Prognostic relevance of bone marrow immune cell fractions in newly diagnosed B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients.

Introduction: Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) are the most common hematological malignancies worldwide. Among these, B-cell lymphomas (B-NHLs) are the second leading cause of death in hematologic neoplasms.

Material And Methods: In this study, a detailed immunophenotypic analysis of lymphocytes in the bone marrow aspirate (BMA) of 75 patients with four different subtypes of B-NHLs was performed at diagnosis.

Hypofractionated radiotherapy with simultaneous integrated boost for localized prostate cancer patients: effects on immune system and prediction of toxicity.

Background: The other side of radiotherapy (RT), in addition to the cytotoxic effect, is the ability to modulate the immune system in terms of activation or suppression, also depending on the dose and fractionation delivered. This immune RT effect can be detected both locally in the irradiated tumor site and in the peripheral blood. The aim of this study was to assess the consequence of pelvic irradiation on peripheral immune cells and cytokine secretions in localized prostate cancer (PC) patients undergoing pelvic irradiation with a simultaneous moderately hypofractionated prostate/prostate bed boost by Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT).

The Impact of Vitamin D on Immune Function and Its Role in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: A Narrative Review.

Vitamin D, an essential nutrient, plays a crucial role in numerous biological functions, acting as a hormone and being important for the proper functioning of the immune system. This review illustrates the interactions between adequate vitamin D levels and an appropriate immune response, highlighting the implications for Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), a chronic inflammation of the thyroid characterized by the production of autoantibodies. A comprehensive review of the existing literature shows that vitamin D inhibits the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to an improvement in the clinical picture in HT by switching from a pro-inflammatory to immune balance.

Worsening of 2-year patient-reported intestinal functionality after radiotherapy for prostate cancer including pelvic node irradiation.

Background And Purpose: To quantify patient-reported 2-year intestinal toxicity (IT) from pelvic nodal irradiation (PNI) for prostate cancer. The association between baseline/acute symptoms and 2-year worsening was investigated.

Materials And Methods: Patient-reported IT was prospectively assessed through the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ), filled in at baseline, radiotherapy mid-point and end, at 3 and 6 months and every 6 months until 5 years.

Modulation of Peripheral Immune Cell Subpopulations After RapidArc/Moderate Hypofractionated Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer: Findings and Comparison With 3D Conformal/Conventional Fractionation Treatment.

Radiotherapy (RT) is an important therapeutic option in patients with localized prostate cancer (PC). Unfortunately, radiation treatment causes a decrease in peripheral lymphocytes and, consequently, influences the patients' immune status. Our aim was to study changes in peripheral blood immune cell subpopulations after RT and during 6 months' follow-up in 2 groups of PC patients irradiated with different techniques and dose fractions with curative intent.

Circulating Regulatory T-Cell Number Does Not Predict Prognosis of Monoclonal Gammopathies of Uncertain Significance.

FOXP3-expressing regulatory T-cells (Tregs), which suppress aberrant immune response against self-antigens, also suppress anti-tumor immune response. It has been shown that there is an increased proportion of Tregs in several different human malignancies, although the actual mechanism remains unclear. The research aims to explore the relationship between the number of Tregs and a predict prognosis in particular hematological diseases as monoclonal gammopathies of uncertain significance (MGUS).

A Novel Approach to Classification and Reporting of Lymph Node Fine-Needle Cytology: Application of the Proposed Sydney System.

Fine-needle cytology (FNC) is a useful diagnostic tool in the first line evaluation of lymphadenopathy of unknown aetiology. Nevertheless, considering the large number of conditions presenting as lymphadenopathy, lymph node cytology represents a challenging scenario. Recently, an expert panel published the proposal of the Sydney system for performing classification and reporting of lymph node cytopathology; the aim of the present study was to evaluate the applicability of this system.

CD200 and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Biological and Clinical Relevance.

CD200, a transmembrane type Ia glycoprotein belonging to the immunoglobulin protein superfamily, is broadly expressed on a wide variety of cell types, such as B lymphocytes, a subset of T lymphocytes, dendritic cells, endothelial and neuronal cells. It delivers immunosuppressive signals through its receptor CD200R, which is expressed on monocytes/myeloid cells and T lymphocytes. Moreover, interaction of CD200 with CD200R has also been reported to play a role in the regulation of tumor immunity.

Clinical relevance of extracellular vesicles in hematological neoplasms: from liquid biopsy to cell biopsy.

In the era of precision medicine, liquid biopsy is becoming increasingly important in oncology. It consists in the isolation and analysis of tumor-derived biomarkers, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), in body fluids. EVs are lipid bilayer-enclosed particles, heterogeneous in size and molecular composition, released from both normal and neoplastic cells.

Clinical Phenotype, Immunological Abnormalities, and Genomic Findings in Patients with DiGeorge Spectrum Phenotype without 22q11.2 Deletion.

Background: The phenotype of early embryonic fourth branchial arch defects encompasses a wide spectrum of clinical conditions including DiGeorge syndrome (DGS), velocardiofacial syndrome, and conotruncal anomaly face syndrome. The majority of the patients have a 22q11.2 deletion.

Monoclonal antibodies in relapsed/refractory myeloma: updated evidence from clinical trials, real-life studies, and meta-analyses.

: In the last few years, monoclonal antibodies have rapidly modified the therapeutic strategies for treating patients with multiple myeloma.: In this review, the most recent literature data regarding indications for which monoclonal antibodies are currently or will be shortly approved as salvage therapies in relapsed/refractory myeloma are discussed. In particular, updated results until March 22, 2020 of antibodies directed against CD38 (daratumumab and isatuximab), SLAMF7 (elotuzumab), BCMA (GSK2857916/belantamab mafodotin), and PD-1/PD-1 L axis (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) will be analyzed in detail.

Superiority of Droplet Digital PCR Over Real-Time Quantitative PCR for Allele Mutational Burden Assessment in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: A Retrospective Study.

mutational status is an essential diagnostic index in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Although widely used for detection of mutation in peripheral blood (PB), sensitive real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) presents some methodological limitations. Recently, emerging alternative technologies, like digital droplet PCR (ddPCR), have been reported to overcome some of qPCR's technical drawbacks.

Cytofluorimetric and immunohistochemical comparison for detecting bone marrow infiltration in non-Hodgkin lymphomas: a study of 354 patients.

Morphological and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of bone marrow biopsies (BMB) is routinely performed during staging of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Aiming to evaluate the possible diagnostic value of flow cytometry (FC) on bone marrow aspirates (BMA), as compared with BMB, we retrospectively reviewed BMA specimen of 354 NHL. In 305 cases (86.

Heterozygous FOXN1 Variants Cause Low TRECs and Severe T Cell Lymphopenia, Revealing a Crucial Role of FOXN1 in Supporting Early Thymopoiesis.

FOXN1 is the master regulatory gene of thymic epithelium development. FOXN1 deficiency leads to thymic aplasia, alopecia, and nail dystrophy, accounting for the nude/severe combined immunodeficiency (nu/SCID) phenotype in humans and mice. We identified several newborns with low levels of T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and T cell lymphopenia at birth, who carried heterozygous loss-of-function FOXN1 variants.

Adapting and Surviving: Intra and Extra-Cellular Remodeling in Drug-Resistant Gastric Cancer Cells.

Despite the significant recent advances in clinical practice, gastric cancer (GC) represents a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. In fact, occurrence of chemo-resistance still remains a daunting hindrance to effectiveness of the current approach to GC therapy. There is accumulating evidence that a plethora of cellular and molecular factors is implicated in drug-induced phenotypical switching of GC cells.

A case of acute promyelocytic leukemia variant with derivative chromosome 3 der(3)t(3;8) associated with 8q partial gain.

Background: Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by fusion of PML/RARα genes as a result of t(15;17)(q24;q21). APL is now one of the curable hematological malignancies thanks to molecularly targeted therapies based on all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATX). Extramedullary (EM) relapse is a rare event in APL, ear involvement being even more infrequent, with only six cases so far described.

DNA methylation dynamic of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells after allogeneic transplantation.

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is a curative therapeutic approach for different hematological malignancies (HMs), and epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, play a role in the reconstitution of the hematopoietic system after AHSCT. This study aimed to explore global DNA methylation dynamic of bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from donors and their respective recipients affected by acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) during the first year after transplant.

Methods: We measured DNA methylation profile by Illumina HumanMethylationEPIC in BM HSPC of 10 donors (t0) and their matched recipients at different time points after AHSCT, at day + 30 (t1), + 60 (t2), + 120 (t3), + 180 (t4), and + 365 (t5).

An update on biology, diagnosis and treatment of primary plasma cell leukemia.

Primary plasma cell leukemia (PPCL) is one of the most aggressive hematological malignancies. The prognosis of PPCL patients remains poor, although some improvements have been made in recent years. Areas covered: In this review recent clinical and biological advances in PPCL are reported.

Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and prostate cancer: incidence and effects of radiotherapy.

Monoclonal B-cells lymphocytosis (MBL) is a benign condition that may precede chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), not rarely present in peripheral blood of healthy elderly people, among which there is also a male prevalence. Though CLL has been associated with various types of solid tumors, including prostate cancer (PC), no data exist about the relationship between PC and MBL. We studied the frequency of CLL-like MBL clones in a group of 48 patients affected by PC and followed them during and after whole-pelvis radiotherapy (WPRT) treatment.