A Multicenter, Italian Trial of Early Iron Chelation Therapy with Low Dose Deferasirox (Exjade®) in Patients with Low/Intermediate-1 Risk MDS at the Beginning of Transfusional Story
Authors: Angelucci Emanuele , Capasso Mario , Della Porta Matteo Giovanni , Forni Gian Luca , Girelli Domenico , Oliva Esther Natalie , Pilo Federica , Clavio Marino , Riva Marta , Pelizzari Annamaria , Niscola Pasquale , Cilloni Daniela , Binotto Gianni , Crisà Elena , Santini Valeria 
Published: November 2019

Background
Most MDS patients require regular packed red blood cells (RBC) transfusions and finally most become transfusion dependent. One of the unavoidable consequences of transfusion therapy is iron overload which has been found to be deleterious for different categories of patients including MDS patients.
So far tissue and organ damage have been directly and strictly connected to the amount of tissue iron deposition (i.e. a "bulky" disease). All the studies performed in the last years have linked survival to markers of iron accumulation (mainly indirect markers) such as serum ferritin (PLoS One 2017;12: e0179016 17).
Recent data support the notion that iron disease is not only a "bulky" disease exclusively secondary to iron accumulation but rather it is a toxic disease in which tissue damage is due to toxic iron forms (Non-Transferrin-Bound-Iron, NTBI, and Labile Plasma Iron, LPI) (Free Radic Biol Med 2014; 72: 23-40). These tissue reactive iron species are present in plasma since early phase of transfusion therapy or even before (Hematology 2017; 22: 9-15. Clin Biochem 2017 Nov;50: 911-7). NTBI and LPI emerge in the serum only once iron binding capacity is saturated in a rate over 60-70% (Haematologica 2016; 101: 38-45). Notably these iron fractions are chelatable and can be removed from circulation by a chelator (Blood. 2003; 102: 2670-7).
The scientific rationale for this study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03920657; CICL670AIT17T) is the notion that iron-induced tissue damage is not only a process of progressive organs bulking through high-volumes iron deposition, but also a reactive iron species related "toxic" damage. Therefore, a timely early initiation of iron chelation may be of benefit before overt iron overload is seen.
Our hypothesis is that early and low dose Deferasirox film coated tablets (DFX-FCT) is well tolerated and is able to prevent iron accumulation, oxidative stress and related tissue damage, by consistently suppressing iron reactive oxygen species (NTBI and LPI).
Study design and Methods. For inclusion, patients must be affected by Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), aged ≥ 18 years, with very low, low and intermediate revised IPSS stage. They must have a limited history of transfusions (5-20 RBC units) and be chelation naïve. Additional inclusion criteria are serum ferritin levels >350 ng/mL and transferrin saturation >60%.
In a recruitment period of 1 years, 60 patients from 10 Italian centers will be included in the study. DFX-FCT will be administered at the fixed dose of 3.5 mg/kg/day for the entire study year.
The primary efficacy objective and end point is to evaluate impact on of iron burden in one-year treatment in early phase of transfusion requirement by low dose DFX-FCT acting as prevention of iron accumulation as demonstrated by hepatic iron concentration determined by liver MRI (end of study versus baseline).
Most relevant secondary objectives and endpoints are 1) Definition of iron overload and oxidative stress in MDS at beginning of transfusion history. 2) demonstrating presence and quantitative changes of toxic serum iron forms and oxidative stress under low dose DFX-FCT therapy by regular NTBI, LPI and serum Malonildialdehyde (MDA) monitoring. 3) Verify if regular suppression of the "free iron forms" prevent tissue iron accumulation by absolute change in hepatic iron concentration end of study versus baseline 4) Evaluate the overall safety of low DFX-FCT dose in patients with lower risk MDS at the beginning of their transfusion history 5) hemopoietic response
Conclusions This prospective multicenter study has been designed to investigate the clinical benefit and safety of early chelation therapy with DFX-FCT in patients with MDS at the beginning of their transfusion history to verify the possibility to continually suppress tissue NTBI, LPI and Oxidative stress thus preventing iron accumulation and tissue damage.

Disclosures
Angelucci: Roche: Other: Local advisory board; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, and CRISPR Therapeutics: Other: Partecipation in DMC; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Local advisory board; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Chair Steering Committee TELESTO protocol; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Partecipation in DMC; BlueBirdBio: Other: Local advisory board. Forni:Novartis, Iron chelation: Research Funding; Roche, Erithropoiesis Stimulation: Research Funding; BlueBirdBio: Consultancy; Celgene, Erithropoiesis Stimulation: Research Funding. Girelli:Vifor Pharma: Other: honoraria for lectures; Silence Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; La Jolla Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy. Oliva:Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Apellis: Consultancy. Pilo:Novartis: Other: Advisory board. Cilloni:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Crisà:Jannsen: Honoraria. Santini:Menarini: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene Corporation: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Johnson & Johnson: Honoraria; Acceleron: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.