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Abstract Background Previous studies have suggested that lymphoma survivors commonly display altered Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Because these were predominantly cross-sectional studies, the dynamic of events as well as the factors which influence HRQoL remain to be determined. Methods We conducted a prospective study on a cohort of 204 Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivors who remained disease-free 2 years after undergoing chemotherapy (referred to the M0-M12-M24 periods). Results We found that although Physical and Mental Component Scores (PCS and MCS) of HRQoL significantly improved from M0 to M24 in the vast majority of patients (favorable group), approximately 20% of patients displayed severe alterations in HRQoL (global SF-36 scores

Abstract Background Evidences support social inequalities in cancer survival. Studies on hematological malignancies, and more specifically Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), are sparser. Our study assessed: 1/ the influence of patients’ socioeconomic position on survival, 2/ the role of treatment in this relationship, and 3/ the influence of patients’ socioeconomic position on treatment utilization. Methods This prospective multicenter study includes all patients aged 60 and older, newly diagnosed with AML, excluding promyelocytic subtypes, between 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2014 in the South-West of France. Data came from medical files. Patients’ socioeconomic position was measured by an ecological deprivation index, the European Deprivation Index. We studied first, patients’ socioeconomic position influence on overall survival (n = 592), second, on the use of intensive chemotherapy (n = 592), and third, on the use of low intensive treatment versus best supportive care among patients judged unfit for intensive chemotherapy (n = 405). Results We found an influence of patients’ socioeconomic position on survival (highest versus lowest position HRQ5: 1.39 [1.05;1.87] that was downsized to become no more significant after adjustment for AML ontogeny (HRQ5: 1.31[0.97;1.76] and cytogenetic prognosis HRQ5: 1.30[0.97;1.75]). The treatment was strongly associated with survival. A lower proportion of intensive chemotherapy was observed among patients with lowest socioeconomic position (ORQ5: 0.41[0.19;0.90]) which did not persist after adjustment for AML ontogeny (ORQ5: 0.59[0.25;1.40]). No such influence of patients’ socioeconomic position was found on the treatment allocation among patients judged unfit for intensive chemotherapy. Conclusions Finally, these results suggest an indirect influence of patients’ socioeconomic position on survival through AML initial presentation.

The cancer experience may be marked by repeat stressors and/or traumas. The aim of our study was to assess traumatic events in a group of patients diagnosed with lymphoma and to determine which of these contribute to the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder/PTSD. Two weeks after receiving a diagnosis of lymphoma, patients were referred for an assessment of peritraumatic distress (using the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory/PDI) and peritraumatic dissociation (using the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire/PDEQ). Three months after the diagnosis, we recorded the following parameters: the patients' worst experiences, the presence of PTSD symptoms, using the PTSD CheckList/PCL, as it related to the diagnosis, and symptoms of anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression/HAD scale and of depression using the Beck Depression Inventory/BDI-II. The study recruited 129 patients, with a mean age of 46 years (SD = 17.3); 70 (54%) men, 87 (67.5%) with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and 42 with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Two weeks after the diagnosis, 49% of patients reported peritraumatic distress, and 20% peritraumatic dissociation, during or immediately after being informed of the lymphoma diagnosis. Three months after the diagnosis, the severity of PTSD symptoms was evaluated. At this stage none of the patients suffered PTSD, but 29 (23%) individuals exhibited partial PTSD: 13.4% correlated it to receiving the lymphoma diagnosis, 8% to telling family members, and 1.6% to adverse effects. Peritraumatic distress and dissociation as a result of receiving a lymphoma diagnosis, as well as anxiety and a mucositis within the first 3 months post-diagnosis, were factors that were significantly associated with PTSD symptoms, accounting for 35.8% in PTSD symptom load. Our study reveals that clinicians should assess the impact of a number of stressors, which are risk factors for PTSD symptoms, starting from the time point of the initial lymphoma diagnosis.

Abstract Background Blood eosinophilia is a common laboratory abnormality, and its characterization frequently represents a quandary for primary care physicians. Consequently, in France, specialists and particularly hematologists, often must investigate patients who present with blood eosinophilia that often, but not always, occurs because of allergic causes. Both the Departments of Hematology and Parasitology at Toulouse University Hospitals established a collaboration to rule out allergic causes of eosinophilia, particularly helminthiases, prior to initiating more sophisticated investigations. Methods Since 2004, the authors employed the same protocol to investigate eosinophilic outpatients who attended the clinic of Parasitology at Toulouse University Hospitals, and they reported the performance of this diagnostic procedure that was designed to be rapid (no hospitalization required) and only moderately expensive. Results A total of 406 patients who presented with blood eosinophilia greater than 0.5 (×109, giga cells per litter, G/L) had an allergic etiology in 350 (86.2%) cases. Among the remaining 56 subjects, 17 did not undergo a follow-up and 39 were referred to another specialized department, mostly Hematology. However, only 21 patients attended then were subsequently investigated. Non-allergic causes of eosinophilia, including 3 cases of the lymphoid variant of hypereosinophilic syndrome and 2 cases of myeloproliferative disorder, were identified in 14 patients, whereas 7 remained diagnosed as having idiopathic eosinophilia. Conclusion This study underlines the need to investigate patients presenting with even moderate blood eosinophilia. The work-up that was employed appears to be efficient and versatile and may be used by any medical specialist, such as in hematology, infectious disease, or internal medicine departments, who needs to investigate eosinophilic patients and should initially rule out any etiology of allergic eosinophilia.

Alteration in the DNA replication, repair or recombination processes is a highly relevant mechanism of genomic instability. Despite genomic aberrations manifested in hematologic malignancies, such a defect as a source of biomarkers has been underexplored. Here, we investigated the prognostic value of expression of 82 genes involved in DNA replication-repair-recombination in a series of 99 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia without detectable 17p deletion or TP53 mutation. We found that expression of the POLN gene, encoding the specialized DNA polymerase ν (Pol ν) correlates with time to relapse after first-line therapy with fludarabine. Moreover, we found that POLN was the only gene up-regulated in primary patients’ lymphocytes when exposed in vitro to proliferative and pro-survival stimuli. By using two cell lines that were sequentially established from the same patient during the course of the disease and Pol ν knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts, we reveal that high relative POLN expression is important for DNA synthesis and cell survival upon fludarabine treatment. These findings suggest that Pol ν could influence therapeutic resistance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. (Patients’ samples were obtained from the CLL 2007 FMP clinical trial registered at: clinicaltrials.gov identifer: 00564512).

The main source rock (SR) of the Aquitaine Basin, the most important oil province in France, corresponds to organic-rich marine limestones of Upper Kimmeridgian age (Lons Formation in the Béarn area and Parnac Formation in the Quercy area). In order to better characterize their depositional environment, in particular the conditions of accumulation and preservation of organic-matter, a sedimentological, micropaleontological and geochemical study of the Crayssac section (Quercy) has been performed. Organic-rich sediments are argillaceous limestones (65 to 99% CaCO3) organized in repetitive beds of up to 1-m thickness. Their total organic matter content reaches up to 15 wt.%, and in this SR kerogen is type of II and immature. Microfauna content, the lack of barrier facies and the control of the wave action base over the depositional environments reflect deposition in an open marine type homoclinal ramp. Strong similarities with Kimmeridgian organic-rich limestones of the Middle East (Hanifa Formation) suggest that the Parnac Formation could act as an analogue of this prolific SR.

Fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab is the most efficient first-line treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. Many dose adjustments of the original MD Anderson Cancer Center regimen have been proposed. However, whether fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab relative dose intensity may have an impact on outcome has not yet been investigated. We retrospectively assessed relative dose intensity in 106 community-based patients included in our regional healthcare network from 2004-11, all receiving fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab as first-line treatment outside clinical trials. Dose reductions were observed in 51.4% of patients, mainly decided by the individual physician and not based on recommendations (52.7%), while there were fewer reports of toxicity or dose reduction because of impaired renal function. Progression-free survival was significantly reduced in patients who had a reduction in dose intensity of more than 20% in fludarabine-cyclophosphamide and/or rituximab. Multivariate analysis showed dose of rituximab had a significant impact on minimal residual disease and progression-free survival. Although prophylactic granulocyte-colony stimulating factor significantly reduced the rate of grade 3-4 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia, it had no impact on relative dose intensity and outcome. This study shows that, in routine clinical practice, there is low adherence to the original MD Anderson Cancer Center fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab schedule, and that the decision to modify dosage was mostly taken by the individual physician and was based on anticipated toxicity. This study shows that reduction of fludarabine-cyclophosphamide and, more importantly, of rituximab doses seriously interferes with progression-free survival.