Preliminary Results from a Phase II Study of the Combination of Azacitidine and Pembrolizumab in Patients with Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Authors: Chien Kelly S. , Cortes Jorge E. , Borthakur Gautam , DiNardo Courtney D. , Daver Naval G. , Jain Nitin , Naqvi Kiran , Jabbour Elias J. , Sheppard Kimberly B. , Pierce Sherry A. , Kantarjian Hagop M. , Garcia-Manero Guillermo 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Background: The survival of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) after hypomethylating agent (HMA) failure is poor at about 4 to 6 months. The exposure of CD34 positive cells from patients with MDS to HMA has been shown to result in increased expression of PD-1 and PD-L1, with a sequential increase in the expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 particularly in patients that have failed HMA (Yang H, Leukemia 2014). Pembrolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting PD-1, thus blocking its interaction with ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2, that has been FDA-approved for certain solid tumors. Consequently, we designed an ongoing phase II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and clinical activity of the combination of azacitidine and pembrolizumab in patients with higher-risk MDS.
Methods: Adult patients with intermediate-1 or higher disease by the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) were eligible for the study. Patients were divided into two cohorts: those who had not received prior therapy and those who had not responded to, progressed on, or relapsed after HMA therapy, with a goal enrollment of 20 patients per cohort. Patients received azacitidine 75 mg/m2 IV or SQ daily for 7 days on a 28-day cycle and pembrolizumab 200 mg IV starting on cycle 1 day 1 and every 3 weeks thereafter independent of azacitidine dosing schedule. The endpoints were overall response rate and safety. Patients were discontinued from the clinical trial if there was disease progression, unacceptable adverse experiences, intercurrent illness preventing further administration of study treatment, confirmed positive serum pregnancy test, noncompliance, loss to follow-up, completion of 24 months of uninterrupted treatment with pembrolizumab or 35 administrations of the study medication (whichever occurred later), lack of efficacy, or any other reason leading to the investigator's decision for withdrawal. Clinical trial information: NCT03094637.
Results: At data cut-off (July 2018), 18 patients have been treated with azacitidine and pembrolizumab with a median follow-up time of 16 weeks and 9 patients continuing on treatment in cycles 1-6. Twelve patients were enrolled in the HMA failure cohort and 6 patients in the previously untreated MDS cohort. Of the 12 patients evaluable for response, 7 were in the HMA failure cohort and 5 in the previously untreated MDS cohort. In the HMA failure cohort, 1 patient achieved CR, 1 patient demonstrated hematological improvement with mCR or CRi, and 5 patients progressed. In the previously untreated MDS cohort, 1 patient attained CR, 2 patients exhibited hematological improvement, 1 patient showed progression, and 1 patient died due to treatment-unrelated causes. The most frequently observed mutations in the 5 responding patients were TET2 in 3 patients and ASXL1, DNMT3A, and RUNX1 in 2 patients each. Three of the responders had diploid cytogenetics, 1 had del(10), and 1 had complex karyotype.
Treatment was overall well-tolerated. Most common treatment-related adverse events (all grades) were neutropenia (22%); elevated ALT, elevated AST, anemia, and injection site reactions (17%); and constipation, joint pain, anorexia, pneumonitis, and pneumonia (11%).
Conclusions: In this ongoing phase II trial, preliminary data suggest that azacitidine and pembrolizumab was relatively safe and may have antitumor activity in patients who failed HMA.

Disclosures
Cortes: Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Arog: Research Funding. DiNardo:Karyopharm: Honoraria; Medimmune: Honoraria; Agios: Consultancy; Bayer: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria. Daver:Sunesis: Research Funding; ARIAD: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Sunesis: Consultancy; Otsuka: Consultancy; Kiromic: Research Funding; Daiichi-Sankyo: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Incyte: Research Funding; Alexion: Consultancy; Novartis: Research Funding; ImmunoGen: Consultancy; Pfizer: Research Funding. Jain:Adaptive Biotechnologioes: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Cellectis: Research Funding; Servier: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Infinity: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novimmune: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Research Funding; Janssen: 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; Pfizer: Research Funding; Cellectis: Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; ADC Therapeutics: Research Funding; Verastem: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novimmune: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Verastem: Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Verastem: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Infinity: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Research Funding; Verastem: Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive Biotechnologioes: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.