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INTRODUCTION: Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are commonly seen in immunosuppressive patients. Early diagnosis is key to optimizing antifungal treatment success. Betaglucan (BG) assay can detect most of the fungal pathogens except mucormycosis and Cryptococcus. In this study we aimed to evaluate the value of BG as a diagnostic tool in patients with hematological malignancy and IFI.METHODS: Forty-six hematological malignancy patients under induction and consolidation chemotherapy that expected to have neutropenia for more than 14 days with no clinical and radiological signs of IFI are included in this study. Blood Galactomannan (GM) and BG levels were measured 2 times in a week during the hospitalization period. Method A (proven + probable groups vs non IFI) and Method B (proven + probable + possible groups vs. non IFI) variables were determined to assess the sensitivity, specifity and predictive values.RESULTS: In method A; BG test's sensitivity, specifity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) was determined as 68.75%, 84.1%, 52.4%, 91.4% respectively. In method B (proven + probable + possible groups vs. non IFI) BG test sensitivity, specifity, PPV, NPV was determined as 60%, 88.9%, 71.4%, and 82.8% respectively.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Depending on our data and present literature; we conclude that BG and GM is a non-invasive contributory test for the diagnosis of IFI The current treatment of the symptomatic extremity, GİRİŞ ve AMAÇ: İnvaziv fungal enfeksiyonlar (IFE) sıklıkla immün süpresif hastalarda görülmektedir. Antifungal tedavi başarısı için erken tanı anahtar öneme sahiptir. Betaglucan (BG) testi mucormikoz ve kriptokoklar dışında birçok mantar patojeni tespit edebilir. Bu çalışmada betaglucan düzeyinin hematolojik kanserli ve IFE'li hastalarda tanısal bir araç olarak değerlendirmeyi amaçladık.YÖNTEM ve GEREÇLER: Indüksiyon veya konsolidasyon tedavisi alan, klinik ve radyolojik IFE bulguları olmayan 14 günden uzun süreli nötropeni beklentisi olan 46 hasta çalışmaya dahil edildi. Hastanede yattıkları süre içerisinde haftada 2 defa kan galaktmannan (GM) ve BG düzeyleri ölçüldü. Sensitivite, spesifite ve öngörğlen değerlerin yorumlanması için Metod A (kanıtlanmış + muhtemel grup vs non-IFE) ve Metod B (kanıtlanmış + muhtemel +olası grup vs non-IFE ) değişkenleri tanımlandı.BULGULAR: Metod A'da; BG testinin sensitivitesi, spesifitesi, pozitif öngörülen değer (PÖD), Negatif öngörülen değer (NÖD) sırasıyla %68.75, %84.1, %52.4, %91.4 olarak tespit edildi. Metod B'de; BG testinin sensitivitesi, spesifitesi, PÖD, NÖD sırasıyla %60, %88.9, %71.4, %82.8 olarak tespit edildi.Hiçbir hastada ameliyat içi istenmeyen durum olmadı. Cerrahi gruptaki 3 hastaya embolizasyon uygulandı. Postoperatif takiplerde 1 hastada enfeksiyon, 2 hastada nüks saptandı.TARTIŞMA ve SONUÇ: Bizim verilerimiz ve mevcut literature dayanarak BG ve GM'nin IFE tanısına katkı sağlayan non-invaziv test olduğu sonucuna vardık.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation, acquired hemophilia, and hyperfibrinolysis induced by prostate adenocarcinoma were first considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient who had been diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma and complicated with hemorrhage. Clinical progression and lack of response to other treatments directed us toward the diagnosis of hyperfibri- nolysis and tranexamic acid therapy was initiated. Clinical and laboratory findings resulted in a partial improvement, but the response was insufficient. This situation was associated with metastasis and not initiating the treatment for the primary disease. This case was presented to emphasize the importance of treatment arrangement on the basis of differential diagnosis for hemor- rhagic diathesis occurring in the clinical course of prostate adenocarcinoma.

PubMedID: 20673585 This prospective multicenter phase III clinical trial was designed to assess efficacy and safety of G-CSF as an adjunct to de novo AML remission induction therapy (www.clinicaltrials.gov. NCT00820976). Patients' characteristics were similar in both arms. G-CSF improved severity and duration of leukopenia. Three-year OS were similar (25.6 ± 5.1% vs. 31.8 ± 5.6%) in both arms except for patients with myeloblastic features. Significant factors for better survival were the use of G-CSF (p= 0.049), female sex (p= 0.05) and single induction cycle (p< 0.001) in multivariate analysis. Female patients performed better than male patients. Better survival obtained among female AML patients needs to be validated within the context of cytogenetic analysis. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. The authors are indebted to the efforts of all the institutions who participated in the trial and their data management teams. Also the authors would like to thank to all physicians including Dr. Semra Dundar, who died in 2005, and their patients for this collaborative effort. Filgrastim was supplied by Roche, This study was partially supported by the Turkish Academy of Sciences. Monitoring and statistical analysis were performed by an independent clinical research organization (OMEGA, Ankara, Turkey). And a special thank you to the following hospitals and investigators that participated in this trial: Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey (L. Undar); Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey (M.B., M.O., O. l., G.G., A.U., H.A., E.A.); Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey (S.P.); Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey (B. Undar); Ege University, Izmir, Turkey (S. Cagirgan); Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey (A. Unal, M. Cetin); Gulhane Military University, Ankara, Turkey (A. U. Ural, C. Beyan); Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey (S. Dundar, O.O., Y.B.); Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey (I. Aydogdu); Istanbul University of Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey (B. Ferhanoglu); Istanbul University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (D. Sargin, Sevgi Kalayoglu-Besisik); Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey (M.B.); Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey (Z. Gulbas); Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey (A.T., R.A., F.O., T.O.). Contributions : M.B. provided the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content and final approval of the version to be submitted; M.O., E.A.S. and A.T. provided the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data and final approval of the version to be submitted; R.A. and T.O. provided the drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content and final approval of the version to be submitted and O.O, M.B., S.P., Y.B., O.I., F.O., G.G., A.U. and H.A. provided the final approval of the version to be submitted.

The development of imatinib as a therapeutic agent targeting BCR-ABL has increased the treatment options for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) by significantly impacting outcomes, and imatinib is recommended by treatment guidelines as the first-line therapy. However, treatment of maternal CML with imatinib during gestation is not recommended because of the potential risk to the fetus.We describe the clinical presentation, course and outcome of one pregnant patient with CML who was treated with imatinib. We review all pregnancies associated with imatinib documented in the literature.A 27-year-old pregnant patient was diagnosed to have Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic phase CML in August 2007. Imatinib was administered (400 mg/day) between the 21st and 39th weeks of gestation. The patient tolerated the drug well and achieved complete hematological and cytogenetic remission. There were no imatinib-related maternal complications during the pregnancy. Fetal growth remained normal as well as amniotic fluid volume estimation. Labor was induced at the 39th gestational week, resulting in the uneventful vaginal delivery of a healthy male infant without any congenital anomaly. Umbilical cord blood and infant peripheral blood were collected at delivery. No postnatal complications occurred; however, imatinib was present in the umbilical cord blood (338 ng/mL) and in the infant's peripheral blood (478 ng/mL). Breast milk was collected on different postpartum days, and concentrations of imatinib were detected. At 10 months of age, the baby had normal growth and development.In light of reported cases and our experience, treatment of CML during the second and third trimesters of gestation and breast feeding seems to be safe, but the data are still limited and the effects of chronic exposure of infants to imatinib are not known. We think that each case should be examined and considered independently, and decisions should be individualized.

Although it is well known that numerical and structural chromosomal aberrations are common in leukemic cells, tetraploidy and near-tetraploidy is a rare entity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) [1-4]. We describe a rare case of AML-M0 with near-tetraploidy and superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) due to a large mediastinal granulocytic sarcoma (GS). A 25-year-old male was admitted to our hospital with a progressive non-productive cough, dyspnea, pain on the left upper extremity and weight loss. One month ago, he was treated with a diagnosis of venous thrombosis because of the pain and swelling on his left upper extremity. At the time of admittance, physical examination revealed dyspnea, facial edema, swelling of the neck and upper extremities and dilated jugular and superficial veins of the chest. Peripheral lymph node or organomegaly was absent. His hematological findings were: hemoglobin, 14.1 g dl−1; hematocrit, 41.6%; MCV, 87.5 fl; WBC, 15.3 × 109 l−1 with 15% polymorphonuclear cells; 22% bands; 37% lymphocytes; 26% resembling blastic cells; and platelets 284 × 109 l−1. The chest X-ray showed enlarged mediastinum and thorax computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a multi-lobar mass with a diameter of 9 × 5 cm in the anterior mediastinum which also compressed the superior vena cava (Figure 1A). Abdominopelvic CT scan was normal. Mediastinoscopy was performed for definite diagnosis. The biopsy specimens from mediastinal mass revealed diffuse malignant infiltration in lipomatous tissue, which consisted of round, large sized cells. Nuclei were large, vesicular and contained two or three nucleolus. Cytoplasm was moderate in amount and clear. The specimens showed negativity for all of the antibodies and staining except for myeloperoxidase (MPO), CD34 and TdT (Figure 1B). Bone marrow aspirate revealed the presence of large blasts with a relatively low nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, moderate chromatin pattern, two-to-three prominent nucleoli, no cytoplasmic granules and few cytoplasmic vacuolization. Most of the cells had heterogeneous shaped nuclei. No Auer rod was seen (Figure 1C). Cytochemistry revealed negativity for MPO, Sudan black B, periodic acid Schiff, combined esterase and acid phosphatase. Flow cytometric studies of the bone marrow cells revealed positivity for CD13, CD33, CD34, CD45, CD7 and HLA-DR. Cytogenetic analysis showed near tetraploidy (Figure 1D). Results of cytogenetic analysis of 20 metaphases of the bone marrow cells were as follows; 102, XXYY, +13, +14, +14, +15, +16, +18, +19, +21, +21, +22 [6] / 104, XXYY, +X, +Y, +3, +4, −7, −8, +10, +11, +13, +13, −14, +15, +15, +19, +21, +21, +22, +22 [9] / 98, XXYY, +3, +4, −6, +8, −11, +13, +14, −16, +19, +20, +21, +21 [5]. Neither apparent structural rearrangement nor normal clone was identified. Upon establishing the diagnosis (AML-M0/near tetraploidy+/mediastinal GS+) [5], he was given an induction chemotherapy consisting of daunorubicin (45 mg m−2 per day, days 1–3) and cytarabine (100 mg m−2 per day continuous infusion, days 1–7) and bone marrow remission was achieved. Then, he received the first consolidation chemotherapy consisting of idarubicin (10 mg m−2 per day, days 1–3) and cytarabine (1000 mg m−2 per day, days 1–6), followed by second consolidation chemotherapy consisting of cytarabine (6 gr m−2 per day, days 1–3) and 1800 cGy radiotherapy on mediastinum. The symptoms of SVCS improved gradually after the 5th day of induction chemotherapy. Likewise, the mediastinal mass decreased in size by 30% after induction chemotherapy, 70% after consolidation chemotherapies and disappeared completely after the completion of radiotherapy (Figures 1E and F). Presently, he is in the 10th month of his complete remission without any recurrence in the disease or GS.

We read with great interest the article by Finnegan et al. [1] in a recent issue of Leukemia & Lymphoma, describing the results of primary plasma cell leukemia (PPCL) treated with bortezomib. We wo...

Because of the teratogenicity data in rats, it is recommended that women treated with imatinib should be aware of the potential teratogenicity of imatinib and effective contraception should be used during imatinib therapy to prevent pregnancy. We describe successful pregnancy and delivery, without any congenital anomaly, in a patient with CML under treatment of imatinib. The fetus had been exposed to imatinib for 8 weeks. The patient remained off treatment during gestation and cytogenetic relapse of CML (5 months after discontinuation of imatinib therapy) developed at seventh month of gestation.

Summary. Acquired hemophilia is a rare, life threatening coagulopathy in adults caused by the development of autoantibodies against to factor VIII. No general consensus exists on the best therapeutic approach. We report here a case that presented with extensive cutaneous and mucosal bleedings due to factor VIII inhibitors and treated successfully with steroid therapy alone but complicated with a life threatening thromboembolic attack during her follow up. In conclusion, corticosteroids are “cost effective therapy” associated with high inhibitor elimination rates and although recurrence of inhibitor in a patient with factor VIII inhibitor is an expected clinical situation thrombosis risk should also be considered.

Imatinib has shown significant clinical and cytogenetic success in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. Although resistance has been observed in a proportion of patients, sudden blastic crisis is a rare event during imatinib therapy. We describe a 24-year-old male patient with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase who developed sudden blastic crisis in the 24th month of imatinib therapy, with loss of complete cytogenetic response. At this time, the patient had splenomegaly, severe anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukocytosis. Bone marrow aspirate revealed the presence of massive blastic infiltration with myeloid morphology. Flow cytometric analysis of the bone marrow cells showed positivity for CD45, CD34, CD13, CD33, CD19, CD41, C1361, and glycophorin-A. Trephine biopsy specimens showed 100% cellular marrow with diffuse infiltrate by blasts. A reticulin stain of the bone marrow biopsy section demonstrated severe diffuse fibrosis. Cytogenetic analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed that 92% of the cells were positive for the BCR/ABL fusion signal and had increased copy numbers for chromosomes 8,13,19, and 21. The patient's prognosis was unfavorable. In conclusion, chronic myeloid leukemia remains complex and includes unanswered questions. The presented case with a rare event during imatinib therapy highlights the need for the continued monitoring of residual disease and the development of strategies to eliminate residual leukemia cells in patients showing a complete cytogenetic response. Novartis İlaç

Cerebral aspergillosis is a rare condition that generally exhibits a poor response to conventional antifungal drugs. We report here a case of cerebral aspergillosis in a 34-years-old man with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who was successfully treated with a combination of aggressive neurosurgery, intracavitary instillation of amphotericin B and voriconazole. We aimed to emphazise the roles of surgery, intracavitary therapy and antifungal therapy in the management of neuroaspergillosis. Under amphotericin-B therapy, the patient developed dysarthria and paralysis of the right side of his body. Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a lesion in the left parieto-occipital region, measuring 7 cm in the greatest dimension. Diagnostic surgery was interrupted due to abundant bleeding. The culture of the aspirate from the lesion yielded Aspergillus flavus. The therapy was switched to voriconazole and caspofungin combination. Due to disease progression during combination therapy, the patient had a second surgical resection resulting in a 75% reduction in lesion size. Following surgical intervention, intracavitary instillation of amphotericin B (0.3 mg/day for 15 days) was performed alongside with combination therapy (voriconazole and caspofungin). Caspofungin was stopped after 42 days, whereas the patient was continued on voriconazole for a total of 100 days. At this point, his brain lesion resolved almost completely. However, leukemia relapsed. The patient died during his treatment course because of neutropenic typhilitis occurring in the aplastic phase. It is stated that in patients with neuroaspergillosis radical neurosurgery leads to better outcomes if performed at an earlier stage. Antifungal treatment of cerebral aspergillosis requires that the drug must cross the blood brain barrier. Voriconazole has the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. The therapy should be prolonged beyond the resolution of all lesions and until reversal of the underlying predisposition. We conclude that the use of neurosurgery and voriconazole together appears to be a reliable and effective treatment modality in patients with cerebral aspergillosis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with the prognosis of newborns born to mothers with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), and to compare the infants with/without thrombocytopenia in terms of maternal and neonatal characteristics. Study Design: We reviewed the charts of 29 parturients with ITP and their newborns who were born between January 1998 and December 2008. Result: A total of 16 (55%) gravidas had been diagnosed with ITP before pregnancy and 13 (45%) were diagnosed during pregnancy. Thrombocytopenia was observed in 21 gravidas. In total, 17 (58%) gravidas received treatment to increase the platelet count. The majority of deliveries (72.5%) were vaginal. The infant platelet counts at birth ranged from 20 to 336 x 10(9) per liter. None of the neonates had complications attributable to the mode of delivery. Normal platelet counts were determined in 15 newborns, whereas 14 infants had thrombocytopenia at birth. Three (10.3%) neonates had mild, four neonates (13.7%) had moderate and seven neonates (24.1%) had severe thrombocytopenia. The age of the mothers having infants with thrombocytopenia was significantly higher (30 +/- 5.3 vs 25.3 +/- 3.8 years), most of the infants (10/14 (71%)) were males (P

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a classic, but not a common disorder of hematology. Plasma exchange (PE) was shown to nearly reverse its 90% mortality rate. However, there are still some fatal outcomes in this dramatic disease. We present our experience of plasma exchange plus corticosteroids for the treatment of TTP in our hospital. Patients with TTP diagnosed between January 1996 and January 2005 were identified by a retrospective review of records of the Uludag University Hospital, Bursa (the largest referral center for adults with this disorder in this region with an estimated 2.2 million residents), which performs all therapeutic PE in the southern Marmara region in Turkey. A total of 11 (6 male, 5 female) patients were treated for TTP during this period. The median age was 39 years (range 18-49). One plasma volume exchange daily plus steroid was the principle treatment in all patients. A total of 295 PE sessions were performed. We have obtained six complete responses (CR) and three partial responses (PR) with daily PE and steroid (response rate 9/11). One of our primary refractory patients was saved with pulse steroid + cyclosporine + vincristine. Now, he is disease free for over one year. The other refractory patient did not develop any response to salvage therapy and expired on day 15 with status epilepticus and ventilator related pneumonia (mortality rate 1/11). A CR was obtained with adjuvant treatments in all three PR patients. Only one CR patient developed an early relapse (early relapse rate in CR patients 1/6). She was treated successfully with daily PE plus vincristine. Our median follow up period was 25 months (range 9-108). Considering our local population, our annual incidence is only about 0.63 new cases per one million people. This figure is considerably less than the data from US, which indicated an incidence of 3.7 cases per 1,000,000. To our knowledge, there is no high variability in the incidence of TTP in the different geographical regions of the world. It suggests that considerable number of patients escaped notice. We hope that, demonstrating the successful outcome, this article serves to urge primary physicians to keep in mind the diagnosis of TTP and refer suspected cases quickly.

Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF), Boutonneuse fever, is a tick-borne disease caused by Rickettsia conorii and is endemic in the Mediterranean region. Although MSF is usually a benign infectious disease, unusual manifestations that have been mainly reported in severe forms, typically among elderly patients or those with underlying diseases, complicate the diagnosis. A 39-year-old woman, a resident of Bursa, Turkey, was admitted with a 5-day history of fever, headache, and malaise and a 3-day history of rash. Physical examination showed fever and maculopapular rash involving the trunk, extremities, palms, and soles. Hematological findings were as follows: Hb 10.8 g/dL, WBC 1.7  109/L with 62% polymorphonuclear cells; 9% bands; 20% lymphocytes; 6% metamyelocytes; 3% myelocytes;and platelet count 46.8  109/L. Laboratory studies revealed an elevated CRP (13 mg/L), accelerated ESR (60 mm/h), hypoalbuminemia (2.5 mg/L),and slightly elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase (53 UI/L) and lactate dehydrogenase (386 UI/L). Bone marrow smear showed hypercellular marrow with activation of myeloid cells. After 3 days of hospitalization, we learned that she has a dog in her yard. A ‘‘tache noire,’’ the typicaleschar at the site of the tick bite, was observed on the right inguinal region with more elaborate physical examination. Treatment with doxycycline (200mg/day) was started. Resolution of fever and normalization of haematological findings were observed on the 4th and the 6th days of treatment, respectively.

Between April 2000 and May 2005, 350 bacteraemic episodes occurred among patients treated in our haematology unit. Two hundred and twenty-eight of these episodes were caused by Gram-positive pathogens, most commonly coagulase-negative staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus. One hundred and twenty-two episodes were due to Gram-negative pathogens, with a predominance of Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Bacillus bacteraemias constituted 12 of these episodes occurring in 12 patients, and accounted for 3.4% of all bacteraemic episodes. Of the 12 strains evaluated, seven were Bacillus licheniformis, three were Bacillus cereus and two were Bacillus pumilus. Seven episodes presented with bloodstream infection, three with pneumonia, one with severe abdominal pain and deterioration of liver function, and one with a catheter-related bloodstream infection. B. licheniformis was isolated from five patients who had been hospitalized at the same time. This outbreak was related to non-sterile cotton wool used during skin disinfection. B. cereus and B. licheniformis isolates were susceptible to cefepime, carbapenems, aminoglycosides and vancomycin, but B. pumilus isolates were resistant to all antibiotics except for quinolones and vancomycin. Two deaths were observed. In conclusion, Bacillus spp. may cause serious infections, diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas, and high morbidity and mortality in patients with haematological malignancies. Both B. cereus and B. licheniformis may be among the 'new' Gram-positive pathogens to cause serious infection in patients with neutropenia.

Introduction Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) is a recently described clinical and radiological entity comprising headache, seizures, altered level of consciousness and visual disturbances in association with transient posterior cerebral white-matter abnormalities. Method We report a young woman with Burkitt's lymphoma who developed RPLS after combined chemotherapy administered during the tumor lysis syndrome. Results The symptoms in this patient fitted well with those of RPLS; they included abrupt alterations in mental status, seizures, headache, visual changes and characteristic neuroradiological findings. She was given further combination chemotherapy without any neurological complications, at which time she had already recovered from both RPLS and tumor lysis syndrome. Conclusion Although many etiological factors have been reported in the development of RPLS, the underlying mechanism is not yet well understood. With prompt and appropriate management, RPLS is usually reversible, and chemotherapy can be continued after complete recovery from RPLS. We suggest that tumor lysis syndrome should be considered as a contributory factor to the development of RPLS in patients for whom treatment with combined chemotherapy for hematological malignancies is planned.

We read with great interest the article by Disel and colleagues [1] in a recent issue of Leukemia Research that described a case of acute myelogeneous leukemia (AML) with bilateral ear neutrophil poor Sweet's syndrome (SS). We would like to describe and share our experience in a patient with AML who developed bilateral eyelid SS and add some points concerning the SS. Sweet's syndrome, also referred to as febrile neutrophilic dermatosis, is characterized by fever, neutrophilic leukocytosis, painful red papules, nodules and plaques that respond readily to corticosteroid therapy [2], [3]. Although SS has been linked to hematologic malignancies, the frequency of SS with leukaemia is even lower in patients with neutropenia [4].

Because of the teratogenicity data in rats, it is recommended that women treated with imatinib should be aware of the potential teratogenicity of imatinib and effective contraception should be used during imatinib therapy to prevent pregnancy. We describe successful pregnancy and delivery, without any congenital anomaly, in a patient with CML under treatment of imatinib. The fetus had been exposed to imatinib for 8 weeks. The patient remained off treatment during gestation and cytogenetic relapse of CML (5 months after discontinuation of imatinib therapy) developed at seventh month of gestation.

(2004). Primary Non-Hodgkin's T-cell Lymphoma of Bone. Leukemia & Lymphoma: Vol. 45, No. 8, pp. 1719-1720.

In leukemias, the monitoring techniques on the response after the treatment have clinical importance for evaluating new therapeutic approaches and identifying the risk of relapse. In this study, genetic changes before and after chemotherapy in interphase and metaphase nuclei of bone morrow of adults with provisional diagnosis of leukemia were compared to understand the molecular characterization and pathogenesis of the leukemia for the classification of diagnosis and prognosis. We examined bone morrow cells of 47 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cases (29 of 47 at the time of diagnosis, 31 of 47 after chemotherapy) with the bcr/abl translocation probes and of 10 acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cases (7 of 10 at the time of diagnosis, 4 of 10 after chemotherapy) with the PML/RARalpha translocation probes by using dual color-flourescence in situ hybridization (DC-FISH). For each case, 400 interphase nuclei and 11 to 25 metaphases nuclei were analysed. The ratios of translocations before and after chemotherapy were compared between interphase and metaphase nuclei. After chemotherapy, though, translocations were detected in interphase nuclei of 29 of the 31 CML and 4 of the 4 APL cases, these translocations were determined in metaphase nuclei of only 14 of the 31 CML and 1 of the 4 APL cases with very low ratios (p < 0.01). The results showed that the rates of translocation positive interphase nuclei were higher than the rates of translocation positive metaphase nuclei (p < 0.01) after chemotherapy, so there may be some factors effecting proliferative activity of metaphase formation in leukemias.

Although infrequently seen, the management of cancer during pregnancy can be difficult for patients, their families and physicians. The concomitant occurrence of pregnancy and chronic myelogenous leukemia is uncommon. We describe the successful management of a 26-year-old woman in the first trimester of her pregnancy with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in chronic phase by using only leukapheresis. She was treated with leukapheresis until her delivery at 36 weeks of gestation. The procedure was without significant adverse effects on the patient or fetus. We applied a total of 15 leukapheresis treatments throughout the pregnancy. The patient gave birth vaginally to a healthy 2800 g boy at 36 weeks of gestation. We conclude that leukapheresis may provide an alternative treatment to chemotherapy, alpha-interferon or imatinib in pregnant patients with CML, particularly with concern over their potential teratogenic and other adverse effects.

We describe the successful management of a 30-year-old woman in the second trimester of her pregnancy with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in stage IV by using only leukapheresis. We applied three sessions (courses) of leukapheresis throughout the pregnancy. The procedure did not have any significant adverse effect on the patient and the fetus. The patient gave birth vaginally to a healthy boy, weighing 3100 g, at 39 weeks of gestation. Seven months after delivery, Richter's syndrome developed in the patient. We conclude that leukapheresis may provide an alternative for palliative treatment to chemotherapy in pregnant patients with CLL. To our knowledge, this is the fourth reported case of CLL in pregnancy, and the first management of CLL during pregnancy with leukapheresis.

We observed 13 pregnant women of 70 females with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) from January 1992 through September 2002. Thirteen mothers with ITP gave birth to twelve babies and two fetuses died. One of the pregnancies produced twins. Seven of the cases were diagnosed with ITP before pregnancy and six during pregnancy. One of the thirteen pregnancies was complicated by preeclampsia, one by ablatio placentae, and one by intrauterine death. Seven mothers received corticosteroid treatment, four high-dose immunoglobulin therapies, and one underwent splenectomy in the second trimester of gestation. At the time of delivery six mothers had normal platelet counts and seven had low platelet counts. Nine deliveries were by vaginal route and four were by cesarean section. Eleven infants were born with normal platelet counts and one was thrombocytopenic at the time of delivery. No infant showed any clinical signs of hemorrhage and there were no neonatal complications. Two fetuses died; one of them because of ablatio placentae and the other was intrauterine dead. In conclusion, ITP in pregnancy requires the management of two patients, the mother and her baby; hence, the close collaboration of a multidisciplinary group composed of a hematologist, obstetrician, anesthesiologist, and neonatologist is essential.

The incidence of acute leukemia in pregnancy is low and the management of acute leukemia during pregnancy is difficult. We have observed a total of 10 pregnancies in 8 patients. Six of the patients had acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) and two of them had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Three of the pregnancies were diagnosed when the leukemia was in remission, six at the time of leukemia diagnosis and one at the time of leukemic relapse. Six of the pregnancies were found in first trimester, three in the second and one early in the third. Three pregnancies ended with spontaneous abortion, three with intrauterine death and three with medical termination. One of spontaneous abortions and one intrauterine death developed during combination chemotherapy (daunorubicin, cytarabine). Only 1 healthy baby survived from the 10 pregnancies and this child was the not exposed to chemotherapeutic agents. None of the cases had gynecologic and obstetric complications. Five of eight pregnant women with leukemia died because of the primary disease.

Primary pulmonary lymphoma arising from mucosa- or bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT or BALT) is a rare disease.1,2 We report a 30 year old man with low grade B cell BALT lymphoma who presented with a bulky mass in the lung and was treated successfully with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) combined chemotherapy. The patient was admitted with a dry cough, shortness of breath, back pain, and progressive infiltrates on chest radiographs. He had no …

PubMedID: 9444948 The incidence of aplastic anemia among hospitalized adult patients was prospectively determined in this first study in Turkey. New cases of aplastic anemia among patients 14 years and older who were admitted to the study centers were included in a 3 year survey. Seventy-three patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria, yielding a mean annual incidence rate of 1.14 cases in 103 admissions. The male-to-female ratio of the cases (1.6:1) differed from the almost equal ratio of the larger population of Turkey. The median age was 30 years and females were younger at diagnosis. The age distribution of the cases was different from that of the population; showing two incidence peaks in both sexes. The majority of the patients (89%) had severe disease. TAG-0755 Materials Research Society Acknowledgements-The authorsa re gratefult o Professor N. Akman,P rofessoYr . Aydm,P rofessoSr . DtindarP, rofessor B. Ferhanoglu,A ssociateP rofessor0 . Gzcebe, Associate Professor0 . Gzdemir,P rofessorK . Gzerkana nd Associate ProfessorT . Soysal for providingp atientst o the studya nd ProfessorH asanY azrci for his valuables uggestionfso r the studya nda lso Mrs GtinseliD um,M S Figen Aydogana ndM S NurcanG edik for their secretariaal ssistanceTs.h e studyw as supportedb y TL&ITAK (The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey), grant no: TAG-0755

Background Aspergillus is a ubiquitous soil-dwelling fungus known to cause significant pulmonary infection in immunocompromised patients. The incidence of aspergillosis has increased during the past two decades and is a frequently lethal complication of acute leukemia patients that occurs following both chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation. The diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) according to the criteria that are established by European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer and Mycoses Study Group raise difficulties in severely ill patients. Despite established improvements in field of diagnosis (galactomannan antigen, quantitative PCR, real-time PCR for Aspergillus spp., and findings of computed tomography) and treatment with new antifungals, it is still a major problem in patients with acute leukemia. However, prompt and effective treatment of IPA is crucial because most patients will need subsequent chemotherapy for underlying hematologic disease as soon as possible.

Background Although bone marrow metastases can be found commonly in some malignant tumors, diagnosing a nonhematologic malignancy from marrow is not a usual event. Methods To underscore the value of bone marrow aspiration and biopsy as a short cut in establishing a diagnosis for disseminated tumors, we reviewed 19 patients with nonhematologic malignancies who initially had diagnosis from bone marrow. Results The main indications for bone marrow examination were microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA), leukoerythroblastosis (LEB) and unexplained cytopenias. Bone marrow aspiration was not diagnostic due to dry tap or inadequate material in 6 cases. Biopsy results were parallel to the cytological ones in all cases except one; however a meticulous second examination of the biopsy confirmed the cytologic diagnosis in this patient too. The most common histologic subtype was adenocarcinoma, and after all the clinical and laboratory evaluations, the primary focus was disclosed definitively in ten patients (5 stomach, 3 prostate, 1 lung, 1 muscle) and probably in four patients (3 gastrointestinal tract, 1 lung). All work up failed in five patients and these cases were classified as tumor of unknown origin (TUO). Conclusion Our series showed that anemia, thrombocytopenia, elevated red cell distribution width (RDW) and hypoproteinemia formed a uniform tetrad in patients with disseminated tumors that were diagnosed via bone marrow examination. The prognosis of patients was very poor and survivals were only a few days or weeks (except for 4 patients whose survivals were longer). We concluded that MAHA, LEB and unexplained cytopenias are strong indicators of the necessity of bone marrow examination. Because of the very short survival of many patients, all investigational procedures should be judged in view of their rationality, and should be focused on treatable primary tumors.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a malignant haematologic disease characterized of accumulation of abnormal lymphocytes mainly in peripheral blood and bone marrow. Polycythemia vera is a myeloproliferative disorder characterized of overt production of mainly erythrocytes but also all three lineage. Simultaneous presentation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and myeloproliferative disorders is very rare in literature. We report a case of polycythemia vera which developed just after chronic lymphocytic leukemia., Kronik lenfositer lösemi, anormal lenfositlerin kan ve kemik iliği başta olmak üzere vücutta aşırı miktarda birikmesiyle oluşan malign bir hematolojik hastalıktır. Polisitemia vera ön planda eritrosit olmak üzere her üç hematopoetik hücre dizisinin aşırı üretimi ile sonuçlanan myeloproliferatif bir hastalıktır. Kronik lenfositer lösemi ve myeloproliferatif hastalıkların birlikteliği literatürde çok nadir olarak bildirilmiştir. Biz de burada kronik lenfositer lösemi sonrası polisitemia vera gelişen bir olguyu bildiriyoruz.