Impact of spleen size and splenectomy on outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for myelofibrosis: A retrospective analysis by the chronic malignancies working party on behalf of European society for blood and marrow transplantation (EBMT).

The role of spleen size and splenectomy for the prediction of post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HCT) outcome in myelofibrosis remains under debate. In EBMT registry, we identified a cohort of 1195 myelofibrosis patients transplanted between 2000-2017 after either fludarabine-busulfan or fludarabine-melphalan regimens. Overall, splenectomy was performed in 202 (16.9%) patients and its use decreased over time (28.3% in 2000-2009 vs 14.1% in 2010-2017 period). By multivariate analysis, splenectomy was associated with less NRM (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.44-0.93, P = .018) but increased risk of relapse (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.01-2.02, P = .042), with no significant impact on OS (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.67-1.12, P = .274). However, in subset analysis comparing the impact of splenectomy vs specific spleen sizes, for patients with progressive disease, an improved survival was seen in splenectomised subjects compared to those patients with a palpable spleen length ≥ 15 cm (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.28-0.69, P < .001), caused by a significant reduction in NRM (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.14-0.49, P < .001), without significantly increased relapse risk (HR 1.47, 95% CI 0.87-2.49, P = .147). Overall, despite the possible biases typical of retrospective cohorts, this study highlights the potential detrimental effect of massive splenomegaly in transplant outcome and supports the role of splenectomy for myelofibrosis patients with progressive disease and large splenomegaly.

Cord Blood Unit Dominance Analysis and Effect of the Winning Unit on Outcomes after Double-Unit Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in Adults with Acute Leukemia: A Retrospective Study on Behalf of Eurocord, the Cord Blood Committee of Cellular Therapy, Immunobiology Working Party, and the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Usually, after double umbilical cord blood transplantation (DUCBT), only 1 of the transplanted units persists in the long term. The characteristics of the winning cord blood unit (W-CBU) that determine unit dominance and how they influence the outcomes of DUCBT remain unclear. We retrospectively analyzed 347 patients with acute leukemia transplanted with a DUCBT (694 CBU) from 2005 to 2013 who had documented neutrophil engraftment and a W-CBU identified by chimerism analysis, to identify unit characteristics impacting on dominance. Median age at DUCBT was 40 years and median follow-up was 35 months. Among W-CBUs, 41% were ≥5/6 HLA matched to the recipient and 59% were ≤4/6. Multivariate analysis indicated that ≤4/6 HLA-matched W-CBUs led to lower leukemia-free survival (44% versus 56%; hazard ratio [HR], 1.5; P = .032) and overall survival (49% versus 62%; HR, 1.5; P = .028), increased nonrelapse mortality (26% versus 18%; HR, 1.9; P = .027), and acute graft-versus-host disease (46% versus 35%; HR, 1.7; P = .013). We were unable to predict unit dominance, but we demonstrated that outcomes were strongly influenced by the degree of HLA mismatch between W-CBU and recipient. Therefore, selection of both units with the lower number of HLA mismatches with the recipient is indicated.

Caplacizumab for immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: real-world multicenter data.

Given the limited real-world data of caplacizumab, our multicenter real-world study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of caplacizumab in immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic pupura (iTTP), compared to historic controls. We have studied 70 patients: 23 in the caplacizumab and 47 in the historic control group. Plasma exchange was applied in all episodes except for two patients that denied plasma exchange. Rituximab as first-line treatment was more common in the caplacizumab group compared to historic control. Caplacizumab (10 mg daily) was given at a median on day 7 (1-43) from initial diagnosis for 32 (6-47) dosages. In the caplacizumab group, a median of 12 (8-23) patients required plasma exchange sessions versus 14 (6-32) in the control group. Caplacizumab administration did not produce any grade 3 complications or major hemorrhagic events. After a median of 19.0 (2.6-320) months since the iTTP diagnosis, 5 deaths occurred (4 in the control group and 1 in the caplacizumab group, p = 0.310). Caplacizumab patients achieved early platelet normalization and ADAMTS13 activity normalization at the end of treatment. Relapse was observed only in 2/23 (9%) caplacizumab patients, compared to 29/47 (62%) historic controls (p < 0.001). Overall, caplacizumab is safe and effective in treating iTTP, including cases refractory to plasma exchange, re-administration, and cases without previous plasma exchange treatment. No major hemorrhagic events were observed. Cessation of dosing guided by ADAMTS13 has ensured a low relapse rate.

Outcomes of Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with relapse or progression following autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Patients with relapsed/progressed Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) following autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) may not have an invariably dismal outcome as previously considered. In a multicenter retrospective study, we evaluated 126 patients who relapsed/progressed after a median of 5 (1-132) months post first AHCT. Management consisted of irradiation, chemotherapy ± irradiation, second HCT, or palliation. Currently, 53 of 126 (42%) patients are alive for a median of 32 months since relapse/progression and 44 (35%) of them remain progression-free. Interval of <12 months to relapse/progression, presence of B-symptoms, and disease refractoriness at first AHCT failure adversely influenced overall survival (P < .05). The type of treatment had no impact on survival. Furthermore, to predict the outcome at the time of relapse/progression, we constructed a prognostic model based on 3 factors: interval of <12 months from first AHCT to relapse/progression, presence of B-symptoms, and pre-AHCT disease refractoriness. Patients with 0 to 1 factors achieved a median survival of 70 months compared to 17 months only in those with 2 to 3 factors (P < .001). This study, the largest reported to date, suggests that selected patients with relapse/progression after first AHCT can be rescued with current treatment modalities. However, relapsed/progressed HL following AHCT still poses a therapeutic challenge, and prospective trials are needed to determine the most appropriate approach in this setting.

Extracorporeal photopheresis in refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease: the influence on peripheral blood T cell subpopulations. A study by the Hellenic Association of Hematology.

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) has been established as an effective treatment modality for patients with chronic extensive graft-versus host disease (GVHD). In the present study, we evaluated the influence of ECP on the numbers of CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, CD56+ cells, and on T-regulatory (Tregs), as well as on the numbers of naïve, central memory (CM), and effector memory (EM) T-cells in patients treated for refractory chronic GVHD. Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed for the calculation of the different T-cell subsets. Patients with GVHD had a higher percentage of EM-CD4+ cells in comparison with healthy donors (p=0.046). The percentages of naïve-CD8+, naïve-CD4+, CM-CD8+, CM-CD4+, EM-CD8+, and Tregs were not different between patients with GVHD and healthy donors. Similarly there was no statistical difference in the percentages of naïve, CM, and EM CD4+ and CD8+ cells before and after 3 months of treatment with ECP. However, in the subset of Tregs a statistically significant increase was observed after 3 months of treatment with ECP (p=0.015). Responders to ECP had statistically significantly higher absolute numbers of CD4+, and CD8+ cells, in comparison with non-responders. These data further support the concept that ECP does not cause immune-suppression, but should be better considered as an immune-modulating treatment.

Extracorporeal photopheresis in the treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease. The Hellenic experience: a study by the Hellenic association of hematology.

The Hellenic experience regarding the efficacy of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in the treatment of 58 patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is presented in this article. All 58, except one patient, had failed at least one line of immunosuppressive treatment including steroids. Thirty-three out of 58 patients showed an objective overall response to ECP in a median time of 10 weeks after the onset of treatment. The cumulative incidence of overall response was 65.1%. In multivariate analysis, the presence of severe chronic GVHD was the only parameter associated with a significantly lower probability of response to treatment (RR=0.4, CI 95% 0.2-0.9, p=0.03). Responders to treatment with ECP were more likely to discontinue immunosuppression, had a lower probability of non-relapse mortality (RR=0.2, CI 95% 0.1-0.5, p=0.002), and a higher probability of overall survival (RR=7.8, CI 95% 3-20, p<0.001) in comparison with non-responders. Eight out of 58 patients experienced relapse of the original disease. The cumulative incidence of relapse in the group of responders to ECP was 6%, while it was 25% in the group of non-responders to ECP. In multivariate analysis, response to treatment with ECP was the only parameter statistically associated with a significantly decreased hazard of relapse (RR=0.1, CI 95% 0.1-0.7, p=0.02). ECP should be tested as first-line treatment in patients with cGVHD with the aim to minimize the duration of immunosuppression and the rate of relapse of the malignant disease.

Optimizing selection of double cord blood units for transplantation of adult patients with malignant diseases.

Double-unit unrelated cord blood transplantation (DUCBT) is an option in patients for whom a single unit is not sufficient to provide an adequate number of cells. As current guidelines on UCB unit selection are mainly based on single-unit UCB data, we performed a retrospective analysis of 1375 adult recipients of DUCBT for hematologic malignancies to determine optimal criteria for graft selection. Cryopreserved total nucleated cells (TNCs; ≤3.5 vs >3.5 × 107/kg: hazard ratio [HR], 1.53; 30% vs 45%; P = .01), number of HLA mismatches (≥2 vs 0-1: HR, 1.28; 42% vs 48%; P = .01), and ABO compatibility (minor/major ABO incompatibility vs compatibility: HR, 1.28; P = .04) were independent risk factors for OS. Cryopreserved CD34+ cell dose ≥0.7 × 105/kg in the winning UCB was associated with improved OS (HR, 1.34; P = .03). Low TNC (≤3.5 × 107/kg) and CD34+ (≤1.4 × 105/kg) cell doses were related to decreased neutrophil recovery (HR, 0.65 [P = .01] and HR, 0.81 [P = .01], respectively). DUCBT recipients with ≥2 HLA mismatches had a higher incidence of grade II-IV and III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (HR, 1.26 [P = .03] and 1.59 [P = .02], respectively). Low TNC dose (HR, 1.57; P = .02) and receiving UCB with ≥2 HLA mismatches (HR, 1.35; P = .03) were associated with increased transplant-related mortality. Our data support selecting adequately HLA-matched UCB units with a double-unit cryopreserved TNC dose >3.5 × 107/kg and CD34+ cell dose of ≥0.7 × 105/kg per unit in DUCBT candidates.

Superiorly or inferiorly based "islanded" nasolabial flap for buccal mucosa defects reconstruction.

PURPOSE: This article describes the successful use of superiorly and inferiorly based subcutaneous pedicled flaps in the reconstruction of defects of the buccal mucosa by raising the flaps as skin islands, relying on a pedicle of subcutaneous tissue. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine procedures were performed on 9 patients for reconstruction of small to moderate defects of the central portion of the buccal mucosa. Four patients underwent superiorly based and 5 patients underwent inferiorly based "islanded" nasolabial flap reconstruction. RESULTS: All flaps healed without evidence of infection, dehiscence, or necrosis. The choice of superiorly or inferiorly based "islanded" nasolabial flap did not affect the success of the final result; instead it helped decrease the trismus associated with these resections. CONCLUSIONS: The inferiorly or superiorly based nasolabial "islanded" flaps provide reliable coverage of small and intermediate sized defects of the buccal mucosa, improving mouth opening.

Comparative study of 5 different membranes for guided bone regeneration of rabbit mandibular defects beyond critical size.

BACKGROUND: Although several studies have examined use of collagen membranes in guided bone regeneration (GBR), none has examined the use of human fascia temporalis as a bioabsorbable barrier. The majority of studies related to GBR have examined critical size defects. We sought to assess the human fascia temporalis and other well-documented membranes applied for GBR in mandibular osseous defects beyond critical size. MATERIAL/METHODS: Fifty adult male New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. Five groups of 10 animals each were used: HFL (human fascia lata membrane), HP (human pericardium), HFT (human fascia temporalis), BP (bovine pericardium), and PTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene). Animals were killed 10 weeks after membrane application. In each animal, 9-mm circular mandibular defects were created bilaterally. On 1 side of the jaw, the defect was covered with 1 of the test membranes; the defect on the other side served as a control. Harvested specimens were examined histologically. RESULTS: Membranes were significantly superior to the controls in all animals (P<0.001). Paired comparisons showed that groups HFL, HP, BP, and PTFE were significantly superior to HFT (P<0.05). Conversely, comparisons of HFL-HP, HFL-BP, HFL-PTFE, HP-BP, HP-PTFE, and BP-PTFE, showed no significant differences (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, the fascia temporalis is not recommended for GBR techniques. The fascia lata, human pericardium, bovine pericardium, and e-PTFE advance bone regeneration and can be successfully used as GBR membranes for osseous defects beyond the critical size.