Use of rotational thromboelastometry for a global screening of coagulation profile in patients of myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are clonal disorders of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell characterized by thrombohemorrhagic complications and a tendency to transform into acute leukemia. The pathogenesis of thrombosis in MPN is complex and results from a multifaceted interplay of clinical and disease-related factors. Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) provides the complete and rapid information about all stages of the coagulation process. Here, we assess ROTEM parameters as a screening of coagulation profile in patients with MPNs. In particular, higher mean maximum clot firmness values were found in Essential thrombocythemia and Polycythemia vera patients when compared to healthy controls. Rotational thromboelastometry may be able to detect MPN patients who are susceptible to thrombotic and/or hemorrhagic complications. The predictive value of ROTEM for thrombosis remains to be established to classify subsets of patients at prominent risk who may benefit from prophylaxis with antithrombotic drugs.

Clinical characteristics and therapeutic outcomes of elderly patients with chronic myeloid leukemia: A retrospective multicenter study.

AIMS: We aimed to investigate whether older age leads to limitations in the starting dose of imatinib in daily treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, and to determine the compliance of elderly patients with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) therapy. METHODS: Data including the clinical characteristics, therapeutic outcomes and compliance with TKI therapy of elderly patients with chronic myeloid leukemia aged >65 years were collected from 13 institutions in Turkey, retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 69 patients (27 [39%] men, 42 [61%] women) were evaluated retrospectively. The median age of the patients was 71 years (range 66-85 years). Of the patients, 66 (96%) were in the chronic phase and three (4.3%) were in the accelerated phase when diagnosed. A total of 63 (91.3%) patients were receiving imatinib as the first-line therapy. The initial dose of imatinib was 400 mg/day in 59 patients (93.6%). Imatinib treatment induced 57 (90.5%) complete hematological responses at 3 months, 29 (46%) complete cytogenetic responses at 6 months and 49 (77.7%) major molecular responses at 12 months. As a result, nilotinib and dasatinib were used in 14 patients as second-line therapy. Second-line TKI induced nine complete hematological responses (64.3%) at 3 months, four complete cytogenetic responses (28.6%) at 12 months and seven major molecular responses (50%) at 18 months. A total of 56 of the patients (81.2%) are still alive. The median overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 35 months (range 1-95 months) and 17 months (range 0.8-95 months), respectively. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients should receive TKI according to the same guidelines that apply to younger patients.

Conjunctival metastasis as an initial sign of small cell lung cancer.

Introduction. To report a case of a conjunctival metastasis as the initial manifestation of small cell lung cancer. Methods. Observational case report. Results. A 50-year-old man without known systemic disease developed a conjunctival mass in his right eye. He underwent incisional biopsy of the tumor and systemic evaluation. Histopathologically, the conjunctival mass was a metastatic small cell carcinoma. Further evaluation revealed a primary small cell lung carcinoma with metastasis to liver and bones. The primary and metastatic tumors were treated with chemotherapy. Conclusion. Conjunctival metastasis may be the initial manifestation of lung cancer. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a deep conjunctival mass.

Cytomegalovirus DNAemia detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

INTRODUCTION: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Successful pre-emptive therapy in transplant patients depends on the availability of reliable diagnostic tests for CMV infections. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate CMV DNA viral load, incidence of CMV disease and CMV seropositivity, risk factors and correlation between CMV DNA positivity and clinical course in HSCT patients. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-five patients who underwent peripheral blood stem cell or bone marrow transplantation between June 2003 and April 2010 were included. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was used for CMV monitoring. RESULTS: Recipient median age was 42.5 years. CMV seropositivity was 95.6%. CMV DNA positivity determined by RT-PCR was 24.9% among the entire patient group. CMV DNA positivity with RT-PCR was found to be significantly higher in allogeneic transplant recipients than autologous transplant recipients (46.7% vs 14.0%; P < 0.0001). Gender, age, conditioning regimen, stem cell source, underlying disease and recipient and donor seropositivity (alone or paired) were not significant risk factors for CMV DNAemia. We did not observe any CMV end-organ disease. CONCLUSION: CMV DNAemia was significantly higher in allogeneic transplant recipients than in autologous transplant patients. End-organ disease could be prevented with appropriate pre-emptive therapy.

Central nervous system relapse in a patient with acute promyelocytic leukaemia: does the risk stratification matter?

Extramedullary relapse is an uncommon complication of acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL). The most common site of extramedullary relapse is the central nervous system (CNS), and the majority of CNS relapses occur in patients with high-risk disease in which white blood cell count at presentation is greater than 10×10(3)/µL. The best management of such patients is still controversial. We describe a 47-year-old man with APL who developed two CNS relapses which were diagnosed through the presence of t(15;17)(q22;q21) on PCR of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), despite presenting initially with intermediate-risk disease. We conclude that the intermediate risk group is very heterogeneous and these patients sometimes may behave like high-risk patients. Also, clinicians should take into account symptoms that can be related to CNS relapse in patients with APL and consider lumbar puncture even if radiological imaging does not reveal anything.

A New Case of dic(1;15)(p11;p11) in AML M1: Apropos of a Case and a Review of the Literature.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) develops as the consequence of a series of genetic changes in a hematopoietic precursor cell. Specific cytogenetic abnormalities have been identified by karyotype analysis in AML. One of the rare chromosomal abnormalities is a dicentric chromosome, which is defined as an aberrant chromosome having two centromeres. In the literature, a limited number of cases have been reported with dic(1;15) in myeloid disorders, but only one case has been reported with in acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. Herein, we report a case of acute myelogenous leukemia without maturation with a dic(1;15)(p11;p11), resulting in trisomy of the long arm of chromosome 1. To date, this is the second case of dic(1;15) in acute myelogenous leukemia and the first case in acute myeloblastic leukemia without maturation.