Decoding the historical tale: COVID-19 impact on haematological malignancy patients-EPICOVIDEHA insights from 2020 to 2022.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic heightened risks for individuals with hematological malignancies due to compromised immune systems, leading to more severe outcomes and increased mortality. While interventions like vaccines, targeted antivirals, and monoclonal antibodies have been effective for the general population, their benefits for these patients may not be as pronounced. Methods: The EPICOVIDEHA registry (National Clinical Trials Identifier, NCT04733729) gathers COVID-19 data from hematological malignancy patients since the pandemic's start worldwide. It spans various global locations, allowing comprehensive analysis over the first three years (2020-2022). Findings: The EPICOVIDEHA registry collected data from January 2020 to December 2022, involving 8767 COVID-19 cases in hematological malignancy patients from 152 centers across 41 countries, with 42% being female. Over this period, there was a significant reduction in critical infections and an overall decrease in mortality from 29% to 4%. However, hospitalization, particularly in the ICU, remained associated with higher mortality rates. Factors contributing to increased mortality included age, multiple comorbidities, active malignancy at COVID-19 onset, pulmonary symptoms, and hospitalization. On the positive side, vaccination with one to two doses or three or more doses, as well as encountering COVID-19 in 2022, were associated with improved survival. Interpretation: Patients with hematological malignancies still face elevated risks, despite reductions in critical infections and overall mortality rates over time. Hospitalization, especially in ICUs, remains a significant concern. The study underscores the importance of vaccination and the timing of COVID-19 exposure in 2022 for enhanced survival in this patient group. Ongoing monitoring and targeted interventions are essential to support this vulnerable population, emphasizing the critical role of timely diagnosis and prompt treatment in preventing severe COVID-19 cases. Funding: Not applicable.

GLUT1 and ASCT2 expression and their prognostic value in colorectal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Investigation of new molecular markers expressed in colorectal carcinoma can help to select patients getting benefits from new target therapeutic modalities. AIM: Investigation of expression of GLUT1 and ASCT2 in colorectal carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty three colorectal resection specimens for cases diagnosed with colorectal carcinoma were included in the study. Full sections were examined for histopathological data including tumor type, grade, stage, and lymphovascular invasion were recorded. TMA blocks were constructed and immunostained with polyclonal antibodies for both GLUT1 and ASCT2. RESULTS: GLUT1 was expressed in 82% of cases while ASCT2 was expressed in 76% of cases. Statistically significant correlation was found between both GLUT1 and ASCT2. A statistically significant correlation was found between either marker with both disease stage and lymph node metastases. No significant correlation was found between either GLUT1 or ASCT2 and any of the clinical parameters as well as with disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: GLUT1 and ASCT2 are more prevalent in poorly differentiated and advanced stage colorectal carcinoma. Their expression in high percentage of cases can suggest the possible role of their target therapies in colorectal carcinoma.

Surgical and Oncological Outcomes after Neoadjuvant Therapy for Non-Metastatic Gastric GISTs.

Surgical resection with negative margins of non-metastatic gastric GISTs is considered the main therapeutic option in GISTs treatment. Neoadjuvant therapy with imatinib is associated with higher response rates in advanced GISTs. We reported 34 patients with non-metastatic gastric GISTs who underwent partial gastrectomy at the Oncology Center, Mansoura University, Egypt, after receiving a daily dose of 400 mg of imatinib as a neoadjuvant treatment in the period between October 2012 and January 2021. Twenty-two cases underwent open partial gastrectomy, and twelve cases had a laparoscopic partial gastrectomy. The median tumor size at diagnosis was 13.5 cm (range 9-26 cm) and the duration of neoadjuvant therapy was 10.91 months (range 4-12 months). Thirty-three patients had a partial response, while one patient showed progression of the disease on neoadjuvant treatment. Adjuvant therapy was conducted in 29 (85.3%) cases. Complications of neoadjuvant treatment were reported in seven cases in the form of gastritis, bleeding per rectum, fatigue, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and edema lower limbs. The disease-free survival (DFS) in this study was 34.53 months, and the overall survival (OS) was 37 months. Recurrence developed in two cases, gastric and peritoneal recurrence (25 and 48 months from the initial diagnosis, respectively). We have concluded that neoadjuvant treatment with imatinib for non-metastatic gastric GISTs is a safe and effective method for tumor downsizing and devitalization to allow minimally invasive and/or organ sparing surgery. Moreover, it decreases the risk of intraoperative tumor rupture and relapse, thus improving the oncological outcome of such tumors.

Prognostic Value of BRAF, Programmed Cell Death 1 (PD1), and PD Ligand 1 (PDL1) Protein Expression in Colon Adenocarcinoma.

Patients with colorectal cancer in different stages show variable outcomes/therapeutic responses due to their distinct tumoral biomarkers and biological features. In this sense, this study aimed to explore the prognostic utility of BRAF, programmed death-1 (PD1), and its ligand (PDL1) protein signatures in colon adenocarcinoma. The selected protein markers were explored in 64 archived primary colon adenocarcinomas in relation to clinicopathological features. BRAF overexpression was found in 39% of the cases and was significantly associated with grade 3, N1, advanced Dukes stage, presence of relapse, and shorter overall survival (OS). PD1 expression in the infiltrating immune cells (IICs) exhibited significant association with T2/T3, N0/M0, early Dukes stage, and absence of relapse. PDL1 expression in IICs is significantly associated with advanced nodal stage/distant metastasis, advanced Dukes stage, and shorter OS. Meanwhile, PDL1 expression in neoplastic cells (NC) was associated with the advanced lymph node/Dukes stage. A positive combined expression pattern of PDL1 in NC/IICs was associated with poor prognostic indices. Tumor PDL1 expression can be an independent predictor of OS and DFS. The multivariate analyses revealed that short OS was independently associated with the RT side location of the tumor, PD1 expression in stromal IICs, and PDL1 expression in NC. In conclusion, overexpression of BRAF in colon adenocarcinoma is considered a poor prognostic pathological marker. In addition, PDL1 expression in NC is considered an independent prognostic factor for DFS/OS. Combined immunohistochemical assessment for BRAF and PD1/PDL1 protein expressions in colon adenocarcinoma might be beneficial for selecting patients for future targeted therapy.

COVID-19 in adult acute myeloid leukemia patients: a long-term follow-up study from the European Hematology Association survey (EPICOVIDEHA).

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are at high risk of dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The optimal management of AML patients with COVID-19 has not been established. Our multicenter study included 388 adult AML patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 2020 and October 2021. The vast majority were receiving or had received AML treatment in the preceding 3 months. COVID-19 was severe in 41.2% and critical in 21.1% of cases. The chemotherapeutic schedule was modified in 174 patients (44.8%), delayed in 68 and permanently discontinued in 106. After a median follow-up of 325 days, 180 patients (46.4%) had died; death was attributed to COVID-19 (43.3%), AML (26.1%) or to a combination of both (26.7%), whereas in 3.9% of cases the reason was unknown. Active disease, older age, and treatment discontinuation were associated with death, whereas AML treatment delay was protective. Seventy-nine patients had a simultaneous AML and COVID-19 diagnosis, with better survival when AML treatment could be delayed (80%; P<0.001). Overall survival in patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 between January 2020 and August 2020 was significantly lower than that in patients diagnosed between September 2020 and February 2021 and between March 2021 and September 2021 (39.8% vs. 60% vs. 61.9%, respectively; P=0.006). COVID-19 in AML patients was associated with a high mortality rate and modifications of therapeutic algorithms. The best approach to improve survival was to delay AML treatment, whenever possible.

Chemopreventive and hepatoprotective effects of genistein via inhibition of oxidative stress and the versican/PDGF/PKC signaling pathway in experimentally induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats by thioacetamide.

OBJECTIVE: Genistein is a recognized isoflavone present in soybeans with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic and antitumor activities. This study aimed to test ability of genistein in modulating versican/platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) axis in HCC. METHODS: HCC was experimentally induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats then treated with 25 or 75 mg/kg genistein. Antioxidant activities of genistein was assessed by measuring the gene expression of Nrf2 and the hepatic levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione. Expression of versican, PDGF, protein kinase C (PKC) and ERK-1 protein was assessed by Western blotting and immunostaining. RESULTS: HCC induced an elevation in oxidative stress, PDGF, versican, PKC and ERK protein expression levels. Genistein significantly reduced an HCC-induced increase in oxidative stress. Moreover, genistein dose-dependently reduced HCC-induced elevation of PDGF, versican, PKC and ERK protein expression levels. Moreover, genistein helped retain a normal hepatocyte structure and reduced fibrous tissue deposition, especially in high dose. CONCLUSIONS: Genistein exerted antitumor and antioxidant effects and therefore suppress HCC development via inhibition of the PDGF/versican bidirectional axis, suppressing both ERK1 and PKC as downstream regulators. Therefore, genistein is a potential novel therapeutic candidate for improving the outcome of patients with HCC.

Expression of CD10 and CD15 in colorectal mucinous and signet ring adenocarcinomas and its relation to clinicopathological features and prognosis.

BACKGROUND: CD10 and CD15 expression has been reported in several tumors. Whether CD10 and CD15 have a role in colorectal mucinous and signet ring adenocarcinoma (MSA) tumorigenesis is not yet known. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the role of CD10 and CD15 expression in mucinous colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence (ACS) and determine if there is any clinical and prognostic significance associated with their expression. METHODS: Seventy-five cases of colorectal MSA, and 9 cases of adenoma samples were collected. Manual TMA blocks were constructed and immunohistochemistry for CD10 and CD15 was done. RESULTS: Compared to adenomas, CD15 expression was significantly higher in MSA (p= 0.002), in contrast to CD10 expression. CD15 positivity was significantly associated with microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors (p= 0.018). The association between CD10 positivity and fungating tumor growth showed marginal significance. Unlike CD10, CD15 positivity showed significant association with overall survival of colorectal MSA patients. CONCLUSIONS: CD15 expression seems to have a role in mucinous colorectal ACS, with significant impact on the survival of MSA patients. Further studies are suggested to identify any genetic alterations that may underlie a potential association with disease progression.

COVID-19 infection in adult patients with hematological malignancies: a European Hematology Association Survey (EPICOVIDEHA).

BACKGROUND: Patients with hematological malignancies (HM) are at high risk of mortality from SARS-CoV-2 disease 2019 (COVID-19). A better understanding of risk factors for adverse outcomes may improve clinical management in these patients. We therefore studied baseline characteristics of HM patients developing COVID-19 and analyzed predictors of mortality. METHODS: The survey was supported by the Scientific Working Group Infection in Hematology of the European Hematology Association (EHA). Eligible for the analysis were adult patients with HM and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 observed between March and December 2020. RESULTS: The study sample includes 3801 cases, represented by lymphoproliferative (mainly non-Hodgkin lymphoma n = 1084, myeloma n = 684 and chronic lymphoid leukemia n = 474) and myeloproliferative malignancies (mainly acute myeloid leukemia n = 497 and myelodysplastic syndromes n = 279). Severe/critical COVID-19 was observed in 63.8% of patients (n = 2425). Overall, 2778 (73.1%) of the patients were hospitalized, 689 (18.1%) of whom were admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Overall, 1185 patients (31.2%) died. The primary cause of death was COVID-19 in 688 patients (58.1%), HM in 173 patients (14.6%), and a combination of both COVID-19 and progressing HM in 155 patients (13.1%). Highest mortality was observed in acute myeloid leukemia (199/497, 40%) and myelodysplastic syndromes (118/279, 42.3%). The mortality rate significantly decreased between the first COVID-19 wave (March-May 2020) and the second wave (October-December 2020) (581/1427, 40.7% vs. 439/1773, 24.8%, p value < 0.0001). In the multivariable analysis, age, active malignancy, chronic cardiac disease, liver disease, renal impairment, smoking history, and ICU stay correlated with mortality. Acute myeloid leukemia was a higher mortality risk than lymphoproliferative diseases. CONCLUSIONS: This survey confirms that COVID-19 patients with HM are at high risk of lethal complications. However, improved COVID-19 prevention has reduced mortality despite an increase in the number of reported cases.

Brain metastatic breast cancer: Epidemiology, survival and prognosis: Single center experience / Cáncer de mama metastásico cerebral: epidemiología, supervivencia y pronóstico; experiencia en un solo centro

Introduction Breast carcinoma is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. It is also one of the most frequent causes of brain metastasis (BM). Studies have identified BM as one of the worst prognostic signs. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data from 71 patients with BM from BC with the aim of clarifying the epidemiological criteria and management in our setting. We also aimed to identify predictors of survival and factors affecting the length of the BM-free interval in our group of patients. Results All the patients were female with a mean age at diagnosis of primary cancer of 41.6 years. The most common site of BM was the parietal lobe. The BM-free interval was longer with N1 disease (in comparison to N2 and 3) and in luminal B breast cancer subtype. Survival was shorter in older patients, those with hormone receptor negative and/or HER2-neu positive disease, synchronous BM, primary tumour not removed, soft tissue/non-regional nodes concomitant metastasis, and those who did not receive palliative chemotherapy. Survival tended to be longer in patients with temporal lobe metastasis, but this result was not statistically significant. Conclusion BM is a bad prognostic sign. Large scale prospective studies are needed to further delineate its nature. (AU)

Introducción El carcinoma de mama es la neoplasia maligna más común en las mujeres del mundo. Además, es una de las causas más comunes de metástasis cerebral (MC). Los estudios detectan MC como uno de los peores signos pronósticos. Métodos Analizamos retrospectivamente los datos de 71 pacientes con MC de origen mamario con el objetivo de clarificar los criterios epidemiológicos y el esquema de manejo en nuestra localidad de esta enfermedad, además de detectar predictores de supervivencia y factores que afectan la longitud del intervalo libre de MC en nuestro grupo de pacientes. Resultados Todos los pacientes fueron mujeres con una edad media de diagnóstico de cáncer primario de 41,6 años. El sitio más común de MC fue el lóbulo parietal. El intervalo libre de propagación cerebral fue más largo con la enfermedad N1 (en comparación con N2 y 3) y en el subtipo de cáncer de mama luminal B. La supervivencia fue menor en pacientes mayores, aquellos con receptores hormonales negativos y/o enfermedad HER2-neu positiva, MC sincrónica, tumor primario no extirpado, metástasis concomitantes de tejido blando nodos no regionales y aquellos que no recibieron quimioterapia paliativa. Además, aquellos con metástasis del lóbulo temporal tienden a tener una mejor supervivencia, aunque no alcanzaron significación estadística. Conclusión La MC es un mal signo pronóstico. Se necesitan estudios prospectivos a gran escala para delinear aún más su naturaleza. (AU)

Programmed death ligand-1 and CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as prognostic predictors in ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC).

BACKGROUND: P D-L1 is expressed in tumor cells and plays a crucial role in tumor immune escape. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as CD8 T cells contribute to reduced tumor growth. Few studies investigated the prognostic effect of PD-L1 and CD8 TILs in ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). In the present study, we analyzed the expression of PD-L1 and CD8 TILs in HGSC by immunohistochemistry, and results were correlated to prognosis. It was carried on 54 cases of ovarian HGSC who attended the Oncology Centre, Mansoura University, Egypt, from 2012 till 2019. RESULTS: Nearly 60% of cases showed positive PD-L1 expression in tumor cells. Regarding the clinicopathological characteristics, higher PD-L1 expression was found among patients with residual tumor (82.4%) compared to patients with no residual tumor (54.5%), with marginal statistical significance (p 0.07). PD-L1 was significantly associated with CD8 TILs expression. Higher PD-L1 expression was found among tumors with low expression of CD8 TILs with statistically significant difference (p≤0.001). Disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly lower among the group with positive expression of PD-L1 compared to the group with negative expression of PD-L1 (p 0.01), while overall survival (OS) was not associated with PD-L1 expression. On the other hand, the overall survival (OS) in patients with high CD8 expression was significantly higher than patients with low CD8 expression (p 0.043), while DFS was not significantly different among both CD8 TILS groups. CONCLUSIONS: PD-L1 and CD8 TILs may become a promising therapeutic target for patients with ovarian HGSC. More studies are needed to further validate their prognostic effect. Precise identification of patients who will benefit from PD-L1 checkpoint blockade and TILs adaptive immunotherapy is mandatory.

Prognostic significance of transforming growth factor ß receptor II in clinical stage III breast cancer patients - a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor-ß (TGFß) has a dual function in breast cancer, having a tumor suppressor activity in early carcinomas while enhancing tumor metastasis in advanced breast carcinoma. Consequently, the prognostic role of TGFß and its signaling cascade in breast cancer remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between TßRII expression, clinic-pathological characteristics, and prognostic significance of TßRII expression in clinical stage III breast cancer. METHODS: Biopsy from the primary tumor was obtained from 30 newly diagnosed clinical stage III breast cancer patients before receiving any therapy. Expression of TßRII, ER, PR, Her2 and Ki-67 was assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: TßRII expression was positive in 66.7% of cases and was significantly associated with advanced nodal stage and distant metastases. After a median follow up of 42.3 months, TßRII was associated with poor disease-free survival and it was an independent factor for predicting the poor outcome for breast cancer patients, especially in node positive tumors, ER/PR positive and Her2-negative tumors. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the usage of therapeutic drugs that target TGFß in advanced breast cancer patients may be effective. Nevertheless, blockage of the tumor promoting and sparing of the tumor suppressor effect of TGFß pathway should be taken into consideration. We suggest that these therapies might have more benefit in ER and PR positive tumors.

Fucoidan Ameliorates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Induced in Rats: Effect on miR143 and Inflammation.

Fucoidan is sulfated polysaccharide of brown seaweed. It offers various pharmacological actions like anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-tumor activities. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of targeting microRNA-143 and inflammatory pathway by Fucoidan on experimentally induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats. HCC is experimentally induced in Sprague Dawley by thioacetamide. Rats were treated with 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg Fucoidan. Hepatic sections were stained with hematoxylin/esosin for investigation of cell integrity. Moreover, hepatic sections were immunohistochemically stained with antibodies for ki67, TNF-α, and IL-1ß. Finally, hepatic tissues were investigated for expression of miR-143, NF-κB, TNF-α, and IL-1ß. We found that treating HCC with Fucoidan significantly reduced HCC-induced elevation in oxidative stress. Moreover, Fucoidan reduced HCC-induced in expression of miR-143, NF-κB, TNF-α, and IL-1ß. Finally, Fucoidan attenuated pseudohepatic lobules, broad fibrous septa and vacuolar to ballooning degeneration associated with reduction of immunostaining of ki67, TNF-α, and IL-1ß. Fucoidan elevated the survival of HCC rats and reduced their serum AFP. In addition, Fucoidan treatment revealed reduction in the expression of miR-143 associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in HCC rats.

Evaluation of the Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Syndecan-1 in Acute Leukemia Patients.

Syndecan-1 (also known as SDC-1 or CD138) is a transmembrane proteoglycan that is expressed in many hematological and solid tumors and affects the prognosis of those cancers. We conducted this study to investigate the prognostic role of syndecan-1 in acute leukemia. Forty cases of de novo acute leukemia patients, 24 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 16 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), presented at the Oncology Center of Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt, with a follow-up period of 26 months. Syndecan-1 was determined in serum and leukocytes by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results from acute leukemia patients were compared with those of 15 healthy subjects. We observed that soluble syndecan-1 was higher in AML (median, 160.60 ng/ml) compared with ALL (median, 76.10 ng/ml) and healthy controls (median, 30.95 ng/ml). There was a significant correlation between syndecan-1 either in leukocytes or soluble form and response to treatment in patients with AML (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively), but these correlations were not statistically significant for ALL cases. Finally, there was a significant correlation between the soluble syndecan-1 level and overall survival in AML cases (p = 0.04), but the correlation was not significant for ALL cases. In conclusion, syndecan-1 is a useful biomarker for AML but not for ALL.

Detection and Control of Biofilm Formation by Staphylococcus aureus from Febrile Neutropenic Patient.

INTRODUCTION: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is the evolution of fever in a patient with neutropenia over 38.0°C. Neutropenia is diagnosed when absolute neutrophil count (ANC) <1500 cells/µL. FN represents a common complication of cancer treatment. Hence, it is featured to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important microorganisms isolated from the blood of febrile neutropenic patients. Infections caused by S. aureus range from mild to life-threatening diseases. Biofilm production by S. aureus is one of the most significant virulence factors of the bacterium as it prevents the penetration of antibiotics. Recently, it has been shown that S. aureus carries the ica operon responsible for biofilm production. The aim of the work is to determine a genotypic characterization that includes not only the detection of icaA and icaD genes in S. aureus but also the determination of their relation to clinical and microbiological features. Empiric antibacterial treatment was recommended for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relation between the presence of icaA and icaD and biofilm production was determined in a collection of 66 S. aureus samples from febrile neutropenic patients. Biofilm-forming ability was tested on Congo Red agar plates. Also, the effect of the most sensitive antibiotics on the bacterial cells was determined by an electron microscope. RESULTS: Of the bacterial samples, 48 were biofilm-productive and 18 were non-biofilm productive. For the biofilm productive bacteria, 37.5% were positive for icaA, 22.9% were positive for icaD and 10.4% were positive for both. Linezolid was the most effective antibiotic and it is highly recommended for the treatment of febrile neutropenia caused by biofilm-productive S. aureus. Severe changes were found on the bacterial cell after being treated with Linezolid. The icaA and icaD genes were present in only 50% of biofilm-productive bacteria. CONCLUSION: The ica operon is present in only 50% of biofilm-productive S. aureus and Linezolid is the best antibiotic against these bacteria.

Multidetector computed tomography evaluation of synchronous lymphoma and other solid malignancies.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to review the multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) findings of synchronous lymphoma and other solid malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 18 patients confirmed with diagnosis of lymphoma and other solid malignancies. They were 8 women and 10 men (mean age, 62.5 year; range, 44-73 years). CT scanning was performed on one of the two systems: 64 MDCT in 11 patients and 6 MDCT in 7 patients. All 36 malignancies were underwent pathological evaluation. RESULTS: All cases were confirmed pathologically. Lymphomas were Hodgkin disease ( n = 5 patients) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma ( n = 13 patients). Hepatocellular carcinoma was detected in five patients. Bronchogenic carcinoma was detected in two patients. Renal cell carcinoma was detected in two patients. Breast carcinoma was detected in two patients. Prostatic carcinoma was detected in two patients. Gastric carcinoma was detected in two patients. Endometrial carcinoma was detected in one patient. Colonic carcinoma was detected in one patient. Thyroid carcinoma was detected in one patient. CONCLUSIONS: MDCT scanning is accurately imaging modality for the evaluation of synchronous lymphoma and other solid malignancies. More reports and accumulation of such cases should help to clarify the mechanisms, contribute to a further understanding of this phenomenon, and may lead to a new treatment strategy for synchronous lymphoma and other solid malignancies.

MICROtransplant to refractory acute myeloid leukemia in Egyptian population.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to outline Egyptian experience of nonengraftment haploidentical cellular therapy [microtransplantation (MST)] for patients with refractory acute myeloid leukemia. RECENT FINDINGS: The use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor primed halo-identical MST appears to be a biologically active therapy in patients with refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), especially in patients received less than four previous chemotherapy lines, fludarabine-free previous chemotherapy, response naïve and young age patients. SUMMARY: Refractory AML is still challenging. MST is promising, however the optimum conditioning, stem-cell dose, matching degree are factors should be optimized.

Morbidity Profile of Cases Attended Oncology Center of Mansoura University (OCMU), Egypt: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: In Egypt, the National Cancer Registry Program integrates hospital-based data from multiple Egyptian governorates to obtain representative rates. Unfortunately, Dakahlia (one of the largest Egyptian governorates) was not integrated in the National Cancer Registry Program. This research aimed to acquire malignancy rates from the Oncology Center of Mansoura University, which is one of the two oncology centers present in Dakalia Governorate in Egypt. METHODS: Electronic records of patients who attended the Oncology Center of Mansoura University during 2016 were accessed with permission. Analysis was performed to extract diagnostic categories (age, gender, and geographic distribution of cases). RESULTS: Most commonly diagnosed malignancies were breast cancer which represented about 10% of cases in the Oncology Center of Mansoura University during 2016. This was followed by leukemia (3.80%), lymphoma (3.59%), and liver cancer (3.44%). Diagnoses encountered included benign and malignant tumors as well as non-tumor diagnoses. The Mansoura district had the highest proportionate rate of breast cancer cases. Females in the age group ≥ 35 < 60 years had the highest incidence of malignancy cases across all diagnoses. CONCLUSION: The burden of breast cancer in Mansoura district is high. Risk factors need further evaluation with a recommendation to perform an environmental risk assessment.

High Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among B-Cell Non Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients in Mansoura Region (Egypt), ANRS 12263 Study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of Hepatitis C virus in Egypt reaches 15%, which is considered the highest in the world. Genotype 4 represents 93 % of Egyptian HCV infections. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is the 5th most common cancer in Egypt. The association between HCV infection and occurrence of B-cell NHL is well known while data are scarce in Eastern countries. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of HCV infection among patients with B-cell NHL and the clinical characteristics of HCV associated B-cell NHL in the Delta region (Mansoura-Egypt). METHODS: Between March 2012 and March 2013, 110 adult patients newly diagnosed with B-cell NHL were enrolled in the current study. This study was carried out at Oncology Center, Mansoura University. Study subjects provided serum for HCV testing. RESULTS: The prevalence of HCV infection among these patients was 61% (67/110 patients). Among them, 80% (32/40 tested patients) presented with viremia. In contrast with the histological distribution previously described in Northern regions, the majority of HCV associated lymphomas were DLBCLs (72%) followed by SLL/CLL (13%), follicular lymphomas (7.5%) and marginal zone lymphomas (7.5%). CONCLUSIONS: B-cell lymphomas are highly associated with HCV infection in Egypt. Further developments are needed to give access to antiviral treatment for these patients.

Unusual behavior of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma as cardiac invasion with rapid spontaneous regression after fine needle aspiration cytology.

OBJECTIVE: Spontaneous regression (SR) of lymphoma is a rare phenomenon. While the precise mechanism of SR remains unknown, apoptosis may be associated with its process. Here, we present a case of a 52-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with cough and orthopnea for 2 weeks. Multi-detector computed tomography of whole body showed anterior and middle mediastinal soft tissue mass with multiple adjacent malignant lymphadenopathy. The mediastinal mass invaded right atrium and pericardium. Another left subphrenic retro-pancreatic mass was detected. This mass surrounded upper pole of left kidney. Fine needle aspiration cytology was done and revealed lymphocytic smear with advised tru-cut biopsy. CT guided tru-cut was taken after 8 days. During CT guided technique; marked regression of left subphrenic mass was detected. Post-contrast MDCT scan was done and revealed partial response of the masses after 8 days. The partial regressive course of this disease suggests the effectiveness of fine needle aspiration cytology in initiating spontaneous regression. Tru-cut biopsy revealed non-Hodgkin lymphoma (diffuse large B-cell type). We report a case of NHL with abnormal location and spontaneous regression.