Introduction: In patients (pts) with multiple myeloma (MM), next generation flow cytometry (NGF) and next generation sequencing have shown an increased capacity to identify the presence of disease and to anticipate patient's prognosis as compared to serum protein immunofixation (IFE). However, both methods rely on bone marrow (BM) samples and it is important to explore alternative techniques applicable in more accessible samples such as peripheral blood.

Patients and Methods: Newly diagnosed MM pts enrolled in the PETHEMA/GEM2012MENOS65 trial received six cycles of induction with bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (VRD), intensification with high-dose therapy (melphalan or busulfan and melphalan) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation and consolidation with two more cycles of VRD. At the end of the treatment (post-consolidation), the M-protein (MP) was analyzed in serum by conventional IFE and by EXENT Quantitative Immunoprecipitation Mass Spectrometry using IgG/A/M, κ, λ, free κ and free λ isotypic beads; negative samples by EXENT were re-analyzed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The presence of clonal plasma cells in BM samples was investigated by NGF following the Euroflow guidelines (sensitivity≥10 -5). Samples from the first 164 pts enrolled in the trial were analyzed in this study.

Results: After consolidation, persistent disease was detected in 42 (26%) pts by IFE, in 56 (34%) by EXENT and in 72 (44%) by NGF. Surprisingly, the presence or absence of disease by IFE did not discriminate pts with different progression-free survival (PFS), but both EXENT and NGF segregated two cohorts with a significantly different PFS (p=0.0016 and p<0.0001, respectively; fig1A and 1C). Importantly, we observed that among pts in complete response (IFE negative), EXENT and NGF also distinguished two groups with different PFS (p=0.002 and p=0.0001, respectively.)

Analyzing the results obtained with EXENT and NGF, we found that 76% were concordant (44 EXENT +/NGF +, 80 EXENT -/NGF -) and 24% discordant (28 EXENT -/NGF + and 12 EXENT +/NGF -). When we compared pts´ PFS according the combined results of both methods (fig 1D), we learnt that the 3 comparisons reaching statistical significance were EXENT +/NGF + vs EXENT -/NGF - (p<0.0001), EXENT +/NGF + vs EXENT +/NGF - (p=0.0394) and EXENT -/NGF - vs EXENT -/NGF + (p=0.0363). Considering NGF as a reference, the negative predictive value (NPV) of EXENT was 74% overall (96% in MRD levels ≥10 -4, p<0.0001; 89% in <10 -4 - ≥10 -5 p<0.0001; and 84% in ≥10 -6 cases, p=0.0524).

Samples deemed negative by EXENT were re-analyzed with LC-MS. In 63 of them (58%) the MP was identified using LC-MS and therefore a total of 119 samples (73%) were considered positive with EXENT&LC-MS. We first confirmed that EXENT&LC-MS segregated two cohorts with different PFS (fig 1B, p=0.0193) Then, as earlier, we analyzed the results obtained with EXENT&LC-MS and NGF, finding that 65% were concordant (67 EXENT&LC-MS +/NGF +, 40 EXENT&LC-MS -/NGF -) and 35% discordant (5 EXENT&LC-MS -/NGF + and 52 EXENT&LC +/NGF -). Again, we compared pts´ PFS according the combined results of both methods (fig 1E) learning now that only the comparisons EXENT&LC-MS +/NGF + vs EXENT&LC-MS -/NGF - (p=0.0006) and EXENT&LC-MS +/NGF + vsEXENT&LC-MS +/NGF - (p=0.0006) reached statistical significance. With these results, the NPV of EXENT&LC-MS was 89% overall (100% in MRD levels ≥10 -4 p<0.0001; 100% in <10 -4 - ≥10 -5 p<0.0001; and 89% in ≥10 -6 cases p=0.0914).

Finally, we observed that whereas among pts deemed EXENT +, NGF identified 2 cohorts with different PFS (a NGF -group of 12 pts displaying a longer PFS as compared with those NGF +; median PFS: 4 years vs not reached, p=0.039) among EXENT&LC-MS - cases (n=45) NGF was not able to show any added clinical value.

Conclusions: The use of IFE post-consolidation in pts with MM, as opposed to EXENT and NGF, did not identify pts with different PFS. When referred to NGF, EXENT provided a similar clinical value and displayed a very high NPV, increased further with the addition of LC-MS; this could be utilised to avoid the performance of a BM aspiration after treatment in pts with undetectable disease. Regarding EXENT + and/or LC-MS + cases future quantitative and sequential studies could reveal whether are due to the long half-lives of the MP or represent quiescent low-level disease.

Figure 1
Figure 1.
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Disclosures

Puig: Amgen, Celgene, Janssen, Takeda and The Binding Site: Honoraria; Amgen, Celgene, Janssen, Takeda: Consultancy; Celgene: Speakers Bureau; Celgene, Janssen, Amgen, Takeda: Research Funding. Paiva: Bristol-Myers Squibb-Celgene, Janssen, and Sanofi: Consultancy; Adaptive, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb-Celgene, Janssen, Kite Pharma, Sanofi and Takeda: Honoraria; Celgene, EngMab, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda: Research Funding. Cedena: Janssen, Celgene and Abbvie: Honoraria. Rosinol: Janssen, Celgene, Amgen and Takeda: Honoraria. Martínez-López: Roche, Novartis, Incyte, Astellas, BMS: Research Funding; Janssen, BMS, Novartis, Incyte, Roche, GSK, Pfizer: Consultancy. Oriol: Karyopharm: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Sureda: Bluebird: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Support for attending meetings and/or travel, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Other: Support for attending meetings and/or travel; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Support for attending meetings and/or travel, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Mundipharma: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Moraleda: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Sandoz: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; ROCHE: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; MSD: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Sanofi: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Pfizer: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; NovoNordisk: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Janssen: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Celgene: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding; Amgen: Other: Educational Grants, Research Funding. Bladé Creixenti: Janssen, Celgene, Takeda, Amgen and Oncopeptides: Honoraria. San-Miguel: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Karyopharm, Merck Sharpe & Dohme, Novartis, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, SecuraBio, and Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Mateos: Regeneron: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Honoraria; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sea-Gen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene - Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bluebird bio: Honoraria; GSK: Honoraria; Oncopeptides: Honoraria.

© 2021 by The American Society of Hematology
2021
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