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Saviola A, Fiorani C, Ferrara L, Mazzocchi V, Zucchini P, Temperani P, Longo G, Emilia G, Torelli G. Transition of polycythemia vera to chronic myeloid leukaemia. Eur J Haematol 2005: 75: 264–266. © Blackwell Munksgaard 2005. A 77-year-old female with polycythemia vera (PV) showed a sudden, typical chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), 8 yr after the initial diagnosis, and an intermittent treatment with hydroxyurea (0.5–1 g/d) and phlebotomies. At PV diagnosis, the Ph chromosome was negative and no bcr–abl rearrangement was observed; they were both revealed positive at CML onset. Transition of PV to CML is very rare; only seven substantiated cases had been reported in the literature up until now (six from 1964 to 1993). All patients but one received 32P or alkylating agents for PV treatment. The pathogenetic mechanisms are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter to the editor of the "British Journal of Haematology," about a patient with acute myeloid leukemia who developed hepatic veno-occlusive disease after treatment with gemtuzumab ozogamicin.

Objective: No-visitor policies adopted to prevent coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) spread in hospital wards have deeply impacted communication with patients and their relatives. Whereas in pre-COVID-19 era family-clinician meetings were held in person, during the pandemic interactions often took place over the phone, frequently causing feelings of uncertainty and distress to the close ones at home. The goal of this study was to assess and improve the effectiveness of structured telephone-based communication with hospitalized onco-hematological patients' relatives in COVID-19 era. Methods: After no-visitor policy was adopted in the Onco-Hematological Unit of Modena, inpatients' relatives were contacted daily for clinical updates. After discharge, a telephone satisfaction survey was administered to all contact people of patients consecutive admitted between December 2020 and January 2021 (n = 97). Mean score of response and potential statistically significative differences depending on respondents' characteristics were assessed. Results: Most relatives were satisfied with the communication received with a mean total score of 4.69 on a 5-point Likert scale (standard deviation: 0.60). Results showed high satisfaction rate with both the informative (mean ± SD: 4.66 ± 0.64) and emotional (mean ± SD: 4.66 ± 0.58) content, with no significant difference depending on respondents' demographic characteristics (p > 0.05). Conclusion: A structured telephone-based communication may be a reasonable substitute for face-to-face meetings; especially if regular in time, conducted by the same doctor and integrated with video calls. Our findings might assist health workers in implementing measures to minimize the psychological effects of no-visitor policies during hospitalization. Clinical updates delivery through structured phone calls and video calls could become an opportunity also in post-COVID era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A t(11;20)(p15;q11) is a rare but recurrent chromosomal aberration, reported in one case of polycythemia vera and a few cases of de novo acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) and therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome (t-MDS). In t-MDS cases, the translocation resulted in the NUP98/TOP1 fusion transcript. The NUP98 gene has been suggested as the target for therapy-related malignancies. The reciprocal TOP1/NUP98 chimera, however, has not yet been encountered. We report a further case of de novo AML, subtype M2 in the French–American–British (FAB) classification, in which the reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed the NUP98/TOP1 chimera and also, for the first time, its reciprocal TOP1/NUP98. The literature review disclosed that, among six cases of de novo AML with t(11;20), the NUP98 gene was shown to be involved in one case and the NUP98/TOP1 chimera was detected in another. The translocation seems to be frequently associated with the FAB M2 subtype, younger age, hyperleukocytosis, and poor prognosis; thus, this translocation may identify a subset of not-therapy-related AML patients with shared clinical features. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary. Leukaemic infiltration of the lungs may occur in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Pulmonary infiltrates are usually microscopic and invariably associated with hyperleucocytosis. Four AML patients with respiratory symptoms and low leucocyte counts underwent standard chest radiography, bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) of the lungs. HRCT scans showed pulmonary infiltrates with alveolar, interstitial, mixed and peribronchial/perivascular patterns in all patients, including one with negative standard radiographic findings. Infectious agents were excluded. Histology of the lung biopsy/autopsy specimens showed leukaemic infiltrates. Pulmonary leukaemia may be the cause of pulmonary infiltrates, even in non-hyperleucocytosic AML patients with low blast counts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]