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Although combination therapy is the standard of care for relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (RR-NHL), combination treatment chosen for an individual patient is empirical, and response rates remain poor in individuals with chemotherapy-resistant disease. Here, we evaluate an experimental-analytic method, quadratic phenotypic optimization platform (QPOP), for prediction of patient-specific drug combination efficacy from a limited quantity of biopsied tumor samples. In this prospective study, we enrolled 71 patients with RR-NHL (39 B cell NHL and 32 NK/T cell NHL) with a median of two prior lines of treatment, at two academic hospitals in Singapore from November 2017 to August 2021. Fresh biopsies underwent ex vivo testing using a panel of 12 drugs with known efficacy against NHL to identify effective single and combination treatments. Individualized QPOP reports were generated for 67 of 75 patient samples, with a median turnaround time of 6 days from sample collection to report generation. Doublet drug combinations containing copanlisib or romidepsin were most effective against B cell NHL and NK/T cell NHL samples, respectively. Off-label QPOP-guided therapy offered at physician discretion in the absence of standard options (n = 17) resulted in five complete responses. Among patients with more than two prior lines of therapy, the rates of progressive disease were lower with QPOP-guided treatments than with conventional chemotherapy. Overall, this study shows that the identification of patient-specific drug combinations through ex vivo analysis was achievable for RR-NHL in a clinically applicable time frame. These data provide the basis for a prospective clinical trial evaluating ex vivo–guided combination therapy in RR-NHL. Predicting possibilities with PDXs: Patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) often relapse after frontline treatment, and interpatient heterogeneity make personalized combination treatment difficult. Goh et al. have developed a hybrid experimental-analytic method that they call quadratic phenotypic optimization platform, or QPOP, to identify personalized drug combination therapies using ex vivo patient samples to improve patient outcomes. In a prospective cohort, physicians were able to alter treatment according to drug combinations identified using QPOP after 6 days to achieve complete responses in 5 of 17 patients with NHL. This is a promising step for providing new hope for patients who have relapsed NHL and provides a foundation for further clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells express high levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Cetuximab is an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody that promotes natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) via engagement of CD16. We studied safety and efficacy of combining cetuximab with autologous expanded NK cells in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic NPC who had failed at least two prior lines of chemotherapy. Methods: Seven subjects (six patients) received cetuximab every 3 weeks (six doses maximum) in the pre-trial phase. Autologous NK cells, expanded by co-culture with irradiated K562-mb15-41BBL cells, were then infused on the day after administration of cetuximab. Primary and secondary objectives were to determine safety of this combination therapy and to assess tumor responses, respectively. Results: Median NK cell expansion from peripheral blood mononucleated cells after 10 days of culture with K562-mb15-41BBL was 274-fold (range, 36–534, n = 10), and the median expression of CD16 was 98.4% (range, 67.8–99.7%). Skin rash, the commonest side effect of cetuximab in the pre-trial phase, was not exacerbated by NK cell infusion. No intolerable side effects were observed. Stable disease was observed in four subjects and progressive disease in three subjects. Three patients who received NK cells twice had time to disease progression of 12, 13, and 19 months. Conclusion: NK cells with high ADCC potential can be expanded from patients with heavily pre-treated NPC. The safety profile and encouraging clinical responses observed after combining these cells with cetuximab warrant further studies of this approach. (clinicalTrials.gov NCT02507154, 23/07/2015). Precis: Engaging NK cell-mediated ADCC using cetuximab plus autologous NK cells in EGFR-positive NPC was well tolerated among heavily pre-treated recurrent NPC. Promising results were observed with 3 out of 7 subjects demonstrating durable stable disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and provides a target for a dendritic cell (DC) vaccine. CD137 ligand (CD137L) expressed on antigen presenting cells, costimulates CD137-expressing T cells, and reverse CD137L signaling differentiates monocytes to CD137L-DC, a type of DC, which is more potent than classical DC in stimulating T cells. Methods: In this phase I study, patients with locally recurrent or metastatic NPC were administered CD137L-DC pulsed with EBV antigens (CD137L-DC-EBV-VAX). Results: Of the 12 patients treated, 9 received full 7 vaccine doses with a mean administered cell count of 23.9 × 106 per dose. Treatment was well tolerated with only 4 cases of grade 1 related adverse events. A partial response was obtained in 1 patient, and 4 patients are still benefitting from a progression free survival (PFS) of currently 2–3 years. The mean pre-treatment neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio was 3.4 and a value of less than 3 was associated with prolonged median PFS. Progressors were characterized by a high frequency of naïve T cells but a low frequency of CD8+ effector T cells while patients with a clinical benefit (CB) had a high frequency of memory T cells. Patients with CB had lower plasma EBV DNA levels, and a reduction after vaccination. Conclusion: CD137L-DC-EBV-VAX was well tolerated. The use of CD137L-DC-EBV-VAX is demonstrated to be safe. Consistent results were obtained from all 12 patients, indicating that CD137L-DC-EBV-VAX induces an anti-EBV and anti-NPC immune response, and warranting further studies in patients post effective chemotherapy. Precis. The first clinical testing of CD137L-DC, a new type of monocyte-derived DC, finds that CD137L-DC are safe, and that they can induce an immune response against Epstein-Barr virus-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma that leads to tumor regression or prevents tumor progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fedratinib, an oral Janus kinase‐2 (JAK2) inhibitor, reduces splenomegaly and improves symptom burden in patients with myelofibrosis. Regulatory approval of fedratinib 400‐mg daily was based on results of an updated analysis of the pivotal phase III, placebo‐controlled JAKARTA trial in patients with JAK‐inhibitor‐naïve myelofibrosis. At week 24, spleen volume response rate was 47% and symptom response rate was 40% with fedratinib 400 mg, versus 1% and 9% respectively, with placebo. Common adverse events were diarrhoea, nausea, anaemia, and vomiting. No Wernicke encephalopathy occurred in patients receiving fedratinib 400 mg/day. These updated data support use of first‐line fedratinib in patients with myelofibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bosutinib is approved in the United States, Europe, Japan, and other countries for treatment of newly diagnosed chronic phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and CML resistant/intolerant to prior therapy. In the phase 3 BFORE trial (Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02130557), patients were randomized 1:1 to first-line bosutinib or imatinib 400 mg once daily. We examined efficacy, safety, and patient-reported outcomes of bosutinib vs imatinib and pharmacokinetics of bosutinib in the Asian (n = 33 vs 34) and non-Asian (n = 235 vs 234) subpopulations of BFORE followed for at least 24 months. At the data cutoff date, 72.7 vs 66.7% of Asian and 70.6 vs 66.4% of non-Asian patients remained on treatment. The major molecular response rate at 24 months favored bosutinib vs imatinib among Asian (63.6 vs 38.2%) and non-Asian (60.9 vs 52.6%) patients, as did the complete cytogenetic response rate by 24 months (86.7 vs 76.7%, 81.5 vs 76.3%). Treatment-emergent adverse events in both subpopulations were consistent with the primary BFORE results. Trough bosutinib concentration levels tended to be higher in Asian patients. Health-related quality of life was maintained after 12 months of bosutinib in both subpopulations. These results support bosutinib as a first-line treatment option in Asian patients with CP CML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients experiencing relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (r/r DLBCL) have limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Tisagenlecleucel (TIS) has shown improved clinical outcomes, but at a high upfront cost. Singapore has a multi-payer healthcare system where private insurance is one of the major payers. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of TIS against salvage chemotherapy regimen (SCR) for treating r/r DLBCL patients who have failed ≥2 lines of systemic therapy from Singapore's private insurance payer's perspective. Over a life-time horizon, a partitioned survival model with three health-states was developed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of TIS vs. SCR with or without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Efficacy inputs for TIS and SCR were based on 43 months of observation data from pooled JULIET and UPenn trials, and CORAL extension studies respectively. Direct costs for pre-treatment, treatment, adverse events, follow-up, subsequent-HSCT, relapse, and terminal care were included. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated as the total incremental costs per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. Additionally, the financial implication of introducing TIS in Singapore from a private payer's perspective was analyzed, comparing the current treatment pathway (without TIS) with a future scenario (with TIS) over 5 years. Compared with SCR, TIS was the dominant option, with cost savings of S$8,477 alongside an additional gain of 2.78 QALYs in privately insured patients who shifted from private to public hospitals for TIS treatment. Scenario analyses for patients starting in public hospitals show ICERs of S$99,623 (no subsidy) and S$133,261 (50% subsidy for SCR treatment, no subsidy for TIS), supporting the base case. The projected annual budget impact ranges from S$850,000 to S$3.4 million during the first 5 years. TIS for treating r/r DLBCL patients who have failed ≥2 lines of systemic therapies, is likely to be cost effective with limited budget impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine whether the frequencies of SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific T cells are sufficiently high in the blood of convalescent donors and whether it is technically feasible to manufacture clinical‐grade products overnight for T‐cell therapy and assessment of COVID‐19 immunity. Methods: One unit of whole blood or leukapheresis was collected from each donor following standard blood bank practices. The leukocytes were stimulated using overlapping peptides of SARS‐CoV‐2, covering the immunodominant sequence domains of the S protein and the complete sequence of the N and M proteins. Thereafter, functionally reactive cells were enriched overnight using an automated device capturing IFNγ‐secreting cells. Results: From 1 × 109 leukocytes, a median of 0.98 × 106 (range 0.56‐2.95) IFNγ + T cells were produced from each of the six donors, suggesting a high frequency of SARS‐CoV‐2 reactive T cells in their blood, even though only one donor had severe COVID‐19 requiring mechanical ventilation whereas the other five donors had minor symptoms. A median of 57% of the enriched T cells were IFNγ+ (range 20%‐74%), with preferential enrichment of CD56+ T cells and effector memory T cells. TCRVβ‐spectratyping confirmed distinctively tall oligoclonal peaks in final products. With just six donors, the probability that a recipient would share at least one HLA allele with one of the donors is >88% among Caucasian, >95% among Chinese, >97% among Malay, and >99% among Indian populations. Conclusions: High frequencies of rapid antigen‐reactive T cells were found in convalescent donors, regardless of severity of COVID‐19. The feasibility of clinical‐grade production of SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific T cells overnight for therapeutics and diagnostics is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pracinostat is a potent histone deacetylase inhibitor with antitumor activity in both solid tumor and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines. Pracinostat is reported to have modest clinical activity in patients with advanced solid tumors. Given the higher preclinical sensitivity of hematologic malignancies to pracinostat, the authors conducted a phase 1 study to assess the safety, maximum tolerated dose, recommended phase 2 dose, efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of pracinostat in patients with advanced hematological malignancies.Methods: Pracinostat was administered orally 3 times a week for 3 weeks on a 28-day cycle. Patients were assigned to 7 dose levels using a 3 + 3 dose escalation design.Results: A total of 44 patients were enrolled, 25 of whom had AML and 14 of whom had myelodysplastic syndrome. The maximum tolerated dose was 120 mg and the recommended phase 2 dose was 60 mg. Two patients with AML achieved a response: 1 complete remission (CR) and 1 complete cytogenetic response. Despite a dose-dependent increase in the plasma concentration of pracinostat, a similar increase in histone acetylation was not observed. As an extension, 10 additional patients with myelodysplastic syndrome were enrolled to assess the safety and efficacy of pracinostat in combination with azacitidine. Six patients achieved a CR and 3 achieved a CR without platelet recovery with no added toxicity.Conclusions: The results of the current study demonstrate that pracinostat is safe, with modest single-agent activity in patients with hematological malignancies. Cancer 2017;123:4851-9. © 2017 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary mediastinal large B‐cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a distinct clinico‐pathological subtype of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma with unclear prognostic factors and limited clinical data. Optimal treatment and role for radiotherapy is not fully defined. We performed a multicenter retrospective review of 124 patients with newly diagnosed PMBCL between 2001 and 2016. Treatment regimens were R‐CHOP (n = 41), R‐CHOP + RT (n = 37), and DA‐EPOCH‐R (n = 46). 6% (n = 3) in the DA‐EPOCH‐R group received RT. With a median follow up of 45 months, the overall 5‐year OS and PFS was 89.4% and 82.4%, respectively. The type of chemo‐radiotherapy regimen, B symptoms and Ann‐Arbor staging showed a significant association with OS on univariate analysis but only B symptoms remained prognostic (P = 0.012) after multivariate analysis. The chemo‐radiotherapy regimen, Japanese IPI and Ann‐Arbor stage was significantly associated with PFS in univariate analysis, but only chemo‐radiotherapy regimen remained significant (P = 0.02) after multivariate analysis. Patients who received R‐CHOP + RT or DA‐EPOCH‐R had better PFS than those receiving R‐CHOP alone, with 5‐year PFS of 90% vs 88.5% vs 56%, respectively (P = 0.02). In the subgroup analysis of patients with bulk (n = 71), R‐CHOP alone (n = 21) had inferior 5‐year PFS 56.6% compared to those who received R‐CHOP + RT (n = 23) 91.3% or DA‐EPOCH‐R (n = 27) 92.6% (P = 0.007). In contrast, in patients without bulk (n = 42), there was no impact of treatment regimen on PFS (P = 0.25). In conclusion, R‐CHOP + RT and DA‐EPOCH‐R provide excellent outcomes in patients with PMBCL. In patients with bulky disease, the use of DA‐EPOCH‐R may be preferable as it allows omission of RT without reduction in efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo- HSCT) poses a significant challenge to renal function due to multiple drug- and complication-related renal toxicity. In this single-center series of 216 adult Asian patients with a long and complete follow-up, 41 developed chronic kidney disease ( CKD) giving a cumulative incidence of 19.0% at 25 years (median follow-up duration 7.84 years, range 2.0-27.7 years), but only two of the 41 patients reached stage 4 CKD and another two required dialysis. In contrast, acute kidney injury occurred in most patients, where glomerular filtration rate ( GFR) suffered a mean fall of 50 mL/min/1.73 m2 at 6 months post-transplant compared with baseline. Suppression of renal function may last beyond 6 months but is potentially reversible, although not to baseline level in most patients. Analysis of a comprehensive range of 18 risk factors showed that older age, lower GFR at transplant, unrelated donor, diagnosis of AML, presence of diabetes mellitus at transplant, and duration of foscarnet use were significantly associated with CKD development, with the first three remaining as independent risks for CKD in multivariate analysis. Long-term survival is not affected by renal function, being 78.6% as compared to 85.5% for patients with low vs normal GFR at 2 years, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unavailability of horse antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in many markets worldwide, patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) are limited to the use of rabbit ATG. We aimed to analyze hematologic response and overall survival (OS) of Asian patients treated with rabbit ATG as first-line therapy of SAA. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 97 consecutive patients who received rabbit ATG as first-line treatment of SAA from 2006 to 2012 at centers in four Asian countries. The primary endpoint was 6- and 12-month overall response rates (ORR) for patients receiving rabbit ATG within the recommended dose range (2.5-3.75 mg/kg/day). Secondary endpoints included ORR in patients receiving any dose of rabbit ATG and 2-year OS. For patients who received rabbit ATG within the recommended dose range, 6- and 12-month ORRs were 17.4 and 63.6 %, respectively. For patients who received any dose of rabbit ATG, 6- and 12-month ORRs were 24.3 and 68.6 %, respectively. The 2-year OS rate was 86.3 %. Rabbit ATG is effective for treatment of SAA in Asian patients. The 12-month ORR and 2-year OS with rabbit ATG were comparable to historical results obtained with horse ATG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents case study of a 46-year-old female with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in myeloid blast, who underwent treatment of refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with bortezomib. It mentions that bortezomib mediates depletion of plasma cells responsible for the persistent production of autoantibodies. It states that bortezomib provides a reasonable off-label therapeutic option to be considered in treatment of AIHA.

We performed gene expression profiling in Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated T/natural killer (NK)-cell lymphoproliferative disorder in children and young adults (TNKLPDC) in order to understand the molecular pathways deregulated in this disease and compared it with nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL). The molecular and phenotypic signature of TNKLPDC is similar to NKTL, with overexpression of p53, survivin and EZH2. Down-regulation of EZH2 in TNKLPDC cell lines led to an increase in apoptosis and decrease in tumor viability, suggesting that EZH2 may be important for the survival of TNKLPDC cells and hence potentially a useful therapeutic target. Notably, our gene expression profiling revealed a distinctive enrichment of stem cell related genes in TNKLPDC compared to NKTL. This was validated by a significantly higher expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in TNKLPDC cell lines compared to NKTL cell lines. The novel discovery of cancer stem cell properties in TNKLPDC has potential therapeutic implications in this group of disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To better understand the predictive factors and improve clinical outcome of allogeneic transplant for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), we retrospectively analyzed the post-transplant outcome of 60 Southeast Asian patients with MDS. Multivariate analysis showed that WHO classification-based Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS) significantly affect overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), and cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality (CINRM). Stratified by WPSS into very low/low, intermediate, high, and very high-risk categories, 3-year OS was 100, 61, 37, and 18 % ( p = 0.02); PFS was 100, 55, 32, and 18 % ( p = 0.014); CIR was 12, 24, 38, and 59 % ( p = 0.024); CINRM was 0, 6, 12, and 26 % ( p = 0.037), respectively. WHO classification, Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R), IPSS-R-defined cytogenetic risk groups, donor gender, and acute and chronic graft vs host disease (GVHD) also influenced different aspects of transplant outcome. We found that WPSS is a powerful predictor of post-transplant outcome. WPSS provides an important model not only for prognostication but also for exploration of further post-transplant measures such as immunological maneuvers or novel therapy to improve the poor outcome of high-risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand predictive factors and improve the clinical outcome of allogeneic transplant for patients with Philadelphia positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, we analyzed 67 Southeast Asian patients transplanted in our institutions. Multivariate analysis showed that disease status before transplant, year of transplant and, interestingly, French-American-British (FAB) subtype had a significant impact on overall survival (OS) and non-relapse mortality. Patients who were minimal residual disease (MRD) negative at transplant had a 3-year OS of 73% compared to those who were MRD positive (45%) and refractory (0%). The 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse was 18% and 36% for the MRD negative and positive groups, respectively. FAB L1 subtype had a significantly superior 3-year OS of 63% vs. 29% for L2 subtype. Pre-transplant use of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor significantly improved outcomes in univariate but not multivariate analysis, as it served to induce more patients into MRD negativity, which was the factor that directly improved transplant outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is associated with poor outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies (HMs) and hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Small studies suggest a role for combination antifungal therapy.Objective: To assess the safety and efficacy of voriconazole and anidulafungin compared with voriconazole monotherapy for treatment of IA.Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00531479).Setting: 93 international sites.Patients: 454 patients with HM or HCT and suspected or documented IA were randomly assigned to treatment with voriconazole and anidulafungin or placebo. Primary analysis was done in the modified intention-to-treat population of 277 patients in whom IA was confirmed.Measurements: The primary outcome was 6-week mortality; secondary outcomes included 12-week mortality, mortality in major subgroups, and safety measures.Results: Mortality rates at 6 weeks were 19.3% (26 of 135) for combination therapy and 27.5% (39 of 142) for monotherapy (difference, -8.2 percentage points [95% CI, -19.0 to 1.5]; P  = 0.087). Secondary mortality outcomes favored combination therapy. Multivariable regression analysis suggested that maximum galactomannan value, Karnofsky score, and baseline platelet count had prognostic significance. Most patients (218 of 277 [78.7%]) had IA diagnosis established by radiographic findings and maximum galactomannan positivity. In a post hoc analysis of this dominant subgroup, 6-week mortality was lower in combination therapy than monotherapy (15.7% [17 of 108] vs. 27.3% [30 of 110]; difference, -11.5 percentage points [CI, -22.7 to -0.4]; P = 0.037). Safety measures, including hepatotoxicity, were not different.Limitations: Mortality at 6 weeks was higher than expected, and the difference in mortality was lower than expected, which reduced power to detect a treatment effect. Enrollment was restricted to patients with HM or HCT, which limited generalizability.Conclusion: Compared with voriconazole monotherapy, combination therapy with anidulafungin led to higher survival in subgroups of patients with IA. Limitations in power preclude definitive conclusions about superiority.Primary Funding Source: Pfizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linifanib, a potent oral inhibitor of fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, has demonstrated promising preclinical single-agent and synergistic anti-leukemic activity in combination with cytarabine. In this phase 1, multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation study, 45 adults with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) received linifanib alone in arm A ( n = 29) and linifanib plus intermediate-dose cytarabine in arm B ( n = 16). Median treatment duration was 21 days (range 5-110). Linifanib was well tolerated overall. The most common grade 3/4 events were fatigue (arm A) and febrile neutropenia (arm B). The recommended phase 2 dose was 15 mg (alone), and 10 mg (with cytarabine). Evidence of on-target kinase inhibition in patients with FLT3-mutant and wild-type AML was seen. Decreased phosphorylated FLT3 was seen in 3/3 patients with FLT3-internal tandem duplication (ITD) with peripheral blast reductions and in 8/24 (33%) patients with wild-type, D835 or unknown FLT3 mutation. Eight/29 (28%) patients had decreased phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study of the prevalence of genetic polymorphisms and expression of genes encoding the drug-resistance proteins glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in order to gain insights into the pattern of failure evident in mantle cell lymphoma. We note a high preponderance of genetic alterations conferring resistance to standard chemotherapy in this illness. Concurrent with this investigation, we present a series of patients who were provided dose-dense and intense chemotherapy to circumvent these drug-resistance mechanisms. High responses were noted, though durable remissions were few, indicating non-traditional chemotherapy options are important to investigate in this illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma of vulva is exceedingly rare and it often poses a diagnostic challenge if their existence is not suspected. We report a patient who has primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell (C-ALCL) with an unusual presentation as a vulvar ulcer. She received a brief course of chemotherapy followed by local irradiation and has remained disease-free more than a year from the time of diagnosis. To our knowledge, primary C-ALCL involving the vulva has never been reported. Despite its typical cutaneous manifestation of C-ALCL, the uncommon presenting site of this entity warrants recognition because of its prognostic and therapeutic implication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal therapy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR-1) remains the subject of debate: with the possibilities of chemotherapy alone, autologous (auto) or allogeneic (allo) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We undertook a retrospective analysis of AML patients aged below 46 years and in CR-1, who had undergone auto- or allo-HSCT in our institution, to determine the factors associated with a better outcome. Between September 1985 and April 2003, 81 patients underwent autologous (n = 29) or allogeneic (n = 52) HSCT in CR-1. With a median follow-up of 10 years, the probability of 15-year overall survival (OS) was 51%[95% confidence interval (CI) = 32 – 70%] for auto-HSCT vs. 55% (95% CI = 42 – 69) for allo-HSCT, respectively (P = 0.92). The cumulative incidence of relapse at 3 years was 49% (95% CI = 30 – 67) (auto) vs. 21% (95% CI = 10 – 30) (allo), respectively. Non-relapse-related mortality at 3 years was 5% (95% CI = 0 – 14) (auto) vs. 17% (95% CI = 7 – 28) (allo), respectively. This retrospective analysis confirmed that auto- and allo-HSCT led to similar OS. The significantly lower incidence of relapse amongst allograft recipients was balanced by an increased incidence of death in CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented regarding febrile neutropenia (FN) incidence reduction by fluoroquinolone (FQ) prophylaxis in the January 2011 issue.

An abstract of the article "Chronic Pulmonary Graft-vs-Host Disease (GVHD) and Late Onset Noninfectious Pulmonary Complications (LONIPCS) Among Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Recipients" by Felicia Teo and colleagues is presented.

The article discusses the computed tomography findings in a patient with severe graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) of the gut. A 47-year-old women with chronic myeloid leukemia in accelerated phase underwent an allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplant from her human leucocyte antigenidentical sibling after non-myeloablative conditioning. The transplant was uneventful and she achieved a complete cytogenetic remission with full donor chimaerism.