Response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in multiple myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.

Multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients have increased morbidity and mortality rates of COVID-19 due to immunosuppression associated with the disease and ongoing therapy. The same immune impairment accompanying CLL and MM also affects suboptimal vaccine response. The study assessed the effectiveness of the humoral and T cell-mediated immunity following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (using either BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273) in short-term (2-5 weeks after second dose) and long-term follow-up (12 weeks after vaccination). Between March and August 2021, blood samples were obtained from 62 CLL and 60 MM patients from eight different hematology departments in Poland. Total anti-RBD antibodies were detected in 37% MM patients before vaccination, increased to 91% and 94% in short- and long-term follow-up, respectively. In CLL, serological responses were detectable in 21% of patients before vaccination and increased to 45% in the short-term and 71% in long-term observation. We detected a tendency to higher frequencies of specific CD8+ T cells against SARS-CoV-2 after vaccination compared to samples before vaccination in MM patients and no changes in frequencies of specific T cells in CLL patients. Our study provides novel insights into mRNA vaccination efficacy in immunocompromised MM and CLL patients, and our findings highlight that specific CD8+ T cells against SARS-CoV-2 might be induced by vaccination but do not correlate positively with serological responses.

Identification of miRSNPs associated with the risk of multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of plasma cells usually infiltrating the bone marrow, associated with the production of a monoclonal immunoglobulin (M protein) which can be detected in the blood and/or urine. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that genetic factors are involved in MM pathogenesis, and several studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the susceptibility to the disease. SNPs within miRNA-binding sites in target genes (miRSNPs) may alter the strength of miRNA-mRNA interactions, thus deregulating protein expression. MiRSNPs are known to be associated with risk of various types of cancer, but they have never been investigated in MM. We performed an in silico genome-wide search for miRSNPs predicted to alter binding of miRNAs to their target sequences. We selected 12 miRSNPs and tested their association with MM risk. Our study population consisted of 1,832 controls and 2,894 MM cases recruited from seven European countries and Israel in the context of the IMMEnSE (International Multiple Myeloma rESEarch) consortium. In this population two SNPs showed an association with p < 0.05: rs286595 (located in gene MRLP22) and rs14191881 (located in gene TCF19). Results from IMMEnSE were meta-analyzed with data from a previously published genome-wide association study (GWAS). The SNPs rs13409 (located in the 3'UTR of the POU5F1 gene), rs1419881 (TCF19), rs1049633, rs1049623 (both in DDR1) showed significant associations with MM risk. In conclusion, we sought to identify genetic polymorphisms associated with MM risk starting from genome-wide prediction of miRSNPs. For some mirSNPs, we have shown promising associations with MM risk.

The role of FDG-PET in Hodgkin lymphoma.

18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is currently the most valuable imaging technique in Hodgkin lymphoma. Since its first use in lymphomas in the 1990s, it has become the gold standard in the staging and end-of-treatment remission assessment in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. The possibility of using early (interim) PET during first-line therapy to evaluate chemosensitivity and thus personalize treatment at this stage holds great promise, and much attention is now being directed toward this goal. With high probability, it is believed that in the near future, the result of interim PET-CT would serve as a compass to optimize treatment. Also the role of PET in pre-transplant assessment is currently evolving. Much controversy surrounds the possibility of detecting relapse after completed treatment with the use of PET in surveillance in the absence of symptoms suggestive of recurrence and the results of published studies are rather discouraging because of low positive predictive value. This review presents current knowledge about the role of 18-FDG-PET/CT imaging at each point of management of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

A hybrid protocol CLAG-M, a possible player for the first-line therapy of patients with mixed phenotype acute leukemia. A Polish Adult Leukemia Group experience.

Introduction: Mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) is a rare disease with poor prognosis. So far, no standard approach has been established as the "know-how" of MPAL is based only on retrospective analyses performed on small groups of patients. Materials and methods: In this study, a retrospective analysis of the outcomes of adult MPAL patients included in the PALG registry between 2005 and 2024 who received the CLAG-M hybrid protocol as induction or salvage therapy was performed. Results: Sixteen of 98 MPAL patients received CLAG-M: eight as first-line and eight as salvage therapy. In the first line, two patients achieved partial response (PR), and six achieved complete remission (CR), of whom four successfully underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). Two patients who did not undergo alloHSCT promptly relapsed. Within the whole group, the overall response rate (ORR) was 75% (n = 12/16). With the median follow-up of 13 months, six out of eight patients remain in CR, however, two of them died due to acute graft versus host disease. Out of eight patients who received CLAG-M in the second line, four patients (50%) obtained CR. AlloHSCT was conducted in seven cases, six of which were in CR. Only two patients remained in CR at the time of the last follow-up. Tolerance to treatment was good. The median times for severe neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were 22 days (range, 16-24) and 17 days (range, 12-24), respectively. Overall, grade 3-4 infections were observed in 12 cases, and all infections presented successful outcomes. Conclusions: CLAG-M is an effective first-line salvage regimen for MPAL with an acceptable safety profile. Early achievement of CR with prompt alloHSCT allows for satisfactory disease control.

Costs of plasmocytic myeloma therapy in the drug programme at a Regional Oncology Centre in Poland.

INTRODUCTION: The rapidly growing market for drugs, including oncology and haemato-oncology drugs, is generating enormous financial expenditure for healthcare systems. In Poland, access to high-cost treatments is possible mainly within drug programmes, funded by public healthcare systems. The path of proceeding adopted in Polish regulations is similar to the solutions adopted in other countries. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the actual costs incurred by the treatment entity in the process of treating patients under the drug programme at the Regional Oncology Centre in Olsztyn, north-east Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The oncology drug programme B.54 'Treatment of patients with refractory or malignant plasmocytic myeloma' implemented at the Regional Oncology Centre in Poland between 2018-2021, was selected for the analysis. The choice of the B.54 programme was based on the small population of patients meeting the inclusion criteria for this programme, and the large number of diagnostic procedures stipulated in the drug programme description. On average, 25 patients were treated per year. The financial analysis used the financial categories related to hospital billing information. The costs were presented based on the purchasing power parity of money in 2021, i.e. 1 USD-inter is equivalent to 1.837 PLN. RESULTS: The flat rate form of financing medical services does not cover the actual costs of treatment. Providing patients with necessary medical services without their full coverage by the public payer, burdens the budget of the centre and may lead to indebtedness of the treatment entity. CONCLUSIONS: Without an increase in the valuation of benefits under drug programmes, corresponding to the actual costs of treatment, the expected increase in access to innovative therapies will be difficult to accomplish.

The Real-World Evidence on the Fragility and Its Impact on the Choice of Treatment Regimen in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Multiple Myeloma over 75 Years of Age.

Fragility scales are intended to help in therapeutic decisions. Here, we asked if the fragility assessment in MM patients ≥ 75 years old qualified for treatment by the local physician correlates with the choice of treatment: a two- or three-drug regimens. Between 7/2018 and 12/2019, we prospectively enrolled 197 MM patients at the start of treatment from the 13 Polish Myeloma Group centers. The data to assess fragility were prospectively collected, but centrally assessed fragility was not disclosed to the local center. The activity of daily living (ADL) could be assessed in 192 (97.5%) and was independent in 158 (80.2%), moderately impaired in 23 (11.7%), and 11 (5.6%) in completely dependent. Patients with more than three comorbidities made up 26.9% (53 patients). Thus, according to the Palumbo calculator, 43 patients were in the intermediate fitness group (21.8%), and the rest belonged to the frailty group (153, 77.7%). Overall, 79.7% of patients (157) received three-drug regimens and 20.3% (40) received two-drug regimens. In each ECOG group, more than three out of four patients received three-drug regimens. According to the ADL scale, 82.3% of the independent 65.2% of moderately impaired, and 81.8% of the dependent received three-drug regimens. Out of 53 patients with at least four comorbidities, 71.7% received three-drug regimens, and the rest received two-drug regimens. Thirty-four patients from the intermediate fit group (79.0%), and 123 (79.9%) from the frail group received three-drug regimens. Early mortality occurred in 25 patients (12.7%). No one discontinued treatment due to toxicity. To conclude, MM patients over 75 are mainly treated with triple-drug regimens, not only in reduced doses, regardless of their frailty scores. However, the absence of prospective fragility assessment did not negatively affect early mortality and the number of treatment discontinuations, which brings into question the clinical utility of current fragility scales in everyday practice.

The Nephrotoxicity of Drugs Used in Causal Oncological Therapies.

In recent years, a dynamic development of oncology has been observed, resulting from the increasingly frequent occurrence of neoplasms and therefore, increasing population of patients. The most effective form of therapy for cancer patients is complex multidisciplinary specialized disease management, including nephro-oncology care. Different forms of renal function impairment are frequently diagnosed in cancer patients. They are caused by different co-morbidities existing before starting the oncologic treatment as well as the direct undesirable effects of this therapy which may cause temporary or irreversible damage of the urinary system-especially kidneys. According to different therapeutic programs, in such cases the degree of renal damage is often crucial for the possibility of further anti-cancer treatment. Medical personnel responsible for delivering care to oncology patients should be properly educated on current methods of prevention and treatment of renal complications resulting from anti-cancer therapy. The development of oncologic medicines design, including especially immuno-oncological agents, obliges us to learn new patomechanisms determining potential adverse effects, including renal complications. This publication is focused on the most important undesirable nephrotoxic effects of the frequently used anti-cancer drugs.

Low serum albumin level deteriorates prognosis in azacitidine-treated myelodysplastic syndromes patients - results of the PALG study 'PolAZA'.

BACKGROUND: Azacitidine (AZA) is the standard of care for higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS) patients ineligible for intensive therapy. Clinical outcome discrepancies reported in clinical trials and real-life settings stimulate the search for new prognostic factors. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 315 MDS, 20-30% blast acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) patients treated with azacitidine in 12 centers cooperating within the Polish Adult Leukemia Group (PALG). RESULTS: The median number of AZA cycles was 7 (1-69) and 24% patients received fewer than 4 cycles (early failure, EF). Serum albumin level was an independent predictor of EF occurrence. Complete remission (CR) was obtained in 20% and partial remission (PR) in 12% of patients. Hematologic improvement - erythroid (HI-E), neutrophil (HI-N), or platelet (HI-P) was achieved in 51%, 36%, and 48% of patients, respectively. No factors significantly predicted CR or PR in the multivariate analysis. For HI-E and HI-P, lower LDH level predicted response. Median survival was 15 (13-19) months. Lower serum albumin level, serious infection and receiving <4 AZA cycles independently predicted a worse overall survival (OS) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Serum albumin assessment before azacitidine treatment can help to identify patients with higher risk of early failure and worse clinical outcome.

Mean Platelet Volume Has Prognostic Value in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

PURPOSE: Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a readily accessible and commonly tested hematological indicator. Recent studies revealed a significant impact of MPV on the course and prognosis of many diseases, including some types of cancer, as well as on the incidence of atrial fibrillation and bleeding. The study aimed to perform a retrospective analysis of MPV in terms of time to first treatment (TTFT) and to determine its prognostic value in the group of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Moreover, the study includes a retrospective analysis of platelet parameters in patients treated with ibrutinib concerning bleeding and atrial fibrillation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 523 patients with CLL, for 344 the most important cytogenetic aberrations were reported. The Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, Kaplan-Meier, chi-squared, log­rank tests and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model were used to analyze collected data. RESULTS: The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify optimal cut-off value for MPV. The analysis of survival curves showed that in the group of patients with higher values of MPV TTFT was significantly longer than in the group with lower MPV (17.9 vs 36 months, p=0.0015, cut-off value for MPV= 10.4 fl). In multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model low MPV, the presence of del11q and del13q provided independent prognostic value for TTFT (HR=0.69, 95%-CI, 0.5293 to 0.9081; p=0.0078; HR=1.76, 95%-CI, 1.3000 to 2.3882, p=0.0003, HR=0.74, 95%-Cl, 0.5674 to 0.9588, p=0.0229, respectively). In the group treated with ibrutinib, 59 patients had no significant correlation between MPV level and the incidence of therapy complications, although in the group of patients with low MPV there was a tendency for more frequent occurrence of atrial fibrillation (p=0.259). CONCLUSION: Low MPV values are associated with unfavorable prognosis and might represent a novel, independent prognostic factor in CLL.

Long-term Efficacy of Ibrutinib in Relapsed or Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Results of the Polish Adult Leukemia Study Group Observational Study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To study the long-term clinical efficacy and tolerability of ibrutinib monotherapy in real-world relapsed and refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (RR-CLL) patients outside clinical trials. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical data of 171 RR-CLL patients treated with ibrutinib were collected within the observational study of the Polish Adult Leukemia Study Group. RESULTS: Median patient age was 64 years. Patients were pretreated with 3 (1-10) median lines of therapy, while 42 (24.6%) had 17p deletion. The median observation time was 40 months (range=1-59 months), while median ibrutinib monotherapy reached 37.5 months (range=0.4-59.2 months). Response was noted in 132 (77.2%) patients. The estimated 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 61.1% (95%CI=49.3-70.9%) and 56.8% (95%CI=45.6-66.6%), respectively. At the time of analysis 97 (56.7%) remained under ibrutinib monotherapy. CONCLUSION: Ibrutinib is clinically effective and tolerable as a monotherapy in real-world RR-CLL patients.

[Essential thrombocythemia as critical stroke risk factor--case report]. / Nadplytkowosc samoistna istotnym czynnikiem ryzyka udaru mózgowego--opis przypadku.

One of the haematological causes of stroke is essential thrombocythemia (ET). It is one of the proliferative syndromes of the haematopoietic system. Patients with ET have an increased risk of thrombosis and/or haemorrhage of veins and arteries. The patient aged 58 had a history of two stroke incidents within two month despite the treatment with acenocumarole for chronic atrial fibrillation. The clinical diagnostic procedure revealed an increased platelet count was 668 000/ml, and these cerebrovascular events were the first manifestation of ET Antithrombotic drugs were not effective in the secondary prevention of stroke while antiplatelets prevented this patient from further ischemic events for 12 months.

Detection of splenic tissue by 99mTc-labelled Sn-colloid SPECT/CT scintigraphy.

This paper presents a case of an 80-year-old man with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura after splenectomy performed many years ago, which normalized platelet count, presented with severe thrombocytopenia with no response to treatment. A SPECT/CT study was performed using 99mTc-labelled Sn-colloid. The histology confirmed the presence of splenic tissue in those foci. Spleen examination (SPECT/CT) using 99mTc-labelled Sn-colloid is able to detect splenic tissue and in our opinion is a simpler and less time-consuming procedure than using 99mTc DRBC.

Impedance cardiography in the diagnosis of capillary leak syndrome caused by doxorubicin therapy in a patient with myeloma multiplex.

Cytotoxicity of drugs can be a cause of cardiorespiratory disorders connected with chemotherapy. Doxorubicin is an antibiotic from the group of anthracyclines effective in antineoplastic therapy of solid and hematopoetic tumors. The most common cause of therapy ceasing is its cardiotoxicity. However, a lung injury connected with its cytotoxic activity to pulmonary endothelium (capillary leak syndrome) can be an equally serious complication. In the case presented, rapid, multi-profile diagnostics with the use of impedance cardiography, a modern noninvasive tool of hemodynamic monitoring, led to the recognition and effective treatment of a rare clinical syndrome.