Voriconazole and its clinical potential in the prophylaxis of systemic fungal infection in patients with hematologic malignancies: a perspective review.

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) have become high prevalence in patients with hematologic malignancies. Drug-based strategies for IFIs include various approaches such as prophylactic, empiric, preemptive, and directed treatment. Prophylaxis is an attractive strategy in high-risk patients, given the lack of reliable diagnostics and the high mortality rate associated with IFIs.

Multiparameter flow cytometry evaluation of plasma cell DNA content and proliferation in 595 transplant-eligible patients with myeloma included in the Spanish GEM2000 and GEM2005<65y trials.

The incorporation of high-dose therapy/autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) and novel agents has significantly improved survival in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), but whether this improvement also benefits patients harboring poor prognostic features, such as nonhyperdiploid MM (NH-MM) and a high proliferation index, remains largely unknown. We analyzed the DNA content and proliferation index of bone marrow plasma cells (PCs) by multiparameter flow cytometry in 595 newly diagnosed transplant-eligible patients with MM included in two consecutive PETHEMA/GEM trials: GEM2000 [VBMCP/VBAD (vincristine, carmustine, melphalan, cyclophosphamide, prednisone/vincristine, bischloroethylnitrosourea, adriamycin, and dexamethasone) followed by HDT/ASCT; n = 319] and GEM2005<65y (randomized induction with VBMCP/VBAD/bortezomib or thalidomide/dexamethasone or bortezomib/thalidomide/dexamethasone followed by HDT/ASCT; n = 276). Of the 595 patients, 295 were classified as NH-MM (49.

Clinical experience of bendamustine treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Spain.

Bendamustine is a alkylating agent with a purine-like benzamidazole ring currently approved in Europe for indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma. Our aim was to analyze retrospectively the efficacy and toxicity of bendamustine in NHL and CLL in Spain in the bendamustine Compassionate Use Program. Patients with relapsed/refractory NHL or CLL were eligible.

High-risk cytogenetics and persistent minimal residual disease by multiparameter flow cytometry predict unsustained complete response after autologous stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma.

The achievement of complete response (CR) after high-dose therapy/autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) is a surrogate for prolonged survival in multiple myeloma; however, patients who lose their CR status within 1 year of HDT/ASCT (unsustained CR) have poor prognosis. Thus, the identification of these patients is highly relevant. Here, we investigate which prognostic markers can predict unsustained CR in a series of 241 patients in CR at day +100 after HDT/ASCT who were enrolled in the Spanish GEM2000 (n = 140) and GEM2005 < 65y (n = 101) trials.

A novel t(2;3)(p11;q27) in a case of follicular lymphoma.

Rearrangement of the BCL6 gene is found in follicular lymphomas and in diffuse large B cell lymphomas of follicular center cell origin. The breakpoints cluster mainly in a region spanning the first noncoding exon of the gene (the major breakpoint region). A second breakpoint cluster has also been identified upstream of the first BCL6 noncoding exon (the alternative breakpoint region [ABR]).

NUP98 is fused to adducin 3 in a patient with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and myeloid markers, with a new translocation t(10;11)(q25;p15).

The nucleoporin 98 gene (NUP98) has been reported to be fused to 13 partner genes in hematological malignancies with 11p15 translocations. Twelve of them have been identified in patients with myeloid neoplasias and only 1, RAP1GDS1 (4q21), is fused with NUP98 in five patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Three of these patients coexpressed T and myeloid markers, suggesting the specific association of t(4;11)(q21;p15) with a subset of T-ALL originating from an early progenitor, which has the potential to express mature T-cell antigens as well as myeloid markers.