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Background/Objectives: Relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) remains an unresolved matter of concern regarding adverse outcomes. This case study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of blinatumomab, with or without door lymphocyte infusion (DLI), in treating measurable residual disease (MRD)-positive B-ALL. Methods: All patients who received blinatumomab salvage therapy were included in this study. Eleven patients were included in the study. All patients were evaluated for MRD-negativity. Results: Before starting blinatumomab therapy, seven patients tested positive for MRD, three tested negative, and one had refractory disease. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) was reserved for five patients with persistent MRD. Six patients became MRD-negative and subsequent HCT was not performed. Only two patients relapsed; one patient died of relapse, and the other one received carfilzomib-based therapy and was MRD-negative thereafter. Nine patients were MRD-negative at a median follow-up of 28 months (15–52 months). Two of three MRD-positive post-transplant patients remained in complete molecular remission after preemptive DLI at the last follow-up date. In the first salvage, blinatumomab may achieve complete remission and bridging to HCT in pediatric patients with end-of-induction MRD-positive B-cell precursor ALL. Conclusions: The decision on how to treat post-transplant relapse continues to affect survival outcomes. Blinatumomab combined with DLI may extend the armamentarium of release options for high-risk pediatric patients. This approach is encouraging for high-risk ALL patients who are MRD-positive post-transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methotrexate (MTX) is an essential part of therapy in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children, and inferior intellectual outcomes have been reported in children who are leukemia survivors. Although several studies have demonstrated that the interaction between gut microbiota changes and the brain plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of chemotherapy-induced brain injury, preexisting studies on the effect of MTX on gut microbiota changes focused on gastrointestinal toxicity only. Based on our previous studies, which revealed that MTX treatment resulted in inferior neurocognitive function in developing young rats, we built a young rat model mimicking MTX treatment in a child ALL protocol, trying to investigate the interactions between the gut and brain in response to MTX treatment. We found an association between gut microbiota changes and neurogenesis/repair processes in response to MTX treatment, which suggest that MTX treatment results in gut dysbiosis, which is considered to be related to MTX neurotoxicity through an alteration in gut–brain axis communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study investigates the potential utility of IKZF1 deletion as an additional high‐risk marker for paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The prognostic impact of IKZF1 status, in conjunction with minimal/measurable residual disease (MRD), was evaluated within the MRD‐guided TPOG‐ALL‐2013 protocol using 412 newly diagnosed B‐ALL patients aged 1–18. IKZF1 status was determined using multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification. IKZF1 deletions, when co‐occurring with CDKN2A, CDKN2B, PAX5 or PAR1 region deletions in the absence of ERG deletions, were termed IKZF1plus. Both IKZF1 deletion (14.6%) and IKZF1plus (7.8%) independently predicted poorer outcomes in B‐ALL. IKZF1plus was observed in 4.1% of Philadelphia‐negative ALL, with a significantly lower 5‐year event‐free survival (53.9%) compared to IKZF1 deletion alone (83.8%) and wild‐type IKZF1 (91.3%) (p < 0.0001). Among patients with Day 15 MRD ≥0.01%, provisional high‐risk patients with IKZF1plus exhibited the worst outcomes in event‐free survival (42.0%), relapse‐free survival (48.0%) and overall survival (72.7%) compared to other groups (p < 0.0001). Integration of IKZF1plus and positive Day 15 MRD identified a subgroup of Philadelphia‐negative B‐ALL with a 50% risk of relapse. This study highlights the importance of assessing IKZF1plus alongside Day 15 MRD positivity to identify patients at increased risk of adverse outcomes, potentially minimizing overtreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the improvement in children's acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) care, the survival rate in children ALL has improved much. Methotrexate (MTX) plays an essential role in the success of children's ALL treatment. Since hepatotoxicity is commonly reported in individuals treated with intravenous or oral MTX, our study further examined the hepatic effect following intrathecal MTX treatment, which is an essential treatment for leukemia patients. Specifically, we examined the pathogenesis of MTX hepatotoxicity in young rats and explored the impact of melatonin treatment in protection against MTX hepatotoxicity. Successfully, we found that melatonin was able to protect against MTX hepatotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]