First-line R-CVP versus R-CHOP induction immunochemotherapy for indolent lymphoma with rituximab maintenance. A multicentre, phase III randomized study by the Polish Lymphoma Research Group PLRG4.

R-CVP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone) and R-CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone + rituximab) are immunochemotherapy regimens frequently used for remission induction of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas (iNHLs). Rituximab maintenance (RM) significantly improves progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with complete/partial remission (CR/PR). Here we report the final results of a randomized study comparing R-CVP to R-CHOP both followed by RM. Untreated patients in need of systemic therapy with symptomatic and progressive iNHLs including follicular (FL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), small lymphocytic (SLL), and lymphoplasmacytic (LPL) lymphoma were eligible. Patients were randomized to receive R-CVP or R-CHOP for eight cycles or until complete response (CR). All patients with CR/PR (partial response) received RM 375 mg/m2 q 2 months for 12 cycles. Primary endpoint was event-free survival (EFS). Two-hundred and fifty patients [FL 42%, MZL/MALT 38%, LPL/ Waldenström Macroglobulinaemia (WM) 11%, SLL 9%] were enrolled and randomized (R-CHOP: 127, R-CVP: 123). Median age was 56 years (21-85), 44% were male, 90% were in stage III-IV, 43% of FL patients had a Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) score ≥3, and 33·4% of all patients had an IPI score ≥3. At the end of induction treatment, the CR/PR rate was 43·6/50·9% and 36·3/60·8% in the R-CHOP and R-CVP groups (P = 0·218) respectively. After a median follow-up of 67, 66, and 70 months, five-year EFS was 61% vs. 56% (not significant), progression-free survival (PFS) was 71% vs. 69% (not significant) and overall survival (OS) was 84% vs. 89% in the R-CHOP vs. the R-CVP arm respectively. Grade III/IV adverse events (65 vs. 22) occurred in 40 (33·1%) and 18 (15·3%) patients, P = 0·001; neutropenia in 16 (11·6%) and 4 (3·4%) patients, P = 0·017; infection in 14 (10·7%) and 3 (2·5%) patients,; P = 0·011; and a second neoplasm in three versus seven patients., in the R-CHOP and the R-CVP groups respectively. This multicentre randomized study with >five-year follow-up shows similar outcome in patients with indolent lymphoma in need of systemic therapy treated with R-CVP or R-CHOP immunochemotherapy and rituximab maintenance in both arms. The minor toxicity of the R-CVP regimen makes it a reasonable choice for induction treatment, leaving other active agents like doxorubicin or bendamustin for second-line therapy.

Safety and outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation in myelofibrosis.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the safety and outcome of allo-HSCTs in myelofibrosis (MF). METHODS: A total of 27 patients with primary (n = 20) or secondary (n = 7) MF, aged 51 (21-63) yr, transplanted from HLA-matched related (59%) or unrelated (41%) donors were analyzed. Conditioning was reduced in 26 and myeloablative in one patient; and ATG was used in 25. Sources of stem cells were as follows: peripheral blood (21), bone marrow (4) or both (2). RESULTS: Prognostic factors that adversely affected overall survival (OS) in the multivariate analysis were as follows: recipient age >45 yr (HR = 10.55, P = 0.025) and unrelated donor (HR=3.73, P = 0.026). Post-transplant transfusion dependence adversely affected OS in the univariate analysis: dependence from either both RBCs and platelets (HR = 33.26, P = 0.001) or from either of them (HR = 10.53, P = 0.043). Of 16 JAK2V617F-positive patients evaluated post-transplant, it was eradicated in 69% and decreased in 25%. Acute GVHD III-IV developed in 19% and extensive chronic GVHD in 26% of patients; the relapse in four patients was treated with second allo-HSCT. Spleen decreased in all evaluated patients (n = 24). Fibrotic changes improved or disappeared in 80% of evaluated patients (n = 10). CONCLUSIONS: Allo-HSCT may prolong survival, provide disease regression and improve quality of life in MF, especially in patients ≤ 45 yr transplanted from matched related donors. Achieving transfusion independence post-transplant indicates the favorable outcome.

Could Obesity Be Related to the Increasing Incidence of Warthin Tumors?

Background: The number of patients diagnosed with Warthin tumors (WTs) has increased significantly in recent years. The association of obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI) with the incidence of WTs remains unclear. This retrospective study aims to compare the BMI and other clinical factors of patients diagnosed with WTs to those with other benign epithelial parotid gland tumors. Methods: Over a 24-year period, 465 cases of benign epithelial parotid gland tumors were treated in our department. Of these, 155 (33.3%) were diagnosed as WTs. The results of the WT group were compared with those of another benign epithelial parotid gland tumor. Results: The mean BMI of WT patients was 27.3, which was significantly higher than in other benign tumors (25.52; p < 0.001). Furthermore, statistically significant correlations were observed, including a higher incidence of WT in males (p < 0.001), in the elderly (p < 0.001), and in cigarette smokers (p < 0.001). Additionally, a higher prevalence of other head and neck cancers was confirmed in patients with WTs (p = 0.004); Conclusions: This study supports the multifactorial etiology of WT development. Among these factors, smoking, advanced age, and obesity have been identified as factors associated with the development of WT, which might be due to chronic inflammation linked to obesity.

T-cell abnormalities are present at high frequencies in patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: A T-cell clone, thought to be the source of eosinophilopoietic cytokines, identified by clonal rearrangement of the T-cell receptor and by the presence of aberrant T-cell immunophenotype in peripheral blood defines lymphocytic variant of hypereosinophilic syndrome (L-HES). DESIGN AND METHODS: Peripheral blood samples from 42 patients who satisfied the diagnostic criteria for HES were studied for T-cell receptor clonal rearrangement by polymerase chain reaction according to BIOMED-2. The T-cell immunophenotype population was assessed in peripheral blood by flow cytometry. The FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion gene was detected by nested polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Forty-two HES patients (18 males and 24 females) with a median age at diagnosis of 56 years (range 17-84) were examined in this study. Their median white blood cell count was 12.9 x 10(9)/L (range 5.3-121), with an absolute eosinophil count of 4.5 x 10(9)/L (range 1.5-99) and a median eosinophilic bone marrow infiltration of 30% (range 11-64). Among the 42 patients, clonal T-cell receptor rearrangements were detected in 18 patients (42.8%). Patients with T-cell receptor clonality included: T-cell receptor beta in 15 patients (35%), T-cell receptor gamma in 9 (21%) and T-cell receptor delta in 9 (21%) patients, respectively. Clonality was detected in all three T-cell receptor loci in 4 cases, in two loci in 7 patients and in one T-cell receptor locus in the remaining 7 patients. The FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion transcript was absent in all but 2 patients with T-cell receptor clonality. Three patients out of 42 revealed an aberrant T-cell immunophenotype. In some patients, an abnormal CD4:CD8 ratio was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: T-cell abnormalities are present at high frequencies in patients with HES.

The JAK2V617F tyrosine kinase mutation has no impact on overall survival and the risk of leukemic transformation in myelofibrosis.

The prevalence of JAK2V617F tyrosine kinase mutation differs between various variants of myelofibrosis with the higher detection rate for patients with post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis (post-PV MF; 91%) if compared to primary myelofibrosis (PMF; 45%) and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (post-ET MF; 39%). The impact of V617F point mutation and its allele burden on overall survival (OS) and the risk of leukemic transformation (LT) has been the subject of several studies, but the results were ambiguous. Our study included 77 patients with the following variants: 42 patients with PMF (55%), 16 with post-ET MF (21%) and 19 with post-PV MF (24%). Median age at diagnosis for the entire cohort was 61 years (range 19-81), with 53% of female. A total of 42 patients were JAK2V617F positive, giving an overall frequency of 55%; the median allele burden was 22% (range 2-96%). The JAK2V617F point mutation was detected in 21 patients with PMF (50%), 14 with post-PV MF (88%) and 7 with post-ET MF (37%). Lower JAK2V617F allele burden was more frequently detected in PMF patients, whereas higher allele burden was predominantly seen in post-PV/ET MF group. There was no significant difference between V617F-positive and V617F-negative patients in terms of studied parameters in PMF as well as in post-PV/ET MF subgroup. No significant difference was also demonstrated when the above-mentioned subpopulations were analyzed according to JAK2V617F allele burden, except higher leukocyte count in post-PV/ET MF patients with higher allele burden (14.3×10(9)/L vs. 6.2×10(9)/L; p=.03). Median follow-ups for V617F-positive and V617F-negative patients were 16.6 months (range 3.6-206.4) and 36.4 months (range 2.5-142.1), respectively. The presence of JAK2V617F mutation did not affect OS and the risk of LT development.

Irreversible marrow aplasia after single course of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine for hairy cell leukaemia preceding by A pandemic 2009-H1N1-associated pneumonia.

Hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) is a rare, indolent lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by varying degrees of cytopenias and the presence of malignant B cells with cytoplasmic projections. Cladribine (2-chlorodeoxyadenosine, 2-CdA) is an adenosine deaminase-resistant purine analogue and has been shown to be very effective as a first-line therapeutic option for HCL. The therapy with 2-CdA is found to be well tolerated with a paucity of toxicity. The common side effects include immunosuppression and reversible myelosuppression. We report a HCL patient with A pandemic 2009-H1N1-associated pneumonia who fully recovered after oseltamivir and antibiotics. The subsequent treatment with single 5-day course of 2-CdA resulted in persistent marrow aplasia with fatal systemic aspergillosis.