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Tout au long de l'histoire de la medecine, les progres technologiques ont permis aux medecins de comprendre et de diagnostiquer des syndromes qui autrefois demeuraient des enigmes. Bien qu'Hippocrate decrivait [...]

Throughout the history of medicine, technological progress has enabled physicians to understand and diagnose previously enigmatic syndromes. Although Hippocrates described many of the features of tuberculosis, it was not until [...]

Chronic inflammation with aging (“inflammaging”) plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis of myeloid malignancies. Aberrant inflammatory activity affects many different cells in the marrow, including normal blood and stromal marrow elements and leukemic cells, in unique and distinct ways. Inflammation can promote selective clonal expansion through differential immune-mediated suppression of normal hematopoietic cells and malignant clones. We review these complex roles, how they can be understood by separating cell-intrinsic from extrinsic effects, and how this informs future clinical trials.

In this review article, we outline the current landscape of immune and cell therapy-based approaches for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Given the well characterized graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect observed with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, and the known immune escape mechanisms observed in MDS cells, significant interest exists in developing immune-based approaches to treat MDS. These attempts have included antibody-based drugs that block immune escape molecules, such as inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 and TIM-3/galectin-9 axes that mediate interactions between MDS cells and T-lymphocytes, as well as antibodies that block the CD47/SIRPα interaction, which mediates macrophage phagocytosis. Unfortunately, these approaches have been largely unsuccessful. There is significant potential for T-cell engaging therapies and chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells, but there are also several limitations to these approaches that are unique to MDS. However, many of these limitations may be overcome by the next generation of cellular therapies, including those with engineered T-cell receptors or natural killer (NK)-cell based platforms. Regardless of the approach, all these immune cells are subject to the complex bone marrow microenvironment in MDS, which harbours a variable and heterogeneous mix of pro-inflammatory cytokines and immunosuppressive elements. Understanding this interaction will be paramount to ensuring the success of immune and cellular therapies in MDS.

Introduction

Introduction:FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations have been historically associated with inferior outcomes in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and an intermediate risk status as per the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) 2022 guidelines. In 2017, the US FDA granted approval to midostaurin for frontline treatment and a year later, gilteritinib for use in relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML. These agents began to be widely used in our provincial leukemia program in early 2018 as per the label indications. In this study, we compared clinical outcomes for patients with FLT3-ITD mutated AML before and after this change in British Columbia.

Introduction: Lung involvement in chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) is an uncommon but potentially devastating complication with significant morbidity and mortality in patients who have received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (alloHSCT). Unfortunately, early detection remains difficult as early lung cGVHD tends to be asymptomatic or present with nonspecific symptoms such as cough or mild shortness of breath. In British Columbia (BC), Canada, routine pulmonary function tests (PFTs) have been employed in the screening of lung cGVHD in this population at an interval of every 3-4 months for the first 2-3 years after alloHSCT. However, it is unknown whether routine screening 1) improves detection of lung cGVHD, and 2) enables earlier intervention to lead to better outcomes. We aimed to assess the real-world outcomes of lung cGVHD screening and compared the characteristics and clinical results of patients who had lung cGVHD detected via routine PFT screening, versus those who were detected after development of symptoms.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction

Owen: Janssen: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria; Lundbeck: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria, Research Funding.

Owen: Lundbeck: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria.