Search

THE BRAZILIAN SOCIETY FOR BLOOD AND MARROW TRANSPLANTATION (SBTMO) PRESENTS THE BRAZILIAN GUIDELINES ON HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION

THE BRAZILIAN SOCIETY FOR BLOOD AND MARROW TRANSPLANTATION (SBTMO) PRESENTS THE BRAZILIAN GUIDELINES ON HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION

This is an observational and cross-sectional study, carried out in May 2020, targeting adult individuals of both sexes who are members of multiprofessional teams working in Brazilian HSCT units in the current period of the pandemic by completing and analyzing a questionnaire. pre-formulated. HSCT units that cannot access the questionnaire were excluded from the study. The analysis of the operation profile of HSCT units in Brazil, through the application of a pre-structured questionnaire, is not an accurate tool, since it assumes some premises that may prove to be wrong, especially in this current scenario in Brazil. However, the data reveal the vulnerability of patients with onco-hematological diseases to infection by COVID-19, especially during HSCT procedures, in relation to the general population. Despite its limitations, it can be valuable to plan policies.

Introduction: Microvascular endothelial damage is a well-recognized complication of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and the mechanisms of this disorder are still poorly under­stood. The objective of this scenario is to evaluate the relationship between inflammatory markers and other factors that influence platelet consumption and platelet transfusion yield, as well as the presence of embolic and / or vascular thrombotic events in patients submitted to high-dose chemotherapy conditioning for Bone marrow transplant. Material and Methods: Prospective analysis of patients, including 25 patients who under­went autologous and allogenic BMT. The patients were evaluated in relation to previous radiotherapy, CD34 + cell count, period of neutropenia, body mass index (BMI), ferritin, re­active C protein (RCP), relating these factors to the number of platelet transfusions, plate­let refractoriness and vascular events such as sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) and bone marrow grafting syndrome. Results: Only BMI> 25 Kg / m2 of the studied variables presented a statistically significant value (p = 0.003) in relation to the lower need for transfusion of platelet concentrate. For platelet refractoriness and / or vascular events none of the variables was statistically sig­nificant. The conditions found in the 3 cases of platelet refractoriness and in the 2 cases of vascular events have characteristics like those described in the literature. Conclusion: Although the cause is unclear, we agree with data reported in the literature that patients with high BMI have a lower need for transfusion of platelets. Small sampling limits our comparisons and significant statistical inference; however, we cannot rule out the relevance of a descriptive analysis of the results, especially if we consider that each patient should be evaluated in an individualized way in clinical practice.

Background The treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) has evolved significantly in the past decade, and new drug combinations have improved the response rates and prolonged survival. Studies comparing different induction chemotherapy regimens have shown that triple combinations have better results than double combinations. However, comparisons among different triple combinations are rare in the literature. Methods We retrospectively compared two triple combinations comprising bortezomib, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (VCD) versus thalidomide, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (CTD), and aimed at identifying which of the two combinations would yield better response rates following four induction cycles prior to hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with untreated multiple myeloma. Results We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 311 patients from 24 different centers.The VCD regimen was used as induction therapy by 117 (37.6%) patients, whereas 194 (62.4%) patients received the CTD regimen. After four cycles of induction on an intention-to-treat basis, 54% of the patients in the VCD group achieved at least very good partial response versus 42.8% in the CTD group (p = 0.05). We observed no difference in neuropathy or thrombotic events rates among the two regimens. Conclusion Our results corroborate the superiority of the triple combination regimes containing bortezomib over the triple combination with thalidomide as pre ASCT induction therapy in MM.

Aim The aim of this evidence implementation project was to improve the documentation of chemotherapy administration by nursing staff in a bone marrow transplant unit, to improve patient care and safety, as well as meet the legal and educational responsibilities of the nursing staff. Methods This evidence implementation project used the Joanna Briggs Institute's Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System and Getting Research into Practice audit and feedback framework for the design and development of an evidence-based audit and feedback change project. A baseline audit was conducted to assess current practices against best practice and identify areas requiring improvement. Next, the project team reflected on the results of the audit to develop and implement strategies for documentation improvement. Lastly, a follow-up audit was conducted to assess changes in practice improvement. Results The baseline audit results revealed practice areas requiring improvement; facilitators of and barriers to nursing documentation and practice improvement were identified. A checklist, educational session, Nursing Documentation Guidelines for Chemotherapy Administration, was implemented to improve nursing documentation. The follow-up audit demonstrated improved adherence across all audit criteria. Conclusion The checklist implemented for nursing documentation and education contributed to improved practices. To promote additional improvements, nurses will continue to utilize the tools developed and receive continued education through formal training and staff meetings. Future auditing is planned to ensure sustainability.

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) in clinical con­ditions to be referred to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) generally start therapy with an induction chemotherapy followed by high-dose alkylating and AHSCT. The ideal regimen and the number of pre-AHSCT induction is still a controversial subject, however, opting for at least three to four cycles of chemotherapy including a drug with immunomodulatory action, a protea­some inhibitor, with a corticosteroid, are advised as the first line before AHSCT.

Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) usually experienced respiratory muscle weakness. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) at HSCT has not been studied yet. Thus, it is important to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of IMT for hospitalized patients undergoing HSCT with an unstable and acute clinical condition. This is a randomized controlled feasibility study. Thirty-one hospitalized patients undergoing HSCT were randomized to the conventional physical rehabilitation (CON) or to the IMT group (conventional physical rehabilitation + IMT). IMT was carried out at 40% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), 5 sessions weekly, 10–20 min/session. Primary outcomes were safety and feasibility (recruitment, adherence, and attrition rates) of IMT. Secondary outcomes were respiratory strength, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and frequency of patients with oxygen desaturation, bleeding, dyspnea, and acute pulmonary edema. Patients were allocated to the IMT (N = 15; 43.6 years) or to the CON group (N = 16; 46.6 years). The recruitment rate was 100%, the adherence rate was 91%, and attrition was 13% to IMT. Two events were observed in 126 IMT sessions (1.5%). MIP increased in the IMT group (P

Introdução: Os linfomas são um conjunto de neoplasias linfoides em que há o acúmulo de linfócitos malignos nos linfonodos, causando linfonodomegalia. Os linfomas são responsáveis por 3% a 4% dos cânceres no mundo. Estimativa mundial apontou 390 mil novos casos e 199 mil óbitos por linfoma não Hodgkin e 65 mil novos casos e 25 mil óbitos por Linfoma de Hodgkin no ano de 2012. Sendo a busca por cuidados terapêuticos e a tentativa de solucionar problemas de saúde conduzem indivíduo e familiares por caminhos compreendidos como itinerário terapêutico Objetivo: Conhecer o itinerário terapêutico de pacientes portadores de linfoma atendidos na rede pública por serviço de saúde especializado. Material e Métodos: Estudo prospectivo e descritivo com dados coletados em um hospital de referência em oncologia na Zona da Mata Mineira, no estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Resultados: Participaram do estudo 32 pacientes, sendo 18 do sexo masculino (56,3%), com idade entre 7 e 80 anos, caracterizados principalmente por baixos níveis de escolaridade e renda. Prevaleceu o linfoma não Hodgkin representado por 23 sujeitos (71,9%). Um total de 24 pacientes (75%) necessitou passar por três ou mais médicos até a obtenção do diagnóstico definitivo. O tempo médio entre o aparecimento dos sintomas e a realização do diagnóstico foi de 9,77 meses. A baixa renda dos pacientes contribuiu para a demora na busca ou obtenção do primeiro atendimento à saúde (p = 0,05) e consequente diagnóstico do linfoma. Conclusão: A dificuldade de acesso aos serviços de atenção à saúde e a baixa suspeita diagnóstica para a doença por parte dos profissionais possivelmente influenciaram o atraso no estabelecimento do diagnóstico.

Background OCT-1 gene is a member of the POU-homeodomain family of transcriptional regulators of B-lymphocyte differentiation by controlling expression of B-cell specific genes. BCL-2 gene is a potent inhibitor of apoptosis and it is essential during B-cell differentiation into germinal center. These genes may be expressed in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but the role of BCL-2 in its prognosis has been contradictory, and OCT-1 has yet to be tested. Methods In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of OCT-1 and BCL-2 expression in DLBCL treated in the real world with immunochemotherapy in a single center. BCL-2 and OCT-1 genes were available in 78.5% (77/98) DLBCL patients, and the RNA for quantitative real-time PCR was isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples. The values obtained for gene expression were transformed in categorical variable according to their median. Results Cohort median age was 54.5 years (15–84), 49 (50%) were male, 38/77 (49.4%) and 40/77 (51.9%) presented OCT-1 and BCL-2 expression ≥ median, respectively. The overall response rate (ORR) in all patients was 68.4% (67/98), 65,3% (64/98) of patients acquired complete response, and 3.1% (3/98) partial response, while 6.1% (6/98) were primary refractory. The median follow-up was 3.77 years (95% CI: 3.2–4.1), with 5.43 (95% CI: 2.2-NR) of overall survival (OS) and 5.15 years (95% CI: 2.9-NA) of progression free survival (PFS). OCT-1 ≥ median was associated with shorter OS at univariate analysis (p = 0.013; [HR] 2.450, 95% CI: 1.21–4.96) and PFS (p = 0.019; [HR] 2.270, 95%CI: 1.14–4.51) and BCL-2 gene overexpression presented worse PFS (p = 0.043, [HR] 2.008, 95% CI: 1.02–3.95). At multivariate analysis, OCT-1 overexpression was associated with poor PFS (p = 0.035, [HR] 2.22, 95% CI: 1.06–4.67). Conclusion In this study, we showed that overexpression of OCT1 gene was an independent prognostic factor of adverse outcomes in DLBCL.

Background: Diarrhea is frequently seen in autologous stem cell transplantation. Although toxicity related to conditioning is the most common cause, infectious pathogens can play a distinctive role particularly in certain regions and environments. Methods: The role of enteropathogens was investigated in 47 patients submitted to autologous stem cell transplantation at a Brazilian center between May 2011 and May 2013. All patients who presented with diarrhea consented to stool sample analysis to identify the etiological agents including coccidia, Strongyloides sp., Clostridium difficile and other pathogenic bacteria. Results: Thirty-nine patients (83%) had diarrhea, among whom seven (17.5%) presented with coccidia, three (7.5%) with Candida sp., one (2.5%) with C. difficile, and one (2.5%) with Giardia lamblia. There was a tendency toward a higher incidence of diarrhea in older patients (p-value = 0.09) and those who received conditioning with lomustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan (p-value = 0.083). Furthermore, the number of days of neutropenia was higher in patients with diarrhea (p-value = 0.06). Conclusions: The high frequency of diarrhea caused by coccidia shows the importance of investigating and correctly identifying etiological agents and highlights the possible varieties of intestinal infections in patients who undergo autologous stem cell transplantation. Keywords: Stem cell transplant, Diarrhea, Etiological agent, Coccidia

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) have an increased risk for severe infections due to both the disease and anti-myeloma therapies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, case series of MM patients have demonstrated a poor outcome in those who required hospitalization due to COVID-19, and there are few data regarding those managed out of hospitals or risk factors for hospitalization. In Brazil, where the scenario is of restricted resources to treat MM patients and large numbers of COVID-19 cases and related death, the outcome can be even worse. Objective: To assess risk factors and outcomes of COVID-19 in Brazilian patients with MM. This retrospective case series investigated 81 MM patients with documented COVID-19, managed in and out-hospital, from 8 states, representing 4 of 5 regions in Brazil. This study has been conducted by "Grupo Brasileiro de Mieloma" (GBRAM), and the present analyses included cases from April 2020 to July 2021. Clinical features and risk factors were analyzed with the severity of COVID-19 and outcomes (hospital admissions, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ventilatory support, and death). The frequency of MM treatment modification due to COVID-19 was also accessed. There were 81 MM patients (male 50%; median age 63 years; and ISS III at diagnosis 25%) diagnosed with COVID-19. At least one comorbidity was present in 47 (58%) patients: most frequently hypertension and diabetes (56% and 27%). Twenty-eight (35%) patients had more than one comorbidity. At COVID episode, 21 (26%) patients had an active disease or progression disease, and 40% received at least two prior lines of treatment. COVID-19 management required hospitalization in 49 (61%), ventilatory support in 30 (40%) and ICU in 28 (35%). Hospitalization was associated with age (p=0.008), presence of comorbidity (p=0.02), hypertension (p=0.02), presence of fever (p=0.005) and low respiratory symptoms (p=0.003). Ventilatory support was more frequent in patients with cardiac disease (p=0.05), receiving immunomodulatory (p=0.03), or monoclonal drugs (p=0.006). Patients receiving corticosteroids (p=0.02), immunomodulatory (p=0.06), or monoclonal drugs (p=0.06) in MM treatment had a higher frequency of ICU admission. By adjusted multivariate analysis, age, the clinical presentation with fever and low respiratory symptoms (p In this series, COVID-19 MM patients had a very high frequency of hospitalization, ventilatory support requirement, ICU admission, and deaths due to COVID-19. Although not associated with increased mortality, prior therapy drug classes were associated with severity of manifestation in our series. We also observed a high frequency of MM treatment delay in recovered patients, and the post-COVID clinical impact should be more explored. The high mortality observed reinforces the importance of preventing COVID-19, such as social distancing, wearing masks, and vaccination. Disclosures De Queiroz Crusoe: Janssen: Research Funding. Hungria: Takeda: Honoraria; Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Support for attending meetings/travel ; Abbvie: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria, Other: Support for attending meetings/travel .

Objective: The success of autologus hematopoietic stem cell transplantation relies on CD34+ cells' availability in peripheral blood (PB), which is affected by several factors as age, sex, type of the disease, treatments, and others. In that regard, this prospective study aimed to evaluate the influence of these factors, correlating them with the pre-apheresis CD34+ cell count. Method: Before autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, CD34+ cells were quantified in the pre-apheresis PB and the final product. Then, after the determination of minimum CD34+ value, clinical and laboratory parameters were compared between patients with higher and lower CD34+ cells count. Results: Out of the 34 patients, 29 presented more than 20,000 leukocytes/μl. Patients who failed in the mobilization presented

Objectives: To compare the severity of oral mucositis and the frequency of gastrointestinal mucositis, and to observe if there is impact of these adverse effects on overall survival (OS), in patients who underwent CBV (carmustine, BCNU, and VP-16) and LEAM (lomustine, etoposide, Ara-C, and melphalan) conditioning for autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (aHCT). Method: We collected retrospective data from medical records (n = 120) of transplantation and mucositis in the digestive tract of Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients. Results: The frequency of OM grade 1 was higher in LEAM (36.76%) than in CBV (19.72%, p=0.038). There were no significant differences between the frequency of gastrointestinal mucositis in the two regimens (CBV - 52.11% and LEAM - 63.27%, p=0.305). CBV regimen exhibited lower 1-year overall survival (OS) than did LEAM (p=0.003). Oral mucositis grade ≥2 was associated with reduced OS in the CBV group (p=0.013). CBV regimen (HR=2.98, p 0.005) and oral mucositis grade ≥2 (HR=2.17, p=0.013) interfered negatively on the OS rate. Conclusion: Oral mucositis was more severe in CBV than in LEAM, decreasing the OS rate. Further studies with comprehensive follow-up and toxicity analyses must be undertaken to clarify the safety of LEAM conditioning in the digestive tract.

Introduction: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most frequent lymphoid malignancy, representing 30-40% of all non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs). They comprise a group of aggressive and heterogeneous neoplasms in terms of clinical presentation, response to therapy and prognosis. The OCT-1 gene is a member of the homodomain-POU family of transcriptional regulators of B-lymphoid differentiation. OCT-1 acts by controlling the expression of specific B-cell genes, such as BCL-2, a potent inhibitor of apoptosis that is essential for the differentiation of B-cells in the germinal center. These genes can be expressed in DLBCL, but the role of BCL-2 in its prognosis has been contradictory and the prognostic impact of the OCT-1 gene has not yet been tested in this lymphoma. Methods: In this observational, retrospective, single-center study, we investigated the prognostic impact of BCL-2 and OCT-1 gene expression in Brazilian patients with DLCBL treated with immunopolychemotherapy R-CHOP in a real-world context. The BCL-2 and OCT-1 genes were assessed in 78.5% (77/98) DLBCL patients, and the RNA for quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was isolated from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples. The values obtained for gene expression were transformed into categorical variables according to their medians (6.27 for BCL-2 and 24.5 for OCT-1). The association between clinical and laboratory variables and results of gene expression was verified by the Fischer test. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate analysis was performed using Cox's bivariate regression method and multivariate analysis using Cox multiple regression methodology. Results: The median age of the cohort was 54.5 years (15-84), 50% (49/98) were male, 49.4% (38/77) and 51.4% (40/77) showed expression of OCT-1 and BCL- 2 ≥ median, respectively. The clinical characteristics of the 98 Brazilian patients with DLBCL that comprised our cohort are summarized in Table 1. The overall response rate (ORR) in all patients was 68.4% (67/98), 65.3% (64/98) showed a complete response (CR), and 3.1% (3/98) showed partial response (PR), while 6.1% (6/98) were primary refractory. With a median follow-up of 3.77 years (95% CI: 3.2-4.1), the median overall survival (OS) was 5.43 years (95% CI: 2.2-NR) and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.15 years (95% CI: 2.9-NR). The 5-year OS and PFS was 54.2% (42.2% -64.8%) and 52.0% (40.1-62.6%), respectively. In the univariate analysis OCT-1 ≥ median was associated with shortened OS (HR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.21-4.96, p = 0.013) and PFS (HR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.14-4.51, p = 0.019). Overexpression of BCL-2 was associated with worse PFS (HR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.02-3.95, p = 0.043). Subgroup analysis showed that OCT-1 overexpression predominated in elderly individuals (≥ 60 years) in a statistically significant mode (29/38 cases - 76.3%, p = 0.029). It was also observed that overexpression of OCT-1 was associated with worse OS in the high-risk adjusted International Prognostic Index (aIPI) subgroup (p = 0.048) - Figure 1, and worse PFS in patients ≥ 60 years old (p = 0.025) - Figure 2. In the multivariate analysis, overexpression of OCT-1 was associated with poor PFS (HR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.06-4.76, p = 0.035). Conclusion: In this study, we demonstrated that overexpression of the OCT-1 gene was an independent prognostic factor associated with adverse outcomes in Brazilian patients with DLCBL. We also show that in patients with unfavorable risk, such as the elderly and those with intermediate-high and high-risk IPI, overexpression of OCT-1 contributed to the identification of a very high-risk clinical-molecular subgroup, where the results with standard R-CHOP therapy are unsatisfactory, and they may benefit from intensified therapeutic strategies. Our results are preliminary and need to be validated in subsequent studies of prospective nature and with an expanded sample. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction:Adult T cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATLL) is a mature T-Cell-neoplasm related to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection that shows variable clinical presentation and adverse prognosis with shorter overall survival (OS) when compared to other peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL). Previous epidemiological studies estimated cumulative incidence in endemic regions around the world. In Brazil, mainly due to its vast dimension, data collection has limitations and is subject to bias. In April 2015 theBrazilianT-cell longitudinal project initiative was launched. One of the primary purposes was the collection of epidemiological and clinical data from the most frequent subtypes of newly diagnosed PTCL. Among them, 41 cases of ATLL were recorded. Objectives:The aim of this study is to describe clinical features, frequency and overall survival (OS) of 41 cases of ATLL registered in the ongoingBrazilianT-Cell Project. Methods:This is an ambispective observational study design collecting baseline characteristics, clinical features including date of diagnosis, clinical subtypes, B symptoms, performance status, Ann-Arbor staging, HTLV-1 status, number of sites, nodal and extra nodal presentation and types of skin lesions, peripheral blood counts and biochemical tests, front-line treatment and best response after first-line treatment. REDcap Platform has been used to collect and store data and for descriptive analysis the IBM-SPSS version 24 was applied. Kaplan-Meier method estimated the OS, whereas Log-Rank tests to compare its curves. OS period was calculated from diagnosis date until death or last seen date, and event was death by any cause. Results:Out of 281 cases of PTCL registered so far, 41 were ATLL cases. The median age was 50 years (34-88), 25 (64%) female; a higher incidence of lymphoma subtype was observed (46%), followed by acute (29%), chronic (17%) and smoldering (8%). Most of the patients (85%) had advanced-stage disease (III-IV, Ann-Arbor) and 56% had B symptoms (Table 1); 73% received chemotherapy with anthracycline-based regimens (46.5% CHOEP; 33.5% CHOP; 20% others) whereas 17% were managed with immunotherapy and antiviral therapy. The overall response rate was 30%; no response or progression 46%; stable disease 9% and 15% no data available yet (Table 2). Median follow-up was 13 months and 25 months for 41% of alive patients. Two year OS was 39% (95%CI: 23-55%) (Figure 1). Smoldering and Chronic subtypes showed better OS when compared with acute and lymphoma (100% smoldering, 86% chronic; 30% lymphoma type and 13% acuteP=0.04) (Figure 2). The multivariate Cox Regression analysis found male gender (HR 10.9 95%CI: 3.0-39.7, P Discussion:ATLL prognosis remains poor regardless of the type of treatment regimen and may be associated with the high incidence of lymphoma and acute subtypes, as well as advanced stage disease presentation. Despite the high number of cases seen in southeastern region of Brazil, it is important to emphasize there are still limited data from other regions. Albeit the sample size is small, these findings confirmed literature review data so far, with poor overall survival in a short time and gender and albumin as predictors of OS in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion:This study highlights the poor prognosis associated with ATLL. Moreover, it seems relevant to expand this study to all Brazilian regions. Hence, the need for early diagnosis and new treatment strategies, able to reduce mortality is warranted, that could possibly change the nature and spectrum of disease. Disclosures Federico: Spectrum:Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Sandoz:Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Cephalon/Teva:Research Funding;Mundipharma s.r.l.:Research Funding;Celgene:Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding;Millennium/Takeda:Research Funding;Roche:Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding;Takeda:Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Introduction Several factors may interfere with the response to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Objective To evaluate the effect of cell source and type of conditioning on HSCT outcome in MDS. Methods We analyzed data from 258 MDS patients from the Latin American transplant registry in Brazil and Uruguay from 1988 to 2019. The statistics were performed on SPSS v.23.1, considering significant p Results A predominance of males (56.2%) and Caucasian individuals (84.5%) was observed. The most frequent age group was 51 to 60 years (2 -79 years) (26%). When stratified according to the Prognosis Scoring System (IPSS-R), 0.78% were classified as very low risk, 11.2% as low risk, 24% as intermediate risk, 21.3% as high risk and 4.7% as very high risk. A total of 38% of patients could not be classified according to the IPSS-R due to lack of data, such as cytogenetics. In myeloablative conditioning (MAC) (78.7%) the regimens were (bulssulfan/fludarabine, bulssulfan/cyclophosphamide, with or without total body irradiation (ICT)). Reduced intensity (RIC) (15.9%) was (bulssulfan/fludarabine, bulssulfan/cyclosphosphamide at reduced doses, with or without ICT and FluMel). The cell source was bone marrow (BM) (52.7%), peripheral blood (PB) (45.3%) and cord blood (2%). Major post-HSCT complications included acute (37.2%) and chronic (28.7%) graft versus host disease (GVHD). Regarding the possible predictors of acute, chronic GvHD and death, there was an association between type of cell source and the death outcome (p = 0.0336). Moreover, there was a significant association between acute GvHD and conditioning regimen (p = 0.0127) and cell source (p = 0.0004). There was also an association of chronic GvHD with the conditioning regimen (p Conclusion The results demonstrate the impact of conditioning and cell source on the HSCT outcome and reinforce the need for an appropriate assessment for better conduction results optimization.

Background: Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) usually experienced respiratory muscle weakness. The inspiratory muscle training (IMT) at HSCT has not been studied yet. Objective: To evaluate the safety, feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the IMT for hospitalized patients undergoing HSCT. Methods: This is a randomized controlled feasibility study. Patients hospitalized for HSCT were allocated to a control group (conventional therapy) or to a IMT group (IMT + conventional therapy). The IMT was carried out at 40% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), 5 sessions weekly, 10-20 min/session. The primary outcomes were safety and feasibility (recruitment, adherence and attrition rates) of IMT. Respiratory strength, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation were evaluated at admission and hospital discharge. Symptoms related to the respiratory system (oxygen therapy, bleeding, dyspnea and acute pulmonary edema) were also evaluated. Results: Patients were allocated to a IMT group (N=15; 43.6 yr) or to a control group (N=16; 46.6 yr). The recruitment rate was 100%, the adherence rate to IMT was 91% and attrition was 20%. It was observed 2 events (vomiting; oxygen desaturation) in 126 sessions (1.5%). MIP increased in the IMT group (P Conclusions: The IMT is safe, feasible and improves the inspiratory muscle strength.

Background: Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have to worsen of functional capacity during hospitalization. However, it is not known whether the respiratory muscle strength is related to functional capacity. Objective: We hypothesized that functional capacity change is correlated to respiratory muscle strength changes in patients during hospitalization for HSCT. Methods: This is a prospective, observational study. Thirty one patients (18 males; 45 years) hospitalized for HSCT were eligible for this study. Respiratory muscle strength (Maximal Inspiratory Pressure - MIP and Maximal Expiratory Pressure - MEP; MVD300 Globalmed®) and functional capacity (6-Minute Step Test – 6MST) were assessed at admission (before HSCT) and hospital discharge (after HSCT). The delta values (discharge minus admission hospital) were subjected to a simple linear regression (P Results: Patients were submitted to autologous (94%) or allogeneic (6%) HSCT and the majority have diagnosis of Hodgkin´s (22%) or Non-Hodgkin´s Lymphoma (19%) or Multiple Myeloma (48%). As expected, MIP (Δ MIP = 4,5 cmH2O; CI95% = -2,6 – 11,7 cmH2O) and MEP (Δ MEP = -3,9 cmH2O; CI95% = -11,0 – 3,0 cmH2O) were related to 6MST (Δ 6MST = -2,8 cmH2O; CI95% = -13,2 – 7,4 cmH2O) (MIP vs. 6MST: P=0.03, R=0.39; MEP vs. 6MST: P=0.02, R=0.41). Conclusions: The modifications observed in the functional capacity are related to the respiratory muscle strength changes in hospitalized patients undergoing HSCT.

Background: Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have muscle weakness, as well as exhibit reduced cardiorespiratory fitness, which can add to dyspnea. Objectives: To evaluate whether the dyspnea is related to functional capacity and skeletal muscle strength in patients prior to HSCT. In addition, we hypothesize that physical variables were lower than normative values. Methods: Patients hospitalized for autologous HSCT were assessed at hospital admission in terms of dyspnea (mMRC), peripheral muscle strength of upper (Handgrip Test) and lower limbs (Sit-to-Stand Test - time to 10th repetition), respiratory muscle strength (manovacuometry; MIP and MEP) and functional capacity (6-Minute Step Test). Dyspnea and physical variables were subjected to a simple linear regression. Moreover, the performed physical variables were compared to the normative values (Student´s t-test). Results: Twenty-nine patients were included (16 males; 46 yr). Dyspnea was related to functional capacity (R=-0.50; P Conclusions: Dyspnea was related to functional capacity and inspiratory muscle strength. Moreover, functional capacity and peripheral muscle strength are impaired in patients prior to autologous HSCT.

It has been suggested that bridging therapy with intensive chemotherapy and/or hypomethylating agents followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can be valuable in the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, the influence of this approach on HSCT outcomes remains poorly defined. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the influence of treatment before HSCT in patients with MDS. We retrospectively analyzed data from the Latin American registry of 258 patients from 17 Latin American centers who underwent HSCT from 1988 to 2019. Our data showed that there was pre-HSCT. We detected no significant difference regarding the impact on overall survival of treated and untreated patients before HSCT. Despite these data, the type of previous treatment among treated patients showed a significant difference in overall survival. Treatment with hypomethylating agents together with pre-HSCT chemotherapy seems to result in better survival of the studied population. These data correspond to the first results obtained through cooperative work between various centers in Latin America comparing the different approaches to patients and reflecting their reality and challenges. Therefore, the selection of pretransplant bridge therapy should be analyzed and focus given primarily to those approaches that result in better survival of patients with MDS.

The aim of the study was to compare the quality of life (QOL) of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation who improved their functional capacity during hospitalization (increased functional capacity group) with that of patients who maintained or decreased functional capacity during hospitalization (decreased functional capacity group).This observational, longitudinal study included 27 hospitalized patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Patients were divided into increased functional capacity group (16 patients) and decreased functional capacity group (11 patients). Functional capacity (6-min step test), peripheral muscle strength (sit-to-stand test and handgrip strength), and QOL (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer) were assessed at admission and at hospital discharge.Increased functional capacity patients had increased functional capacity and peripheral muscle strength of the lower and upper limbs at hospital discharge (P0.01,0.01, and 0.02, respectively). The patients in the increased functional capacity group demonstrated an increase in global health and reduced symptoms at discharge (P = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). No significant differences were observed between groups in the functional domain.Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, who have improved functional capacity at discharge, also experience an improved QOL, with no such improvement noted among patients who have stable or reduced functional capacity. We recommend that the treatment protocol for hospitalized patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation include an exercise program aimed at improving functional capacity.

Background The autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation procedure involves immunosuppression of the patient. Thus, the patient has an elevated risk for several diseases, such as infections with the varicella-zoster virus. Prevention protocols have been proposed based on the use of acyclovir from the first day of conditioning, and maintaining this drug for 30–100 days after the procedure or for as much as one year. The objective of this work was to evaluate the incidence of herpes zoster after autologous transplantations related to the early suspension of acyclovir. Methods A retrospective study was carried out based on the collection of data from 231 medical records of transplant patients in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of the teaching hospital of the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora in the period between 2004 and 2014. Results Fourteen (6.1%) patients had herpes zoster in the post-transplant period on average within six months of the procedure. Patients with multiple myeloma (64.3%) were the most affected. There was a statistically significant difference in the age of the patients, with older individuals having a greater chance of developing the infection ( p -value = 0.002). There were no significant differences for the other variables analyzed. Conclusion The early suspension of acyclovir can be safe in patients who receive autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants. However some groups may benefit from extended prophylaxis with acyclovir, particularly older patients and patients with multiple myeloma.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic value of the interim PET (iPET)-computed tomography (CT) (iPET-CT) after two cycles of immunochemotherapy with the R-CHOP protocol in patients with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with a curative intent in combination with the neoplastic cell origin defined by Hans’s immunohistochemstry algorithm followed in a reference center for cancer treatment in Brazil. Materials and methods We prospectively evaluated 147 DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP-21 to assess the value of the International Prognostic Index, iPET-CT, and cell of origin by immunohistochemistry as prognostic markers in the rituximab era. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT was performed after two cycles (iPET-CT) and at the end of treatment in 111 patients. Lymphoma cases were categorized into germinal center (GC) and nongerminal center subtypes by immunohistochemistry according to Hans’s algorithm. Results The median age of GC-DLBCL patients (52.7 years) was lower than that of nongerminal center-DLBCL patients (59.4 years) (P=0.021); in addition, it was lower in patients with negative iPET-CT findings (52.7 years) versus positive findings (59.4 years) (P=0.031). The overall survival at 48 months was 100% for iPET-CT-negative GC-DLBCL patients and 61.2% for iPET-CT-positive GC-DLBCL patients (P=0.002). Progression-free survival at 30 months was 100% for iPET-CT-negative GC-DLBCL patients and 60.3% for iPET-CT-positive GC-DLBCL patients (P=0.001). Conclusion We conclude that iPET-CT associated with cell origin identified a very good prognostic group in DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP. Video Abstract: http://links.lww.com/NMC/A59

Introduction: An epidemiological database is an important tool to characterize the population disease distribution, long-term effects of the diseases, impact of evolving treatments, to identify adverse events (AE) and their possible mitigation and to improve the healthcare system. Another important reason to create a database is to rapidly identify, recruit and enroll individuals for research activities. Based on these, the Brazilian Multiple Myeloma Study Group (GBRAM) developed an electronic database platform with the intention of prospectively registering the MM cases diagnosed at Brazilian healthcare services. Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, open, epidemiological study, based on an electronic system register. Patients diagnosed with MM after January 1, 2018 have been included. The eligibility criteria were: intent-to-treat (ITT) MM patients, aged over 18 years and under care in any healthcare system (private, public and academic). All clinical and laboratory data, prognostic profiling, treatment patterns and responses, AE and survival were compiled. The data were analyzed with the NCSS® 2020 software. This project is registered in the Brazilian study platform control (Plataforma Brasil) linked to federal health authorities by the number CAAE-05340918.3.1001.8098. Results: To date, 1,113 patients at 44 reference centers were included. The median age was 64 (25 -96) years and 578 (52%) were male. According to the ECOG performance status: 0 = 185 (16.5%), 1 = 257 (23.2%), 2 = 144 (13%), 3 = 105 (9.5%), 4 = 62 (5.5%) and the not available data (NA) = 359 (32.3%). The ISS 1, 2, and 3 were 219 (19.7%), 286 (25.7%) and 406 (36.5%), respectively, the NA being 202 (18.1%). MM isotypes were 524 (47.1%) IgG, 202 (18.2%) IgA, 192 (17.2%) free-light chain, 4 (0.5%) IgM, 7 (0.8%) biclonal, 9 (0.7%) non-secretor and 175 (15.5%) NA. Regarding the treatment backbone, 427 (38.4%) patients received immunomodulators (IMID- thalidomide), 277 (20.4%), proteasome inhibitors (PI-bortezomib), 84 (7.6%), the combination of PI + IMID, 72 (6.6%), combinations with anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (Daratumumab) and 253 (27%), other treatments. Based on the ITT analysis of 1003 cases, 636 (63.4%) patients were planned for bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and 367 (36.6%) were ineligible. After a median follow-up of 14.0 months, 150 (23.6%) of the planned patients had undergone the procedure, 284 (44.7%) had not yet been submitted and 202 (31.7%) had NA data. The overall survival (OS) was 80.9% for the total group at 20 months, 73.5% for ineligible and 95.5% for eligible. There was a significant improvement in eligible patients who had performed BMT, as compared to those who had not, HR 0.15 (0.09 - 0.26), p < 0.0001. A total of 142 deaths (12.8%) occurred, 51 (36%) of them being during the first 180 days. Discussion: Due to the lack of a reliable national register and the undoubtable need for a better understanding of MM for the development of public health and patient support measures, GBRAM has developed and built an electronic platform. This epidemiological study prospectively enrolled patients diagnosed since January 2018 and is of a nationwide scope. To date, 1,113 new cases were included. Despite the short follow-up, this analysis has identified differences in survival, comparing ISS stratifications and whether a BMT was performed or not. Conclusion: This project demonstrates the feasibility and importance of electronic platforms in the compilation of MM populational data for a better understanding of the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes in the real world, permitting a clearer perception of local issues and thus, addressing possible improvement in public healthcare policy, such as the improvement of BMT access. Disclosures De Queiroz Crusoe: Janssen: Research Funding. Aranha:Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Ache Pharmaceutics: Honoraria.

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of dietary supplementation with whey protein concentrate (WPC) in the incidence of oral mucositis (OM) in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).Patients were supplemented with a daily intake of WPC delivering 50% of the daily protein requirements (DPR) according to the Dietary Reference Intakes and classified later based on the amount of ingested supplement until OM median onset.We evaluated 73 patients. Forty-three were part of the historical control and 30 were supplemented with WPC. The OM had a mean duration of 5.3 d (SD 4.5), ranging from the day of the infusion of stem cells until the 17th day after infusion and a median of 5 d after infusion. OM duration was influenced by the conditioning protocol (P 0.01) and WPC (P = 0.01). Patients who consumed the WPC in an amount ≥40% of DPR had a 35% reduction in duration of OM, and the incidence of OM grades 3 and 4 was 11 times smaller. Body mass index, serum albumin, and adverse reactions, such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, dysphagia, dry mouth and drooling, showed no statistically significant differences.WPC intake ≥40% of DPR helped to reduce the severity and duration of OM. The use of WPC in patients undergoing HSCT was shown to be safe, encouraging new studies in this population to assess its action mechanism.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been widely used for treating oncological and hematological diseases. Although HSCT has helped to improve patient survival, the risk of developing infection during hospitalization is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to analyze the infection profile during hospitalization and the associated risk factors among patients undergoing autologous HSCT at the University Hospital, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a cross-sectional study on patients undergoing autologous HSCT at a public university hospital. METHODS: Patients with febrile neutropenia between 2004 and 2009 were retrospectively evaluated regarding their infection profile and associated risk factors. RESULTS: Infection occurred in 57.2% of 112 patients with febrile neutropenia. The main source of infection was the central venous catheter (25.9%). Infection was chiefly due to Gram-positive bacteria, although Gram-negative-related infections were more severe and caused a higher death rate. Sex, age, skin color, nutritional status and underlying disease were not associated with the development of infection. Patients with severe mucositis (Grades III and IV) had a higher infection rate (P < 0.001). Patients who developed pulmonary complications during hospitalization had higher infection rates (P = 0.002). Infection was the main cause of death (57.1%) in the study sample. CONCLUSION: Strategies aimed at reducing infection-related mortality rates among patients undergoing autologous HSCT are necessary. CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: O transplante de células-tronco hematopoiéticas (TCTH) vem sendo amplamente utilizado no tratamento das doenças onco-hematológicas. Embora o TCTH tenha colaborado para a melhora na sobrevida dos pacientes, o risco de desenvolver infecção no período de internação é uma importante causa de morbi-mortalidade. O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar o perfil das infecções no período de internação e os fatores de risco associados entre os pacientes submetidos ao TCTH autólogo, no Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Trata-se de um estudo transversal sobre pacientes submetidos a transplante autólogo, em um hospital público universitário. MÉTODOS: Foram analisados retrospectivamente os pacientes que apresentaram neutropenia febril no período de 2004 a 2009, com relação ao perfil infeccioso e os fatores de risco associados. RESULTADOS: A infecção foi determinada em 57,2% dos 112 pacientes com neutropenia febril. A principal fonte de infecção foi o cateter venoso central (25,9%). A infecção ocorreu principalmente devido a bactérias Gram-positivas, apesar de as infecções causadas por bactérias Gram-negativas terem sido mais graves e causado maior taxa de morte. Sexo, idade, cor da pele, estado nutricional e doença de base não estiveram associados com o desenvolvimento da infecção. Pacientes com mucosite grave (graus III e IV) apresentaram maior taxa de infecção (P < 0.001). Os pacientes que desenvolveram complicações pulmonares durante a internação apresentaram maiores taxas de infecção (P = 0,002). A infecção foi a principal causa do óbito (57,1%) na amostra estudada. CONCLUSÃO: São necessárias estratégias voltadas para a redução da taxa de mortalidade relacionada com infecção entre pacientes submetidos ao TCTH autólogo.

Background While rituximab revolutionized outcomes in DLBCL, little is known regarding survival improvements at population level beyond the introduction of rituximab. The advent of novel agents, improvements in supportive care and expansion of autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) to older individuals may have improved survival of DLBCL patients. We hypothesized that outcomes for patients diagnosed with DLBCL in the U.S. has continued to improve in recent years and intended to measure improvements and identify possible disparities by comparing survival of DLBCL between two consecutive post-rituximab eras. Methods We used the population-based SEER-18 registry to calculate the incidence and relative survival rates (RSR) of DLBCL in the U.S. for two consecutive eras since broad availability of rituximab in upfront DLBCL treatment, 2002-2007 (era-1, early years after adoption of rituximab) and 2008-2013 (era-2, availability of novel agents, broader use of auto-HCT and improvement in supportive care). We included adult patients with microscopically confirmed DLBCL as first malignant neoplasm regardless of histologic subtype and survival follow up to the end of 2015. Results There were a total of 56,625 DLBCL patients diagnosed between 2002 and 2013, of which 27,306 patients were diagnosed during era-1 and 29,319 during era-2. Median follow up of survivors was 125 months in era-1 and 53 months in era-2. The median age at diagnosis was 66 years with slight male predominance in both the eras. There were no differences in age, gender, race/ethnicity and stage characteristics. There was a slight decline in incidence of DLBCL (era-1 vs. era-2), 8.11 (95% CI=8.01-8.2) vs. 7.82 (95% CI=7.73-7.91) cases per 100,000 persons (P Conclusions There has been limited improvement in the survival of adult patients with DLBCL beyond the introduction of rituximab, highlighting the need for experimental therapies and calling for the incorporation of novel therapies earlier in treatment, especially for high-risk cases. Disclosures Costa: Sanofi: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding.

Anemia is common in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, epidemiological studies of nonwestern IBD populations are limited and may be confounded by demographic, socioeconomic, and disease-related influences. This study evaluated the prevalence, risk factors, and etiology of anemia in Brazilian outpatients with IBD.Methods. In this cross-sectional study, 100 Crohn’s disease (CD) patients and 100 ulcerative colitis (UC) subjects were assessed. Anemia workup included complete blood count, ferritin, transferrin saturation, serum levels of folic acid and vitamin B12, and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration.Results. The overall prevalence of anemia in IBD was 21%. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of anemia between CD subjects (24%) and UC (18%). Moderate disease activity (OR: 3.48, 95% CI, 1.95–9.64,P=0.002) and elevated CRP levels (OR: 1.8, 95% CI, 1.04–3.11,P=0.02) were independently associated with anemia. The most common etiologies of anemia found in both groups were iron deficiency anemia (IDA; 10% on CD and 6% on UC) followed by the anemia of chronic disease (ACD; 6% for both groups).Conclusions. In Brazilian IBD outpatients, anemia is highly concurrent condition. Disease moderate activity as well as increased CRP was strongly associated with comorbid anemia. IDA and/or ACD were the most common etiologies.

Objective: Newborn infants are the most heavily transfused population inside intensive care units. The hemoglobin level used to indicate the need of transfusions is not well established. The aim of this study was to evaluate transfusional practices in newborns in the neonatal intensive care units of one specific city. Methods: Red blood cell transfusion practices of all transfused newborns in all five of the neonatal intensive care units of the city were analyzed. Data are reported as descriptive statistics, including numbers and percentages and means and standard deviation. Univariate analysis, followed by stepwise logistic regression was performed in respect to transfusional data and outcomes. Results: A total of 949 patients were admitted to the intensive care units during the 12-month study period with 20.9% receiving at least one transfusion, most (62.4%) of whom received more than one transfusion. The mean number of transfusions per infant was 2.7 ± 2.16; in the liberal transfusion group the mean number was 1.59 ± 1.63 and in the restrictive group it was 1.08 ± 1.51. The mean hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were 9.0 g/dL (±1.4 g/dL) and 27.4% (±4.3%), respectively. The most common indications for blood transfusions were sepsis and prematurity. Conclusion: This study shows that the characteristics and the transfusion practices for newborns admitted in the neonatal intensive care units of Juiz de Fora are similar to recent pubications. There was no significant reduction in the number of transfusions per child in the restrictive group compared to the liberal group. Restrictive transfusions are an independent risk factor for peri-intraventricular hemorrhages and death. © 2014 Associac ¸ ao Brasileira de Hematologia, Hemoterapia e Terapia Celular. Published

Introduction: The association between classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma (cHL) and tumor Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status is well established. However, the presence of EBV within Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells and its prognosis remains controversial, with conflicting findings from studies of various regions of the world. It is considered essential to deepen the understanding of the pathogenic role of EBV in cHL and its impact in prognosis. Methods: We assessed the correlation between EBV presence in HRS and outcomes in a cohort of Brazilian patients with cHL. EBV positivity was determined by in situ hybridization (ISH) for EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) and immunohistochemistry (IMH) for viral latent membrane protein (LMP-1). All cases were histologically confirmed by an expert hematopathologist who also performed the assays for EBV identification. We examined the prognostic impact of EBV status in 29 patients with cHL. The prognostic factors by IPS (International Prognostic Score) for patients with advanced stage and the risk factors by GHSG (German Hodgkin Study Group) for patients with limited stage were correlated with EBV status tumor cells. For associations between the presence of EBV and other categorical variables, we applied Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. For describe the effect size (ES) measures for chi-square, we used Cramér's V (V) and odds ratios (OR) with the respective 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). To evaluate the correlation between all methods of identification of EBV status and among evaluators in histological classification, we applied the Kappa test (K), which measures the degree of agreement these assessments. Differences in OS (overall survival) and EFS (event-free survival) Kaplan-Meier survival curves between EBV-positive and EBV-negative patients were compared statistically using the log-rank test. To evaluate the impact of EBV status on event-free survival controlling for prognostic factors and unfavorable risks, we applied Cox proportional hazards regression to determine hazards ratios (HR) and associated the respective 95% CIs. Multivariate analyses included variables significant at p ≤ 0.15 in univariate models. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 33 years. Sixty-five percent of the patients had the Nodular Sclerosis histologic subtype and 62,1% had Ann Arbor stage I or II disease at diagnosis. According to GHSG, 88,3% of early-stage patients were classified with unfavorable risk (at least one risk factor) at diagnosis. Compared to advanced-stage patients, 81,9% were considered with favorable IPS (< 4 prognostic factors) at diagnosis. HRS cells were EBV-positive in 37.9% of cases. EBV-positive cHL cases were more frequent in patients ≥ 45 years (71,4% vs. 27,3%, p =0,07). Mixed cellularity (MC) histology subtype was more common in EBV-related tumor cells (p= 0,02) and its effect-size index was medium. The correlation between all methods of identification of EBV status was 96,5% (p< 0,001; K=0.93). The correlation among evaluators in histological classification was 89,6% (p< 0,001; K=0.79). In univariate analysis, age, stage, histologic subtype, nodal involvement, extranodal disease, sex, bulky disease, laboratory data were not associated with adverse EFS (p>0,05). EBV-positive HL seemed to have better EFS than EBV-negative HL (log-rank test, p = 0,07). Cox proportional hazards model confirmed that EBV-positive tumor status and prognosis factors did not impact HL outcome. Conclusions: Despite EBV status in HRS cells not being associated with adverse prognostic factors and not influencing the overall and event-free survivals, the presence of EBV was linked to MC subtype, showing possible implication in histological subtype and worse prognosis. Disclosures Costa: Sanofi: Honoraria, Research Funding.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the results of T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia treatment with fludarabine by assessing the complete hematologic response, the complete molecular response, progression-free survival, and overall survival. METHODS: We evaluated the records of six patients with T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia who were treated with fludarabine as a first-, second-, or third-line therapy, at a dose of 40 mg/m², for three to five days per month and 6 to 8 cycles. RESULTS: Of the six patients investigated with T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia who were treated with fludarabine, five (83.3%) were female, and their median age was 36.5 years (range 18 to 73). The median lymphocyte level was 3.4x10(9)/L (0.5 to 8.9). All patients exhibited a monoclonal T-cell receptor gamma gene rearrangement at diagnosis. Two (33.3%) patients received fludarabine as first-line treatment, two (33.3%) for refractory disease, one (16.6%) for relapsed disease after the suspension of methotrexate treatment dueto liver toxicity, and one (16.6%) due to dyspesia. A complete hematologic response was achieved in all cases, and a complete molecular response was achieved in five out six cases (83.3%). During a mean follow-up period of 12 months, both the progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 100%. CONCLUSION: T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia demonstrated a high rate of complete hematologic and molecular response to fludarabine, with excellent compliance and tolerability rates. To confirm our results in this rare disease, we believe that fludarabine should be tested in clinical trials as a first-line treatment for T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia.

Lomustine use in combination with etoposide, cytarabine and melphalan in a brief conditioning regimen for auto-HSCT in patients with lymphoma: the optimal dose

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Gene expression and immunohistochemical profiling of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have revealed important prognostic subgroups: germinal center B-cell-like (GCB-like) DLBCL and activated B cell-like (ABC-like) DLBCL. Although few reports on high-risk DLBCL are available, the prognosis for the GCB-like subgroup has been shown to be better than that of the ABC-like subgroup. The role of Bcl-2 as a predictor of survival in DLBCL cases is unclear and its expression varies between the two subgroups of DLBCL. In this study, we analyzed the frequency and prognostic impact of Bcl-2 protein expression in high-risk DLBCL cases. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective cohort study among DLBCL patients treated at Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HC-FMUSP). METHODS: The prognostic impact of the expression of the proteins CD10, Bcl-6, MUM1 (multiple myeloma oncogene-1) and Bcl-2 on high-risk DLBCL cases was evaluated by means of immunohistochemistry. Seventy-three patients aged 18-60 years were evaluated for all these markers. RESULTS: Twenty-four cases (32.9%) were GCB-like and 49 (67.1%) were ABC-like, with no difference regarding complete remission, disease-free survival or overall survival rates. Twenty-seven patients (37%) showed Bcl-2 expression, which was the only independent factor predicting a worse prognosis for overall survival according to multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Bcl-2 protein was expressed in 37% of the high-risk DLBCL patients, without any difference between the ABC-like DLBCL and GCB-like DLBCL cases.

Pacientes idosos com linfoma difuso de grandes celulas B (LDGCB) sao frequentemente excluidos de estudos clinicos. A utilizacao de terapias curativas muitas vezes e impossibilitada em virtude das comorbidades apresentadas por esta populacao ao diagnostico. Nos adotamos um protocolo alternativo de quimioterapia oral combinando um inibidor da topoisomerase II e dexametasona. Apresentamos os resultados parciais com este protocolo em tres pacientes portadores de LDGCB com idade superior a 80 anos e comorbidades severas. Todos alcancaram remissao completa com baixa toxicidade. Esses resultados demonstram que protocolos curativos alternativos devem ser testados em pacientes idosos portadores LDGCB a despeito da presenca de comorbidades severas.

Estes sao os pacientes que deveriam ser alocados em estu-dos com terapeuticas experimentais, bem como aqueles comprogressao de doenca durante o tratamento com esquema desalvamento. A mediana de sobrevida dos pacientes reci-divados apos ATMO e de dois anos e a resposta a terapia deresgate o fator de prognostico mais importante.

O linfoma difuso de grandes células B (LDGCB) é uma entidade clínico-patológica heterogênea que corresponde de 30% a 35% dos casos de linfoma não-Hodgkin (LNH). É considerado como agressivo porque a sobrevida é curta na ausência de tratamento adequado. Desde 1993 o tratamento deste linfoma passou a ser direcionado pelo índice internacional de prognóstico (IPI) validado em vários estudos. Entretanto, diante das diferentes respostas à mesma terapêutica para pacientes de mesmo IPI houve necessidade de se instituírem novos marcadores de prognóstico para pacientes com LDGCB. Com os avanços do conhecimento biológico destes linfomas, outras variáveis começam a ser utilizadas na estratificação de risco destes linfomas. Nesta revisão abordamos os principais marcadores biológicos utilizados como fatores de prognóstico para o tratamento de pacientes com LDGCB. Rev. bras. hematol. hemoter. 2006; 28(4):296-300. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is a heterogeneous clinical pathological entity which accounts for about 30% to 35% of all non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases. It is considered to be aggressive due to the patient's short survival time when incorrect treatment is provided. Since 1993, treatment has been carried out according to IPI, which has been validated in several studies. However, since there are different responses from patients with the same IPI submitted to similar therapies, new prognostic markers are needed for these patients. As the biological nature of such lymphomas is becoming better known, other variables are starting to be used in order to stratify risk. In this review we will approach the key biological markers used as prognostic factors to treat diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma patients. Rev. bras. hematol. hemoter. 2006; 28(4):296-300.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the efficacy, toxicity and mobilization rate after modified Magrath IVAC (mIVAC) chemotherapy regimen prescribed in relapsed disease (RD) or primary refractory disease (PRD) in aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).Twenty-four patients (16 males, 8 females) aged 18-59 years (median age 37 year) were analyzed. The most frequent histopathological subgroup was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCL-B) (n=21/24), 13 (54%) were considered RD and 11 (46%) PRD. The mIVAC consisted of ifosfamide (IFM), high dose cytarabine and etoposide repeated every 28 days.The overall response (OR) after three cycles of mIVAC was 66. 6%. Among the patients with PRD, OR was 45.5% (5 out of 11) and with RD was 86.4%, p0.05, however, it was observed in RD better complete response (CR) than PRD 53.8x9.1% (p0.05). Eighty-eight percent (14 out of 16) of patients with chemosensitive disease to mIVAC underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). The median number of collected CD34+ cells was 2.86x10(6) (range 2.17x10(6) to 4.9x10(6)). The median overall survival rate (OS) for chemosensitive to mIVAC was 16.3 months, with a median follow-up of 16 months. Grades III-IV neutropenia was observed in 85.6% per cycles and grades III-IV thrombocytopenia in 87.5%. Grades III-IV febrile neutropenia was the most common nonhematological toxicity, it occurred in 28% of the cycles and no deaths by toxicity were observed.Although a statistic comparative study was not carried out for these 24 patients, the rate of OR to mIVAC was alike the other second-line infusion regimens. The mobilization failure rate was 57.1% and it was similar to other regimens with high dose cytarabine, but it did not limit performed ASCT.

Linfoma não-Hodgkin é uma das complicações oncológicas mais freqüentes em portadores da Síndrome da Imunodeficiência Adquirida (AIDS). Em outros países, após a introdução da terapia anti-retroviral de alta atividade (HAART), a queda na incidência dos linfomas agressivos sistêmicos ficou aquém das expectativas, embora a sobrevida destes pacientes tenha triplicado. No Brasil, pouco se conhece a respeito do comportamento clínico e da sobrevida dos pacientes com linfoma e AIDS na era pós-HAART. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar retrospectivamente 25 pacientes com linfoma e AIDS, tratados com a associação de quimioterapia e HAART. Em concordância com a literatura, a maior parte dos pacientes era do sexo masculino - 20 (80%), com mediana de idade de 39 anos. Houve predomínio do subtipo histológico Difuso de Grandes Células B - 13 (52%), de pacientes em estádios avançados - 15 (60%), com envolvimento extranodal - 22 (88%) e com sintomas B - 18 (72%). O diagnóstico prévio de AIDS observado em 14 (56%) foi superior em nossa casuística em relação ao descrito por outros autores. Cinqüenta e dois por cento dos pacientes obtiveram RC, com SLD e SG em três anos de 54% e 42%, respectivamente e mediana de SG de 15 meses. Toxicidade hematológica e infecções foram freqüentes, porém nenhum óbito foi relacionado à sua ocorrência. Concluímos que o tratamento combinado com quimioterapia e HAART é factível em pacientes brasileiros, podendo propiciar uma sobrevida global similar à descrita por alguns grupos internacionais, com um perfil aceitável de toxicidade. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most frequent oncological complications in patients with the Acquired Immune-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). In other countries, after the introduction of the Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART), the drop in the incidence of systemic aggressive lymphomas was below expectations, although the survival of these patients rose. In Brazil, little is known about the clinical behavior and survival of the patients with lymphoma and AIDS in the post-HAART era. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate 25 patients with lymphomas and AIDS, treated with the combination of chemotherapy and HAART. In agreement with the literature most of the patients were male (20 patients - 80%) with a median age of 39 years. We observed a predominance of the Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma subtype (13 patients - 52%), advanced stage (15 patients - 60%), with extra-nodal disease (22 patients - 88%) and B symptoms (18 patients - 72%). Previous AIDS diagnosis was present in 14 patients (56%), higher than that reported in other series. Fifty-two percent achieved CR, the estimated probability of overall survival and disease-free survival at 3 years were 54% e 42%, respectively. The median overall survival time was 15 months. Hematological toxicity and infections were frequently observed, but no toxicity-related deaths were seen. Therefore we conclude that the combined chemotherapy-HAART treatment is feasible in Brazilian patients and can provide similar overall survival than that described for some international groups, with an acceptable toxicity profile.

Introduction: To evaluate a new enhanced IPI proposed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN-IPI) in DLBCL patients, we compared the international prognostic index (IPI), R-IPI and NCCN-IPI in DLBCL patients treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, hidroxydaunorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP). Methods: From June 2008 to November 2011 we retrospectively evaluated 146 DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP-21 referred for cancer treatment in a single university institution in Brazil. Patient's clinical data were assessed to calculate the IPI, R-IPI and NCCN-IPI. Results: Patient's median age was 58.9 years (range 16 – 86); 85 (57.8%) were female. According to IPI, risk categories were low (n=41, 28.1%), low-intermediate (n=43, 29.5%), high-intermediate (n=37, 25.3%) and high (n=25, 17.1%). Using R-IPI, risk categories were very good (n=19, 13%), good (n=65, 44.5%) and poor (n=62, 42.5%). According to NCCN-IPI, risk categories were low (n=12, 8.2%), low-intermediate (n=52, 35.6%), high-intermediate (n=62, 42.5%) and high (n=20, 13.7%). At 30 months (median follow up 17.7 months - range 0.6-58.2 months) the overall survival (OS) was 75.5%. The progression-free survival (PFS) at a median follow-up of 16.3 months (range 0.6-52.4) was 68.3% for all patients. Using IPI, the OS at 30 months did not differ between low and low-intermediate risk patients (96.8% vs. 82.2%; p=0.136); however, it was higher than the OS of high-intermediate risk (n=37; 96.8% vs 74.1% p=0.11) and high-risk (n=25; 96.8% vs 41% p < 0.001) patients (Figure 1). The NCCN-IPI demonstrated significant differences in OS (p < 0,001) and PFS (p Figure 1: OS and PFS according to International Prognostic Index (IPI) Figure 1:. OS and PFS according to International Prognostic Index (IPI) Figure 2: OS and PFS according to NCCN-IPI Figure 2:. OS and PFS according to NCCN-IPI Figure 3 Figure 3. Conclusion: In our study the NCCN-IPI, but not the IPI or R-IPI was able to discriminate a high-risk group of DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP with worse OS. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in our institution (49.5%). The World Health Organization (WHO) classification recognizes several subtypes of DLBCL based on morphology, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and molecular analysis. A half of patients remain incurable with standard strategy with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab) and anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Therefore, it is necessary to identify high risk patients to try to improve their prognosis. In the pre-rituximab era, the best way to identify this high-risk group was based on International Prognostic Index (IPI) and more recently on molecular aspects that characterizesthe gene signature of the malignant cell. Patients with gene expression profile similarto normal cells from germinal center (GC) showed better prognosis than those with B-cells activated signature. Correspondentsalgorithms based in IHC were also proposed and that proposed by Hans is the most commonly used.However, these prognostic indicators have been questioned in the rituximab era. On the other hand, currently,the positron emission tomography with 18 F-fluodeoxyglucose (PET 18 F-FDG) has been recommended at diagnosis and at the endof treatment to improve accuracy of staging and response evaluation. Even though some studies have shown improvement on survival in patients with negative PET after 2-3 cycles of R-CHOP it impact as a prognostic factor in DLBCL remains controversial. Objective: This study was proposed to investigate the association between interim PET (iPET) and cellular origin of DLBCL using Hans' algorithm as prognosis in patients treated with R-CHOP. Methods: Were analyzed prospectively 146 DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP 21.The 18 F-FDG PET was performed after 2 cycles of R-CHOP and at the end of treatment in 105 patients. DLBCL was classified asGC and NGC subtype by IHC using Hans's algorithm . Results: The median age of GC-DLBCL (52.7 years) was lower than NGC-DLBCL (59.4 years) (p=0.021) and in patients with negative iPET (52.7 years) versus positive iPET (59.4 years) (p=0.031). Bulky disease was more common in GC-DLBCL (p=0.008). The overall survival (OS) at 30 months for GC-DLBCL was 100% for patients with negative iPET and 70,4% for patients with positive iPET (p=0.063) (Figure 1). Progression-free survival (PFS) at 30 months was 100% for GC-DLBCL and iPET negative and 64,3% for GC-DLBCLand iPET positive (p=0.02) (Figure 2). Conclusion: We concluded that iPET and cell origin determination by Hans's immunohistochemical algorithm was able to identify a subgroup of very good prognosis showing GC origin and negative iPET. However, our results should be confirmed in others studies. Figure 1: Analysis of overall survival in patients with GC-DLBCL according to positivity of iPET. Figure 1:. Analysis of overall survival in patients with GC-DLBCL according to positivity of iPET. Figure 2: Analysis of progression-free survival in patients with GC-DLBCL according to positivity of iPET. Figure 2:. Analysis of progression-free survival in patients with GC-DLBCL according to positivity of iPET. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a cholestatic liver disease, which is characterized by a chronic inflammatory destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts. It is a rare disorder whose precise etiology is still to be elucidated. Even though the liver is the principal target of PBC, other organ systems also might be affected. Muscular involvement has rarely been described in this disease, and in the majority of cases, muscular weakness has been interpreted as polymyositis. We report the case of a 48-year-old woman suffering from classic PBC, in association with a myopathy whose histological features are distinct from the cases reported before. We also performed a MEDLINE research for PBC and concomitant muscular diseases.

Abstract 5096 Background Deferasirox is a once-daily oral iron chelator with established dose-dependent efficacy for treating transfusional iron overload. The retrospective multicenter Brazilian trial included patients (pts) from 14 sites of 10 states with a variety of transfusion-dependent anemias and was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fixed starting doses of deferasirox based on transfusion history, with subsequent dose titration based on serum ferritin (SF) trends. Data were available from 105 eligible pts at 6 months of treatment and 73 pts from 1-year follow-up period. Methods Pts (aged ≥ 2 yrs) had transfusion-dependent anemia with a history of multiple transfusions (>20 transfusions) and/or SF levels ≥ 1000 ng/mL and serum creatinine level < the upper limit of normal (ULN). Deferasirox starting dose was 10-30mg/kg/day depending on transfusion requirements and subsequent dose adjustments of 5-10 mg/Kg/day (range 0–35 mg/kg/d) were done every 3 months based on changes in SF and safety parameters. Efficacy was assessed monthly by measuring change from baseline in SF levels. Safety was evaluated on a monthly basis according to the incidence and type of adverse events and measurement of laboratory parameters, including serum creatinine and liver enzyme levels. Results 105 pts (40 M, 65 F; mean age 25.0±16.6 yrs) were enrolled; 46% (n=48) aged 40 units of red blood cell (RBC); 71.5% (n=75) were on regular RBC transfusion, 56% of the pts required < 2 RBC units/month and 44% between 2 and 4 RBC units/month. Only 63% (n=66) had received prior chelation therapy: deferoxamine (DFO; 51.4%) or DFO/deferiprone combination (11.4%). Sixty-four (61%) pts started on 20 mg/kg/d and 41(39%) > 20-30 mg/kg/d, 15.2% of pts had dose increases at a median of 24 weeks after treatment initiation. Mean ± SD SF levels (μg/L) did significantly reduce at 6 months and 12 months compared to baseline (BL) [from 3132.14 ± 2237.47 to 2784.25 ± 1969.7 at 6 months (p=0.0001) and 2327.46 ± 1873.8 at 12 months (p=0.005)]. The proportion of patients with SF levels < 2000, 2000-3000 and > 3000 μg/L from BL to 6 and 12 months by percentage of patients changed from 36% to 47.5% and 52%; from 26% to 26.5% and 24.5%; from 38% to 26% and 23%, respectively. No patient discontinued the treatment. No death was reported by the investigators during the study. The most common drug-related (investigator-assessed) AEs were mild, transient diarrhea (n=15; 14.3%), rash (n=5; 4.7%), nausea (n=9; 8.5%) and headache (n=6; 5.7%). Seven pts (6.6%) had serum creatinine value >33% above BL on two consecutive visits, 3 (2.8%) of whom had creatinine increases above the ULN; there were no progressive increases or renal failure. Eleven (10.5%) pts had an increase in alanine aminotransferase < 5x ULN but no one experience increases ≥ 5x ULN; levels were already elevated in all of them. Conclusions This first multicenter Brazilian study confirms deferasirox efficacy in achieving a reduction of iron load across a wide range of pts with transfusion-related iron overload. It also supports the clinical approach to fixed starting dose of deferasirox based on iron intake from ongoing blood transfusions and current iron burden with subsequent individual dose titration every 3 months according to SF trends and safety markers. Deferasirox was generally well tolerated in pediatric and adult pts with a safety profile consistent with data from previous clinical trials. The availability of deferasirox as a once-daily oral iron chelator would potentially facilitate improved compliance, and thereby reduce morbidity and mortality from iron overload. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.