Rituximab decreases the risk of lymphoma in patients with HIV-associated multicentric Castleman disease.

HIV-associated multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) is associated with a high risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Rituximab is effective in HIV-MCD, but its impact on NHL incidence remains unknown. From a single-center prospective cohort, 113 patients were identified with a diagnosis of HIV-MCD for the present study. To compare the incidence of NHL between patients who had received a rituximab-based treatment (R+ group) and those who had not (R- group), data were analyzed before and after matching on propensity scores and after multiple imputation. The mean follow-up was 4.2 years. In the R- group (n = 65), 17 patients developed NHL (incidence, 69.6 of 1000 person years). In the R+ group (n = 48), only 1 patient developed NHL (incidence, 4.2 of 1000 person years). Based on the propensity score-matching method, a significant decrease in the incidence of NHL was observed in patients who had been treated with rituximab (hazard ratio, 0.09; 95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.70). Ten Kaposi sarcoma (KS) exacerbations and 1 newly diagnosed KS were observed in 9 patients after rituximab therapy. Rituximab was associated with an 11-fold lower risk of developing lymphoma. KS exacerbation was the most challenging adverse event after rituximab therapy.

Efficacy and safety of lenalidomide in intermediate-2 or high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes with 5q deletion: results of a phase 2 study.

Higher-risk MDS with del5q carry a poor prognosis. In this phase 2 trial, 47 patients with higher-risk MDS received lenalidomide 10 mg/day. International Prognostic Scoring System was high in 60%, intermediate-2 risk in 40%. del 5q was isolated, with one additional and more than one additional abnormality in 19%, 23%, and 58% patients, respectively. Thirteen (27%) patients achieved hematologic response, including 7 hematologic complete remission (CR) (with complete [4] or partial [3] cytogenetic response), 2 marrow CR and 4 hematologic improvement erythroid, and 12 became red blood cell (RBC) transfusion independent, for a median duration of 6.5 months. Median CR duration was 11.5 months. Six of 9 (67%) patients with isolated del 5q achieved CR, versus 1 of 11 and none of 27 patients with one or more than one additional abnormality, respectively (P < .001). Seven of 20 (35%) with initial platelets more than 100,000/mm(3) obtained CR, compared with none of the 27 with lower platelet counts less than 100,000/mm(3) (P = .001). Our data support a potential role of lenalidomide in higher-risk MDS with isolated del 5q.

Association of Occupational Pesticide Exposure With Immunochemotherapy Response and Survival Among Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Importance: Professional use of pesticides is a risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The main biological mechanisms of pesticides and chemotherapy are genotoxicity and reactive oxygen species generation. Cellular adaptation among patients exposed to low doses of genotoxic and oxidative compounds might hinder chemotherapy efficiency in patients with lymphoma. Objective: To examine the association of occupational exposure to pesticides with immunochemotherapy response and survival among patients treated for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study assessed patients treated from July 1, 2010, to May 31, 2015, for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, with a 2-year follow-up. The study took place at 6 university and nonuniversity hospitals in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. A total of 404 patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with anthracycline-based immunochemotherapy were included before the study began. Occupational history was reconstructed for 244 patients and analyzed with the PESTIPOP French job-exposure matrix to determine likelihood of occupational exposure to pesticides. Analysis of the data was performed from July 15, 2017, to July 15, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures: Treatment failure (ie, partial response, stable disease, disease progression, or interruption for toxic effects) rate, 2-year event-free survival, and overall survival between exposed and nonexposed patients after adjustment for confounding factors. Results: A total of 244 patients (mean [SD] age, 61.3 [15.2] years; 153 [62.7%] male) had complete occupational data. Of these patients, 67 (27.4%) had occupational exposure to pesticides, with 38 exposed through agricultural occupations. Occupational exposure was not associated with clinical and biological characteristics at diagnosis. Occupationally exposed patients had a significantly higher treatment failure rate (22.4% vs 11.3%; P = .03; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for confounding factors, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.3-6.9); this difference was higher among patients with exposing agricultural occupations compared with other patients (29.0% vs 11.7%; AOR, 5.1; 95% CI, 2.0-12.8). Two-year event-free survival was 70% in the occupationally exposed group vs 82% in the unexposed group (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] for confounding factors, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3-3.9). Among patients with exposing agricultural occupations compared with other patients, the difference was more pronounced (2-year event-free survival, 56% vs 83%; AHR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.9-6.5). Similarly, 2-year overall survival was lower in the group of patients with exposing agricultural occupations compared with other patients (81% vs 92%; AHR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.5-10.0). Conclusions and Relevance: This retrospective study showed that agricultural occupational exposure to pesticides was associated with treatment failure, event-free survival, and overall survival among patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Risk of second cancer in nongastric marginal zone B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue: a population-based study from northern Italy.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to define the risk of second cancer in nongastric marginal zone lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We considered for the analysis 157 patients with a confirmed histology of marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of MALT, presenting with a clinically prevalent extranodal site of disease, except for stomach. All patients came from two hematologic institutions of Northern Italy. We compared the occurrence of second cancer with respect to the general population by calculating the standardized incidence ratio, with the age- and sex-specific incidence rates of a cancer registry of Northern Italy (Lombardia) as a reference. RESULTS: A history of solid neoplasia was present in 29 (18%) patients for a total number of 30 neoplasms: 25 solid tumors, 2 hematologic diseases (1 Hodgkin's lymphoma and 1 essential thrombocythemia), and 3 nonmelanoma in situ skin cancers. In 4 patients, the site of cancer and lymphoma was the same. In 21 cases the solid tumor preceded the MALToma, in 3 the neoplasm was concomitant, whereas in 6 it was subsequent. For the entire group, the standardized incidence ratio of an additional malignancy was 0.8 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.55-1.17; P = 0.2]. After excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer, the standardized incidence ratio of a second tumor was 0.75 (95% CI, 0.5-1.12; P = 0.2). After excluding all previous malignancies, the standardized incidence ratio of a second cancer was 1.32 (95% CI, 0.69-2.55; P = 0.4). The comparison of risks between males and females was not significant in each group analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with nongastric MALT lymphomas are not at increased risk for other neoplasms compared with the general population of the same geographic area.

An insidious presentation of splenic marginal zone lymphoma.

Herein, we report on a patient with splenic marginal zone lymphoma who initially presented without splenomegaly and bone marrow (BM) or peripheral blood involvement. At first, the patient showed moderate leukothrombocytopenia; she was completely asymptomatic, and BM examination excluded a hematologic disease. After 7 months, spleen enlargement was detected without determining any symptoms or worsening of the bilinear cytopenia. Bone marrow histologic, immunohistochemic, cytologic, and immunophenotypic examinations were normal. Splenectomy was performed, and a diagnosis of splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma was established. A monoclonal IgVH gene rearrangement was identified in the spleen tissue (VH3 gene family) and subsequently detected in the BM mononuclear cells. Because of the large surgical debulking and the absence of histologic, cytologic, and immunophenotypic BM involvement, no further treatment was proposed. After the splenectomy, the blood cell count normalized, and neither BM nor peripheral blood involvement appeared after 12 months of follow-up.

Correlation of the FLIPI score for follicular lymphoma with period of diagnosis and type of treatment.

OBJECTIVES: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is generally considered an indolent disorder but a significant subset of patients shows a worse outcome. Aim of this study was to validate the FLIPI score in an independent series of follicular lymphoma patients and to correlate prognostic categories with the period of diagnosis and the use of anthracycline. METHODS: We evaluated the clinical characteristics, prognostic stratification, and outcome of 338 patients with follicular lymphoma consecutively diagnosed and followed at our Institution between 1975 and 2002. RESULTS: The distribution of patients within the prognostic categories of the IPI and FLIPI score, while confirming the indolent outcome of follicular lymphoma, shows that a subset of patients has a worse prognosis. With the IPI score, 62% of patients are in the low risk, 26% in the low-intermediate, and 12% in the high (high-intermediate+high) risk group. With the FLIPI score, 48% of patients are categorized as low risk, 31% as intermediate risk, and 21% as poor risk. With the IPI score, median OS is 17.3 years for the low risk; 6.3 for the intermediate risk, and 5.2 years for the high risk group (p=0.0004). With the FLIPI system, median OS is 15.5 years for the low risk, 8.3 years for the intermediate risk, and 5.2 for the poor risk group (p=0.0002). Prognostic scores were calculated also after dividing patients according to the time of diagnosis: in three periods (before 1987, between 1988 and 1997, and from 1998), as well as in two periods (before and after 1998). In all the periods studied survival of patients classified according to IPI and FLIPI categories was significantly different. CONCLUSION: This study shows in an independent series that the FLIPI score is a reproducible prognostic index of clinical utility for the initial assessment of patients with follicular lymphoma.

Role of the molecular staging and response in the management of follicular lymphoma patients.

Bcl-2/IgH rearrangement is the molecular hallmark of follicular lymphoma which is present in 70 - 90% of cases at diagnosis. The significance of the bcl-2 rearrangement at onset of disease and of its clearing after treatment (molecular response) is still controversial. The aims of the present analysis are: to evaluate the incidence of bcl-2 rearrangement in blood and marrow in a cohort of patients systematically investigated at diagnosis, to describe the correlation between bcl-2 and presenting features, to clarify the correlation of molecular response with outcome. Of 98 patients studied at initial staging for the presence of bcl-2 rearrangement, 64 (65%) showed bcl-2/IgH rearrangement in peripheral blood (PB) and/or bone marrow (BM) (58 at Major Breakpoint Region, MBR, and 6 at minor cluster region, mcr) while no bcl-2/IgH rearrangement was detected in the remaining 34 (35%) (germline status). No statistically significant differences were found between bcl-2 positive and bcl-2 negative cases as concerns presenting clinical features and response to first-line therapy. The median event-free survival, EFS, was not reached for the bcl-2 negative patients in PB and was 11 months for bcl-2 positive patients (statistically significant, P = 0.01) and, similarly, the median EFS was not reached for the bcl-2 negative patients in BM and was 11 months for bcl-2 positive patients (statistically significant, P = 0.04). Of the 64 bcl-2 positive cases, patients were analysed for molecular response (48 in BM and 40 in PB): 16 were molecular responders in BM and 20 were molecular responders in PB. The median EFS was 19 months for molecular responders in PB and 9 months for non-responders; 1-year-EFS was 68% (95% CI; 49 - 88), for responders in PB and 42% (95% CI; 22 - 61) for non-responders (P = 0.05). The median EFS was 11 months both for molecular responders and non-responders in BM; 1-year-EFS was 52% for responders in BM (CI; 30 - 73), and 43% (CI 33 - 71) for non-responders (P = 0.7). No clinical feature showed significant correlation with PB and BM molecular responses. This analysis shows that bcl-2 rearrangement in blood and bone marrow is frequently detected at staging, even in stage I disease. Absence of the bcl-2 rearrangement is related to a better EFS and the achievement of a molecular response in peripheral blood after therapy is associated with a better EFS.

Combination of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, and vincristine induces complete hematologic remission of splenic marginal zone lymphoma.

Optimal treatment for splenic marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) is not clearly established. Splenectomy has been proposed as the treatment of choice in patients with cytopenias and/or symptoms caused by an enlarged spleen. Splenic MZL, which expresses the CD20 antigen on tumor cell surfaces, is a disease entity candidate to treatment with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. We employed an immunochemotherapy regimen with rituximab/cyclophosphamide/vincristine in 3 patients with splenic MZL who had only a partial response following CHOP (cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone) or CHOP-like therapy. The immunochemotherapy regimen was well tolerated and all patients exhibited complete remission. To our knowledge, this is the first report of splenic MZL showing response to a combination of rituximab with chemotherapy.

Primary nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma: clinical features and prognostic assessment of a rare disease.

This study defined the clinical features and assessed the prognosis of 47 patients (17 males, 30 females, median age 63 years) with primary nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma. Forty-five per cent had stage IV disease. Hepatitis C virus serology was positive in 24%. According to the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI), 33% were classified as low-risk, 34% as intermediate-risk, and 33% as high-risk. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 69%. In univariate analysis worse OS was associated with: FLIPI (P = 0.02), age > 60 years (P = 0.05) and raised lactate dehydrogenase (P = 0.05). In multivariate analysis, only FLIPI predicted a worse OS (P = 0.02).

Relation between JAK2 (V617F) mutation status, granulocyte activation, and constitutive mobilization of CD34+ cells into peripheral blood in myeloproliferative disorders.

We studied the relationship between granulocyte JAK2 (V617F) mutation status, circulating CD34(+) cells, and granulocyte activation in myeloproliferative disorders. Quantitative allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed significant differences between various disorders with respect to either the proportion of positive patients (53%-100%) or that of mutant alleles, which overall ranged from 1% to 100%. In polycythemia vera, JAK2 (V617F) was detected in 23 of 25 subjects at diagnosis and in 16 of 16 patients whose disease had evolved into myelofibrosis; median percentages of mutant alleles in these subgroups were significantly different (32% versus 95%, P < .001). Circulating CD34(+) cell counts were variably elevated and associated with disease category and JAK2 (V617F) mutation status. Most patients had granulocyte activation patterns similar to those induced by administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. A JAK2 (V617F) gene dosage effect on both CD34(+) cell counts and granulocyte activation was clearly demonstrated in polycythemia vera, where abnormal patterns were mainly found in patients carrying more than 50% mutant alleles. These observations suggest that JAK2 (V617F) may constitutively activate granulocytes and by this means mobilize CD34(+) cells. This exemplifies a novel paradigm in which a somatic gain-of-function mutation is initially responsible for clonal expansion of hematopoietic cells and later for their abnormal trafficking via an activated cell progeny.

Nongastric marginal-zone B-cell MALT lymphoma: prognostic value of disease dissemination.

The aim of this study is to describe the clinical features and define the prognostic significance of disease dissemination in a large series of nongastric marginal-zone B-cell mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas. We studied 208 patients with nongastric marginal-zone B-cell MALT lymphoma diagnosed and treated from 1991 to 2004. Ninety percent of the patients had a single site of MALT involvement--skin (26%), salivary glands (18%), orbit (14%), Waldeyer's ring (13%)--and 39% and 28% had nodal involvement and bone marrow involvement, respectively. After a median follow-up of 2.7 years, the median event-free survival (EFS) time was 2.4 years, and the median overall survival (OS) time was not reached. On univariate analysis, the features significantly associated with longer EFS and OS times were the following: single MALT site involvement (OS), localized disease (EFS and OS), no nodal disease (EFS and OS), skin and orbit lymphoma (OS), and stage IV disease without bone marrow involvement (OS). On multivariate analysis, both bone marrow and nodal involvement were associated with shorter OS. This study describes the clinical features and the natural history of nongastric marginal-zone lymphomas and highlights that the dissemination to lymph nodes and bone marrow is associated with a poorer outcome.

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma: a prognostic model for clinical use.

The Integruppo Italiano Linfomi (IIL) carried out a study to assess the outcomes of splenic marginal zone lymphoma and to identify prognostic factors in 309 patients. The 5-year cause-specific survival (CSS) rate was 76%. In univariate analysis, the parameters predictive of shorter CSS were hemoglobin levels below 12 g/dL (P < .001), albumin levels below 3.5 g/dL (P = .001), International Prognostic Index (IPI) scores of 2 to 3 (P < .001), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels above normal (P < .001), age older than 60 years (P = .01), platelet counts below 100,000/microL (P = .04), HbsAg-positivity (P = .01), and no splenectomy at diagnosis (P = .006). Values that maintained a negative influence on CSS in multivariate analysis were hemoglobin level less than 12 g/dL, LDH level greater than normal, and albumin level less than 3.5 g/dL. Using these 3 variables, we grouped patients into 3 prognostic categories: low-risk group (41%) with no adverse factors, intermediate-risk group (34%) with one adverse factor, and high-risk group (25%) with 2 or 3 adverse factors. The 5-year CSS rate was 88% for the low-risk group, 73% for the intermediate-risk group, and 50% for the high-risk group. The cause-specific mortality rate (x 1000 person-years) was 20 for the low-risk group, 47 for the intermediate-risk group, and 174 for the high-risk group. This latter group accounted for 54% of all lymphoma-related deaths. In conclusion, with the use of readily available factors, this prognostic index may be an effective tool for evaluating the need for treatment and the intensity of therapy in an individual patient.

Immunochemotherapy with rituximab, vincristine and 5-day cyclophosphamide for heavily pretreated follicular lymphoma.

PURPOSE: Therapeutic options for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma include combination chemotherapy, immunotherapy and, for selected patients, autotransplant. Because of the different mechanisms of action and non-overlapping toxicities, combination of rituximab with chemotherapy is a rational approach. METHODS: 30 patients with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with advanced-stage disease were treated with four cycles of immunochemotherapy with rituximab 375 mg/m2 on day 1, vincristine 2 mg i.v. on day 2 and cyclophosphamide 400 mg/m2 i.v. from days 2 to 6, repeated at 3-week intervals. All patients had received multiple lines of therapy (median 3); 9 (30%) had relapses (2 after high-dose therapy with autologous transplant), and 21 (70%) were in relapse and refractory to salvage treatment (with an anthracycline-containing regimen in 19). RESULTS: Of 29 patients evaluable for response, 16 (55 %) obtained a complete response (CR) and 3 (10%) a partial response (PR), with an overall response rate of 65% (19/29); 10 patients (35%) achieved less than PR. The median event-free survival was 16.1 months for all patients, being 22.8 months for responders. After a median follow-up of 2 years from the start of therapy (range 6 months to 3.8 years), of 16 patients who achieved CR, 10 remain free of disease. CONCLUSION: The combination of rituximab with vincristine and 5-day cyclophosphamide is able to produce CR in patients with advanced follicular lymphoma, even in patients resistant to third-generation regimens. The regimen designed on the basis of pharmacokinetics of the chimeric antibody seemed important for the clinical efficacy of the combination.

Splenic and nodal marginal zone lymphomas are indolent disorders at high hepatitis C virus seroprevalence with distinct presenting features but similar morphologic and phenotypic profiles.

BACKGROUND: Splenic and nodal marginal zone lymphomas (MZL) are subtypes of marginal zone-derived neoplasms. Due to their rarity, little is known concerning their relation, pattern of dissemination, and treatment outcome. METHODS: The authors analyzed the clinicopathologic features and outcome of 43 patients (34 patients with splenic MZL and 9 patients with nodal MZL). All lesional tissues obtained at diagnosis were reviewed histologically. RESULTS: Among the patients with splenic MZL, 30 patients had Stage IV disease (based on the Ann Arbor staging system). Twenty-six patients presented with splenomegaly with or without limited involvement of abdominal lymph nodes, whereas 7 patients showed disease extension to superficial lymph nodes. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) serology was positive in 35% of patients. Seventeen patients underwent splenectomy, 8 patients received chemotherapy, and 7 patients were followed without initial treatment. Interferon produced a lymphoma response in three of four HCV positive patients. Of 27 treated patients, 13 patients achieved a complete response, and 12 patients achieved a partial response. The median event-free survival (EFS) was 3.3 years (5.1 years for patients with disease confined to the abdomen and 2.1 years for patients with disease extension to superficial lymph nodes). Among nine patients with nodal MZL, four patients had Stage IV disease. HCV serology was positive in two patients. Five patients responded to chemotherapy. The median EFS was 2.8 years. The median overall survival was not reached for patients with both types of MZL. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study demonstrated that splenic and nodal MZL are indolent lymphomas with different presenting features but common morphologic and biologic characteristics, including high HCV seroprevalence. Studies will be required to identify specific biologic markers and to define the best treatment.