Publications by authors named "Alicia Enrico"

Although systemic therapy for multiple myeloma (MM) has evolved considerably over the past two decades, state-of-the-art treatment is not uniformly available in Latin America. In some countries, disparities between the public and private sectors in clinical presentation, access to novel agents and transplantation are striking, with the public sector lagging. We conducted a multicenter, observational study (NCT03955900) of patients with MM in five Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Panama).

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Article Synopsis
  • The immune system in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients is significantly weakened, affecting their ability to respond to tumors, but shows improvement following effective treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors like imatinib.
  • A study analyzed gene expression of various immune mediators in 171 blood samples from CML patients over their first year on imatinib, comparing it with samples from healthy donors.
  • Results indicated that most immune mediators initially declined but largely normalized over time, while also revealing different patterns in optimal versus non-optimal treatment responders.
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Myelofibrosis (MF) is a clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorder classified among chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms, characterized by exacerbated myeloid and megakaryocytic proliferation and bone marrow fibrosis. It is induced by driver (//) and high molecular risk mutations coupled to a sustained inflammatory state that contributes to disease pathogenesis. Patient outcome is determined by stratification into risk groups and refinement of current prognostic systems may help individualize treatment decisions.

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Article Synopsis
  • Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have a significantly heightened risk of developing other malignancies (OMs), with a study tracking nearly 20,000 CLL patients revealing 3,513 OMs diagnosed over 129,254 years of follow-up.
  • The study found that treatment with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide increased the likelihood of developing myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), while non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and prostate cancer were common solid tumors in treated patients.
  • Importantly, patients with CLL who developed OMs had lower overall survival rates, especially those diagnosed with AML and MDS, highlighting that C
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In this retrospective international multicenter study, we describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and related disorders (small lymphocytic lymphoma and high-count monoclonal B lymphocytosis) infected by SARS-CoV-2, including the development of post-COVID condition. Data from 1540 patients with CLL infected by SARS-CoV-2 from January 2020 to May 2022 were included in the analysis and assigned to four phases based on cases disposition and SARS-CoV-2 variants emergence. Post-COVID condition was defined according to the WHO criteria.

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Background: Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be more susceptible to COVID-19 related poor outcomes, including thrombosis and death, due to the advanced age, the presence of comorbidities, and the disease and treatment-related immune deficiency. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of thrombosis and bleeding in patients with CLL affected by severe COVID-19.

Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter study conducted by ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL, including patients from 79 centers across 22 countries.

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Purpose: Real-world evidence on non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) management in Latin America is currently lacking. The objective of this study was to describe treatment characteristics and outcomes of NHL in Latin America.

Methods: A total of 2,967 patients with NHL with aggressive and indolent subtypes, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL), and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, with incident or prevalent diagnosis between 2006 and 2015, were retrospectively identified using clinical charts registered in the Hemato-Oncology Latin America Observational Registry.

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The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors seems to restore the broadly compromised immune system described in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients at diagnosis leading to a re-activation of the effector-mediated immune surveillance. Here, we describe the expression dynamics of immune factors during the first year on imatinib therapy. Gene expression was evaluated in 132 peripheral blood samples from 79 CML patients, including 34 who were serially followed.

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Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be more susceptible to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to age, disease, and treatment-related immunosuppression. We aimed to assess risk factors of outcome and elucidate the impact of CLL-directed treatments on the course of COVID-19. We conducted a retrospective, international study, collectively including 941 patients with CLL and confirmed COVID-19.

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Venetoclax, a potent B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) inhibitor, has demonstrated clinical efficacy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). VENICE II is an open-label, single-arm, phase 3b study (NCT02980731) evaluating the impact of venetoclax monotherapy (400 mg once daily) for ≤2 years on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with relapsed/refractory CLL. The primary endpoint was mean change in the global health status (GHS)/quality of life (QoL) subscale of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) from baseline to Week 48.

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Article Synopsis
  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients are more vulnerable to severe COVID-19, with 79% experiencing severe cases requiring oxygen or intensive care.
  • The study found that older age (≥65 years) was a key predictor of severe COVID-19 outcomes, while treatments like ibrutinib may offer some protection.
  • Among those with severe COVID-19, a significantly higher mortality rate was observed (36.4%) compared to mild cases (2.6%), indicating that CLL and immunodeficiency play critical roles in COVID-19 severity and outcomes.
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Purpose: Limited information is available on multiple myeloma (MM), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) management in Latin America. The primary objective of the Hemato-Oncology Latin America (HOLA) study was to describe patient characteristics and treatment patterns of Latin American patients with MM, CLL, and NHL.

Methods: This study was a multicenter, retrospective, medical chart review of patients with MM, CLL, and NHL in Latin America identified between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2015.

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Introduction: Flow cytometry (FC) is a helpful tool for the diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Different FC score systems have been developed. The "Ogata score" is a simple diagnostic score that has been validated having a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 92% in low-risk MDS.

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Background: A large group of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) will die of causes intrinsic to bone marrow failure. One third of patients will develop acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is associated with an extremely poor outcome and a short survival. Our objectives were to analyze the prognostic variables and scoring systems in the attempt to determine the influence of progression on the overall survival of MDS patients.

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Background: Treatment recommendations have been developed for management of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Methods: A 30-item multiple-choice questionnaire was administered to 435 hematologists and oncohematologists in 16 Latin American countries. Physicians self-reported their diagnostic, therapeutic, and disease management strategies.

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Background: Dasatinib 100 mg once daily achieves intermittent BCR-ABL kinase inhibition and is approved for chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients resistant or intolerant to imatinib. To better assess durability of response to and tolerability of dasatinib, data from a 2-year minimum follow-up for a dose-optimization study in chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia are reported here.

Design And Methods: In a phase 3 study, 670 chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients with resistance, intolerance, or suboptimal response to imatinib were randomized to dasatinib 100 mg once-daily, 50 mg twice-daily, 140 mg once-daily, or 70 mg twice-daily.

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The presence of the Philadelphia chromosome is a poor prognosis factor in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), in both children and adults. Using molecular techniques of the gen bcr/abl, it is possible to detect the abnormality, in up to the 40% of adult patients. The unsatisfactory results with conventional chemotherapy schemes have determined the intensification of the treatments and the consideration of allogenic bone marrow transplants as the best therapeutic instance.

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