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Surgery for breast cancer has changed in the last few decades in favor of more conservative approaches, without compromising loco‐regional control and survival. Common immediate complications fol ‐lowing breast surgery are hematoma, seroma, and wound infection.1Traditionally, surgeons have implemented the use of closed‐suction drains in this setting with the aim of preventing these complications, which can cause discomfort, morbidity, increased follow‐up visits,and possible delay in the beginning of adjuvant therapies.2 On the other hand, potential benefits of performing breast procedures without using a drain have been increasingly considered.3 There is lack of modern and official guidelines on use of drains in breast sur ‐gery, with no consensus regarding their management and the appro‐priate use of antibiotics in this setting. Almost all reports agree withthe use of drains after breast procedures, especially if they are asso‐ciated with reconstruction or axillar lymph node dissection (ALND), but an extreme variability is reported regarding practice patterns.4A national survey regarding the management of drains afterbreast cancer surgery was sent by email on January 2018 to all Breast Centers (BC) registered with Senonetwork Italia. Data col ‐lected by the administrative office of Senonetwork were de‐iden‐tified and exported for statistical analysis. A Steering Committeecomposed of general surgeons and plastic surgeons was appointedto coordinate the survey, which consisted of 22 multiple choicequestions, designed to inquire about surgeons' demographics, use of drains after breast procedures with and without reconstructionand/or ALND, antibiotic use and to characterize drain managementin their clinical practice.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a disease almost impossible to cure. In the context of heavily pretreated patients, the anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) pembrolizumab is a valid therapeutic option. The alteration of the PD-1-PD ligand 1 (PD-L1) axis is often present in MF, and this aspect explains the feasibility of this therapy. We report the case of a 60-year-old woman diagnosed with MF in 2003, Olsen stage IA (T1M0NXBO). Since the moment of the diagnosis, she received 10 lines of therapy, with a short duration of response after each one of them. In April 2020, our patient started pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg every 3 weeks, and she achieved a partial response after the 4th cycle, consistent with the modified severity assessment tool (mSWAT) 1, which she is still maintaining after 10 cycles. No grade ≥3 adverse events were recorded. We conclude that pembrolizumab can induce extremely rapid responses in MF, with very low toxicity.

The heat shock response of the psychrophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC 125 (PhTAC 125) gives rise to the production of several inducible proteins. Among these, the protein corresponding to a 55-kDa band on SDS-PAGE was purified to homogeneity and identified as a GroEL-like protein. The gene coding for this protein (PhGroEL) was cloned and sequenced; the deduced amino acid sequence shows 82% sequence identity to GroEL from Escherichia coli (EcGroEL). The ORF found in the 5' upstream region codes for a homologue of the GroES from E. coli (PhGroES, 71% sequence identity to EcGroES). PhGroEL shows a chaperone activity and can use GroES from E. coli as a co-chaperone. PhGroEL melting temperature, 6 degrees C lower than that of EcGroEL, and equilibrium unfolding experiments in urea showed a less stable protein architecture for the psychrophilic GroEL. The data herein reported demonstrate that PhGroEL cold adaptation consists in a shift of the protein properties toward lower temperatures without increasing catalytic efficiency at low temperatures. Primary extension analysis depicted a complex organization of regulative elements for the operon containing the genes coding for PhgroES and PhgroEL (PhgroE), suggesting that a fine-tuning of transcription can also be involved in thermal adaptation of PhTAC 125.

In recent years, novel drugs are available for the patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), like immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPi). These drugs have been able to rescue a cohort of patients who subsequently could receive an allogeneic stem-cell transplant (SCT). No data were reported for subsequent autologous SCT (ASCT) after CPi. Here, we report our real-life experience in heavily pretreated HL patients undergoing ASCT as consolidation approach after CPi treatment. A retrospective observational study was conducted. Patients had CPi therapy in the context of clinical trials (n = 6) or in the named patient program (n = 7) between July 2014 and November 2019: 9 out of 13 received pembrolizumab and the remaining four underwent nivolumab. A median of 12 cycles (range, 3-16) of CPi therapy were infused. Thirteen patients underwent ASCT after CPi: 11 (84.6%) patients obtained a complete response (CR) and 2 had progression of disease, with an overall response rate of 84.6%. With a median follow-up of 3.3 years (range, 1.1-5.5), only one CR patient had disease relapse after 3.9 months from ASCT, leading to an estimated disease-free survival of 87.5% at 56.9 months. The estimated 5-year progression-free survival was 73.4% and overall survival was 92.3% at 4.8 years, respectively. No unexpected or cumulative toxicity was observed. Our results indicated that ASCT may represent a further effective therapeutic option as consolidation in HL after CPi treatment that today represents the last conventionally recognized therapeutic line.

First line therapy of patients with marginal zone lymphomas (MZL) is not well established and various regimens with chemo-immunotherapy can be used. Rituximab plus bendamustine (BR) is an effective and manageable treatment option for patients affected by indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The aim of this monocentric retrospective study was to analyze the effectiveness and safety of the use of BR regimen in MZL patients in first line in daily clinical practice. The treatment schedule was rituximab at the dose of 375 mg/m2 on day 1 of each cycle and bendamustine at the dose of 90 mg/m2 on day 2 and 3, every 28 days for a maximum of 6 cycles. We analyzed 65 MZL patients (28 extranodal [EMZL], 23 splenic [SMZL], and 14 nodal [NMZL]) who underwent BR regimen as first line treatment. The median time from diagnosis to therapy was 2.5 months. Final responses were: 38 complete response (CR, 58.5%), 20 partial response and 7 progressive disease, leading to an overall response rate (ORR) of 89.2%. With respect to the histology, the ORR was 89.3% for EMZL, 82.6% for SMZL and 100% for NMZL, respectively (difference not statistically significant). With a median follow-up time of 44.6 months (range, 3.3-175.0 months), 2 (one EMZL after 42 months and one SMZL after 10 months) of 38 (5.2%) CR patients had disease relapse, yielding an estimated disease free survival of 89.2% at 61.1 months. The estimated 6-year progression free survival was 71.8% with 15 relapsed/progressed patients showing lymphoma recurrence within 48 months from end of treatment. The most frequently reported adverse events (any grade) were neutropenia (N = 35, 53.8%), fatigue (N = 15, 23.0%), and nausea (N = 12, 18.4%). All toxicities quickly resolved and no treatment-related death occurred. The BR regimen is effective and feasible in MZL patients inducing prolonged disease control with manageable toxicities.

Purpose One of the most critical issues in the management of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients who resulted as primary relapsed or refractory is to obtain a minimal disease status before autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Finding a salvage regimen able to induce this status without severe toxicity would represent a major achievement in this setting. Methods A single‐center retrospective study was conducted to assess effectiveness and safety of BEGEV (bendamustine, gemcitabine, and vinorelbine) regimen as first salvage setting prior to ASCT in HL patients. Results Forty-three patients were treated in our institution between October 2017 and November 2020. Median age at BEGEV therapy was 35.0 years (range 17.2– 70.0), and the median time from frontline therapy to the first cycle of BEGEV was 79.5 days (range 4–2267). At the end of treatment, 31 patients achieved a complete response (CR), with an overall response rate of 76.7%. Forty-one patients harvested CD34+ cells and 35/43 (81.4%) patients underwent ASCT. With a median follow‐up of 22 months, 4 CR patients had disease relapse, yielding an estimated disease-free survival of 73.9% at 34 months. The estimated 2‐year progression-free survival was 66.7%. Response to first-line chemotherapy did not significantly influence prognosis. Conclusions BEGEV regimen was well tolerated, and reversible haematological toxic effects were the most common adverse events. Real-life data on BEGEV regimen as first salvage setting showed a relevant rate of objective responses and a limited myelotoxicity with no impairment of a subsequent mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells.

Simple Summary CAR T-cell therapies have undoubtedly revolutionized the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. These therapies represent a valuable new treatment option, yielding impressive complete remission rates and improving survival. The aim of this article is to give an overview of emerging real-world evidence since data from every-day clinical practice are still scarce. We report effectiveness and safety data on 30 patients treated at our Institution. Treatment in this setting with CD19-targeted CAR T-cell therapies for relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma showed a manageable safety profile and high objective response rate, confirming the encouraging results of the pivotal clinical trials. Abstract Large B-cell lymphomas (LBCL) are the most common types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Although outcomes have improved thanks to the introduction of rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy, certain LBCL still represents a challenge because of initial resistance to therapy or recurrent relapses. Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) and tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel) are second-generation autologous CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies approved for patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) LBCL, based on the results of phase II pivotal single-arm trials ZUMA-1 (for axi-cel) and JULIET (for tisa-cel). Here, we report patients outcomes with axi-cel and tisa-cel in the standard of care (SoC) setting for R/R LBCL, treated at our Institution. Data were collected from patients who underwent leukapheresis between August 2019 and February 2021. Toxicities were graded and managed according to the institution’s guidelines. Responses were assessed as per Lugano 2014 classification. Of the 30 patients who underwent leukapheresis, 18 (60%) received axi-cel, while 12 (40%) tisa-cel. Grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity occurred in 10% and 16% patients, respectively. Best objective and complete response rates were 73.3% and 40%, respectively. Treatment in SoC setting with CD19 CAR T-cell therapies for R/R LBCL showed a manageable safety profile and high objective response rate.

Background: B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is a lymphoproliferative disorder consisting of clonal proliferation and accumulation of small, mature, CD5-positive B-lymphocytes in the blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid tissues. Among extranodal localizations, cardiac involvement is extremely rare: to our knowledge, there are no findings reported in the literature of concomitant B-CLL diagnosis in the context of atrial myxoma (so-called collision tumours) and the best strategy to treat these malignancies is unclear. Case report: We report the case of a 67-year-old woman diagnosed with B-CLL and atrial myxoma. Our patient was cardiologically symptomless and the cardiac mass was an incidental finding. The cardiac tumor appeared several years after B-CLL diagnosis. Histologic examination of the cardiac mass, removed in the suspicion of an atrial myxoma, revealed a lymphoid focus of B-CLL. The patient underwent surgery and subsequent systemic therapy for B-CLL. Conclusions: The concomitant presence of B-CLL in the context of an atrial myxoma is extremely rare. The best strategy to treat these cardiac hematologic malignancies is unclear.

Background: Sézary syndrome (SS) is a rare lymphoproliferative neoplasm, almost incurable outside the setting of allogeneic transplantable patients. Prognosis for relapse/refractory patient remains poor, as the available drugs confer short lasting remission. In this setting, the anti-chemokine receptor type 4 (CCR4) monoclonal antibody mogamulizumab demonstrated efficacy in an international, open label, randomized controlled phase 3 trial (MAVORIC) versus vorinostat. Case description: A heavily pretreated 57-year-old SS woman (stage IVA) was randomized in the mogamulizumab arm of MAVORIC at our Institution. She quickly achieved a response but after 30 cycles she was discontinued from therapy due to cutaneous toxicity. Nevertheless, she is still in complete response (CR). Conclusions: mogamulizumab is an anti-CCR4 monoclonal antibody that can induce long lasting response also in very heavily pre-treated patients not responding to any previous treatment. The extraordinary characteristic of our patient is that she is still in CR after 2.5 years since treatment discontinuation.