Assessing the risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with haematological cancers using three prediction models.

PURPOSE: Assessment of individual VTE risk in cancer patients prior to chemotherapy is critical for determining necessity of interventions. Risk assessment models (RAM) are available but have not been validated for haematological malignancy. We aimed to assess the validity of the Vienna Cancer and Thrombosis Study (V-CATS) score in prediction of VTE in a variety of haematological malignancies. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study conducted on 81 newly diagnosed cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Demographic, clinical and cancer related data were collected, patients were followed up for 6 months, and VTE events were recorded. Khorana score (KS) was calculated. Plasma D-dimer and sP-selectin were measured, and then, V-CATS score was calculated. Receiver operator curve (ROC) was used to assess the sensitivity and specificity of RAMs. A modified V-CATS was generated and subsequently assessed by using new cut-off levels of d-dimer and sP-selectin based on ROC curve of the patients' results and compared the probability of VTE occurrence using all three RAMs. RESULTS: Among the 81 patients included in this study, a total of 2.7% were diagnosed with advanced metastatic cancer. The most frequent cancer was non-Hodgkin lymphoma (39.5%), and 8 patients (9.8%) developed VTE events. The calculated probability of VTE occurrence using KS, V-CATS and modified V-CATS scores at cut-off levels ≥ 3 was 87.5%, 87.5% and 100%, respectively. The AUC in ROC curve of modified Vienna CATS score showed significant difference when compared to that of V-CATS and KS (P = 0.047 and 0.029, respectively). CONCLUSION: The findings of our study highlight the value of three VTE risk assessment models in haematological malignancies. The modified V-CATS score demonstrated higher specificity compared to both V-CATS and KS, while all three scores exhibited similar sensitivity. We encourage the implementation of RAMs in haematological cancers for an appropriate use of thromboprophylaxis.

Philadelphia-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia: the journey from molecular background to the role of bone marrow transplant-review article.

Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) ALL is a recent subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Although it does not express the BCR-ABL fusion gene, it has a behavior like true BCR/ABL1-positive cases. This subtype harbors different molecular alterations most commonly CRLF2 rearrangements. Most cases of Ph-like ALL are associated with high white blood cell count, high minimal residual disease level after induction therapy, and high relapse rate. Efforts should be encouraged for early recognition of Ph-like ALL to enhance therapeutic strategies. Recently, many trials are investigating the possibility of adding the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) to chemotherapy to improve clinical outcomes. The role and best timing of allogeneic bone marrow transplant in those cases are still unclear. Precision medicine should be implemented in the treatment of such cases. Here in this review, we summarize the available data on Ph-like ALL.

Accuracy and Upgrading of CNB and BI-RADS Diagnoses Compared to Excision: A Clinicopathological-Radiological Correlation of Papillary Breast Lesions and Neoplasms.

BACKGROUND: Papillary breast lesions and neoplasms (PBLs/Ns) are diagnostically challenging lesions in both core needle biopsy (CNB) and radiology. AIM: To determine the accuracy and upgrade rate of CNB and BI-RADS diagnosis of PBLs/Ns compared to final excision diagnosis and the factors linked to upgrade. METHODS: The favored CNB diagnosis and BI-RADS category for 82 PBLs/Ns were assessed based on histopathology, myoepithelial marker immunohistochemistry, mammographic/ultrasonographic findings. The radiological findings were compared to the pathological diagnoses. The accuracies of CNB and BI-RADS were compared to the excision diagnosis of the corresponding PBLs/Ns. The upgrade rates to malignancy were evaluated for both CNB and BI-RADS. RESULTS: The presence of solid, irregular masses in breasts with composition A/B with calcification in radiology was significantly associated with the diagnosis of suspicious/malignant CNB, and malignant excision specimens (p<0.05). CNB was more accurate (90%), sensitive and specific with high positive and negative predictive values than BI-RADS. Combined CNB/BI-RADS accuracy was 90.2%. Overall upgrade rate came up to 9.8%. Upgrade rates to carcinoma were 7.3% for CNB and 8.5% for BI-RADS. Factors linked to upgrade were the age, lesion-size, BI-RADS category 4A and C, and histopathological/radiological discordance. All the upgraded PBLs/Ns were diagnosed as benign lesions in CNB with present/focally present myoepithelial diagnosis reflecting a sampling error. CONCLUSION: Up to 9.8% of PBLs/Ns diagnosed on CNB and BI-RADS undergo upgrading upon final excision, despite the high diagnostic accuracy. These evidences should be considered for final decision on whether to excise the lesion or not.

Podoplanin expression in salivary gland carcinomas and its clinical significance. An immunohistochemical study.

Podoplanin (D2-40) is a lymphatic endothelial marker that is considered as a specific marker for lymphatic endothelial cells and lymphangiogenesis in salivary gland carcinomas (SGCs). Aim: the present study aimed to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of podoplanin in SGCs and to correlate its expression with the clinicopathological parameters and patients' survival. Forty-nine SGC cases were electronically selected. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and survival data were reviewed and tabulated. Immunohistochemistry was performed using antipodoplanin. Cases were divided into low and high expression based on a scoring system. A score of 0 and 1 was considered low expression, while > 1 was considered high expression. Podoplanin high expression was seen in 46.9% of cases, and 53.1% of cases showed low expression. Significant statistical associations were seen between podoplanin expression and tumour grade ( p ≤ 0.001), tumour-nodal- metastasis (TNM) stage (p ≤ 0.001), tumour size (p ≤ 0.001), nodal metastasis (p ≤ 0.001), tumour type (p = 0.03), prognosis (p ≤ 0.001), and mortality (p ≤ 0.001). The overall survival and progression-free survival differed significantly in cases with high and low expression (p ≤ 0.001). Podoplanin overexpression might be a significant prognostic indicator for patients with SGCs, implicating that it is a potential therapeutic target to improve survival in these cancer patients.