Performance of serum procalcitonin as a biochemical predictor of death in hematology patients with febrile neutropenia.

INTRODUCTION: Historically, the measurement of serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels in patients with leukopenia has been rejected without sufficient prospective evidence to justify this argument. On the other hand, the accumulated use of broad spectrum antibiotics in these patients and their consequences make the use of PCT attractive in an effort to reduce its use. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective study between 2016 and 2018, recruiting newly diagnosed FN patients, evaluating them with PCT levels during the first 24 h. After this we evaluate them with overall survival throughout the follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 81 episodes of FN in 72 patients were included. We report a mortality of 27.2% in our cohort. The mean serum PCT in these patients was 4.01 ng/mL compared to 0.42 ng/mL in the survivors group (p < 0.01). Using ROC curves, we determined a cut-off point to predict septic shock/death at 0.46 ng/mL. Patients with a procalcitonin >0.46 ng/mL had an increased risk of death, with a HR of 4.43, (p = 0.048). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, in our trial a single PCT on admission at a cut-off value of 0.46 ng/mL was able to predict the occurrence of septic shock and death in FN patients.

Reduced-dose plerixafor as a mobilization strategy in autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation: a proof of concept study.

BACKGROUND: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is an effective treatment for patients with relapsing myeloma or lymphoma, diseases associated with unsuccessful peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection. Plerixafor is a potent mobilizing agent, allowing more CD34+ cells to be obtained; however, the main obstacle for its use is its high cost. Our aim was to demonstrate that of the use of reduced doses of plerixafor (RD-plerixafor) can be sufficient to collect at least 2 × 106 /Kg CD34+ PBSC in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) or lymphoma undergoing ASCT. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty patients were mobilized with filgrastim (10 µg/kg/4 days) plus a single dose of plerixafor 0.12 mg/kg in Day 4. Apheresis collection was performed on Day 5. One vial of plerixafor was used for two patients. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03244930. RESULTS: Cell mobilization and collection was successful in 85% of patients (≥2 × 106 CD34+ cells per kilogram). The median collected CD34+ cell count was 4.62 × 106 /kg (range, 1.27-24.5). A 4.1-fold-increase in the median CD34+ PBSC pre-count was observed (from 10.4/µl to 42.4/µl) after RD-plerixafor administration. Seven patients had mild to moderate adverse events. CONCLUSION: RD-plerixafor is an effective, safe, and affordable strategy to ensure adequate PBSC mobilization in patients with MM or lymphoma who undergo ASCT.

Alemtuzumab for the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease.

The treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) remains a clinical challenge, for which no standard therapy exists. Alemtuzumab is a humanized anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody (mAb) that has been successfully used as part of conditioning regimens for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to prevent GVHD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of alemtuzumab in treating steroid-refractory aGVHD (>or=grade II) following HSCT. Eighteen patients received subcutaneous alemtuzumab 10 mg daily on 5 consecutive days. Response was assessed at day 28 following initiation of alemtuzumab. Eight patients had grade II aGVHD, 8 had grade III, and 2 had grade IV. The main organ involved was the liver in 4 patients, gastrointestinal (GI) tract in 5, skin in 3, skin and liver in 3, and skin and GI tract in 3. Fifteen patients (83%) responded to alemtuzumab, including 6 (33%) with complete response. All 3 unresponsive patients died of GVHD. Ten of 15 responders are alive at median follow-up of 11 months (range: 3-24). Infections occurred in 14 patients, including cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in 11. Grade 3 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 6 and 4 patients, respectively. Alemtuzumab was well tolerated, and induces promising response rates in steroid-refractory aGVHD.

[Eight years using the "Mexican method" for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants]. / Ocho años de experiencia con el "Método Mexicano" en la realización de trasplantes de células hematopoyéticas alogénicas.

In the past eight years, in Mexico and in other developing countries, over 350 patients have undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants using a non-myeloablative conditioning regimen developed in Mexico and based on international standards. The so called "Mexican method" to conduct allogeneic stem cell transplants is endowed with certain advantages which make it affordable and in turn, available to individuals living in resource-poor countries. The best results using this method have been observed among patients with stage 1 chronic myelogenous leukemia and aplastic anemia. The less favourable results have been observed among patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia; mild to moderate results have been reported among patients with acute myelogenous leukemia. The "Mexican method" to conduct hematopoietic cells allografting has resulted not only in turning this method accessible to patients in developing countries, but also it has witnessed an increase in the academic activities of physicians from these countries involved in the field.

[Is it possible to cure a patient with mycosis fungoides? A case report]. / Es posible curar a un paciente con micosis fungoides? Informe de un caso.

Sezary syndrome (SS) and mycosis fungoides (MF) are a group of non Hodgkin lymphomas that originate from T-lymphocytes and involve mostly the skin. These entities are generally non treatable and patient prognosis remains poor even with the advent of current treatment schedules. Complete remissions are seldom observed. For this reason, bone marrow transplant has been used as a treatment option. The high mortality associated with this procedure has turned reduced intensity conditioning stem cell transplant into a treatment option. This case study illustrates how stem cell transplant offers complete remission of this type of lymphomas.