Low-burden TP53 mutations represent frequent genetic events in CLL with an increased risk for treatment initiation.

TP53 aberrations predict chemoresistance and represent a contraindication for the use of standard chemoimmunotherapy in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Recent next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based studies have identified frequent low-burden TP53 mutations with variant allele frequencies below 10%, but the clinical impact of these low-burden TP53 mutations is still a matter of debate. In this study, we aimed to scrutinise the subclonal architecture and clinical impact of TP53 mutations using a sensitive, NGS-based mutation analysis in a 'real-world' cohort of 901 patients with CLL. In total, 225 TP53 mutations were identified in 17.5% (158/901) of the patients; 48% of these alterations represented high-burden mutations, while 52% were low-burden TP53 mutations. Low-burden mutations as sole alterations were identified in 39% (62/158) of all mutated cases with 82% (51/62) of these being represented by a single low-burden TP53 mutation. Patients harbouring low-burden TP53 mutations had significantly lower time to first treatment compared to patients with wild-type TP53. Our study has expanded the knowledge on the frequency, clonal architecture, and clinical impact of low-burden TP53 mutations. By demonstrating that patients with sole low-burden TP53 variants represent more than one-third of patients with TP53 mutations and have an increased risk for treatment initiation, our findings strengthen the need to redefine the threshold of TP53 variant reporting to below 10% in the routine diagnostic setting.

Low factor XIII levels and altered fibrinolysis in patients with multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND: Acquired factor FXIII (FXIII) deficiency can be immune- or non-immune mediated and may cause severe bleeding symptoms. The incidence of acquired FXIII deficiency and its etiology in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: To assess FXIII levels and the balance of fibrinolysis in newly diagnosed, untreated MM and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) patients. METHODS: FXIII activity, mixing studies, FXIII-A2B2 antigen, total FXIII-B antigen were measured in platelet-poor plasma from 17 untreated MM patients, 33 untreated MGUS patients, and 30 age and sex-matched healthy controls. Besides routine laboratory measurements, the balance of coagulation and fibrinolysis was evaluated using quantitative fibrin monomer (FM) test, thrombin-antithrombin assay, α2-antiplasmin activity, plasmin-α2-antiplasmin (PAP) complex, D-dimer, plasmin generation assay, clot lysis assay, and ClotPro-TPA test. RESULTS: FXIII-A2B2 levels were significantly lower in MM patients compared to controls [median (IQR):14.6 (11.2-19.4) vs. 21.8 (17.1-26.4) mg/L, p = 0.0015], whereas total FXIII-B did not differ between groups. Decrease in FXIII activity was parallel to the decrease in FXIII-A2B2. An immune-mediated inhibitory mechanism was ruled out. Free/total FXIII-B was significantly higher in MM patients compared to MGUS and healthy controls, suggesting an etiology of FXIII-A consumption. In MM and MGUS patients, FM, D-dimer, and PAP complex were significantly elevated compared to controls, indicating hypercoagulability and ongoing fibrinolysis. CONCLUSIONS: Low FXIII levels due to consumption were observed in MM patients at diagnosis. Hypercoagulability and ongoing fibrinolysis were detected in MM and MGUS, indicating that a disturbed hemostasis balance is already present in the latter benign condition.

Patients with multiple myeloma and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance have variably increased thrombin generation and different sensitivity to the anticoagulant effect of activated protein C.

BACKGROUND: Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are at high risk of thrombosis especially when receiving immunomodulatory therapy. Thrombotic risk in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) may also be increased. Although activated protein C (APC) resistance has been linked to an increased risk of thrombosis in MM, little is known about how APC influences thrombotic risk in MGUS. We compared thrombin generation (TG) in MM and MGUS patients to that of healthy controls (HCs) and investigated the exogenous effect of APC on TG in these groups. METHODS: Hemostasis tests including factor VIII (FVIII) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) levels were measured in platelet-poor plasma in 14 untreated MM patients, 34 MGUS patients, and 30 age and sex-matched HCs. TG assay was performed with or without the addition of APC. RESULTS: Peak thrombin and velocity index were significantly higher in MM and MGUS patients compared to HCs, while MM patients also had elevated endogenous thrombin potential (ETP). In MGUS cases, ETP and peak thrombin values significantly correlated with FVIII and vWF levels. In the presence of APC, peak thrombin and ETP were reduced in MGUS and control plasmas whereas lagtime and time to peak were significantly prolonged. In contrast, adding APC to MM plasma had no effect on any TG parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Hypercoagulability was observed in MM and even in MGUS cases with very low monoclonal protein concentration. In MM patients, APC had no effect on TG, but it attenuated TG in MGUS patients.

Circulating microRNA sequencing revealed miRNome patterns in hematology and oncology patients aiding the prognosis of invasive aspergillosis.

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) may occur as a serious complication of hematological malignancy. Delays in antifungal therapy can lead to an invasive disease resulting in high mortality. Currently, there are no well-established blood circulating microRNA biomarkers or laboratory tests which can be used to diagnose IA. Therefore, we aimed to define dysregulated miRNAs in hematology and oncology (HO) patients to identify biomarkers predisposing disease. We performed an in-depth analysis of high-throughput small transcriptome sequencing data obtained from the whole blood samples of our study cohort of 50 participants including 26 high-risk HO patients and 24 controls. By integrating in silico bioinformatic analyses of small noncoding RNA data, 57 miRNAs exhibiting significant expression differences (P < 0.05) were identified between IA-infected patients and non-IA HO patients. Among these, we found 36 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) irrespective of HO malignancy. Of the top ranked DEMs, we found 14 significantly deregulated miRNAs, whose expression levels were successfully quantified by qRT-PCR. MiRNA target prediction revealed the involvement of IA related miRNAs in the biological pathways of tumorigenesis, the cell cycle, the immune response, cell differentiation and apoptosis.

Targeted Venetoclax Therapy in t(11;14) Multiple Myeloma: Real World Data From Seven Hungarian Centers.

Despite the introduction of novel agents, multiple myeloma remains incurable for most patients, necessitating further therapeutic options. Venetoclax, a selective BCL-2 inhibitor, had shown promising results in patients with translocation t(11;14), but questions remain open about its optimal use. We have contacted all Hungarian haematology centers for their experience treating t(11;14) myeloma patients with venetoclax. 58 patients were reported. 37 received venetoclax in the relapsed/refractory setting with few or no other therapeutic options available. 21 patients started venetoclax as salvage after failing to achieve satisfactory response to first line therapy. In the relapsed/refractory setting objective response rate (ORR) was 94%, median progression-free survival (PFS) 10.0 months and median overall survival (OS) 14.6 months. In reinduction patients, ORR was 100%, median PFS and OS were not reached. Importantly, we found no adverse effect of high risk features such as deletion 17p or renal failure, in fact renal failure ameliorated in 42% of the cases, including three patients who became dialysis independent. Our study also reports the highest number of plasma cell leukemia cases successfully treated with venetoclax published in literature, with refractory plasma cell leukemia patients achieving a median PFS of 10.0 and a median OS of 12.2 months.

Screening and monitoring of the BTKC481S mutation in a real-world cohort of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia during ibrutinib therapy.

The Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib has revolutionised the therapeutic landscape of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Acquired mutations emerging at position C481 in the BTK tyrosine kinase domain are the predominant genetic alterations associated with secondary ibrutinib resistance. To assess the correlation between disease progression, and the emergence and temporal dynamics of the most common resistance mutation BTKC481S , sensitive (10-4 ) time-resolved screening was performed in 83 relapsed/refractory CLL patients during single-agent ibrutinib treatment. With a median follow-up time of 40 months, BTKC481S was detected in 48·2% (40/83) of the patients, with 80·0% (32/40) of them showing disease progression during the examined period. In these 32 cases, representing 72·7% (32/44) of all patients experiencing relapse, emergence of the BTKC481S mutation preceded the symptoms of clinical relapse with a median of nine months. Subsequent Bcl-2 inhibition therapy applied in 28/32 patients harbouring BTKC481S and progressing on ibrutinib conferred clinical and molecular remission across the patients. Our study demonstrates the clinical value of sensitive BTKC481S monitoring with the largest longitudinally analysed real-world patient cohort reported to date and validates the feasibility of an early prediction of relapse in the majority of ibrutinib-treated relapsed/refractory CLL patients experiencing disease progression.

Free circulating mircoRNAs support the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in patients with hematologic malignancies and neutropenia.

Fungal infections represent a worrisome complication in hematologic cancer patients and in the absence of disease specific symptoms, it is important to establish new biological indicators, which can be used during mould-active prophylaxis. Recently, miRNAs have appeared as candidate diagnostic and prognostic markers of several diseases. A pilot clinical study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of 14 microRNAs which can be related to invasive fungal infections. Based on our data miR-142-3p, miR-142-5p, miR-26b-5p and miR-21-5p showed significant overexpression (p < 0.005) due to invasive aspergillosis in hemato-oncology patients with profound neutropenia. A tetramiR assay was designed to monitor peripheral blood specimens. Optimal cut-off was estimated by using the median value (fold change 1.1) of the log10 transformed gene expressions. The biomarker panel was evaluated on two independent sample cohorts implementing different antimicrobial prophylactic strategies. The receiver operating characteristic analysis with area under the curve proved to be 0.97. Three miRNAs (miR-142-5p, miR-142-3p, miR-16-5p) showed significant expression alterations in episodes with sepsis. In summary, the tetramiR assay proved to be a promising diagnostic adjunct with sufficient accuracy and sensitivity to trace invasive aspergillosis in hemato-oncology patients.

Phase 2 study of efgartigimod, a novel FcRn antagonist, in adult patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired autoimmune bleeding disorder, characterized by a low platelet count (<100 × 109 /L) in the absence of other causes associated with thrombocytopenia. In most patients, IgG autoantibodies directed against platelet receptors can be detected. They accelerate platelet clearance and destruction, inhibit platelet production, and impair platelet function, resulting in increased risk of bleeding and impaired quality of life. Efgartigimod is a human IgG1 antibody Fc-fragment, a natural ligand of the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), engineered for increased affinity to FcRn, while preserving its characteristic pH-dependent binding. Efgartigimod blocks FcRn, preventing IgG recycling, and causing targeted IgG degradation. In this Phase 2 study, 38 patients were randomized 1:1:1 to receive four weekly intravenous infusions of either placebo (N = 12) or efgartigimod at a dose of 5 mg/kg (N = 13) or 10 mg/kg (N = 13). This short treatment cycle of efgartigimod in patients with ITP, predominantly refractory to previous lines of therapy, was shown to be well tolerated, and demonstrated a favorable safety profile consistent with Phase 1 data. Efgartigimod induced a rapid reduction of total IgG levels (up to 63.7% mean change from baseline), which was associated with clinically relevant increases in platelet counts (46% patients on efgartigimod vs 25% on placebo achieved a platelet count of ≥50 × 109 /L on at least two occasions, and 38% vs 0% achieved ≥50 × 109 /L for at least 10 cumulative days), and a reduced proportion of patients with bleeding. Taken together, these data warrant further evaluation of FcRn antagonism as a novel therapeutic approach in ITP.

Real-world data on the efficacy and safety of daratumumab treatment in Hungarian relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients.

Daratumumab is a human anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of refractory and relapsed multiple myeloma. We investigated the efficacy and safety of daratumumab therapy in a real-world setting. Ninety-nine Hungarian patients were included; 48 received monotherapy, while lenalidomide and bortezomib combinations were administered in 29 and 19 cases, respectively. Overall response rate was assessable in 88 patients, with 12 complete, 10 very good partial, 34 partial, and seven minor responses. At a median duration of follow-up of 18.6 months, median progression-free survival (PFS) among all patients was 17.0 months. These values were inferior in the bortezomib combination and monotherapy groups. Patients with early-stage disease (ISS1) had better survival results than those with stage 2 or 3 myeloma (p = 0.009). Heavily pretreated patients had inferior PFS compared to those with 1-3 therapies (p = 0.035). Patients with impaired renal function had PFS results comparable with those having no kidney involvement. There were 10 fatal infections, and the most frequent adverse events were mild infusion-associated reactions and hematologic toxicities. Our results confirm that daratumumab is an effective treatment option for relapsed/refractory MM with an acceptable safety profile in patients with normal and impaired renal function.

Quantitative Analysis of Carbonic Anhydrase IX Uncovers Hypoxia-Related Functional Differences in Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Subtypes.

Upregulation of carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) was found to be associated with unfavorable prognosis and resistance to treatment in a broad spectrum of malignancies, recently also in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL). As demonstrated, variable CAIX expression in a significant number of cHL cases was associated with poor treatment response. The current study focused on the quantification CAIX immunopositivity and its relative expression compared to the total CD30+ neoplastic pool using digital image analysis. One hundred and one lymph node samples featuring cHL histology were analyzed for both CD30 and CAIX by immunohistochemistry. Whole histological slides were scanned and immunopositivity was determined as the histoscore (H-score) using the DensitoQuant software module (3DHistech Kft., Budapest, Hungary). CAIX positivity was observed in the HRS-cells of 56/101 cases (55.44%) and frequently observed in the proximity of necrotic foci. CAIX H-scores were highly variable (range: 2.16-90.36, mean 18.7 ± 18.8). Individual CAIX values were independent of the much higher CD30 values (range 3.46-151.3, mean 52.37 ± 30.74). The CAIX/CD30 index proved to be the highest in the aggressive lymphocyte-depleted (LD) subtype (CAIX/CD30: 0.876). The CAIX expression and the CAIX/CD30 relative index can be precisely determined by image analysis, and values reflect the extent of a tumor mass undergoing hypoxic-stress-related adaptation in the most aggressive forms of cHL.

A novel flow cytometric method for enhancing acute promyelocytic leukemia screening by multidimensional dot-plots.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is generally characterized by t(15;17)(q24;q21). In some cases, the classic translocation cannot be identified by conventional methods, since the PML-RARA fusion protein results from complex, variant, or cryptic translocation. The diagnostic algorithm of APL starts with screening methods, such as flow cytometry (FC), followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization or polymerase chain reaction to confirm the diagnosis. Our aim was to develop a novel protocol for analyzing APL samples based on multidimensional dot-plots that can provide comprehensive information about several markers at the same time. The protocol included four optimized multidimensional dot-plots, which were tested by retrospective reanalysis of FC results in APL (n = 8) and non-APL (n = 12) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases. After predicting the potential position of hypergranular- and microgranular-type aberrant promyelocytes, the percentages of blast populations were examined within the gates in all AML cases. The percentage of blasts in each predefined gate was well above the cut-off value (95%) in APL cases in all tubes. In non-APL AML cases, the percentage of blasts in the same gates never reached the cut-off value in all investigated tubes, and even when it did in a single tube, the pattern was markedly different from that observed in APL cases. In conclusion, multidimensional dot-plots can be used for screening APL even in cryptic APL cases, although reproducibility across several laboratories would require standardization of antibodies and fluorochromes. This easy-to-use and quick method can support the diagnosis of APL and the prompt initiation of the appropriate treatment.

Strong Correlation between the Expression Levels of HDAC4 and SIRT6 in Hematological Malignancies of the Adults.

Histone deacetylase enzymes, confirmed to have important role in the pathogenesis of leukemia, are promising targets of epigenetic treatment. However, in acute myeloid leukemia, our knowledge on their expression levels is limited, and controversial data have been published about their potential oncogenic or tumorsuppressor properties in solid tumors. In our study, the expression levels of HDAC4 and SIRT6 were evaluated via Western blot analysis in 45 bone marrow samples (2 uninfiltrated and 43 concerned by different kinds of hematological malignancies), including 32 specimens obtained from patients with newly diagnosed AML. Significantly higher HDAC4 level was detected in case of FLT3-ITD mutation compared to the group of patients without carrying this mutation (p < 0.05). Compared to the non-infiltrated samples, the expression level of HDAC4 in AML M5 patients has been proved to be significantly higher (p < 0.05). Decreasing expression levels of both HDAC4 and SIRT6 were observed during the induction treatment of FAB M5 type AML. Strong correlation has been proved between the expression levels of HDAC4 and SIRT6 (r = 0.722 in full cohort and r = 0.794 in AML), that confirms the recently suggested cooperation between NAD+-independent and NAD+-dependent HDAC enzymes in leukemia.

Expression Levels of Warburg-Effect Related microRNAs Correlate with each Other and that of Histone Deacetylase Enzymes in Adult Hematological Malignancies with Emphasis on Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Disruption of epigenetic regulation and characteristic metabolic alterations (known as the Warburg-effect) are well-known hallmarks of cancer. In our study we investigated the expression levels of microRNAs and histone deacetylase enzymes via RT-qPCR in bone marrow specimens of adult patients suffering from hematological malignancies (total cohort n = 40), especially acute myeloid leukemia (n = 27). The levels of the three examined Warburg-effect related microRNAs (miR-378*, miR-23b, miR-26a) positively correlated with each other and the oncogenic miR-155 and miR-125b, while negatively with the level of the tumorsuppressor miR-124. Significant relationships have been confirmed between the levels of SIRT6, HDAC4 and the microRNAs listed above. In NPM1-mutated AML (n = 6), the level of miR-125b was significantly lower than in the group of AML patients not carrying this mutation (n = 13) (p < 0.05). In M5 FAB type of AML (n = 5), the level of miR-124 was significantly higher compared to the M2 group (n = 7) (p < 0.05). In two cases of FAB M5 AML, the levels of SIRT6 and miR-26a increased during the first 4 weeks of treatment. In the total cohort, white blood cell count at the time of the diagnosis significantly correlated with the levels of HDAC4, SIRT6, miR-124 and miR-26a. Our results suggest that Warburg-effect related microRNAs may have important role in the pathogenesis of leukemia, and the potential oncogenic property of HDAC4 and SIRT6 cannot be excluded in hematological malignancies. Elevated level of miR-125b can contribute to adverse prognosis of AML without NPM1 mutation. The prevailment of the tumorsuppressor property of miR-124 may depend on the accompanying genetic alterations.

[Drug treatment of acute myelogenous leukaemia. Current options and future perspectives]. / Az akut myeloid leukaemia gyógyszeres kezelése. Jelenlegi lehetoségek, jövobeli kilátások.

Acute myelogenous leukemia is a heterogeneous disease. Recent molecular mutational analysis techniques have shed more light on different, genetically well characterised types of the disease. Treatment approach is uniform except for acute promyelocytic leukemia. Application of the "3 + 7" induction treatment has been the gold standard in the past 40 years. While the dose of cytarabine has not been changed, escalating daunorubicine dose in younger (<60 years) patients with good performance status to 90 mg/m(2) had a positive impact on overall survival. High dose chemotherapy is tolerated poorly in patients older than 60 years of age and, as treatment is not curative in the elderly, improvement of overall survival and quality of life remains the main goal of management in these patients. Low intensity treatment is beneficial and can provide additional advantage over supportive care. Innovative and targeted therapy approaches might give promise to better management of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia.

WT1 Expression in Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Assessing its Presence, Magnitude and Temporal Changes as Prognostic Factors.

Expression of the gene Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) has been suggested as a marker of minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but literature data are not without controversy. Our aim was to assess the presence, magnitude and temporal changes of WT1 expression as prognostic factors. 60 AML patients were followed until death or the end of the 6-year observation period. Blood samples were taken at diagnosis, post-induction, during remission and in case of a relapse. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we determined WT1 expression from each sample, normalized it against the endogenous control gene glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and classified samples as negative, moderately positive or highly positive. We divided the patients into groups based on detected WT1 expression values, illustrated overall and disease-free survival on Kaplan-Meier curves, and compared differences between each group by the logrank test. Disappearance of WT1-positivity during chemotherapy had a favorable effect on survival. Interestingly, no difference was seen between the survivals of WT1-positive subgroups that expressed moderate or high levels of WT1 mRNA. A 1-log decrease in WT1 expression without becoming negative did not affect prognosis, either. Our results suggest that defining a cut-off value for WT1-positivity, rather than just using logarithmic figures of changes in gene expression, might have prognostic use in post-induction AML patients. We encourage further, larger-scale studies.

Combining standard clinical methods with PCR showed improved diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with hematological malignancies and prolonged neutropenia.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the diagnostic value of standard clinical methods and combined biomarker testing (galactomannan assay and polymerase chain reaction screening) in a prospective case-control study to detect invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with hematological malignancies and prolonged neutropenia. METHODS: In this observational study 162 biomarker analyses were performed on samples from 27 febrile neutropenic episodes. Sera were successively screened for galactomannan antigen and for Aspergillus fumigatus specific nucleic acid targets. Furthermore thoracic computed tomography scanning was performed along with bronchoscopy with lavage when clinically indicated. Patients were retrospectively stratified to define a case-group with "proven" or "probable" invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (25.93 %) and a control-group of patients with no evidence for of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (74.07 %). In 44.44 % of episodes fever ceased in response to antibiotic treatment (group II). Empirical antifungal therapy was administered for episodes with persistent or relapsing fever (group I). 48.15 % of patients died during the study period. Postmortem histology was pursued in 53.85 % of fatalities. RESULTS: Concordant negative galactomannan and computed tomography supported by a polymerase chain reaction assay were shown to have the highest discriminatory power to exclude invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in 6 cases of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and in 15 controls. Although bronchoalveolar lavage proved negative in 93 % of controls it did not detect IPA in 86 % of the cases. Remarkably post mortem histology convincingly supported the presence of Aspergillus hyphae in lung tissue from a single case which had consecutive positive polymerase chain reaction assay results but was misdiagnosed by both computed tomography and consistently negative galactomannan assay results. For the galactomannan enzyme-immunoassay the diagnostic odds ratio was 15.33 and for the polymerase chain reaction assay it was 28.67. According to Cohen's kappa our in-house polymerase chain reaction method showed a fair agreement with the galactomannan immunoassay. Combined analysis of the results from the Aspergillus galactomannan enzyme immunoassay together with those generated by our polymerase chain reaction assay led to no misdiagnoses in the control group. CONCLUSION: The data from this pilot-study demonstrate that the consideration of standard clinical methods combined with biomarker testing improves the capacity to make early and more accurate diagnostic decisions.

[Treatment of acute myeloid leukemia -- a single center experience (2007-2013)]. / Heveny myeloid leukaemiás betegeink kezelésével szerzett tapasztalataink (2007-2013).

INTRODUCTION: Mortality of acute myeloid leukemia is still 60-70% in young (<60 years) adults and 90% in elderly (≥60 years) patients. AIM: The aim of the authors was to analyse the outcome of treatment in their patients with acute myeloid leukemia. METHOD: From 2007 to 2013, 173 patients with acute myeloid leukemia were treated. Patients were classified according to the European LeukemiaNet prognostic guideline. Association between mortality and the type of acute myeloid leukemia (secondary or primary), dose of daunoblastin at induction of treatment, and the rate of minimal residual disease were investigated. RESULTS: The 5-year survival probability was 25% in young adults and 2% in the elderly. The survival was significantly influenced by these prognostic factors. The 5-year survival rate was 50% in the young, favorable prognostic group. The 90 mg/m2 daunoblastin dose was found to be beneficial. Addition of bortezomib to the standard induction protocol had an additional beneficial effect. CONCLUSIONS: The speed and depth of the response to induction therapy, and the initial white blood cell count had an apparent effect on survival.

WT1 overexpression affecting clinical outcome in non-hodgkin lymphomas and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene has a complex role as a transcriptional regulator, acting as tumor suppressor or oncogene in different malignancies. The prognostic role of its overexpression has been well-studied in leukemias, especially acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but not in lymphomas. For the first time to our knowledge, we present a study demonstrating the correlation of WT1 expression and survival in various non-Hodgkin lymphomas. We also studied the prognostic implications of WT1 overexpression in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In our sample of 53 patients--25 with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 8 with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), 9 with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), 2 with Burkitt's lymphoma, 2 with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, and 7 with B-cell ALL--, we measured WT1 mRNA from blood samples by quantitative RT-PCR, and divided the patients into subgroups based on the level of expression. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were drawn and compared using the logrank test. In the sample of DLBCL patients, the difference in overall and disease-free survival between WT1-positive and negative subgroups was significant (p = 0.0475 and p = 0.0004, respectively), and in a few observed cases, a sudden increase in WT1 expression signified a relapse soon followed by death. Disease-free survival curves in MCL and ALL were similarly suggestive of a potential role played by WT1. In PTCL, though WT1-positivity was detected in 4 out of 9 cases, it did not seem to affect survival. The few cases of MALT and Burkitt's lymphoma all proved to be WT1-negative.

[Waldenström macroglobulinemia]. / Waldenström-macroglobulinaemia.

Waldenström macroglobulinemia is a rare lymphoproliferative disease of B-cell origin.These tumorous B-cells produce monoclonal IgM type protein. Diagnosis is based on the detection of lymphoplasmacytic invasion of the bone marrow and serum electrophoresis. Clinical symptoms such as anemia, hyperviscosity and neuropathy are the commom consequences of bone marrow infiltration and serum monoclonal IgM protein. Former use of alkylating agents are replaced by purine analogues, rituximab and bortezomib. Additional clinical data have also accumulated regarding autologous and allogenous stem-cell transplantation. The authors present their own clinical experience and give a detailed review of current therapeutic approaches. Orv. Hetil., 154(50), 1970-1974.

Identification of NPMc+ acute myeloid leukemia in bone marrow smears.

The most frequent genetic change currently known in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the mutation of the nucleophosmin (NPM) gene. Aberrant cytoplasmic accumulation of NPM protein (NPMc+) is the result of this mutation, and it can be demonstrated by immunohistochemistry for the identification of a favorable subgroup within "AML with normal karyotype" according to the World Health Organization classification. NPM staining pattern was defined in 71 AML and 15 control cases by the use of bone marrow smears in order to overcome limitations observed due to immunohistochemistry. In 13/71 cases (18.3%), clear cytoplasmic staining of the leukemic blast cells was detectable that was comparable with the positivity of mitotic figures physiologically lacking nuclear membrane. The biological and genetic characteristics of the NPMc+ cases determined this way were identical with the previously published results including low CD34 and HLA-DR expression and lack of recurrent karyotype abnormalities. Bone marrow smears are well applicable and therefore a real alternative for the determination of NPM with the highest accuracy for optimal risk stratification in AML.