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Background: Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) are life-threatening infections most commonly diagnosed in acute leukaemia patients with prolonged neutropenia and are uncommonly diagnosed in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases., Objectives: Following the initial report of aspergillosis diagnosed shortly after beginning ibrutinib for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, a survey was developed to seek additional cases of IFD during ibrutinib treatment., Methods: Local and international physicians and groups were approached for relevant cases. Patients were included if they met the following criteria: diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/non-Hodgkin lymphoma; proven or probable IFD; and ibrutinib treatment on the date IFD were diagnosed. Clinical and laboratory data were captured using REDCap software., Result: Thirty-five patients with IFD were reported from 22 centres in eight countries: 26 (74%) had chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. The median duration of ibrutinib treatment before the onset of IFD was 45 days (range 1-540). Aspergillus species were identified in 22 (63%) of the patients and Cryptococcus species in 9 (26%). Pulmonary involvement occurred in 69% of patients, cranial in 60% and disseminated disease in 60%. A definite diagnosis was made in 21 patients (69%), and the mortality rate was 69%. Data from Israel regarding ibrutinib treated patients were used to evaluate a prevalence of 2.4% IFD., Conclusions: The prevalence of IFD among chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients treated with ibrutinib appears to be higher than expected. These patients often present with unusual clinical features. Mortality from IFD in this study was high, indicating that additional studies are urgently needed to identify patients at risk for ibrutinib-associated IFD., (© 2019 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Primary plasma cell leukemia (PPCL) is a rare form of multiple myeloma with a dismal prognosis. This retrospective multi-center study examines the national experience of PPCL in the era of novel agents. During 2002-2016, thirty-nine patients with PPCL were identified in 11 Israeli centers. One-fifth of them died in the first 2 months after diagnosis. The overall survival (OS) of those who survived the first 3 months was 22.5 months. About 70% of patients received at least one type of immunomodulatory drug (IMiD) and similarly proteasome inhibitor (PI) during treatment. There was a survival advantage for those who received IMiD but not for those who received PI or other type of standard dose chemotherapy. In multivariate analysis, low performance status and increased uric acid were also associated with shorter OS. In conclusion, this study demonstrates favorable impact of treatment with IMiDs and hematopoietic cell transplantation on the survival of PPCL patients., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)