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Anti-platelet agents or anticoagulants are administered for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) receiving immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) to prevent thrombotic events (TEs). However, there is a discrepancy between current guidelines and clinical practice in thromboprophylaxis and the varied incidence of TEs depending on patient cohort. Therefore, a consensus on the optimal thromboprophylactic strategy is needed. To determine an appropriate strategy for the prevention of TEs in MM patients receiving IMiDs, we performed a retrospective single-institution analysis. In total, 95 MM patients (62% male, median age 65 years, range 30–85 years) from November 2008 to January 2018 were recruited, and 140 cases were analyzed in the medical-record-based study. Thromboprophylactic drugs were given to 69% of patients, anti-platelet agents to 66%, and anticoagulants to 3.0%. Seven TEs (5.0%) and six bleeding events (4.3%) were observed, but no patients died from thrombohemorrhage. The median follow-up period was 184 days (range 21–2224), and the cumulative TE incidence was 1.7% at 3 months, 7.0% at 1 year, and 12.5% at 3 years. Multivariate analysis determined that age > 70 years (p = 0.012) and BMI

Mediastinal gray zone lymphoma (MGZL) is a provisional entity with intermediate features between classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Outcomes for patients with MGZL are reportedly poorer than those for patients with cHL or primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma. Additionally, no standard management guidelines for patients with MGZL are available, primarily due to its recent identification, rarity, and challenges in diagnosis. Although recent several studies have suggested dose-adjusted EPOCH-R (etoposide, doxorubicin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, prednisolone, and rituximab) may improve outcomes in patients with MGZL, numerous patients still suffer from relapsed/refractory MGZL, and the optimal management for such patients remains uncertain. Here, we report the first case of successful treatment of refractory MGZL by tandem high-dose chemotherapy supported by autologous stem cell transplantations (auto-SCTs) and consolidative radiotherapy (RT). To date, the patient remains in CR 33 months after the completion of RT, with no significant complications. This case suggests that tandem auto-SCTs may be a promising therapeutic option for relapsed/refractory MGZL.

A 60-year-old man with chronic hepatitis C was referred to our hospital with significantly elevated total protein and serum IgM (9,500 mg/dl) levels identified via a routine checkup. Blood examination revealed increased serum IgM-monoclonal protein and serum-soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL2R) levels. Computed tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography revealed pulmonary masses, abnormal soft tissue masses surrounding the bilateral kidneys, and thickened mucous membrane of the bladder with high fluorodeoxyglucose uptake. Pathological examination of the pulmonary mass revealed infiltration of medium-sized lymphocytes and plasma cells. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed tumor cells positive for CD138 and IgM, with a low positive rate of Ki-67 expression. Notably, the tumor cell-surrounding lymphocytes were positive for CD20. Although the patient was initially regarded as having Waldenström's macroglobulinemia owing to the significantly increased serum IgM levels, based on positive IgH-MALT1 translocation and negative MYD88 L265P mutation findings, he was further diagnosed with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma). Complete remission was achieved following six cycles of rituximab + CHOP therapy. This study data suggest that analysis of the MYD88 L265P mutation in tumor cells is suitable for accurately diagnosing hematopoietic malignancies with increased IgM monoclonal protein.

Dose intensity (DI) of chemotherapy affects prognosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Myelotoxicity is the major dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of most cytotoxic agents for hematological malignancies, whereas DLT of vincristine (VCR) is mainly neurological toxicity. Although VCR is a key drug and its combination with other cytotoxic agents needs consideration, studies focused on relative DI (RDI) of VCR have not been done before. We retrospectively analyzed 86 cases of DLBCL that received six or more cycles of cyclophosphamide (CPM), doxorubicin (DXR), VCR, prednisolone, and rituximab [R-CHOP] and calculated RDI of each cytotoxic agent to analyze its influence on treatment outcome. The median RDI of CPM, doxorubicin, and VCR was 80.0, 81.7, and 78.4 %, respectively (p = 0.002). The average RDI (ARDI) of these three agents was 80.0 %. The overall survival was significantly worse in the low ARDI (85 %) than in the high ARDI (85 %) group (2-year survival rate 67.2 vs 93.4 %, p = 0.011). The survival rate with low RDI VCR (85 %) was lower than that with high RDI VCR (85 %), even when the remaining two agents had high ARDI (2-year survival rate 74.3 vs 95.8 %, p = 0.047). In conclusion, VCR dose tended to be reduced compared with CPM and DXR in R-CHOP. Lower ARDI of cytotoxic agents and lower RDI of VCR could lead to poor prognosis in the treatment of DLBCL with R-CHOP. We thought these observations should be confirmed in a prospective study.

Although autologous stem cell transplantation can achieve excellent responses in patients with POEMS syndrome, the optimal regimen for peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection is still controversial. We retrospectively investigated the safety and efficacy of 41 PBSC collecting procedures in 37 patients with POEMS syndrome. PBSC mobilization was performed using cyclophosphamide + granulocyte colony–stimulating factor (G-CSF) (CG, n = 14) or G-CSF alone (G, n = 27). Twelve (85.7%) patients in the CG group and all (100%) patients in the G group received induction chemotherapy before PBSC collection. The proportions of good mobilizers (≥2.0 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg) were comparable between the 2 groups (CG versus G: 78.6% versus 70.4%, P = .71). Two (14.3%) patients in the CG group developed severe capillary leak symptoms during the PBSC mobilization period, whereas no patient in the G group experienced severe adverse events. Appropriate induction therapies followed by the G-CSF monotherapy compose an optimal strategy for PBSC collection.

A mixed papillary adenocarcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma (MAcTcc) was discovered in the uterine cervix of a 38-year-old woman. A condylomatous papillary lesion was found in the uterine cervix during a colposcopic study and histopathological examination showed that the tumor was composed of two different neoplastic subtypes. One was an adenocarcinoma (AC) component showing papillary and tubular structure with endocervical and intestinal differentiation; the other was a transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) component showing papillary excrescence mimicking papillary TCC of urothelial origin. To characterize the tumor, an immunohistochemical study of cytokeratins (CK) was performed. The AC component showed immunoreactivities similar to conventional adenocarcinomas: positive immunoreactivity of low-molecular-weight cytokeratins 7, 8 and 19, and negative immunoreactivity of CK20 and high-molecular-weight cytokeratin (34betaE12). The lower epithelial layer of the TCC component showed different immunoreactivity, but the superficial epithelial layer had similar immunohistochemical findings to the AC component. These findings indicate that the TCC component had the cellular character of AC rather than that of TCC or squamous cell carcinomas. This is thought to be the first report of a MAcTcc of the uterine cervix.