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For this study, we investigated comprehensive expression of conjoined genes (CGs) in non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma (B-NHL) cell line KPUM-UH1 by using paired-end RNA sequencing. Furthermore, we analyzed the expression of these transcripts in an additional 21 cell lines, 37 primary samples of various malignancies and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of four normal individuals. Seventeen CGs were detected in KPUM-UH1: CTBS-GNG5, SRP9-EPHX1, RMND5A-ANAPC, OTX1-EHBP1, ATF2-CHN1, PRKAA1-TTC33, LARP1-MRPL22, LOC105379697-BAK1, TIAM2-SCAF8, SPAG1-VPS13B, WBP1L-CNNM2, NARS2-GAB2, CTSC-RAB38, VAMP1-CD27-AS1, LRRC37A2-NSF, UBA2-WTIP and ZNF600-ZNF611. To our knowledge, 10 of these genes have not been previously reported. The various characteristics of the CGs included in- and out-of-frame fusions, chimeras involving non-coding RNA and transcript variants. A finding of note was that LARP1-MRPL2 was characterized as in-frame fusion and was recurrently expressed in B-NHL samples. In this study, variety of CGs was expressed both in malignant and normal cells, some of which might be specific to lymphoma.

Extended post-therapy long-term survival of patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) may also lead to an increase of late adverse events. We retrospectively investigated the frequency and clinical manifestation of second primary malignancy (SPM) after rituximab-containing immunochemotherapy in patients with DLBCL treated at seven institutes belonging to the Kyoto Clinical Hematology Study Group (KOTOSG) from the perspective of the existence of past or synchronous cancer history. In a median follow-up period of 899 days, 69 SPMs were observed in 58 of 809 patients. The most frequent SPM was gastric cancer, followed by lung cancer and colorectal cancer. The cumulative incidence of SPM increased steadily over time and was not significantly influenced by the presence or absence of past or synchronous cancer history. Our study suggests the need for careful attention to SPM in patients with DLBCL in daily practice.

RSK2 is a serine/threonine kinase downstream signaling mediator in the RAS/ERK signaling pathway and may be a therapeutic target in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), an almost incurable disease subtype of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma. In this study, serine‐227 (RSK2Ser227) in the N‐terminal kinase domain (NTKD) of RSK2 was found to be ubiquitously active in five MCL‐derived cell lines and in tumor tissues derived from five MCL patients. BI‐D1870, an inhibitor specific to RSK2‐NTKD, caused RSK2Ser227 dephosphorylation, and thereby, induced dose‐dependent growth inhibition via G2/M cell cycle blockade and apoptosis in four of the five cell lines, while one cell line showed only modest sensitivity. In addition, RSK2 gene knockdown caused growth inhibition in the four BI‐D1870‐sensitive cell lines. Comparative gene expression profiling of the MCL‐derived cell lines showed that inhibition of RSK2Ser227 by BI‐D1870 caused downregulation of oncogenes, such as c‐MYC and MYB; anti‐apoptosis genes, such as BCL2 and BCL2L1; genes for B cell development, including IKZF1, IKZF3, and PAX5; and genes constituting the B cell receptor signaling pathway, such as CD19, CD79B, and BLNK. These findings show that targeting of RSK2Ser227 enables concomitant blockade of pathways that are critically important in B cell tumorigenesis. In addition, we found favorable combinatory growth inhibitory effects of BI‐D1870 with inhibitors of BTK (ibrutinib), AKT (ipatasertib), and BCL2 (venetoclax) in cell characteristic‐dependent manners. These results provide a rationale for RSK2Ser227 in the NTKD as a potential therapeutic target in MCL and for future development of a novel bioavailable RSK2 NTKD‐specific inhibitor., RSK2Ser227 in the N‐terminal kinase domain (NTKD) of RSK2 was found to be ubiquitously active in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). RSK2 concomitantly regulates series of genes involved in oncogenesis, apoptosis, B cell development, and B cell receptor signaling. RSK2Ser227 in the NTKD is a potential therapeutic target in MCL.

An increase in immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) is associated with disease progression and treatment resistance in multiple myeloma (MM). We investigated the mechanisms underlying MDSC induction, and sought to discover a strategy for prevention of MDSC induction in MM. Using a transwell co-culture system, four of nine examined human myeloma-derived cell lines (HMCLs) were potent in inducing monocytic (M)-MDSCs from normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). As the results, we identified that secretion of C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) by myeloma cells is a prerequisite for induction of MDSCs in MM. The immunomodulatory drug (IMiD) compounds, such as lenalidomide (LEN) and pomalidomide (POM), were identified as potent inhibitors of MDSC induction through bidirectional molecular effects of cereblon (CRBN)-dependent and -independent downregulation of CCL5 and MIF in myeloma cells; and downregulation of C-C motif chemokine receptor 5, a receptor for CCL5, and induction of interferon regulatory factor 8, a critical transcription factor for monocytic differentiation, in PBMCs. In the present study of the molecular mechanisms underlying MDSC induction, we identified a novel effect of LEN and POM of inhibiting MDSC induction via overlapping regulatory effects in myeloma cells and normal PBMCs.

Ruxolitinib is a selective JAK1/2 inhibitor that is widely used for the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), including myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera (PV). Despite its clinical efficacy for MPNs, ruxolitinib possesses immunosuppressive properties that potentially increase the risks for opportunistic infection, such as mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection, and reactivation of occult viral infection. Herein, we report the case of a 76-year-old male with PV who developed tuberculosis peritonitis under ruxolitinib therapy for 28 weeks. While previous studies and case reports have suggested an increased risk of MTB infection of various organs during ruxolitinib treatment of MPNs, this case is apparently the first of tuberculosis peritonitis in a patient with MPN treated with ruxolitinib. A review of previous case reports suggests the need for careful observation for MTB from the relatively early phase of ruxolitinib treatment, given that the median duration from the start of ruxolitinib treatment to the emergence of MTB was 20 weeks (range: 3-88 weeks). Clinicians should consider tuberculosis peritonitis as a differential diagnosis when patients with MPN treated with ruxolitinib develop infectious abdominal symptoms.

Summary Background BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are commonly initiated in older patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia in the chronic phase at standard doses. However, because of their safety profile in this population, appropriate therapy has not been established. We aimed to investigate whether a lower than standard dose of dasatinib was an appropriate therapy for older patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia in the chronic phase. Methods DAsatinib, Very Low-dose, for Elderly CML-CP patients (DAVLEC) was a multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trial done in 25 Japanese hospitals. We enrolled patients older than 70 years with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukaemia in the chronic phase, ECOG performance status 0–2, and no previous treatment for CML other than hydroxyurea within 4 weeks. Second-generation TKI dasatinib was given orally at a starting dose of 20% of the standard dose (20 mg/day). If the treatment was assessed as optimal response at 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months and adverse events were grade 2 or better (according to the NCI Common Toxicity Criteria v 4.0), the same dose was continued. If response was suboptimal and adverse events were grade 2 or better, the dose was increased by 20 mg/day. Once a dose reduction had been made because of a grade 3 or worse adverse event, there were no further dose increases. Treatment was discontinued if assessed as failure (disease progression to the accelerated phase or acute phase). The primary endpoint was the achievement of major molecular response at 12 months, assessed using a per-protocol analysis. This trial is registered at with the UMIN clinical trial registry, UMIN000024548, and has completed its planned observation period. Findings Between Nov 1, 2016, and Oct 30, 2019, 52 patients received first-line dasatinib therapy at 20 mg/day. The median age at diagnosis was 77·5 years (73·5–83·0). 35 (67%) patients were male and 17 (33%) were female. 31 (60%) of 52 patients reached major molecular response at 12 months (one-sided 95% CI 48–71), with a median follow-up of 366 days (IQR 353–372). Grade 3–4 adverse events were reported in 12 (23%) patients. Neutropenia was the most frequent grade 3–4 adverse event, occurring in three (6%) patients. No treatment-related deaths were observed. Interpretation Low-dose dasatinib at 20mg/day is worthy of consideration as a starting dose for older patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukaemia in the chronic phase. However, this dose needs to be further studied in a larger cohort and with a more ethnically diverse population. Funding Bristol-Myers Squibb.

This multicenter phase II study (UMIN000008145) aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of six cycles of combination therapy (RBD) comprising rituximab, bendamustine, and dexamethasone (DEX) for relapsed or refractory (RR) indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Although the initial study protocol comprised 20 mg/body DEX on days 1 and 2, and 10 mg/body on days 3-5 [high-dose (HD-) DEX group], the dose of DEX was later decreased to 8 mg/body on days 1 and 2 [low-dose (LD-) DEX group] due to frequent cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia and recurrent retinitis. We enrolled 33 patients, and LD-DEX and HD-DEX were administered in 15 and 18 patients, respectively. The overall response and the 3-year progression-free survival rates were 88% and 75.5%, respectively. The leading adverse event was myelosuppression. Incidence of grade 3-4 leukocytopenia, neutropenia, and lymphocytopenia was 55%, 67%, and 91%, respectively. The most frequent nonhematological adverse events were CMV antigenemia and rash (33% and 30%, respectively). Incidence of CMV antigenemia over 10/100,000 white blood cells was significantly lower with LD-DEX than that with HD-DEX (P = 0.0127). In conclusion, RBD showed significant effectiveness for RR indolent B-NHL and MCL.

Background Combinatory strategies with carfilzomib (CFZ), a second‐generation proteasome inhibitor, plus dexamethasone (DEX) with or without lenalidomide (LEN) have shown promising efficacy for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in pivotal clinical trials. However, their effects on patients who were resistance to bortezomib (BTZ) and/or LEN have not been fully evaluated in a daily practice setting. Aims To evaluate the real‐world efficacy and safety of CFZ‐based treatments; that is, CFZ with LEN plus DEX (KRD therapy) and CFZ with DEX (KD therapy), in Asian patients, we conducted a multicenter pilot prospective observational study in the Kyoto Clinical Hematology Study Group. Methods and Results All 50 patients with RRMM enrolled in this study were treated with CFZ‐based treatments between 2017 and 2019. KRD and KD were administered to 31 and 19 patients, respectively. The overall response rates (ORRs) were 80.6% with KRD and 73.7% with KD. Two‐year progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 58.5% and 79.7% with KRD, and 23.1% and 52.6% with KD. By multivariate analysis, refractoriness to BTZ and to LEN were identified as independent unfavorable factors for both PFS and OS. The common non‐hematologic AEs included hypertension (42.0%), fever (24.0%), fatigue (24.0%), and infection (16.0%). No serious heart failure was observed. This study is registered as UMIN000025108. Conclusion This study suggests the need of the development of novel CFZ‐containing strategy which can overcome the refractoriness to BTZ and/or LEN, while both KRD and KD were shown to be mostly feasible in Asian patients in a daily practice setting.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is cytogenetically, genetically and molecularly heterogenous even among subclones in one patient, therefore, it is essential to identify both frequent and patient-specific drivers of molecular abnormality. Following previous molecular investigations, we in this study investigated the expression patterns and function of the Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1 (EWSR1) gene in MM. The EWSR1 transcriptional level in CD138-positive myeloma cells was higher in 36.4% of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, in 67.4% of MM patients compared with normal plasma cells, and significantly higher in ten human myeloma-derived cell lines (HMCLs) examined. EWSR1 gene knockdown caused growth inhibition with an increase of apoptotic cells in NCI-H929 and KMS-12-BM cells. Gene expression profiling using microarray analysis suggested EWSR1 gene knockdown caused transcriptional modulation of several genes associated with processes such as cell proliferation, cell motility, cell metabolism, and gene expression. Of particular, EWSR1 gene knockdown caused upregulation of let-7c and downregulation of its known targets K-RAS and AKT. Finally, our analysis using community database suggested that high EWSR1 expression positively associates with poor prognosis and advanced disease stage in MM. These findings suggest that EWSR1 overexpression is a pro-oncogenic molecular abnormality that may participate in MM progression.

Primary infection with human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) commonly occurs at an early age in children, most often at 3 years of age, and is associated with childhood diseases, such as exanthema subitum, hepatitis, febrile convulsions, or encephalitis. However, the virus occasionally reactivates from its latent state in immunosuppressed adults, especially post-transplant, resulting in serious disseminated, sometimes life-threatening end-organ complications. Herein, we report a case of a 68-year-old man with relapsed follicular lymphoma who developed HHV-6 pneumonitis. Eighteen months after achieving second complete remission by salvage immunochemotherapy with rituximab, the patient was complicated by pneumonia, with chest computed tomography finding showing disseminated nodular shadows with ground-glass opacity in both lungs. While empiric antibiotic and antifungal therapies did not improve the pneumonia, polymerase chain reaction–based viral screening tests on his bronchoalveolar lavage fluid detected the presence of HHV-6 DNA, and ganciclovir treatment quickly resolved the pneumonia, indicating that he suffered from HHV-6 pneumonitis. He had no other HHV-6–related end-organ damage, such as encephalitis. This case suggests that, although extremely rare, HHV-6 reactivation should be considered as one of the candidate pathogens for pulmonary complications of uncertain etiology in patients who have been treated with intensive immunosuppressive chemotherapy, even without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Furthermore, polymerase chain reaction–based viral screening testing on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid is a powerful diagnostic tool for pneumonitis due to viral reactivation, including HHV-6 reactivation.

Diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), which is the most prevalent disease subtype of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma, is highly heterogeneous in terms of cytogenetic and molecular features. This study retrospectively investigated the clinical impact of G‐banding‐defined chromosomal abnormality on treatment outcomes of DLBCL in the era of rituximab‐containing immunochemotherapy. Of 181 patients who were diagnosed with DLBCL and treated with R‐CHOP or an R‐CHOP‐like regimen between January 2006 and April 2014, metaphase spreads were evaluable for G‐banding in 120. In these 120 patients, 40 were found to harbor a single chromosomal aberration type; 63 showed chromosomal abnormality variations (CAVs), which are defined by the presence of different types of chromosomal abnormalities in G‐banding, including 19 with two CAVs and 44 with ≥3 CAVs; and 17 had normal karyotypes. No specific chromosomal break point or numerical abnormality was associated with overall survival (OS) or progression‐free survival (PFS), but the presence of ≥3 CAVs was significantly associated with inferior OS rates (hazard ratio (HR): 2.222, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.056–4.677, P = 0.031) and tended to be associated with shorter PFS (HR: 1.796, 95% CI: 0.965–3.344, P = 0.061). In addition, ≥3 CAVs more frequently accumulated in high‐risk patients, as defined by several conventional prognostic indices, such as the revised International Prognostic Index. In conclusion, our results suggest that the emergence of more CAVs, especially ≥3, based on chromosomal instability underlies the development of high‐risk disease features and a poor prognosis in DLBCL.

Introduction: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) dramatically improved the prognosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), as nearly half of CML patients presenting with a deep molecular response (DMR) over several years could achieve treatment-free remission. DASISION study reported dasatinib (DAS), a second-generation TKI was superior to imatinib to achieve faster and deeper response in treating newly-diagnosed chronic CML. However, standard initial dosage of 100 mg DAS/day might be too potent for patients aged >70 years with CML, possibly owing to the presence of other health conditions that threaten the life spans (e.g., lung and cardiovascular disease), thereby preventing TKI continuation. In this open-label, multicenter, single-arm, phase 2 study (DAVLEC), we evaluated the efficacy and safety of a reduced initial dose of DAS (20 mg/day) in the elderly with chronic CML. Patients and Methods: We included CML patients aged >70 years with an ECOG performance status of 0-2 and adequate organ function. After diagnosis, they began orally taking 20 mg of DAS per day. BCR-ABL mRNA values were measured and aligned to an international scale at a central laboratory to evaluate the drug's efficacy at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo of therapy, per recommendations by European LeukemiaNet. The dosage was maintained in case of the optimal, increased by 20 mg/day when the warning appeared and could be decreased when an adverse event (AE) > grade 3 appeared. Patients were excluded if the respond was the failure or disease progression was detected. Primary endpoint was the cumulative major molecular response (MMR) rate at 12 mo. Secondary endpoints included the rates of the cumulative DMR, treatment discontinuation due to AEs, and failure to DAS treatment or disease progression. The non-inferiority of primary endpoint MMR (non-inferiority limit of 38%) was evaluated by binomial test with normal approximation. Other differences were investigated by Mann-Whitney tests, with p < 0.05 indicating significance. Results: Among the 56 patients enrolled from 25 centers, 4 declined participation, and so 52 (median age, 77.5 years) began taking 20 mg/day of DAS. In total, 73.1% of the patients had comorbidities. Median BCR-ABL values at 3, 6, and 12 mo were 1.47%, 0.23%, and 0.03%, respectively; cumulative MMR rate at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo were 11.5%, 36.5%, 40.4%, and 59.6%, respectively. Calculated MMR at 12 mo was higher than 38%, a value selected based upon findings from the DASISION trial, accounting for a non-inferiority margin of 10% (p=0.047). At 12 mo, among the 31 patients achieving MMR, 23 were only given 20 mg DAS/day, and 14 and 7 respectively achieved MR4.0 and 4.5. Patients discontinued the study due to treatment failure (n=3), content withdrawal (n=2), drug-related AEs (Long QT Syndrome; n=1), or others (n=2). No patient discontinued it due to disease progression. Treatment-related AEs of all grades were noted in 96.2%and that of grade 3 or 4 events in 23.1% of the patients. Median dose interruptions for a median of 7 days (range: 5-36) were respectively noted in 3 and 2 patients due to hematological and non-hematological AEs. Furthermore, 4 patients experienced pleural effusion < grade 2, and 1 had lymphocytosis. Patients who achieved MMR at 12 mo (n=31) had a significantly lower BCR-ABL value at 3 mo (0.41% vs. 4.26%, p=0.0020) and a lower halving time from diagnosis to 3 mo (11.35 vs. 18.34 days, p=0.0050) than those who did not (n=21). Patients who achieved MMR by 12 mo with only 20 mg/day of DAS (n=23) had lower BCR-ABL values at 1 and 3 mo (25.51 vs. 63.63 %, p=0.00028; 0.33 vs. 5.89%, p Patients who achieved MMR at 12 mo (n=31) had higher plasma DAS concentration (23.5 vs. 8.0 ng/mL, p Conclusion: This study discovered that prescribing a starting very-low dose DAS (20 mg/day) while monitoring IS and AEs was a successful initial therapeutic strategy for the elderly with chronic CML comparable to previous studies using standard-dose. Notably, rapid BCR-ABL downregulation, early molecular responses at 1 and 3 mo, a shortened halving time from diagnosis to 3 mo, and sufficient increase in plasma DAS concentrations 2 h post-intake after 12 mo of treatment were key indicators for successful low-dose therapy. Disclosures Kumagai: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Murai: Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Novartis Pharma: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; CHUGAI Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; TAKEDA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED.: Honoraria; ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Honoraria; Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation.: Honoraria. Tanaka: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Nishiwaki: Kyowa-Kirin: Research Funding; Alexion: Honoraria. Inokuchi: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding. Yoshida: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis KK,: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical.: Honoraria; AbbVie GK: Honoraria; Janssen Pharmaceutical KK: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria. Uoshima: Janssen: Honoraria; Eisai: Honoraria. Usuki: MSD K.K.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Eisai Co., Ltd.: Speakers Bureau; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Kyowa-Kirin Co., Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Nippon-Shinyaku Co., Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen-Astellas Biopharma K.K.: Research Funding; Mundipharma K.K.: Research Funding; Nippon-Boehringer-Ingelheim Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene K.K.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.: Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis Pharma K.K.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sumitomo-Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; SymBio Pharmaceuticals Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Gilead Sciences, Inc.: Research Funding; AbbVie GK: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; PharmaEssentia Japan KK: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers-Squibb K.K.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding; Incyte Biosciences Japan G.K.: Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi K.K.: Speakers Bureau; Amgen K.K.: Research Funding. Kuroda: Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Ono Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sysmex: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Fujimoto Pharmaceutical: Current Employment, Honoraria, Research Funding; Taiho Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Asahi Kasei: Research Funding; Shionogi: Research Funding; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K: Consultancy; Bristol-MyersSquibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin: Honoraria, Research Funding. Ono: Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis Pharma KK: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED.: Honoraria; Mundipharma K.K.: Honoraria; TAIHO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Research Funding; Merck Sharp & Dohme: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Honoraria; Eisai Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.: Honoraria; ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding. Fujimaki: CSL Behring K.K.: Honoraria; Mundipharma K.K.: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited: Honoraria; Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Janssen Pharmaceutical KK: Honoraria; AbbVie GK: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Novartis KK: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical.: Honoraria. Shibayama: Chugai: Research Funding; Eizai: Speakers Bureau; Nippon Shinyaku: Speakers Bureau; Kyowa Kirin: Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Ono: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Speakers Bureau; Mundi Pharma: Speakers Bureau; Otsuka: Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; AstraZeneca: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau. Kondo: Abbvie: Honoraria; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis Pharma KK: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company: Honoraria; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma: Honoraria; Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho CO.,LTD: Consultancy; Pfizer: Honoraria. Minami: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company: Honoraria; Novartis Pharma KK: Honoraria; Pfizer Japan Inc.: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria; Ono: Research Funding; CMIC: Research Funding. Kimura: Eisai: Speakers Bureau; Kyowa-Kirin: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; PharmaEssentia: Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Speakers Bureau; Sanifi: Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Research Funding; Nippon-Boehringer-Ingelheim: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sumitomo-Dainippon: Research Funding; Chugai: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Mundi: Research Funding; Yakult: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Ono: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; SymBio: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi-Sankyo: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Research Funding; Astellas-Amgen-Biopharma: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Nippon-Shinyaku: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Research Funding; Alexion: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Ohara Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Apellis: Research Funding.

Cytogenetic/molecular heterogeneity is the hallmark of multiple myeloma (MM). However, we recently showed that the serine/threonine kinase PDPK1 and its substrate RPS6KA3 (also termed RSK2) are universally active in MM, and play pivotal roles in myeloma pathophysiology. In this study, we assessed involvement of aberrant miR-375 repression in PDPK1 overexpression in MM. An analysis of plasma cells from 30 pre-malignant monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance and 73 MM patients showed a significant decrease in miR-375 expression in patient-derived plasma cells regardless of the clinical stage, compared to normal plasma cells. Introduction of miR-375 reduced PDPK1 expression in human myeloma cell lines (HMCLs), indicating that miR-375 is the dominant regulator of PDPK1 expression. In addition, miR-375 introduction also downregulated IGF1R and JAK2 in HMCLs. CpG islands in the MIR375 promoter were pathologically hypermethylated in all 8 HMCLs examined and in most of 58 patient-derived myeloma cells. Treatment with SGI-110, a hypomethylating agent, and/or trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, increased miR-375 expression, but repressed PDPK1, IGF1R and JAK2 in HMCLs. Collectively, these results show the universal involvement of overlapping epigenetic dysregulation for abnormal miR-375 repression in MM, which is likely to contribute to myelomagenesis and to subsequent myeloma progression by activating oncogenic signalling pathways.

Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) of the uterus is rare, and the etiology, pathophysiology and cytogenetic features remain unknown at present. The present study reports a case of a 71-year-old female with EMZL of the uterine cervix that was 80 mm in diameter and invaded directly into the rectal serosa. Complete remission was successfully induced by 6 courses of immunochemotherapy with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone. Although the metaphase spread of the tumor cells was unavailable for whole cytogenetic analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) detected triple signals for MALT1 and B-cell lymphoma 2, located at chromosome 18q21, and the centromere of chromosome 18, which was suggestive of trisomy 18, and in combination with previous studies, suggested a possible association between trisomy 18 and the large tumor at initial presentation in the present patient. In addition, FISH examination detected immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement, although the translocation partner was unconfirmed. A total of 18 previously-studied patients with EMZL of the uterus, including that of the present study, were reviewed with respect to their clinical features and treatment and cytogenetic abnormality. In the evaluation of the English scientific literature, this is the first reported patient with EMZL of the uterus with partly determined cytogenetic abnormalities.

Background Since bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) facilitates the transcription of genes important for neoplastic cells in a cancer-type specific manner, BRD4-regulated molecules may also include therapeutic targets for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a treatment-refractory subtype of malignant lymphoma. Materials and methods In order to uncover direct BRD4-regulated targets in MCL, we performed integrated analysis using the pathway database and the results of both gene-expression profiling and chromatin immunoprecipitation with parallel sequencing for BRD4. Results Treatment with BRD4 inhibitor I-BET151 exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on cell proliferation in MCL cell lines. BRD4 was found to directly regulate series of genes involved in the B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway, including B-cell linker (BLNK), paired box 5 (PAX5), and IKAROS family zinc finger 3 (IKZF3), and several oncogenes, such as MYB. Indeed, the combinatory inhibition of BCR pathway and IKZF showed an additive antitumor effect. Conclusion Concomitant targeting multiple BRD4-regulated molecules may constitute a rational therapeutic strategy for MCL.

Imatinib mesylate (IM) is a first generation ATP-competitive selective inhibitor for tyrosine kinases (TK) such as ABL, ARG, PDGFRα and b, and c-KIT.[1][1] While use of IM has markedly improved treatment outcomes of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive leukemias, including chronic myeloid leukemia

Background: Acute graft-vs-host disease (aGVHD) is a common complication of allogenic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and skin is the most common and often the 1st site at which aGVHD develops. Cutaneous aGVHD is usually treated with oral and/or topical corticosteroids as the 1st-line treatment; however, steroid-refractory aGVHD not only impairs patients’ quality of life but also causes significant morbidity and mortality after allo-HSCT. Narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy has been utilized for a wide range of immunologic inflammatory skin diseases, but there is limited information on the efficacy, safety, and biomarkers for response prediction of NB-UVB for cutaneous aGVHD. Aims: The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of NB-UVB phototherapy for steroid-refractory cutaneous aGVHD. Patients and methods: A total of 40 subjects aged from 16 to 70 years with steroid-refractory cutaneous aGVHD after allo-HSCT will be included in the trial. Patients with worse than stage 2 intestine/liver aGVHD will be excluded. Eligible patients will undergo NB-UVB phototherapy until resolution or further worsening of rash or occurrence of an unmanageable adverse event. The primary endpoint is the overall response rate. The secondary outcomes include rates for complete response, partial response, stable disease, progressive disease, duration of response, sparing effect on calcineurin inhibitors and/or corticosteroids, safety, and predictive biomarkers for treatment response. Ethics and dissemination: The protocol has been approved by the institutional Clinical Research Review Board of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. Written informed consent will be obtained from all patients before registration, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Results of the study will be disseminated via publications in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration: Trial registration numbers UMIN000032426 and jRCTs052180005.

Expression of intragenic exon rearrangements (IERs) has reportedly been detected in both normal and cancer cells. However, there have been few reports of occurrence of these rearrangements specific to neoplasms including malignant lymphoma. In this study, we detected IERs of ten genes (NBPF8, SOBP, AUTS2, RAB21, SPATA13, ABCC4, WDR7, PHLPP1, NFATC1 and MAGED1) in non-Hodgkin B cell lymphoma (B-NHL) cell line KPUM-UH1 using a high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism array and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using reversely directed divergent primers within exons involved in genomic intragenic gains followed by sequencing analysis. Among them, the IERs involved in SOBP (6q21) exon 2 and 3 and AUTS2 (7q11.22) exon 2–4 were the molecular lesions specific to tumors and were frequently detected in B-NHL samples. These IERs constitute novel genetic alterations of B-NHL, which might be associated with tumorigenesis and be useful as genetic biological markers.

A 62-year-old man exhibiting nasal obstruction and glomerulonephritis with proteinase 3-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (PR3-ANCAs) was diagnosed with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKL) with infiltration of neutrophils with apoptosis. Chemoradiotherapy reduced the tumor, improved the renal function, and decreased the PR3-ANCA levels. ANCA-positivity is observed in immunoinsufficient diseases, in which neutrophils lead to apoptosis and translocate intracellular granules, such as PR3, to the cell surface, triggering the production of ANCAs. In our case, the PR3-ANCA production was derived from the expression of PR3 on the cell surface of apoptotic neutrophils. This is the first report on ENKL describing the mechanism of ANCA development.

Disease-specific cytogenetic abnormalities involving BCL2 gene rearrangement frequently co-exist with other cytogenetic abnormalities, contributing to disease progression in follicular lymphoma (FL). In the present study, we retrospectively investigated the prognostic impact of BCL2-unrelated cytogenetic abnormalities in FL. Of 139 consecutively diagnosed patients with FL at two independent institutes, metaphase spreads of tumor cells were obtained for use in G-banding analysis in 77 patients. The recurrent additional cytogenetic abnormalities included chromosome gains +5 (n = 8), +7 (n = 16), +12 (n = 10), and +X (n = 12), and losses -8 (n = 7), -13 (n = 12) -15 (n = 7), and 6q- (n = 7). While -15 was associated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS) in all 77 analyzed patients with evaluable G-banding results (p = 0.04), this negative impact was not evident in 42 patients treated using an R-CHOP-like regimen as first-line treatment. By contrast, 6q- was predictive for shorter PFS in patients who were initially treated with R-CHOP-like regimens without maintenance therapy (p

Several novel fusion transcripts were identified by next-generation sequencing in gastric cancer; however, the breakpoint junctions have yet to be characterized. The present study characterized a plethora of APIP-FGFR2 genomic breakpoints in the SNU-16 gastric cancer cell line, which harbored homogeneously staining regions (hsrs) and double minute chromosomes. Oligonucleotide microarrays revealed high-level amplifications at chromosomes 8q24.1 (0.8 Mb region), 10q26 (1.1 Mb) and 11p13 (1.1 Mb). These amplicons contained MYC and PVT1 at chromosome 8q24.1, BRWD2, FGFR2 and ATE1 at chromosome 10q26, and 24 genes, including APIP, CD44, RAG1 and RAG2, at chromosome 11p13. Based on these findings, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using various candidate gene primers to detect possible fusion transcripts, and several products using primer sets for the APIP and FGFR2 genes were detected. Eventually, three in-frame and two out-of-frame fusion transcripts were detected. Notably, PCR analysis of the entire genomic DNA detected three distinct genomic junctions. The breakpoints were within intron 5 of APIP, which contained three distinct breakpoints, and introns 5, 7 and 9 of FGFR2. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed several fusion signals within hsrs using two short probes (~10-kb segments of a bacterial artificial chromosome clone) containing exons 2-5 of APIP or exons 11-13 of FGFR2. Although, for any given fusion, a multiplicity of transcripts is thought to be created by alternative splicing of one rearranged allele, the results of the present study suggested that genomic fusions of APIP and FGFR2 are generated in hsrs with a diversity of breakpoints that are then faithfully transcribed.

Chromosome instability (CIN), the hallmarks of cancer, reflects ongoing chromosomal changes caused by chromosome segregation errors and results in whole chromosomal or segmental aneuploidy. In multiple myeloma (MM), CIN contributes to the acquisition of tumor heterogeneity, and thereby, to disease progression, drug resistance, and eventual treatment failure, however, the underlying mechanism of CIN in MM remains unclear. Faithful chromosomal segregation is tightly regulated by a series of mitotic checkpoint proteins, such as budding uninhibited by benzimidazoles 1 (BUB1). In this study, we found that BUB1 was overexpressed in patient-derived myeloma cells, and BUB1 expression was significantly higher in patients in an advanced stage compared to those in an early stage. This suggested the involvement of aberrant BUB1 overexpression in disease progression. In human myeloma-derived cell lines (HMCLs), BUB1 knockdown reduced the frequency of chromosome segregation errors in mitotic cells. In line with this, partial knockdown of BUB1 showed reduced variations in chromosome number compared to parent cells in HMCLs. Finally, BUB1 overexpression was found to promote the clonogenic potency of HMCLs. Collectively, these results suggested that enhanced BUB1 expression caused an increase in mitotic segregation errors and the resultant emergence of subclones with altered chromosome numbers and, thus, was involved in CIN in MM.

The combinations of melphalan, bortezomib, and prednisolone (VMP) and of lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) are standard treatment strategies for transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). To make the most of these two strategies, we investigated the efficacy and feasibility of first-line treatment with 4 cycles of VMP followed by continuous Rd therapy in a multi-institutional phase 2 study in Japanese patients with transplant-ineligible NDMM. Thirty-six patients of median age 74 years old with NDMM initially received 35-day cycles of VMP: oral melphalan (6 mg/m2) and prednisolone (60 mg/m2) on days 1 to 4 and bortezomib (1.3 mg/m2) on days 1, 8, 15, and 22. After 4 cycles of VMP, treatment was switched to 28-day cycles of Rd, which was continued until disease progression or emergence of an unacceptable adverse event (AE) in 33 patients, while one patient who achieved CR after VMP continued VMP at the physician's discretion. The overall response rates after VMP and after Rd were 66.7% and 86.1%, including CR rates of 5.6% and 36.1%, respectively. In a median follow-up period of 34.3 months, the progression-free survival and overall survival rates at 3 years were 43.2% and 81.3%, respectively. Grade 3-4 hematological AEs included neutropenia (39% with VMP and 24% with Rd) and thrombocytopenia (11% with VMP and 3% with Rd). There was no death due to an AE. In conclusion, sequential therapy with VMP followed by Rd is effective and mostly feasible for transplant-ineligible NDMM. The study is registered as UMIN000034815.

Cyclin D1 (CCND1) overexpression is an early and unifying oncogenic event in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and multiple myeloma (MM) with chromosome 11q13 abnormalities. Herein, we report newly discovered transcript variants of the CCND1 gene in MCL and MM cells with chromosome 11q13 abnormalities. These transcript variants, designated CCND1.tv., covered the full-length coding region of CCND1 with longer 5'-untranslated regions (5'-UTRs) of CCND1 and occasionally contained a novel exon. CCND1.tv. was specifically detectable in patient-derived primary MCL or MM cells with chromosomal translocation t(11;14)(q13;q32), but not in t(11;14)-negative cells. The lengths of the 5'-UTR sequences of CCND1.tv. differed among patients and cell lines. Introduction of CCND1.tv. led to increased expression of normal-sized CCND1 protein in HEK293 cells. Furthermore, mTOR inhibition by rapamycin or serum starvation reduced ectopic expression of CCND1.tv.-derived CCND1 protein, but not 5'-UTR less CCND1-derived CCND1 protein in HEK293 cells, suggesting that the protein expression of CCND1.tv. is regulated by the mTOR pathway. Our results suggest that the aberrant expression of CCND1.tv. may contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of MCL and MM with 11q13 abnormalities.

Chromosomal microdeletions frequently cause loss of prognostically relevant tumor suppressor genes in hematologic malignancies; however, detection of minute deletions by conventional methods for chromosomal analysis, such as G-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), is difficult due to their low resolution. Here, we describe a new diagnostic modality that enables detection of chromosomal microdeletions, using CDKN2A gene deletion in B cell lymphomas (BCLs) as an example. In this method, which we refer to as amplified-FISH (AM-FISH), a 31-kb fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated DNA probe encoding only CDKN2A was first hybridized with the chromosome, and then labeled with Alexa Fluor 488-conjugated anti-FITC secondary antibody to increase sensitivity. CDKN2A signals were equally identifiable by AM-FISH and conventional FISH in normal mononuclear blood cells. In contrast, when two BCL cell lines lacking CDKN2A were analyzed, CDKN2A signals were not detected by AM-FISH, whereas conventional FISH yielded false signals. Furthermore, AM-FISH detected CDKN2A deletions in two BCL patients with 9p21 microdeletions, which were not detected by conventional FISH. These results suggest that AM-FISH is a highly sensitive, specific, and simple method for diagnosis of chromosomal microdeletions.

An individual with a twin who has developed leukemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has an increased risk of developing the same disease, particularly with monozygotic twins. The few reported pairs of twins who developed NHL had similar primary sites and pathological subtypes. Here, we present the first reported cases of primary conjunctival NHL in both female monozygotic twins. Twin 1 was diagnosed with an extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL; Ann Arbor stage IE) in the right conjunctiva at 25 years old and a subsequent tumor in the left conjunctiva at 39 years, and was also histopathologically diagnosed as EMZL. No infiltration of other organs was detected and both lesions were surgically excised. At the age of 40 years, Twin 2 was diagnosed with an EMZL (Ann Arbor stage IE) in the right conjunctiva without infiltration of other organs and was treated with external beam radiation therapy rather than surgery. Complete remission was achieved in both twins; neither developed conjunctival recurrences. This study highlights the importance of examining the other, apparently healthy twin when one twin develops conjunctival lymphoma.

We retrospectively analyzed efficacy and safety of therapy with rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) in combination with cyclosporine A (CsA) in 30 Japanese adult patients with acquired aplastic anemia (AA) in the Kyoto Clinical Hematology Study Group. The median observation period was 31 months and the median age of the patients was 54 years. The objective response rates (ORRs) to rATG plus CsA increased over time until 18 months after the start of treatment; the rate of achievement of better than partial response at 18 months was 66.7%. The 2-year overall survival (OS) rate was 79% in all patients. In eight patients aged ≥ 75 years old, the ORR was 62.5% and the 2-year OS rate of 50% was not significantly inferior to that in patients aged ≤ 74 years old. The overall mortality rate was 16.7% in our cohort, while the mortality rate in patients aged ≥ 75 years old was 37.5%, which was higher than that in patients aged ≤ 74 years old (9.1%), although the difference was not statistically significant. Collectively, rATG combined with CsA is an effective and feasible treatment for AA, while patients should be appropriately selected.

Despite the recent therapeutic progress, the prognoses of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) that concomitantly overexpress c-MYC and BCL2, i.e., double hit lymphoma (DHL) and double expressing lymphoma (DEL), remain poor. This study examined triple targeting of c-MYC, BCL2 and the B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway for DHL and DEL. We first used AZD5153, a novel bivalent inhibitor for bromodomain-containing 4 (BRD4), in DHL- and DEL-derived cell lines, because BRD4 regulates disease type-oriented key molecules for oncogenesis. AZD5153 was more effective than conventional monovalent BRD4 inhibitors, JQ1 and I-BET151, in inhibiting cell proliferation of a DHL-derived cell line and two DEL-derived cell lines, with at least 10-fold lower half growth inhibitory concentrations. AZD5153 caused G1/S cell cycle blockade, while the apoptosis-inducing effect was relatively modest. At the molecular level, AZD5153 was potent in downregulating various molecules for oncogenesis, such as c-MYC, AKT2 and MAP3K; those involved in the BCR signaling pathway, such as CD19, BLNK and CD79B; and those associated with B-cell development, such as IKZF1, IKZF3, PAX5, POU2AF1 and EBF1. In contrast, AZD5153 did not decrease anti-apoptotic BCL2 proteins, and did not activate pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins, except BAD. To augment cell death induction, we added a novel BH3-mimicking BCL2 inhibitor AZD4320 to AZD5153, and found that these two agents had a mostly synergistic antitumor effect by increasing cells undergoing apoptosis in all three cell lines. These results provide a rationale for dual targeting of BRD4 and BCL2 using AZD5153 and AZD4320 as a therapeutic strategy against DHL and DEL.

Background/Aim: Bendamustine hydrochloride (BH) is a key therapeutic agent for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), while the mechanism underlying BH-resistance has not been verified. Materials and Methods: We compared molecular/biological characteristics of a newly-generated MCL-derived cell line KPUM-YY1 and its BH-resistant subline KPUM-YY1R. Results: The growth-inhibitory IC50 for BH was 20 μM in KPUM-YY1 cells, while cell proliferation was not inhibited by up to 60 μM BH in KPUM-YY1R cells. Compared to KPUM-YY1 cells, gene expression profiling in KPUM-YY1R cells revealed up-regulation of 312 genes, including ABCB1 encoding P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and microsomal glutathione S-transferase 1 (MGST1). Addition of either a P-gp inhibitor or a GST inhibitor, at least partly, restored sensitivity to BH in KPUM-YY1R cells. In addition, KPUM-YY1R cells showed cross-resistance against various anti-MCL chemotherapeutics. Conclusion: BH resistance is mediated by overlapping mechanisms with overexpression of ABCB1 and MGST1, and is potentially accompanied by multidrug resistance in MCL.

We herein report a rare case of Burkitt lymphoma (BL) preceded by autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) caused by autoantibodies against D antigen. After a partial response to AIHA with prednisolone (PSL) treatment for 7 months, the patient developed BL with a t(8;22)(q24;q11.2) chromosomal translocation. Intensive immunochemotherapy, including rituximab, led to a complete response (CR) of BL; however, anti-D antibody remained detectable in the plasma and antibody-dissociated solution from erythrocytes, thus continuous therapy with PSL was necessary even after achievement of the CR. BL with AIHA is extremely rare, with only one previously reported case in the literature.

The deleted in colorectal carcinoma (DCC) gene at 18q21 encodes a netrin-1 receptor, a tumor suppressor that prevents cell growth. While allele loss or decreased expression of DCC has been associated with the progression of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, including leukemias and malignant lymphomas, its involvement has not been evaluated in multiple myeloma (MM), a plasma cell malignancy characterized by complex and heterogenous molecular abnormalities. We here show that 10 of 11 human myeloma-derived cell lines (HMCLs) expressed non-translated aberrant DCC transcriptional variants, in which exon 2 fuses with intron 1 instead of exon 1 (mt.DCC). Among them, two co-expressed wild type transcripts (wt.DCC), while eight co-expressed the splicing variant (sv.DCC) lacking exon 1. The remaining HMCL expressed only sv.DCC. In addition, analyses revealed that there were two types of mt.DCC that differed in their fusion of intron 1 with exon 2. In patient-derived samples from 30 MM and 8 monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) patients, wt.DCC was expressed in 53% of MM, but not in MGUS, while 23% of MM and 75% of MGUS expressed only sv.DCC. Considering that 25% of MGUS, 57% of MM, and 91% HMCLs expressed mt.DCC, our results suggest that the acquisition of mt.DCC might be a secondary genetic change in plasma cell dyscrasia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) occasionally develops before or after the onset of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). The mechanism of LCH developing after ALL remains unclear; thus the clonality of LCH developing during maintenance chemotherapy for T-cell ALL (T-ALL) was investigated. The T-ALL and LCH cells tested had the same T-cell receptor (TCR) gamma rearrangement. Mutation analysis of the NOTCH1 gene revealed 7213C>T (Q2405X) in exon 34 in T-ALL and LCH cells, but 5156T>C (I1719T) in exon 27 only in T-ALL. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis revealed three patterns of NOTCH1 mutations in T-ALL cells. The results suggest that the T-ALL and LCH cells were derived from a common precursor with TCR rearrangement and a single NOTCH1 mutation, rather than LCH cells developing from a minor clone of T-ALL with single NOTCH1 mutation.

We investigated clinical and genetic characteristics of high-risk follicular lymphoma (FL), that lacked evidence of large cell transformation at diagnosis, in the rituximab era. First, we retrospectively analysed the clinical features of 100 patients with non-transformed FL that were consecutively treated with rituximab-containing therapies in a discovery cohort. The presence of either peripheral blood and/or bone involvement was associated with short progression-free survival. This was confirmed in a validation cohort of 66 FL patients. Then, whole exome sequencing was performed on randomly selected 5 high- and 9 standard-risk FL tumours. The most common mutational signature was a CG > TG substitution-enriched signature associated with spontaneous deamination of 5-methylcytosine at CpG, but mutations in WA and WRC(Y) motifs (so-called activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) motifs) were also enriched throughout the whole exome. We found clustered mutations in target sequences of AID in the IG and BCL2 loci. Importantly, high-risk FLs harboured more somatic mutations (mean 190 vs. 138, P = 0.04), including mutations in WA (33 vs. 22, P = 0.038), WRC (34 vs. 22, P = 0.016) and WRCY motifs (17 vs. 11, P = 0.004). These results suggest that genomic instability that allows for emergence of distinct mutations through AID activity underlies development of the high-risk FL phenotype.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a relatively rare subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that has a poor prognosis despite recent advances in immunochemotherapy and molecular targeted therapeutics against NHL. Therefore, the development of a new therapeutic strategy for MCL is urgently needed. In this study, we show for the first time that 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDPK1), an oncogenic serine–threonine protein kinase, is commonly expressed in its phosphorylated active form in patient-derived tumor cells of various types of B-cell NHL cells, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and MCL. Blockade of PDPK1 activity by small-molecule inhibitors specific for PDPK1 (BX-912 and GSK2334470) or by RNA interference exerted antiproliferative effects in all four MCL-derived cell lines examined and these growth-inhibitory effects were mediated by both induction of apoptosis and G 2 /M cell cycle blockade. In addition, blockade of PDPK1 led to inactivation of its downstream effector kinase RSK2, but not AKT, suggesting the importance of the PDPK1/RSK2 signaling pathway in the proliferation and survival of MCL cells. Finally, when combined with anticancer agents, including genotoxic agents, a proteasome inhibitor, and a BH3 mimetic in vitro, the PDPK1 inhibitor BX-912 showed additive growth-inhibitory effects against MCL-derived cell lines in most settings. In particular, the combination of BX-912 and ABT-263, a BH3 mimetic, resulted in the enhancement of the induction of apoptosis. In conclusion, our results suggest that PDPK1 is a potential novel therapeutic target in MCL and indicate that clinical development of PDPK1-targeted therapy for MCL is desirable.

Azacitidine is the first-line therapeutic option for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). This report describes a case of MDS in a patient who developed fatal acute interstitial pneumonitis (AIP) after the first seven-day course of intravenous azacitidine (75 mg/m(2)/day) treatment. A review of previous and present studies of azacitidine-associated AIP suggests that azacitidine may cause life-threatening AIP during or after the first seven-day course of treatment, with pyrexia commonly preceding AIP. Although the non-hematologic adverse events associated with azacitidine are generally relatively mild, further accumulation of evidence may help to make an earlier diagnosis of azacitidine-associated AIP.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by aggressive symptoms and various abnormal laboratory test results. One of the rare immunologic abnormalities in AITL is exuberant polyclonal plasmacytosis, but its clinical significance has not been evaluated. This report concerns three AITL cases with exuberant polyclonal plasmacytosis and investigates its clinical impact by comparison with 12 patients without plasmacytosis. Our study found that the performance status (PS) of the former was significantly worse and their serum immunoglobulin levels were significantly higher. All other parameters, including B symptoms, various prognostic scores, blood cell counts other than plasmacyte, and serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein and soluble interleukin-2 receptor, showed no significant differences. More importantly, although the diagnosis of AITL with plasmacytosis was not straightforward in our series, outcomes of treatment with conventional chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine A were favorable. To conclude, AITL should be considered a candidate underlying disease of exuberant polyclonal plasmacytosis. Provided a correct diagnosis is made early and is followed by adequate treatment, the prognosis for AITL with plasmacytosis may not be worse than that for those without plasmacytosis despite the severe exhaustion at first presentation.

Among various cytogenetic abnormalities involved in lymphomagenesis and disease progression of highly aggressive and treatment-resistant B-cell lymphomas (HABCLs), classified as the so-called aggre...

Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is characterized by the coemergence of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and thrombosis-mediated ischemic injuries of various organs, such as the central nervous system and kidneys. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has also occasionally been reported as a complication with TTP as the secondary thrombotic event; however, its emergence as the initial thrombotic event in TTP is extremely rare. This report describes an 80-year-old male patient with acquired TTP, who was affected by AMI without any clinically apparent damage to other organs or abnormal laboratory findings that would be suggestive of TTP at the first presentation. Although AMI was successfully treated by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the patient developed marked thrombocytopenia with acute kidney injury and hemolytic anemia 5 days after PCI. The patient was diagnosed as having acquired TTP based on decreased ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motifs 13) below the level of detection and the presence of the inhibitor against ADAMTS13, and eventually died of multiorgan failure due to TTP despite undergoing repeated plasma exchanges and immunosuppressive therapies, including corticosteroid and rituximab. Although caution is often paid to therapy-related thrombocytopenia or renal damage after PCI, that is, those caused by antiplatelet drugs, heparin, or contrast agents, our report alerts us to the presence of TTP as an extremely rare, but underlying cause for AMI that could be subclinical at the initial presentation.

We report the case of a 72-year-old man who presented with non-producing multiple myeloma (MM) with three additional concomitant solid tumors that were identified by postmortem autopsy. The disease was refractory to anti-MM therapy including bortezomib and lenalidomide, and he finally died of bacterial pneumonia with diffuse alveolar damage 8 months after the diagnosis. An autopsy revealed that he was also affected by three other solid cancers, cholangiocellular carcinoma, medullary thyroid cancer and papillary thyroid cancer that were clinically asymptomatic and remained undiagnosed before death. A review of the literature suggests that primary quadruple cancers including MM are extremely rare.

Multiple myeloma is an entity of cytogenetically and genetically heterogenous plasma cell neoplasms. Despite recent improvement in the treatment outcome of multiple myeloma by novel molecular-targeted chemotherapeutics, multiple myeloma remains incurable. The identification of a therapeutic target molecule in which various signaling for cell-survival converge is a core component for the development of new therapeutic strategies against multiple myeloma. RSK2 is an essential mediator of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway for cell survival and proliferation. In this study, we discovered that RSK2Ser227, which is located at the N-terminal kinase domain and is one site responsible for substrate phosphorylation, is activated through phosphorylation regardless of the type of cytogenetic abnormalities or upstream molecular signaling in all 12 multiple myeloma–derived cell lines examined and 6 of 9 patient-derived CD138-positive primary myeloma cells. The chemical inhibition of RSK2Ser227 by BI-D1870 or gene knockdown of RSK2 inhibits myeloma cell proliferation through apoptosis induction, and this anti-myeloma effect was accompanied by downregulation of c-MYC, cyclin D, p21WAF1/CIP1, and MCL1. RSK2Ser227 inhibition resulting from BI-D1870 treatment restored lenalidomide-induced direct cytotoxicity of myeloma cells from interleukin-6–mediated cell protection, showed no cross-resistance to bortezomib, and exerted additive/synergistic antiproliferative effects in conjunction with the mTOR, histone deacetylase, and BH3-mimicking BCL2/BCLXL inhibitors. These results suggest that RSK2Ser227 is a potential therapeutic target not only for newly diagnosed but also for patients with later phase multiple myeloma who are resistant or refractory to currently available anti-myeloma therapies. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(12); 2600–9. ©2012 AACR.

Primary cutaneous gamma-delta T-cell lymphoma (PCGD-TCL), which originates from activated mature gamma-delta T cells with a cytotoxic phenotype is a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disease. The prognosis of PCGD-TCL has been rather unfavorable due to poor response to conventional chemotherapy, and its molecular features and pathophysiology underlying disease development remain unknown. We report here a case with primarily treatment-resistant PCGD-TCL featuring highly complex cytogenetic and genetic aberrations detected by spectral karyotyping and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Chromosomal aberrations included several chromosomal translocations involving breakpoints at 9p21, 14q11.2, 14q32.1, or 16q23.1, suggesting the involvement of WWOX , TCL gene cluster, and BCL11B , which are crucial for tumorigenesis in T-cell lymphomas. SNP analysis also identified genome copy number gains and losses in various regions, which can potently deregulate expression of various pro- and anti-oncogenic genes involved in RAS-related protein pathways, PI3K/AKT/MTOR-related pathways, MYC-related signaling, or TP53 - related signaling. Thus, this case report may shed some light on the complex molecular abnormalities involved in the development of PCGD-TCL and on information that can aid the search for druggable target molecules in this disease.

Intravascular B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare subtype of extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which is characterized by the growth of lymphoma cells within blood vessel lumina without nodular lesions, and which predominantly affects elderly patients. IVLBCL is characterized by B-symptoms and a variety of systemic symptoms due to focal obstruction of blood flow, but may be difficult to diagnose due to its peculiar intravascular localization and the lack of nodular lesions. While hypercalcemia is one of the complications of various types of cancerous diseases, it has rarely been reported as the first presentation of IVLBCL. In this report, we present the case of a 71-year-old male with IVLBCL who showed hypercalcemia accompanied by elevation of serum parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP) as the initial presentation. Interestingly, immunohistochemical staining revealed that the intravascular lymphoma cells expressed high levels of PTHrP. Six courses of immunochemotherapy, consisting of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CHOP), and two courses of high-dose methotrexate induced complete remission (CR) and retained CR for 4 months. We also reviewed other IVBCL cases in which hypercalcemia was the initial presentation. We suggest that IVLBCL, although rare, should be considered as a possible causative in hypercalcemia of unknown underlying disease.

Transient thrombocytopenia is common after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT). Although patients underwent auto-PBSCT usually show the recovery of peripheral leukocytes and platelets counts within a couple of weeks after auto-PBSCT, delayed platelet engraftment (DPE) is occasionally observed despite prompt neutrophil engraftment. However, there are few studies evaluating the risk factors for DPE. In this study, to investigate the association between clinical characteristics and duration required for post-auto-PBSCT platelet engraftment, we retrospectively analyzed 144 patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas who underwent auto-PBSCT between January 2000 and December 2017 at 5 independent institutes involved in the Kyoto Clinical Hematology Study Group. Platelet recovery was defined as a recovery of platelet count greater than 50.0 × 109/L without transfusion support for 3 consecutive days, and the first day of 3 consecutive days was regarded as the day of platelet engraftment. The median observation period was 930 days (range, 25 - 5272 days). Median age at auto-PBSCT was 61, and 144 patients included 109 diffuse large B cell lymphoma, 11 follicular lymphoma, 22 mantle cell lymphoma. Ninety one patients were in complete remission at the time of auto-PBSCT. The mobilization regimens for stem cell collection were chemotherapy such as high-dose VP16 (46.5%), CHASE (cyclophosphamide, AraC, VP16, and dexamethasone) (40.3%), and high-dose AraC (8.3%) followed by G-CSF. All 144 patients except one achieved neutrophil engraftment with the median engraftment day of 10 days (range, 4-41 days), and 139 patients achieved platelet engraftment with the median engraftment day of 19 days (range, 10-1125 days). Multivariate analysis showed that infused CD34-positive cell number (≥ 2.0 × 106/kg vs. < 2.0 ×106/kg: HR 3.06: P < 0.001), pre-apheresis absolute lymphocyte count (PA-ALC), which was the mean number of lymphocytes during aphaeresis procedure (≥ 1.0 × 109/L vs. < 1.0 × 109/L: HR 2.62: P < 0.001), and the days required for apheresis procedure (≥ 3 days vs. 1 or 2 days: HR 0.49: P = 0.02) were independently associated with the duration for platelet engraftment after auto-PBSCT. Age, gender, diagnosis, Ann Arbor stages, previous history of bone marrow infiltration, performance status, international prognostic index (IPI)-defined disease risk, disease status at the time of transplant, the number of chemotherapy regimens, and mobilization regimen were not associated with platelet engraftment period. On the basis of these results, we next tried to create a new prediction system for post-transplant platelet recovery by incorporating the three factors, i.e., infused CD34-positive cell number, PA-ALC, and days required for apheresis procedure. Risk groups were determined by the sum of predictive factors for platelet recovery: favorable (3 factors), intermediate (2 factors), unfavorable (1 factor), and very unfavorable (no factor). As the results, the median duration for platelet engraftment with favorable, intermediate, unfavorable, and very unfavorable groups were 15, 19, 31, and 148 days, respectively (P < 0.001) (Figure). Furthermore, 14 of 144 patients did not achieve platelet engraftment by day 80 after auto-PBSCT. We defined those as patients with DPE. Median duration for platelet engraftment in patients with DPE was 137 days (range, 82-1125 days), while that for neutrophil engraftment was 11 days. Intriguingly, PA-ALC was less than 1.0 × 109/L in all 14 patients with DPE, while 6 required apheresis for ≥3 days, and 5 received Figure Figure. Disclosures Kuroda: Chugai Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding.