Current perspectives on the management of refractory or relapsed classic hodgkin lymphoma in brazil: Balancing efficacy, safety, and tolerability.

Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL), which accounts for 90-95% of all cases of Hodgkin lymphoma, is the most frequent cancer in adolescents and the most frequent lymphoma in adolescents and young adults. Despite progressive improvements over past decades and the general sensitivity of CHL to frontline chemotherapy, approximately 10-15% of patients have refractory disease that either does not respond to such therapy or progresses after an initial partial response. In patients with refractory or relapsed disease, standard treatment until recently consisted mainly of salvage chemotherapy, in many cases followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem-cell transplantation. However, improved understanding of the pathobiology of CHL, coupled with the introduction of novel agents, has markedly changed the treatment landscape in the past decade. Although refractory or relapsed CHL continues to be challenging, the therapeutic landscape is undergoing profound changes brought about by novel agents, particularly brentuximab vedotin and immunotherapy. In this review, we discuss the most salient treatment options for adult patients with refractory or relapsed CHL, with a special focus on the Brazilian healthcare setting, which is constrained by inherent characteristics of this system. In the attempt to balance efficacy, safety and tolerability, practicing physicians must rely on clinical trials and on results from real-world studies, and use their own point of view and experience, as well as patient characteristics and previous therapy, to make treatment decisions for refractory or relapsed CHL.

Impact of Treatment Prior to Allogeneic Transplantation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Results of the Latin American Bone Marrow Transplant Registry.

It has been suggested that bridging therapy with intensive chemotherapy and/or hypomethylating agents followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can be valuable in the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, the influence of this approach on HSCT outcomes remains poorly defined. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the influence of treatment before HSCT in patients with MDS. We retrospectively analyzed data from the Latin American registry of 258 patients from 17 Latin American centers who underwent HSCT from 1988 to 2019. Our data showed that there was pre-HSCT. We detected no significant difference regarding the impact on overall survival of treated and untreated patients before HSCT. Despite these data, the type of previous treatment among treated patients showed a significant difference in overall survival. Treatment with hypomethylating agents together with pre-HSCT chemotherapy seems to result in better survival of the studied population. These data correspond to the first results obtained through cooperative work between various centers in Latin America comparing the different approaches to patients and reflecting their reality and challenges. Therefore, the selection of pretransplant bridge therapy should be analyzed and focus given primarily to those approaches that result in better survival of patients with MDS.

O itinerário terapêutico dos pacientes portadores de linfoma / The therapeutic itinerary of patients with lymphoma

Introdução: Os linfomas são um conjunto de neoplasias linfoides em que há o acúmulo de linfócitos malignos nos linfonodos, causando linfonodomegalia. Mundialmente, os linfomas são responsáveis por 3% a 4% dos cânceres no mundo. Estimativa mundial apontou 390 mil novos casos e 199 mil óbitos por linfoma não Hodgkin e 65 mil novos casos e 25 mil óbitos por Linfoma de Hodgkin no ano de 2012. Sendo a busca por cuidados terapêuticos e a tentativa de solucionar problemas de saúde conduzem indivíduo e familiares por caminhos compreendidos como itinerário terapêutico Objetivo: Conhecer o itinerário terapêutico de pacientes portadores de linfoma atendidos na rede pública por serviço de saúde especializado. Material e Métodos: Estudo prospectivo e descritivo com dados coletados em um hospital de referência em oncologia na Zona da Mata Mineira, Brasil. Resultados: Participaram do estudo 32 pacientes, sendo 18 do sexo masculino (56,3%), com idade entre 7 e 80 anos, caracterizados principalmente por baixos níveis de escolaridade e renda. Prevaleceu o linfoma não Hodgkin representado por 23 sujeitos (71,9%). Um total de 24 pacientes (75%) necessitou passar por três ou mais médicos até a obtenção do diagnóstico definitivo. O tempo médio entre o aparecimento dos sintomas e a realização do diagnóstico foi de 9,77 meses. A baixa renda dos pacientes contribuiu para a demora na busca ou obtenção do primeiro atendimento à saúde (p = 0,05) e consequente diagnóstico do linfoma. Conclusão: A dificuldade de acesso aos serviços de atenção à saúde e a baixa suspeita diagnóstica para a doença por parte dos profissionais possivelmente influenciaram o atraso no estabelecimento do diagnóstico.

Introduction: Lymphomas are a group of lymphoid neoplasms in which there is accumulation of malignant lymphocytes in the lymph nodes, thus causing lymph node enlargement. Lymphomas account for 3% to 4% of all cancers in the world. Global estimates showed 390,000 new cases and 199,000 deaths from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and 65,000 new cases and 25,000 deaths from Hodgkin's lymphoma in the year 2012. The search for therapeutic care and the attempt to solve health problems lead both patients and family members in a search for treatment known as therapeutic itinerary. Objective: To understand the therapeutic itinerary of patients with lymphoma treated in the public network by a specialized health service. Materials and Methods: A prospective, descriptive study on data collected at a hospital that is a reference for the treatment of oncology in the Zona da Mata Mineira, located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Results: 32 patients participated in the study of which 18 were males (56.3%), aged between 7 and 80 years old, characterized mainly by low levels of schooling as well as income. Prevalence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was represented by 23 subjects (71.9%). A total of 24 patients (75%) were examined by three or more doctors until the definitive diagnosis was obtained. The mean lag time between onset of symptoms and confirming diagnosis of the disease was 9.77 months. The low income of the patients contributed to the delay of their initial health care (p = 0.05) and consequent diagnosis of the lymphoma. Conclusion: The difficulty of access to health care services and the low suspicion in the diagnosis of the disease on behalf of the professionals possibly influenced the delay in establishing the diagnosis.

Advances in cellular technology in the hematology field: What have we learned so far?

Despite the advances in the hematology field, blood transfusion-related iatrogenesis is still a major issue to be considered during such procedures due to blood antigenic incompatibility. This places pluripotent stem cells as a possible ally in the production of more suitable blood products. The present review article aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the state-of-the-art concerning the differentiation of both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells to hematopoietic cell lines. Here, we review the most recently published protocols to achieve the production of blood cells for future application in hemotherapy, cancer therapy and basic research.

Infection profile of patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation in a Brazilian institution.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been widely used for treating oncological and hematological diseases. Although HSCT has helped to improve patient survival, the risk of developing infection during hospitalization is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to analyze the infection profile during hospitalization and the associated risk factors among patients undergoing autologous HSCT at the University Hospital, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a cross-sectional study on patients undergoing autologous HSCT at a public university hospital. METHODS: Patients with febrile neutropenia between 2004 and 2009 were retrospectively evaluated regarding their infection profile and associated risk factors. RESULTS: Infection occurred in 57.2% of 112 patients with febrile neutropenia. The main source of infection was the central venous catheter (25.9%). Infection was chiefly due to Gram-positive bacteria, although Gram-negative-related infections were more severe and caused a higher death rate. Sex, age, skin color, nutritional status and underlying disease were not associated with the development of infection. Patients with severe mucositis (Grades III and IV) had a higher infection rate (P < 0.001). Patients who developed pulmonary complications during hospitalization had higher infection rates (P = 0.002). Infection was the main cause of death (57.1%) in the study sample. CONCLUSION: Strategies aimed at reducing infection-related mortality rates among patients undergoing autologous HSCT are necessary.

Modified Magrath IVAC regimen as second-line therapy for relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in developing countries: the experience of a single center in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the efficacy, toxicity and mobilization rate after modified Magrath IVAC (mIVAC) chemotherapy regimen prescribed in relapsed disease (RD) or primary refractory disease (PRD) in aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-four patients (16 males, 8 females) aged 18-59 years (median age 37 year) were analyzed. The most frequent histopathological subgroup was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCL-B) (n=21/24), 13 (54%) were considered RD and 11 (46%) PRD. The mIVAC consisted of ifosfamide (IFM), high dose cytarabine and etoposide repeated every 28 days. RESULTS: The overall response (OR) after three cycles of mIVAC was 66. 6%. Among the patients with PRD, OR was 45.5% (5 out of 11) and with RD was 86.4%, p>0.05, however, it was observed in RD better complete response (CR) than PRD 53.8x9.1% (p<0.05). Eighty-eight percent (14 out of 16) of patients with chemosensitive disease to mIVAC underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). The median number of collected CD34+ cells was 2.86x10(6) (range 2.17x10(6) to 4.9x10(6)). The median overall survival rate (OS) for chemosensitive to mIVAC was 16.3 months, with a median follow-up of 16 months. Grades III-IV neutropenia was observed in 85.6% per cycles and grades III-IV thrombocytopenia in 87.5%. Grades III-IV febrile neutropenia was the most common nonhematological toxicity, it occurred in 28% of the cycles and no deaths by toxicity were observed. DISCUSSION: Although a statistic comparative study was not carried out for these 24 patients, the rate of OR to mIVAC was alike the other second-line infusion regimens. The mobilization failure rate was 57.1% and it was similar to other regimens with high dose cytarabine, but it did not limit performed ASCT.

Manifestações esqueléticas da anemia falciforme / Skeletal manifestations in the sickle cell anemia

A anemia falciforme (A.F) é uma anemia hemolitica caracterizada pela presença anormal da hemoglobina S. Esta revisão tem como objetivo discutir os achados radiográficos do esqueleto em pacientes com A. F. Descrevemos as duas principais causas de alteração óssea, demonstrando a importância do uso da radiologia convencional no diagnóstico destas alterações.