BLAST MRD AML-2: BLockade of PD-1 Added to Standard Therapy to Target Measurable Residual Disease in Acute Myeloid Leukemia 2- A Randomized Phase 2 Study of Anti-PD-1 Pembrolizumab in Combination With Azacitidine and Venetoclax as Frontline Therapy in Unfit Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Clinical Trial

Official title: BLockade of PD-1 Added to Standard Therapy to Target Measurable Residual Disease in Acute Myeloid Leukemia 2 (BLAST MRD AML-2): A Randomized Phase 2 Study of the Venetoclax, Azacitadine, and Pembrolizumab (VAP) Versus Venetoclax and Azacitadine as First Line Therapy in Older Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Who Are Ineligible or Who Refuse Intensive Chemotherapy

Status Active, not recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

This phase II trial studies how well azacitidine and venetoclax with or without pembrolizumab work in treating older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia. Chemotherapy drugs, such as azacitidine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Venetoclax is in a class of medications called B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) inhibitors. It may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking Bcl-2, a protein needed for cancer cell survival. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving azacitidine and venetoclax with pembrolizumab may increase the rate of deeper/better responses and reduce the chance of the leukemia coming back in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia compared to conventional therapy of azacitidine and venetoclax alone.

Clinical Trial Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. Assess the percentage of patients with minimal residual disease (MRD) negative complete remission (CR) (MRD-CR) or complete remission with incomplete count recovery (MRD-CRi) with azacitidine (AZA) + venetoclax (VEN) with pembrolizumab during the first 6 cycles and compare to control arm.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Assess the investigator-assessed rates of CR/CRi/partial remission (PR)/morphological leukemia free state (MLFS) as defined per the modified International Working Group (IWG) 2003 response criteria with AZA + VEN with pembrolizumab, as well as rates of MRD negative MLFS.

II. Rates of complete remission with partial count recovery (CRh) and hematologic improvement (HI) to red blood cells and platelets.

III. Assess time to MRD negativity and duration of MRD negative state, event free survival (EFS), relapse free survival (RFS), calculated as the time from initial treatment to either disease relapse or death, duration of response (DOR, defined as the time from first CR/CRi to the date of the first documented relapse or death, whichever occurs first) and overall survival (OS).

IV. Assess the proportion of patients who develop severe toxicity.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. MRD assessment by duplex sequencing (DS) and comparing DS and multiparameter flow cytometry for MRD detection as an exploratory biomarker.

II. Assessment of immune-checkpoint expression and dynamic change of immune cell subsets in response to the combination of checkpoint-inhibition and backbone combination in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

III. High-throughput sequencing of the T-cell receptor (TCR) Vb CDR3 regions on flow cytometrically sorted t-cell subsets to assess the effect of immunotherapy on the diversity of the t-cell repertoire and assess for correlation to clinical outcomes.

IV. Investigation of protein signatures and ribonucleic acid (RNA) signatures associated with response and efficacy using O-link cytokine panel and RNA-sequencing (seq), respectively.

V. Determination of mutational load by whole exome sequencing to assess for correlation with clinical outcomes, immune infiltrating profile, and T cell repertoire diversity and clonality.

VI. Profiling of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation patterns before and after treatment to assess for correlation to response to treatment.

VII. Correlate gut microbiome at baseline and changes in the microbiome with clinical response, both in standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy/chemotherapy therapy settings.

VIII. MRD assessment using duplex sequencing strategy for circulating cell-free tumor DNA and correlation with long-term outcomes.

IX. Exploring different thresholds of MRD negativity using flow cytometry aside from the 0.1% level that will be used for the primary endpoint purposes (e.g. 0.01%).

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I (AZA + VEN):

INDUCTION THERAPY PHASE: Patients receive azacitidine intravenously (IV) over 10-40 minutes or subcutaneously (SC) on days 1-7 or days 1-5 in week 1 and 1-2 in week 2. Patients also receive venetoclax orally (PO) on days 1-28 of cycle 1 and days 1-21 or 1-28 of subsequent cycles. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 6 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

MAINTENANCE THERAPY PHASE: Patients receive azacitidine IV over 10-40 minutes or SC on days 1-7 or days 1-5 in week 1 and 1-2 in week 2. Patients also receive venetoclax PO on days 1-28 of cycle 1 and days 1-21 or 1-28 of subsequent cycles. Cycles repeat every 28 days for up to 3 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of 24 cycles, patients who respond to treatment or have stable disease (SD) may continue treatment per physician discretion.

Patients also undergo bone marrow biopsy and/or aspiration and collection of blood samples throughout the trial and undergo a skin biopsy at baseline.

ARM II (AZA + VEN + PEMBROLIZUMAB):

INDUCTION THERAPY PHASE: Patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 8 of cycle 1 and every 3 weeks in cycle 2-6, azacitidine IV over 10-40 minutes or SC on days 1-7 or days 1-5 in week 1 and 1-2 in week 2, and venetoclax PO on days 1-28 of cycle 1 and days 1-21 or 1-28 of subsequent cycles. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 6 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

MAINTENANCE THERAPY PHASE: Patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 8 of cycle 1 and every 3 weeks in cycle 2-6, azacitidine IV over 10-40 minutes or SC on days 1-7 or days 1-5 in week 1 and 1-2 in week 2, and venetoclax PO on days 1-28 of cycle 1 and days 1-21 or 1-28 of subsequent cycles. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 24 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of 24 cycles, patients who respond to treatment or have SD may continue treatment with azacitidine and venetoclax per physician discretion.

Patients also undergo bone marrow biopsy and/or aspiration and collection of blood samples throughout the trial and undergo a skin biopsy at baseline.

Patients are followed p every 6 months for up to 3 years. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia Arising From Previous Myelodysplastic Syndrome
• Leukemia
• Leukemia, Myeloid
• Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes
• Neoplasm, Residual
• Secondary Acute Myeloid Leukemia

• NCT number: NCT04284787
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: February 16, 2021
• Completion date: August 1, 2024