Implementing comprehensive geriatric assessment in an academic hematologic outpatient setting: experiences from medical doctors and patients.

Introduction: The incidence of most cancers increases with age and cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the older population. Older cancer patients frequently have additional co-morbidities and functional decline, which can substantially affect treatment outcomes. Major oncology societies recommend a screening for geriatric impairments in patients at risk (e.

Prophylactic Tocilizumab prior to infusion of CD19 CAR T-cells reduces therapy-related complications in older lymphoma patients.

CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell therapies have transformed treatment for relapsed and refractory B cell lymphomas (r/r BCL) and plasma cell myeloma. While real-world experiences have shown success across age groups, patients over 70 years require special attention due to therapy-related complications like cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), which can lead to adverse outcomes. This study analyzed outcomes of 26 r/r BCL patients aged ≥ 70 years treated with CAR T-cell therapy between 2019 and 2023, comparing those who received prophylactic Tocilizumab (N = 7) versus standard treatment (N = 19).

Implementation of a comprehensive clinical quality assurance system in radiation oncology.

Objective: The objective of this project was to develop and evaluate a comprehensive clinical quality assurance system for radiation oncology, and assess the system using definitive radiation therapy for prostate cancer as a first use case.

Methods: The Zurich Clinical Quality Assurance System in Radiation Oncology (ZH-CLASSIC) was initiated to allow for continuous quality assurance in radiation oncology with respect to indication for radiation therapy, practice of radiation therapy and patient outcome. Data from the sources of the hospital information system, the Radiation Oncology Record and Verify System and a dedicated follow-up database were automatically retrieved, and combined using a unique patient-ID.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors with blinatumomab versus chemotherapy in Philadelphia-positive acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and blinatumomab have improved outcomes in Philadelphia-positive B-lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph + B-ALL). However, the efficacy of TKI and blinatumomab as a standalone regimen compared to the standard chemotherapy-plus-TKI approach remains uncertain. We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis of 47 patients, including 18 treated with TKI and blinatumomab (de novo: N = 13; relapsed: N = 5) and 29 treated with chemotherapy and TKI.

Efficacy of thrombopoietin receptor agonists versus rituximab in non-responsive immune thrombocytopenia-A single centre retrospective analysis.

Management of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) beyond initial glucocorticoid therapy is challenging. In this retrospective single-centre cohort study, we compared all ITP patients relapsed or non-responsive to glucocorticoid therapy treated with either continuous TPO-RAs (n = 35) or rituximab induction (n = 20) between 2015 and 2022. While both groups showed high initial complete response rates (CR, 68.

Haploidentical transplant with posttransplant cyclophosphamide vs matched related and unrelated donor transplant in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic neoplasm.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation from haploidentical donors (haploHCT) has facilitated treatment of AML and MDS by increasing donor availability and became more feasible since the introduction of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (ptCY). In our single-center retrospective analysis including 213 patients with AML or MDS, we compare the outcome of haploHCT (n = 40) with ptCY with HCT from HLA-identical MRD (n = 105) and MUD (n = 68). At 2 years after transplantation, overall survival (OS) after haploHCT was not significantly different (0.

Complication rates of peripherally inserted central catheters vs implanted ports in patients receiving systemic anticancer therapy: A retrospective cohort study.

While implanted port catheters ("PORTs") have historically been the standard device for intravenous systemic anticancer therapy, the use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) has increased continuously and reliable catheter selection guidelines are lacking. We compare complication rates of PORTs and PICCs in cancer treatment in a retrospective study of 3365 patients with both solid organ (n = 2612) and hematologic (n = 753) malignancies, between 2001 and 2021. 26.

Introducing innovative cellular therapies into the clinic: a 2-year retrospective experience of a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell programme at a single centre in Switzerland.

Aim Of The Study: Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells are a powerful form of immune-cell therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma and acute B lymphoblastic leukaemia. CAR-T cells have been commercially available in Switzerland since 2018. Because of the complexity and costs of this treatment it is critical to review patient outcomes in real-world settings, to examine whether the promising results from pivotal trials can be reproduced and to identify clinical parameters that determine their efficacy.

Cathepsin S Alterations Induce a Tumor-Promoting Immune Microenvironment in Follicular Lymphoma.

Tumor cells orchestrate their microenvironment. Here, we provide biochemical, structural, functional, and clinical evidence that Cathepsin S (CTSS) alterations induce a tumor-promoting immune microenvironment in follicular lymphoma (FL). We found CTSS mutations at Y132 in 6% of FL (19/305).

Correlation of Device Performance and Fermi Level Shift in the Emitting Layer of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with Amine-Based Electron Injection Layers.

We investigate three amine-based polymers, polyethylenimine and two amino-functionalized polyfluorenes, as electron injection layers (EILs) in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and find correlations between the molecular structure of the polymers, the electronic alignment at the emitter/EIL interface, and the resulting device performance. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements of the emitter/EIL interface indicate that all three EIL polymers induce an upward shift of the Fermi level in the emitting layer close to the interface similar to n-type doping. The absolute value of this Fermi level shift, which can be explained by an electron transfer from the EIL polymers into the emitting layer, correlates with the number of nitrogen-containing groups in the side chains of the polymers.

Degradation Mechanisms in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with Polyethylenimine as a Solution-Processed Electron Injection Layer.

In this work, we investigate the performance and operational stability of solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), which comprise polyethylenimine (PEI) as an electron injection layer (EIL). We show that the primary degradation mechanism in these OLEDs depends on the cathode metal that is used in contact with the EIL. In the case of Al, the deterioration in OLED performance during electrical driving is mainly caused by excitons which reach and subsequently degrade the emitter/PEI interface.

High-Performance Electron Injection Layers with a Wide Processing Window from an Amidoamine-Functionalized Polyfluorene.

In this work, we present organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) utilizing a novel amidoamine-functionalized polyfluorene (PFCON-C) as an electron injection layer (EIL). PFCON-C consists of a polyfluorene backbone to which multiple tertiary amine side chains are connected via an amide group. The influence of molecular characteristics on electronic performance and morphological properties was tested and compared to that of the widely used, literature known amino-functionalized polyfluorene (PFN) and polyethylenimine (PEI).

Emissive Polyelectrolytes As Interlayer for Color Tuning and Electron Injection in Solution-Processed Light-Emitting Devices.

Herein we present a solution-processed hybrid device architecture combining organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) in a bilayer architecture. The LEC interlayer promotes the charge injection from an air-stable Ag cathode as well as permits the color tuning of the device emission. To this end, we used an alcohol-soluble anionic polyfluorene derivative, the properties of which were investigated by absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy as well as by cyclic voltammetry.

Soluble diazaiptycenes: materials for solution-processed organic electronics.

The synthesis and characterization of soluble azaiptycenes is reported. Optical and physical properties were studied and compared with those of the structurally consanguine azaacenes. Electrochemical experiments and quantum-chemical calculations revealed the electronic structure of the iptycene derivatives.

Investigation of solution-processed ultrathin electron injection layers for organic light-emitting diodes.

We study two types of water/alcohol-soluble aliphatic amines, polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyethylenimine-ethoxylated (PEIE), for their suitability as electron injection layers in solution-processed blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to determine the nominal thickness of the polymer layers while ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy is carried out to determine the induced work-function change of the silver cathode. The determined work-function shifts are as high as 1.

The compromises of printing organic electronics: a case study of gravure-printed light-emitting electrochemical cells.

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) are fabricated by gravure printing. The compromise between device performance and printing quality is correlated to the ink formulation and the printing process. It is shown that the rheological properties of the ink formulations of LECs can be tailored without changing the chemical composition of the material blend.