Anti-thymocyte globulin in multi-refractory immune-mediated cytopenia is an effective treatment, with response rate as high as 65%. Younger patients, presenting with thrombocytopenia or neutropenia, and those with LGL and STAT3 mutations appear to be more likely responsive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrentuximab-vedotin (BV)-induced neurotoxicity (BVIN), a frequent adverse event caused by this monoclonal antibody, is the primary reason for dose modification or drug discontinuation, and is characterized by sensory, motor, and/or autonomic peripheral nerve dysfunctions. Although reversible, BVIN can persist for months or years after treatment and negatively affect quality of life (QoL). Currently, BVIN is managed by dose adjustment or drug interruption, leading to an increased risk of disease relapse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
August 2024
(alias: mixed-lineage leukemia []) gene mapping on chromosome 11q23 encodes the lysine-specific histone N-methyltransferase 2A and promotes transcription by inducing an open chromatin conformation. Numerous genomic breakpoints within the gene have been reported in young children and adults with hematologic disorders and are present in up to 10% of acute leukemias. These rearrangements describe distinct features and worse prognosis depending on the fusion partner, characterized by chemotherapy resistance and high rates of relapse, with a progression-free survival of 30-40% and overall survival below 25%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPost-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCY) is widely used as graft versus host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients, with reported clinical benefits in patients who underwent transplant from a matched unrelated donor (MUD). However, real-life data on clinical efficacy and safety of PTCY in haploidentical and MUD transplantations are still poor. In our real-life retrospective observational study, we included a total of 40 consecutive adult patients who underwent haploidentical or MUD HSCT for various hematological malignancies and who received PTCY ( = 24) or ATG ( = 16) as GvHD prophylaxis at Hematology Units from hospitals of Salerno and Avellino, Italy, and clinical outcomes were compared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLiquid biopsy is a minimally invasive diagnostic tool for identification of tumor-related mutations in circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA). The aim of this study was to investigate feasibility, sensitivity, and specificity of non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) for identification of chromosomal abnormalities in cfDNA from a total of 77 consecutive patients with non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphomas, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), or plasma cell dyscrasia. In this case series, half of patients had at least one alteration, more frequently in chromosome 6 (23.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRichter's syndrome represents the progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) to more aggressive diseases, most frequently diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, while Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and hairy cell leukemia (HCL) are rarely described. The first case involved a 67-year-old man with a diagnosis of a high-risk stage-II CLL treated with rituximab and ibrutinib, developed a HL nodular sclerosis variant after three months of therapy for CLL. After achieving a complete remission for HL and ibrutinib cessation because of drug-related cardiotoxicity, the patient relapsed after five months off-therapy and died due to disease progression after two cycles of brentuximab-vedotin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe serum free light-chain (FLC) ratio is a sensitive tool for the differential diagnosis of plasma cell disorders and is biomarker of multiple myeloma (MM) progression from premalignant conditions. Here, we investigate the potential role of FLC ratio at diagnosis in identifying early renal damage in MM patients and other correlations with clinical, laboratory, and molecular findings. A total of 34 MM patients who had undergone autologous stem cell transplantation were included in this retrospective case series study, and FLC quantification was performed with nephelometric assays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Current chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) International Prognostic Index (IPI) stratifies patients based on clinical, molecular, and biochemical features; however, B-cell markers also influence CLL outcomes. Here, prognostic roles of CD11c, CD38, and CD49d were first evaluated, and then an immunophenotypic score was combined with CLL-IPI for risk stratification of CLL patients.
Methods: A total of 171 CLL subjects were included, and surface marker expression was assessed by flow cytometry.
Kaposi's sarcoma is associated with immunosuppression and human herpesvirus 8 infection, while rarely described in myeloid malignancies. Here, we illustrate a rare case of chronic myeloid leukemia treated with imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, who developed a human herpesvirus 8-related Kaposi's sarcoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMediterr J Hematol Infect Dis
May 2022
Cancers (Basel)
September 2021
Large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia is a lymphoproliferative disorder of mature T or NK cells frequently associated with autoimmune disorders and other hematological conditions, such as myelodysplastic syndromes. Immunophenotype of LGL cells is similar to that of effector memory CD8 T cells with T-cell receptor (TCR) clonality defined by molecular and/or flow cytometric analysis. Vβ usage by flow cytometry can identify clonal TCR rearrangements at the protein level, and is fast, sensitive, and almost always available in every Hematology Center.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Letermovir (LTV) is a novel antiviral agent approved for CMV prophylaxis after allogeneic transplantation. In this single-center real-world study, we evidenced the efficacy and safety of LTV for CMV prophylaxis in allogeneic HSCT recipients.
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