Abstract
Background Primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL) is a rare and aggressive variant of multiple myeloma (MM), characterized by the presence of more than 5% circulating plasma cells on a peripheral blood smear. Despite advancements in therapy, including novel agents and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), pPCL remains associated with markedly poorer survival outcomes compared to newly diagnosed MM. Although disease progression is common in pPCL, individual courses vary widely upon relapse and thereafter. We aim to describe the natural history of pPCL, focusing on clinical features and survival outcomes at the time of relapse or disease progression.
Methods Patients with pPCL who were followed at our institution's cancer center between 2006-2024 were included for retrospective analysis. The electronic health record was reviewed to provide detailed information on patient demographics, disease characteristics, treatment regimens, and clinical outcomes. Time to next treatment (TTNT) and overall survival (OS) analysis were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Statistical analyses were performed using the SAS biostatistical software JMP 17.0.1 (SAS Institute Inc).
Results We analyzed a cohort of 106 patients with relapsed pPCL after first-line therapy, all of whom received induction with novel agents. To date, 64 patients (60%) have died. Across the entire cohort, median OS is 39 months (mos) (95% CI: 25-68). 59 patients (56%) were diagnosed after 2015. Baseline FISH cytogenetics were available for 100 patients; 57 (57%) had one or more high-risk cytogenetic abnormality. Nearly all patients (96%) had ≥50% clonal plasma cells on initial bone marrow biopsy. While most patients (n = 61; 58%) were planned to undergo upfront ASCT, 20 (33%) experienced disease progression during induction therapy and required a more intensive salvage regimen (often infusional chemotherapy) prior to ASCT. The median TTNT after first-line therapy (TTNT#1) for the entire cohort was 10.4 mos (95% CI: 8–14).
The median TTNT after second-line therapy (TTNT#2) for the entire cohort was 5.7 mos (95% CI: 4.3–7.1). Clinical details at first relapse, prompting initiation of second-line therapy, were available for 91 patients. Of these, 26 patients (29%) had symptomatic relapses—due to CRAB features or extramedullary disease—while 65 patients (71%) experienced asymptomatic biochemical progression. Symptomatic relapses were followed by significantly shorter TTNT#2 (3.9 vs. 7.0 mos; p = 0.039) and inferior OS from the start of second-line therapy (7.5 vs. 31.2 mos; p <0.0001) compared to asymptomatic relapses.
The median TTNT#2 for patients who relapsed during induction and received salvage ASCT was 6.9 mos (n=20). In contrast, those treated after relapse with non-ASCT regimens (n = 86) fared worse; those receiving novel agent-based combinations, including doublets, triplets, or quadruplets (n=64) had respective median TTNT#2 of 3.3, 6.0, and 3.3 mos. Patients treated with infusional chemotherapy (n = 9) had the poorest outcomes, with a median TTNT#2 of just 1.4 mos.
The median TTNT diminished with each subsequent line of therapy: TTNT#3 (n = 73) was 5.8 mos, TTNT#4 (n = 53) was 4.0 mos, and TTNT#5 (n = 35) was 2.6 mos. Patients with pPCL harboring the t(11;14) cytogenetic abnormality who were treated with venetoclax-based regimens (n = 8) during any line of therapy had a longer corresponding median TTNT of 15.0 mos. Additionally, 23 patients received anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapy as a post-relapse line of therapy. At last follow-up, 15 of these patients (65%) had not relapsed, and after a median 20.7 mos of follow-up, the median TTNT following CAR-T cell therapy had not yet been reached. Patients who received CAR-T after 1-3 prior lines (n=15) had a median TTNT that was not reached; those who had received 4 or more prior lines (n=8) had a median TTNT of 20 mos.
ConclusionsDespite the use of novel agent-based combination regimens and ASCT as first-line therapy, most patients with pPCL eventually experience disease progression. Consistent with MM, symptomatic relapse in pPCL is associated with poorer outcomes compared to asymptomatic biochemical progression. Additionally, the duration of response shortens with each successive line of therapy. Notable exceptions include venetoclax-based regimens in patients with t(11;14), and anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapies: each appear to confer more durable responses than historical treatments in patients with relapsed pPCL.
