Maximizing the effectiveness of oral therapies in lymphoid cancers: research gaps and unmet needs.

Oral therapies have become a common treatment choice for several lymphoid cancers. While therapeutic efficacy and patient preference for this therapy type have been reported, there is a lack of knowledge about its effectiveness for lymphoma in clinical practice, particularly in regard to the effects of medication nonadherence. While studies of oral medications in other diseases have shown that adherence is a major factor in outcomes and costs, there is scant research investigating adherence specifically in lymphoma patients, who face unique challenges in their diseases and treatments. To address the limited data available, we constructed a conceptual model and highlighted key opportunities for future research to better elucidate oral therapy adherence in lymphoma. This research will hopefully improve understanding and efficacy of oral treatment for lymphoma patients, while also informing other cancers utilizing oral therapies currently and in the future.

Sex-specific survival difference in association with HLA-DRB1∗04 following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for lymphoid malignancies.

The role of HLA system in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) outcome is unarguable. In this study we investigated association of HLA-A,-B and-DRB1 alleles with overall survival (OS) in 186 patients undergoing allo-HSCT for lymphoid malignancies. Analyses confirmed significantly better OS for HLA-DRB1∗04 carriers compared with non-carriers (p = 0.01). Survival benefit was confined to male patients (in multivariate analyses p = 0.034, hazard ratio 0.35, 95% confidence interval 0.13-0.92), whereas in females no difference was noted (p = 0.82). Furthermore, donor gender also affected outcome and transplantation from female HLA-DRB1∗04 carrier donors resulted in superior survival compared with female non-carrier donors (p = 0.01). Combined analyses including recipient/donor gender and HLA-DRB1∗04 showed that survival of male patients varied significantly according to donor gender and HLA-DRB1∗04 carriership (p = 0.04) with best survival among HLA-DRB1∗04 carriers transplanted from female donors. Of relevance to our results, HLA-DRB1∗04 has been documented as risk allele group for lymphoid malignancies, and studies described a male-specific risk. We believe that our findings provide further supporting evidence for sex-specific alterations secondary to HLA-DRB1∗04 or related genes. Further studies are warranted to evaluate whether in contrast to general favour of male donors HLA-DRB1∗04 carrier patients with lymphoid malignancies could benefit from transplantation from female donors.

Myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with FGFR1 rearrangement.

Myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with FGFR1 rearrangement are a rare entity. We present a multicenter experience of 17 patients with FISH-confirmed FGFR1 rearrangement. The clinical presentation at diagnosis included myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) in 4 (24%) patients, acute leukemia (AL) in 7 (41%), and concomitant MPN with AL in 6 (35%). The two most frequently observed cytogenetic abnormalities were t(8;13)(p11.2;q12)(partner gene ZMYM2) and t(8;22)(p11.2; q11.2)(BCR). Seventy-eight percent of tested patients had a RUNX1 mutation, of whom all had AL. Overall response rate to frontline therapy was 69%, and 76% of patients subsequently received allogeneic stem cell transplant (ASCT). After a median follow-up of 11 months, median progression-free survival was 15 months and median overall survival was not reached. In conclusion, FGFR1-rearranged hematologic malignancies present with features of MPN and/or AL. FGFR1 and RUNX1 are therapeutic targets for ongoing and future clinical trials.

Extended Follow-up of Patients Treated With Bendamustine for Lymphoid Malignancies.

INTRODUCTION: Bendamustine, typically in combination with rituximab, is an effective treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Despite its acceptable short-term toxicity profile, long-term toxicities are less well established. This study investigated the long-term adverse effects of bendamustine and responses to subsequent treatments. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Charts of 194 patients were retrospectively reviewed; 54% had received prior treatment (76% attained complete response [CR] or partial response [PR]). RESULTS: Patients who did not achieve a CR or PR did not respond well to subsequent treatments. Malignancies following bendamustine were diagnosed in 11% (21) of patients (first line [7] and salvage [14]), including squamous (8) or basal cell (4) skin cancers; prostate cancer (3), renal cancer (3), bladder cancer (2), melanoma (2), lung cancer (1), and histiocytic sarcoma (1). There were no occurrences of therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myelogenous leukemia reported. Infections occurred in 63% of patients; however, no deaths were attributable to bendamustine. CONCLUSION: Bendamustine is an effective therapy with limited long-term sequelae in patients with lymphoid malignancies.

The role of follicular T helper cells in patients with malignant lymphoid disease.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the dynamic change of follicular T helper cells (TFH) in patients with malignant lymphoid disease (MLD) and to explore its clinical significance. METHODS: The dynamic change of TFH cells, ICOS+- and PD-1+ TFH cells at pretreatment and different treatment periods was determined by flow cytometry in 85 MLD patients. Concentration of interleukin 21 (IL-21) was evaluated by ELISA, and the correlation between clinical prognosis and the ratio of TFH cells was analyzed. RESULTS: Significantly increased ICOS+- and PD-1+ TFH cells were found in MLD patients at pretreatment compared to healthy controls. Decreased or even close to normal levels of ICOS+- and PD-1+ TFH cells were found at the end of treatment. However, in the patients with progressive disease, high levels of ICOS+- and PD-1+ TFH cells were found. Moreover, a significantly increased plasma IL-21 level was found in MLD patients. Negative correlation was found between the level of ICOS+-, PD-1+ TFH cells, as well as IL-21 and the prognosis of MLD. CONCLUSIONS: Significantly increased TFH cell ratios were found in patients with MLD, and decreased TFH cells ratios could be expected in those treatment-effective patients, which could be used as the therapeutic efficacy index.

Occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Data on the risk of lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms among workers whose jobs entail high exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are sparse, and mainly based on small-size studies. We carried out a systematic review of occupational cohort studies that reported results on incidence or mortality from Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), leukemia or multiple myeloma (MM) among workers exposed to PAH. We computed meta-analytic estimates using a random effect model. Meta-relative risk (meta-RR) was computed separately by each type of neoplasm, job or industry. We identified 41 studies (12 in iron and steel foundries, 11 in aluminum plant, 6 in cokeries, 6 in carbon electrode manufacturing, 2 on asphalt workers, 2 on creosote-exposed workers, 1 on tar distillery workers and 1 evaluating both tar distillery workers and roofers). No significant excess risk of any lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms was found among workers employed in jobs or industries entailing high PAH exposure. Among 18 meta-analytic estimates by job or industry and type of neoplasm, 16 were close to unit, i.e., between 0.72 and 1.27, whereas the meta-RR was 1.38 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.95-2.01] for HL in foundry workers and 2.01 (95 % CI 0.96-4.22) for NHL in workers exposed to creosote. There was no association between occupation entailing high PAH exposure and risk of MM or leukemia.

Physiologic Frailty in Nonelderly Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Patients: Results From the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor Study.

IMPORTANCE: Frailty results in decreased physiological reserve and diminished resistance to stressors; approximately 10% of those in the elderly population (those ≥65 years) are frail. High-intensity treatments and complications after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) injure normal tissues and may increase the risk of frailty even among nongeriatric HCT patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of frailty in young adult HCT patients (18- to 64-year-olds) and siblings; and the impact of frailty on subsequent mortality in HCT survivors. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study, conducted in August 2015 examined 998 HCT survivors, who underwent transplant procedures between 1974 and 1998, who have survived at least 2 years after HCT, and 297 frequency-matched siblings. The study was performed at City of Hope or University of Minnesota with participants completing surveys at home or in the clinic. Hematopoietic cell transplantation survivors and siblings participating in the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor Study (BMTSS) completed a frailty survey between February 13, 1999 and June 15, 2005 (median time since HCT: 7.9 years); HCT survivors were followed for subsequent mortality (median: 10.3 years from survey). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Prevalence and predictors of frailty; impact of frailty on subsequent mortality in HCT survivors. Frailty phenotype defined as exhibiting 3 or more of the following characteristics: clinically underweight, exhaustion, low energy expenditure, slow walking speed, and muscle weakness. The national Death Index, Social Security Death Index and medical records were used for mortality assessment as of December 21, 2011. RESULTS: The 998 HCT survivors were a mean (SD) of 42.5 (11.6) years of age, and the 297 matched siblings were 43.8 (10.9) years of age. The prevalence of frailty among young adult HCT patients exceeded 8%. The HCT survivors were 8.4 times more likely to be frail than their siblings (95% CI, 2.0-34.5; P = .003). Among HCT recipients, allogeneic HCT recipients with chronic graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) were at increased risk of frailty compared with autologous HCT (OR,15.02; 95% CI, 6.6-34.3; P < .001); resolved chronic GvHD (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1-6.9; P = .04). Cumulative incidence of subsequent all-cause mortality was 39.3% and 14.7% at 10 years for HCT recipients with and without frailty, respectively (P < .001). Frailty was associated with a 2.76-fold (95% CI, 1.7-4.4; P < .001) increased risk of subsequent mortality after adjusting for relevant prognosticators. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The prevalence of frailty among young-adult HCT survivors approaches that seen in the elderly general population. Frail HCT survivors are at increased risk of subsequent mortality when compared with nonfrail survivors. This study identifies vulnerable populations needing close monitoring to anticipate and manage morbidity and prevent mortality.

Salvaged single-unit cord blood transplantation for 26 patients with hematologic malignancies not in remission.

Treatments for patients with hematologic malignancies not in remission are limited, but a few clinical studies have investigated the effects of salvaged unrelated cord blood transplantation (CBT). We retrospectively studied 19 patients with acute leukemia, 5 with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS with refractory anemia with excess blasts [RAEB]), and 2 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who received 1 CBT unit ≤ 2 loci human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mismatched after undergoing myeloablative conditioning regimens between July 2005 and July 2014. All of them were in non-remission before transplantation. The infused total nucleated cell (TNC) dose was 4.07 (range 2.76-6.02) × 107/kg and that of CD34⁺ stem cells was 2.08 (range 0.99-8.65) × 105/kg. All patients were engrafted with neutrophils that exceeded 0.5 × 109/L on median day +17 (range 14-37 days) and had platelet counts of >20 × 109/L on median day +35 (range 17-70 days). Sixteen patients (61.5%) experienced pre-engraftment syndrome (PES), and six (23.1%) patients progressed to acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The cumulative incidence rates of II-IV acute GVHD and chronic GVHD were 50% and 26.9%, respectively. After a median follow-up of 27 months (range 5-74), 14 patients survived and 3 relapsed. The estimated 2-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and non-relapse mortality (NRM) rates were 50.5%, 40.3%, and 35.2%, respectively. Salvaged CBT might be a promising modality for treating hematologic malignancies, even in patients with a high leukemia burden.

Salvaged single-unit cord blood transplantation for 26 patients with hematologic malignancies not in remission

Treatments for patients with hematologic malignancies not in remission are limited, but a few clinical studies have investigated the effects of salvaged unrelated cord blood transplantation (CBT). We retrospectively studied 19 patients with acute leukemia, 5 with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS with refractory anemia with excess blasts [RAEB]), and 2 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who received 1 CBT unit ≤2 loci human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mismatched after undergoing myeloablative conditioning regimens between July 2005 and July 2014. All of them were in non-remission before transplantation. The infused total nucleated cell (TNC) dose was 4.07 (range 2.76-6.02)×107/kg and that of CD34+ stem cells was 2.08 (range 0.99-8.65)×105/kg. All patients were engrafted with neutrophils that exceeded 0.5×109/L on median day +17 (range 14-37 days) and had platelet counts of >20×109/L on median day +35 (range 17-70 days). Sixteen patients (61.5%) experienced pre-engraftment syndrome (PES), and six (23.1%) patients progressed to acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The cumulative incidence rates of II-IV acute GVHD and chronic GVHD were 50% and 26.9%, respectively. After a median follow-up of 27 months (range 5-74), 14 patients survived and 3 relapsed. The estimated 2-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and non-relapse mortality (NRM) rates were 50.5%, 40.3%, and 35.2%, respectively. Salvaged CBT might be a promising modality for treating hematologic malignancies, even in patients with a high leukemia burden.

Analysis of childhood leukemia mortality trends in Brazil, from 1980 to 2010 / Análise da tendência da mortalidade por leucemias infantojuvenis no Brasil, de 1980 até 2010

OBJECTIVE: Leukemias comprise the most common group of cancers in children and adolescents. Studies conducted in other countries and Brazil have observed a decrease in their mortality.This study aimed to evaluate the trend of mortality from leukemia in children under 19 years of age in Brazil, from 1980 to 2010. METHODS: This was an ecological study, using retrospective time series data from the Mortality Information System, from 1980 to 2010. Calculations of mortality rates were performed, including gross, gender-specific, and age-based. For trend analysis, linear and semi-log regression models were used. The significance level was 5%. RESULTS: Mortality rates for lymphoid and myeloid leukemias presented a growth trend, with the exception of lymphoid leukemia among children under 4 years of age (percentage decrease: 1.21% annually), while in the sub-group "Other types of leukemia", a downward trend was observed. Overall, mortality from leukemia tended to increase for boys and girls, especially in the age groups 10-14 years (annual percentage increase of 1.23% for males and 1.28% for females) and 15-19 years (annual percentage increase of 1.40% for males and 1.62% for females). CONCLUSIONS: The results for leukemia generally corroborate the results of other similar studies. A detailed analysis by subgroup of leukemia, age, and gender revealed no trends shown in other studies, thus indicating special requirements for each variable in the analysis. .

OBJETIVO: As leucemias compreendem o grupo mais frequente de neoplasias em crianças e adolescentes. Estudos conduzidos em outros países e no Brasil evidenciam, diminuição de sua mortalidade e aumento da sobrevida. O objetivo do estudo é conhecer a tendência de mortalidade por leucemia em menores de 19 anos de idade no Brasil de 1980 a 2010. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de estudo ecológico, retrospectivo de série temporal com dados extraídos do Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade, no período de 1980 a 2010. Realizados cálculos das taxas de mortalidade brutas e específicas por sexo e faixa etária. Para a análise de tendência utilizou-se modelos de regressão semilogarítmicos e lineares. Adotado nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: As taxas de mortalidade por leucemias linfoides e mieloides apresentam tendência de crescimento com exceção das leucemias linfoides entre meninos menores de 4 anos de idade (queda percentual 1,21% ao ano), enquanto no subgrupo denominado "Outros tipos de leucemias" observa-se tendência de queda. De forma global, a mortalidade por leucemias tende a aumentar para meninos e meninas, principalmente nas faixas etárias de 10 a 14 anos (aumento percentual anual de 1,23% para meninos e 1,28% para meninas) e 15 a 19 anos (aumento percentual anual de 1,40% para meninos e 1,62% para meninas). CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados para leucemias de forma geral corroboram com resultados de outros estudos similares. A análise minuciosa por subgrupo de leucemia, faixa etária e sexo revelou tendências não mostradas em outros estudos, indicando assim necessidades especiais na análise de cada variável. .

Disparities in pediatric leukemia early survival in Argentina: a population-based study / Disparidades en la supervivencia temprana a la leucemia infantil en Argentina: un estudio poblacional

OBJECTIVE: To identify disparities-using recursive partitioning (RP)-in early survival for children with leukemias treated in Argentina, and to depict the main characteristics of the most vulnerable groups. METHODS: This secondary data analysis evaluated 12-month survival (12-ms) in 3 987 children diagnosed between 2000 and 2008 with lymphoid leukemia (LL) and myeloid leukemia (ML) and registered in Argentina's population-based oncopediatric registry. Prognostic groups based on age at diagnosis, gender, socioeconomic index of the province of residence, and migration to a different province to receive health care were identified using the RP method. RESULTS: Overall 12-ms for LL and ML cases was 83.7% and 59.9% respectively. RP detected major gaps in 12-ms. Among 1-10-year-old LL patients from poorer provinces, 12-ms for those who did and did not migrate was 87.0% and 78.2% respectively. Survival of ML patients < 2 years old from provinces with a low/medium socioeconomic index was 38.9% compared to 62.1% for those in the same age group from richer provinces. For 2-14-year-old ML patients living in poor provinces, patient migration was associated with a 30% increase in 12-ms. CONCLUSIONS: Major disparities in leukemia survival among Argentine children were found. Patient migration and socioeconomic index of residence province were associated with survival. The RP method was instrumental in identifying and characterizing vulnerable groups.

OBJETIVO: Determinar mediante particionamiento recursivo las disparidades en la supervivencia temprana de los niños con leucemia tratados en Argentina, y presentar las características principales de los grupos más vulnerables. MÉTODOS: Análisis de datos secundarios en el que se evaluó la supervivencia a los 12 meses de 3 987 niños diagnosticados entre el 2000 y el 2008 de leucemia linfoide (LL) y leucemia mieloide (LM), e inscritos en el registro oncopediátrico poblacional de Argentina. Mediante el método de particionamiento recursivo se determinaron los grupos pronósticos con base en la edad en el momento del diagnóstico, el sexo, el índice socioeconómico de la provincia de residencia y la migración a una provincia diferente para recibir atención de salud. RESULTADOS: La supervivencia global a los 12 meses correspondiente a los casos de LL y LM fue de 83,7 y 59,9%, respectivamente, y el método detectó brechas importantes en la supervivencia. Entre los pacientes de 1 a 10 años con LL de las provincias más pobres la supervivencia a los 12 meses de los que migraron y de los que no lo hicieron fue de 87,0 y 78,2%, respectivamente. La supervivencia de los pacientes con LM menores de dos años que residían en las provincias con un índice socioeconómico bajo o medio fue de 38,9%, en comparación con 62,1% en los pacientes del mismo grupo etario que residían en las provincias más ricas. En los pacientes con LM de 2 a 14 años de edad que residían en las provincias pobres, la migración se asoció con un aumento de 30% en la supervivencia a los 12 meses. CONCLUSIONES: Se observaron importantes disparidades en la supervivencia de los niños argentinos con leucemia. La supervivencia se asoció con la migración y el índice socioeconómico de la provincia de residencia. El método de particionamiento recursivo contribuyó a la determinación y caracterización de los grupos vulnerables.

Analysis of childhood leukemia mortality trends in Brazil, from 1980 to 2010.

OBJECTIVE: Leukemias comprise the most common group of cancers in children and adolescents. Studies conducted in other countries and Brazil have observed a decrease in their mortality.This study aimed to evaluate the trend of mortality from leukemia in children under 19 years of age in Brazil, from 1980 to 2010. METHODS: This was an ecological study, using retrospective time series data from the Mortality Information System, from 1980 to 2010. Calculations of mortality rates were performed, including gross, gender-specific, and age-based. For trend analysis, linear and semi-log regression models were used. The significance level was 5%. RESULTS: Mortality rates for lymphoid and myeloid leukemias presented a growth trend, with the exception of lymphoid leukemia among children under 4 years of age (percentage decrease: 1.21% annually), while in the sub-group "Other types of leukemia", a downward trend was observed. Overall, mortality from leukemia tended to increase for boys and girls, especially in the age groups 10-14 years (annual percentage increase of 1.23% for males and 1.28% for females) and 15-19 years (annual percentage increase of 1.40% for males and 1.62% for females). CONCLUSIONS: The results for leukemia generally corroborate the results of other similar studies. A detailed analysis by subgroup of leukemia, age, and gender revealed no trends shown in other studies, thus indicating special requirements for each variable in the analysis.

A prospective study of an alemtuzumab containing reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplant program in patients with poor-risk and advanced lymphoid malignancies.

Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens for allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) have used alemtuzumab to abrogate the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Thirty-eight patients with advanced lymphoma underwent a prospective phase II study of melphalan, fludarabine and alemtuzumab containing RIC allo-SCT from 20 matched related and 18 unrelated donors with cyclosporine-A as GVHD prophylaxis. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD at 3 months was 10.5% and three evaluable patients experienced chronic GVHD. Progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival at 5 years was 25% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 13-40%) and 44% (95% CI: 28-59%), respectively. Previous high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplant (HDT-ASCT) and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) at the time of allo-SCT resulted in inferior OS. Within this cohort of patients with high-risk lymphoma, alemtuzumab containing RIC resulted in a low risk of GVHD and a high incidence of progression of disease, especially in those with poor-risk features defined by elevated LDH pre-allo-SCT and previous HDT-ASCT.

Disparities in pediatric leukemia early survival in Argentina: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify disparities-using recursive partitioning (RP)-in early survival for children with leukemias treated in Argentina, and to depict the main characteristics of the most vulnerable groups. METHODS: This secondary data analysis evaluated 12-month survival (12-ms) in 3 987 children diagnosed between 2000 and 2008 with lymphoid leukemia (LL) and myeloid leukemia (ML) and registered in Argentina's population-based oncopediatric registry. Prognostic groups based on age at diagnosis, gender, socioeconomic index of the province of residence, and migration to a different province to receive health care were identified using the RP method. RESULTS: Overall 12-ms for LL and ML cases was 83.7% and 59.9% respectively. RP detected major gaps in 12-ms. Among 1-10-year-old LL patients from poorer provinces, 12-ms for those who did and did not migrate was 87.0% and 78.2% respectively. Survival of ML patients < 2 years old from provinces with a low/medium socioeconomic index was 38.9% compared to 62.1% for those in the same age group from richer provinces. For 2-14-year-old ML patients living in poor provinces, patient migration was associated with a 30% increase in 12-ms. CONCLUSIONS: Major disparities in leukemia survival among Argentine children were found. Patient migration and socioeconomic index of residence province were associated with survival. The RP method was instrumental in identifying and characterizing vulnerable groups.

[State of medical care of patients with hematological malignancies in Kyïv].

In the article data are presented about morbidity by oncogematologic pathology - one of the most meaningful of social-economic problems. In Ukraine annually diagnose the to 8 thousand new cases of haemoblastosis. Indexes of morbidity on a 100 thousand population are 5,2; at illness of Hodgkin's lymphoma - 2,5, at plural myeloma - 1,6; at leukemia - 8,1. Morbidity by haematological pathology in Kyiv long time remains high: annually 250 expose patients with malignant lymphnoma, 57 - with myeloma, 190 - with leukemia, from them at 55 % is a sharp form and at 40 % - chronic. The anxiety of doctors causes circumstance that the special treatment is overcome 58,1 % patients by leukemia, 68,6 % - plural myeloma and 77,8 % patients with malignant lymphoma. World experience shows that application of complex methods of therapy allows to prolong life-span 80-90 % patients with Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma on 10, and at 95 % patients by a lymphogranulomatosis - to attain nonrecurrence survival to 5 years.

Prophylactic effects of interleukin-2 receptor antagonists against graft-versus-host disease following unrelated donor peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

Basiliximab and daclizumab, two interleukin-2 receptor antagonists (IL-2RAs), prevent graft failure in renal transplantation, which also effectively treat steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, only a few studies report that IL-2RAs prevent GVHD. Here we first retrospectively explored the prophylactic effects of basiliximab or daclizumab against GVHD in 82 patients with hematologic malignancies following unrelated donor-peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (URD-PBSCT). All recipients achieved engraftment. The rates of grade II-IV and III-IV acute GVHD (aGVHD) were 35.4% and 15.9%, respectively. Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) developed in 38.7% of evaluable patients. The transplantation-related mortality was 13.4%, while relapse rate was 8.5%. The 2-year overall survival (OS) reached 77.1% and disease-free survival (DFS) accumulated to 72.2%. The side effects of basiliximab and daclizumab were moderate and tolerable. There were no significant differences in aGVHD onset and survival between the daclizumab and basiliximab groups. However, basiliximab presented superior prophylactic effects on cGVHD than daclizumab. In conclusion, basiliximab or daclizumab prevents GVHD efficiently and feasibly following URD-PBSCT, and contributes to favorable outcome. Basiliximab has a similar effect on aGVHD but superior activity against cGVHD. Further prospective and randomized control studies are needed.

Risk factors for 30-day hospital readmission following myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT).

Patient readmission within 30 days from discharge has been perceived by the Centers for Medicare and Medical Services as an indicator of poor healthcare quality for specific high-cost medical conditions. Patients who undergo allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) are often being readmitted. Our study identified the risk factors for 30-day readmission among 618 adult recipients of myeloablative allo-HCT from 1990 to 2009. Two hundred forty-two (39%) of 618 patients (median age = 42 years [range: 18-66]) were readmitted a median of 10 days (range: 1-30) from their hospital discharge. Median duration of readmission was 8 days (range: 0-103). Infections (n = 68), fever with or without identified source of infection (n = 63), gastrointestinal complications (n = 44), graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (n = 38), and other reasons (n = 29) accounted for 28%, 26%, 18%, 16%, and 12% of readmissions, respectively. During their index admission, patients who were subsequently readmitted had more documented infections (P < .001), higher hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index (HCT-CI) (P < .01), total body irridiation (TBI)-based conditioning (P < .001), unrelated donor (P < .001), and peripheral stem cell (P = .014) transplantation. In multivariable analysis, HCT-CI (odds ratio [OR] = 1.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25-2.52), TBI-based preparative regimen (OR = 2.63; 95% CI, 1.67-4.13), and infection during admission for allo-HSCT (OR = 2.00; 95% CI, 1.37-2.92) predicted 30-day readmission. Thirty-day readmission itself was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR](Adj) = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.36-2.10). Our data emphasize the importance of a risk-standardized approach to 30-day hospital readmission if it is used as a quality-of-care metric for bone marrow transplantation.

Linear chain PEGylated recombinant Bacillus thiaminolyticus thiaminase I enzyme has growth inhibitory activity against lymphoid leukemia cell lines.

Cancer cells acquire abnormalities in energy metabolism, collectively known as the Warburg effect, affecting substrate availability of thiamine-dependent enzymes. To investigate a strategy to exploit abnormal cancer-associated metabolism related to thiamine, we tested the cytotoxicity of native Bacillus thiaminolyticus thiaminase I enzyme, which digests thiamine, in the NCI60 cell line drug cytotoxicity screening program and found that leukemia cell lines were among the most sensitive to thiaminase I. We obtained additional lymphoid leukemia cell lines and confirmed that native thiaminase I and linear chain PEGylated thiaminase I enzyme (LCPTE) have cytotoxic activity in these cell lines. In addition, the IC(50) of 3 of the 5 leukemia cell lines (Reh, RS4, and Jurkat) were at least 1,000-fold more sensitive than Molt-4 cells, which in turn, were among the most sensitive in the NCI60 panel. The 3 LCPTE-sensitive leukemia cell lines were also sensitive to removal of thiamine from the medium, thus suggesting the mechanism of action of LCPTE involves extracellular thiamine starvation. Surprisingly, rapamycin showed a protective effect against LCPTE toxicity in the 3 LCPTE-sensitive cell lines but not in the other 2 cell lines, suggesting involvement of an mTOR-dependent pathway. Immunoblot analysis of the LCPTE-sensitive cell lines after LCPTE exposure revealed changes in mTOR pathway phosphorylation. Nude mice bearing RS4 leukemia xenografts showed both tumor growth delay and prolonged survival after a single dose of LCPTE. Therefore, disruption of thiamine-dependent metabolism may be a novel therapeutic approach to target altered energy metabolism in leukemia and other cancers.