SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in patients with hairy-cell leukaemia.

Little is known of the course of COVID-19 and the antibody response to infection or vaccination in patients with hairy-cell leukaemia (HCL). Among a total of 58 HCL cases we studied in these regards, 37 unvaccinated patients, mostly enjoying a relatively long period free from anti-leukaemic treatment, developed COVID-19 between March 2020 and December 2021 with a usually favourable outcome (fatality rate: 5/37, 14%); however, active leukaemia, older age and more comorbidities were associated with a worse course. Postinfection (n = 11 cases) and postvaccination (n = 28) seroconversion consistently developed, except after recent anti-CD20 or venetoclax therapy, correlating with perivaccine B-cell count. Vaccination appeared to protect from severe COVID-19 in 11 patients with breakthrough infection.

Impact of anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies in the management of patients with lymphoma and COVID19: A retrospective study.

COVID19 in patients affected by lymphoma represents an important challenge because of the higher mortality rate. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (anti-S MoAbs) appear promising in this setting. We report a monocentric retrospective study including 176 patients affected by lymphoma which developed SARS-CoV-2 infection since the start of COVID19 pandemic. Overall, mortality was 13.1%, with a decreasing trend between first waves to the last wave of pandemic (18.5% vs. 9.4%, p 0.076). Patients receiving anti-S MoAbs (41.3%) showed inferior mortality rate (overall survival, OS 93.2% vs. 82.7%, p 0.025) with no serious toxicity, reduced documented pneumonia (26% vs. 33%, p 0.005), and reduced need of oxygen support (14.5% vs. 35.7%, p 0.003). Among patients who received 3 doses of vaccine, the employment of anti-COVID MoAbs showed a trend of superior survival versus those who did not receive Anti-S MoAbs (OS rates 97.3% vs. 84.2%, p 0.064). On multivariate analysis, active haematological disease (OS 72% (HR 2.49 CI 1.00-6.41), bendamustine exposure (OS 60% HR 4.2 CI 1.69-10.45) and at least one comorbidity (HR 6.53 CI 1.88-22.60) were independent prognostic factors for death. Our study confirms the adverse prognostic role of COVID-19 in lymphoma patients in presence of active disease, comorbidities and previous exposure to bendamustine. In our experience, anti-S MoAbs represented a therapeutic option in vaccinated patients.

Preliminary results of a counselling programme for fertility preservation in female cancer patients: The experience of the GEMME DORMIENTI network.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a population of patients referred for fertility preservation (FP), how to efficiently provide FP care, and how FP care changed over time. METHODS: This longitudinal observational study enrolled 281 female cancer patients referred between 2013 and 2016 to the non-profit organisation Gemme Dormienti ONLUS (GD) for FP care. All patients underwent the same battery of instrumental and laboratory diagnostic tests. GnRHa therapy was started at least seven days before CTh treatment. RESULTS: From 2013 to 2016, we observed a progressive increase in the number of patients referred for FP care. Out of 251 eligible patients, 135 patients were treated with GnRHa only, and 72 patients underwent GnRHa therapy and cryopreservation. The median time from GD referral to oocyte and ovarian tissue cryopreservation was 11 and 5 days respectively. Tissue cryopreservation requests increased during our study period (from four cases in 2013 to 17 cases in 2016). During follow-up, 17ß-estradiol and FSH levels were significantly increased (p < .0001), and AMH levels were significantly decreased (p < .0001). CONCLUSION: The rapid increase in the number of patients who requested FP care and in the complexity of FP procedures overtime reflects the need to improve quality of life for cancer patients.

Radiation therapy in indolent primary cutaneous B cell lymphoma: a single institute experience.

To report the clinical results after definitive radiotherapy (RT) for indolent primary cutaneous B cell lymphoma (pcBCL). The data concerning all patients treated for indolent pcBCL with RT with a curative intent between 1992 and 2012 were reviewed. All cases were (re)classified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. A total of 42 patients with biopsy-proven primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma (pcFCL) and primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma (pcMZL) were included. The median follow-up is 9.5 years. Treatment with RT resulted in complete response (CR) in all patients. Eight patients showed one or multiple relapses confined to the skin. No in-field recurrences were observed. For the entire cohort, the 10-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were 71.1% and 87.1%, respectively. Univariate (UA) and multivariate (MA) analysis revealed extra-trunk primary lesion (MA) and multiple lesions (UA) as unfavorable prognostic factors. The 5-year RFS rate for patients with trunk lesion was 89.4% versus 66.9% for those with other location (p = 0.02). The 5-year RFS rates were 83.5 and 57.1% in case of single and multiple lesions (p = 0.04). An excellent survival can be achieved with definitive RT in indolent pcBCL. Patients with multiple and extra-trunk primary cutaneous lesions probably warrants intensification of therapy. Prospective studies are mandatory.

Role of Rituximab Addition to First-line Chemotherapy Regimens in Nodular Lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Study by Fondazione Italiana Linfomi.

Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is a rare entity whose neoplastic cells retain a B-cell phenotype with expression of CD20. Radiotherapy is recommended for favorable stage IA disease while for other stages guidelines suggest therapeutic strategies similar to those used for classic HL. The role of rituximab, although quite widespread, is not completely elucidated. We retrospectively analyzed baseline characteristics of 308 consecutive patients with NLPHL diagnosed in 19 Italian centers from 2000 to 2018. With a median follow-up of 8.4 years (interquartile range: 4.5-12.4) for treated patients, median overall survival (OS) was not reached and estimated 5-year OS was 97.8% and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 84.5%. Five-year cumulative incidence of histological transformation was 1.4%, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.5%-3.8%. After adjusting for lymphocyte count, splenic involvement, bulky disease and B symptoms (fever, drenching night sweats, unintentional loss >10% of body weight within the preceding 6 months), patients with stage II or more showed superior PFS with immunochemotherapy in comparison to chemotherapy alone (hazard ratio = 0.4, 95% CI, 0.2-0.8; P = 0.015). Our data suggest an advantage of the use of rituximab combined with chemotherapy ± radiotherapy in the treatment of stage II-III-IV NLPHL.

Controlled-release oxycodone for the treatment of bortezomib-induced neuropathic pain in patients with multiple myeloma.

PURPOSE: Bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor drug very effective against multiple myeloma, may induce the so-called bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy (BIPN), hardly manageable with common analgesic drugs. This study assessed the effectiveness of controlled-release (CR) oral oxycodone in controlling pain and its interference on daily functions of patients with hematologic malignancies affected by BIPN. METHODS: Forty-six patients (median age, 62 years) affected by myeloma and lymphoma, complaining of BIPN-related pain of moderate-to-severe intensity and unresponsive to previous analgesic treatments, were treated with CR oxycodone. The intensity of continuous and brief pain (BP) along with interference of pain with the common daily dimensions of feeling and function were evaluated by using an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS); a global patient evaluation of efficacy was also performed. RESULTS: The daily average dose of CR oxycodone administered was 28.46 mg (range, 20-80 mg). The pain intensity decreased from a mean NRS value of 7.6 at baseline to 1.3 on day 14. The frequency of BP was reduced from 61 to 47% of patients and its intensity from 7.4 to 3.1 NRS score. A similar trend to decreasing values was observed for all the daily life functions. Slight- or mild-intensity side effects were observed in 23 patients (51%). At the end of the study, 75% of patients found the treatment effective or very effective. CONCLUSION: CR oxycodone for relief of BIPN-related pain was effective and well tolerated. The pain control significantly improved also the quality of the daily life functions, which are usually compromised in these suffering patients.

High Basal Maximal Standardized Uptake Value (SUVmax) in Follicular Lymphoma Identifies Patients with a Low Risk of Long-Term Relapse.

BACKGROUND: Despite that the unfavorable prognostic role of a high Total Metabolic Tumor Volume (TMTV) in Follicular Lymphoma has been demonstrated, the role of SUVmax alone at baseline PET/CT could have a different prognostic role. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational monocentric cohort study. All patients affected by FL who underwent a basal PET/CT were included. Two subgroups were identified and compared in terms of PFS and OS: (A) Basal SUVmax ≤ 6; and (B) Basal SUVmax > 6. RESULTS: Ninety-four patients were included, 34 in group A (36.2%) and 60 in group B (63.8%). The PFS at two years was comparable in the two groups (97%). The five-year PFS was 73.5% for group A and 95% for group B (p 0.005). The five-year PFS in the whole cohort was 87.5%. A clear advantage was confirmed in group A in the absence of other risk factors. Patients with SUVmax ≤ 6 and no risk factors showed a 5-year PFS of 73% against 83% for patients with SUVmax > 6 and at least two risk factors. CONCLUSION: A high FDG uptake favorably correlated with PFS. A low basal SUVmax reflected a higher rate of late relapse requiring a prolonged follow-up. The basal SUVmax is an approachable parameter with prognostic implications.

Current and future therapeutic approaches for the treatment of follicular lymphoma.

INTRODUCTION: Recent advances in prognostication as well as management of Follicular Lymphoma (FL) are moving to personalized approach. Areas covered: Prognostic scores as well as consolidated and innovative therapeutic approaches are evaluated according to the various presentation modalities. For asymptomatic, low-tumor burden FL, a 'watch and wait' policy is currently the first-choice approach, although possible alternatives are discussed. Early stage FL may be treated with local radiotherapy although the role of minimal residual disease in possible additional agents should be determined. The first line treatment for symptomatic FL is chemo-immunotherapy followed by two years maintenance therapy with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. A deeper knowledge of FL biology has opened new perspectives regarding the timing of therapy and has offered new targets for the development of novel agents that aim to change the therapeutic scenario of FL management. Expert commentary: The introduction of novel agents could question the incurability of FL and change the therapeutic goal from prolonging the complete remission state to eradicating the disease in young/fit patients, as well as improving quality of life in elderly/unfit patients. In the near future, combining new biologic agents and adoptive cell therapies could help in achieving these aims.

Cost analysis of a domiciliary program of supportive and palliative care for patients with hematologic malignancies.

The costs of home care (HC) programs may be tailored to the specific needs of patients with hematological malignancies. The aim of this study was to analyze the use of resources and the costs of a program of HC for four different prognostic groups of patients subdivided according to disease status. Over 2 years, 144 patients with hematological malignancies were assisted at home. Patients were subdivided according to disease status and life expectancy in the following groups: (i) terminal phase, with a life expectancy of 3 months or less; (ii) advanced phase, with a life expectancy of 6 months or less; (iii) chronic phase, with a life expectancy of more than 6 months; (iv) discharged early from the hospital with curable disease, following anticancer chemotherapy. Median mean monthly costs (MMC) in Euro (x) have been compared with the costs of hospitalization (DRG). Among the 4 groups of patients, those discharged early and in terminal phase required the highest mean monthly number of home visits (27.2 and 24.1), transfusions (6.1 and 6.8) and days of care (22.8 and 19.7) respectively. MMC were affected by the following variables: disease status and transfusion requirements. MMC for terminal patients (4,232.50x) and those discharged early (3,986.40x) were higher than those for advanced (2,303.80x) and chronic patients (1,488,30x). The cost of HC was lower than the corresponding DRG charges, but exceeded the district fares for HC of cancer patients. In hematological patients, the costs of HC differ according to disease status and transfusion requirements. For some categories of patients, costs of HC are lower than those of hospitalization, although higher than the current national fares for HC programs.

Refractory anaemia with excess of blasts in transformation re-evaluated with the WHO criteria: identification of subgroups with different survival.

One of the major changes suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) classification with respect to the French-American-British (FAB) proposal for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) was to lower the bone marrow (BM) blast count from 30 to 20%, thus eliminating the refractory anaemia with excess of blasts in transformation (RAEB-t) category. However, a general consensus has not been reached, and several authors still retain RAEB-t as an MDS sub-entity. We re-evaluated our series of 74 patients classified as RAEB-t according to the FAB criteria by stratifying them into two subsets: patients with at least 5% peripheral blast (PB) cells but with BM blasts <20% (group I) and patients with BM blastosis between 20 and 30% and PBs <5% (group II). We found differences among the two groups regarding sex, haematological parameters at presentation (white blood cell and neutrophil counts, haemoglobin level) and frequency of infectious episodes during the course of disease. We did not find differences as to the frequency of acute myeloid leukaemia transformation, but a significant difference was evidenced as to survival (9.3 vs. 16 months in group I vs. group II, respectively; p = 0.02). Furthermore, at our institution, we compared the RAEB-t group I patients who, based on >5% PBs, should be included in the RAEB-II category according to the WHO criteria, with a group of 98 patients who were diagnosed as RAEB-II according to the WHO criteria. The findings showed that the aggregation of these two subsets appeared inappropriate, because patients of the two groups showed different clinical features and rates of acute transformation. In conclusion, the RAEB-t entity according to the FAB criteria, although including heterogeneous clinical patient subsets, should more likely be considered as an advanced stage of MDS, rather than a true acute myeloid leukaemia.

Infectious Aetiology of Marginal Zone Lymphoma and Role of Anti-Infective Therapy.

Marginal zone lymphomas have been associated with several infectious agents covering both viral and bacterial pathogens and in some cases a clear aetiological role has been established. Pathogenetic mechanisms are currently not completely understood. However, the role of chronic stimulation of the host immune response with persistent lymphocyte activation represents the most convincing explanation for lymphoproliferation. Gastric MALT lymphoma is strictly associated with Helicobacter pylori infection and various eradicating protocols, developed due to increasing antibiotic resistance, represent the first line therapy for gastric MALT. The response rate to eradication is good with 80% of response at 1 year; this finding is also noteworthy because it recapitulates cancer cured only by the antibacterial approach and it satisfies the Koch postulates of causation, establishing a causative relationship between Hp and gastric MALT lymphoma. Patients with chronic HCV infection have 5 times higher risk to develop MZL, in particular, an association with splenic and nodal MZL has been shown in several studies. Moreover, there is evidence of lymphoma regression after antiviral therapy with interferon+ribavirin, thus raising hope that newly available drugs, extremely efficient against HCV replication, could improve outcome also in HCV-driven lymphomas. Another case-study are represented by those rare cases of MZL localized to orbital fat and eye conjunctivas that have been associated with Chlamydophila psittaci infection carried by birds. Efficacy of antibacterial therapy against C. psittaci are conflicting and generally poorer than gastric MALT. Finally, some case reports will cover the relationship between primary cutaneous B-cell Lymphomas and Borrelia Burgdorferi.

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma: Prognostic factors, role of watch and wait policy, and other therapeutic approaches in the rituximab era.

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is an indolent lymphoma in which watch and wait (W&W) approach as well as splenectomy and chemo-immunotherapy are usually recommended. The role of the different approaches in relation to risk factors was evaluated. One hundred patients with SMZL were retrospectively studied. Median age was 65 years. HCV positivity was 3.1%. The 10-year overall-survival was 95.1% (CI: 90-100%). Sixty-two asymptomatic, low tumour burden patients were submitted to W&W. A low-risk group not requiring treatment was identified. Patients requiring treatment received splenectomy (36), chemotherapy-alone (27) and rituximab ± chemotherapy (16). In multivariate analysis, negative predictors for starting treatment were female-sex, splenomegaly, ECOG ≥ 1. Patients with low IIL-Score had a better 5-year TFT (24%). The median TFT of the W&W cohort was 58.5 months; at 10 years, 17% of patients were still on W&W. Splenectomy and rituximab ± chemotherapy showed similar results, while chemotherapy alone proved inferior. This real-life single-centre study of SMZL confirmed its very good prognosis with a survival likelihood overlapping that of general population. The prognostic role of IIL-Score was confirmed. The W&W approach allowed a median PFS longer than in follicular lymphoma. Finally, our data confirm the inferiority of chemotherapy compared to splenectomy and rituximab±chemotherapy.

Life-Threatening Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and Idhiopatic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. Successful Selective Splenic Artery Embolization.

Selective splenic artery embolization (SSAE) is a nonsurgical intervention characterized by the transcatheter occlusion of the splenic artery and/or its branch vessels using metallic coils or other embolic devices. It has been applied for the management of splenic trauma, hypersplenism with portal hypertension, hereditary spherocytosis, thalassemia and splenic hemangioma. We hereby describe a case of a patient affected by idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and warm auto-immune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) both resistant to immunosuppressive and biological therapies, not eligible for a surgical intervention because of her critical conditions. She underwent SSAE and achieved a hematologic complete response within a few days without complications. SSAE is a minimally invasive procedure to date not considered a standard option in the management of AIHA and ITP. However, following the progressive improvement of the techniques, its indications have been extended, with a reduction in morbidity and mortality compared to splenectomy in patients with critical clinical conditions. SSAE was a lifesaving therapeutic approach for our patient and it may represent a real alternative for the treatment of resistant AIHA and ITP patients not eligible for splenectomy.

Reappraising the timing of transplant for indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

INTRODUCTION: Indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas (iNHL) remain incurable with standard approaches. The timing of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is changing following the introduction of new drugs that can potentially defer the transplant, improved reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) and haploidentical allogeneic SCT (allo-SCT). AREAS COVERED: The most relevant aspects concerning the role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the management of iNHL are discussed. Literature search methodology included examination of PubMed index and meeting presentations. Expert commentary: ASCT is not currently employed as consolidation in first-line, being reserved to patients with refractory/relapsed disease. The curative potential of graft-versus-lymphoma (GVL) after RIC allo-SCT could be particularly beneficial in patients with iNHL relapsing after ASCT. This scenario could be modified in the near future by better definition of high-risk patients at diagnosis, by the improvement of minimal residual disease (MRD) evaluation and by the introduction of new drugs in the therapeutic algorithm.