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Aim: To investigate the diagnostic role of the 18F-FDG PET in the detection of residual tumour in Hodgkin disease. Material and methods: In the last decade in Hodgkin disease patients following the primary therapy CT investigation revealed residual disease in 73 cases. 18F-FDG PET investigations were performed for restaging in all of these patients. Results: 18F-FDG PET revealed active disease in 28 patients. Twenty-one of these patients had activity sings. In 5 of the patients complete remission was found after second-line therapy, and progressive disease was diagnosed in 16 cases. The other 7 patients did not have other activity signs, all of these patient are in stabile state. 18F-FDG PET was negative in 45 patients. In 2 of these cases recurrent disease was diagnosed in the first year. The other 43 patients did not showed activity signs. Conclusion: Negative 18F-FDG PET result is a good prognostic sign in Hodgkin disease patients for the disease free survival after the first-line therapy. Positive 18F-FDG PET finding with other activity signs indicates second-line therapy. Other investigations are required to clarify the cause of the relative high rate of 18F-FDG positive cases, in whom second line therapy was unnecessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background - POEMS syndrome is a potentially well manageable disease with an ascendant therapeutic arsenal nowadays. The early recognition of the syndrome is key to prevent serious multiorgan damage, and that is still a big challenge for physicians. With the following two case reports the authors aimed to highlight the consequences of late recognition of the disease and summarize the potential therapeutic options for POEMS syndrome.

Results - We have presented two patients’ cases with a long history of examination and treatment because of uncleared polyneuropathy. Through these cases we could see how serious could be the consequences of late diagnosis and despite multiorgan impairment there are still therapeutic options which could improve the patient’s condition. Although the diagnosis of POEMS syndrome is not easy, it must raise our mind the thought and be prudent when we start a treatment in polyneuropathy.

Patients affected by multiple myeloma (MM) have an increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and subsequent coronavirus (20)19 disease (COVID-19)-related death. The changing epidemiological and therapeutic scenarios suggest that there has been an improvement in severity and survival of COVID-19 during the different waves of the pandemic in the general population, but this has not been investigated yet in MM patients. Here we analyzed a large cohort of 1221 patients with MM and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection observed between February 2020, and August 2022, in the EPICOVIDEHA registry from 132 centers around the world. Median follow-up was 52 days for the entire cohort and 83 days for survivors. Three-hundred and three patients died (24%) and COVID-19 was the primary reason for death of around 89% of them. Overall survival (OS) was significantly higher in vaccinated patients with both stable and active MM versus unvaccinated, while only a trend favoring vaccinated patients was observed in subjects with responsive MM. Vaccinated patients with at least 2 doses showed a better OS than those with one or no vaccine dose. Overall, according to pandemic waves, mortality rate decreased over time from 34% to 10%. In multivariable analysis, age, renal failure, active disease, hospital, and intensive care unit admission, were independently associated with a higher number of deaths, while a neutrophil count above 0.5 × 10 9 /L was found to be protective. This data suggests that MM patients remain at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection even in the vaccination era, but their clinical outcome, in terms of OS, has progressively improved throughout the different viral phases of the pandemic., (© 2023 The Authors. Hematological Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) expressing multiple follicular T helper (TFH) cell-related antigens are now classified as TFH lymphomas (TFHL), including angioimmunoblastic, follicular, and not otherwise specified (NOS) types. CXCR5 is the TFH cell-defining chemokine receptor that, together with its ligand CXCL13, plays a critical role in the development of follicles and the positioning of TFH and B cells within follicles. A comprehensive immunomorphologic study was performed to investigate the expression pattern of CXCR5 in a large cohort of nodal PTCLs, particularly those with a TFH cell phenotype, and to compare its expression with six other TFH cell-related antigens. We found that CXCR5 is widely expressed in neoplastic TFH cells, except in TFHL-NOS, and represents a specific marker of this lymphoma entity. Our results suggest that CXCR5 directs the distribution of neoplastic T cells in the affected lymph nodes and may influence the formation of the pathognomic pathological FDC network.

Objectives: Elderly patients with hematologic malignancies face the highest risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. The infection's impact on different age groups remains unstudied in detail., Methods: We analyzed elderly patients (age groups: 65-70, 71-75, 76-80, and >80 years old) with hematologic malignancies included in the EPICOVIDEHA registry between January 2020 and July 2022. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were conducted to identify factors influencing death in COVID-19 patients with hematological malignancy., Results: The study included data from 3,603 elderly patients (aged 65 or older) with hematological malignancy, with a majority being male (58.1%) and a significant proportion having comorbidities. The patients were divided into four age groups, and the analysis assessed COVID-19 outcomes, vaccination status, and other variables in relation to age and pandemic waves. The 90-day survival rate for patients with COVID-19 was 71.2%, with significant differences between groups. The pandemic waves had varying impacts, with the first wave affecting patients over 80 years old, the second being more severe in 65-70, and the third being the least severe in all age groups. Factors contributing to 90-day mortality included age, comorbidities, lymphopenia, active malignancy, acute leukemia, less than three vaccine doses, severe COVID-19, and using only corticosteroids as treatment., Conclusion: These data underscore the heterogeneity of elderly hematological patients, highlight the different impacts of COVID-19 waves and the pivotal importance of vaccination, and may help in planning future healthcare efforts., Competing Interests: Declarations of competing interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are at high risk of dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The optimal management of AML patients with COVID-19 has not been established. Our multicenter study included 388 adult AML patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 2020 and October 2021. The vast majority were receiving or had received AML treatment in the preceding 3 months. COVID-19 was severe in 41.2% and critical in 21.1% of cases. The chemotherapeutic schedule was modified in 174 patients (44.8%), delayed in 68 and permanently discontinued in 106. After a median follow-up of 325 days, 180 patients (46.4%) had died; death was attributed to COVID-19 (43.3%), AML (26.1%) or to a combination of both (26.7%), whereas in 3.9% of cases the reason was unknown. Active disease, older age, and treatment discontinuation were associated with death, whereas AML treatment delay was protective. Seventy-nine patients had a simultaneous AML and COVID-19 diagnosis, with better survival when AML treatment could be delayed (80%; P<0.001). Overall survival in patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 between January 2020 and August 2020 was significantly lower than that in patients diagnosed between September 2020 and February 2021 and between March 2021 and September 2021 (39.8% vs. 60% vs. 61.9%, respectively; P=0.006). COVID-19 in AML patients was associated with a high mortality rate and modifications of therapeutic algorithms. The best approach to improve survival was to delay AML treatment, whenever possible.

Background: The outcome of patients with simultaneous diagnosis of haematological malignancies (HM) and COVID-19 is unknown and there are no specific treatment guidelines. Methods: We describe the clinical features and outcome of a cohort of 450 patients with simultaneous diagnosis of HM and COVID-19 registered in the EPICOVIDEHA registry between March 2020 to February 2022. Results: Acute leukaemia and lymphoma were the most frequent HM (35.8% and 35.1%, respectively). Overall, 343 (76.2%) patients received treatment for HM, which was delayed for longer than one month since diagnosis in 57 (16.6%). An overall response rate was observed in 140 (40.8%) patients after the first line of treatment. After a median follow-up of 35 days, overall mortality was 177/450 (39.3%); 30-day mortality was significantly higher in patients not receiving HM treatment (42.1%) than in those receiving treatment (27.4%, p = 0.004), either before and/or after COVID-19, or compared to patients receiving HM treatment at least after COVID-19 (15.2%, p < 0.001). Age, severe/critical COVID-19, ≥2 comorbidities, and lack of HM treatment were independent risk factors for mortality, whereas a lymphocyte count >500/mcl at COVID-19 onset was protective. Conclusions: HM treatment should be delivered as soon as possible for patients with simultaneous diagnosis of COVID-19 and HM requiring immediate therapy.

Patients with lymphoproliferative diseases (LPD) are vulnerable to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Here, we describe and analyze the outcome of 366 adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) treated with targeted drugs and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosed between February 2020 and January 2022. Median follow-up was 70.5 days (IQR 0-609). Most used targeted drugs were Bruton-kinase inhibitors (BKIs) (N= 201, 55%), anti-CD20 other than rituximab (N=61, 16%), BCL2 inhibitors (N=33, 9%) and lenalidomide (N=28, 8%).Only 16.2% of the patients were vaccinated with 2 or more doses of vaccine at the onset of COVID-19. Mortality was 24% (89/366) on day 30 and 36%(134/366) on the last day of follow-up. Age >75 years (p<0.001, HR 1.036), active malignancy (p<0.001, HR 2.215), severe COVID-19 (p=0.017, HR 2.270) and admission to ICU (p<0.001, HR 5.751) were risk factors for mortality at last day of follow up. There was no difference in OS rates in NHL vs CLL patients (p=0.306), nor in patients treated with or without BKIs (p=0.151). Mortality in ICU was 66% (CLL 61%, NHL 76%). Overall mortality rate decreased according to vaccination status, being 39% in unvaccinated patients, 32% and 26% in those having received one or two doses, respectively, and 20% in patients with a booster dose (p=0.245). Overall mortality rate dropped from 41% during the first semester of 2020 to 25% at the last semester of 2021. These results show increased severity and mortality from COVID-19 in LPDs patients treated with targeted drugs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest of this work., (Copyright © 2022 Infante, Salmanton-García, Fernández-Cruz, Marchesi, Jaksic, Weinbergerová, Besson, Duarte, Itri, Valković, Szotkovski, Busca, Guidetti, Glenthøj, Collins, Bonuomo, Sili, Seval, Machado, Cordoba, Blennow, Abu-Zeinah, Lamure, Kulasekararaj, Falces-Romero, Cattaneo, Van Doesum, Piukovics, Omrani, Magliano, Ledoux, de Ramon, Cabirta, Verga, López-García, Da Silva, Stojanoski, Meers, Lahmer, Martín-Pérez, Dávila-Vals, Van Praet, Samarkos, Bilgin, Karlsson, Batinić, Nordlander, Schönlein, Hoenigl, Ráčil, Mladenović, Hanakova, Zambrotta, De Jonge, Adžić-Vukičević, Nunes-Rodrigues, Prezioso, Navrátil, Marchetti, Cuccaro, Calbacho, Giordano, Cornely, Hernández-Rivas and Pagano.)

Up to 30% of patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) are not responsive to frontline therapy or relapse after primary treatment. In these cases, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is the standard of care. The combination of brentuximab vedotin and bendamustine (BV + B) is an effective salvage regimen in this challenging subpopulation. This nationwide multicenter study investigated the real-world efficacy and safety of the BV + B regimen as a bridge to AHSCT in patients with primary refractory or relapsed cHL. A total of 41 cHL patients underwent AHSCT after receiving at least 1 cycle of BV + B (with brentuximab vedotin given at 1.8 mg/kg on day 1 and bendamustine at 90 mg/m 2 on days 1-2 every 4 weeks). After a median of 3 (1-6) cycles of BV + B, the objective response rate was 78%, with 29 (70.7%) patients achieving complete remission. Twelve (29.3%) patients relapsed after AHSCT, 2 (4.9%) of them died, while 2 (4.9%) patients are lost to follow-up. After a median of 17 months of follow-up, the estimated 2-year overall- and progression-free survival after AHSCT was 93 and 62%, respectively. Features of advanced disease at recurrence (p = 0.038) and the presence of stage IV cHL at relapse (p = 0.024) are strong predictor markers of unfavorable outcomes. Twenty-four (58.5%) patients experienced adverse events of any grade, while no grade IV toxicities were reported. BV + B is an effective salvage option with a manageable toxicity profile in cHL. The real-world safety and efficacy of this combination are similar to the observations made on the study population.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most common haematological malignancies exhibiting remarkable heterogeneity in clinical course. Rituximab added to standard chemotherapy has been proven to increase response rate and eventually survival among previously untreated CLL patients. CILI was an open-label, non-randomized, single arm, multicentric, observational study aimed to collect real-life effectiveness data for rituximab used according to the current label in combination with standard chemotherapy in previously untreated CLL patients. Overall response rates (ORR) in the entire study population as well as in various subgroups were estimated. Adverse events were recorded during the entire course of the study. A total number of 150 patients were enrolled by 15 Hungarian study sites. Out of these, 82 patients received 6 cycles of rituximab containing treatment. Overall response rates of 88.24% (CI 95% : 81.6-93.12%) and 94.59% (CI 95% : 86.73-98.51%) were recorded in the intent-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) populations, respectively. In both study populations, somewhat higher ORR was observed in patients aged ≥65 years. Subgroups defined according to either chromosomal aberrations (presence of 11q and 17p deletions) showed apparently high ORRs, though these rates were most probably biased by low patient numbers. 144 adverse events were reported during the study, of which 15 AEs were considered to be related to the administration of rituximab. Analyses of the efficacy variables have revealed comparable results to those previously reported by controlled clinical trials.

Introduction: Extranodal natural killer/T (NK/T) cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL) represents a rare subtype of T-cell lymphomas with aggressive clinical behavior according to WHO 2016 classification., Aim: ENKTL has distinctive geographic distribution with higher incidence in Asia and Latin America (10% of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases), than in Europe and North America (<1%). ENKTL tipically origins from nasopharynx and upper aerodigestive tract. Anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens are largely ineffective in the treatment of ENKTL., Method: Our aims were to evaluate the incidence and treatment strategies of ENKTL patients in Hungarian Haematological Centres between 2003 and 2015. Altogether 20 patients with ENKTL were treated in the 4 haematological hospitals (male:female ratio 12:8, with median 49.5 years of age)., Results: Ten patients had localized (stage I-II) disease at the time of the diagnosis. Seventeen patients were treated with chemotherapy (11/CHOP, CHOP-like, 2/HyperCVAD, 1/ProMACECytaBom, 1/SMILE, 2/others), which was completed with involved-field radiation therapy (IFRT) (40-46 Gy) in 6 cases were used. After first-line therapy 9 patients achieved complete remission (CR), 3 patients had partial remission (PR), 3 patients had progressive disease (PD), and 2 patients had stable disease (SD). Median follow-up was 32 (3-113) months. Five patients received second-line therapy for progressive or recurrent disease [2/DHAP, 1/VIM, 1/HyperCVAD, 1/ProMACECytaBom]. None of the patients achieved CR after second-line therapy. Two patients have undergone autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) after the first CR., Conclusion: ENKTL treatment is more effective with nonanthracycline-containing regimens. L-asparaginase containing chemotherapy and concurrent or sequential chemo-radiotherapy improves survival and CR rates. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(41): 1635-1641.

T-cell lymphoma is a poor prognostic hematological malignancy. The generally used - not sufficiently effective - induction chemotherapy should be improved with consolidative autologous hemopoetic stem cell transplantation. The authors describe the role, place and effectiveness of transplantation in this disorder. One hundred thirty three autologous stem cell transplantations were performed in the last 22 years in Hungary. Detailed results are available from the last 6 years. In this period 43 transplantations were carried out in 4 Hungarian centers. Carmustine-etoposide-cytosine arabinoside-melphalan (BEAM) conditioning regimen was used in 95%. The transplantation was done mainly in complete remission (84%), 1 year after transplantation 65% of patients were still in complete remission. Eleven patients died, 82% of them have progressive disease. Brentuximab vedotin has already proved the effectiveness, several other chemoterapeutics, monoclonal antibodies, kinase inhibitors are under investigation. In certain cases allogeneic stem cell transplantation has real indication among therapeutic options. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(41): 1615-1619.

Introduction: The treatment of relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma is still a major therapeutic challenge. The use of brentuximab vedotin, an anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate, represents a promising approach for these patients, however clinical outcomes have not yet been evaluated in Hungary., Aim: Our aim was to assess the efficacy, safety and outcome of brentuximab vedotin treatment in Hungarian Hodgkin lymphoma patients., Method: In this retrospective case note review we enrolled patients at 6 clinical sites countrywide who were diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and received brentuximab vedotin between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2016., Results: A total of 86 patients were treated with brentuximab vedotin during the examined period. Before therapy initiation 66% of our patients had advanced-stage disease. Overall response rate to brentuximab vedotin, administered before autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (n = 54) was 66.6%, complete remission rate was 42.6%. Thirty patients received brentuximab vedotin after AHSCT, 46.67% responded to treatment, 30% achieved complete remission. Thirty-six patients received the drug as a single-agent therapy, 50 patients were given brentuximab vedotin in combination, 39 of them with bendamustin. Toxicity was observed only in 13.95% of our patients, most common symptom was skin rash. Based on our analysis the estimated 5-year overall survival rate was 78.7%, the estimated progression free survival rate was 23.59 months (95% CI: 19.50-27.68)., Conclusion: Brentuximab vedotin carries a substantial improvement in the treatment of relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. Our results underline prior observations published in the literature. The use of brentuximab vedotin in combination can be beneficial, however further investigation is needed on the subject. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(41): 1630-1634.

Because of the widespread use of immunosuppressive drugs, CMV infection is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with haematological malignancies worldwide. The aim of the study was to retrospectively analyse the epidemiology of CMV infection in haematological patients. Between 2008 and 2014, 1238 quantitative CMV DNA detections from plasma specimens were performed. These specimens were collected from 271 patients with haematological malignancy. Patients were grouped on the basis of underlying diseases (lymphoid and myeloid malignancies and other haematological diseases). In the lymphoid and myeloid groups, we distinguished ASCT and non-ASCT groups. During the studied period, the majority of examined patients (82.6 %) were treated with lymphoproliferative disease. A total of 126 (46.5 %) patients underwent ASCT, while 145 (53.5 %) did not have stem cell transplantation. A total of 118 (9.5 %) of 1238 plasma specimens proved to be positive for CMV DNA; these specimens were collected from 66 (24.4 %) patients. Twenty-four (16.6 %) of 145 non-ASCT patients had CMV PCR positive specimens. Among non-ASCT patients with positive CMV PCR results, 10 patients were asymptomatic, 14 had symptomatic reactivation, while 2 had CMV disease. In the ASCT group, 42 (33.3 %) patients had CMV PCR positive samples. CMV reactivation was asymptomatic in 34 (81 %) cases, and 8 (19 %) patients had symptomatic reactivation. In the non-ASCT group, the rate of CMV infection is low. In the ASCT group, the prevalence of CMV infection was higher than in the non-ASCT group, but the majority of CMV infection was asymptomatic and only small number of patients had symptomatic reactivation. Thus, our results also showed that the use of routine CMV DNA monitoring is not necessary in patients with haematological malignancies not receiving fludarabine-containing regimen or alemtuzumab, in spite of this to decrease the mortality we have to consider the use of molecular tests in case of suspected infectious conditions.

Despite the development in the identification of Nocardia spp., common challenges exist in the laboratory diagnosis and management of nocardiosis. We report two cases of disseminated nocardiosis in a patient with hematologic disorder and in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus, where the cooperation between various specialists was essential to set up the adequate diagnosis of disseminated nocardiosis.

Introduction: Because of the use of chemo-immunotherapeutic drugs, cytomegalovirus infection is one of the most important infectious complications among patients with haematological malignancies., Aim: The aim of the authors was to detect cytomegalovirus infection and reactivation using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction., Method: Between 2012 and 2014, the authors retrospectively analysed 96 patient's medical history hospitalised in haematology Unit. Patients were grouped on the basis of their underlying diseases (lymphoprolipherative malignancies, acute leukaemias), and the following groups were created: autologous stem cell transplanted and non-transplanted groups., Results: Eighty-three patients were treated with lymphoprolipherative disorders, and 63 (76%) of them underwent autologous stem cell transplantation. Out of the 604 plasma specimens 46 (7.6%) were positive for the cytomegalovirus desoxyribonucleic acid collected from 25 patients [6 non-transplanted (18%) and 19 from the transplanted group (30.2%)]. The frequency of cytomegalovirus positivity was doubled in the transplanted patient group, however, reactivation was asymptomatic in 68% of the cases., Conclusions: The routine use of cytomegalovirus monitoring is not necessary in this patient group. In case of suspected cytomegalovirus infection, molecular tests allow early preemptive antiviral therapy, which may decrease the mortality attributed to cytomegalovirus infection. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(35), 1403-1409.

From year to year, it is important to get an overview of the occurrence of causative agents in febrile neutropenic patients to determine the empiric treatment. Thus our aims were to evaluate a four-year period regarding the prevalence of bloodstream infections and the most important causative agents. During this period, 1,361 patients were treated in our hematology ward because of various hematological disorders. 812 febrile episodes were recorded in 469 patients. At that time, 3,714 blood culture (BC) bottles were sent for microbiological investigations, 759 of them gave positive signal. From the majority of positive blood culture bottles (67.1%), Gram-positive bacteria, mainly coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), were grown. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from 32.9% of the positive blood culture bottles, in these cases the leading pathogen was Escherichia coli. The high prevalence of CNS was attributed to mainly contamination, while lower positivity rate for Gram-negative bacteria was associated with the use of broad-spectrum empiric antibiotic treatment.

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is an uncommon B cell lymphoproliferation characterized by a unique immunophenotype. Due to low number of circulating neoplastic cells and 'dry tap' aspiration, the diagnosis is often based on BM trephine biopsy. We have performed a consecutive immunohistochemical analysis to evaluate diagnostic usefulness of various HCL markers (CD11c, CD25, CD68, CD103, CD123, CD200, annexin A1, cyclin D1, DBA.44, HBME-1, phospho-ERK1/2, TRAP, and T-bet) currently available against fixation resistant epitopes. We analyzed tissue microarrays consisting of samples gained from 73 small B-cell lymphoma cases, including hairy cell leukemia (HCL) (n = 32), HCL variant (HCL-v) (n = 4), B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) (n = 11), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) (n = 3), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) (n = 10), splenic diffuse red pulp small B cell lymphoma (SDRPL) (n = 2), splenic B cell marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) (n = 8), and splenic B cell lymphoma/leukemia, unclassifiable (SBCL) (n = 3) cases. The HCL cases were 100% positive for all but 2 (DBA.44 and CD123) of these markers. Annexin A1 showed 100% specificity and accuracy, which was followed by CD123, pERK, CD103, HBME-1, CD11c, CD25, CD68, cyclin D1, CD200, T-bet, DBA.44, and TRAP, in decreasing order. In conclusion, our results reassured the high specificity of annexin A1 and pERK, as well as the diagnostic value of standard HCL markers of CD11c, CD25, CD103, and CD123 also in paraffin-embedded BM samples. Additional markers, including HBME-1, cyclin D1, CD200, and T-bet also represent valuable tools in the differential diagnosis of HCL and its mimics.

Background/aim: Due to the increasing number of immunocompromised patients and widely used autologous stem cell transplantation procedures, clinicians have to face with the emergence of infectious diseases. In this setting, we mainly focus our interest on cytomegalovirus (CMV) testing and only in some cases on other herpesviruses (HHV). Herein, we present monitoring of HHV-6 virus re-activation and infection in patients after autologous stem cell transplantation., Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty-one blood and 2 cerebrospinal fluid specimens from 35 patients were tested for the presence of HHV-6 DNA., Results: In 4 patients, a positive HHV-6 signal was detected. In 1 patient, simultaneous detection of CMV and HHV-6 could be observed; however, a low copy number result during CMV testing was obtained. Delayed engraftment or other clinical signs of infection could not be detected in patients with a positive HHV-6 result, except in the case of patient 4 who had limbic encephalitis due to HHV-6 reactivation., Conclusion: Because of the possible severe manifestations of HHV-6 infection in immunocompromised patients, screening of HHV-6 infection or reactivation is recommended as part of the routine laboratory procedure., (Copyright © 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Biosimilar versions of filgrastim [recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF)] are now widely available. To date, biosimilar rhG-CSF has demonstrated a comparable quality, safety and efficacy profile to the originator product (filgrastim [Neupogen(®)], Amgen Inc., CA, USA) in the prevention and management of neutropenia. Biosimilar rhG-CSFs have also been used to induce peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mobilization in patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). The authors have examined the effectiveness of a biosimilar rhG-CSF (Zarzio(®), Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals, Holzkirchen, Germany) in two retrospective studies across two medical centers in Hungary., Methods: In Study 1, 70 patients with hematological malignancies scheduled to undergo AHSCT received chemotherapy followed by biosimilar rhG-CSF (2 × 5 μg) for facilitating neutrophil, leukocyte, and platelet engraftment. In study 2, 40 additional patients with lymphoid malignancies and planned AHSCT received chemotherapy followed by biosimilar rhG-CSF for PBSC mobilization. The effectiveness of treatment was assessed by the average yield of cluster of differentiation (CD) 34+ cells and the number of leukaphereses required., Results: In Study 1 (patients undergoing AHSCT), the median age was 56 years and most patients were male (60%). The conditioning regimens were mainly high-dose melphalan (n = 41) and carmustine (BiCNU(®), Bristol-Myers Squibb, NJ, USA), etoposide, cytarabine and melphalan BEAM (n = 21). Median times to absolute neutrophil and leukocyte engraftment were 9 (range 8-11 days) and 10 (8-12) days, respectively. Median time to platelet engraftment was 10.5 days (7-19 days). In Study 2, the patients' median age was 54 years and the majority (57.5%) were female. The median time interval between day 1 of mobilizing chemotherapy and first leukapheresis was 12 (9-27) days. In the autologous PBSC grafts, the median number of CD34+ cells harvested was 5.2 × 10(6)/kg (2.22-57.07 × 10(6)/kg). The median yield of CD34+ cells per leukapheresis product was 2.47 × 10(6)/kg. In total, 58 leukaphereses were performed in 40 successfully harvested patients., Conclusions: In line with previous studies with originator rhG-CSF, the findings of this study indicate that biosimilar rhG-CSF following AHSCT is effective and generally well tolerated in the engraftment setting. In addition, biosimilar rhG-CSF is comparable to the originator rhG-CSF in terms of kinetics of PBSC mobilization and yield of CD34+ cells. In conclusion, the authors have demonstrated that the use of biosimilar rhG-CSF is effective and safe in autologous PBSC mobilization and engraftment after AHSCT.

The Hector Battifora mesothelial epitope-1 (HBME-1) monoclonal antibody has been generated against human mesothelioma cells and recognizes a biochemically unknown membrane epitope. We have accidentally found that the HBME-1 reacts with scattered lymphocytes showing villous surface in hyperplastic lymphoid tissue. To evaluate its reactivity pattern, we have performed a consecutive immunohistochemical study in nonneoplastic bone marrow and lymphoid samples (n = 40), as well as in malignant lymphoproliferations (n = 427), including hairy cell leukemia (HCL) (n = 72), HCL variant (HCL-v) (n = 13), splenic diffuse red pulp small B cell lymphoma (SDRPL) (n = 8), splenic B cell marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) (n = 59), and splenic B cell lymphoma/leukemia, not further classifiable on bone marrow morphology (SBCL) (n = 37) cases. The staining pattern of HBME-1 was compared to DBA.44. HBME-1(+) villous lymphocytes were constantly detected in low number in nonneoplastic lymphoid tissues. With multicolor immunofluorescence staining, HBME-1(+) lymphocytes showed a CD20(+)/CD79a(+)/IgM(+) B cell phenotype. In B cell lymphoproliferations of villous lymphocytes, HBME-1 reactivity was demonstrated in 96 % of HCL, 39 % of HCL-v, 50 % of SDRPL, 12 % of SMZL, and 19 % of SBCL cases. Nodal and extranodal marginal zone lymphoma cases were positive in 12 % of the cases. A small minority (4 %) of the other B cell lymphomas and no T cell lymphoma revealed tumor cell reactivity with HBME-1. In conclusion, our study has established that HBME-1 reacts with a minor subset of B lymphocytes and a small proportion of B cell lymphomas, which has not been described previously. We suggest that HBME-1 can be a useful marker in the diagnosis of HCL and other indolent lymphoproliferations of villous B lymphocytes.

Introduction: Refractory sprue is characterised by distinctive morphologic alterations and the emergence of clonal intraepithelial lymphocytes., Aim: In this case report the authors emphasize the importance of histopathology in the diagnosis of refractory sprue., Methods: The sequential biopsies from this patient have been investigated with routine histology, immunohistochemistry and molecular genetics for T-cell clonality analysis., Results: The severely cachectic patient presenting with malabsorption syndrome has been diagnosed with celiac disease through a duodenal biopsy, and the CD8 negativity of the intraepithelial lymphocytes suggested the possible diagnosis of refractory sprue. Azathioprine and glucocorticoid therapy was administered due to the failed jejunal feeding and gluten-free diet, resulting in clinically complete, morphologically partial remission. Intestinal T-cell lymphoma developed in the ileocecal region within two years after the first clinical presentation., Discussion: Refractory sprue and the enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma constitute a disease spectrum. The reported case shows how a simple method can provide crucial information in the diagnosis of refractory sprue.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LG) is characterized as an angiodestructive cell proliferation. It occurs commonly in the lung, but skin manifestations are present in 45% of the patients and the involvement of the central nervous system is not rare, too. The progression into malignant lymphomas is 13-53%. The authors review the history of two patients with LG. The involvement of the lung with LG was in the first case. The histological investigation of the lung after pulmonectomy has given the diagnosis. Coombs positive hemolysis and antinuclear factor positivity were found in this patient, too. She has not been transformed into lymphoma in 3 years. In the second case LG was diagnosed after large bowel resection. After a half year follow-up the liquor investigation showed the central nervous system manifestation of lymphoma.

During the last 3 years 263 patients were admitted who underwent diagnostic lymph node biopsy. Complications were observed only in 4 cases. In these cases, following cervical lymph node excision from the supraclavicular region, sectioning the spinal accessory nerve and branches of brachial plexus resulted in the "shoulder syndrome" which is characterized by a weakened, deformed, and often painful shoulder. Attention is called to the possibility of nerve injury during diagnostic excision of cervical lymph nodes. Most often the spinal accessory nerve and branches of brachial plexus are transected with subsequent deformity and decreased range of motion of the shoulder, which could influence deeply the quality of patient's life.