Efficacy, safety, and health-related quality of life in transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients receiving bortezomib maintenance therapy: a study of the Korean Multiple Myeloma Working Party (KMMWP-174 study).

Not available.

A comprehensive analysis of the role of stem cell transplantation in mantle cell lymphoma: real-world data from the Korean Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry: Stem cell transplantation outcomes in mantle cell lymphoma.

Purpose: Stem cell transplantation (SCT) has historically played a major role in the long-term remission of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), an incurable hematological malignancy. Using data from the Korean Society of Bone and Marrow Transplantation registry, we retrospectively analyzed the role of autologous (auto) and allogeneic (allo) SCT in long-term MCL survival.

Methods: This study analyzed data from 188 patients (age ≥ 19 years at the time of transplantation) who underwent a transplant for MCL from 2011 to 2020.

Real-World Comparison of Carfilzomib, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone Versus Ixazomib, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: KMM2004 Study.

Background: Lenalidomide-based triplet regimens, specifically carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (KRd) and ixazomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (IRd), are recognized as effective treatments for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Since 2020, South Korea's National Health Insurance Service has covered these combinations, prompting a need for real-world comparisons of their efficacy and safety.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 182 RRMM patients treated with KRd (112) or IRd (70) at 17 South Korean centers from May 2020 to April 2021 was conducted.

Real-world effectiveness of ixazomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone in Asians with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Randomized clinical trials have shown ixazomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (IRd) to be efficacious and safe in Asian patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM); however, real-world data are limited. The APEX study was a multicenter, observational cohort study of IRd conducted at 16 sites across South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. Overall, 104 patients treated with IRd during 2016-2023 were enrolled; data were collected by retrospective chart review and 6-month prospective follow-up.

Understanding gut Microbiome changes in Korean children, adolescents, and young adults with hematologic malignancies.

We investigated whether changes in the gut microbiome composition are associated with infections and immunologic complications during the treatment of Korean children, adolescents, and young adults (AYAs) with hematologic malignancies. We analyzed stool samples from 26 patients and 10 healthy siblings using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. At diagnosis, patients exhibited a lower abundance of Lachnospiraceae and a higher abundance of Enterococcaceae than their healthy siblings.

Treatment patterns and clinical outcomes for multiple myeloma in Korean patients: a database study.

Background: The treatment landscape for multiple myeloma (MM) has significantly progressed in recent decades.

Methods: We analyzed the treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in Korean patients using data from the National Health Insurance Service database. Patients diagnosed with MM between 2010 and 2018 were included.

Validating the Korean Geriatric Assessment Tool in Elderly Multiple Myeloma Patients: A Multicenter Study.

Purpose: This study evaluates the Korean Cancer Study Group Geriatric Score-7 (KG-7) frailty screening tool's effectiveness in elderly multiple myeloma (MM) patients to prevent under and over-treatment.

Materials And Methods: This prospective pilot cohort study included 100 elderly patients aged 70 and older with newly diagnosed MM who had not undergone transplantation from August 2020 to January 2022.

Results: The median age was 77 years, and 73% of patients were classified at International Staging System (ISS) stages 2 or 3.

Real-world outcomes of maintenance therapy post-autologous stem cell transplantation in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Background: In the Republic of Korea, only lenalidomide, bortezomib, ixazomib, and thalidomide monotherapy are available as maintenance therapy post-autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).

Methods: To determine whether maintenance therapy confers a survival benefit in the real world, we compared treatment outcomes according to the use and type of maintenance therapy in patients who underwent ASCT following frontline therapy with the triplet regimen of bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma in 15 nationwide centers.

Results: A total of 512 patients were analyzed (no-maintenance group, n = 359, and maintenance group, n = 153 patients).

Evidence-based Korean guidelines for the clinical management of multiple myeloma: addressing 12 key clinical questions.

Multiple myeloma (MM), a hematological malignancy, is characterized by malignant plasma cell proliferation in the bone marrow. Recent treatment advances have significantly improved patient outcomes associated with MM. In this study, we aimed to develop comprehensive, evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of MM.

Comparative analysis of single versus tandem autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma in Korea: the KMM2102 study.

Tandem autologous stem cell transplantation can improve the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma. However, the precise role of tandem transplantation remains debatable. We evaluated the clinical benefits of tandem transplantation retrospectively.

Outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Omicron era.

Here, we present the outcomes of four patients with COVID-19 who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) at the National Cancer Center in South Korea. Despite concerns about the unfavorable course of COVID-19 in HSCT recipients, none of our patients experienced severe COVID-19. Moreover, extended viral shedding in case 1, lasting over 100 days, was resolved after successful engraftment.

Assessing the Efficacy of Bortezomib and Dexamethasone for Induction and Maintenance Therapy in Relapsed/Refractory Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: A Phase II CISL1701/BIC Study.

Purpose: This multicenter, open-label, phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of bortezomib combined with dexamethasone for the treatment of relapsed/refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in previously treated patients across 14 institutions in South Korea.

Materials And Methods: Between September 2017 and July 2020, 29 patients with histologically confirmed CTCL received treatment, consisting of eight 4-week cycles of induction therapy followed by maintenance therapy, contingent upon response, for up to one year. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving an objective global response.

Real-world outcome of patients with extensively pretreated multiple myeloma who were treated with selinexor and dexamethasone: a Korean multicenter retrospective analysis.

The outcomes of patients with myeloma after exposed to penta-classes are extremely poor. Selinexor is the first approved exportin inhibitor for those patients, but intractable toxicities may limit its use. This retrospective study evaluated the real-world efficacy and safety of selinexor plus dexamethasone (XD) and involved 48 patients with multiple myeloma, who were treated from November 2020 to October 2022.

4-1BB immunotherapy: advances and hurdles.

Since its initial description 35 years ago as an inducible molecule expressed in cytotoxic and helper T cells, 4-1BB has emerged as a crucial receptor in T-cell-mediated immune functions. Numerous studies have demonstrated the involvement of 4-1BB in infection and tumor immunity. However, the clinical development of 4-1BB agonist antibodies has been impeded by the occurrence of strong adverse events, notably hepatotoxicity, even though these antibodies have exhibited tremendous promise in in vivo tumor models.

Cross-Activation of Regulatory T Cells by Self Antigens Limits Self-Reactive and Activated CD8 T Cell Responses.

The interaction between regulatory T (Treg) cells and self-reactive T cells is a crucial mechanism for maintaining immune tolerance. In this study, we investigated the cross-activation of Treg cells by self-antigens and its impact on self-reactive CD8 T cell responses, with a focus on the P53 signaling pathway. We discovered that major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I-restricted self-peptides not only activated CD8 T cells but also induced the delayed proliferation of Treg cells.