NCCN Guidelines Insights: Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolic Disease, Version 2.2018.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is common in patients with cancer and increases morbidity and mortality. VTE prevention and treatment are more complex in patients with cancer. The NCCN Guidelines for Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolic Disease outline strategies for treatment and prevention of VTE in adult patients diagnosed with cancer or in whom cancer is clinically suspected. These NCCN Guidelines Insights explain recent changes in anticoagulants recommended for the treatment of cancer-associated VTE.

Voxtalisib (XL765) in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: an open-label, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia have a poor prognosis. Therapies targeting more than one isoform of PI3K, as well as mTOR, might increase antitumour activity. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of voxtalisib (also known as XL765 or SAR245409), a pan-PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma, or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma. METHODS: We did a non-randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial at 30 oncology clinics in the USA, Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Australia. Patients aged 18 years or older with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (EGOG) performance status score of 2 or lower and relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma were enrolled and treated with voxtalisib 50 mg orally twice daily in 28-day continuous dosing cycles until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients in each disease-specific cohort who achieved an overall response, defined as a complete response or partial response. All patients who received more than 4 weeks of treatment and who completed a baseline and at least one post-baseline tumour assessment were analysed for efficacy and all patients were analysed for safety. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01403636, and has been completed. FINDINGS: Between Oct 19, 2011, and July 24, 2013, 167 patients were enrolled (42 with mantle cell lymphoma, 47 with follicular lymphoma, 42 with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and 36 with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma. The median number of previous anticancer regimens was three (IQR 2-4) for patients with lymphoma and four (2-5) for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma. Of 164 patients evaluable for efficacy, 30 (18·3%) achieved an overall response (partial, n=22; complete, n=8); 19 (41·3%) of 46 with follicular lymphoma, five (11·9%) of 42 with mantle cell lymphoma, two (4·9%) of 41 with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and four (11·4%) of 35 with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma. The safety profile was consistent with that of previous studies of voxtalisib. The most frequently reported adverse events were diarrhoea (in 59 [35%] of 167 patients), fatigue (in 53 [32%]), nausea (in 45 [27%]), pyrexia (in 44 [26%,]), cough (in 40 [24%]), and decreased appetite (in 35 [21%]). The most frequently reported grade 3 or worse adverse events were anaemia (in 20 [12%] of 167 patients), pneumonia (in 14 [8%]), and thrombocytopenia (in 13 [8%]). Serious adverse events occurred in 97 (58·1%) of 167 patients. INTERPRETATION: Voxtalisib 50 mg given orally twice daily had an acceptable safety profile, with promising efficacy in patients with follicular lymphoma but limited efficacy in patients with mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma. FUNDING: Sanofi.

NK cell dysfunction in chronic lymphocytic leukemia is associated with loss of the mature cells expressing inhibitory killer cell Ig-like receptors.

A prospective analysis of natural killer (NK) cell phenotype and function was performed on fresh peripheral blood samples from untreated patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). Compared to healthy controls, CD56dim NK cells in CLL patients displayed reduced expression of the NKG2D activating receptor and increased CD27 expression, which indicates declines in mature cells. In addition, NK cells from CLL patients showed reduced degranulation responses toward transformed B cells alone or with rituximab and were more sensitive to activation-induced cell death. We further noted a striking reduction in the frequency and viability of NK cells expressing the inhibitory killer cell Ig-like receptors (KIR)2DL1 and/or KIR3DL1, which progressed over time in most patients. Comparisons between a CLL patient and healthy monozygotic twin were consistent with our results in the larger cohorts. Functional and biomarker alterations were less pronounced on NK cells from SLL patients, which have lower tumor burden in peripheral blood than CLL, but significant reduction in degranulation under ADCC conditions and lower frequency and viability of KIR-expressing NK cells were still evident in SLL. We conclude that mature KIR-expressing NK cells respond to the high circulating B cell tumor burden in CLL, but undergo activation-induced apoptosis. Consequently, CLL patients may benefit from therapies that augment NK cell survival and function.

Low Level of Blood CD4+ T Cells Is an Independent Predictor of Inferior Progression-free Survival in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-infiltrating immune cells influence diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) outcomes. Relatively little, however, is known about the significance of peripheral blood immune cell numbers on DLBCL behavior. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the present study, 43 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL had pretreatment multiparameter peripheral blood flow cytometry performed to assess the immune cell numbers. These cell numbers were correlated with the outcomes of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. RESULTS: After follow-up period of 0.8 to 152 months (median, 73), 25 patients (56%) were still alive. As continuous variables on univariate analysis, the predictors of PFS were patient age and absolute CD4 cell count (ACD4C), with the International Prognostic Index (IPI) marginally significant. Age was also a significant predictor of overall survival, and the IPI and ACD4C were marginally significant (P = .08). The 17 patients with a greater ACD4C (≥ 450/mm3) had better 5-year PFS than the 26 with a low ACD4C (88% vs. 50%; P = .02). Multivariable analysis, including age as a continuous variable, IPI group, and ACD4C of 450/mm3 showed that age and ACD4C were significant for PFS (P = .01 and P = .02, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our data, although from a small series, suggest that the blood ACD4C might be a predictor of PFS for patients with DLBCL, independent of age and the IPI.

High Body Mass Index in Elderly Patients With DLBCL Treated With Rituximab-Containing Therapy Compensates for Negative Impact of Male Sex.

BACKGROUND: The impact of patient body habitus and sex on outcomes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains controversial. We investigated the impact of body mass index (BMI), body surface area (BSA), age, and sex on clinical outcomes in patients with DLBCL treated in the rituximab era. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with de novo DLBCL (n=1,386) diagnosed between June 2000 and December 2010 treated with rituximab-containing chemotherapy were identified from the NCCN Oncology Outcomes Database for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at 3 years were analyzed based on sex, age, and baseline BMI/BSA. RESULTS: High BMI was associated with a lower risk of disease progression or death than low or normal BMI, whereas male sex was associated with poor clinical outcomes, especially among elderly patients (age >60 years). Compared with elderly women, elderly men experienced worse PFS (3-year hazard ratio [HR], 1.5) and OS (3-year HR, 1.6), but these differences diminished with increases in BMI and BSA. In multivariable analysis, normal BMI compared with high BMI was independently associated with poor outcomes (3-year PFS HR, 1.5; OS HR, 1.6) after adjusting for sex. Notably, only 13% of elderly men had BMI less than 25 kg/m2 and only 26% had BSA less than 2 m2 CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of unselected patients with DLBCL treated with rituximab-containing chemotherapy confirmed an age-dependent disadvantage to male sex in treatment outcomes, but this effect is abrogated by higher levels of BMI and BSA in most North American men.

Nivolumab in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Hematologic Malignancy: Preliminary Results of a Phase Ib Study.

PURPOSE: Cancer cells can exploit the programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint pathway to avoid immune surveillance by modulating T-lymphocyte activity. In part, this may occur through overexpression of PD-1 and PD-1 pathway ligands (PD-L1 and PD-L2) in the tumor microenvironment. PD-1 blockade has produced significant antitumor activity in solid tumors, and similar evidence has emerged in hematologic malignancies. METHODS: In this phase I, open-label, dose-escalation, cohort-expansion study, patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma, T-cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma received the anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody nivolumab at doses of 1 or 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nivolumab and to assess PD-L1/PD-L2 locus integrity and protein expression. RESULTS: Eighty-one patients were treated (follicular lymphoma, n = 10; diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, n = 11; other B-cell lymphomas, n = 10; mycosis fungoides, n = 13; peripheral T-cell lymphoma, n = 5; other T-cell lymphomas, n = 5; multiple myeloma, n = 27). Patients had received a median of three (range, one to 12) prior systemic treatments. Drug-related adverse events occurred in 51 (63%) patients, and most were grade 1 or 2. Objective response rates were 40%, 36%, 15%, and 40% among patients with follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, mycosis fungoides, and peripheral T-cell lymphoma, respectively. Median time of follow-up observation was 66.6 weeks (range, 1.6 to 132.0+ weeks). Durations of response in individual patients ranged from 6.0 to 81.6+ weeks. CONCLUSION: Nivolumab was well tolerated and exhibited antitumor activity in extensively pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory B- and T-cell lymphomas. Additional studies of nivolumab in these diseases are ongoing.

Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolic Disease, Version 1.2015.

The NCCN Guidelines for Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolic Disease outline strategies for treatment and prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients with a diagnosis of cancer or for whom cancer is clinically suspected. VTE is a common complication in patients with cancer, which places them at greater risk for morbidity and mortality. Therefore, risk-appropriate prophylaxis is an essential component for the optimal care of inpatients and outpatients with cancer. Critical to meeting this goal is ensuring that patients get the most effective medication in the correct dose. Body weight has a significant impact on blood volume and drug clearance. Because obesity is a common health problem in industrialized societies, cancer care providers are increasingly likely to treat obese patients in their practice. Obesity is a risk factor common to VTE and many cancers, and may also impact the anticoagulant dose needed for safe and effective prophylaxis. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the data supporting new dosing recommendations for VTE prophylaxis in obese patients with cancer.

Radiation for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the rituximab era: analysis of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network lymphoma outcomes project.

BACKGROUND: The role of consolidation radiotherapy was examined for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who were treated at institutions of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network during the rituximab era. METHODS: Failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed in terms of patient and treatment characteristics. Potential associations were investigated with univariate and multivariate survival analysis and matched pair analysis. RESULTS: There were 841 patients, and most (710 or 84%) received 6 to 8 cycles of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP); 293 (35%) received consolidation radiation therapy (RT). Failure occurred for 181 patients: 126 patients (70%) who did not receive RT and 55 patients (30%) who did. At 5 years, both OS and FFS rates were better for patients who had received RT versus those who did not (OS, 91% vs 83% [P = .01]; FFS, 83% vs 76% [P = .05]). A matched pair analysis (217 pairs matched by age, stage, International Prognostic Index [IPI] score, B symptoms, disease bulk, and response to chemotherapy) showed that the receipt of RT improved OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.53 [P = .07]) and FFS (HR, 0.77 [P = .34]) for patients with stage III/IV disease, but too few events took place among those with stage I/II disease for meaningful comparisons (HR for OS, 0.94 [P = .89]; HR for FFS, 1.81 [P = .15]). A multivariate analysis suggested that the IPI score and the response to chemotherapy had the greatest influence on outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: There was a trend of higher OS and FFS rates for patients who had received consolidation RT after R-CHOP (especially for patients with stage III/IV disease), but the difference did not reach statistical significance.

PD-1 blockade with nivolumab in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical studies suggest that Reed-Sternberg cells exploit the programmed death 1 (PD-1) pathway to evade immune detection. In classic Hodgkin's lymphoma, alterations in chromosome 9p24.1 increase the abundance of the PD-1 ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, and promote their induction through Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling. We hypothesized that nivolumab, a PD-1-blocking antibody, could inhibit tumor immune evasion in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. METHODS: In this ongoing study, 23 patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma that had already been heavily treated received nivolumab (at a dose of 3 mg per kilogram of body weight) every 2 weeks until they had a complete response, tumor progression, or excessive toxic effects. Study objectives were measurement of safety and efficacy and assessment of the PDL1 and PDL2 (also called CD274 and PDCD1LG2, respectively) loci and PD-L1 and PD-L2 protein expression. RESULTS: Of the 23 study patients, 78% were enrolled in the study after a relapse following autologous stem-cell transplantation and 78% after a relapse following the receipt of brentuximab vedotin. Drug-related adverse events of any grade and of grade 3 occurred in 78% and 22% of patients, respectively. An objective response was reported in 20 patients (87%), including 17% with a complete response and 70% with a partial response; the remaining 3 patients (13%) had stable disease. The rate of progression-free survival at 24 weeks was 86%; 11 patients were continuing to participate in the study. Reasons for discontinuation included stem-cell transplantation (in 6 patients), disease progression (in 4 patients), and drug toxicity (in 2 patients). Analyses of pretreatment tumor specimens from 10 patients revealed copy-number gains in PDL1 and PDL2 and increased expression of these ligands. Reed-Sternberg cells showed nuclear positivity of phosphorylated STAT3, indicative of active JAK-STAT signaling. CONCLUSIONS: Nivolumab had substantial therapeutic activity and an acceptable safety profile in patients with previously heavily treated relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. (Funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01592370.).

Frontline bortezomib and rituximab for the treatment of newly diagnosed high tumour burden indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a multicentre phase II study.

There is a lack of published data examining non-cytotoxic options for the frontline treatment of patients with high-tumour burden (HTB) indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL). We completed a multicentre phase II study for patients with untreated HTB iNHL (NCT00369707) consisting of three induction cycles of weekly bortezomib and rituximab followed by an abbreviated consolidation. Forty-two patients were treated and all were evaluable; the most common histology was follicular lymphoma (FL) (n = 33, 79%). Patient characteristics included median age 62 years (40-86); 38% bulky disease; 19% malignant effusions; 91% advanced-stage disease; and median FL International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) score was 3. Therapy was well tolerated with few grade 3/4 toxicities including minimal neurotoxicity. On intent-to-treat, the overall response rate (ORR) at end of therapy was 70% with a complete remission (CR) rate of 40% (FL: ORR 76%, CR 44%). With 50-month median follow-up, 4-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 44% with 4-year overall survival (OS) of 87% (FL: 44% and 97%, respectively). Four-year PFS for FLIPI 0-2 vs. 3-5 was 60% vs. 26% respectively (P = 0·02), with corresponding OS rates of 92% and 81% respectively (P = 0·16). Collectively, bortezomib/rituximab is a non-cytotoxic therapeutic regimen that was well tolerated and resulted in long-term survival rates approximating prior rituximab/cytotoxic chemotherapy series for untreated HTB FL.

Comparison of referring and final pathology for patients with T-cell lymphoma in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

BACKGROUND: T-cell lymphomas (TCLs) are uncommon in the United States. The accurate diagnosis of TCL is challenging and requires morphologic interpretation, immunophenotyping, and molecular techniques. The authors compared pathologic diagnoses at referring centers with diagnoses from expert hematopathology review to determine concordance rates and to characterize the usefulness of second-opinion pathology review for TCL. METHODS: Patients in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network non-Hodgkin lymphoma database with peripheral TCL, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS), angioimmunoblastic TCL (AITL), and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive and ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) were eligible if they had prior tissue specimens examined at a referring institution. Pathologic concordance was evaluated using available pathology and diagnostic testing reports and provider progress notes. The etiology of discordance and the potential impact on treatment were examined. RESULTS: Among 131 eligible patients, 57 (44%) had concordant results, totaling 64% of the 89 patients who were referred with a final diagnosis. Thirty-two patients (24%) had discordant results, representing 36% of those who were referred with a final diagnosis. The rates of discordance among patients with of PTCL-NOS, AITL, ALK-negative ALCL, and ALK-positive ALCL were 19%, 33%, 34%, and 6%, respectively. In 14 patients (44% of discordant results), pathologic reclassification could have resulted in a different therapeutic strategy. Forty-two patients (32%) were referred for classification with a provisional diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort of patients with TCL who were referred to National Comprehensive Cancer Network centers, the likelihood of a concordant final diagnosis at a referring institution was low. As current and future therapies target TCL subsets, these data suggest that patients with suspected TCLs would benefit from evaluation by an expert hematopathologist.

Copy neutral loss of heterozygosity in 20q in chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma.

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based chromosome microarray analysis was used to uncover copy neutral loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the long arm of chromosome 20 in blood or bone marrow specimens from three patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). All three patients presented with lymph node enlargement. Whereas one of the patients has had a complicated clinical course, the other two have a more indolent disease. Sequence analysis of the tumor suppressor gene ASXL1, which is located in 20q and is commonly mutated in malignant myeloid diseases and occasionally in CLL/SLL specimens, revealed no mutations in our three patients with copy neutral LOH in 20q. The possible contribution of other imprinted microRNAs and antisense genes residing in 20q to the pathogenesis of a subset of CLL/SLL patients is discussed. These findings illustrate the value of SNP arrays for the detection of novel recurrent genomic alterations that may contribute to CLL/SLL onset or progression.

An enhanced International Prognostic Index (NCCN-IPI) for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated in the rituximab era.

The International Prognostic Index (IPI) has been the basis for determining prognosis in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) for the past 20 years. Using raw clinical data from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) database collected during the rituximab era, we built an enhanced IPI with the goal of improving risk stratification. Clinical features from 1650 adults with de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) diagnosed from 2000-2010 at 7 NCCN cancer centers were assessed for their prognostic significance, with statistical efforts to further refine the categorization of age and normalized LDH. Five predictors (age, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), sites of involvement, Ann Arbor stage, ECOG performance status) were identified and a maximum of 8 points assigned. Four risk groups were formed: low (0-1), low-intermediate (2-3), high-intermediate (4-5), and high (6-8). Compared with the IPI, the NCCN-IPI better discriminated low- and high-risk subgroups (5-year overall survival [OS]: 96% vs 33%) than the IPI (5 year OS: 90% vs 54%), respectively. When validated using an independent cohort from the British Columbia Cancer Agency (n = 1138), it also demonstrated enhanced discrimination for both low- and high-risk patients. The NCCN-IPI is easy to apply and more powerful than the IPI for predicting survival in the rituximab era.

Venous thromboembolic disease.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a common and life-threatening complication among patients with cancer. Thromboprophylaxis can be used to prevent the occurrence of VTE in patients with cancer who are considered at high risk for developing this complication. Therefore, it is critical to recognize the various risk factors for VTE in patients with cancer. Risk assessment tools are available to help identify patients for whom discussions regarding the potential benefits and risks of thromboprophylaxis would be appropriate. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for VTE provide recommendations on risk evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of VTE in patients with cancer.

Transformed non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the rituximab era: analysis of the NCCN outcomes database.

Histological transformation (HT) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The multicentre National Cancer Comprehensive Network database for NHL provides a unique opportunity to investigate the natural history of HT in the rituximab era. 118 patients with biopsy-confirmed indolent lymphoma and subsequent biopsy-confirmed HT were identified. Treatments for HT included autologous stem-cell transplant (auto-SCT) (n = 50), allogeneic SCT (allo-SCT) (n = 18), and treatment without transplant (n = 50). The 2-year overall survival (OS) for the entire cohort was 68%. For auto-SCT patients aged ≤ 60 years (n = 24), the 2-year OS was 74%. For non-transplanted patients aged ≤ 60 years (n = 19), the 2-year OS was 59%. The 2-year OS of patients naïve to chemotherapy prior to HT was superior to patients who were exposed to chemotherapy prior to HT (100% vs. 35%, P = 0.03). In this largest prospective cohort of patients of strictly defined HT in the rituximab era, the natural history of HT appears more favourable than historical studies. Younger patients who were not exposed to chemotherapy prior to HT experienced a prolonged survival even without transplantation. This study serves as a benchmark for future trials of novel approaches for HT in the Rituximab era.

Acute myeloid leukemia, version 2.2013.

These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize several key updates to the NCCN Guidelines for Acute Myeloid Leukemia and discuss the clinical evidence that support the recommendations. The updates described in this article focus on the acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) section, featuring recommendations for additional induction/consolidation regimens in patients with low- or intermediate-risk APL, and providing guidance on maintenance strategies for APL.

Stem cell transplantation for follicular lymphoma relapsed/refractory after prior rituximab: a comprehensive analysis from the NCCN lymphoma outcomes project.

BACKGROUND: Stem cell transplant (SCT)-related outcomes and prognostication for relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) are not well-defined in the post-rituximab era. METHODS: Through the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) lymphoma outcomes study, 184 patients with relapsed/refractory FL who underwent autologous SCT (autoSCT) or allogenic SCT (alloSCT) following disease relapse after prior rituximab-based therapy were examined. RESULTS: Patients who underwent autoSCT (N=136) were older compared with patients who underwent alloSCT (N=48) (54 versus 51 years, respectively, P=.01) and more frequently had grade 3 FL (35% versus 8%, respectively, P=.006). Patients who underwent alloSCT received more prior therapies (4 versus 3, respectively, P<.0001) and more often had resistant disease at SCT (19% versus 6%, respectively, P=.008). Cumulative 100-day nonrelapse mortality (NRM) for autoSCT and alloSCT were 1% and 6%, respectively (P<.0001), whereas 3-year NRM rates were 3% versus 24%, respectively (P<.0001). For autoSCT and alloSCT, cumulative rates of relapse, progression, and/or transformation were 32% versus 16%, respectively (P=.03), whereas 3-year overall survival rates were 87% versus 61% (P<.0001); there were no differences in failure-free survival. AlloSCT was associated with increased risk of death on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio=2.77, 95% confidence interval=1.46-5.26, P=.002). This finding persisted on propensity scoring/matching. Multivariate analysis for autoSCT patients identified age>60 years and>3 prior therapies as adverse factors. Furthermore, a survival model was created for the autoSCT cohort based on number of factors present (0, 1, 2); 3-year failure-free survival was 72%, 47%, and 20%, respectively (P=.0003), and 3-year overall survival was 96%, 82%, and 62%, respectively (P<.0001). CONCLUSIONS: AutoSCT remains an effective therapy for patients with FL. For alloSCT, continued strategies to reduce NRM are needed.

Low NK cell counts in peripheral blood are associated with inferior overall survival in patients with follicular lymphoma.

Host immune responses influence follicular lymphoma (FL) outcomes. To test our hypothesis that immune cells in blood reflect that response, we assessed by peripheral blood flow cytometry in 75 untreated FL patients the absolute counts of: lymphocytes (ALC), CD4(+)T (ACD4C), CD8(+)T (ACD8C) and natural killer (ANKC) cells. Low ANKC was the only parameter associated with inferior overall survival by univariate analysis (p=0.02), and trended to significance in multivariable analysis with ACD4C (p=0.08). Five (24%) patients with low initial ANKC died, while one (2%) with normal/high ANKC has died. In conclusion, evaluation of blood ANKC may be a useful indicator of outcome in previously untreated FL patients.

Myelodysplastic syndromes: clinical practice guidelines in oncology.

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic disorders characterized by cytopenias, dysplasia in one or more myeloid lineages, and the potential for development of acute myeloid leukemia. These disorders primarily affect older adults. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for MDS provide recommendations on the diagnostic evaluation and classification of MDS, risk evaluation according to established prognostic assessment tools (including the new revised International Prognostic Scoring System), treatment options according to risk categories, and management of related anemia.