Search

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2(Lp-PLA2) is an independent cardiovascular risk factor. We investigated the plasma levels of Lp-PLA2activity and mass as a function of plasma lipid levels, LDL subclass profile, and oxidative stress in patients with β-thalassemia. Thirty-five patients with β-thalassemia major (β-TM) and 25 patients with β-thalassemia intermedia (β-TI) participated in the study. Lp-PLA2activity and mass were measured in total plasma, in apolipoprotein (apo)B-depleted plasma (HDL-Lp-PLA2), and in LDL subclasses. Lp-PLA2activity produced and secreted from peripheral blood monocytes in culture was also determined. Patients with β-thalassemia are characterized by a predominance of small-dense LDL particles, increased oxidative stress, and very high plasma levels of Lp-PLA2mass and activity, despite low LDL-cholesterol levels. A significant positive correlation between plasma Lp-PLA2activity or mass and 8-isoprostane (8-epiPGF2a) and ferritin levels as well as intima-media thickness (IMT) values was observed. An increase in secreted and cell-associated Lp-PLA2activity from monocytes in culture was observed in both patient groups. The HDL-Lp-PLA2activity and mass as well as the ratio of HDL-Lp-PLA2/plasma Lp-PLA2were significantly higher in both patient groups compared with the control group. In conclusion, patients with β-thalassemia exhibit high plasma Lp-PLA2levels, attributed to increased enzyme secretion from monocytes/macrophages and to the predominance of sdLDL particles in plasma. Plasma Lp-PLA2is correlated with carotid IMT, suggesting that this enzyme may be implicated in premature carotid atherosclerosis observed in β-thalassemia.

Deferasirox (ICL670) is a once-daily oral iron chelator developed for the treatment of chronic iron overload from blood transfusions. A comparative phase 3 trial was conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of deferasirox in regularly transfused patients with β-thalassemia aged 2 years or older. Patients were randomized and received treatment with deferasirox (n = 296) or deferoxamine (n = 290), with dosing of each according to baseline liver iron concentration (LIC). The primary endpoint was maintenance or reduction of LIC; secondary endpoints included safety and tolerability, change in serum ferritin level, and net body iron balance. In both arms, patients with LIC values of 7 mg Fe/g dry weight (dw) or higher had significant and similar dose-dependent reductions in LIC and serum ferritin, and effects on net body iron balance. However, the primary endpoint was not met in the overall population, possibly due to the fact that proportionally lower doses of deferasirox relative to deferoxamine were administered to patients with LIC values less than 7 mg Fe/g dw. The most common adverse events included rash, gastrointestinal disturbances, and mild nonprogressive increases in serum creatinine. No agranulocytosis, arthropathy, or growth failure was associated with deferasirox administration. Deferasirox is a promising once-daily oral therapy for the treatment of transfusional iron overload.

Background: 5-azacytidine (5-AZA) improves survival of patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) and oligoblastic acute myeloid leukemia (AML); however, predictive factors for response and outcome have not been consistently studied.Methods: This study of the Hellenic MDS Study Group included 687 consecutive patients with higher-risk MDS and oligoblastic AML treated with 5-AZA.Results: The International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) revised version (IPSS-R), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) (0 or 1 versus⩾2) and baseline serum ferritin (SF) levels > 520 ng/ml were shown to independently predict response to 5-AZA. In the survival analysis, the IPSS and IPSS-R risk classification systems along with the ECOG PS and SF levels > 520 ng/ml proved to be independent prognosticators for overall survival (OS), as well as for leukemia-free survival (LFS). Next, we built new multivariate models for OS and LFS, incorporating only ECOG PS and SF levels besides IPSS or IPSS-R risk classification systems. Thereby, the new modified IPSS and IPSS-R risk classification systems (H-PSS, H-PSS-R) could each discriminate a low, an intermediate and a high-risk patient group regarding OS and LFS. The H-PSS and H-PSS-R proved to be better predictors of OS than their previous counterparts as well as the French prognostic score, while the most powerful OS predictor was the new, H-PSS-R system.Conclusions: ECOG PS and SF levels > 520 ng/ml independently predict response to 5-AZA, OS and LFS. Their incorporation in the IPSS and IPSS-R scores enhances these scores’ predictive power in 5-AZA-treated higher-risk MDS and oligoblastic AML patients.

Pappa: Amgen: Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Kotsianidis:Celgene: Research Funding. Symeonidis:MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Tekeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Vassilakopoulos:Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; WinMedica: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Pappa: Amgen: Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Vassilakopoulos:Merck: Honoraria; Takeda Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genesis Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Honoraria; Winmedica: Honoraria; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Symeonidis:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Tekeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Symeonidis: Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Tekeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Vassilakopoulos:Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; WinMedica: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Panayiotidis:Bayer: Other: Support of clinical trial. Pappa:Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Kotsianidis:Celgene: Research Funding.

Symeonidis: Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Tekeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding. Pappa:Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Angelopoulou:Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; MSD: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene / GenesiaPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Hatzimichael:Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Zikos:Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Terpos:Genesis: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses, Research Funding; Medison: Honoraria. Pangalis:Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Vassilakopoulos:WinMedica: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Kattamis: Apopharma: Honoraria; Vertex: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene Corporation: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Ionis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; ViFOR: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis Oncology: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Symeonidis:Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Tekeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Pleyer: Abbvie: Other: Advisory board; Novartis: Other: Advisory board; Inflection Point Biomedical Advisors: Other: Advisory board; Celgene: Other: Advisory board; Agios: Other: Advisory board. Leisch:Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Honoraria; Celgene: Other: Travel support. Maciejewski:Alexion: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy. Kaivers:Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Travel Support. Heibl:Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria; Mundipharma: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Geissler:Novartis: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Honoraria; AOP: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Ratiopharm: Honoraria. Valent:Blueprint: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria; Deciphera: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Medina de Almeida:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Speakers Bureau. Jerez:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria. Germing:Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Sekeres:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millenium: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Syros: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. List:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Symeonidis:Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Tekeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Sanz:AbbVie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Boehringer-Ingelheim: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Helsinn Healthcare: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Hoffman - La Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen - Cilag: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Onconova: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Greil:Boehringer Ingelheim: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel/accomodation expenses, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel/accomodation expenses, Research Funding; Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria; Mundipharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai: Honoraria; Genentech: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel/accomodation expenses, Research Funding.Azacitidine is not approved for the treatment of MP-CMML or CMML with <10% BM blasts, decitabine is not approved for treatment of CMML in the EU, hydroxyurea is not approved for the treatment of CMML in the EU.

Introduction

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Kattamis: Vifor Pharma: Consultancy; ApoPharma: Honoraria; CELGENE: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Azacytidine (AZA) is the mainstay of treatment for high-risk MDS, but both primary and secondary AZA failure confers a grave prognosis. Given the limited availability and efficacy of subsequent treatment options the exact definition of AZA failure and the decision to discontinue AZA is of particular importance in everyday clinical practice. However, the current definition of AZA failure is rather obscure and often lumps together pathobiologically diverse disease states, as reflected by the highly heterogeneous outcome of patients who fail AZA (post-HMA model, Nazha A et al, 2016).

Background: Transfusion of blood products has been associated with the long term engraftment of donor cell-derived genetic material in the recipient (microchimerism: MC), whose clinical implications have not been sufficiently studied. The manifestation of post-transfusion MC has mainly been studied among severe trauma injured patients, heavily transfused at short term periods of time.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disorder mediated by platelet antibodies thought to accelerate platelet destruction while inhibiting also their production. ITP may be primary (with no apparent underling etiology) or secondary to another disorder.

Most anemic non-del(5q) lower risk myelodyplastic syndromes (MDS) patients are treated with erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs). Second-line treatments, including hypomethylating agents (HMA), lenalidomide (LEN) and other drugs, may be used after ESA failure in some countries, but their effect on disease progression, transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and overall survival (OS) is unknown. We analyzed MDS patients' outcome after primary or secondary failure of treatment with ESAs as a first-line treatment option.

Introduction