[Severe aplastic anemia after BTN162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in a patient undergoing hemodialysis].

Although vaccination against coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) has been found to be effective, reports of adverse reactions continue to appear. We report the development of severe aplastic anemia post BTN162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in patient undergoing dialysis. The pathogenesis and risk factors for post-vaccination aplastic anemia remain unclear. We must remain vigilant to aplastic anemia following COVID-19 vaccination. The risk of aplastic anemia should be identified, and management methods should be established.

[Warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia complicated with pulmonary hypertension exhibiting pulmonary mosaic attenuation pattern].

A 55-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with suspected hemolytic anemia. He was subsequently diagnosed with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia complicated with pulmonary hypertension exhibiting a mosaic pattern on chest computed tomography. Treatment of hemolytic anemia rapidly improved pulmonary hypertension and the mosaic pattern. Pulmonary hypertension can also occur in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

[A Case of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma with Liver Involvement and Severe Jaundice That Benefited from Therapy with Gemcitabine, Carboplatin, Dexamethasone(GCD)Therapy with Rituximab].

An 84-year-old man visited a hospital owing to general malaise. Blood tests revealed hyperbilirubinemia and liver dysfunction. The patient was hospitalized and underwent various examinations. Bone marrow puncture revealed diffuse large B- cell lymphoma, and the patient was transferred to our hospital. At the time of transfer, the patient presented a total bilirubin of 8.4 mg/dL, indicating a marked elevation. His advanced age made disease treatment risky. A decision to treat the patient with gemcitabine, carboplatin, dexamethasone(GCD), and rituximab was reached, which was not standard treatment at the initial presentation. Hyperbilirubinemia and liver dysfunction improved rapidly. After 2 courses of treatment, the patient was switched to pirarubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone(THP-COP), the standard therapy in elderly patients, combined with rituximab. The patient exhibited remittance after 6 treatment courses. Thus, during hyperbilirubinemia and hepatic dysfunction, gemcitabine-based therapy may improve prognosis when compared with low-dose standard therapy.

Factors prognostic of eligibility for allogeneic HCT among older patients with AML-CR1 and adverse- or intermediate-risk cytogenetics.

The introduction of reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens has made possible allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the optimal timing of allo-HCT in these patients and its relative risks and benefits when compared with chemotherapies have not been determined. This retrospective study by the Fukuoka Blood and Marrow Transplant Group compared RIC allo-HSCT with non-transplant therapies, the choice based on donor availability, in AML patients in their first complete remission (CR1). The prognostic value of various patient characteristics and disease-specific variables were investigated in 299 patients aged ≥60 years with AML in CR1. Among the 107 patients aged 60-65 years, 54 of whom received allo-HCT and 53 of whom continued chemotherapies; allo-HCT, adverse-risk group, and hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index were significant predictors of survival outcomes. Among 192 patients aged ≥66 years deemed ineligible for allo-HCT, relapse and Karnofsky performance status after induction therapy were significant predictors of survival outcomes. Findings from this study may facilitate a new standard of care for older AML patients in CR1 who are considered candidates for allo-HCT.

The consequences of tacrolimus blood concentrations during the four weeks following marrow transplantation from an unrelated donor: a single-center experience.

In our institute, tacrolimus was started at a dose of 0.03 mg/kg/day and adjusted to maintain a blood concentration between 10 and 20 ng/mL combined with short term methotrexate after bone marrow transplantation from an unrelated donor. Dose adjustment was performed strictly, in order to prevent grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)while avoiding renal toxicity of tacrolimus. Then, in this study, we retrospectively evaluated the tacrolimus blood concentration during the first 4 weeks after transplantation. The mean tacrolimus concentration of the eligible 52 patients was 17.41+/-4.84(range, 9.5-33.4)ng/mL in the 1st week after transplantation, but declined to 13.7+/- 4.0(range, 8.1-25.6)ng/mL in the 2nd week. The dose of tacrolimus was decreased as follows: 0.022+/-0.005 mg/ kg/day(range 0.011-0.039)in the 1st week, and 0.018+/-0.007 mg/kg/day(range 0.004-0.040)in the 2nd week. The incidence of grade II-IV GVHD was 63.0% and grade III-IV was 13.9%. The individual variations of tacrolimus blood concentration did not affect the incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD, as far as the concentration being maintained in the range of 14.82+/-4.22 ng/mL during the first 4 weeks after transplantation. In addition, the variations of tacrolimus concentration didn?t associate statistically with renal toxicity.

Successful stem cell transplantation without cryopreservation from a microchimeric haploidentical sibling for refractory acute myeloid leukemia complicated with critical thrombophlebitis and cellulitis.

We describe the case of a 38-year-old male patient who had acute myeloid leukemia and developed prolonged neutropenia after induction chemotherapy. He developed thrombotic complications at multiple sites. Thrombophlebitis of the hemorrhoidal plexus became exacerbated and developed into critical cellulitis. Because the patient had no human leukocyte antigen-identical sibling, we considered an alternative donor. Because of the necessity for early neutrophil recovery to resolve the critical infection, we proceeded with allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) from a microchimeric haploidentical sibling donor. We infused peripheral blood mononuclear cells directly into the patient without cryopreservation and thawing procedures. We aimed for the contaminating granulocytes to act as a granulocyte transfusion. Actually, the neutrophils increased to 1.6 x 10(9)/L on day 1, when the patient showed a temporary resolution of infection. Engraftment was achieved shortly after neutropenic nadir, and acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) has been well controlled. Although the patient experiences extensive chronic GVHD, he has been well as an outpatient with a 90% Karnofsky performance status score. The leukemia has been in complete remission for more than 1 year. These findings suggest the clinical utility of a salvage therapy with allogeneic PBSCT from a microchimeric haploidentical donor to treat refractory leukemia concurrent with life-threatening infection.

Phase II study of chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma: Japan Clinical Oncology Group Study 9004.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-supported, post-remission chemotherapy (Cx) for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) was evaluated. One hundred and forty-three eligible patients (median age, 41 years) including 126 ALL and 17 LBL receiving induction Cx (vincristine, cyclophosphamide, prednisolone [PSL], doxorubicin, L-asparaginase, intrathecal-methotrexate [IT-MTX]) were analyzed. For patients achieving complete response (CR), two courses of post-remission Cx (course A of daunorubicin, cytosine arabinoside, vindesine, PSL plus IT-MTX; course B of mitoxantrone, etoposide, vincristine, PSL plus IT-MTX) with the use of G-CSF were repeated alternately; thereafter, maintenance Cx including MTX and 6-mercaptopurine was given for 2 years. One hundred and nineteen (83%) patients achieved CR, while 14 (10%) died during induction. Among the 119 patients achieving CR, five died in remission, 76 relapsed, and the remaining 38 were alive without disease. The median survival time of the 143 eligible patients was 26 months (95% confidence interval, 19-34). At a median follow-up time of 9 years, the 5-year survival rate was 32% and the 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 26%. The 5-year survival rate of 36 patients who underwent autologous (n = 20) or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT; n = 16) in the first CR group was 58%. Compared with the authors' previous trials, survival and PFS were markedly improved. In conclusion, G-CSF-supported, intensive post-remission Cx and subsequent SCT are worthy of further investigation for the treatment of adult ALL and LBL.