Interim PET-guided ABVD or ABVD/escalated BEACOPP for newly diagnosed advanced-stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma (JCOG1305).

This single-arm confirmatory study (JCOG1305) aimed to evaluate the utility of interim positron emission tomography (iPET)-guided therapy for newly diagnosed advanced-stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Patients aged 16-60 years with cHL received two cycles of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) and then underwent an iPET scan (PET2), which was centrally reviewed using a five-point Deauville scale. PET2-negative patients continued an additional four cycles of ABVD, whereas PET2-positive patients switched to six cycles of escalated bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (eBEACOPP). The co-primary endpoints were 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) among all eligible and PET2-positive patients. Ninety-three patients were enrolled between January 2016 and December 2019. One patient was ineligible because of a diagnostic error. The median age of the 92 eligible patients was 35 (interquartile range, 28-48) years. Forty (43%) patients had stage III disease, and 43 (47%) had stage IV disease. The remaining nine (10%) patients had stage IIB disease with risk factors. Nineteen PET2-positive (21%) patients received eBEACOPP, 18 completed six cycles of eBEACOPP, 73 PET2-negative (79%) patients continued ABVD, and 70 completed an additional four cycles of ABVD. With a median follow-up period of 41.1 months, the 2-year PFS of 92 eligible patients and 19 PET2-positive patients were 84.8% (80% confidence interval [CI], 79.2-88.9) and 84.2% (80% CI, 69.7-92.1), respectively. Both primary endpoints were met at the prespecified threshold. This study demonstrates that iPET-guided therapy is a useful treatment option for younger patients with newly diagnosed advanced-stage cHL. Registration number: jRCTs031180218.

The kappa/lambda ratio of surface immunoglobulin light chain as a valuable parameter for MRD assessment in CLL with atypical immunophenotype.

In recent years, the significance of detecting minimal/measurable residual disease (MRD) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has increased due to the availability of highly effective therapeutic agents. Flow cytometry provides notable cost-effectiveness and immediacy, with an expected sensitivity level of approximately 10-4. The critical aspect of MRD detection via flow cytometry lies in accurately defining the region containing tumor cells. However, a subset of CLL, known as CLL with atypical immunophenotype, exhibits a distinct cell surface marker expression pattern that can make MRD detection challenging, because these markers often resemble those of normal B cells. To enhance the sensitivity of MRD detection in such atypical cases of CLL, we have capitalized on the observation that cell surface immunoglobulin (sIg) light chains tend to be expressed at a higher level in this subtype. For every four two-dimensional plots of cell surface markers, we used a plot to evaluate the expression of sIg kappa/lambda light chains and identified regions where the kappa/lambda ratio of sIg light chains deviated from a designated threshold within the putative CLL cell region. Using this method, we could detect atypical CLL cells at a level of 10-4. We propose this method as an effective MRD assay.

Clinicopathological differences between T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, early T-precursor lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, and mixed-phenotype acute leukemia with T lineage: An analysis of 41 adult cases.

The histopathological diagnosis of T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, NOS (T-ALL), is based on morphology and positivity for CD3 and TdT. Early T-precursor lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ETP-ALL) and mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL), T/M, and/or B rarely occur and are usually diagnosed using flow cytometry. Using only formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue raises the risk of misdiagnosis due to underestimation. Immunostaining markers for T cell (CD1a, CD4, CD5, CD8), B cell (CD19, CD10, CD22, CD79a), and stem/myeloid-related cell (CD33, CD34, CD117, MPO, lysozyme) diagnosed 25 T-ALL cases (61%), 7 MPAL (17%), 6 ETP-ALL (15%), and 3 near ETP-ALL (7%), with subsequent analysis of their clinicopathological characteristics. Patients with MPAL had significantly poorer 2-year progression-free survival (14.3% vs. 60.4%, P = 0.012) and 5-year overall survival (28.6% vs. 65.9%, P = 0.011) than did those with T-ALL, whereas ETP-ALL and near ETP-ALL did not. Of the seven patients with MPAL, three were classified as T/B, two as T/M, and two as T/M/B. Because most MPALs (6/7) share the ETP-ALL phenotype, immunohistochemistry for CD19 and MPO should be performed to avoid misdiagnosing MPAL as ETP-ALL. All three patients with TdT-negative MPAL died of the disease. Four patients with MPO-positive MPAL relapsed during the early phase (1-9 months). Five patients received the ALL regimen, but two patients received acute myeloid leukemia and lymphoma regimens, respectively. In this study, MPAL exhibited a poorer prognosis compared to T-ALL, unlike ETP-ALL. Thus, immunohistochemical classification with multiple antibody panels is useful for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Loss of or decrease in CD30 expression in four patients with anaplastic large cell lymphoma after brentuximab vedotin-containing therapy.

Brentuximab vedotin (BV), CD30 specific antibody drug conjugate, has been used to treat anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and classic Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL); it is also used in the treatment of other CD30-positive peripheral T-cell lymphomas. We aimed to investigate the incidence and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with ALCL or CHL with loss of or decrease in CD30 expression after BV-containing therapy. Twelve and nine patients with refractory/relapsed CHL and ALCL, respectively, were analyzed after receiving BV-containing therapy. In four ALCL patients (44%), CD30 expression was lost/decreased in re-biopsy materials, including one with complete loss and three with a reduction of less than 20%. All 12 CHL patients showed consistent CD30 expression levels after BV treatment. Compared with five ALCL patients with consistent CD30 expression, four ALCL patients with a loss of/decrease in CD30 expression received a higher cumulative dose of BV (P = 0.014) and revealed a lower intensity of CD30 expression in initial biopsy materials (P = 0.017). The subtypes of ALCL (ALK positive, ALK negative, and primary cutaneous) were not related to the loss of/decrease in CD30 expression. In conclusion, 44% of ALCL patients, regardless of histological subtypes, showed a loss of/decrease in CD30 expression after receiving BV-containing therapy, but this phenomenon was not observed in CHL patients. A higher cumulative dose of BV and a lower amount of CD30 antigen in tumor cells in the initial biopsy materials might be predictors of a loss of/decrease in CD30 expression in ALCL patients.

The Association between Gut Microbiota and Depression in the Japanese Population.

Depression is a leading cause of disease worldwide. The association between gut microbiota and depression has barely been investigated in the Japanese population. We analyzed Iwaki health check-up data collected from 2017 to 2019 and constructed generalized linear mixed models. The independent variable was the relative abundance of each of the 37 gut microbiota genera that were reported to be associated with depression. The dependent variable was the presence of depression assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Potential confounders, including grip strength, gender, height, weight, smoking, and drinking habits, were adjusted in the regression models. Nine genera's regression coefficients (Alistipes, Blautia, Coprococcus, Dorea, Faecalibacterium, Holdemania, Lactobacillus, Mitsuokella, and Oscillibacter) showed statistical significance after multiple comparisons adjustment. Among these nine gut bacteria genera, Alistipes, Blautia, Coprococcus, Dorea, Faecalibacterium, and Oscillibacter were reported to be associated with butyrate production in the intestine. Our results indicate that gut microbiotas may influence the depression condition of the host via the butyrate-producing process.

Phase 3 SELENE study: ibrutinib plus BR/R-CHOP in previously treated patients with follicular or marginal zone lymphoma.

The phase 3 SELENE study evaluated ibrutinib + chemoimmunotherapy (CIT; bendamustine and rituximab [BR]; or rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone [R-CHOP]) for patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL) or marginal zone lymphoma (MZL). Adult patients who had received ≥1 prior line of CIT were randomized 1:1 to oral ibrutinib (560 mg) or placebo daily, plus 6 cycles of BR/R-CHOP. The primary end point was investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS). Overall, 403 patients were randomized to ibrutinib + CIT (n = 202) or placebo + CIT (n = 201). Most patients received BR (90.3%) and had FL (86.1%). With a median follow-up of 84 months, median PFS was 40.5 months in the ibrutinib + CIT arm and 23.8 months in the placebo + CIT arm (hazard ratio [HR], 0.806; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.626-1.037; P = .0922). Median overall survival was not reached in either arm (HR, 0.980; 95% CI, 0.686-1.400). Grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were reported in 85.6% and 75.4% of patients in the ibrutinib + CIT and placebo + CIT arms, respectively. In each arm, 13 patients had TEAEs leading to death. The addition of ibrutinib to CIT did not significantly improve PFS compared with placebo + CIT. The safety profile was consistent with known profiles of ibrutinib and CIT. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01974440.

An update on the developments in the treatment of adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma: current knowledge and future perspective.

Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma is defined as peripheral T-cell lymphoma caused by the human T-cell leukemia virus type I. Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma is classified into indolent (favorable chronic or smoldering) or aggressive (acute, lymphoma or unfavorable chronic) types. This review discusses the therapeutic developments for patients with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma and unmet issues in treating adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma. For indolent adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma, a watchful waiting strategy is recommended until the disease progresses to aggressive adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma. For aggressive adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma, multi-agent chemotherapy with or without allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been recommended. However, many patients with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma relapse, and their prognosis is poor. Recently, novel agents, including mogamulizumab, lenalidomide, brentuximab vedotin, tucidinostat and valemetostat, have been approved for patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma, and the combination of mogamulizumab with multi-agent chemotherapy or brentuximab vedotin with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone has been approved for patients with untreated aggressive adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma in Japan. Importantly, the aging of patients with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma has recently been reported, and no standard of care for elderly patients with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma has been established. New evidence must be obtained from prospective clinical trials to improve the prognosis of patients with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma.

Dose-escalation part of Phase I study of single-agent mosunetuzumab in Japanese patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

OBJECTIVE: This dose-escalation part of an ongoing Phase I study assessed the tolerability, safety and pharmacokinetics of mosunetuzumab in Japanese patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: Mosunetuzumab was administered intravenously, with step-up dosing in a 3 + 3 design, on Days 1, 8 and 15 of Cycle 1, and Day 1 of each subsequent 21-day cycle for up to 17 cycles to patients across five cohorts with different target doses (2.8, 6.0, 13.5, 27.0 or 60.0 mg). RESULTS: As of 5 July 2022, 23 patients had received mosunetuzumab. The median patient age was 63.0 years, 56.5% of patients were male, and 69.6% of patients had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 17.4% had transformed follicular lymphoma (FL) and 13.0% had FL. The median number of prior lines of therapy was 4. Mosunetuzumab was well tolerated and there were no deaths. The most common adverse events (any grade) were neutropenia/neutrophil count decreased (47.8%) and cytokine release syndrome (34.8%). Most cytokine release syndrome events were Grade 1/2 (one Grade 3), and most occurred within 24 hours of the first dose of mosunetuzumab. The apparent half-life of mosunetuzumab was 4.1-5.0 days. Two patients achieved a complete response, and 11 patients achieved a partial response. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that mosunetuzumab has an acceptable safety profile and antitumor activity in Japanese patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell NHL. The recommended Phase II dose of 1.0/2.0/60.0/60.0/30.0 mg was tolerable and there were no new or different safety signals compared with the global Phase I study.

Pathogenesis of Gastrointestinal Follicular Lymphomas: Consideration Based on Histopathology and Endoscopic Findings.

Gastrointestinal (GI) follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most frequently diagnosed extranodal FL; however, its pathogenesis is debatable. We investigated the distribution, endoscopic, and histopathologic findings of 366 GI FL samples obtained from 298 patients. FLs were most frequently observed in the small intestine (71%), including the duodenum (52%), but were also commonly found in the stomach (15%) and colon (12%). The proportion of granular lesions in the duodenum, terminal ileum, colon, and stomach was 74%, 39%, 24%, and 0%, respectively. Submucosal or ulcerated tumors were frequently observed in the stomach (48%) and colon (52%). Most GI FL showed grade 1 to 2 histology (89%) as well as CD10 + (93%) and BCL2 + (98%) positivity. There were no significant differences in the endoscopic or histologic findings between primary and secondary GI FLs. As known, the mucosa of the small intestine is thin and villous, while the mucosa of the stomach and colon is thicker and has a smooth surface. Granular lesions corresponding to very small FL were detected in the former but rarely in the latter. Nine (7%) patients with primary GI FL developed histologic transformation to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n=8) or high-grade B-cell lymphoma (n=1) 10 months to 14 years after the diagnosis of FL. Two patients died of lymphoma. In conclusion, the incidence and endoscopic findings differed, but the histopathology was similar in FLs in each site. These differences might be attributed to variations in each GI site's mucosal structure and the neoplastic follicles' size. Due to its characteristic structure, very small classic FLs might be detectable mainly in the small intestine.

Effects of body compositions on the associations between ferritin and diabetes parameters among Japanese community dwellers.

BACKGROUND: Ferritin is associated with an increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus. Moreover, the ferritin levels differ across the body compositions. Although there were studies reporting the association of ferritin and diabetes, the alteration in ferritin-diabetes association by body composition differences is rarely explained. Thus, the aim of this study is to identify the effects of body compositions on the association between ferritin and diabetes parameters among the Japanese population. METHODS: This study analyzed the data of a cross-sectional study with 1065 subjects aged over 19 years in the Iwaki area, Japan. Independent variables were ferritin and body compositions, while dependent variables were blood sugar, HbA1c, and diabetes mellitus. Correlations between serum ferritin and blood sugar and HbA1c were analyzed using Spearman's Rank Correlation. Multivariate linear or logistic regressions were used to investigate the effects of body compositions (body fat percentage, muscle mass, or visceral fat level) on the ferritin-diabetes associations by adjusting the confounders. RESULTS: There were significant positive correlations between ferritin and blood sugar in both sexes (p < 0.05), while a significant correlation between ferritin and HbA1c was found only in females (p < 0.001). Higher ferritin was significantly associated with an increase in blood sugar in individuals with normal body fat percentage (lowest vs. highest quartile group, coefficient=5.07, 95 % confidence intervals [CI]: 1.48-8.65), normal visceral fat level (lowest vs. highest quartile group, coefficient=4.84, 95 % CI: 1.74-7.94), and very high muscle mass (lowest vs. highest quartile group, coefficient=14.14, 95 % CI: 5.00-23.29). CONCLUSIONS: By our study findings, individuals' body composition notably influenced the associations of serum ferritin and diabetes parameters, and the association was attenuated in obese individuals.

Diagnostic clues of BCL2-negative, faint, or controversial follicular lymphomas: a study of 103 cases.

BCL2 positivity by immunohistochemistry is helpful for the diagnosis of follicular lymphoma (FL); however, a minority of FL cases are BCL2-negative, and the diagnosis is thus challenging. We retrospectively analyzed the incidence, morphology, immunophenotype, and genetic status of BCL21+ (weakly/focally positive by clone 124), BCL20 (negative), and BCL2controversial FLs compared with BCL22+ (strongly positive) FLs to clarify diagnostic clues. In 1068 FL cases, 103 (10%) with BCL21+ (37 cases, 4%), BCL20 (61 cases, 6%), or BCL2controversial (5 cases, 0.5%) were included in the final analysis. BCL21+ and BCL20 FLs tended to have limited stage disease, nodal disease, and grades 3A/3B histology and showed a higher complete response rate than BCL22+ FLs. Among 103 BCL20, BCL21+, or BCL2controversial FL cases, 34 (33%) had a diffuse area composed of CD20-positive small-to medium-sized lymphoid cells, a feature of low-grade B-cell lymphoma. Interfollicular dense CD20-positive cells and interfollicular clusters of CD10-positive cells were observed in 59% and 37% of cases, respectively. In remaining 13/40 cases (33%), BCL2 was converted to BCL22+ by other clones E17/SP66. CD23 and MUM1 were positive in 10/40 (25%) and 1/40 (3%) cases, respectively. IGH/BCL2 fusion and clonality were detected in 6/37 (16%) and 31/34 (91%) cases, respectively. In conclusion, morphological examination of the distribution of CD20-and/or CD10-positive cells and the presence of diffuse area could be used to diagnose FL in most cases. The majority of the remaining FL cases could be diagnosed using other BCL2 clones and clonality analyses.

Long-term safety profile of tirabrutinib: final results of a Japanese Phase I study in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies.

Tirabrutinib is a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor for treating B-cell malignancies. We report the final results of a Phase I study of tirabrutinib in 17 Japanese patients with B-cell malignancies. Patients were administered tirabrutinib at a dose of 160 mg, 320 mg, or 480 mg once daily, or 300 mg twice daily (N = 3, 3, 4, and 7, respectively). Three patients continued tirabrutinib until study completion (November 30, 2020). Adverse events (AEs) occurred in all 17 patients, with Grade 3-4 AEs in 8 (47.1%), serious AEs in 7 (41.2%), drug-related AEs in 16 (94.1%), and Grade 3-4 drug-related AEs in 6 (35.3%). Drug-related AEs reported in 3 or more patients were rash, vomiting, neutropenia, arthralgia, and malaise. One additional serious AE (benign neoplasm of the lung, unrelated to tirabrutinib) occurred after the previous data cutoff (January 4, 2018). Tirabrutinib administration and response assessment were continued for over 4 years in 4 patients. The overall response rate was 76.5% (13/17 patients). The median (range) time to response and duration of response were 0.9 (0.9-5.9) months and 2.59 (0.08-5.45) years, respectively. These findings demonstrate the long-term safety and efficacy of tirabrutinib in Japanese patients with B-cell malignancies.Clinical trial registration: JapicCTI-142682 ( http://www.clinicaltrials.jp/ ).

The role of surveillance computed tomography in patients with follicular lymphoma.

Introduction: Surveillance computed tomography (CT) is performed during the follow-up of patients with lymphoma who have completed initial therapy. However, studies on the clinical benefit of surveillance CT for patients with incurable subtypes, such as follicular lymphoma (FL), are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the value of surveillance CT for patients with FL after achieving the first complete response (CR) or CR unconfirmed in the rituximab era. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with FL who achieved CR with first-line treatment between 2000 and 2016 at our institution. In patients who experienced first relapse, we examined the patient's clinical characteristics at the time of relapse, subsequent therapies, and post-relapse survival, based on the method of relapse detection. Results: Of the 248 patients who achieved CR after initial therapy, 109 had a relapse, with a median follow-up of 11 years; 100 were enrolled into this study. Relapse was detected by surveillance CT in 61 patients (surveillance CT group) and by means other than surveillance CT, such as the presence of patient-reported symptoms, physical findings, and blood work-up abnormalities (non-surveillance CT group), in 39 patients. There was no significant difference in the patients' characteristics at the time of relapse between the two groups, except for a higher incidence of extranodal involvement in the non-surveillance CT group. The method of relapse detection did not affect therapeutic selection after relapse and post-relapse survival. In this study, 86.8% of the 38 patients who relapsed with only deep lesions, such as mesenteric or retroperitoneal lymph nodes, had surveillance CT-detected relapse. Conclusion: Surveillance CT did not show any clinical benefit for patients with FL in CR; however, it might lead to early detection of relapse in cases of deep lesions that cannot be identified without imaging.

CD3-and CD20-negative extramedullary non-Hodgkin leukemia/lymphoma: a histopathological study of 118 cases.

Histopathological diagnoses are challenging for rare CD3-and CD20-negative extramedullary leukemias/lymphomas. We report 118 cases of CD3- CD20-extramedullary leukemias/lymphomas (2.4% of 4977 cases). CD45 was positive in 68% of cases. Forty-nine (41%) cases were anaplastic large cell lymphomas. Thirty-five (30%) cases were large B-cell lymphomas/plasmablastic lymphomas positive for at least one of the following markers: CD79a, PAX5, CD19, CD138, and MUM1. Nine (8%) cases were peripheral T/NK-cell lymphomas, where at least CD43, CD45RO, or cytotoxic molecules were positive; 4, 3, and 2 cases were extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, peripheral T-cell lymphoma-not otherwise specified, and adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, respectively. The remaining 25 (21%) cases included 11, 8, and 6 cases of myeloid sarcoma, blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm, and B- or NK-cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, respectively. For large B-cell lymphoma/plasmablastic lymphoma diagnosis, MUM1 (92%) was the most sensitive marker, followed by CD79a (63%), PAX5 (52%), CD138 (42%), and CD19 (36%). EBER 1 and HHV8 were positive in 32% and 0% of the cases. For peripheral T/NK-cell lymphomas other than ALCL, CD45RO and CD43 were positive in nine cases; however, cytotoxic molecules (TIA1, 86%; granzyme B, 71%) were the most sensitive markers. In conclusion, most cases of the 118 (2.4%) CD3- CD20- extramedullary leukemia/lymphoma were represented by anaplastic large cell lymphomas (41%). The second most frequent group of neoplasia, large B-cell lymphoma/plasmablastic lymphoma (30%), characterized a special diagnostic challenge when B-cell markers were not expressed, requiring immunohistochemistry for multiple B-cell markers and molecular analysis in some cases.

Two-year outcomes of tirabrutinib monotherapy in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

The phase II study of tirabrutinib monotherapy at a daily dose of 480 mg under fasting conditions for treatment-naïve and relapsed/refractory Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (ONO-4059-05 study) demonstrated a promising efficacy and tolerable safety profile. We conducted an unplanned analysis with a median follow-up of 24.8 months to update the efficacy and safety results and to report patient-reported quality of life. Of 27 enrolled patients, 22 patients continued receiving the study drug. The major response assessed by an independent review committee was observed in 25 patients (93%), including one and five patients who newly achieved complete response and very good partial response, respectively, after the primary analysis. The progression-free and overall survival rates at 24 months were 92.6% and 100%, respectively. Serum IgM levels in all patients except one declined and were maintained at low levels, although transient increases occurred after temporal interruption of the study drug. The disease-related symptoms including recurrent fever and hyperviscosity mostly disappeared. Health-related quality of life, assessed by cancer-specific questionnaires, was mostly maintained. Grade 3-4 neutropenia, lymphopenia, and leukopenia were newly recognized in three, two, and one patient, respectively. Grade 3 treatment-related hypertriglyceridemia was also recognized. Nine patients experienced grade 1-2 bleeding events (33%), one patient experienced grade 2 treatment-related atrial fibrillation, and one patient experienced grade 1 treatment-related hypertension. Treatment-related skin adverse events were observed in 14 patients (52%). Taken together, tirabrutinib has durable efficacy with an acceptable safety profile for treatment-naïve and refractory/relapsed Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

The outcome of watchful waiting in patients with previously treated follicular lymphoma.

Watchful waiting (WW) is one of the standard approaches for newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma (FL) patients with low-tumor burden. However, the impact of WW in FL patients at the first progression, remains unclear. We reviewed 206 FL patients who experienced the first progression after responding to the initial treatment at our institution between 1998 and 2017. Patients were classified into either the WW cohort (132 patients) or the immediate treatment cohort (74 patients). Overall, the median follow-up from the first progression was 79.8 months (range, 2.1-227.0 months). In the WW cohort, the estimated median time to next treatment (TNT) was 19.7 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.4-30.2), and 76.5% (95% CI, 68.0-84.1) of the patients subsequently underwent the second-line treatment at 5 years. There was a significant difference in the median time to treatment failure in the WW cohort (72.8 months; 95% CI, 64.6-94.0) compared to the immediate treatment cohort (23.3 months; 95% CI, 13.4-38.8) (HR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.48-3.06), whereas overall survival and the cumulative incidence of histological transformation were not significantly different between two cohorts. In a multivariate analysis, rituximab refractory status, progression of disease within 24 months from the induction of first-line therapy, and a high Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index score at diagnosis were significantly associated with shorter TNT. Interestingly, 15 patients (11%) of the WW cohort experienced spontaneous tumor regression during WW, and their TNT (median, 82.1 months, 95% CI, 11.7-NA) was longer than that of the remaining patients in the WW cohort (median, 16.5 months, 95% CI, 13.0-25.4), with a significant difference (p = 0.01). The results of the present study suggested that WW could be a safe and reasonable option even at the first progression for the selected FL patients, without a negative impact on clinical outcomes.

Prognostic implication of CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1 expression in aggressive adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma.

The prognosis of patients with aggressive adult T cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATLL) is dismal even with intensive chemotherapy. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a promising option for patients with aggressive ATLL, but the posttransplant outcome remains unsatisfactory. Hence, to further improve clinical outcomes, novel therapeutic approaches are needed. The clinical significance of immune checkpoint protein expression has not been well-established in aggressive ATLL. This study aims to identify the association between the expression profile of immune checkpoint proteins on ATLL cells and clinical outcomes. This retrospective study cohort included 65 patients with aggressive ATLL diagnosed between 2001 and 2015 at the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue was used to immunohistochemically determine the expression of immune checkpoint proteins and assess the impact of expression profile on the probability of overall survival from diagnosis or HSCT. The current analysis shows that cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), programmed death-1 (PD-1), and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expressions were adverse prognostic factors in patients with aggressive ATLL. Experiments that assess the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors are warranted to alleviate the adverse impacts associated with negative immune checkpoints.

[Current treatment strategies for peripheral T-cell lymphoma].

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a heterogeneous group of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) with poor prognoses as compared with those of B-cell NHLs. CHOP or CHOP-like regimen has been considered to be the standard treatment for almost all pathological subtypes of PTCL; however, these regimens result in low complete response rate and short progression-free survival (PFS). Due to these insufficient results with CHOP-based chemotherapy, there is an urgent need for more effective and newer therapeutic strategies. The positive results of the ECHELON-2 study, which demonstrated significantly longer PFS with brentuximab vedotin plus CHP therapy in the frontline treatment for CD30-positive PTCLs, have a great impact on our clinical practice. At present, translational research is being actively conducted to elucidate molecular biology in PTCLs, and deep understanding of the underlying molecular mechanism of PTCLs would produce changes in disease classification. Until now, clinical development of novel agents based on the clinical classification has been carried out for all PTCL subtypes, but from now, treatment development based on molecular biology will be strongly required.

Diagnostic utility and prognostic significance of the Ki-67 labeling index in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma transformed from follicular lymphoma: a study of 76 patients.

The diagnosis of histological transformation of follicular lymphoma can be challenging and ambiguous. We investigated the distribution of the Ki-67 labeling index of histological transformation of follicular lymphoma and determined its cutoff value to predict poor outcomes. The diagnostic criteria for histological transformation were a diffuse pattern of proliferation and a proportion of large lymphoma cells ≥20%. Of the 1121 patients with follicular lymphoma, 171 (15%) showed histological transformation to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Of these, 76 patients, whose biopsies were obtained from the sites with the highest maximum standardized uptake values, according to the positron emission tomography findings, were included. The Ki-67 index ranged from 16.8% to 98.4% (median, 60.6%). In patients with histological transformation, the most significant differences were found in progression-free survival (p = 0.087, 58% vs. 87% at 2 years) and overall survival (p = 0.024, 53% vs. 85% at 5 years) when a 70% cutoff was used. Additionally, overall survival was significantly shorter in patients with histological transformation with maximum standardized uptake values of ≥20 (p < 0.0001) and absence of a follicular lymphoma component (p = 0.004). A Ki-67 index of ≥70% was a significant adverse factor for overall survival in patients with histological transformation of follicular lymphoma and may predict poor outcomes.

Use of Core-Needle Biopsy for the Diagnosis of Malignant Lymphomas in Clinical Practice.

INTRODUCTION: Excisional biopsy (EB) is considered the gold standard for lymphoma diagnosis. Although recent advances in interventional radiology enable sampling with core-needle biopsy (CNB), only few studies evaluated the utility of CNB compared to that of EB. METHODS: We analyzed patients with lymphoma who had a diagnostic biopsy at the National Cancer Center Hospital during 2002-2017. We investigated the clinical and pathological characteristics of CNB in 2017. RESULTS: The proportion of CNB utility in total biopsy procedures had increased from 11 to 48% during the 15 years. In 2017, CNB was opted more frequently than EB for a biopsy of superficial, abdominal, or anterior mediastinal lesions. Only one out of 72 patients who had CNB required re-biopsy with EB because of insufficiency. The incidence of complications was comparable between CNB and EB: 2 (4%) cases of minor bleeding with CNB and 1 (8%) case of minor bleeding with EB. The median time from the first visit to biopsy was significantly shorter with CNB (5.5 days) than with EB (15 days). CONCLUSION: There is an increasing trend in the utility of CNB. CNB is a less invasive method with shorter time to biopsy and can be considered an alternative to EB.