SummaryErythrocytes from sickle cell anaemia (SCA) patients continuously produce larger amounts of pro-oxidants than normal cells. Oxidative stress seems to primarily affect the membrane and results in haemolysis. The use of antioxidants in vitro reduces the generation of pro-oxidants. To evaluate the impact of vitamins C (VitC) and E (VitE) supplementation in SCA patients, patients over 18 years were randomly assigned to receive VitC 1400 mg + VitE 800 mg per day or placebo orally for 180 d. Eighty-three patients were enrolled (44 vitamins, 39 placebo), median age 27 (18-68) years, 64% female. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding clinical complications or baseline laboratorial tests. Sixty percent of the patients were VitC deficient, 70% were VitE deficient. Supplementation significantly increased serum VitC and E. However, no significant changes in haemoglobin levels were observed, and, unexpectedly, there was a significant increase in haemolytic markers with vitamin supplementation. In conclusion, VitC + VitE supplementation did not improve anaemia and, surprisingly, increased markers of haemolysis in patients with SCA and S-b 0 -thalassaemia. The exact mechanisms to explain this findings and their clinical significance remain to be determined.

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide yet methods for early detection remain elusive. We describe the discovery and validation of biochemical signatures measured by mass spectrometry, performed upon blood samples from patients and controls that accurately identify (>95%) the presence of clinical breast cancer. Targeted quantitative MS/MS conducted upon 1225 individuals, including patients with breast and other cancers, normal controls as well as individuals with a variety of metabolic disorders provide a biochemical phenotype that accurately identifies the presence of breast cancer and predicts response and survival following the administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The metabolic changes identified are consistent with inborn-like errors of metabolism and define a continuum from normal controls to elevated risk to invasive breast cancer. Similar results were observed in other adenocarcinomas but were not found in squamous cell cancers or hematologic neoplasms. The findings describe a new early detection platform for breast cancer and support a role for pre-existing, inborn-like errors of metabolism in the process of breast carcinogenesis that may also extend to other glandular malignancies.Statement of Significance: Findings provide a powerful tool for early detection and the assessment of prognosis in breast cancer and define a novel concept of breast carcinogenesis that characterizes malignant transformation as the clinical manifestation of underlying metabolic insufficiencies.

Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) is a rare clinical condition with immunoglobulin fixation on the surface of erythrocytes, with or without complement activation. The pathophysiology of AIHA is complex and multifactorial, presenting functional abnormalities of T and B lymphocytes that generate an imbalance between lymphocyte activation, immunotolerance and cytokine production that culminates in autoimmune haemolysis. In AIHA, further laboratory data are needed to predict relapse and refractoriness of therapy, and thus, prevent adverse side-effects and treatment-induced toxicity. The metabolomic profile of AIHA has not yet been described. Our group developed a cross-sectional study with follow-up to assess the metabolomic profile in these patients, as well as to compare the metabolites found depending on the activity and intensity of haemolysis. We analysed the plasma of 26 patients with primary warm AIHA compared to 150 healthy individuals by mass spectrometry. Of the 95 metabolites found in the patients with AIHA, four acylcarnitines, two phosphatidylcholines (PC), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and three sphingomyelins were significantly increased. There was an increase in PC, spermine and spermidine in the AIHA group with haemolytic activity. The PC ae 34:3/PC ae 40:2 ratio, seen only in the 12-month relapse group, was a predictor of relapse with 81% specificity and 100% sensitivity. Increased sphingomyelin, ADMA, PC and polyamines in patients with warm AIHA can interfere in autoantigen and autoimmune recognition mechanisms in a number of ways (deficient action of regulatory T lymphocytes on erythrocyte recognition as self, negative regulation of macrophage nuclear factor kappa beta activity, perpetuation of effector T lymphocyte and antibody production against erythrocyte antigens). The presence of PC ae 34:3/ PC ae 40:2 ratio as a relapse predictor can help in identifying cases that require more frequent follow-up or early second-line therapies.

Introduction: Hematopoiesis is severely reduced in severe aplastic anemia (SAA) probably due to immunological destruction of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Bone marrow transplantation is preferred as first-line therapy in patients younger than 40 years with a matched related sibling donor. For those who are not candidate for transplant, immunosuppressive therapy with horse antithymocyte globulin (hATG) plus cyclosporine (CsA) remains the standard of care. However, hATG was discontinued in most Asian, South American, and European countries with only rabbit ATG (rATG) available. rATG is a more potent immunosuppressant which has associated with a worst hematological response and survival at 6 months in prospective studies. Using rATG in first-line therapy appears to add little to what has been observed with CSA alone. Alemtuzumab (ALZ), a humanized anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody is also active in AA due to its lymphocytotoxic properties. The use of ALZ in monotherapy has shown an overall response rate (ORR) comparable to that of r-ATG (37% and 33%, respectively) when applied as salvage (following hATG failure) in a randomized study. Other experiences which combined ALZ and CsA led to a 58% ORR in SAA patients after a cumulative dose of 103 mg of subcutaneous (SC) ALZ. Here we describe a multicenter retrospective analysis of SC ALZ in association with CsA for patients with AA. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all patients who received outpatient SC ALZ for the treatment of aplastic anemia in 2 centers: Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo-BRAZIL) and Leeds Teaching Hospitals, UK from March 2009 until March 2019. In Sao Paulo, alemtuzumab total dose was 103 mg in an escalating dose of 3-10-30-30-30 mg, except for three elderly patients who received a total dose of 73. In Leeds-UK, total dose varied from 120 mg to 150 mg. The primary outcome was overall response rate (ORR) at six months. Median follow up was 31 months (range 4-110 months). Results: We identified 35 treatments with SC ALZ in 32 AA patients of which 78% had SAA or very severe aplastic anemia. Calcineurin inhibitors were used in association with ALZ in 80% of cases (cyclosporine in 26 cases, tacrolimus in 2 cases). Median age was 44 years (range: 18-79), and nineteen patients (59%) were male. Seventeen patients (53%) were treatment-naïve, and six patients (19%) had one prior line of therapy. Nine patients (28%) were relapsed/refractory, and received ALZ after at least two lines of prior therapy. Seventeen patients (53%) presented a PNH clone at diagnosis. Median time between diagnosis and ALZ treatment was 6 months (range 1-293). No treatment-related serious adverse events were observed. Infectious complications were infrequent: there was only one case of successfully treated CMV reactivation and one case of fatal EBV-related infection. ORR at 6 months was 57% (complete response: 11%, partial response: 46%), with corresponding cumulative incidence of response of 47% at 6 months and 62% at 1 year (figure 1). ORR was 69% in treatment-naïve patients younger than 60 years. Overall survival was 72% at 2 years. Adverse events were of low grade and infectious events were infrequent. Conclusion: Subcutaneous alemtuzumab appears to be a feasible, effective and safe alternative to hATG in patients with AA requiring immunosuppressive treatment, especially in centers with limited access to hATG. Disclosures Hill: Apellis: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Akari: Honoraria; Alexion: Honoraria; Bioverativ: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Regeneron: Honoraria; Ra Pharma: Honoraria. Munir:AbbVie: Honoraria; Alexion: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Morphosys: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sunesis: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Other: TBC; Acerta: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Hillmen:Roche: Research Funding; Acerta: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding; Apellis: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding. Risitano:Achillion: Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Samsung: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Biocryst: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Samsung: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amyndas: Consultancy; Ra Pharma: Research Funding; Alnylam: Research Funding; Achillion: Research Funding; Alexion: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Alnylam: Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Biocryst: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Apellis: 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: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amyndas: Consultancy; Ra Pharma: Research Funding; Apellis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Alexion: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Scheinberg:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer,: Speakers Bureau; Alexion: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Speakers Bureau.

1063 Background: Erythrocytes of sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients continuously produce larger amounts of pro-oxidants than normal cells, and oxidative stress seems to play a significant role in the pathophysiology of this disease. In erythrocytes, oxidative stress primarily affects the membrane and results in hemolysis. The use of antioxidants in vitro reduces the generation of pro-oxidants, which could prevent adhesion and phagocytosis of oxidized erythrocytes. Aims: To evaluate the impact of antioxidant vitamins C (vitC) and E (vitE) supplementation in the hemolytic profile in SCA patients. Patients and methods: Homozygous SCA or S-β-thalassemia patients, over 18 years, were randomly assigned to receive VitC 1,400 mg + VitE 800 mg per day or placebo, administered orally for 180 days. Pregnant women and patients with iron overload out of chelation therapy were excluded. Patients were evaluated clinically and blood samples were collected at days 0 and 180 for complete blood count, automated reticulocyte count, indirect bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), haptoglobin, uric acid, and serum levels of VitC and VitE. Results: Overall, 83 patients were enrolled (44 vitamins, 39 placebo). The median (range) age was 27 (18–68) years, and 53 (64%) were female. There were no significant differences between the two groups as regards clinical complications of SCA or baseline laboratorial tests and serum vitC and vitE. Sixty percent of the patients were VitC deficient (30% with severe deficiency), 70% were VitE deficient (33% with severe deficiency) and 44% were deficient in both vitamins. Vitamin supplementation increased VitC from 27.2 to 62.6 μMol/L (p<0.0001) and VitE from 13.9 to 20.2 μMol/L (p<0.0001). No changes in vitC or vitE were observed in patients receiving placebo. No significant changes in hemoglobin levels, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume were observed in either group. However, patients receiving vitamin supplementation presented a significant increase in the median reticulocyte count (from 152 to 195 ×106/μL, p=0.01), LDH (from 396 to 425 U/L, p=0.018), indirect bilirubin (from 1.45 to 1.73 mg/dL, p<0.0001), and uric acid (from 4.75 to 5.15 mg/dL, p=0.02), and a decrease in the haptoglobin levels (from 3.95 to 3.45 mg/dL, p=0.06). Conclusion: Supplementation with vitamins C and E did not improve anemia and, surprisingly, increased markers of hemolysis in patients with SCA and S-β-thalassemia. The exact mechanisms to explain our findings and their clinical significance remain to be determined. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.