambra Paolini Paola Bresciani Elisabetta Colaci Monica Maccaferri Andrea Gilioli Vincenzo Nasillo Andrea Messerotti Valeria Pioli Laura Arletti Davide Giusti Francesca Bettelli Melania Celli Francesca Donatelli Giorgia Corradini Sabrina Basso Antonella Gurrado Monica Cellini Tommaso Trenti Roberto Marasca Franco Narni Maria Paola Martelli Brunangelo Falini Leonardo Potenza Mario Luppi

Oncotarget 2019 Jan 25;10(8):869-882. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Section of Hematology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy.

Nucleophosmin(NPM1)-mutated protein, a leukemia-specific antigen, represents an ideal target for AML immunotherapy. We investigated the dynamics of NPM1-mutated-specific T cells on PB and BM samples, collected from 31 adult -mutated AML patients throughout the disease course, and stimulated with mixtures of 18 short and long peptides (9-18mers), deriving from the complete C-terminal of the NPM1-mutated protein. Two 9-mer peptides, namely LAVEEVSLR and AVEEVSLRK (13.9-14.9), were identified as the most immunogenic epitopes. IFNγ-producing NPM1-mutated-specific T cells were observed by ELISPOT assay after stimulation with peptides 13.9-14.9 in 43/85 (50.6%) PB and 34/80 (42.5%) BM samples. An inverse correlation between MRD kinetics and anti-leukemic specific T cells was observed. Cytokine Secretion Assays allowed to predominantly and respectively identify Effector Memory and Central Memory T cells among IFNγ-producing and IL2-producing T cells. Moreover, NPM1-mutated-specific CTLs against primary leukemic blasts or PHA-blasts pulsed with different peptide pools could be expanded from -mutated AML patients or primed in healthy donors. We describe the spontaneous appearance and persistence of -mutated-specific T cells, which may contribute to the maintenance of long-lasting remissions. Future studies are warranted to investigate the potential role of both autologous and allogeneic adoptive immunotherapy in -mutated AML patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.26617DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6368236PMC
January 2019

GATA1 epigenetic deregulation contributes to the development of AML with NPM1 and FLT3-ITD cooperating mutations.

Authors:
Paolo Sportoletti Letizia Celani Emanuela Varasano Roberta Rossi Daniele Sorcini Chiara Rompietti Francesca Strozzini Beatrice Del Papa Valerio Guarente Giulio Spinozzi Debora Cecchini Oxana Bereshchenko Torsten Haferlach Maria Paola Martelli Franca Falzetti Brunangelo Falini

Leukemia 2019 07 12;33(7):1827-1832. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Centro di Ricerca Emato-Oncologica (CREO), University of Perugia, Perugia, 06132, Italy.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41375-019-0399-7DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6756200PMC
July 2019

IDH1-R132 changes vary according to NPM1 and other mutations status in AML.

Authors:
Brunangelo Falini Orietta Spinelli Manja Meggendorfer Maria Paola Martelli Barbara Bigerna Stefano Ascani Harald Stein Alessandro Rambaldi Torsten Haferlach

Leukemia 2019 04 8;33(4):1043-1047. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

The Munich Leukemia Laboratory, Munich, Germany.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41375-018-0299-2DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6484707PMC
April 2019
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