Author Of 1 Presentation
PS05.03 - Disease modifying treatment may delay time to wheelchair in primary progressive multiple sclerosis: a real-life cohort
- M. Fonderico
- E. Portaccio
- P. Iaffaldano
- L. Pastò
- L. Razzolini
- A. Bellinvia
- R. Fratangelo
- L. Tudisco
- G. De Luca
- P. Ragonese
- F. Patti
- V. Brescia Morra
- E. Cocco
- P. Sola
- M. Inglese
- G. Lus
- C. Pozzilli
- D. Maimone
- A. Lugaresi
- P. Gazzola
- G. Comi
- I. Pesci
- D. Spitaleri
- M. Rezzonico
- M. Vianello
- C. Avolio
- F. Logullo
- F. Granella
- M. Salvetti
- M. Zaffaroni
- C. Guaschino
- A. Ghezzi
- G. Lucisano
- M. Filippi
- M. Trojano
- M. Amato
Abstract
Background
Background: Except for ocrelizumab, treatment options in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) are lacking, as randomized clinical trials failed to show efficacy in reducing disability progression in this patient population.
Objectives
Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) on hard disability outcomes (EDSS 6 and 7) in a real-life population of PPMS patients.
Methods
Methods: Using the Italian MS Registry, we selected PPMS patients with at least three EDSS evaluations and three years of follow-up. Study baseline was defined as the first EDSS evaluation for untreated patients and the date of the first DMT initiation for treated patients. The impact of DMT on the risk of reaching EDSS 6 and 7 was assessed as a dichotomous variable (yes versus no) and as a time-dependent covariate through multivariable Cox regression models (adjusted for age at baseline, sex, first EDSS score, symptoms at onset, annualized visit rate, annualized relapse rate). We compared outcomes with an as-treated analysis and used propensity-score matching (PSM) to select cohorts with comparable baseline characteristics. DMT-exposure was also evaluated in terms of quartiles of exposure.
Results
Results: Of the 1214 patients we included 671 females, mean ± Standard Deviation baseline age 48.7 ± 11.1 years, mean EDSS score 4.1 ± 1.8, 790 (65%) received a DMT during the follow-up (57% platform and 43% highly active treatments). In the whole sample, after a mean follow-up of 11.6 ± 6.3 years, 994 (82%) patients reached EDSS 6 and 539 (44%) EDSS 7. In the multivariable Cox regression models, the use of DMT analyzed as a dichotomous variable did not influence the risk of reaching EDSS 6 (aHR=1.1, 95% CI 0.95-1.28, p=0.181) and EDSS 7 (aHR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.77-1.12. p = 0.454). However, longer DMT exposure significantly reduced the risk of reaching EDSS 7 (aHR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.56-0.95, p =0.021). Of note, patients in the upper quartile of DMT exposure compared with those with shorter DMT exposure were younger at baseline (mean age 44.1 ± 10.6 years; p < 0.001) and received the first DMT closer to the disease onset (mean time to first DMT 6.8 years ± 6.1 ; p=0.002). All these findings were confirmed in the PSM analysis.
Conclusions
Conclusion: Our results suggest that longer exposure to DMT may delay time to wheelchair in PPMS patients. Moreover, treating younger patients and reducing the delay to treatment initiation may improve the patients’ long-term disability outcomes. To optimize treatment decision-making in PPMS further profiling of the best candidates to treatment is needed.
Author Of 3 Presentations
P0018 - Variability of the response to immunotherapy among sub-groups of patients with multiple sclerosis (ID 1239)
- I. Diouf
- C. Malpas
- D. Horakova
- E. Kubala Havrdová
- F. Patti
- V. Shaygannejad
- S. Ozakbas
- G. Izquierdo
- S. Eichau
- M. Zakaria
- M. Onofrj
- A. Lugaresi
- R. Alroughani
- A. Prat
- M. Girard
- P. Duquette
- M. Terzi
- C. Boz
- F. Grand'Maison
- S. Hamdy
- P. Sola
- D. Ferraro
- P. Grammond
- R. Turkoglu
- H. Butzkueven
- B. Yamout
- A. Altintas
- V. Van Pesch
- D. Maimone
- J. Lechner-Scott
- R. Bergamaschi
- R. Karabudak
- F. Giuliano
- C. McGuigan
- E. Cartechini
- M. Barnett
- S. Hughes
- M. Sa
- L. Kappos
- C. Ramo-Tello
- E. Cristiano
- S. Hodgkinson
- D. Spitaleri
- A. Soysal
- T. Petersen
- M. Slee
- E. Butler
- F. Granella
- F. Verheul
- P. McCombe
- R. Ampapa
- O. Skibina
- J. Prevost
- L. Sinnige
- J. Sánchez-Menoyo
- S. Vucic
- G. Laureys
- L. Van Hijfte
- D. Khurana
- R. Macdonell
- T. Castillo-Trivino
- O. Gray
- E. Agüera
- I. Kister
- C. Shaw
- N. Deri
- T. Al-Harbi
- Y. Fragoso
- T. Csepany
- A. Sempere
- T. Kalincik
Abstract
Background
Our current understanding of demographic and clinical modifiers of the effectiveness of multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies is limited.
Objectives
To assess whether patients’ response to disease modifying therapies (DMT) in MS varies by disease activity (annualised relapse rate, presence of new MRI lesions), disability, age, MS duration or disease phenotype.
Methods
Using the international MSBase registry, we selected patients with MS followed for ≥1 year, with ≥3 visits, ≥1 visit per year. Marginal structural models (MSMs) were used to compare the hazard ratios (HR) of 6-month confirmed worsening and improvement of disability (EDSS), and the incidence of relapses between treated and untreated periods. MSMs were continuously re-adjusted for patient age, sex, pregnancy, date, time from first symptom, prior relapse history, disability and MRI activity.
Results
Among 23 687 patients with relapsing MS, those on DMT experienced 20% greater chance of disability improvement [HR 1.20 (95% CI 1.0-1.5)], 47% lower risk of disability worsening [HR 0.53 (0.39-0.71)] and 51% reduction in relapses [HR 0.49 (0.43-0.55)]. The effect of DMT on relapses and EDSS worsening was attenuated with longer MS duration and higher prior relapse rate. The effect of DMT on EDSS improvement and relapses was more evident in low EDSS categories. DMT was associated with 51% EDSS improvement in patients without new MRI lesions [HR 1.51 (1.00-2.28)] compared to 4% in those with MRI activity [HR 1.04 (0.88-1.24)]. Among 26329 participants with relapsing or progressive MS, DMT was associated with 25% reduction in EDSS worsening and 42% reduction in relapses in patients with relapsing MS [HR 0.75 (0.65-0.86) and HR 0.58 (CI 0.54-62), respectively], while evidence for such beneficial effects of treatment in patients with progressive MS was not found [HR 1.11 (0.91-1.46) and HR 1.16 (0.91-1.46), respectively].
Conclusions
DMTs are associated with reduction in relapse frequency, progression of disability, and increased chance of recovery from disability. In general, the effectiveness of DMTs was most pronounced in subgroups with shorter MS duration, lower EDSS, lower relapse rate and relapsing MS phenotype.
P0314 - Dimethyl fumarate-induced lymphocyte count drop is related to clinical effectiveness in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (ID 853)
Abstract
Background
Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an effective treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. Besides a partially known mechanism of action involving both neuroprotective and antioxidant effects, it causes a mean lymphocyte count drop of approximately 30%, typically occurring within the first year of treatment. Several studies investigated the relationship between this reduction and DMF effectiveness, with heterogeneous methods, obtaining contradictory results.
Objectives
To investigate if absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) decrease during DMF treatment is associated with drug effectiveness on clinical and MRI disease activity in a real-life cohort of patients treated with DMF for at least 6 months. Secondary aims were to evaluate ALC variations over time and the impact of baseline demographic and clinical factors on DMF-induced lymphopenia.
Methods
Demographic, laboratory, clinical and MRI data were collected in this retrospective, observational multicentre study, conducted on RRMS patients attending nine MS centers of Emilia-Romagna region (Northern Italy). Multivariate Cox models were performed to evaluate the impact of six month-ALC drop on time to NEDA-3 (“no evidence of disease activity”) status loss and Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to display the results. Multivariate logistic regression was carried out to analyse possible predictors of lymphopenia.
Results
476 patients (312 females, age at DMF start 38.4 ± 9.97 years) were analysed during a mean follow-up time of 29 months (range 6-61 months). A greater lymphocyte decrease was associated with a longer NEDA-3 status (HR 0.87, p = 0.01), relapse-free (HR 0.85, p = 0.03) and MRI activity-free survival (HR 0.80, p < 0.0001). A higher risk of NEDA-3 status loss (p=0.008) was observed in tertile with lower ALC drop (< 11.5%), compared with other tertiles (11.5-40.5% and >40.5% ALC drop, respectively). A shorter activity-free survival was also influenced by younger age at DMF start (HR 0.98, p = 0.03). The nadir of mean ALC drop (-33.6%) and 35% of grade III lymphopenia cases occurred after 12 months of treatment. An older age at DMF start (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.06, p = 0.009) and lower ALC at baseline (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.34-2.14, p < 0.0001) predicted higher risk of lymphopenia.
Conclusions
A higher lymphocyte count drop at six months is related to better outcomes in DMF-treated patients. A careful ALC monitoring should be pursued up to 24 months of treatment.
P0862 - Disability accrual in primary-progressive & secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (ID 1232)
- S. Harding-Forrester
- I. Roos
- S. Sharmin
- I. Diouf
- C. Malpas
- A. Nguyen
- N. Moradi
- D. Horáková
- E. Kubala Havrdová
- F. Patti
- G. Izquierdo
- S. Eichau
- A. Prat
- M. Girard
- P. Duquette
- M. Onofrj
- A. Lugaresi
- F. Grand'Maison
- B. Weinstock-Guttman
- M. Amato
- P. Grammond
- O. Gerlach
- S. Ozakbas
- P. Sola
- D. Ferraro
- H. Butzkueven
- J. Lechner-Scott
- C. Boz
- R. Alroughani
- V. Van Pesch
- E. Cartechini
- M. Terzi
- D. Maimone
- C. Ramo-Tello
- D. Spitaleri
- L. Kappos
- B. Yamout
- M. Sá
- M. Slee
- Y. Blanco
- R. Bergamaschi
- E. Butler
- G. Iuliano
- F. Granella
- Y. Sidhom
- R. Gouider
- R. Ampapa
- B. Van Wijmeersch
- R. Karabudak
- J. Prevost
- J. Sánchez-Menoyo
- F. Verheul
- P. McCombe
- T. Castillo-Triviño
- R. Macdonell
- A. Altintas
- G. Laureys
- L. Van Hijfte
- A. Van Der Walt
- S. Vucic
- R. Turkoglu
- M. Barnett
- E. Cristiano
- M. Zakaria
- V. Shaygannejad
- S. Hodgkinson
- A. Soysal
- T. Kalincik
Abstract
Background
Some cohort studies have reported similar onset age and disability accrual in primary and secondary progressive MS (PPMS, SPMS); others have reported later onset and faster disability accrual in SPMS. Comparisons are complicated by differences in baseline disability and exposure to disease-modifying therapies (DMT), and by lack of a standardized definition of SPMS.
Objectives
We compared hazards of disability accrual in PPMS and SPMS patients from the MSBase cohort using multivariable Cox models, applying validated diagnostic criteria for SPMS (Lorscheider et al., Brain 2016).
Methods
Inclusion required adult-onset progressive MS; ≥ 3 recorded Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores; and, for SPMS, initial records with EDSS ≤ 3 to allow objective identification of SPMS conversion. Phenotypes were subgrouped as active (PPMS-A, SPMS-A) if ≥ 1 progressive-phase relapse was recorded, and inactive (PPMS-N, SPMS-N) otherwise. Disability accrual was defined by sustained EDSS increases confirmed over ≥ 6 months. Hazard ratios (HR) for disability accrual were obtained using Andersen-Gill Cox models, adjusted for sex and time-varying age, disability, visit frequency, and proportion of time on DMT or immunosuppressive therapy. Sensitivity analyses were performed using (1) PPMS and SPMS diagnosed since 1995, and (2) physician-diagnosed SPMS. Cumulative probability of reaching EDSS ≥ 7 (wheelchair required) was assessed (Kaplan-Meier).
Results
5461 patients were included (1257 PPMS-N; 1308 PPMS-A; 1731 SPMS-N; 1165 SPMS-A). Age at progression onset was older in SPMS than PPMS (47.2 ± 10.2, vs. 41.5 ± 10.7 [mean ± SD]), and in the inactive subgroups of each phenotype. Hazard of disability accrual was decreased in SPMS relative to PPMS (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.78–0.92); decreased by proportion of time on DMT (HR 0.99 per 10% increment; 0.98–0.99); and higher in males (1.18; 1.12–1.25). Relative to PPMS-N, hazard was decreased in SPMS-A (0.79; 0.71–0.87) but similar for PPMS-A (1.01; 0.93–1.10) and SPMS-N (0.94; 0.85–1.05). Sensitivity analyses corroborated these results. However, patients with SPMS-A reached EDSS ≥ 7 at younger ages (cumulative probability 30% by 57, vs. 64–66 for SPMS-N, PPMS-A, PPMS-N).
Conclusions
Progressive phase onset is later in SPMS than PPMS. Hazard of disability accrual during the progressive phase is lower in SPMS than PPMS. However, patients with SPMS-A reach wheelchair requirement younger than other progressive phenotypes, reflecting earlier progression onset versus SPMS-N, and greater disability at onset versus PPMS