Chronic diarrhoea and ichthyosis vulgaris: a rare presentation of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

A man in his 30s presented with several months of non-bloody diarrhoea and nausea along with conjunctivitis, diffuse ichthyosis and cellulitis in the setting of progressive neck swelling. He was ultimately diagnosed with nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's lymphoma after undergoing a broad infectious, rheumatological and neoplastic workup. This represents a rare presentation of classic Hodgkin's lymphoma and demonstrates the known alteration of cellular immunity in Hodgkin's lymphoma alongside manifestations of the profound inflammatory state associated with the disease. The patient was initiated on chemotherapy and many of his symptoms resolved. Hodgkin's lymphoma may present as a multisystemic cascade of symptoms and should be high on the differential diagnosis for a patient with lymphadenopathy and associated infectious, gastrointestinal and cutaneous symptoms.

Clinical and Radiographic Predictors of Progression and Survival in Relapsed/Refractory Lymphoma Patients Receiving Anti-CD19 CAR T-cell Therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has revolutionized treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell lymphomas, though certain patients do not respond to treatment or relapse afterwards. The purpose of this study is to determine patient variables that are predictive of response to CAR-T therapy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 59 R/R B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients who received anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy. Risk factors for progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were identified and multivariate logistic regression models for PFS and OS at 1 year were created using stepwise selection. The final multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC). RESULTS: At median follow up of 25.6 months, median overall survival was not reached, and median progression free survival was 5.7 months. Stage IV disease (odds ratio (OR) 9.335, P = .025) was identified as a predictive variable for progression at day 365 with an AUC of 0.7922 (P < .001). IPI (OR 2.828, P = .014), ALC ≥ 0.50 at collection (OR 0.183, P = .043), CRP ≥ 11 (OR 6.177, P = .019), and tocilizumab administration (OR 0.062, P = .005) as predictors for death at day 365 with an AUC 0.8626 (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Clinical variables identify R/R lymphoma patients who are at risk for progression and poor overall survival after CAR T-cell therapy. IPI, CRP, ALC, and tocilizumab administration may be predictors of survival.

A multi-center analysis of the impact of DA-EPOCH-R dose-adjustment on clinical outcomes of patients with double/triple-hit lymphoma.

Patients with double- and triple-hit lymphomas (DHL/THL) have inferior outcomes with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP), and higher-intensity regimens such as dose-adjusted (DA)-EPOCH-R are standard. Dose-intensification of DA-EPOCH-R is guided by hematologic toxicity, without conclusive benefit for DHL/THL patients. To determine if cumulative doses of DA-EPOCH-R or compliance with dose adjustment impacts survival, we retrospectively evaluated detailed clinical data from 109 adult (age ≥18 years) patients with DHL/THL treated with ≥4 cycles of induction DA-EPOCH-R from 2014 to 2019 at six centers. A comprehensive multivariate analysis was performed. Survival outcomes for the entire cohort were comparable to historical estimates for DHL/THL treated with this regimen (median follow-up 27.9 months). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were not significantly associated with cumulative chemotherapy dose, dose escalation, or compliance with dose adjustment. Heterogeneous dosing practices were observed. Prospective investigation is warranted to evaluate the practice of dose adjustment of R-EPOCH for patients with DHL/THL.

Treatment of Urothelial Cancer in Elderly Patients: Focus on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Urothelial carcinoma, or bladder cancer, is a malignancy that most commonly affects older patients. The median age at diagnosis is 73 years, and care of these patients requires consideration not just of the disease-related factors such as stage and histology, but also of patient-related factors. Many of these patients have concurrent medical morbidities and additional changes related to the aging process. Older patients with cancer are a unique population requiring additional considerations and assessment in treatment decision-making. It is important to look beyond chronologic age. The traditional treatment for advanced disease has relied on platinum-based chemotherapy. These multi-agent regimens require consideration of baseline organ function as well as competing conditions that may heighten toxicity. The advent of a new class of cancer therapeutics, the immune checkpoint inhibitors, has changed the care of patients with advanced disease considerably. These immunotherapeutics have been approved for treating patients with disease progression on chemotherapy, or those who are ineligible (or unfit) to receive cisplatin-based therapy. This expansion of the population of patients eligible for treatment has great applicability to the unique considerations in an older patient population. In general, these new immunotherapies are well tolerated and effective in this group of patients.