Checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) have shown remarkable efficacy in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and are now used routinely. While allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) remains a curative option for HL, there are concerns prior CPIs may exacerbate post-allo-HCT complications, particularly graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and lead to worse outcomes. Given the relative paucity of data, we performed a Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research/European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation study to examine the impact of prior CPIs in allo-HCT. We included 2186 adult patients aged >18 years who received a first allo-HCT using a matched related, unrelated, or haploidentical donor from 2008 to 2023. Twenty-seven percent of patients received prior CPIs. GVHD prophylaxis was posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in 55.8% of patients in the CPI cohort, and 35% in the non-CPI cohort. Median follow-up among survivors was longer for the non-CPI (39 months) than CPI cohort (16.5 months). In multivariate analysis, prior CPI exposure did not affect overall survival (OS) or nonrelapse mortality, but resulted in improved progression-free survival (non-CPI vs CPI hazard ratio [HR], 0.81; 0.67-0.98; P = .03) and lower relapse incidence (HR, 0.58; 0.45-0.76; P < 001). While grade 2 to 4 (HR, 1.26; 1.04-1.53; P = .02) and 3 to 4 (HR, 1.41; 1.04-1.92; P = .03) acute GVHD (aGVHD) were increased, differences in chronic GVHD (cGVHD) were not significant. PTCy-based GVHD prophylaxis resulted in improved OS, lower grade 2 to 4 aGVHD, and cGVHD in patients with prior CPI exposure. In summary, allo-HCT should still be considered a curative option for patients with HL in the era of CPIs.

The pathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM) and its precursor monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is linked to an aging immune system. Chronic activation of B/plasma cells may contribute to the origin of MGUS, which is frequent in the older individuals. However, only 1% of individuals with MGUS annually experience progression to MM. The immune system can specifically recognize MGUS lesions, and preclinical MM models provide evidence for both innate and adaptive immune surveillance. Multiomic studies have identified several systemic alterations at the MGUS stage, suggesting accelerated immune aging prior to evolution into clinical malignancy. MM is further associated with spatial alterations in patterns of tumor growth and in situ regulation of regional immunity. Both tumor and microenvironment-related factors contribute to immune paresis, which facilitates the dissemination of clonal plasma cells, and increases the risk of infections in patients with MM. Immune profiles in blood or marrow exhibit considerable heterogeneity, and have been linked to outcomes following immune therapies, including T-cell redirection. Understanding how underlying systemic immune changes impact in vivo function and durability of natural or synthetic tumor/antigen-specific immunity needs further study. Preserving or restoring immune function may be critical for long-term outcomes both in the context of prevention of clinical MM and of treating active disease. Benchmarking of immune biomarkers followed by its prospective integration into current risk models, together with improved understanding of mechanisms underlying tumor immunity in vivo, are needed to optimize immune approaches and improve outcomes in MM.

TP53-Y220C is a recurrent hot spot mutation in cancers and leukemias. It is observed predominantly in acute myeloid leukemia (AML)/myelodysplastic syndromes among hematological malignancies and is associated with poor outcome. The mutation creates a structural pocket in the p53 protein. PC14586 (rezatapopt) is a small molecule designed to bind to this pocket and thus restore a p53 wild-type (p53-WT) conformation. We demonstrate that PC14586 converts p53-Y220C into a p53-WT conformation and activates p53 transcriptional targets but surprisingly induces limited/no apoptosis in TP53-Y220C AML. Mechanistically, MDM2 induced by PC14586-activated conformational p53-WT and the nuclear exporter exportin 1 (XPO1) reduce the transcriptional activities of p53, which are fully restored by inhibition of MDM2 and/or XPO1. Importantly, p53-WT protein can bind to B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), competing with BCL-2-associated X protein (BAX) in the BH3 binding pocket of BCL-2, and also binds to BCL-xL and myeloid cell leukemia 1 (MCL-1). However, such binding by PC14586-activated conformational p53-WT is not detected. Pharmacological inhibition of the BCL-2/BAX interaction with venetoclax fully compensates for this deficiency, induces massive cell death in AML cells and stem/progenitor cells in vitro, and prolongs survival of TP53-Y220C AML xenografts in vivo. Collectively, we identified transcription-dependent and -independent mechanisms that limit the apoptogenic activities of reactivated conformational p53-WT and suggest approaches to optimize apoptosis induction in TP53-mutant leukemia. A clinical trial of PC14586 in TP53-Y220C AML/myelodysplastic syndromes has recently been initiated. This trial was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT06616636.

The development of multiple myeloma is typically associated with various cytogenetic abnormalities; however, these genetic changes alone do not fully account for the observed heterogeneity in patient prognosis and treatment response. Recent studies leveraging next-generation sequencing and genomic approaches have shown that epigenetic alterations are crucial in myeloma development and therapeutic resistance. These changes contribute to high levels of transcriptomic instability and enable cellular adaptation to targeted therapies and immunotherapies through diverse evolutionary trajectories. In this regard, aberrations of histone modifications and chromatin remodeling affect various cellular processes such as DNA repair, DNA damage response, cellular survival, and apoptosis signaling, which provides a strong rationale for developing epigenetic-targeted therapies for myeloma treatment. In this review, we focus on recent advances and research gaps in understanding the deregulation of histone acetylation, a widespread and versatile process of histone modification occurring at lysine residues at the N-terminus of histone tails, and its intimate interplay with chromatin remodeling complexes in orchestrating dynamic chromatin functional states and transcriptional outputs. We also provide an updated review of epigenetic modulatory drugs targeting histone deacetylases (CREB-binding protein/p300) and bromodomain and extraterminal proteins, along with a discussion of their limitations and future perspectives in myeloma treatment.

Marstacimab targets the tissue factor pathway inhibitor to rebalance hemostasis. Previous phase 1 and 2 trials established marstacimab safety and efficacy in adults with severe hemophilia A (HA) or B (HB). BASIS is an open-label, marstacimab phase 3 trial in males aged 12 to 74 years with severe HA (factor VIII <1%) or moderately severe to severe HB (factor IX ≤2%). Participants without inhibitors received on-demand (OD) or routine prophylaxis (RP) therapy during a 6-month observational phase (OP) before receiving once-weekly subcutaneous 150 mg marstacimab during a 12-month active treatment phase (ATP). Primary end points were annualized bleeding rate (ABR) for treated bleeds vs previous OD or RP during the OP, and safety. Of 128 participants enrolled in the OP, 116 received marstacimab in the ATP. In the OD group (n = 33), mean ABR decreased from 39.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 33.05-48.07) in the OP to 3.20 (95% CI, 2.10-4.88) in the ATP, demonstrating superiority of marstacimab (estimated ABR ratio, 0.080 [95% CI, 0.057-0.113]; P < .0001). In the RP group (n = 83), mean ABR decreased from 7.90 (95% CI, 5.14-10.66) in the OP to 5.09 (95% CI, 3.40-6.78) in the ATP, demonstrating noninferiority and superiority of marstacimab (estimated ABR difference, -2.81 [95% CI, -5.42 to -0.20]; P = .0349). There were no deaths or thromboembolic events. Weekly subcutaneous marstacimab reduced ABR vs OD or RP therapy in the OP in individuals with severe HA or moderately severe to severe HB without inhibitors. Marstacimab was safe and well tolerated with no unanticipated side effects. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03938792.