Efficacy and adverse events profile of videolaryngoscopy in critically ill patients: subanalysis of the INTUBE study.

BACKGROUND: Tracheal intubation is a high-risk procedure in the critically ill, with increased intubation failure rates and a high risk of other adverse events. Videolaryngoscopy might improve intubation outcomes in this population, but evidence remains conflicting, and its impact on adverse event rates is debated. METHODS: This is a subanalysis of a large international prospective cohort of critically ill patients (INTUBE Study) performed from 1 October 2018 to 31 July 2019 and involving 197 sites from 29 countries across five continents. Our primary aim was to determine the first-pass intubation success rates of videolaryngoscopy. Secondary aims were characterising (a) videolaryngoscopy use in the critically ill patient population and (b) the incidence of severe adverse effects compared with direct laryngoscopy. RESULTS: Of 2916 patients, videolaryngoscopy was used in 500 patients (17.2%) and direct laryngoscopy in 2416 (82.8%). First-pass intubation success was higher with videolaryngoscopy compared with direct laryngoscopy (84% vs 79%, P=0.02). Patients undergoing videolaryngoscopy had a higher frequency of difficult airway predictors (60% vs 40%, P<0.001). In adjusted analyses, videolaryngoscopy increased the probability of first-pass intubation success, with an OR of 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-1.87). Videolaryngoscopy was not significantly associated with risk of major adverse events (odds ratio 1.24, 95% CI 0.95-1.62) or cardiovascular events (odds ratio 0.78, 95% CI 0.60-1.02). CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill patients, videolaryngoscopy was associated with higher first-pass intubation success rates, despite being used in a population at higher risk of difficult airway management. Videolaryngoscopy was not associated with overall risk of major adverse events. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03616054.

Blinatumomab Added to Chemotherapy in Infant Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: KMT2A-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in infants is an aggressive disease with 3-year event-free survival below 40%. Most relapses occur during treatment, with two thirds occurring within 1 year and 90% within 2 years after diagnosis. Outcomes have not improved in recent decades despite intensification of chemotherapy. METHODS: We studied the safety and efficacy of blinatumomab, a bispecific T-cell engager molecule targeting CD19, in infants with KMT2A-rearranged ALL. Thirty patients younger than 1 year of age with newly diagnosed KMT2A-rearranged ALL were given the chemotherapy used in the Interfant-06 trial with the addition of one postinduction course of blinatumomab (15 µg per square meter of body-surface area per day; 28-day continuous infusion). The primary end point was clinically relevant toxic effects, defined as any toxic effect that was possibly or definitely attributable to blinatumomab and resulted in permanent discontinuation of blinatumomab or death. Minimal residual disease (MRD) was measured by polymerase chain reaction. Data on adverse events were collected. Outcome data were compared with historical control data from the Interfant-06 trial. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 26.3 months (range, 3.9 to 48.2). All 30 patients received the full course of blinatumomab. No toxic effects meeting the definition of the primary end point occurred. Ten serious adverse events were reported (fever [4 events], infection [4], hypertension [1], and vomiting [1]). The toxic-effects profile was consistent with that reported in older patients. A total of 28 patients (93%) either were MRD-negative (16 patients) or had low levels of MRD (<5×10-4 [i.e., <5 leukemic cells per 10,000 normal cells], 12 patients) after the blinatumomab infusion. All the patients who continued chemotherapy became MRD-negative during further treatment. Two-year disease-free survival was 81.6% in our study (95% confidence interval [CI], 60.8 to 92.0), as compared with 49.4% (95% CI, 42.5 to 56.0) in the Interfant-06 trial; the corresponding values for overall survival were 93.3% (95% CI, 75.9 to 98.3) and 65.8% (95% CI, 58.9 to 71.8). CONCLUSIONS: Blinatumomab added to Interfant-06 chemotherapy appeared to be safe and had a high level of efficacy in infants with newly diagnosed KMT2A-rearranged ALL as compared with historical controls from the Interfant-06 trial. (Funded by the Princess Máxima Center Foundation and others; EudraCT number, 2016-004674-17.).

The effect of frailty on in-hospital and medium-term mortality of patients with COronaVIrus Disease-19: the FRACOVID study.

BACKGROUND: Older people hospitalized for COVID-19 are at highest risk of death. Frailty Assessment can detect heterogeneity in risk among people of the same chronological age. We investigated the association between frailty and in-hospital and medium-term mortality in middle-aged and older adults with COVID-19 during the first two pandemic waves. METHODS: This study is an observational multicenter study. We recorded sociodemographic factors (age, sex), smoking status, date of symptom onset, biological data, need for supplemental oxygen, comorbidities, cognitive and functional status, in-hospital mortality. We calculated a Frailty Index (FI) as the ratio between deficits presented and total deficits considered for each patient (theoretical range 0-1). We also assessed the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Mortality at follow-up was ascertained from a regional registry. RESULTS: In total, 1344 patients were included; median age 68 years (Q1-Q3, 56-79); 857 (64%) were men. Median CFS score was 3 (Q1-Q3 2-5) and was lower in younger vs. older patients. Median FI was 0.06 (Q1-Q3 0.03-0.09) and increased with increasing age. Overall, 244 (18%) patients died in-hospital and 288 (22%) over a median follow-up of 253 days. FI and CFS were significantly associated with risk of death. In two different models using the same covariates, each increment of 0.1 in FI increased the overall hazard of death by 35% (HR=1.35, 95%CI 1.23-1.48), similar to the hazard for each increment of CFS (HR=1.37, 95%CI 1.25-1.50). CONCLUSIONS: Frailty, assessed with the FI or CFS, predicts in-hospital and medium-term mortality and may help estimate vulnerability in middle-aged and older COVID-19 patients.

Hematopoietic Stem- and Progenitor-Cell Gene Therapy for Hurler Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is the standard of care for Hurler syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis type I, Hurler variant [MPSIH]). However, this treatment is only partially curative and is associated with complications. METHODS: We are conducting an ongoing study involving eight children with MPSIH. At enrollment, the children lacked a suitable allogeneic donor and had a Developmental Quotient or Intelligence Quotient score above 70 (i.e., none had moderate or severe cognitive impairment). The children received autologous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) transduced ex vivo with an α-L-iduronidase (IDUA)-encoding lentiviral vector after myeloablative conditioning. Safety and correction of blood IDUA activity up to supraphysiologic levels were the primary end points. Clearance of lysosomal storage material as well as skeletal and neurophysiological development were assessed as secondary and exploratory end points. The planned duration of the study is 5 years. RESULTS: We now report interim results. The children's mean (±SD) age at the time of HSPC gene therapy was 1.9±0.5 years. At a median follow-up of 2.10 years, the procedure had a safety profile similar to that known for autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. All the patients showed prompt and sustained engraftment of gene-corrected cells and had supraphysiologic blood IDUA activity within a month, which was maintained up to the latest follow-up. Urinary glycosaminoglycan (GAG) excretion decreased steeply, reaching normal levels at 12 months in four of five patients who could be evaluated. Previously undetectable levels of IDUA activity in the cerebrospinal fluid became detectable after gene therapy and were associated with local clearance of GAGs. Patients showed stable cognitive performance, stable motor skills corresponding to continued motor development, improved or stable findings on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and spine, reduced joint stiffness, and normal growth in line with World Health Organization growth charts. CONCLUSIONS: The delivery of HSPC gene therapy in patients with MPSIH resulted in extensive metabolic correction in peripheral tissues and the central nervous system. (Funded by Fondazione Telethon and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03488394; EudraCT number, 2017-002430-23.).

Curative versus palliative treatments for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicentric weighted comparison.

BACKGROUND: Management of recurrence after surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma (rHCC) is still a debate. The aim was to compare the Survival after Recurrence (SAR) of curative (surgery or thermoablation) versus palliative (TACE or Sorafenib) treatments for patients with rHCC. METHODS: This is a multicentric Italian study, which collected data between 2007 and 2018 from 16 centers. Selected patients were then divided according to treatment allocation in Curative (CUR) or Palliative (PAL) Group. Inverse Probability Weighting (IPW) was used to weight the groups. RESULTS: 1,560 patients were evaluated, of which 421 experienced recurrence and were then eligible: 156 in CUR group and 256 in PAL group. Tumor burden and liver function were weighted by IPW, and two pseudo-population were obtained (CUR = 397.5 and PAL = 415.38). SAR rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were respectively 98.3%, 76.7%, 63.8% for CUR and 91.7%, 64.2% and 48.9% for PAL (p = 0.007). Median DFS was 43 months (95%CI = 32-74) for CUR group, while it was 23 months (95%CI = 18-27) for PAL (p = 0.017). Being treated by palliative approach (HR = 1.75; 95%CI = 1.14-2.67; p = 0.01) and having a median size of the recurrent nodule>5 cm (HR = 1.875; 95%CI = 1.22-2.86; p = 0.004) were the only predictors of mortality after recurrence, while time to recurrence was the only protective factor (HR = 0.616; 95%CI = 0.54-0.69; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Curative approaches may guarantee long-term survival in case of recurrence.

Best quality indicator of vitamin K antagonist therapy to predict mortality and bleeding in haemodialysis patients with atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: There is a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients undergoing haemodialysis. Oral anticoagulant therapy with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) is the only accepted treatment for the prevention of thromboembolism in haemodialysis patients with AF. However, in this population, the risk of bleeding is greatly increased. The aim of the study was to evaluate the ability of treatment quality indicators of VKA therapy to predict mortality and bleedings in a population of haemodialysis patients with AF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 129 patients were included in this cohort study. Deaths and bleeding events were recorded during a follow-up of 4 years. In all patients, International Normalized Ratio (INR) values were assessed at least once a month. Time in therapeutic range (TTR) and INR variability, as measured by the standard deviation of INR, were updated at each INR measurement. A Cox model with time-dependent co-variates and sandwich variance was applied. RESULTS: During follow-up, 71 patients died and 55 bleeding episodes occurred in 31 patients. INR variability was the only indicator associated with both mortality (hazard ratio [HR]=1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12; 2.49, p=0.012) and bleeding (HR=2.85, 95% CI: 1.71; 4.75, p=0.0001). HR of mortality was higher in patients with INR >3 (HR=2.06, 95% CI: 1.09; 3.88, p=0.0259) than in subjects in therapeutic range 2

Soluble CD163 and mannose receptor as markers of liver disease severity and prognosis in patients with primary biliary cholangitis.

INTRODUCTION: In primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), macrophages are involved in liver inflammation and fibrosis. The macrophage activation markers, soluble (s)CD163 and mannose receptor (sMR) are associated with liver disease severity and prognosis in other chronic liver diseases. We aimed to investigate sCD163 and sMR in patients with PBC. METHODS: We investigated PBC patients from the Italian PBC Study Group cohort and measured macrophage activation markers in serum at study enrolment. Patients were followed from enrolment until they experienced an event or were censored at their last visit. Events were defined as follows: (a) death from a liver-related cause; or (b) liver transplantation (LT) for PBC. We used Cox regression to investigate the association between sCD163 and sMR and long-term prognosis. RESULTS: In total, 202 PBC patients were included. Median age was 62 years (interquartile range (IQR), 53-71) at enrolment and 93% were women. Median sCD163 was 3.43 mg/L (IQR 2.48-5.35) and median sMR was 0.35 mg/L (IQR 0.28-0.45). There was an increase in sCD163 and sMR with increasing alkaline phosphatase. Two hundred and one patients were followed for a median of 8.6 years, and sCD163 and sMR predicted long-term risk of liver-related death or LT in univariate analyses, while sCD163 was also associated with outcome after confounder adjusting (adjusted HR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.00-1.30). Finally, we showed an increase in the prediction accuracy of poor outcome by adding sCD163 to the UK-PBC risk score. CONCLUSION: The macrophage activation markers sCD163 and sMR represent a non-invasive measure of PBC disease severity that provides useful long-term prognostic information.

Comparison of three therapeutic regimens for genotype-3 hepatitis C virus infection in a large real-life multicentre cohort.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In the direct-acting antiviral era, treatment of genotype-3 HCV (HCV-GT3) is still challenging. Real-life comparisons between recommended regimens, sofosbuvir (SOF)+daclatasvir (DAC), SOF/velpatasvir (VEL), glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB), are scarce. We aimed at filling this data gap. METHODS: Sustained virological response 12 weeks after treatment completion (SVR12) was assessed for all HCV-GT3 patients consecutively treated within the Lombardia web-based Navigatore HCV-Network; differences in SVR12 across regimens were evaluated by logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 2082 subjects with HCV-GT3, 1544 were evaluable for comparisons between regimens: SOF + DAC (1023, 66.2%), SOF/VEL (369, 23.9%), GLE/PIB (152, 9.8%). Patients treated with former regimens were more frequently male, cirrhotic, HIV-positive, pretreated, used ribavirin in their regimen, and had lower baseline HCV-RNA. SVR12 was similar across groups: 94.8% in SOF + DAC, 97.6% in SOF/VEL, 96.7% in GLE/PIB (P = .065). At univariate analysis, SVR12 was associated with female gender (97.9% vs 94.8%, P = .007) and lower median pretreatment Log10 HCV-RNA (5.87 vs 6.20, P = .001). At multivariate logistic regression analysis, treatment with SOF/VEL was associated with a higher likelihood of SVR12 than SOF + DAC, but only in the absence of ribavirin (98% vs 90.3%). Female gender and lower pretreatment HCV-RNA were independently associated with SVR12. CONCLUSIONS: In a large real-life setting of HCV-GT3-infected patients with a high proportion of cirrhosis, the success rate was remarkable. The slight advantage of SOF/VEL on SOF + DAC was significant only without ribavirin. The current prescription shift towards novel regimens (ie SOF/VEL and GLE/PIB) in easier-to-treat patients allows ribavirin-free and shorter schedules without mining SVR12 in this <> genotype.

Joint model robustness compared with the time-varying covariate Cox model to evaluate the association between a longitudinal marker and a time-to-event endpoint.

BACKGROUND: The recent progress in medical research generates an increasing interest in the use of longitudinal biomarkers for characterizing the occurrence of an outcome. The present work is motivated by a study, where the objective was to explore the potential of the long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) as a prognostic marker of Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Time-varying covariate Cox model was commonly used, despite its limiting assumptions that marker values are constant in time and measured without error. A joint model has been developed as a viable alternative; however, the approach is computationally intensive and requires additional strong assumptions, in which the impacts of their misspecification were not sufficiently studied. METHODS: We conduct an extensive simulation to clarify relevant assumptions for the understanding of joint models and assessment of its robustness under key model misspecifications. Further, we characterize the extent of bias introduced by the limiting assumptions of the time-varying covariate Cox model and compare its performance with a joint model in various contexts. We then present results of the two approaches to evaluate the potential of PTX3 as a prognostic marker of GvHD after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. RESULTS: Overall, we illustrate that a joint model provides an unbiased estimate of the association between a longitudinal marker and the hazard of an event in the presence of measurement error, showing improvement over the time-varying Cox model. However, a joint model is severely biased when the baseline hazard or the shape of the longitudinal trajectories are misspecified. Both the Cox model and the joint model correctly specified indicated PTX3 as a potential prognostic marker of GvHD, with the joint model providing a higher hazard ratio estimate. CONCLUSIONS: Joint models are beneficial to investigate the capability of the longitudinal marker to characterize time-to-event endpoint. However, the benefits are strictly linked to the correct specification of the longitudinal marker trajectory and the baseline hazard function, indicating a careful consideration of assumptions to avoid biased estimates.

Nomograms to identify elevated blood pressure values and left ventricular hypertrophy in a paediatric population: American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice vs. Fourth Report/European Society of Hypertension Guidelines.

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: The study aimed at evaluating, in a large sample of Italian children, the reclassification of blood pressure categories with the new U.S. nomograms, obtained in a population of normal-weight children (American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guidelines, AAP-CPG), compared with the Fourth Report/European Society of Hypertension (ESH) nomograms. The performance of the two classifications in identifying the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy was also assessed. RESULTS: In 951 individuals referred to a Pediatric Center for Cardiovascular Risk Prevention, a 12% increase in the prevalence of children with blood pressure at least 90th percentile was observed by using the new nomograms. In the subsample of children aged at least 13 years, the application of the blood pressure fixed cutoff values of 120/<80 mmHg (for 'elevated' blood pressure) and of 130/80 mmHg (for hypertension) led to a change in the blood pressure category (worse or better) in about 30% of cases as compared with the AAP-CPG classification based on percentiles. Regarding the identification of individuals with left ventricular hypertrophy, the AAP-CPG classification led to an increase in the true positive fraction (sensitivity) of 5.5%, and to an increment of the false-positive fraction (1 - specificity) of 5.8%. The logistic regression model, adjusted for possible confounding factors, and the ROC curves obtained from the linear predictor of the model showed an identical performance of the Fourth Report/ESH and the AAP-CPG classifications. CONCLUSION: In our paediatric population, the AAP-CPG classification slightly increased the prevalence of elevated blood pressure values compared with the Fourth Report/ESH classification. Moreover, the application of more 'physiological' nomograms, based on a population of normal-weight children, did not yield any advantage in identifying individuals with early cardiac organ damage.

Patients' and physicians' interpretation of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity.

To test if and how chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) is perceived differently by patients and physicians, making assessment and interpretation challenging. We performed a secondary analysis of the CI-PeriNomS study which included 281 patients with stable CIPN. We tested: (a) the association between patients' perception of activity limitation in performing eight common tasks and neurological impairment and (b) how the responses to questions related to these daily activities are interpreted by the treating oncologist. To achieve this, we compared patients' perception of their activity limitation with neurological assessment and the oncologists' blind interpretation. Distribution of the scores attributed by oncologists to each daily life maximum limitation ("impossible") generated three groups: Group 1 included limitations oncologists attributed mainly to motor impairment; Group 2 ones mainly attributed to sensory impairment and Group 3 ones with uncertain motor and sensory impairment. Only a subset of questions showed a significant trend between severity in subjective limitation, reported by patients, and neurological impairment. In Group 1, neurological examination confirmed motor impairment in only 51%-65% of patients; 76%-78% of them also had vibration perception impairment. In Group 2, sensory impairment ranged from 84% to 100%; some degree of motor impairment occurred in 43%-56% of them. In Group 3 strength reduction was observed in 49%-50% and sensory perception was altered in up to 82%. Interpretation provided by the panel of experienced oncologists was inconsistent with the neurological impairment. These observations highlight the need of a core set of outcome measures for future CIPN trials.

Unraveling the cellular origin and clinical prognostic markers of infant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia using genome-wide analysis.

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the commonest childhood cancer. In infants, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia remains fatal, especially in patients with t(4;11), present in ~80% of cases. The pathogenesis of t(4;11)/KMT2A-AFF1+ (MLL-AF4+) infant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia remains difficult to model, and the pathogenic contribution in cancer of the reciprocal fusions resulting from derivative translocated-chromosomes remains obscure. Here, "multi-layered" genome-wide analyses and validation were performed on a total of 124 de novo cases of infant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia uniformly diagnosed and treated according to the Interfant 99/06 protocol. These patients showed the most silent mutational landscape reported so far for any sequenced pediatric cancer. Recurrent mutations were exclusively found in K-RAS and N-RAS, were subclonal and were frequently lost at relapse, despite a larger number of non-recurrent/non-silent mutations. Unlike non-MLL-rearranged B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias, B-cell receptor repertoire analysis revealed minor, non-expanded B-cell clones in t(4;11)+ infant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and RNA-sequencing showed transcriptomic similarities between t(4;11)+ infant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias and the most immature human fetal liver hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, confirming a "pre-VDJ" fetal cellular origin for both t(4;11) and RAS mut The reciprocal fusion AF4-MLL was expressed in only 45% (19/43) of the t(4;11)+ patients, and HOXA cluster genes are exclusively expressed in AF4-MLL-expressing patients. Importantly, AF4-MLL/HOXA-expressing patients had a significantly better 4-year event-free survival (62.4% vs 11.7%, P=0.001), and overall survival (73.7 vs 25.2%, P=0.016). AF4-MLL expression retained its prognostic significance when analyzed in a Cox model adjusting for risk stratification according to the Interfant-06 protocol based on age at diagnosis, white blood cell count and response to prednisone. This study has clinical implications for disease outcome and diagnostic risk-stratification of t(4;11)+ infant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Risk stratification of oxaliplatin induced peripheral neurotoxicity applying electrophysiological testing of dorsal sural nerve.

PURPOSE: We aimed to verify the predictiveness of dorsal sural nerve neurophysiological monitoring in obtaining risk stratification for oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (OXAPN). METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis on a cohort of 110 colorectal cancer patients who were evaluated clinically and neurophysiologically before chemotherapy, at mid-treatment and at discontinuation. We applied the classification tree analysis method to predict the end-of-treatment OXAPN neurophysiological diagnosis, using data recorded at mid-treatment. We then ascertained the correlation between the obtained classes and neurological impairment at the end of treatment (Fisher's exact test). RESULTS: Dorsal sural nerve monitoring enabled us to stratify oxaliplatin-treated patients into risk classes with an implemented approach to neurophysiology application in this setting. Neurological outcome at discontinuation was predicted by neurophysiological monitoring performed during chemotherapy administration. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the role that neurophysiology may play in clinical trials as an early surrogate marker that can predict OXAPN development at the end of treatment. Specifically, we propose abnormal dorsal sural sensory nerve testing as an early biomarker in identifying patients at high risk of eventually developing OXAPN.

CRLF2 over-expression is a poor prognostic marker in children with high risk T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Pediatric T-ALL patients have a worse outcome compared to BCP-ALL patients and they could benefit from new prognostic marker identification. Alteration of CRLF2 gene, a hallmark correlated with poor outcome in BCP-ALL, has not been reported in T-ALL.We analyzed CRLF2 expression in 212 T-ALL pediatric patients enrolled in AIEOP-BFM ALL2000 study in Italian and German centers.Seventeen out of 120 (14.2%) Italian patients presented CRLF2 mRNA expression 5 times higher than the median (CRLF2-high); they had a significantly inferior event-free survival (41.2%±11.9 vs. 68.9%±4.6, p=0.006) and overall survival (47.1%±12.1 vs. 73.8%±4.3, p=0.009) and an increased cumulative incidence of relapse/resistance (52.9%±12.1 vs. 26.2%±4.3, p=0.007) compared to CRLF2-low patients. The prognostic value of CRLF2 over-expression was validated in the German cohort. Of note, CRLF2 over-expression was associated with poor prognosis in the high risk (HR) subgroup where CRLF2-high patients were more frequently allocated.Interestingly, although in T-ALL CRLF2 protein was localized mainly in the cytoplasm, in CRLF2-high blasts we found a trend towards a stronger TSLP-induced pSTAT5 response, sensitive to the JAK inhibitor Ruxolitinib.In conclusion, CRLF2 over-expression is a poor prognostic marker identifying a subset of HR T-ALL patients that could benefit from alternative therapy, potentially targeting the CRLF2 pathway.

Minimal residual disease before and after transplantation for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: is there any room for intervention?

Eighty-two children and adolescents who underwent allogeneic transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in remission (period 2001-2011, median follow-up 4·9 years) had been assessed for minimal residual disease (MRD) by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction before and at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after transplantation. Five-year event-free survival (EFS) and cumulative incidence of relapse were 77·7% [standard error (SE) 5·7] and 11·4% (SE 4·4), respectively, for patients with pre-transplant MRD <1 × 10(-4) (68%), versus 30·8% (SE 9·1; P < 0·001) and 61·5% (SE 9·5; P < 0·001), respectively, for those with MRD ≥1 × 10(-4) (32%). Pre-transplant MRD ≥1 × 10(-4) was associated with a 9·2-fold risk of relapse [95% confidence interval (CI) 3·54-23·88; P < 0·001] compared with patients with MRD <1 × 10(-4). Patients who received additional chemotherapy pre-transplant to reduce MRD had a fivefold reduction of risk of failure (hazard ratio 0·19, CI 0·05-0·70, P = 0·01). Patients who experienced MRD positivity post-transplant did not necessarily relapse (5-year EFS 40·3%, SE 9·3), but had a 2·5-fold risk of failure (CI 1·05-5·75; P = 0·04) if any MRD was detected in the first 100 d, which increased to 7·8-fold (CI 2·2-27·78; P = 0·002) if detected after 6 months. Anticipated immunosuppression-tapering according to MRD may have improved outcome, nevertheless all patients with post-transplant MRD ≥1 × 10(-3) ultimately relapsed, regardless of immunosuppression discontinuation or donor-lymphocyte-infusion. In conclusion, MRD before transplantation had the strongest impact on relapse and MRD positivity after transplantation, mostly if detected early and at low levels, did not necessarily imply relapse. Additional intensified chemotherapy and modulation of immunosuppression may reduce relapse risk and improve ultimate outcome.

Screening for coagulopathy and identification of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at a higher risk of symptomatic venous thrombosis: an AIEOP experience.

INTRODUCTION: Venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) are frequent complications of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment. The aim of the study was to evaluate the rate of symptomatic VTEs in children with ALL and the predictive value of clinical and biological factors and routine monitoring of coagulation parameters in identifying children at a higher risk of this complication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September 2000 and July 2006, 2042 children (≥1 and younger than 18 y) with newly diagnosed ALL were enrolled in Italy in the AIEOP (Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology)-BFM (Berlin-Frankfurt-Muenster) ALL 2000 trial. Patients with symptomatic VTEs (deep venous thromboses or cerebral venous thromboses) were identified after a careful review of clinical records. The impact of coagulation derangement at the onset of VTEs was evaluated by a nested case-control study. RESULTS: Forty-eight (2.4%) children presented with a VTE. The rate of VTEs was higher in male patients (P=0.001); patients randomized to receive dexamethasone tended to have a higher rate of VTE compared with those who received prednisone (P=0.10). The coagulation derangement at the onset of VTE was not associated with VTE occurrence. The prevalence of a factor V Leiden G1691A mutation and the prothrombin G20210A variant was higher in children with VTE than that expected in the general population.

Cardiovascular risk assessment in children: role of physical activity, family history and parental smoking on BMI and blood pressure.

OBJECTIVE: Aim of the study was to assess the role of family history, physical activity and parental smoking in the prediction of BMI, SBP and hypertension risk in children. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: In a paediatric primary care setting, a sample of 1310 children aged 5-14 years was systematically selected by 48 family paediatricians in northern Italy. BMI, waist circumference-to-height ratio (WtHr), SBP and DBP were measured and the information on the presence of small birth weight for gestational age (SGA) and early adiposity rebound (EAR) was collected. Data concerning exercise, video time, family history for cardiovascular diseases and parental smoking were derived from parental interview. Data were collected using an 'ad hoc designed' electronic sheet available online. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression showed that the presence of EAR, low exercise (<2 h/week), high video time (>2  h/day TV/videogames/computer) and parental smoking were associated to higher BMI (z-score; P < 0.005). Age, BMI (z-score), WtHr, presence of SGA, low exercise, high video time and family history of cardiovascular diseases were associated to SBP values (P < 0.03). Logistic regression analysis showed that factors related to risk of hypertension and prehypertension were BMI (z-score; odds ratio, OR 2.63; 95% confidence interval, CI 2.12-3.28), WtHr (OR 1.13; 95% CI 1.10-3.28) and low exercise (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.12-2.24; P <0.01). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that a simple tool like a cardiovascular multi-item sheet can provide useful information to paediatricians for child health. Physical exercise plays a pivotal role in obesity prevention and protection from hypertension risk.