Compassionate Use of Sorafenib in Relapsed and Refractory Flt3-ITD Positive Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

The Flt3-internal tandem duplication can be found in up to 30% of all acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and confers a poor risk status characterized by an increased relapse rate and poor overall survival. Moreover, Flt3-ITD-positive AML patients relapsing after allogenic stem cell transplantation (SCT) have very limited therapeutic options. Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of metastatic renal cell and hepatocellular carcinoma. Besides targeting Raf, the platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) it has also significant inhibitory activity against the Flt3 receptor tyrosine kinase, and, specifically the mutated variant of Flt3, Flt3-ITD. It has previously been shown that sorafenib monotherapy may have considerable activity in relapsed Flt3-ITD positive AML. Nevertheless, clinical experience is still limited. Here we report compassionate use experience on 18 relapsed or refractory Flt3-ITD positive AML patients treated with sorafenib monotherapy. Methods: A questionnaire was developed and sent to 28 centers in Germany in order to obtain more insight into the clinical efficacy and tolerablilty of sorafenib monotherapy in Flt3-ITD positive AML. Forms were returned from 13 centers, reporting 26 patients. Among them, eight had to be excluded from further analysis. Five of them were Flt3-ITD mutation negative and three received contemporary chemotherapy. Available patient information included age, FAB-classification, karyotype, type and response to prior therapy, sorafenib dosing, tolerability, treatment duration, and response. Results: Of the 18 patients (12 male, 6 female), five were primary refractory to induction chemotherapy and 13 received sorafenib in first (n=11) or second (n=2) relapse. Eight of 18 patients relapsed after SCT and were treated with sorafenib. One patient was treated for steadily increasing Flt3-ITD copy numbers, that is, in molecular relapse after SCT. Patients received between 200mg and 800mg sorafenib p.o. daily. The median treatment duration was 98 days (range, 16-425 days). All patients achieved a hematological response (HR) characterized by complete (n=17) or near complete peripheral blast clearance (n=2). Of the 18 patients the documented best response to sorafenib were: HR in 9 cases, bone marrow response (HR and blast reduction in marrow) in 4 cases, complete remission (normalization of peripheral blood counts and bone marrow blasts < 5%) in one case and complete molecular remission (molecular negativity for Flt3-ITD) in 4 patients. After a median treatment duration of 180 days (range, 82-270 days) 7 of the 18 (39%) patients developed clinical sorafenib resistance: two of eight (25%) of the SCT-group and 5 of 10 (50%) of the non-SCT group. Sorafenib was generally well tolerated. Pancytopenia or thrombocytopenia grade III and IV were the most significant side effects, observed in 13 patients. Other reported side effects such as diarrhea, exanthema were documented from the centers as being minor. Conclusion: Sorafenib monotherapy has significant clinical activity in Flt3-ITD positive relapsed and refractory AML and may be particularly effective in the context of allo-immunotherapy where 3 CMR could be seen.

Enghofer:Bayer Schering Pharma: Employment. Off Label Use: sorafenib, used to treat Flt3-ITD positive AML patients.