Serum CA 125 as a prognostic factor in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) is a glycoprotein expressed in normal tissues originally derived from coelomic epithelia such as peritoneum, pleura, pericardium, fallopian tubes and endometrium. Serum CA 125 levels are elevated in various benign and malignant conditions that involve stimulation of these tissues. Although elevated levels have been reported in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), its role as a prognostic factor remained uncertain. In this study, serum CA 125 levels were measured prospectively in 108 consecutive patients with NHL: at diagnosis in 106, in remission in 39 and at relapse in 7. Levels were elevated in 43% at diagnosis. This finding was associated with advanced disease stage, bulky tumors, bone marrow involvement, extranodal disease (in stages III and IV), occurrence of B symptoms, pleural or peritoneal effusions, high serum LDH levels, high serum beta2 microglobulin (beta2-M) levels, elevated International Prognostic Score, poor performance status and partial or no response to treatment. No difference in CA 125 level was found between the indolent and aggressive lymphomas. Serum CA 125 levels at diagnosis had strong association with event-free and overall survival (p = 0.01 and 0.003, respectively), with the patients with increased levels having worse survival. Patients with high CA 125 levels at diagnosis who achieved remission showed a significant decrease in CA 125 levels in remission. In conclusion, CA 125 is not only a reliable marker for staging and assessing tumor activity in NHL, elevated levels are also predictive of decreased survival.

Antiphospholipid antibodies may be a new prognostic parameter in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with malignancies have an increased prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of IgG, IgM, and IgA anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and anti-beta-2 glycoprotein I antibodies (anti-beta2-GPI) in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and to investigate their clinical and prognostic significance. METHODS: The study group included 86 patients with NHL. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to measure the concentrations of aCL and anti-beta2-GPI, and coagulation tests, to measure lupus anticoagulant (LAC) activity. Blood was collected at diagnosis in all patients and at follow-up in 15. Median follow-up time was 1.9 yr. RESULTS: Elevated APA levels were found in 35 patients (41%) at diagnosis: one patient aCL IgG, five patients aCL IgM, five aCL IgA, one anti-beta2-GPI IgG, 14 anti-beta2-GPI IgM, and 19 anti-beta2-GPI IgA; LAC activity was found in three of 67 patients (4.5%). There was no significant correlation between elevated APA levels and patient's age or sex, disease stage or grade, bone marrow involvement, B symptoms, serum lactate dehydrogenase levels, serum beta2 microglobulin levels, International Prognostic Index (IPI) score, performance status, type of treatment, or response to treatment. There was a correlation between elevated APA and absence of extranodal disease (P = 0.045). A strong negative correlation was found between elevated APA at diagnosis and survival time. Two-year survival was 90 +/- 5% for patients without APA at diagnosis compared with 63 +/- 11% for patients with an elevated APA levels (P = 0.0025). APA added to the predictive value of IPI for event-free and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: APA are elevated in 41% of NHL patients at diagnosis and are correlated with shortened survival. Their level may serve as an independent prognostic variable in aggressive NHL.

Clinical severe hepatic venoocclusive disease during induction treatment of acute monoblastic leukemia managed with defibrotide.

Hepatic venoocclusive disease (VOD) is the most common complication of cytoreductive therapy used for stem cell transplantation, but it is rarely encountered during induction treatment of acute leukemia. We describe a patient in whom severe clinical VOD developed shortly after induction treatment for acute monoblastic leukemia. Administration of intravenous defibrotide for 19 days induced complete resolution of the VOD. Further consolidation treatment was resumed including high-dose cytosine arabinoside without further complications.