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The management of CML in pregnancy is challenging with the need to balance disease control against potential teratogenic effects of TKI therapy. In this multi-center case-cohort study of 16 women in chronic phase, CML ceased TKI treatment pre- or post-conception during their first pregnancy. Thirteen patients were on imatinib; 9 ceased their TKI prior to conception and 7 ceased at pregnancy confirmation. Twelve patients had achieved either MMR or better at time of TKI cessation. Eleven women lost MMR during pregnancy and two patients lost CHR. Fourteen women reestablished MMR on TKI recommenced. The depth molecular response prior to conception appeared to correlate well with restoration of disease control on TKI recommencement though duration of MMR did not appear to be as important. While interruption of TKI treatment for pregnancy usually leads to loss of molecular response, loss of hematological response is uncommon and disease control is reestablished with resumption of therapy in the majority of women.

The management of AF represents a major challenge in patients with CLL, especially in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities who are representative of the majority of patients with CLL. This is especially complex in the case of ibrutinib. Many anticoagulants have potential for pharmacological interaction with ibrutinib, and ibrutinib itself has antiplatelet properties. Use of ibrutinib therapy in these patients mandates review and revision of the need for anticoagulation and best anticoagulant to use. Herein, we review the current knowledge of the metabolism of common anticoagulants and how they may interact with ibrutinib.

There are no uniform guidelines for the treatment of relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (MM), however autologous stem cell transplant (SCT) remains an important treatment modality. Although a number of modifications to high dose melphalan (HDM) conditioning have been evaluated, improvement in overall survival has not been demonstrated. We now report our experience of 23 patients with heavily pretreated MM (median lines of prior treatment 3 [range 1-6]) who underwent SCT with bortezomib and high dose melphalan (BorHDM). The overall response rate (at least partial response [PR]) was 65.4%. Median overall survival (OS) was 24 months. A subset of patients who relapsed ≤ 12 months after initial SCT had significantly longer OS after BorHDM SCT compared to a historical control group who received HDM conditioning alone (14.5 vs. 8 months, respectively, p = 0.011). In summary, BorHDM SCT produces very good response rates in heavily pretreated MM, and may increase survival in the salvage setting in patients who relapse early after initial SCT. We propose that its use should be explored as part of a tandem approach in patients undergoing initial SCT who are at high risk of early relapse.

An international working group within the European LeukemiaNet gathered, aiming to determine the role of flow cytometry (FC) in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). It was agreed that FC has a substantial application in disease characterization, diagnosis and prognosis. FC may also be useful in predicting treatment responses and monitoring novel and standard therapeutic regimens. In this article the rationale is discussed that flow cytometry should be integrated as a part of diagnostic and prognostic scoring systems in MDS.