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Background/Aim: Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBCL) is an aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), whose prognosis has greatly improved since the incorporation of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab into current therapeutic regimens. Evidence, however, on the optimal time interval between consecutive chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) cycles is still scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy outcomes of the more commonly administered 3-weekly regimens to the biweekly ones in a PMLBCL patients’ population, who were mostly treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone every 21 days (R-CHOP-21) or R-CHOP-14. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively studied our cohort of consecutively treated PMLBCL patients, focusing on their treatment density, in order to determine possible differences in treatment outcomes. Results: CIT, in the form of both R-CHOP-21 as well as R-CHOP-14 (or similar regimens), is highly active in PMLBCL, with low rates of early treatment failure. In our cohort of patients, R-CHOP-14 did not result in a meaningful improvement of freedom from progression (FFP) or overall survival (OS). Conclusion: Both R-CHOP-14 and R-CHOP-21 are probably equally effective in PMLBCL, yet further, prospective, randomized studies are warranted to clarify whether dose-dense regimens can be associated with better disease control and long-term results.

Introduction Invasive candidiasis (IC) can be a life-threatening infection in immunocompromised patients, particularly those with cancer, hematologic diseases and/or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of micafungin in patients with hematologic malignancies or HSCT recipients, relevant to clinical presentation of IC, in real-life practice in Greece. Methods ASPIRE was a phase IV, multicenter, non-interventional, prospective cohort study, conducted at ten tertiary hospitals in Greece, in adults with hematologic disease. Micafungin treatment for IC or prophylaxis for Candida infection was administered per standard clinical practice until a clinical outcome (success or failure) was reached. Treatment success was defined by the EORTC/MSG criteria for invasive fungal infections (IFI) and was assessed by the investigator. Treatment discontinuation and safety were also evaluated. Results One hundred forty-three patients were enrolled. Median age was 62; 85 (59.4%) patients were male, and 133 (93.0%) had Greek ethnicity. One hundred twenty-six (88.1%) patients had hematologic malignancies, and 21 (14.7%) had received HSCT. Prophylaxis was administered to 74 (51.7%) patients [median (range) dose: 50 (50–150) mg/day] with no signs of IFI. Overall, 52 (36.4%) patients with possible IFI at baseline received micafungin treatment [100 (50–125) mg/day] versus 12 (17.2%) with probable [100 (75–150) mg/day] and 5 (3.5%) with confirmed [125 (100–150) mg/day] IFI. Treatment success was 91.6% (95% CI 85.80–95.59; n = 131) overall and 90.5% (n = 67) in patients receiving prophylaxis. Median time on treatment was 13 days. Treatment discontinuation (n = 26; 18.2%) was not related to adverse events. No treatment-related serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion Micafungin treatment for IC or prophylaxis for Candida infection was effective and well tolerated in patients with hematologic disorders in clinical practice in Greece. These results demonstrate that micafungin could be used more widely for prophylaxis. Further work is required to determine the efficacy and safety of micafungin for the management of IFIs in hematologic settings. Funding Astellas Pharma Inc.

End-of-treatment (EoT) PET/CT is used as a guide to omit radiotherapy (RT) patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). We present the mature and extended results of a retrospective study evaluating the prognostic significance of EoT-PET/CT after adequate response to R-CHOP. Among 231 consecutive PMLBCL patients, 182 underwent EoT-PET/CT and were evaluated according to the Deauville 5-point scale (D5PS) criteria. Freedom from progression (FFP) was measured from the time of PET/CT examination. Among 182 patients, 72 (40%) had D5PS score 1 (D5PSS-1), 33 (18%) had 2, 28 (15%) had 3, 29 (16%) had 4, and 20 (11%) had 5. The 5-year FFP was 97, 94, 92, 82, and 44% for D5PSS-1, D5PSS-2, D5PSS-3, D5PSS-4, and D5PSS-5, respectively. Among 105 patients with unequivocally negative PET/CT (D5PSS-1/D5PSS-2), 49 (47%) received RT (median dose 3420 cGy) and 56 (53%) did not with relapses in 0/49 vs. 4/56 patients (2 mediastinum and 2 isolated CNS relapses).The 5-year FFP for those who received RT or not was 100% versus 96%, when isolated CNS relapses were censored (p = 0.159). Among D5PSS-3 patients (27/28 irradiated-median dose 3600 cGy), the 5-year FFP was 92%. The 5-year FFP for D5PSS-4 and D5PSS-5 was 82 and 44%; 44/49 patients received RT (median dose 4000 and 4400 cGy for D5PSS-4 and D5PSS-5). Our study supports the omission of RT in a sizeable fraction of PET/CT-negative patients and definitely discourages salvage chemotherapy and ASCT in patients with PMLBCL who conventionally respond to R-CHOP, solely based on PET/CT positivity in the absence of documented progressive or multifocal disease. The persistence of positive PET/CT with D5PSS < 5 after consolidative RT should not trigger the initiation of further salvage chemotherapy in the absence of conventionally defined PD.

End-of-treatment (EoT) PET/CT is used as a guide to omit radiotherapy (RT) patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). We present the mature and extended results of a retrospective study evaluating the prognostic significance of EoT-PET/CT after adequate response to R-CHOP. Among 231 consecutive PMLBCL patients, 182 underwent EoT-PET/CT and were evaluated according to the Deauville 5-point scale (D5PS) criteria. Freedom from progression (FFP) was measured from the time of PET/CT examination. Among 182 patients, 72 (40%) had D5PS score 1 (D5PSS-1), 33 (18%) had 2, 28 (15%) had 3, 29 (16%) had 4, and 20 (11%) had 5. The 5-year FFP was 97, 94, 92, 82, and 44% for D5PSS-1, D5PSS-2, D5PSS-3, D5PSS-4, and D5PSS-5, respectively. Among 105 patients with unequivocally negative PET/CT (D5PSS-1/D5PSS-2), 49 (47%) received RT (median dose 3420 cGy) and 56 (53%) did not with relapses in 0/49 vs. 4/56 patients (2 mediastinum and 2 isolated CNS relapses).The 5-year FFP for those who received RT or not was 100% versus 96%, when isolated CNS relapses were censored (p = 0.159). Among D5PSS-3 patients (27/28 irradiated-median dose 3600 cGy), the 5-year FFP was 92%. The 5-year FFP for D5PSS-4 and D5PSS-5 was 82 and 44%; 44/49 patients received RT (median dose 4000 and 4400 cGy for D5PSS-4 and D5PSS-5). Our study supports the omission of RT in a sizeable fraction of PET/CT-negative patients and definitely discourages salvage chemotherapy and ASCT in patients with PMLBCL who conventionally respond to R-CHOP, solely based on PET/CT positivity in the absence of documented progressive or multifocal disease. The persistence of positive PET/CT with D5PSS5 after consolidative RT should not trigger the initiation of further salvage chemotherapy in the absence of conventionally defined PD.

Background R-CHOP can cure approximately 75% of patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBCL), but prognostic factors have not been sufficiently evaluated yet. R-da- EPOCH is potentially more effective but also more toxic than R-CHOP. Reliable prognostic classification is needed to guide treatment decisions. Materials and Methods We analyzed the impact of clinical prognostic factors on the outcome of 332 PMLBCL patients ≤65 years treated with R-CHOP ± radiotherapy in a multicenter setting in Greece and Cyprus. Results With a median follow-up of 69 months, 5-year freedom from progression (FFP) was 78% and 5-year lymphoma specific survival (LSS) was 89%. On multivariate analysis, extranodal involvement (E/IV) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ≥2 times upper limit of normal (model A) were significantly associated with FFP; E/IV and bulky disease (model B) were associated with LSS. Both models performed better than the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the age-adjusted IPI by Harrel's C rank parameter and Akaike information criterion. Both models A and B defined high-risk subgroups (13%–27% of patients [pts]) with approximately 19%–23% lymphoma-related mortality. They also defined subgroups composing approximately one-fourth or one-half of the patients, with 11% risk of failure and only 1% or 4% 5-year lymphoma-related mortality. Conclusion The combination of E/IV with either bulky disease or LDH ≥2 times upper limit of normal defined high-risk but not very-high-risk subgroups. More importantly, their absence defined subgroups comprising approximately one-fourth or one-half of the pts, with 11% risk of failure and minimal lymphoma-related mortality, who may not need more intensive treatment such as R-da-EPOCH. Implications for Practice By analyzing the impact of baseline clinical characteristics on outcomes of a large cohort of patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma homogeneously treated with R-CHOP with or without radiotherapy, we developed novel prognostic indices which can aid in deciding which patients can be adequately treated with R-CHOP and do not need more intensive regimens such as R-da-EPOCH. The new indices consist of objectively determined characteristics (extranodal disease or stage IV, bulky disease, and markedly elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase), which are readily available from standard initial staging procedures and offer better discrimination compared with established risk scores (International Prognostic Index [IPI] and age-adjusted IPI).

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) has presented a revolutionary advance in the management of hematologic malignancies with low toxicity. However, oral mucositis (OM) remains a distressing toxic effect of AHCT and one of the major side effects of the conditioning. This prospective, observational study aimed to evaluate the severity of oral cavity pain and quality of life (QOL) and explore incidence, duration, and potential risk factors of moderate/severe OM. Thirty-nine patients receiving prophylactic palifermin post-AHCT were enrolled. QOL and severity of pain were assessed using validated questionnaires (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and mouth and throat soreness (MTS), respectively). The incidence of moderate/severe OM was 28.2 % with a median duration of 5 days and was associated with younger age and female gender. Severity of pain related to OM was generally low or moderate with only 25 % of patients reporting a score >6 on the MTS scale of 0–10 on day +7. Health-related QOL was worse on day +7 in the transplant unit compared to day 1, while on discharge day, all scores recovered and the total FACT-G score was not different from that on day 1. In our population, the incidence and duration of OM and the severity of pain related to OM appeared to be lower compared to that reported in previous studies. The impact of OM on QOL assessments seemed to be reversible with optimal supportive care despite the major transient disabilities mainly attributable to OM.

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) mobilization involves cleavage of ligands between HSC and niche components. However, there are scarce data regarding the role of bone cells in human HSC mobilization. We studied biochemical markers of bone metabolism and angiogenic cytokines during HSC mobilization in 46 patients' sera with lymphoma and multiple myeloma, by ELISA. Significant changes between pre-mobilization and collection samples were found: (1) Bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) increased, indicating augmentation of bone formation; (2) Receptor activator of Nf-κB ligand/osteoprotegerin ratio (RANKL/OPG) increased, showing osteoclastic differentiation and survival; however, there was no evidence of increased osteoclastic activity; and (3) Angiopoietin-1/Angiopoietin-2 ratio (ANGP-1/ANGP-2) decreased, consistent with vessel destabilization. Poor mobilizers had significantly higher carboxy-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (CTX) and lower ANGP-1 at pre-mobilization samples, compared to good ones. CTX, amino-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (NTX) and ANGP-1 pre-mobilization levels correlated significantly with circulating CD34+ peak cell counts. Our results indicate that bone formation and vessel destabilization are the two major events during human HSC mobilization. Osteoblasts seem to be the orchestrating cells, while osteoclasts are stimulated but not fully active. Moreover, ANGP-1, CTX and NTX may serve as predictors of poor mobilization.

Introduction: Chemotherapy associated osteoporosis is a severe problem in patients with malignant diseases as it increases the risk for fractures and deteriorates quality of life. There are very limited data in the literature for the effect of chemotherapy on bone metabolism of adult patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL). Thus, there is lack of formal recommendation regarding bone investigations at baseline or prophylactic bone management during treatment administration. The aim of this study was to perform a thorough assessment of bone remodeling in newly diagnosed patients with NHL, prior and post chemotherapy administration, to provide insight on the mechanisms of bone loss in these patients. Methods : Patients with NHL who received frontline treatment were eligible for participation in this study. Exclusion criteria included patients with lymphoma bone-involvement or with known osteoporosis under medication, previous bone fractures, BMD T-scores Results: Sixty-one newly diagnosed patients with NHL were prospectively enrolled: 42 (68.9%) patients had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 6 (9.8 %) follicular lymphoma (grade III), 4 (6.6%) mantle-cell lymphoma, 7 (11.5%) marginal-zone lymphoma and 2 (3.3%) T-cell NHL. Fifty-four patients (88.5%) received R-CHOP (47 every 21 days and 7 every 14 days), 4 (6.6%) received R-CVP and 3 (4.9%) CHOP as first-line therapy. At baseline, NHL patients had a median T-score of L1-L4 BMD of -0.71 (range -4.27 to +4.36) and of FN BMD of -0.79 (-4.01 to +2.49). The administration of chemotherapy resulted in a dramatic reduction of BMD in L1-L4 (median T-score: -1.12; range -4.49 to +4.34; p=0.001 and median T-score of the lumbar vertebra with the major loss: median T score -1.45; range: -4.84 to +29; p=0.001) and in FN BMD (median T-score: -0.95; range: -3.68 to +2.12; p=0.0001) compared to baseline values. The reduction of L1-L4 BMD post-chemotherapy and of vertebrae BMD with major loss was more profound in males than in females (p=0.001) and in patients of >55 years compared to all others (p=0.0001). Patients who received 8 cycles of chemotherapy had a greater reduction of L1-L4 (p=0.0001), of vertebra with major loss (p=0.003) and of FN (p=0.0001) BMD compared to patients who received 6 cycles of chemotherapy. This reduction was irrespective of the NHL stage (I/II vs. III/IV). At baseline, patients had decreased levels of OC (0.6 vs. 10.4 ng/ml in controls; p=0.001) and increased levels of TRACP-5b (1.82 vs. 1.52 U/L in controls; p=0.005), with no other alterations in bone markers studied. The administration of chemotherapy resulted in a dramatic increase of markers of bone resorption, CTX (6.93 vs. 0.6 ng/ml, p=0.008) and TRACP-5b (2.78 vs. 1.82 U/L; p=0.0001). Markers of bone formation and Dkk-1 were also increased: bALP (26.2 vs. 19.0 U/L; p=0.0001), OC (18.6 vs. 0.6 ng/mL; p=0.0001) and Dkk-1 (192.2 vs. 166.5 pg/mL, p=0.005 and), respectively. There was a greater increase of CTX (p=0.04), sRANKL/OPG (p=0.015), TRACP-5b (p=0-.03), bALP (p=0.003) and OC (p Conclusions : Our study suggests that first-line chemotherapy (immuno-chemotherapy for the vast majority of patients) results in high bone turnover, which leads to increased bone loss and reduced BMD of L1-L4 and FN in NHL patients. These patients should benefit from the prophylactic use of bone-targeted agents, i.e. bisphosphonates, denosumab or romosozumab. Disclosures Terpos: Amgen: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Genesis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel expenses, Research Funding; Medison: Honoraria. Vassilakopoulos:Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene / GenesisPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; WinMedica: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Makras:Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Glaxo: Honoraria; Eli-Lilly: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; Leo: Honoraria; Genesis: Honoraria; UCB: Honoraria. Angelopoulou:Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene / GenesiaPharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; MSD: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Panayiotidis:Bayer: Other: Support of clinical trial. Dimopoulos:Sanofi Oncology: Research Funding.

This retrospective study aimed to describe the Hellenic experience on the use of brentuximab vedotin (BV) in relapsed/refractory (R/R) Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) given within its indication. From June 2011 to April 2015, ninety‐five patients with R/R HL, who received BV in 20 centers from Greece, were analyzed. Their median age was 33 years, and 62% were males. Sixty‐seven patients received BV after autologous stem cell transplantation failure, whereas 28 patients were treated with BV without a prior autologous stem cell transplantation, due to advanced age/comorbidities or chemorefractory disease. The median number of prior treatments was 4 and 44% of the patients were refractory to their most recent therapy. The median number of BV cycles was 8 (range, 2‐16), and the median time to best response was the fourth cycle. Fifty‐seven patients achieved an objective response: twenty‐two (23%), a complete response (CR), and 35 patients (37%), a partial, for an overall response rate of 60%. Twelve patients (13%) had stable disease, and the remaining twenty‐six (27%) had progressive disease as their best response. At a median follow‐up of 11.5 months, median progression‐free survival and overall survival were 8 and 26.5 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that chemosensitivity to treatment administered before BV was associated with a significantly increased probability of achieving response to BV (P = .005). Bulky disease (P = .01) and response to BV (P

International Staging System (ISS), serum free light chain ratio (sFLCR) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) are well known, easily assessed independent prognostic indicators of outcome in multiple myeloma (MM). The purpose of the study was to re-examine the prognostic contribution of these variables in a multicenter setting with special attention to MM patients treated with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) or novel agents (NA). Three hundred and five symptomatic newly diagnosed MM patients were retrospectively studied. Twenty-seven per cent, 32% and 41% were in ISS stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Fifty-six per cent of them presented kappa light chain monoclonality; median sFLCR was 27.04 (0.37–1.9 × 105) and 47.97 (0.26–2.3 × 107) for kappa patients and lambda patients, respectively; patients with sFLCR above median constituted the high sFLCR group. Thirty-one per cent of patients had increased LDH. As first line treatment, 55.7% received conventional treatment and 44.3% NA. After induction, 24% underwent ASCT, whereas 76% received NA at any line, either bortezomib (82.5%), thalidomide (48%) or lenalidomide (27%). When the 305 patients were analyzed together, staging, high sFLCR and abnormal LDH were predictive of survival. The same was true for patients that never received NA, whereas neither high sFLCR nor abnormal LDH constituted adverse factors in patients that received NA frontline. In the last group of patients, no difference was observed between ISS stages 2 and 3. The median 5-year survival of patients that never received NA versus those who did frontline was 29% vs 47%, 7% vs 52% and 24% vs 40% in patients with abnormal LDH, high sFLCR and ISS stage 3, respectively (p = 0.03, p

The circulating levels of several angiogenic cytokines [angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiogenin and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)] were evaluated in 174 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed, symptomatic, multiple myeloma (MM). Circulating levels of Ang-1/Ang-2 were reduced in myeloma patients compared to controls, whereas VEGF and angiogenin levels were increased. Reduced angiopoietin-1/angiopoietin-2 ratio correlated with advanced disease features including international staging system (ISS)-3 stage, renal impairment and extensive bone disease. Based on immunohistochemical results in 20 patients (10 with the higher and 10 with the lower values of circulating angiopoietin-2) we found that angiopoietin-2 is expressed by myeloma cells and correlates with increased microvessel density in subsets of patients. Furthermore, Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio correlated with survival. Patients with circulating Ang-1/Ang-2 below or equal to the median value (6.03) had a median survival of 26.3 months compared to 53 months of all others (p = 0.002). Interestingly, this was mainly observed in patients who received first-line therapy with novel agent-based regimens (65% of our patients). Furthermore, a subset of ISS-3 patients with serum Ang-1/Ang-2 above the median value had favourable prognosis (median survival: 45 months versus 17 months of all others; p = 0.0001). The multivariate analysis revealed that low Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio could independently predict for inferior survival in our cohort of patients (relative risk (RR) 2.07, 95% CI 1.50-2.42; p < 0.001). These results highlight the role of angiopoietins pathway in the biology of MM and reveal novel targets for the development of antimyeloma agents.

Background Renal impairment is a common complication of multiple myeloma. Cystatin-C is considered an accurate marker of glomerular filtration rate in several renal disorders. Microarray analysis has revealed that cystatin-C is one of the most highly up-regulated genes in multiple myeloma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of cystatin-C in myeloma patients, explore possible correlations with clinical data, including survival, and assess the effect of bortezomib on cystatin-C in relapsed multiple myeloma. Design and Methods We measured serum cystatin-C in 157 newly diagnosed, previously untreated myeloma patients, in 28 patients with relapsed disease pre- and post-bortezomib therapy and in 52 healthy controls, using a latex particle-enhanced nephelometric immunoassay. Results In newly diagnosed patients, cystatin-C was elevated and showed strong correlations with advanced ISS stage, extensive bone disease, high β2-microglobulin, high serum creatinine, and low creatinine clearance. Multivariate analysis revealed that only cystatin-C and lactate dehydrogenase had an independent prognostic impact on patients’ survival. The combination of cystatin-C and lactate dehydrogenase revealed three prognostic groups of patients: a high-risk group (both elevated cystatin-C and lactate dehydrogenase) with a median survival of 24 months, an intermediate-risk group (elevated cystatin-C or elevated lactate dehydrogenase) with a median survival of 48 months and a low-risk group (both low cystatin-C and lactate dehydrogenase) in which median survival has not yet been reached ( p

ATLL is etiologically associated with HTLV-I retrovirus. A population of 10 to 20 million worldwide is estimated to be infected by the virus, but only 1-4% develop ATLL during a 70-year lifespan. The latency period is more than 30 years. The aim of this study was to report two cases of ATLL in Greek patients with the concomitant study of their family members. A 55-year-old woman and a 59-year-old man presented with leucocytosis and lymphocytosis. Both were asymptomatic and physical examination was unremarkable except for minimal lymphadenopathy in the second patient. In both patients blood smears showed small-to-medium-sized, multilobulated lymphocytes, with different degrees of nuclear irregularity. Immunophenotypic study was as follows: CD2 + (97%), CD3 + (95%), CD5 + (95%), CD3/CD4 + (93%), CD3/CD25 + (84%), CD7 -/CD4 + (89%) CD2 + /HLA-DR + (53%), TCRabeta + (96%) and CD7-(7%). Bone marrow biopsy revealed a normal cellularity with dyserythropoiesis and scattered small lymphocytes (CD4 + on immunostaining) Serum HTLV I and II antibodies were positive. T-cell receptor gamma-chain rearrangement was positive in blood lymphocytes by PCR. Cytogenetic analysis showed complex karyotypic abnormalities. DNA analysis by PCR demonstrated the integration of the HTLV-I DNA in the DNA of the neoplastic T cells. Both patients rapidly developed acute type ATLL. In the first patient multiple subcutaneous nodules on the palmar surface of both hands were also observed. She received deoxycoformycin, which was stopped because of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Corticosteroid treatment was initiated, with gradual improvement. She suffered from recurrent opportunistic infections. She is currently under interferon and zidovudine therapy with stable blood parameters. Chemotherapy was administered to the other patient with > 50% initial response. Both patients' families were tested for serum anti HTLV-I antibodies and their mates were found to be positive; they also had detectable viral DNA by PCR analysis while asymptomatic, with no abnormal clinical findings and normal white blood cell count and morphology. In conclusion, the two aforementioned patients are the first fully documented ATLL patients described in Greece. Investigation for HTLV-I antibodies should be mandatory in all patients with T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders.

Type 2 dendritic cell (DC2) acute leukemia has been recently described. We report here an unusual case of a 17-yr-old adolescent with overlapping features of DC2 and myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia as defined by Suzuki et al. The patient presented with lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly without extranodal manifestations in skin or elsewhere. The morphologic, cytochemical and immunophenotypic features were compatible with those described in DC2 acute leukemia, with co-expression of CD4, CD56 and CD123 antigens. The novel markers BDCA-4 and BDCA-2 considered specific for DC2s were co-expressed. However, bright CD7 positivity along with a dim expression of CD33 (57%) and CD117 (27%) were also noted. Additionally, there was bright expression of NG2 monoclonal antibody 7.1, a frequent finding in myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia. The interpretation of the immunophenotypic profile leads to the hypothesis on the existence of borderline cases between DC2 and myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia. Still, other hypotheses can not be overlooked, such as the possibility for a kind of variant monoblastic leukemia or of another rare entity of acute unclassified leukemia.

Various morphometric characteristics of microvessels, highlighted by means of anti-CD34 immunohistochemical staining, were evaluated in the bone marrow of 52 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase, in relation to several clinicopathologic parameters. Twenty control bone marrows and 15 cases of CML in blastic phase were also studied. Microvessel density (MVD), total vascular area (TVA) and several size- and shape-related parameters were quantitated in the region of most intense vascularization using image analysis. Overall, the group of chronic phase CML had higher MVD and size-related parameters and more branching microvessels than controls. Blastic phase was characterized by increased numbers of microvessels with a rounder shape and smaller caliber than chronic phase. A positive correlation emerged between marrow fibrosis and MVD as well as between white blood cell counts and rounder vessel sections. No relationship existed between microvascular parameters and Hasford or Sokal prognostic scores. In univariate analysis, overall and progression-free survival were adversely affected by MVD, size-related parameters, increased platelet count, age and spleen size. Multivariate analysis indicated that microvessel area was related to progression-free survival, whereas both MVD and area were significant prognosticators of overall survival, even when Hasford or Sokal scores are introduced into the model. Our data suggest that changes in angiogenic parameters may participate in the conversion of normal marrow to CML and ultimately to blastic transformation. More importantly, MVD and microvessel caliber are significant predictors of patient survival and progression.

Objectives: To investigate the prognosis of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) who relapse following a complete remission (CR) achieved by chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy (CT±RT), and to identify prognostic factors for freedom from second progression (FF 2 P). Methods: We analyzed the prognostic significance of the initial CT regimen (4 vs. 7-8 drugs), treatment-free interval (TFI), and demographic, clinical, and laboratory factors at the time of relapse and diagnosis, in 113 patients with HL, who relapsed after a CR achieved by CT±RT. Results: Conventional salvage CT±RT was administered in 107 patients, while six received RT only. The 5-yr FF 2 P was 24%, while the 10-yr survival after relapse (O 2 S) was 39% and was not afffected by the initial CT regimen. Multivariate analysis revealed that extranodal disease at relapse (P

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired clonal disorder characterized by a decrease or absence of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored molecules such as CD55 and CD59 from the surface of affected cells, resulting in intravascular hemolysis, cytopenia, and venous thrombosis. A PNH-like phenotype has been detected in various hematological disorders, mainly in aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, but also in lymphoproliferative syndromes (LPSs). To the best of our knowledge, CD55- or CD59-deficient red cells have not been detected in plasma cell dyscrasias (PCDs). The aim of this study was the detection of CD55- and/or CD59-deficient red cell populations in patients with PCD. Seventy-seven patients were evaluated; 62 with multiple myeloma (MM), 7 with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), 6 with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), and 2 with heavy chain disease (HCD). The sephacryl gel microtyping system was applied; Ham and sucrose lysis tests were also performed on all samples with CD55- or CD59-negative populations. Red cells deficient in both molecules were detected in 10 (12.9%) of 77 patients with PCD: 2 (28.6%) of 7 with WM, 1 (16.6%) of 6 with MGUS, 6 (9.6%) of 62 with MM, and 1 of 2 patients with HCD. Isolated CD55 deficiency was found in 28.5% of all PCD patients, whereas isolated CD59 deficiency was not observed in any patients. These findings illustrate the existence of the PNH phenotype in the red cells of patients with PCD; further investigation is needed into the mechanisms and significance of this phenotype.

CD55 and CD59 are complement regulatory proteins that are linked to the cell membrane via a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor. They are reduced mainly in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and in other hematological disorders. However, there are very few reports in the literature concerning their expression in patients with acute leukemias (AL). We studied the CD55 and CD59 expression in 88 newly diagnosed patients with AL [65 with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL) and 23 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)] using the sephacryl gel test, the Ham and sucrose lysis tests and we compared the results with patients' clinical data and disease course. Eight patients with PNH were also studied as controls. Red cell populations deficient in both CD55 and CD59 were detected in 23% of ANLL patients (especially of M(0), M(2) and M(6) FAB subtypes), 13% of ALL and in all PNH patients. CD55-deficient erythrocytes were found in 6 ANLL patients while the expression of CD59 was decreased in only 3 patients with ANLL. No ALL patient had an isolated deficiency of these antigens. There was no correlation between the existence of CD55 and/or CD59 deficiency and the percentage of bone marrow infiltration, karyotype or response to treatment. However no patient with M(3), M(5), M(7) subtype of ANLL and mature B- or T-cell ALL showed a reduced expression of both antigens. The deficient populations showed no alteration after chemotherapy treatment or during disease course. This study provides evidence about the lower expression of CD55 and CD59 in some AL patients and the correlation with their clinical data. The possible mechanisms and the significance of this phenotype are discussed.

Το πολλαπλούν μυέλωμα είναι Β - λεμφοκυτταρική κακοήθεια με διάμεση επιβίωση περίπου 3 έτη. Η εντατική έρευνα των τελευταίων ετών έχει διαφωτίσει αρκετές από τις αλλαγές που λαμβάνουν χώρα τόσο στα παθολογικά πλασματοκύτταρα όσο και στο μικροπεριβάλλον αυτών κατά τη διάρκεια της παθογένεσης αυτού του ανίατου νοσήματος. Η αυξημένη αγγειογένεση που παρατηρείται στο μυελό των οστών ασθενών με ΠΜ θεωρείται μία από τις αλλαγές του μικροπεριβάλλοντος η οποία προάγει την επιβίωση και τον πολλαπλασιασμό των μυελωματικών κυττάρων. Είναι αποτέλεσμα σύνθετων αλληλεπιδράσεων μεταξύ μυελωματικών κυττάρων και κυττάρων του στρώματος που οδηγούν στην παραγωγή κυτοκινών με προαγγειογενετική δράση, οι οποίες με τη σειρά τους προκαλούν την αγγειογενετική μεταστροφή. Η αναγνώριση της αντι-αγγειογενετικής δράσης παραγόντων όπως η θαλιδομίδη οδήγησε στη θεραπευτική χρήση των παραγόντων αυτών στο ΠΜ με πολύ καλά αποτελέσματα. Η μπορτεζομίμπη είναι ένας αναστολέας του πρωτεασώματος με αντιμυελωματική δράση. Από μελέτες που έγιναν σε ζώα και σε κυτταρικές καλλιέργειες μυελωματικών κυττάρων φάνηκε ότι η μπορτεζομίμπη έχει εκτός των άλλων και αντιαγγειογενετική δράση. Στην παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή μελετήσαμε τις αγγειογενετικές κυτοκίνες VEGF, VEGF-A, bFGF, αγγειογενίνη και αγγειοποιητίνες-1 και -2 τόσο σε ασθενείς με νεοδιαγνωσθέν ΠΜ όσο και σε ασθενείς με ανθεκτικό / υποτροπιάζων ΠΜ προ και μετά τη θεραπεία με μπορτεζομίμπη. Στον ορό των ασθενών με νεοδιαγνωσθέν ΠΜ βρήκαμε ότι οι αγγειογενετικές κυτοκίνες VEGF, VEGF-A, αγγειοποιητίνη-2 και αγγειογενίνη ήταν αυξημένες σε σχέση με τους υγιείς μάρτυρες, σε αντίθεση με την αγγειοποιητίνη-1 που ήταν ελαττωμένη και τον bFGF που δεν διέφερε σημαντικά. Ο λόγος αγγειοποιητίνη-1/αγγειοποιητίνη-2 ήταν ελαττωμένος στους ασθενείς σε σχέση με τους υγιείς μάρτυρες. Η αγγειογενίνη και ο λόγος της αγγειοποιητίνης-1/αγγειοποιητίνη-2 σχετίζονταν με προχωρημένο στάδιο νόσου, ενώ ο λόγος αγγειοποιητίνη-1/αγγειοποιητίνη-2 ήταν ισχυρός ανεξάρτητος προγνωστικός δείκτης επιβίωσης. Στον ορό των ασθενών με ανθεκτικό / υποτροπιάζων ΠΜ βρήκαμε ότι οι κυτοκίνες VEGF, VEGF-A, bFGF, αγγειοποιητίνη-2 και αγγειογενίνη ήταν αυξημένες σε σχέση με τους υγιείς μάρτυρες, σε αντίθεση με την αγγειοποιητίνη-1 που δεν διέφερε σημαντικά. Ο λόγος αγγειοποιητίνη-1/αγγειοποιητίνη-2 ήταν ελαττωμένος στους ασθενείς σε σχέση με τους υγιείς μάρτυρες. Η αγγειογενίνη και ο λόγος της αγγειοποιητίνης-1/αγγειοποιητίνη-2 σχετίζονταν με προχωρημένο στάδιο νόσου. Η θεραπεία με μπορτεζομίμπη είχε ως αποτέλεσμα την αύξηση του λόγου αγγειοποιητίνη-1/αγγειοποιητίνη-2 η οποία ήταν σημαντικότερη στους ασθενείς με καλύτερη ανταπόκριση σε αυτήν. Ο βαθμός αύξησης του λόγου των αγγειοποιητινών σχετιζόταν με την επιβίωση των ασθενών. Τα αποτελέσματα της μελέτης μας τονίζουν τη σημασία του συστήματος των αγγειοποιητινών-1 και -2 και του υποδοχέα τους Tie2 στην αγγειογένεση του ΠΜ και επιβεβαιώνουν άλλες μελέτες που αφορούσαν συμπαγείς όγκους. Το σύστημα αυτό ίσως να αποτελεί κατάλληλο στόχο για νέους αντιαγγειογενετικούς-αντιμυελωματικούς παράγοντες, καθώς μεγάλος αριθμός μελετών για την ανεύρεση νέων παραγόντων αποτελεσματικών στη θεραπεία του ΠΜ βρίσκονται σε εξέλιξη.

BACKGROUND Advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is curable by conventional chemotherapy in 60--70% of patients. The pretreatment identification of a sizeable subgroup of patients with sufficiently low failure-free survival (FFS) to be eligible for investigational treatment is necessary. OBJECTIVES To determine the prognostic significance of the number of involved sites (NIS) in patients with advanced HL and its relationship to the International Prognostic Score (IPS). METHODS A retrospective review of patients with advanced HL, defined as Ann Arbor stage (AAS) IB, IIB, III or IV, treated with anthracycline-based regimens. The end-point was FFS. RESULTS We identified 277 patients with a median age of 32 yr (14--78), 57% of whom were males. AAS was I in 4% of patients, II in 29%, III in 38% and IV in 29%. B-symptoms were recorded in 81%. Most patients had nodular sclerosis (64%) and mixed cellularity (26%) histology. IPS was greater-than-or-equals 3 in 44% of 242 evaluable patients. The NIS was greater-than-or-equals 5 in 32% of the patients and 20% of all patients had both greater-than-or-equals 5 involved sites and IPS greater-than-or-equals 3. The 10-yr FFS was 67%, being 76% vs. 50% for patients with less-than-or-equals 4 vs. greater-than-or-equals 5 involved sites (P < 0.0001). The NIS (greater-than-or-equal 5), AAS IV and anemia were independent predictors of FFS in multivariate analysis. The NIS remained significant along with IPS, when the latter was included in the analysis. Patients with greater-than-or-equals 5 involved sites and IPS greater-than-or-equals 3 had 10-yr FFS overall, and relapse-free survival of 41%, 45% and 49%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The NIS was associated with FFS in advanced HL, was independent of IPS, and led to the identification of a sizeable subgroup of patients with 10-yr FFS of approximately 40%. This factor should be evaluated during the development of prognostic systems.

Aim: Bisphosphonates are potent inhibitors of osteoclastic activity and are used in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) in combination with chemotherapy. The effect of pamidronate on markers of bone resorption (cross-linked N-telopeptides of type I collagen (NTx)), markers of bone formation (serum alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and osteocalcin (OSC)), interleukin-6 (IL-6), b2-microglobulin, CRP, para- protein and disease-related pain and skeletal events has been evaluated in 62 newly diagnosed patients with MM. Patients and methods: The patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the first included 32 patients under chemotherapy and pamidronate (group I) and the second 30 patients on chemotherapy only (group II). Pamidronate was administered at a monthly dose of 90 mg iv, and the above parameters were evaluated at the beginning of this study and after 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 14 months of treatment. Results: The addition of pamidronate to chemotherapy resulted in a significant reduction of NTx, IL-6 and paraprotein from the 3rd month and of b2-microglobulin, CRP and pain from the 6th month of treatment. No changes of NTx, IL-6, b2- microglobulin, CRP or skeletal events were observed in patients of group II, while paraprotein was significantly reduced after 6 months of treatment. The differences in NTx, IL-6, paraprotein and b2-micro- globulin were statistically significant between the two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between changes of NTx, changes of IL-6 in both groups and reduction of pain and paraprotein in group I. Conclusions: These results suggest that pamidronate may have a synergistic action with chemotherapy in decreasing osteoclastic activity, in reducing markers of myeloma activity and myeloma related pain and in improving the quality of life in patients with MM.

Lenalidomide and dexamethasone (RD) is a standard of care for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), but there is limited published data on its efficacy and safety in the “real world” (RW), according to the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research definition. We studied 212 RRMM patients who received RD in RW. Objective response (≥PR (partial response)) rate was 77.4 % (complete response (CR), 20.2 %). Median time to first and best response was 2 and 5 months, respectively. Median time to CR when RD was given as 2nd or >2nd-line treatment at 4 and 11 months, respectively. Quality of response was independent of previous lines of therapies or previous exposure to thalidomide or bortezomib. Median duration of response was 34.4 months, and it was higher in patients who received RD until progression (not reached versus 19 months, p < 0.001). Improvement of humoral immunity occurred in 60 % of responders (p < 0.001) and in the majority of patients who achieved stable disease. Adverse events were reported in 68.9 % of patients (myelosuppression in 49.4 %) and 12.7 % of patients needed hospitalization. Peripheral neuropathy was observed only in 2.5 % of patients and deep vein thrombosis in 5.7 %. Dose reductions were needed in 31 % of patients and permanent discontinuation in 38.9 %. Median time to treatment discontinuation was 16.8 months. Performance status (PS) and initial lenalidomide dose predicted for treatment discontinuation. Extra-medullary relapses occurred in 3.8 % of patients. Our study confirms that RD is effective and safe in RRMM in the RW; it produces durable responses especially in patients who continue on treatment till progression and improves humoral immunity even in patients with stable disease.

International Staging System (ISS), serum free light chain ratio (sFLCR) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) are well known, easily assessed independent prognostic indicators of outcome in multiple myeloma (MM). The purpose of the study was to re-examine the prognostic contribution of these variables in a multicenter setting with special attention to MM patients treated with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) or novel agents (NA). Three hundred and five symptomatic newly diagnosed MM patients were retrospectively studied. Twenty-seven per cent, 32% and 41% were in ISS stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Fifty-six per cent of them presented kappa light chain monoclonality; median sFLCR was 27.04 (0.37-1.9 × 10(5) ) and 47.97 (0.26-2.3 × 10(7) ) for kappa patients and lambda patients, respectively; patients with sFLCR above median constituted the high sFLCR group. Thirty-one per cent of patients had increased LDH. As first line treatment, 55.7% received conventional treatment and 44.3% NA. After induction, 24% underwent ASCT, whereas 76% received NA at any line, either bortezomib (82.5%), thalidomide (48%) or lenalidomide (27%). When the 305 patients were analyzed together, staging, high sFLCR and abnormal LDH were predictive of survival. The same was true for patients that never received NA, whereas neither high sFLCR nor abnormal LDH constituted adverse factors in patients that received NA frontline. In the last group of patients, no difference was observed between ISS stages 2 and 3. The median 5-year survival of patients that never received NA versus those who did frontline was 29% vs 47%, 7% vs 52% and 24% vs 40% in patients with abnormal LDH, high sFLCR and ISS stage 3, respectively (p = 0.03, p 0.00001 and p = 0.035). In conclusion, patients gaining the most from NA are those with an aggressive disease as reflected by advanced stage, abnormal LDH and high sFLCR. In addition, the adverse impact of these three variables is obscured by NA.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) was evaluated in the pre-treatment serum of 55 newly diagnosed patients with symptomatic myeloma. TIMP-1 was elevated in 47% of patients and correlated with lytic bone disease and increased bone resorption. Importantly, TIMP-1 correlated with ISS stage ( p = 0.005) and was an independent prognostic covariate for survival [HR: 1.003 (1–1.006), p = 0.004] in these patients who were all treated with novel agents (bortezomib and/or IMiDs) during their disease course. Our study provides evidence that pre-treatment serum TIMP-1 is associated with advanced myeloma and suggests the further evaluation of this molecule to better determine its prognostic potential in MM.

We present a cohort of 22 patients with type 2 dendritic cell (DC2) acute leukemia (or blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm-BPDCN, as it has been recently named), diagnosed in Greece over the past 12-year period, according to the main clinical and immunophenotypic features of this entity. Four additional cases are discussed, classified as leukemia of ambiguous lineage (LAL), because of the simultaneous detection of a CD56 negative DC2 population and of a second myeloid precursor cell population. The morphological features and cytogenetic findings of the typical BPDCN cases were similar to those previously described. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia-type chemotherapeutic regimens were more efficient in controlling the disease. Immunophenotyping of typical BPDCN cases revealed CD4(+), CD56(+), HLA-DR(+) and CD123(bright) neoplastic cells, in the absence of major B-, T- and myeloid-associated markers, while the phenotype of the four cases characterized as LAL highlights the risk of misdiagnosis. Based on our experience, we propose a flow cytometric algorithmic approach for the distinction of typical BPDCN from certain types of acute myeloid leukemia, but also for the identification of acute myeloid leukemia, admixed with CD56 negative DC2 cells, which could be misdiagnosed as BPDCN.

Hairy cell leukemia is an indolent but progressive B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disease. Purine analogs induce excellent responses as first-line treatment [1]. However, a considerable percent...

During the last decade several novel agents have been used in the management of patients with multiple myeloma. Immunomodulatory drugs and proteasome inhibitors exert their efficacy both directly by inducing apoptosis of myeloma cells and indirectly through the interruption of the interactions between myeloma and stromal cells in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. These interactions are crucial for myeloma cell growth and survival. The adherence of myeloma cells to BM stromal cells leads to the overproduction of several cytokines with angiogenic properties that enhance the survival and growth of myeloma cells through paracrine and autocrine loops. The correlation of these molecules with clinical features and survival of myeloma patients supports the importance of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of the disease and reveals these cytokines as suitable targets for the development of novel anti-myeloma therapies. This review summarises all available preclinical and clinical data for the effect of novel agents that are used in myeloma therapy, such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, bortezomib and VEGF inhibitors, on angiogenesis, which is at least partially responsible for their remarkable anti-myeloma efficacy.

Neoangiogenesis is involved in the pathophysiology of multiple myeloma and angiopoietins possibly contribute to myeloma-induced neovascularization. Bortezomib's antineoplastic potential includes an anti-angiogenic effect. We determined serum levels of angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 with ELISA pre- and post-bortezomib administration in 35 patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Pre-bortezomib, serum angiopoietin-1 levels did not differ in patients and in healthy individuals, while serum angiopoietin-2 levels were elevated. Corresponding serum angiopoietin-1/angiopoietin-2 ratio was reduced in patients compared with controls. After treatment, serum angiopoietin-1 levels increased, while serum angiopoietin-2 levels decreased, therefore the angiopoietin-1/angiopoietin-2 ratio increased and normalized. This increase was significant in patients who responded to treatment. In conclusion, angiopoietin-1/angiopoietin-2 ratio normalization reflected response to bortezomib.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with hyperleukocytosis of at least 100 × 109 per L are at high risk of early death due to pulmonary or cerebral leukostasis. Although the efficacy of leukapheresis in terms of prompt cytoreduction is generally accepted, published data regarding the clinical value of immediate therapeutic leukapheresis are limited and conflicting. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To determine whether leukapheresis has a favorable impact on early mortality, the clinical course of 53 newly diagnosed patients with AML and hyperleukocytosis admitted between 1995 and 2005 was analyzed retrospectively. Before August 2001, 28 patients received chemotherapy without leukoreduction (Cohort A). Thereafter, all AML patients with hyperleukocytosis were scheduled to receive leukapheresis, which was performed in 25 patients (Cohort B). RESULTS: There were no procedure-related adverse events. By Day 21 of therapy, 13 of 53 patients had died, resulting in an overall early death rate of 25 percent. In a multivariate logistic regression model, patients in Cohort B had a significantly lower risk of early death than patients in Cohort A (16% vs. 32%, respectively; p = 0.015). Dyspnea (p = 0.005), elevated creatinine (p = 0.028), and higher lactate dehydrogenase serum levels (p = 0.021) were independent risk factors for early death. With a median follow-up of 24.2 months, the overall survival was similar in both cohorts (Cohort A, 7.5; Cohort B, 6.5 months). Thus, leukapheresis had no impact on patients' long-term survivals. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience suggests that AML patients with hyperleukocytosis receiving leukapheresis had a significantly lower risk for early death by Day 21 than patients treated without leukapheresis. We therefore have adopted leukapheresis as a standard procedure in our department.

The significance of angiogenesis in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is not well defined. The aim of this study was to evaluate various morphometric characteristics of microvessels in lymph node sections of 286 patients with HL at diagnosis and investigate their relationship with clinicopathologic parameters and prognosis. Microvessel density (MVD), total vascular area (TVA) and several size- and shape-related microvascular parameters were quantitated – after anti-CD34 immunohistochemical staining – in the region of most intense vascularization, using image analysis. An increase in microvessel caliber parameters (area, perimeter, major and minor axis length) and a decrease in MVD were noted with increasing stage. An inverse relationship was recorded between MVD and the number of involved sites (NIS) and LDH. In univariate analysis, overall disease-specific survival was adversely affected by MVD and TVA, whereas inferior failure-free survival (FFS) was associated with the presence of more flattened vessel sections. Multivariate analysis disclosed that the extent of angiogenesis (MVD/TVA), age and the NIS independently affected overall survival. Accordingly, FFS was independently linked to the shape of microvessels and albumin levels or the NIS. In conclusion, our data support the view that angiogenesis in HL provides independent prognostic information, requiring the concomitant evaluation of quantitative and qualitative aspects of microvascular network.

To present our long-term experience regarding the use of chemotherapy plus low-dose involved-field radiotherapy (IFRT) for clinical Stage I-IIA Hodgkin's lymphoma.We analyzed the data of 368 patients. Of these, 66 received mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP) and 302 received doxorubicin (or epirubicin), bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine [A(E)BVD]. Patients with complete remission or very good partial remission were scheduled for low-dose IFRT (or =3200 cGy).The 10-year failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) rate was 85% and 86%, respectively. A(E)BVD-treated patients had superior 10-year FFS and OS rates compared with MOPP-treated patients (87% vs. 75%, p = 0.009; and 93% vs. 71%, p = 0.0004, respectively). Only 10 of 41 relapses had any infield (irradiated) component. Of the complete responders/very good partial responders treated with low-dose IFRT, those who received2800 cGy had inferior FFS but similar OS as those who received 2800-3200 cGy. Adverse prognostic factors for FFS included ageor =45 years, leukocytosisor =10 x 10(9)/L, and extranodal extension. Secondary acute leukemia developed after MOPP with or without salvage therapy (n = 6) or after ABVD plus salvage therapy (n = 2). None of the nine secondary solid tumors developed within the RT fields.IFRT at a dose of 2800-3000 cGy is highly effective in clinical Stage I-IIA HL patients who achieved a complete response or very good partial response with A(E)BVD. The long-term toxicity with respect to secondary malignancies appears to be acceptable.

We present the case of a 71 year-old man with secondary acute myeloblastic leukemia, who was successfully treated with low dose melphalan plus Epo plus G-CSF. We treated the patient with 2 mg of melphalan once a day orally, G-CSF 5 mg/kg 3 times a week and Epo 10.000 ui subcutaneously 3 times a week until the maximum response was obtained. Complete remission was achieved after 16 weeks of continuous treatment. Treatment-related toxicity was not significant. We recommend the use of low dose melphalan in elderly patients with high risk MDS as a treatment option.

To investigate the prognosis of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) who relapse following a complete remission (CR) achieved by chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy (CT+/-RT), and to identify prognostic factors for freedom from second progression (FF2P).We analyzed the prognostic significance of the initial CT regimen (4 vs. 7-8 drugs), treatment-free interval (TFI), and demographic, clinical, and laboratory factors at the time of relapse and diagnosis, in 113 patients with HL, who relapsed after a CR achieved by CT+/-RT.Conventional salvage CT+/-RT was administered in 107 patients, while six received RT only. The 5-yr FF2P was 24%, while the 10-yr survival after relapse (O2S) was 39% and was not afffected by the initial CT regimen. Multivariate analysis revealed that extranodal disease at relapse (P0.001), TFI6 month (P0.001),or =5 involved sites at diagnosis (P=0.04) and anemia at relapse (P=0.03) were independent predictors of FF2P. 55% of patients had 0 or 1 of these adverse prognostic factors. The 5-yr FF2P of patients with 0, 1 or 2 adverse factors was 58%, 34% and 5% (P0.0001). The corresponding rates for 10-yr O2S were 68%, 51% and 25%, respectively (P=0.002).Our data confirmed the significance of TFI and extranodal relapse and demonstrated a potential role for anemia at relapse and number of involved sites at diagnosis, for the prognosis of patients with HL relapsing after CT+/-RT. The combination of these prognostic factors defines a sizeable subgroup of patients with favorable outcome following conventional salvage therapy.

The novel inflammatory marker procalcitonin (PCT) was assessed as an index of infection in patients with febrile neutropenia. Blood samples were obtained from 115 patients with febrile neutropenia for determination of PCT levels before onset of fever and daily until the resolution of fever. The median PCT level on the first day of fever was 8.23 ng/mL in patients with bacteremia, compared with 0.86 ng/mL in patients with localized bacterial infections (P=.017). The median PCT level on the first day of fever was 2.62 ng/mL in patients with severe sepsis, compared with 0.57 ng/mL in patients with clinically localized infections (P

Abstract 4446 First-line therapy for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is based on the tyrosine kinase inhibitor Imatinib, according to the published recommendations of the European Leukemia Net (Baccarani et al, JCO, 2009). CML patients that achieve the goals of treatment, remain under imatinib therapy for life, according to the ELN recommendations. Many CML patients treated for 5–10 years with imatinib ask about the possibility of stopping or reducing their treatment and poor imatinib adherence is observed in this group of CML patients. In the clinical trial STIM (STop IMatinib), Mahon FX et al., Lancet 2010,), 41% of 100 selected CML patients treated with imatinib that had achieved “complete molecular response” (CMR) for >2 years remained in CMR one year after discontinuation of Imatinib treatment. In patients with molecular relapse, re-introduction of imatinib resulted in molecular responses or CMR. This study demonstrated that a subpopulation of CML patients in CMR may discontinue safely imatinib. However the percentage of CML patients achieving CMR/ continuous CMR differs in published clinical trials and the definition of CMR is different between CML groups, since no standarization is currently available. Moreover, the actual percentage of CML patients that achieve CMR under TKI treatment in the every day clinical practice, outside of clinical trials (were several exlusion criteria exist), is not well defined. In the European trial Stop Kinase Inhibitors (EURO-SKI), it is planned to discontinue TKIs from CML patients that have received TKIs > 3 years and have CMR (according to EUTOS guidelines) for a minimum of 1 year. The aim of this study was to identify the percentage of CML patients treated with TKIs in the every day clinical practice, that meet the proposed EURO-SKI criteria.CMR was determined using the current definitions of EUTOS for CML for the determination of CMR: CMR4 (or molecular response MR4), when in a RQ-PCR, BCR-ABL1 transcripts are undetectable and the number of copies of the control abl gene are >10,000 and CMR 4,5 (or MR 4,5) when the number of the abl copies are > 32,000. In our Center, we monitor BCR-ABL1 levels in 510 CML patients treated with TKIs in 42 medical centers in Greece. Median age at diagnosis of CML is 58 years, 50.5% are females and median follow-up time 3.5 years. RQ-PCR is performed with the FusionQuant®Kit BCR-ABL (IPSOGEN,) where ABL1 is used as the internal control gene. Results: at the time of analysis 52 out of 510 CML patients (10.2%) were found to have CMR in at least 3 consecutive RQ-PCR assays during a period of at least 12 months and had received TKI therapy for at least 3 years; 41 out these 52 CML patients were in MR4 and 11 were in MR4.5. Conclusions: In an unselected population of CML patients, treated in routine clinical practice, 52 out of 510 (10.2%) achieved continuous CMR according to EUTOS guidelines and can be eligible to participate in TKI discontinuation studies. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 5071 Chemotherapy-associated bone loss is a severe problem in patients with malignancies as it increases the risk for fractures and deteriorates quality of life. However, there are very limited reports in the literature describing the effects of chemotherapy on bone metabolism of adult patients with NHL. To elucidate this issue we scheduled a prospective study in which patients with newly-diagnosed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) had a thorough evaluation of bone remodeling, pre- and post- frontline chemotherapy. As of June 2009, 53 patients (33M/20F, median age 59 years, range: 18–90 years) had completed their first-line treatment: 36 patients (67.9%) had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 5 (9.4%) follicular lymphoma (grade III), 4 (7.5%) mantle-cell lymphoma, 6 (11.3%) marginal-zone lymphoma and 2 (3.8%) T-cell NHL. Nineteen patients (35.8%) had stage IV disease and B-symptoms before therapy initiation. Forty-seven patients (88.7%) received R-CHOP (40 every 21 days and 7 every 14 days), 4 received R-COP and 2 received CHOP as first-line therapy for their disease. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine (L1-L4, antero-posterior view), and femoral neck (FN) was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) on day 1 of cycle 1 (baseline) and on day 30 of the last cycle of chemotherapy. The following serum indices of bone metabolism were measured on the days of DXA: i) osteoclast stimulators [sRANKL and osteoprotegerin (OPG)], ii) osteoblast regulators [parathyroid hormone, vitamin-D, and dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1)], iii) bone resorption markers [C-telopeptide of collagen type-I (CTX) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b)], and iv) bone formation markers [bone alkaline phosphatase (bALP) and osteocalcin (OC)]. The above markers were also evaluated in 30 healthy controls of similar gender and age. Patients were assessed for skeletal-related events (SREs) throughout the period of the study. At baseline, NHL patients had a median T-score of L1-L4 BMD of -0.63 (range -4.27 to +3.68) and of FN BMD of -0.875 (-4.01 to +2.07). The median T-score of the lumbar vertebra with the major bone loss was -1.425 (-4.6 to +3.03). At baseline patients had reduced levels of OC (p=0.01) compared to controls, while CTX, TRACP-5b and sRANKL/OPG ratio did not differ between patients and controls. There was a strong correlation between L1-L4 and FN BMD (r=0.64, p55 years (p=0.001 and p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 2930 Poster Board II-906 Introduction: CD4(+)/CD56(+) hematodermic (plasmacytoid dendritic cell) tumor is a rare, distinct clinico-pathologic entity according to the latest WHO/EORTC classification for cutaneous lymphomas. Skin is typically involved at presentation followed by lymph node and bone marrow involvement and often terminating in a leukemic phase. There is no standard treatment and the prognosis remains poor. Also, there is need for identification of prognostic markers, which will better stratify these patients. Recent data show that CD4(+)/CD56(+) hematodermic neoplasms express precursor dendritic cell related antigens such as CD123, BDCA-2, and TCL1 and CLA. Patients: Ten patients (8 men, 2 women) with a median age of 72.5 years (31-86) were included in the study. They presented with cutaneous lesions plaques, nodules or tumors. Three patients had also lymphadenopathy, 3 blood leukemic picture and 4 bone marrow involvement. Results: Histological features were consistent with medium sized blastic cell lymphoma. Blastic cells were positive for CD4, CD56 and CD43. All other T-cell, B-cell and myelomonocytic markers were negative. Flow cytometry immunophenotyping was performed in skin lesions from 2 patients and in blood and bone marrow from 2 affected patients which showed a CD4+CD56+CD123bright+HLA-DRbright+CD85kbright+ phenotype. Additional immunohistochemical studies were performed on biopsy specimens using CD68, CD99 and TdT markers as well the cell proliferation marker Ki67 and the results are shown in Table 1. All patients were treated with systemic chemotherapy except one who refused treatment and died 5 months after diagnosis. Six patients achieved complete remission (CR) and 1 had partial response (PR). Five initially responding patients relapsed after a median time of 10 monhts (9-30). One patient died in CR due to treatment toxicity. Relapsed patients received salvage chemotherapy regimens. Two patents are currently alive, one in CR and one with disease. Of note, patients with TdT+ tumors showed shorter median failure-free (11 vs. 19 months) and overall (13.5 vs. 20.5 months) survival as compared to patients with TdT- neoplasms. In summary, CD4/CD56 hematodermic tumors are clinically aggressive, highly proliferating neoplasms and conventional chemotherapy used often results in a complete response but quick relapses unresponsive to further treatment may be expected. The impact of TdT expression as a potential adverse prognostic factor should be explored in larger cohort of patients. The identification of definitive prognostic markers is mandatory for the selection of patients who can benefit from bone marrow transplantation. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 1951 Poster Board I-974 Chemotherapy associated osteoporosis is a severe problem in patients with malignant diseases as it increases the risk for fractures and deteriorates quality of life. There are very limited data in the literature for the effect of chemotherapy on bone metabolism of adult patients with NHL. To elucidate this issue we scheduled a prospective study in which patients with newly-diagnosed NHL had a thorough evaluation of bone remodeling pre- and post- first-line chemotherapy. As of June 2009, 33 (20M/13F, median age 61 years, range: 28-90 years) of 52 patients, who were entered into this study, had completed their chemotherapeutic scheme: 19 patients (57%) had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 5 (15%) follicular lymphoma (grade III), 4 (12%) mantle-cell lymphoma, 4 marginal-zone lymphoma and one T-cell NHL. Twelve (36%) of those had stage IV disease and 17 (51%) had B-symptoms before therapy. Twenty-six patients (78%) received R-CHOP (25 every 21 days and 5 every 14 days), 2 received R-COP and one CHOP as first-line therapy for their disease. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine (L1-L4, antero-posterior view), and femoral neck (FN) was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) using a Hologic QDR-1000 scanner on day 1 of cycle 1 (baseline) and on day 30 post the last cycle of chemotherapy. The following serum indices of bone metabolism were measured on the days of DXA: i) osteoclast stimulators [sRANKL and osteoprotegerin (OPG)], ii) osteoblast inhibitor dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1), iii) bone resorption markers [C-telopeptide of collagen type-I (CTX) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b)], and iv) bone formation markers [bone alkaline phosphatase (bALP) and osteocalcin (OC)]. The above markers were also evaluated in 24 healthy controls of similar gender and age. Patients were assessed for skeletal-related events (SREs) throughout the period of the study. At baseline, NHL patients had a median T-score of L1-L4 BMD of -0.65 (range -4.27 to +3.68) and of FN BMD of -1.1 (-4.01 to +0.2). The median T-score of the lumbar vertebra with the major bone loss was -1.44 (-4.6 to +3.03). At baseline patients had increased levels of Dkk-1 (p=0.036) and reduced levels of OC (p55 years (p=0.007) compared to all others (p=0.059). This reduction was irrespective of the NHL stage (I/II vs. III/IV), while patients who received 8 cycles of chemotherapy had a greater reduction of L1-L4 (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) is a natural metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor that binds to and inactivates mainly MMP-9. TIMP-1 has multifunctional roles in tumorigenesis: inhibition of the catalytic activity of metalloproteinases, growth promotion, inhibition of apoptosis, and regulation of angiogenesis. Increased TIMP-1 has been associated with an unfavorable prognosis in many cancers including breast, colorectal, gastric, head and neck, lung cancer, and lymphomas. In vitro studies have revealed that TIMP-1 is overexpressed in myeloma cell lines. Furthermore, TIMP-1 promotes myeloma cell invasion across basement membranes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of TIMP-1 in newly-diagnosed, previous untreated myeloma patients and explore possible correlations with clinical and laboratory data, including survival. Fifty-five patients with newly-diagnosed myeloma (25M/30F, median age: 69 years) were evaluated. Eleven patients had stage 1 disease according to ISS, while 27 had stage 2 and 17 stage 3 myeloma. Serum TIMP-1 was determined before the administration of any therapy, including bisphosphonates, using ELISA methodology (Oncogene Science/Siemens HealthCare Diagnostics, Cambridge, MA, USA) along with a series of serum markers of bone metabolism: osteoclast regulators [soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (sRANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG)], osteoblast inhibitor dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1), bone resorption markers (N- & C-telopeptide of collagen type-I: NTX, CTX and ICTP; and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-isoform 5b, TRACP-5b), and bone formation markers (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, bALP; and osteocalcin, OC). The above bone markers were also evaluated in 27 healthy controls of similar age and gender. The mean serum TIMP-1 level of all patients was 431.9 ng/ml (SD 198.1 ng/ml). Twenty-six patients (17M/9F; 47%) had elevated values of TIMP-1 (upper normal limit 324 ng/ml for males and 454 ng/ml for post-menopausal women). Patients had also increased levels of Dkk-1, sRANKL, sRANKL/OPG ratio and bone resorption markers (NTX, CTX, ICTP and TRACP-5b) (p

Angiogenesis is a crucial step for disease progression in several hematological malignancies, including plasma cell dyscrasias like multiple myeloma (MM). Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) are antagonistic ligands for the receptor tyrosine kinase Tie-2. These cytokines are crucial for maturation and stabilization of the vascular wall: Ang-1 binds to Tie-2 and stabilizes the vascular wall, while Ang2- antagonizes Tie-2 binding and induces vessel destabilization, which leads to the angiogenic sprouting in conjunction with onset of angiogenesis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiogenin and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are also potent stimulators of both physiological and pathological angiogenesis. However little is known about the role of these molecules in AL amyloidosis and their possible correlations with the features of the disease. Serum levels of Ang-1, Ang-2, VEGF, and VEGF-A (the major angiogenesis component of VEGF), angiogenin, and bFGF were evaluated using ELISA methodology (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA, for all, except VEGF-A: Diaclone, Bensancon, France). Serum samples were collected from 62 previously untreated AL amyloidosis patients as well as from 35 age-matched healthy controls and 35 newly diagnosed, untreated, myeloma patients. Microvascular Density (MVD) of the bone marrow (BM) was also measured in 15 AL patients who had both serum and trephine biopsies available. Definition of organ involvement was based on established criteria (Gerrtz et al Am J Hematol 2005). Serum levels of VEGF (p10%, Ang-1 was lower than in those with PCs10% (p=0.021). There was no correlation among the number of involved organs, a significant predictor of survival in AL amyloidosis, and levels of angiogenic cytokines. In conclusion, serum markers of angiogenesis are significantly higher in AL patients compared to both healthy individuals and MM patients indicating a possible pathogenetic role in some features of the disease and also a possible therapeutic target.

Bortezomib has significant activity in multiple myeloma (MM). Its efficacy is increased with the addition of dexamethasone and doxorubicin in vitro, thus providing the rationale for combination regimens with these agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PAD regimen (bortezomib, doxorubicin, dexamethasone) in high-risk, newly diagnosed, MM patients and evaluate its effect on bone remodeling and angiogenesis. The inclusion criteria included newly diagnosed MM, ISS 2/3 disease or del13q detected by FISH. Patients received four 21-day cycles of PAD: bortezomib 1.3 mg/m2 on days 1, 4, 8 and 11; dexamethasone 40 mg on days 1–4 and 8–11; bolus doxorubicin 9 mg/m2 on days 1–4. All patients received monthly zoledronic acid and prophylactic dose of co-trimoxazole and acyclovir. Following peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection, eligible patients received high-dose melphalan with PBSC transplantation. Effect of PAD on angiogenesis was evaluated by measuring serum levels of VEGF, VEGF-A, angiogenin, angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), and basic fibroblast growth factor at baseline and on day 21 of cycle 4. Bone remodeling was studied by the measurement of serum indices: osteoclast stimulators [soluble RANKL, and osteoprotegerin (OPG)], bone resorption markers [C-telopeptide of collagen type-I (CTX), and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b)], and bone formation markers [bone alkaline phosphatase (bALP), and osteocalcin] at baseline and on day 21 of cycle 4. All above molecules were also measured in 22 healthy controls of similar age and gender. To-date, 23 patients (14M/9F, median age 60 years) completed 4 cycles of therapy: 12 (52%) had ISS stage 2 and 11 (47%) stage 3 disease. Del13q was detected in 12 patients. The majority of patients (n=12) had more than 3 lytic lesions and/or a pathological fracture in the plain radiography of the skeleton. The objective response rate was 95% (22/23 patients): CR 26%, vgPR 13% and PR 56%. Median time to response was 35 days. Grade 3/4 adverse events included infections (7 patients-30%; one died due to septicemia), lymphopenia (6-26%), thrombocytopenia (6–26%), neutropenia (4–17%), peripheral neuropathy (3–13%), fatigue (2–8%), and hyponatremia (2–8%). At baseline, MM patients had increased serum levels of CTX, TRACP-5b, OPG, angiogenin, and Ang-2 compared with controls (p

We have recently shown that serum free light chain ratio (sFLCR) provides independent prognostic information in patients with newly diagnosed MM (Kyrtsonis et al, Br J Haematol, 137: 240–243, 2007). The aim of the present study was to extend our previous observations in a multicenter setting and to investigate the potential additive effect of sFLCR to the ISS system, in determining the prognosis of patients with MM. We analyzed 214 newly diagnosed MM patients (125 kappa-, 89 lambda-). Serum free light chain levels were measured in sera drawn at diagnosis, using a latex-enhanced immunoassay (The Binding Site, Birmingham, UK). Then, the sFLCR was calculated, accordingly as kappa/lambda or lambda/kappa, depending on the monoclonal light chain type of the patient. Based on our previous study “high” sFLCR was defined as ratios ≥3.57 and ≥45.09 for kappa- and lambda- MM respectively. The median age of the patients was 68 years (33–92), 51% were males, 28%, 30%, and 42% had Durie-Salmon stages I, II, and III, 14% creatinine >2 mg/dl, and 13% had Bence-Jones MM. ISS stage was 1, 2, or 3 in 33%, 33%, and 34% of the patients, 48% had CRP ≥4 mg/l, 18% elevated LDH, 31% hemoglobin DSS According to the Combined sFLCR and ISS System Patient Subgroup Pts (#,%) 3-yr DSS (%) 5-yr DSS (%) p “Low” sFLCR and ISS