Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibition by Copanlisib in relapsed or refractory indolent lymphoma

Purpose: Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling is critical for the proliferation and survival of malignant B cells. Copanlisib, a pan-class I PI3K inhibitor with predominant activity against PI3K-a and -d isoforms, has demonstrated efficacy and a manageable safety profile in patients with indolent lymphoma. Patients and Methods: In this phase II study, 142 patients with relapsed or refractory indolent lymphoma after two or more lines of therapy were enrolled to receive copanlisib 60 mg intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. The primary end point was objective response rate; secondary end points included duration of response, progression-free survival, and overall survival. In addition, safety and gene expression were evaluated. Results: Median age was 63 years (range, 25 to 82 years), and patients had received a median of three (range, two to nine) prior regimens. The objective response rate was 59% (84 of 142 patients); 12% of patients achieved a complete response. Median time to response was 53 days. Median duration of response was 22.6 months, median progression-free survival was 11.2 months, and median overall survival had not yet been reached. The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events were transient hyperglycemia (all grades, 50%; grade 3 or 4, 41%) and transient hypertension (all grades, 30%; grade 3, 24%). Other grade $3 events included decreased neutrophil count (24%) and lung infection (15%). High response rates to copanlisib were associated with high expression of PI3K/B-cell receptor signaling pathway genes. Conclusion: PI3K-α and -δ inhibition by copanlisib demonstrated significant efficacy and a manageable safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory indolent lymphoma.