Bosutinib As Therapy For Chronic Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Following Resistance Or Intolerance To Imatinib: 48-Month Update
Authors: Brümmendorf Tim H. , Cortes Jorge E. , Khoury H. Jean , Kantarjian Hagop M. , Kim Dong-Wook , Conlan Maureen G. , Leip Eric , Turnbull Kathleen , Gambacorti-Passerini Carlo , Lipton Jeff H. 
Published: October 2019

Bosutinib (BOS) is an oral dual Src/Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). This open-label, phase 1/2 study evaluated BOS in patients (pts) aged ≥18 y with chronic-phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) following imatinib resistance (IM-R) or intolerance (IM-I).

IM-R (n=196) or IM-I (n=90) CP-CML pts received BOS as 2nd-line TKI therapy starting at 500 mg/d. Median (range) age was 53 (18–91) y; time from CML diagnosis was 3.7 (0.1–15.1) y. Treatment duration was 24.8 (0.2-83.4) mo and follow-up duration 47.3 (0.6–90.6) mo. BOS dose was escalated to 600 mg/d in 13% of pts. For the last enrolled pt, time from first BOS dose was ≥48 mo; 40% of pts are still receiving BOS.

Confirmed complete hematologic responses (CHR) and major cytogenetic responses (MCyR, including complete cytogenetic response [CCyR]) newly attained or maintained from baseline are summarized (Table).TableIM-R (n=196)IM-I (n=90)Total (n=286)Evaluable,a n19590285Confirmed CHR, n (%)168 (86)76 (84)244 (86)Probability of maintaining CHR at 4 yb64%79%68%Evaluable,a n18381264MCyR, n (%)107 (58)49 (60)156 (59)CCyR , n (%)88 (48)42 (52)130 (49)Probability of maintaining MCyR at 4 yb69%86%75%Treated, n19690286 PD/death at 4 yc22%10%19% OS at 2 yb88%98%91%I=intolerant; PD=progressive disease; R=resistant.aReceived ≥1 BOS dose and had a valid baseline efficacy assessment for the respective endpoint.bBased on KM estimates.cBased on cumulative incidence adjusting for competing risk of treatment discontinuation without PD or death.

Of 210 pts with known mutation status at baseline, 79 (38%) had ≥1 BCR-ABL kinase domain mutation (n=42 unique), most commonly T315I (n=9), M351T (n=9), F359V (n=8), G250E (n=6), M244V (n=6), and L248V (n=5). Among pts with T315I, CHR and MCyR rates were low (22% each). Of 67 pts evaluated for mutations before and during therapy, 18 had ≥1 new BCR-ABL mutation (T315I, n=8; V299L, n=3; and E255V, E450A, E450G, G250E, K378E, L273M, and M244V, n=1 each); 17 of these 18 pts discontinued due to disease progression (n=12), lack of efficacy (n=4), or death (n=1).

The cumulative incidence of on-treatment progression (transformation to accelerated phase [AP] or blast phase [BP] CML, increasing white blood cell count [doubling over ≥1 mo with second count >20×109/L and confirmed ≥1 wk later], or loss of confirmed CHR or unconfirmed MCyR) or death at 4 y was 22% for IM-R and 10% for IM-I pts; 40% of pts discontinued BOS without an event. Kaplan-Meier (KM)–estimated overall survival (OS) at 2 y was 88% for IM-R and 98% for IM-I pts (4-y OS not reliable; pts were followed for OS for only 2 y after BOS discontinuation). The cumulative incidence of on-treatment transformation to AP/BP CML at 4 y was 4%; 57% of pts discontinued treatment without transformation. No new transformations occurred after 2 y. Overall, 173 (60%) pts discontinued BOS, most common primary reasons were adverse event (AE; n=64 [22%]) and disease progression (n=51 [18%]). Forty (14%) deaths occurred on study, 7 within 30 d of last BOS dose. Most deaths were due to disease progression (n=24 [8%; 22 and 2 in IM-R and IM-I pts, respectively]) or AE unrelated to BOS (n=13 [5%; 11 and 2]). 3 deaths occurring ≥99 d after last BOS dose were due to unknown causes; no deaths were assessed as BOS-related.

The most frequent hematologic treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs; all grades/grade 3/4) were thrombocytopenia (42%/26%) and anemia (27%/11%); the most frequent non-hematologic TEAEs were diarrhea (86%/10%), nausea (46%/1%), vomiting (37%/4%), rash (36%/9%), abdominal pain (26%/2%), fatigue (26%/1%), pyrexia (26%/1%), increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT; 22%/9%), cough (22%/0), and upper abdominal pain (20%/<1%). Cardiac events occurred in 16% of pts (7% grade 3/4). Grade 3/4 on-treatment hematologic and non-hematologic laboratory abnormalities in ≥10% of pts included thrombocytopenia (25%), neutropenia (17%), lymphopenia (15%), anemia (14%), alanine transaminase elevation (11%), and hypermagnesemia (11%). Toxicities were managed by ≥1 BOS dose reduction in 44% of IM-R and 58% of IM-I pts and by ≥1 dose delay in 66% of IM-R and 83% of IM-I pts. AEs led to BOS discontinuation in 32 (16%) IM-R and 35 (39%) IM-I pts; the most common reason was thrombocytopenia (3% of IM-R and 12% of IM-I pts).

In conclusion, BOS demonstrates durable efficacy and manageable toxicity in CP-CML pts following IM-R or IM-I after ≥48 mo of follow-up, highlighting the therapeutic potential of BOS in these pts.

Disclosures:

Brümmendorf: Patent on the use of imatinib and hypusination inhibitors: Patents & Royalties; Ariad: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myer Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer Inc: Consultancy, Honoraria. Cortes:Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Ariad: Consultancy, Research Funding; Teva: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bristol Myer Squibb: Research Funding. Kantarjian:Pfizer Inc: Research Funding. Kim:BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Conlan:Pfizer Inc: Employment. Leip:Pfizer Inc: Employment. Turnbull:Pfizer Inc: Employment. Gambacorti-Passerini:Novartis: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Pfizer Inc: Consultancy, Research Funding. Lipton:Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Ariad: Equity Ownership, Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.