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Decitabine (DAC) is commonly used for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Previous studies have indicated DAC sequentially combined with idarubicin was an effective treatment for myeloid neoplasms. Therefore, a clinical study was conducted of the sequential combination of DAC followed by low-dose idarubicin/cytarabine in high-risk myeloid neoplasms. A total of 30 patients with a diagnosis of high-risk MDS, AML evolving from MDS or relapsed/refractory AML were enrolled in the study. DAC was administered 20 mg/m2daily for 3 consecutive days. Idarubicin (3 mg/m2/day) was administered 24 h after the last administration of DAC for 5–7 consecutive days, combined with cytarabine (30 mg/m2/day) for 7–14 days. The overall complete remission rate was 66.67%. The results demonstrate that epigenetic priming with decitabine followed by low-dose idarubicin/ytarabine has an increased anti-leukemia effect compared to traditional chemotherapy in high-risk myeloid neoplasms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of time from diagnosis to treatment (TDT) on overall survival of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains obscure. Furthermore, whether chemotherapy delay impacts overall survival (OS) of patients with a special molecular subtype has not been investigated. Here, we enrolled 364 cases of AML to assess the effect of TDT on OS by fractional polynomial regression in the context of clinical parameters and genes of FLT3ITD, NPM1, CEBPA, DNMT3a, and IDH1/2 mutations. Results of the current study show IDH1/2 mutations are associated with older age, M0 morphology, an intermediate cytogenetic risk group, and NPM1 mutations. TDT associates with OS for AML patients in a nonlinear pattern with a J shape. Moreover, adverse effect of delayed treatment on OS was observed in patients with IDH1/2 mutations, but not in those with IDH1/2 wildtype. Therefore, initiating chemotherapy as soon as possible after diagnosis might be a potential strategy to improve OS in AML patients with IDH1/2 mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with hematologic disease are likely to be at increased risk for infection with influenza. We retrospectively analyzed 11 cases of patients with hematologic disease who were infected with pandemic H1N1 virus in our department, including their clinical manifestations, laboratory and imaging findings, outcomes of antiviral therapy, and factors associated with mortality. Notably, nine patients had lower respiratory tract disease. Five patients progressed to respiratory failure and eventually died, despite treatment with antivirals and/or corticosteroids and/or mechanical ventilation. We concluded that H1N1 2009 infection was associated with a severe course and high rate of mortality in patients with hematologic disease, and early diagnosis and antiviral treatment were important to reduce the rate of severe complications and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]