Long non-coding RNA PXN-AS1 promotes glutamine synthetase-mediated chronic myeloid leukemia BCR::ABL1-independent resistance to Imatinib via cell cycle signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a common hematological malignancy, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) represent the primary therapeutic approach for CML. Activation of metabolism signaling pathway has been connected with BCR::ABL1-independent TKIs resistance in CML cells. However, the specific mechanism by which metabolism signaling mediates this drug resistance remains unclear. Here, we identified one relationship between glutamine synthetase (GS) and BCR::ABL1-independent Imatinib resistance in CML cells. METHODS: GS and PXN-AS1 in bone marrow samples of CML patients with Imatinib resistance (IR) were screened and detected by whole transcriptome sequencing. GS expression was upregulated using LVs and blocked using shRNAs respectively, then GS expression, Gln content, and cell cycle progression were respectively tested. The CML IR mice model were established by tail vein injection, prognosis of CML IR mice model were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, the ratio of spleen/body weight, HE staining, and IHC. PXN-AS1 level was blocked using shRNAs, and the effects of PXN-AS1 on CML IR cells in vitro and in vivo were tested the same as GS. Several RNA-RNA tools were used to predict the potential target microRNAs binding to both GS and PXN-AS1. RNA mimics and RNA inhibitors were used to explore the mechanism through which PXN-AS1 regulates miR-635 or miR-635 regulates GS. RESULTS: GS was highly expressed in the bone marrow samples of CML patients with Imatinib resistance. In addition, the lncRNA PXN-AS1 was found to mediate GS expression and disorder cell cycle in CML IR cells via mTOR signaling pathway. PXN-AS1 regulated GS expression by binding to miR-635. Additionally, knockdown of PXN-AS1 attenuated BCR::ABL1-independent Imatinib resistance in CML cells via PXN-AS1/miR-635/GS/Gln/mTOR signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, PXN-AS1 promotes GS-mediated BCR::ABL1-independent Imatinib resistance in CML cells via cell cycle signaling pathway.

Zuberitamab, an innovative anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, for patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia in China: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study.

Background: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease, and rituximab (RTX) induces long-term effect as second-line treatments. Zuberitamab is an innovative anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, which was first developed in China and launched in diffuse large B lymphoma. This study aimed to investigate the safety, efficacy, and anticipated therapeutic dose of zuberitamab in Chinese ITP patients. Methods: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study was conducted at 26 hospitals in China. Eligible patients were aged 18-70 years, had primary immune thrombocytopenia for more than 6 months, and did not respond or relapsed after previous treatment and had a pre-treatment platelet count of <30 × 109/L. Patients randomly received zuberitamab in a dose escalation (100/300/600 mg) or placebo once-weekly for 4 weeks and followed up to 24 weeks. The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients with a platelet count ≥50 × 109/L at week 8. Secondary endpoints include the proportion of patients with platelet counts ≥50 × 109/L or ≥100 × 109/L at least once within week 12/24, the proportion of patients experiencing platelets increased twice more than baseline as well as ≥30 × 109/L at least once during the treatment. Adverse events, pharmacokinetic, B cell depletion and immunogenicity were also assessed. This study is registered with https://www.chictr.org.cn/as ChiCTR2100050513. Findings: From October 2021 to March 2023, 50 patients were screened for eligibility, of whom 32 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to placebo (n = 4), zuberitamab 100 mg (n = 10), 300 mg (n = 8) and 600 mg (n = 10) groups. The primary endpoint (PLT ≥50 × 109/L at week 8) was achieved by 40% of patients in the 100 mg group, while none in the other groups. Within 12 weeks, the proportions of patients in each treatment group achieving at least one instance of platelet count ≥50 × 109/L or ≥100 × 109/L or an increase twice more than baseline as well as ≥30 × 109/L were (70%, 38%, 50%), (60%, 13%, 30%), and (80%, 50%, 70%) in zuberitamab 100/300/600 mg groups, respectively. By week 24, the proportions of patients achieving these secondary endpoints remained relatively stable or showed a mild increase of around 10%. The anticipated therapeutic dose of zuberitamab was 100 mg. The plasma concentration of zuberitamab showed an increasing trend with dose (100 mg-600 mg) and linear pharmacokinetic behavior. CD19+ B cells and CD20+ B lymphocytes rapidly declined to 0% within one week and consistently maintained reduced levels throughout the entire treatment phase in three groups. Adverse events occurred in all patients with most of them were mild to moderate, no severe infections occurred. A slight decrease in immunoglobulins was observed in the 600 mg group, but gradually recovered at week 20. Three patients (2 in 100 mg and 1 in 600 mg group) were tested positive for anti-zuberitamab antibodies. We also observed that women, disease duration <12 months, and MAIPA + patients may have higher response rates. Interpretation: This study preliminarily confirmed that 100 mg zuberitamab was safe and effective in treating ITP and was recommended to support further investigation. Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China and Zhejiang Bioray Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

Oral arsenic plus imatinib versus imatinib solely for newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia: a randomized phase 3 trial with 5-year outcomes.

PURPOSE: The synergistic effects of combining arsenic compounds with imatinib against chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) have been established using in vitro data. We conducted a clinical trial to compare the efficacy of the arsenic realgar-indigo naturalis formula (RIF) plus imatinib with that of imatinib monotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed chronic phase CML (CP-CML). METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial, 191 outpatients with newly diagnosed CP-CML were randomly assigned to receive oral RIF plus imatinib (n = 96) or placebo plus imatinib (n = 95). The primary end point was the major molecular response (MMR) at 6 months. Secondary end points include molecular response 4 (MR4), molecular response 4.5 (MR4.5), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 51 months. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the recruitment to this study had to be terminated early, on May 28, 2020. The rates of MMR had no significant statistical difference between combination and imatinib arms at 6 months and any other time during the trial. MR4 rates were similar in both arms. However, the 12-month cumulative rates of MR4.5 in the combination and imatinib arms were 20.8% and 10.5%, respectively (p = 0.043). In core treatment since the 2-year analysis, the frequency of MR4.5 was 55.6% in the combination arm and 38.6% in the imatinib arm (p = 0.063). PFS and OS were similar at five years. The safety profiles were similar and serious adverse events were uncommon in both groups. CONCLUSION: The results of imatinib plus RIF as a first-line treatment of CP-CML compared with imatinib might be more effective for achieving a deeper molecular response (Chinadrugtrials number, CTR20170221).

Clinical features and prognostic risk prediction of adult hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a 9-year retrospective study.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) has a low incidence and high mortality. In order to improve our understanding of the clinical features and prognostic risk factors of adult HLH, we analyzed the clinical characteristics and prognostic risk factors of adult HLH and developed a prognostic model to predict the overall survival (OS) of adult HLH. The clinical characteristics and survival statistics of adult patients with HLH identified at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between February 2012 and October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed to constitute the primary cohort, while patients between 25 October 2020 and 20 March 2023 were collected at the same institution as a validation cohort for the prospective study. A total of 142 patients met the inclusion criteria, with 72 and 70 in the primary cohort and validation cohort respectively. In the primary cohort, the median OS was 102 days, with 37.5%, 34.5%, and 28.7% 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that age, interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), prothrombin time (PT), and indirect bilirubin (IBiL) were correlated with prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed that IL-10 and PT were independent factors affecting OS in adult patients with HLH. A prognostic model consisting of IL-2R, PT, and IL-10 and a corresponding prognostic nomogram were developed adopting the principle of minimum value of Akaike information criterion(AIC). The model has a high prediction accuracy letter (C-index = 0.708). The AUC values of 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year were 0.826, 0.865, and 0.882, correspondingly. In the validation cohort, all patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups, and the risk of death was significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (p < 0.01). The calibration curve for the model shows that the Nomogram constructed in this study is very reliable to predict the OS of HLH patients. IL-10 and PT have significant prognostic value in adult HLH. The prognostic model and the nomogram built in this study can forecast the OS of adult HLH patients.

Decreased lymphocyte count before conditioning is associated with BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC) is a serious complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). It can cause morbidity and may increase treatment-related mortality. Previous studies showed that the occurrence of BKV-HC was related to various factors. However, there are still many controversial factors. It is not clear whether BKV-HC will affect the long-term prognosis of patients. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify risk factors for BKV-HC after allo-HSCT and evaluate the effect of BKV-HC on overall survival (OS) and progression- free survival (PFS) of patients. STUDY DESIGN: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 93 patients who underwent allo-HSCT. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to identify risk factors for BKV-HC. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate OS and PFS. A difference was considered statistically significant if P < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients developed BKV-HC. The median occurrence time of BKV-HC was 30 (range:8-89) days after transplantation, and the median duration was 25.5 (range:6-50) days. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that peripheral blood lymphocyte count <1 × 109/L before conditioning (OR = 4.705, P = 0.007) and haploidentical transplantation (OR = 13.161, P = 0.018) were independent risk factors for BKV-HC. The 3-year OS rate was 85.9% (95%CI:62.1%-95.2%) in the BKV-HC group and 73.1% (95%CI: 58.2%-88.0%) in the non-BKV-HC group. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.516). The 3-year PFS rate was 76.3% (95%CI: 57.9%-94.7%) in the BKV-HC group and 58.1% (95%CI: 39.5%-76.7%) in the non-BKV-HC group. There was no significant difference in the two groups (P = 0.459). The severity of BKV-HC was not related to the OS and PFS of the patients (P value was 0.816 and 0.501, respectively). CONCLUSION: Haploidentical transplantation and decreased peripheral blood lymphocyte count before conditioning increased the risk of BKV-HC after allo-HSCT. The occurrence of BKV-HC after allo-HSCT and the severity of which did not affect OS and PFS of the patients.

Augmenter of liver regeneration promotes drug resistance of acute lymphoblastic leukemia through the alteration of mitochondrial functions and the inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

BACKGROUND: Acute T lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) occurs in 25% of adults diagnosed with Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), and drug resistance is still a clinical obstacle. Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) is important to ALL drug resistance and is involved in the regulation of mitochondrial function; we speculated that the high expression of ALR in T-ALL promotes drug resistance through the alteration of mitochondrial function and the inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. METHOD: We silenced and overexpressed ALR in the T-ALL cell lines that were untreated or treated with dexamethasone (DXM) or methotrexate (MTX). Apoptosis, proliferation, reactive oxygen species and ATP productions, mitochondrial membrane potential, and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex expression in cells were examined. The data were collated to comprehensively evaluate the effects of ALR expression change on mitochondrial function and drug resistance in T-ALL cells. RESULTS: ALR knockdown led to the inhibition of proliferation, an increase in apoptosis, and the promotion of the cells' sensitivity to drugs. It also showed mitochondrial dysfunction. ALR knockdown actived the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. The treatment of ALR knockdown T-ALL cells with MTX or DXM further altered the mitochondrial function of T-ALL cells and actived the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Overexpression of ALR promoted cell proliferation and drug resistance, reduced apoptosis, protected mitochondrial function, and inhibited the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. CONCLUSION: T-ALL resistance caused by ALR through the alteration of mitochondrial function is associated with the inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

Donor-derived CD19 CAR-T Cells versus Chemotherapy Plus Donor Lymphocyte Infusion for Treatment of Recurrent CD19-positive B-ALL After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) versus chemotherapy plus donor lymphocyte infusion (chemo-DLI) for treating relapsed CD19-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). METHODS: Clinical data of 43 patients with B-ALL who relapsed after allo-HSCT were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty-two patients were treated with CAR-T cells (CAR-T group), and 21 with chemotherapy plus DLI (chemo-DLI group). The complete remission (CR) and minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative CR rates, leukemia-free survival (LFS) rate, overall survival (OS) rate, and incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The CR and MRD-negative CR rates in the CAR-T group (77.3% and 61.5%) were significantly higher than those in the chemo-DLI group (38.1% and 23.8%) (P=0.008 and P=0.003). The 1- and 2-year LFS rates in the CAR-T group were superior to those in the chemo-DLI group: 54.5% and 50.0% vs. 9.5% and 4.8% (P=0.0001 and P=0.00004). The 1- and 2-year OS rates in the CAR-T versus chemo-DLI group were 59.1% and 54.5% vs. 19% and 9.5% (P=0.011 and P=0.003). Six patients (28.6%) with grade 2-4 aGVHD were identified in the chemo-DLI group. Two patients (9.1%) in the CAR-T group developed grade 1-2 aGVHD. Nineteen patients (86.4%) developed CRS in the CAR-T group, comprising grade 1-2 CRS in 13 patients (59.1%) and grade 3 CRS in 6 patients (27.3%). Two patients (9.1%) developed grade 1-2 ICANS. CONCLUSION: Donor-derived anti-CD19 CAR-T-cell therapy may be better, safer, and more effective than chemo-DLI for B-ALL patients who relapse after allo-HSCT.

Structural-Based Stability Enhancement of Antisense DNA Oligonucleotides.

Antisense DNA oligonucleotide (AS) technology is a promising approach to regulate gene expression and cellular processes. For example, ASs can be used to capture the overexpressed, oncogenic miRNAs in tumors to suppress tumor growth. Among many challenges faced by AS approach is the degradation of ASs by nucleases under physiological conditions. Elongating the AS lifespan can substantially enhance the functions of AS. The paper reports a simple strategy to increase the stability of ASs. The authors discover that the ASs degrade quickly if their ends are in unpaired, single-stranded form, but much slower if their ends are in paired duplex form. It is conceivable to integrate this strategy with other strategies (such as chemical modification of ASs backbones) to maximally increase the ASs stabilities.

The hsa-miR-214-3p/ATGL axis regulates aberrant lipolysis to promote acute myeloid leukemia progression via PPARα in vitro.

Aberrant lipid metabolism is a hallmark of malignant cancers. Recent studies have shown that abnormal activation of the lipolysis pathway might contribute to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) progression. However, the molecular mechanism through which lipid metabolism mediates AML progression is unknown. RNA-sequencing was used to screen out the target gene pnpla2/ATGL(adipose triglyceride lipase), which showed differential expression in AML. A comparison was made of ATGL mRNA levels in different AML cell lines by real-time PCR. ATGL expression was blocked using siRNAs, and then ATGL expression, proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression of si-ATGL AML cell lines and si-control AML cell lines were respectively tested. Online tools were used to analyze the potential target microRNAs of ATGL. The mechanism through which hsa-miR-214-3p regulates ATGL was detected by western blotting, proliferation assays, flow cytometry, and dual-luciferase reporter assays. Our results showed that ATGL was overexpressed in AML cell lines. Moreover, ATGL promoted the growth of AML cells. Additionally, hsa-miR-214-3p could suppress ATGL. Finally, we show that hsa-miR-214-3p regulates ATGL through the hsa-miR-214-3p/ATGL/PPARα pathway. This study showed that hsa-miR-214-3p-regulates aberrant lipolysis by promoting ATGL expression, which causes AML progression through the PPARα pathway.

The m6A reader IGF2BP3 promotes acute myeloid leukemia progression by enhancing RCC2 stability.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant posttranscriptional modification of mRNA in eukaryotes. Recent evidence suggests that dysregulated m6A-associated proteins and m6A modifications play a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of diseases such as cancer. Here, we identified that IGF2BP3 is specifically overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a subtype of leukemia associated with poor prognosis and high genetic risk. IGF2BP3 is required for maintaining AML cell survival in an m6A-dependent manner, and knockdown of IGF2BP3 dramatically suppresses the apoptosis, reduces the proliferation, and impairs the leukemic capacity of AML cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, IGF2BP3 interacts with RCC2 mRNA and stabilizes the expression of m6A-modified RNA. Thus, we provided compelling evidence demonstrating that the m6A reader IGF2BP3 contributes to tumorigenesis and poor prognosis in AML and can serve as a target for the development of cancer therapeutics.

Development of a Prognostic Nomogram for Acute Myeloid Leukemia on IGHD Gene Family.

PURPOSE: Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a common haematological disease in adults. The overall survival (OS) remains unsatisfactory. It is critical to identify potential prognostic biomarkers and develop a nomogram that predicts overall survival in patients with AML. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used gene expression dataset and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) to identify differential expression analysis, survival analysis, and prognostic value of IGHD gene family (IGHDs) in AML patients. A risk score model was built through Lasso analysis and multivariate Cox regression. We also developed a nomogram and evaluated its accuracy with Harrell's Harmony Index (C-index) and calibration curve. Last, the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database was used for external validation. RESULTS: IGHD1-20 mRNA expression level was an independent prognostic factor for patients with AML by multivariate analysis. After Lasso analysis and multivariate Cox regression, we constructed a 3-gene model (IGHD1-1, IGHD1-20, IGHD3-16) associated with OS in AML. Risk score and age were validated as independent risk factors for prognosis and were used to build a nomogram. The C index and calibration curve results show that its ability to predict 1-year, 3-year and 5-year overall survival is accurate. CONCLUSION: The mRNA level of IGHDs was increased in AML patients. IGHD1-20 was an independent risk factor for OS in AML patients. The IGHDs risk model (IGHD1-1, IGHD1-20, IGHD3-16) relates to the OS of AML patients. The nomogram, including risk score and age, can conveniently and effectively predict the overall survival rate of patients.

Tandem autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for treatment of adult T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma: a multiple center prospective study in China.

T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) is a highly aggressive form of lymphoma with poor clinical outcomes and lacks of a standard treatment regimen. In this study, we assessed the safety and efficacy of tandem autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) strategy for adult T-LBL and evaluated prognostic factors affecting survival. 181 Newly-diagnosed adult T-LBL patients were enrolled, 89 patients were treated with chemotherapy alone, 46 patients were allocated to single auto-HSCT group, 46 patients were treated with tandem auto-HSCT. The median follow-up time was 37 months, the 3-year progression/relapse rate of the tandem auto-HSCT group was significantly lower than that of the single auto-HSCT group and chemotherapy group (26.5% vs 53.1% and 54.8%). The 3-year PFS and OS rate of the tandem auto-HSCT group (73.5% and 76.3%) were significantly higher than those of the single auto-HSCT group (46.9% and 58.3%) and the chemotherapy group (45.1% and 57.1%). In the tandem auto-HSCT group, age and disease status after the first transplantation impacted the OS and PFS. Multivariate analysis identified that disease status after the first transplantation was the only independent prognostic factor for patients treated with tandem-HSCT. In addition, diagnostic models of the initial CD8+CD28+/CD8+CD28- T cell ratio in predicting the disease status were found to be significant. Taken together, tandem auto-HSCT can be considered an optimal strategy for adult T-LBL patients (ChiCTR-ONN-16008480).

Is It Better to Mobilize Hematopoietic Stem Cells With Pegfilgrastim in Healthy Donors During Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation?

The mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) using granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is a classic method. Recently, a single injection of pegfilgrastim was used to mobilize CD34+ cells in some small-sample studies. To confirm the efficacy and safety of pegfilgrastim in the mobilization of CD34+ cells from healthy donors, we conducted a retrospective multicenter study. A total of 146 healthy donors who all received subcutaneous pegfilgrastim (12 mg) on day 1 were enrolled in our study. Donor HSC apheresis was conducted on day 5. The primary endpoint was the percentage of donors from whom ≥4 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg were collected in a single apheresis session. The median number of CD34+ cells in donors was significantly higher on day 5 than that on day 4 (82.26 µL vs. 51.65 µL, P ¡ 0.001). In 111 of the 146 donors, an optimal number of CD34+ cells (≥4 × 106 kg) were collected in a single apheresis procedure. Bone pain and headache were the main adverse events, but the side effects did not require treatment. The number of white blood cells in most donors dropped to normal levels within 1 week after apheresis. Nearly 97% of patients achieved neutrophil and platelet engraftment. Pegfilgrastim for mobilization could be used to obtain an optimal number of CD34+ cells in a single session. Pegfilgrastim-induced mobilization not only was effective and safe but also avoided the pain of multiple injections and apheresis procedures in donors. However, prospective randomized controlled trials should be conducted in the future.

Clusterization in acute myeloid leukemia based on prognostic alternative splicing signature to reveal the clinical characteristics in the bone marrow microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Alternative splicing (AS), a crucial post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism in expanding the coding capacities of genomes and increasing the diversity of proteins, still faces various challenges in the splicing regulation mechanism of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and microenvironmental changes. RESULTS: A total of 27,833 AS events were detected in 8337 genes in 178 AML patients, with exon skip being the predominant type. Approximately 11% of the AS events were significantly related to prognosis, and the prediction models based on various events demonstrated high classification efficiencies. Splicing factors correlation networks further altered the diversity of AS events through epigenetic regulation and clarified the potential mechanism of the splicing pathway. Unsupervised cluster analysis revealed significant correlations between AS and immune features, molecular mutations, immune checkpoints and clinical outcome. The results suggested that AS clusters could be used to identify patient subgroups with different survival outcomes in AML, among which C1 was both associated with good outcome in overall survival. Interestingly, C1 was associated with lower immune scores compared with C2 and C3, and favorable-risk cytogenetics was rarely distributed in C2, but much more common in C1. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed a comprehensive landscape of AS events, and provides new insight into molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy strategy for AML.

Effect of rhG-CSF Combined With Decitabine Prophylaxis on Relapse of Patients With High-Risk MRD-Negative AML After HSCT: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: Relapse is a major cause of treatment failure after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (HR-AML). The aim of this study was to explore the effect of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) combined with minimal-dose decitabine (Dec) on the prevention of HR-AML relapse after allo-HSCT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a phase II, open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Two hundred four patients with HR-AML who had received allo-HSCT 60-100 days before randomization and who were minimal residual disease negative were randomly assigned 1:1 to either rhG-CSF combined with minimal-dose Dec (G-Dec group: 100 µg/m2 of rhG-CSF on days 0-5 and 5 mg/m2 of Dec on days 1-5) or no intervention (non-G-Dec group). The primary outcome was relapse after transplantation, and the secondary outcomes were chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), safety of the treatment, and survival. RESULTS: The estimated 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse in the G-Dec group was 15.0% (95% CI, 8.0% to 22.1%), compared with 38.3% (95% CI, 28.8% to 47.9%) in the non-G-Dec group (P < .01), with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.32 (95% CI, 0.18 to 0.57; P < .01). There was no statistically significant difference between the G-Dec and non-G-Dec groups in the 2-year cumulative incidence of cGVHD without relapse (23.0% [95% CI, 14.7% to 31.3%] and 21.7% [95% CI, 13.6% to 29.7%], respectively; P = .82), with an HR of 1.07 (95% CI, 0.60 to 1.92; P = .81). After rhG-CSF combined with minimal-dose Dec maintenance, increasing numbers of natural killer, CD8+ T, and regulatory T cells were observed. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that rhG-CSF combined with minimal-dose Dec maintenance after allo-HSCT can reduce the incidence of relapse, accompanied by changes in the number of lymphocyte subtypes.

Overexpression of annexin A5 might guide the gemtuzumab ozogamicin treatment choice in patients with pediatric acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common hematological malignancy. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO), a humanized anti-CD33 antibody conjugated with the potent anti-tumor antibiotic calicheamicin, represents a promising targeted therapy for AML. Annexin A5 (ANXA5) is a proposed marker for the clinical prognosis of AML to guide treatment choice. METHODS: In total, 253 patients with pediatric AML were enrolled and divided into two treatment groups: conventional chemotherapy alone and conventional chemotherapy in combination with GO. Univariate, multivariate, and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were conducted to assess risk factors and clinical outcomes, and to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence interval. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: In the GO treatment group, high ANXA5 expression was considered a favorable prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS). Multivariate analysis showed that high ANXA5 expression was an independent favorable factor for OS (HR = 0.629, p = 0.084) and EFS (HR = 0.544, p = 0.024) distinct from the curative effect of GO treatment. When all patients were again divided into two groups, this time based on the median expression of ANXA5, patients undergoing chemotherapy combined with GO had significantly better OS (p = 0.0012) and EFS (p = 0.0003) in the ANXA5 high-expression group. Gene set enrichment analysis identified a relevant series of pathways associated with glutathione metabolism, leukocyte transendothelial migration, and hematopoietic cell lineage. CONCLUSION: The expression level of ANXA5 can help optimize the treatment regimen for individual patients, and patients with overexpression of ANXA5 may circumvent poor outcomes from chemotherapy combined with GO.

A six-gene-based prognostic model predicts complete remission and overall survival in childhood acute myeloid leukemia.

OBJECTIVE: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant clonal disorder. Despite enormous progress in its diagnosis and treatment, the mortality rate of AML remains high. The aim of this study was to identify prognostic biomarkers by using the gene expression profile dataset from public database, and to improve the risk-stratification criteria of survival for patients with AML. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The gene expression data and clinical parameter were acquired from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatment (TARGET) database. A total of 856 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained from the childhood AML patients classified into first complete remission (CR1) group (n=791) and not CR group (n=249). We performed a series of bioinformatics analysis to screen key genes and pathways, further comprehending these DEGs through Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. RESULTS: Six genes (SLC17A7, MSX2, CDC26, MSLN, CTSZ and DEFA3) identified by univariate, Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to develop the prognostic model. Further analysis showed that the survival estimations in the high-risk group had an increased risk of death compared with the low-risk group based on the model. The area under the curve of the receiver operator characteristic curve in the prognostic model for predicting the overall survival was 0.729, confirming good prognostic model. We also performed a nomogram to provide an individual patient with the overall probability, and internal validation in the TARGET cohort. CONCLUSION: We identified a six-gene prognostic signature for risk-stratifying in patients with childhood AML. The risk classification model can be used to predict CR markers and may assist clinicians in providing realize the individualized treatment in this patient population.

Comprehensive analysis the potential biomarkers for the high-risk of childhood acute myeloid leukemia based on a competing endogenous RNA network.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common form of hematological malignancies, the discovery of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) plays an important role in diverse biological processes including hematopoietic differentiation and proliferation. However, the interaction mechanism of key RNAs and their regulatory network in childhood AML are still to be elucidated. RNA profiles were downloaded from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatment (TARGET) database and identified specific lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in high-risk group of childhood AML. A lncRNA-mRNA-miRNA ceRNA network in childhood AML was constructed. A total of 2064 mRNAs, 615 lncRNAs, and 60 miRNAs were identified as significantly differentially expressed, and 13 lncRNAs, 7 miRNAs, and 67 mRNAs were incorporated in the ceRNA network. Functional analysis showed that these DEmRNAs were significantly enriched in Ras signaling pathway, TGF-beta signaling pathway, and other tumor-related pathways. Among the network, 10 RNAs (LINC00471, hsa-mir-100, hsa-mir-150, ANP32E, ERMP1, MYO1B, PAPD7, PTGIS, TERF1, and VEGFA) was associated with high-risk group of childhood AML and functions were significant for prognosis. Then, these findings together provide a new insight into the pathogenesis of high-risk group of childhood AML that can assist clinicians clarify the function of lncRNA to guide the treatment and in-depth study.

Upfront autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with high-risk stage III to IV Hodgkin lymphoma: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Nearly 30% of patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) are not cured. We should better control tumors with initial treatment for patients with advanced stage HL whose interim positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) was positive. The objective of our study was to confirm the superiority of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) therapy in these patients. METHODS: Eighty-nine HL patients with stage III-IV, international prognostic score (IPS) ≥3 and Deauville more than 3° at the interim PET/CT were analyzed. Forty five patients received ASCT. The other 44 patients received two cycles DHAP chemotherapy. RESULTS: The 3-year overall survival (OS) of patients who received ASCT was 91.1%, and for the patients who received chemotherapy, it was 72.7% (P = 0.025). The 3-year progression free survival (PFS) of patients in the ASCT group was 88.9%, but for patients in the chemotherapy group, it was only 70.5%(P = 0.017). No patient died of toxicity from ASCT. Additionally, there was no difference in the rates of secondary malignancies between the ASCT and chemotherapy groups. Extranodal and bone marrow involvement were poor prognostic factors, while ASCT was a good prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: The use of ASCT as a first-line consolidation treatment could improve outcome of patients with advanced-stage high risk HL whose interim PET/CT was positive.