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To present the initial assessment of psychosocial adaptation among Greek parents whose children were newly diagnosed with cancer amidst the turmoil of an ongoing financial crisis.This prospective observational study used a quantitative approach.Sixty-one parents of children with cancer treated at a large urban tertiary-care children's hospital were prospectively recruited to participate in our study during the first week of their child's diagnosis (2013-2016).The parents were asked to complete the psychosocial assessment tool (PAT 2.0), Zung Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref Instrument; Moreover, three female healthcare providers (the physician oncologist, the head nurse and a senior nurse) completed the relevant PAT 2.0 -Staff Perceptions questionnaire the results of which were then compared to those of the child's parent.The majority of parents had PAT 2.0 scores indicative of increased psychosocial risk :54% were stratified into the "Targeted" (moderate risk) and 15% into the "Clinical" (highest risk) categories, whereas healthcare providers underestimated psychosocial risk in 57%-59% of the cases. The subscales that most contributed to the increased scores were Parental Stress Reaction, Family Structure and Resources, and Family Social Support. The PAT 2.0 had statistically significant correlations with most of the anxiety and depression scales, with Zung having the strongest correlation (r-value: +0.5,The parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer in Greece are at increased risk for developing anxiety and depression in the years of financial recession in Greece compared to general population.Parental stress reaction to diagnosis as well as lack of family resources and social support may contribute to this difference. Screening for psychosocial risk factors is essential for the early identification of these families and for the optimal utilization of the limited available resources in times of economic hardship.

Opposing acute lymphoblastic leukemia, sparse data about AYAs with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is available. Overall, 125 AYAs (age 10-35 years) treated during the last two decades were evaluated and compared to 385 older patients. CBF leukemia was more frequent in AYAs (21.6% vs. 8%

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare life-threatening disease resulting from clonal hematopoietic stem cell evolution. There is a strong link between PNH and other acquired bone marrow failure syndromes, including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Cytogenetic, morphological abnormalities or both are observed in the range of MDS/PNH diagnosis. Herein, we investigate cytogenetic abnormalities in PNH patients. We found two patients with PNH clones and MDS-associated abnormalities that later disappeared. The first patient, originally diagnosed with MDS and Trisomy 6, developed a large PNH clone. At the time of PNH diagnosis, the abnormal cytogenetic clone was no longer detectable despite persistent trilineage dysplasia. In the second patient, a large PNH clone and MDS-defining abnormality were detected at diagnosis, without evidence of dysplasia. No cytogenetic abnormalities were evident after complement inhibition. Our report adds significant information on the complex link between MDS and PNH, suggesting that distinction between these entities may be difficult in some cases. Especially in transplant eligible patients, the clinical phenotype may be the leading feature for treatment decisions in the era of complement inhibition. Lastly, the transient presence of cytogenetic abnormalities is a unique characteristic of our patients' course that needs to be further elucidated in larger studies.

Mounting evidence underscores the clinical value of cytogenetic analysis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), particularly as it allows the identification of complex karyotype, that has recently emerged as a prognostic and potentially predictive biomarker. That said, explicit recommendations regarding the methodology and clinical interpretation of either chromosome banding analysis (CBA) or chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) are still lacking. We herein present the consensus of the Cytogenetic Steering Scientific Committee of ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL, regarding methodological issues as well as clinical interpretation of CBA/CMA and discuss their relevance in CLL. ERIC considers CBA standardized and feasible for CLL on the condition that standards are met, extending from the use of novel mitogens to the accurate interpretation of the findings. On the other hand, CMA, is also standardized, however, robust data on its clinical utility are still scarce. In conclusion, cytogenetic analysis is not yet mature enough to guide treatment choices in CLL. That notwithstanding, ERIC encourages the wide application of CBA, and potentially also CMA, in clinical trials in order to obtain robust evidence regarding the predictive value of specific cytogenetic profiles towards refining risk stratification and improving the management of patients with CLL.

Therapy related acute myeloid leukemia (tAML) and secondary AML after an antecedent hematologic disorder (sAML-AHD) are often addressed together, blurring any clinical and prognostic differences. Among 516 AML patients, we compared characteristics and outcomes of 149 patients with “sAML” (sAML-AHD: 104, tAML: 45), uniformly and intensively treated during the last 2 decades at 1 center. Clinical outcomes of the whole “sAML” cohort were significantly inferior compared to de novo AML and in both intermediate and poor cytogenetic risk groups. Adverse karyotype had no effect on survival in tAML, while it was a negative predictor in sAML-AHD. Both groups showed similarly dismal outcome, with low complete remission rates (CR 44% vs. 41%) and median overall survival (OS 7 vs. 10.5 months). Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) recipients in CR1 had superior median OS (24 vs. 8 months). By multivariate analysis, alloHCT was an independent predictor of outcome, while karyotype was for sAML-AHD only. In conclusion, both “sAML” groups have inferior outcomes after chemotherapy, with adverse karyotype affecting primarily sAML-AHD. Until new treatment approaches are available, only alloHCT offers a survival advantage.

Background: Although immigration flows continue in Greece, there has been a gradual change in the country of origin of the refugees/immigrants that arrived in the country, in the last years. Aims: To compare the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the refugees/immigrants who were examined for potential active or latent tuberculosis (TB) infection in a major chest Greek hospital, during 2 time periods. Methods: All refugees/immigrants who were examined between 2016-2017 (1st period) and 2018-2019 (2nd period) constituted the study population. Most participants had a prior screening at primary care settings and found to be of risk for TB infection. Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded and group comparisons were conducted, as appropriate. Results: 116 (82,8% males) in the 1st period and 147 (85% males) patients in the 2nd period were examined. During the 2nd period, immigrants were older (27.6±11.8 years vs. 22.9±10.7 years; p=0.001) and they came more frequently from African (34.9% vs. 17.4%) and Asian (34.2% vs. 27.8%) countries and less frequently from Syria (19.9% vs. 38.3%; p=0.001), compared to the 1st period. TST was positive in higher rates (81% vs 54.5%; p Conclusions: Although several epidemiological characteristics of immigrants/refugees changed, the percentage of active TB infection remained the same.

The role of total body irradiation (TBI) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains controversial. Therefore, we investigated long-term treatment outcomes of transplanted ALL patients aiming to identify prognostic factors and the impact of conditioning. We enrolled consecutive ALL patients transplanted from 1990 to 2016, following TBI- or busulfan (Bu)-based conditioning regimen. We studied 151 ALL patients transplanted in first complete remission (CR) (60), other CR (33), or relapsed/refractory disease (58) from sibling (87), and HLA-matched (42) or mismatched (17) unrelated and alternative donors (5). High-dose fractionated TBI-based conditioning was administered in 84. No differences were observed in baseline characteristics, except for disease stage at transplant, donor type, and graft source. With a follow-up of 19.0 (0.5-170.5) in TBI and 14.5 (1.2-319.1) months in non-TBI patients, there was no difference in acute (grades II-IV) or chronic GVHD, thrombotic microangiopathy, and bacterial or fungal infections. Only viral infections were significantly increased in the non-TBI group. There was no significant difference in the cumulative incidence (CI) of treatment-related or relapse mortality and disease-free or overall survival (OS). In the multivariate analysis, unfavorable pre-transplant predictors of OS were age (p = 0.024), advanced disease stage (p = 0.007), and female-to-male donor (p = 0.006). Interestingly, TBI patients younger than 40 years had significantly higher OS (55.1%, p = 0.023) and DFS (48.6%, p = 0.020). In conclusion, high-dose TBI is feasible in younger patients providing better survival. The choice between TBI- or Bu-conditioning regimens remains challenging.

We have previously shown an advantage of a myeloablative conditioning regimen with reduced toxicity (Fludarabine 150 mg/m2, Treosulfan 42 g/m2, FluTreo) compared to a reduced-intensity regimen. We aimed to determine long-term safety and efficacy of FluTreo. We prospectively studied consecutive patients who received FluTreo in our center (2014-2019) on the basis of age (≥50 years), hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index (HCT-CI) ≥2, or both. FluTreo recipients were then compared to a historical control group. We studied 68 FluTreo recipients, with a median age of 58.5 years and HCT-CI of 3. We calculated cumulative incidence (CI) of acute (grade 2-4) and moderate/severe chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (29.9% and 25%, respectively). The 3-year CI of treatment-related mortality was 19.1%, associated only with acute GVHD (P

Targeted therapies are on the market for the past five years and recently pembrolizumab was approved as first line treatment for patients with PD-L1 >50%. We present three cases of patients which had epidermal growth factor receptor positive expression and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), PD-L1 >50% overexpression.

Treosulfan has been incorporated in conditioning regimens for sustained remission without substantial toxicity and treatment-related mortality (TRM). We aimed to analyze the safety and efficacy of a fludarabine 150 mg/m2 and treosulfan 42 g/m2 (FluTreo) conditioning regimen in medically infirm patients. Outcomes were compared with those of a similar historical group treated with fludarabine 150 mg/m2 to 180 mg/m2, busulfan 6.4 mg/kg, and antithymocyte globulin (ATG) 5 mg/kg to 7.5 mg/kg (FluBuATG). Thirty-one consecutive patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML; n=21), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; n=6), or treatment-related AML (n = 4) received FluTreo conditioning. The historical group consisted of 26 consecutive patients treated with FluBuATG. In the FluTreo group, engraftment was prompt in all patients and 74% achieved >99% donor chimerism by day +30. No grades III or IV organ toxicities were noted. One-year cumulative incidences (CI) of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were 19.4% and 58.4%. The groups were similar for age, disease risk, lines of treatment, hematopoietic cell transplantation–specific comorbidity index, and acute or chronic GVHD incidence, except that there were more matched unrelated donor recipients in the FluTreo group (P

Guidelines for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer adenocarcinoma positive in epidermal growth factor mutations indicate tyrosine kinase inhibitors. There are currently three tyrosine kinase inhibitors that can be used as first line treatment: gefitinib, erlotinib and afatinib. Regarding erlotinib and afatinib dosage can be modified in the case of severe adverse effects. In the case of disease relapse investigation for T790M mutation has to be made either with re-biopsy or liquid biopsy and osimertinib has to be administered when T790M is diagnosed. Based on a case series we indicate which is the best approach for T790M mutation.

In the past decade novel agents are on the market for non-small cell lung cancer adenocarcinoma based on pharmacogenomics. The epidermal growth factor receptor mutation, anaplastic lymphoma kinase and programmed death-ligand 1 investigation is necessary in the everyday clinical practice for the oncologic patient. Immunotherapy is nowadays the novel therapy for advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer with two agents nivolumab and pembrolizumab. In the current case series we will present adverse effects from our centers and comment on the treatment and follow-up of the patients.

Background: Secondary or treatment-related acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) is associated with poor outcomes. Although allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) is the treatment of choice, patient eligibility criteria and optimal conditioning regimen remain under study. We have previously shown an advantage of a myeloablative conditioning regimen with reduced toxicity (Fludarabine 150mg/m2, Treosulfan 42g/m2, FluTreo) compared to a reduced intensity regimen. However, the long-term effects of this regimen remain unknown, especially in comparison to patients not receiving alloHCT. Aims: We hypothesized that patients transplanted with FluTreo would have a long-term survival advantage over other treatment alternatives. Methods: We retrospectively studied consecutive patients treated for sAML in our center over the last two decades (1998-2018). Exclusion criteria were: age>70 years, ECOG performance status≥3 at presentation, induction regimens≤2, and autologous or haploidentical HCT because these were performed in individual patients. Since 2013, we have introduced FluTreo for patients with a suitable donor that would have been previously eligible only for reduced intensity conditioning/RIC. The following factors were studied in the whole cohort: age, type of disease (treatment-related or post myelodysplastic syndrome/MDS), previous intensive chemotherapy cycles, cytogenetic risk, overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). In transplant recipients, we also recorded HCT-comorbidity index/CI score, cumulative incidence (CI) of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and treatment-related mortality (TRM). Follow-up was calculated from diagnosis in the whole cohort; and from date of transplant in the sub-group analysis of transplant recipients. Results: We studied 19 FluTreo recipients compared to 46 recipients of other conditioning regimens (38 myeloablative and 8 RIC), and 52 patients treated only with chemotherapy. Complete remission (CR) had been achieved in all FluTreo recipients before HCT, compared to 53% of other transplants, and 44% of chemotherapy only patients (p Within transplanted patients, there was no significant difference in GVHD, relapse and TRM between FluTreo and other transplants. Within the FluTreo group, acceptable rates of CI in severe acute and extensive chronic GVHD were observed (15.2% and 18.4%, respectively). Similarly, 4-year CI of TRM reached 30.4%, despite a median HCT-CI of 3 (0-7), age of 59 (51-67) years, 4 lines of treatment (3-6), and a majority of matched unrelated donors (13/19). Conclusion: Our real-world study confirms that alloHCT with FluTreo expands the transplant population with similar safety and efficacy to previous transplant modalities in sAML patients. Achievement of CR remains a major predictor of OS in these patients. The choice of alloHCT in this unique patient population of a rather older age and comorbidity index needs to be revisited. Figure 1 Disclosures Gavriilaki: Omeros Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy.

Recent evidence suggests that complex karyotype (CK) defined by the presence of =3 chromosomal aberrations (structural and/or numerical) identified by chromosome banding analysis (CBA) may be relevant for treatment decision-making in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, many challenges towards routine clinical application of CBA remain. In a retrospective study of 5290 patients with available CBA data, we explored both clinicobiological associations and the clinical impact of CK in CLL. We found that patients with =5 abnormalities, defined as high-CK, exhibit uniformly dismal clinical outcome, independently of clinical stage, TP53 aberrations (deletion of chromosome 17p and or TP53 mutations, TP53abs) and the expression of somatically hypermutated (M-CLL) or unmutated (U-CLL) immunoglobulin heavy variable genes (IGHV). Thus, they contrasted CK cases with 3 or 4 aberrations (low-CK and intermediate-CK, respectively) who followed aggressive disease courses only in the presence of TP53abs. At the other end of the spectrum, patients with CK and +12,+19 displayed an exceptionally indolent profile. Building upon CK, TP53abs and IGHV gene somatic hypermutation status, we propose a novel hierarchical model where patients with high-CK exhibit the worst prognosis, while M-CLL lacking CK or TP53abs as well as CK with +12,+19 show the longest overall survival. In conclusion, CK should not be axiomatically considered unfavorable in CLL, representing a heterogeneous group with variable clinical behavior. High-CK with =5 chromosomal aberrations emerges as prognostically adverse, independently of other biomarkers. Prospective clinical validation is warranted before finally incorporating high-CK in risk stratification of CLL.

Non-small cell lung cancer adenocarcinoma in the past decade has targeted therapies as the cornerstone for therapy. In specific patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation have three different therapy approaches with the tyrosine kinase inhibitors: erlotinib, gefitinib and afatinib. Nowadays we can use tyrosine kinase inhibitors as second line treatment for squamous cell carcinoma. We present a case with a patient with squamous cell carcinoma receiving afatinib tyrosine kinase inhibitor who presented elbow bursitis or olecranon bursitis in both elbows.

Homeobox genes HOXA9 and MEIS1 are evolutionarily conserved transcription factors with essential roles in both hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis. They act as dominant cooperating oncoproteins that cause acute leukemias bearing MLL translocations and to a lesser extent T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) characterized by other gene fusions. Overexpression is associated with an adverse prognosis in adults. In childhood, the genes have only been investigated in leukemias bearing MLL translocations. The aim of this study was to determine whether overexpression extends to leukemic subtypes other than the MLL-positive subtype in childhood. We use quantitative real-time PCR methodology to investigate gene expression in 100 children with acute leukemias and compare them to those of healthy controls. We show that abnormally high HOXA9 and MEIS1 gene expression is associated with a variety of leukemic subtypes, including various maturation stages of B-cell ALL and cytogenetic types other than the MLL-positive population, thus suggesting that the genes are implicated in the development of a broad range of leukemic subtypes in childhood. In addition, we show that HOXA9 and MEIS1 overexpression are inversely correlated with relapse and overall survival, so the genes could become useful predictive markers of the clinical course of pediatric acute leukemias.

Newer cytogenetic scoring systems for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs), like cytogenetic stratification of the revised international prognostic scoring system (IPSS-R) or monosomal karyotype, may also improve outcome prediction after hematopoietic SCT (HCT). We compared the prognostic value of specific cytogenetic abnormalities, IPSS-R karyotype and monosomal karyotype for HCT outcome in 98 patients with MDS and AML post MDS. Higher-risk IPSS-R karyotype, 3q21q26 and transformation to AML before HCT were associated with increased cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), whereas OS was adversely influenced by del 5q/-5, abnormalities of chromosomes 11 and 17 and cytogenetic IPSS-R very poor category. Karyotype with ⩽2 abnormalities and no abnormalities of chromosomes 3, 5, 7, 11 and 17 was an independent prognostic factor of lower CIR (hazard ratio (HR)=0.2, P=0.01) and longer OS (HR=0.5, P=0.03). In conclusion, some specific cytogenetic abnormalities and high cytogenetic complexity, as reflected by IPSS-R very poor karyotype, rather than monosomal karyotype, were associated with higher CIR and shorter OS after HCT. Conversely, results were encouraging in patients lacking those abnormalities, who may be very good candidates for HCT.

The significance of chromosomal translocations (CTRAs) and karyotype complexity (KC) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) remains uncertain. To gain insight into these issues, we evaluated a series of 1001 CLL cases with reliable classic cytogenetic data obtained within 6 months from diagnosis before any treatment. Overall, 320 cases were found to carry 1 CTRAs. The most frequent chromosome breakpoints were 13q, followed by 14q, 18q, 17q, and 17p; notably, CTRAs involving chromosome 13q showed a wide spectrum of translocation partners. KC (3 aberrations) was detected in 157 cases and significantly (P

Introduction: Endothelial dysfunction is a common denominator of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA). The latter is also characterized by excessive complement activation. Recent studies have introduced the Endothelial Activation and Stress Index (EASIX) as a potential predictor of survival in patients with GVHD. We hypothesized that EASIX would predict complement activation and survival in patients with GVHD and TA-TMA. Methods: We enrolled consecutive adult TA-TMA (International Working Group/IWG criteria), acute and/or chronic GVHD and control allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients in a 1:1:1 ratio (January 2015-December 2018). Plasma was collected and stored immediately at -80oC at the first day of confirmed TA-TMA or GVHD diagnosis and at a similar post-transplant period in control recipients. EASIX [lactate dehydrogenase (U/L) × creatinine (mg/dL)/thrombocytes (10⁹ cells per L)] was calculated at day 0, 30, 100 and last follow-up. Complement activation was detected measuring soluble C5b-9/membrane attack complex (ELISA, Quidel). Results: We studied 20 TA-TMA, 20 GVHD and 20 control patients (Table 1). TA-TMA developed at a median of 125 post-transplant day (range 9-2931); whereas the first day of confirmed GVHD diagnosis was at a median of 78 post-transplant day (range 16-145). EASIX at day 100 and last follow-up differed significantly among groups (p=0.014 and p=0.001, Table 1), although there was no significant difference between TA-TMA and GVHD patients. In contrast, soluble C5b-9 was significantly higher in TA-TMA compared to GVHD (p=0.008) and control patients (p Furthermore, EASIX at day 0 and last follow-up was significantly associated with overall survival (p=0.013 and p=0.046). Among other pre-transplant factors studied (age, disease type and phase at transplant, donor), EASIX at day 0 was an independent predictor of overall survival (beta=2.627, p=0.029). Conclusion: Our study shows for the first time that EASIX predicts complement activation and overall survival in patients with endothelial dysfunction syndromes and control HCT recipients. Our findings suggest that EASIX may be a useful dynamic marker reflecting the course of endothelial dysfunction in these patients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in childhood is a rare event, accounting for fewer than 5% of all childhood leukemias. The hallmark genetic abnormality of CML is the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome, wh...

The NQO1 C(609)T germline polymorphism resulting in a lowering of enzyme activity may confer susceptibility to MDS. To assess this association, we performed a case-control study including 330 Greek patients with de novo MDS and 416 healthy donors, using a Real-Time PCR genotyping method. Focusing on cytogenetic aberrations most commonly found in MDS, we retrospectively genotyped 566 MDS/AML patients carrying -5/del(5q), -7/del(7q), +8, del(20q) and -Y. The case-control analysis revealed no differences in NQO1 genotype distribution. Interestingly, a 6-fold increased frequency of the homozygous variant genotype was observed among patients with isolated trisomy 8 (p

Monosomal karyotype (MK) has recently been reported to identify a distinct subset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with adverse prognosis. We retrospectively evaluated the frequency of MK in a large cohort of 549 unselected AML cases diagnosed in our department over a period of 13 years and explored potential associations with clinicobiological features and outcome. MK was found in 62 of 549 cases (11.3%), with all but one assigned to the unfavorable cytogenetic risk category; 57 of these 62 MK cases had a complex karyotype. Comparison with a subgroup of AML cases, who had unfavorable karyotypic profiles yet without MK (non-MK) and who were treated uniformly with similar, "3+7"-based regimens, revealed significant (P0.05) associations between MK and advanced age, low white blood cell count at diagnosis, and inferior overall survival (6.5 vs. 15 months for non-MK cases). In conclusion, MK defines a sizeable subset of patients with unfavorable cytogenetics who exhibit a distinct clinical profile, even in direct comparison with other unfavorable karyotypes.

Exogenous lipoid pneumonia is caused by inhalation or aspiration of a fatty substance. It constitutes a rare entity, with atypical clinical findings, such as chronic cough or dyspnea, and is accompanied by the presence of diffuse interstitial infiltrates in chest CT scans. We present the case of an exogenous lipoid pneumonia in a psychotic patient with inflammatory bowel disease and mega-esophagus. A 45-year-old man was referred for consultation due to chronic cough and abnormal findings on multiple X-rays during the past 3 months, and on a previous CT scan. He suffered from schizophrenia and chronic inflammatory bowel disease under azathioprine. He daily received oily laxatives due to constipation. During the past months he received several antibiotic treatment regiments without any clinical or radiological benefit. The CT scan revealed the presence of consolidative opacities with air bronchogram involving both lungs in the middle and lower lobes, upper lobe emphysema and a severely dilated esophagus. The patient underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy, without any abnormal endobronchial findings. The bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was examined with bacterial, fungal and mycobacterium cultures that were negative and a cytological study for malignant cells which was also negative. Because of high clinical suspicion, BAL specimens were also examined for lipid staining. The presence of numerous foamy alveolar macrophages with lipid vacuoles stained with Oil Red (O) confirmed the presence of fat, thus enhancing the diagnosis of exogenous lipoid pneumonia. Lipoid pneumonia can mimic many other pulmonary diseases and, because of the insidious onset and the atypical findings, can be misdiagnosed. BAL examination is a diagnostic method that can detect the presence of foamy alveolar macrophages with lipid vacuoles stained with Oil Red (O) or Sudan III, findings indicative of lipoid pneumonia, thus avoiding more invasive diagnostic procedures.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) displays extreme clinical heterogeneity likely reflecting the underlying biological heterogeneity. For this reason, intense research efforts have addressed progno...

The aim: of the study is to assess the clinical value of the PERC rule, which excludes the possibility of acute pulmonary embolism in patients at the emergency department and investigate its correlation with well-documented severity indexes (PESI-Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index and sPESI-simplified PESI) Patients-Method: We studied retrospectively the medical records of 120 pts (mean aged 56,8±15,5yrs) with diagnosed pulmonary embolism who were hospitalized in a pulmonary department from January 2006 to December 2015. Results: All patients, except for two, fulfilled the criteria of non-exclusion and the mean values of PERC score, sPESI and PESI were 2,65±1,1, 1,29±1 and 112,55±36,7, respectively.The estimated positive predictive value of PERC was 98,3%. According to PESI score, pts were categorized in five severity groups: very low and low (31,3% ), intermediate (35,7%) and high risk (33%). The two patients, who might have been eluded and misdiagnosed based on PERC rule, were at very low risk (PESI score: 58 and sPESI:0). The diagnosis of hereditary coagulation disorder was later established in both of them. The correlation of PERC with PESI and sPESI featured statistically significant results (p Conclusion: The new PERC rule can be reliably and safely implemented as a rule-out tool for pulmonary embolism. However, its positive correlation with the already known severity index for this medical condition should be prospectively studied, aiming at the possible application of the common criteria in a sole index.

Recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities in chronic lym- phocytic leukemia (CLL), namely deletions of chromo- somes 11q, 13q, 17p and trisomy 12 (+12), define sub- groups of patients with different clinical behavior and response to treatment. 1 We and others previously report- ed a minor proportion of CLL cases with co-existing tri- somies of chromosomes 12 and 19 who share specific clinico-biological characteristics. 2-4 However, since the cohort was small, no definitive conclusions could be drawn. Here, we analyzed a large, multi-institutional series. We confirm and significantly extend previous observations through the identification of subgroups of +12 CLL cases harboring particular concurrent trisomies demonstrating distinctive clinico-biological profiles. We analyzed an unselected cohort of 4486 CLL patients with available classic cytogenetic (n=4285) or high-density 250K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-array (n=201) data. We identified 712 cases (16% of the cohort) carrying +12. 5 Median time from diagnosis to cytogenet- ic/SNP analysis was 1.5 months (range 0-194); the major- ity of cases included in survival analysis were untreated prior to testing (94%). The study was approved by the local Ethics Review Committees. Details of the study cohort and the methodologies used are provided in the Online Supplementary Appendix.

The category of myelodysplastic syndromes/myeloproliferative diseases (MDS/MPD) is a relatively new group of malignant hematologic diseases developed by the World Health Organization. These hematologic disorders lack the BCR/ABL fusion gene, although they can be associated with chromosomal translocations that involve genes encoding other protein kinases. Imatinib mesylate was recognized as a potent inhibitor of some of those kinases. We present a patient with a previously treated acute myeloid leukemia, who, after a 9-year-long remission, developed an MDS/MPD with normal karyotype, which initially responded to imatinib mesylate. Translocation t(12;13)(p12;q14) was detected after loss of response to imatinib treatment. Translocation t(12;13) is rare. It has been described in several hematologic malignancies including chronic myelomonocytic leukemia but not in MDS/MPD, previously described as Philadelphia-negative chronic myelogenous leukemia. Moreover, the correlation of this molecular abnormality with loss of efficacy of imatinib is unique in the literature.

Trans location t(2;7)(p11.2;q21.2) : a rare genetic aberration associated with B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders of marginal-zone origin

To examine the phenotypic and metabolic characteristics of pregnant women with one abnormal glucose value (OAV) in the OGTT compared to normals (N) and to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) subjects and also to test if the timing of the observed hyperglycemia is related to any difference in their phenotype.7618 pregnant women underwent a 100g OGTT (N = 3813, OAV = 1290, GDM = 2515). The OAV Group was further subdivided according to the time of hyperglycemia: fasting OAV, 1h OAV and 2-3h OAV. Demographic data were recorded and indices of insulin sensitivity and secretion were calculated.The OAV Group presented intermediate values in all demographic parameters and in indices of insulin sensitivity and secretion compared to N and GDM Groups (p0.01). Regarding the three OAV subgroups: OAV-Fasting was heavier, had increased HOMA-IR and lower HOMA-B index, than the other two. In contrast, the OAV-1h subgroup had the lower Stumvoll first and second phase indices compared to the others, and also the lowest ISSI (p0.01).Isolated hyperglycemia appeared to be heterogeneous. Fasting hyperglycemia was mainly characterized by increased hepatic insulin resistance and impaired basal insulin secretion, while OAV at 1h presented increased muscle insulin resistance and diminished stimulated insulin secretion.

Background. Several clinical and preclinical studies have shown that desferrioxamine (DFO), in addition to iron chelation, demonstrates antiproliferative activities against some aggressive malignancies and leukemic cells. Methods. In this study, we investigated retrospectively the role of early DFO administration postallografting, in terms of relapse incidence (RI) and disease-free survival (DFS) in 143 patients consecutively transplanted for hematological malignancies. Results. Thirty-seven of 143 patients received DFO. The 5-year RI and DFS in patients who received more than 2 months DFO were 5% and 76%, respectively, as opposed to 47% and 41% in no DFO-treated patients (P=0.01, respectively). Not a single relapse event was detected in DFO-treated patients who were allotransplanted in first complete remission, and in addition, the RI was lower in DFO-treated patients with advanced disease at time of transplantation (31% vs. 75%, P=0.03). Patients with chronic graft versus host disease who received DFO had lower RI than unntreated patients (17% vs. 39%, P=0.03). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that DFO administration for more than 2 months was an independent factor for lower RI and improved DFS. Conclusions. DFO administration postallogeneic transplantation may improve DFS by reducing relapse. This clinical observation could be only confirmed by prospective trials that will determine the role of DFO in the allotransplantation setting.

In a cohort of 130 unselected chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients, 73 cases had normal karyotypes, 57 cases had abnormal karyotypes, and 22/57 cases carried more than one abnormality. Trisomy 12 (+12) was the most common abnormality (26/130 cases; 20%), and 17/26 cases had isolated +12. Del(13q)/t13q/-13 was detected in 19/130 cases (14.6%), and 5/19 cases had isolated del(13)(q12q14). Deletion (11)(q23) and del(17p)/-17 were detected in 5/130 cases, respectively. CD38 expression was significantly more frequent in the +12/11q/17p versus the normal/del(13q) subgroups. A significant association was detected between +12 and FMC7 positivity. IGHV-unmutated cases were significantly more frequent in the +12/11q/17p subgroups. Patients with normal karyotype/del(13q) had a longer median time to progression versus the patients in the +12/11q/17p subgroups. According to multivariate analysis, only IGHV mutation status remained a statistically significant variable for progression-free survival (PFS). Furthermore, IGHV mutation status and clinical stage at diagnosis were the only significant prognostic factors for overall survival. Among Binet-A patients, significant parameters for shorter PFS were +12 or 11q/17p aberrations, CD38 expression, and IGHV unmutated status. In multivariate analysis, only CD38 expression and IGHV-unmutated status retained statistical significance for PFS. In conclusion, trisomy 12 in CLL is characterized by considerable heterogeneity and seems to be associated with disease progression.

Transferrin receptor (TfR)-1 and 2 mRNA and CD71 (TfR1) expression was analyzed in 118 CLL patients. Ninety-five out of 109 analyzed cases expressed CD71, mostly at a high level; 60% of CD71 (+) cases were IGH-mutated. All samples were TfR1 mRNA (+); TfR2-alpha/beta mRNA was detected in, respectively, 52/102 and 100/109 cases. Competitive RT-PCR showed widely divergent levels of TfR1 mRNA in cases with high CD71 expression, alluding to postrtanscriptional control of TfR1 expression in CLL. The almost uniformly high CD71 expression in CLL is in keeping with the activated status of neoplastic cells, regardless of IGH mutational load.

One-hundred-and-thirty typical, unselected CLL cases were studied by conventional cytogenetic analysis. Seventy-three patients (56.2%) had normal karyotype ('normal sub-group'), while 57/130 patients (43.8%) had abnormal karyotype. Twenty-two of 57 patients (38.6%) carried more than one abnormality. Six novel chromosomal abnormalities were detected in five patients: (i) t(3;13)(q14;q34); (ii) t(Y;11)(q12;q23), del(13)(q12q14); (iii) dic(3;11)(p21;q23); (iv) t(3;5)(q29;q23); (v) t(3;22) (p21;q13); and (vi) t(1;13)(p12;q12). Three of five patients carrying novel translocations had progressive disease. The true biological and clinical significance of novel chromosomal abnormalities remains to be determined.