18F-FDG-PET/CT response after first-line treatment as a prognostic factor for survival in peripheral T-cell lymphoma: a Spanish retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: An accurate assessment of tumor viability after first-line treatment is critical for predicting treatment failure in peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs). 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has been adopted as the preferred assessment method in clinical trials, but its impact in clinical practice should be examined. This study aims to determine the prognostic significance of18F-FDG-PET/CT for survival following first-line treatment in PTCL patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Retrospective observational study including 175 patients diagnosed with PTCL between 2008 and 2013 in 13 Spanish sites. RESULTS: Fifty patients were evaluated with18F-FDG-PET/CT following first-line therapy: 58% were18F-FDG-PET/CT-negative and 42% were18F-FDG-PET/CT-positive. Disease progression occurred in 37.9% of18F-FDG-PET/CT-negative patients and in 80.9% of18F-FDG-PET/CT-positive patients (p = 0.0037). Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 67 and 74 months for18F-FDG-PET/CT-negative patients, and 5 (p < 0.0001) and 10 months (p < 0.0001), respectively, in18F-FDG-PET/CT-positive patients. After multivariate analysis, only B symptoms emerged as a negative predictive factor of complete response (RR 7.08; 95% CI 1.60-31.31; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG-PET/CT identifies high-risk PTCL patients who will have poor prognosis and survival following first-line treatment. However, more research is needed to confirm the best treatment options for PTCL patients.

Derecho a la defensa de funcionarios policiales inmersos en procesos penales por actos de servicio en Venezuela / Right to defence of police officers involved in criminal proceedings for acts of service in Venezuela / Direito à defesa dos policiais envolvidos em processos criminais por atos de serviço na Venezuela

El derecho a la defensa es una garantía que forma parte del debido proceso de conformidad con lo pautado en la Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela. Los funcionarios que forman parte de los órganos policiales colaboran con el Ministerio Público en la persecución de hechos delictivos, y en el ejercicio de sus funciones pueden incurrir en conductas que den lugar a la instrucción de procedimientos en su contra, por lo que la investigación analizó el derecho a la defensa de funcionarios policiales en procesos por actos de servicio en la Policía del Estado Mérida. Se realizó un estudio de campo, descriptivo, cualitativo y se aplicó un cuestionario contentivo de diez preguntas con varias alternativas de respuestas a una muestra de 50 personas. Los resultados permitieron inferir que las situaciones de servicio se generan principalmente por aprehensiones en flagrancia y procedimientos de captura, en cuyo cumplimiento los funcionarios pueden incurrir en irregularidades que den lugar a la apertura de investigaciones disciplinarias y penales, razón por la cual se requiere de una defensa pública especializada. Se concluyó que el derecho a la defensa se hará valer en las instancias administrativas y jurisdiccionales, y se recomienda la puesta en funcionamiento de la Defensoría Pública con competencia en materia penal policial.

The right to a defence is a guarantee that forms part of due process in accordance with the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Police officers collaborate with the Public Prosecutor's Office in the prosecution of criminal acts, and in the exercise of their duties may engage in conduct that may lead to proceedings being brought against them. For this reason, the research analysed the right to defence of police officers involved in proceedings for acts of service in the Mérida State Police. A descriptive, qualitative field study was carried out and a questionnaire containing ten questions with several alternative answers was applied to a sample of 50 people. The results allowed us to infer that service situations are mainly generated by apprehensions in flagrante delicto and arrest procedures, in which officials may incur in irregularities that lead to the opening of disciplinary and criminal investigations, which is why specialised public defence is required. It was concluded that the right to defence should be asserted in administrative and jurisdictional instances, and it is recommended that a Public Defence Office with competence in police criminal matters be set up.

O direito à defesa é uma garantia que faz parte do devido processo legal, de acordo com a Constituição da República Bolivariana da Venezuela. Os funcionários que fazem parte dos órgãos policiais colaboram com o Ministério Público a persecução de fatos delituosos e, no exercício de suas funções, podem ter condutas que podem levar à instauração de processos contra eles. Por essa razão, na pesquisa, foi analisado o direito de defesa dos policiais em processos por atos de serviço na Polícia Estadual de Mérida. Foi realizado um estudo de campo descritivo e qualitativo e um questionário com 10 perguntas com várias alternativas de resposta foi aplicado a uma amostra de 50 pessoas. Os resultados permitiram inferir que as situações de serviço são geradas principalmente por apreensões em flagrante delito e procedimentos de prisão, nos quais os agentes podem incorrer em irregularidades que levam à abertura de investigações disciplinares e criminais, razão pela qual é necessária a defesa pública especializada. Concluiu-se que o direito de defesa deve ser afirmado nas instâncias administrativas e jurisdicionais, sendo recomendada a criação da Defensoria Pública com competência em matéria penal policial.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma with a T follicular-helper phenotype: A different entity? Results of the Spanish Real-T study.

Nodal peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) with a T follicular helper phenotype (PTCL-TFH) is a new type of PTCL. We aimed to define its clinical characteristics and prognosis compared to PTCL not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). This retrospective observational study included 175 patients diagnosed with PTCL between 2008 and 2013 in 13 Spanish sites. Patient diagnosis was centrally reviewed, and patients were reclassified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 criteria: 21 patients as PTCL-NOS, 55 as AITL and 23 as PTCL-TFH. Median follow-up was 56.07 months (95% CI 38.7-73.4). Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly higher in patients with PTCL-TFH than in those with PTCL-NOS and AITL (PFS, 24.6 months vs. 4.6 and 7.8 months, respectively, p = 0.002; OS, 52.6 months vs. 10.0 and 19.3 months, respectively, p < 0.001). Histological diagnosis maintained an independent influence on both PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 4.1 vs. PTCL-NOS, p = 0.008; HR 2.6 vs. AITL, p = 0.047) and OS (HR 5.7 vs. PTCL-NOS, p = 0.004; HR 2.6 vs. AITL, p = 0.096), regardless of the International Prognostic Index. These results suggest that PTCL-TFH could have more favourable features and prognosis than the other PTCL subtypes, although larger series are needed to corroborate these findings.

Clinical and pathological characteristics of peripheral T-cell lymphomas in a Spanish population: a retrospective study.

We investigated the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) in 13 sites across Spain. Relevant clinical antecedents, CD30 expression and staining pattern, prognostic indices using the International Prognostic Index and the Intergruppo Italiano Linfomi system, treatments, and clinical outcomes were examined. A sizeable proportion of 175 patients had a history of immune-related disorders (autoimmune 16%, viral infections 17%, chemo/radiotherapy-treated carcinomas 19%). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 7·9 and 15·8 months, respectively. Prognostic indices influenced PFS and OS, with a higher number of adverse factors resulting in shorter survival (P < 0·001). Complete response (CR) to treatment was associated with better PFS (62·6 vs. 4 months; P < 0·001) and longer OS (67·0 vs. 7·3 months; P < 0·001) compared to no CR. CD30 was expressed across all subtypes; >15% of cells were positive in anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive and -negative anaplastic large-cell lymphoma and extranodal natural killer PTCL groups. We observed PTCL distribution across subtypes based on haematopathological re-evaluation. Poor prognosis, effect of specific prognostic indices, relevance of histopathological sub-classification, and response level to first-line treatment on outcomes were confirmed. Immune disorders amongst patients require further examination involving genetic studies and identification of associated immunosuppressive factors.