Retrospective analysis of prognosticators in patients with relapsed Hodgkin's Lymphoma treated with autologous transplant: results of a single center.

Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL) is highly chemoresponsive, and majority of patients respond to therapy except for a small number which require high-dose therapy and stem cell rescue for salvage. We report the results of a single-center experience in 41 patients with relapsed HL treated with high-dose therapy at the time of relapse from the year 1989-2010. The 7-year OS for the group is 39.

Randomized clinical trial of telephone-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder and distress symptoms after hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation.

Purpose: A significant number of survivors of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) report enduring adverse effects of treatment, including illness-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and general distress. We report results of a randomized clinical trial that tested the effects of a 10-session, telephone-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention on PTSD, depression, and distress symptoms.

Methods: Survivors who had undergone HSCT 1 to 3 years earlier (N = 408) were assessed for study eligibility.

Non-myeloablative conditioning and allogeneic transplantation for multiple myeloma.

In multiple myeloma (MM), allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) carries a lower relapse risk than autologous transplantation but a greater transplant-related mortality. Nonmyeloablative conditioning for allogeneic transplantation (NST) reduces transplant-related toxicity. Results are encouraging when used during first remission in low-risk patients, but less-so in relapsed or refractory disease.

Combined bone marrow and peripheral blood progenitor cell autografts for patients with poor mobilization.

Background Aims: Peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) autografts with low CD34(+) cell content provide inadequate platelet (Plt) and red blood cell (RBC) reconstitution. Repeat collection and bone marrow (BM) harvesting are used in this situation. Minimum cell contents for BM-PBPC combined grafts are undefined.

Partial HLA matching and RH incompatibility resulting in graft versus host reaction and Evans syndrome after liver transplantation.

We report a case of a 67-year-old male who underwent OLT from a deceased, sex-matched donor. Two months later he developed Evans syndrome and GVHD of the skin. Donor and recipient were matched for HLA-A and -B loci in the direction of rejection but mismatched in the direction of GVHD and fully mismatched for DRB1.

Graft versus host disease after stem cell allotransplantation with low-dose total body irradiation, fludarabine, and antithymocyte globulin.

Background: We previously showed that antithymocyte globulin (ATG) given with total body irradiation (TBI) 200 cGy and fludarabine results in high rate of donor engraftment. Its influence on acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD) and on graft versus tumor effect is less known.

Methods: Sixty-five patients underwent nonmyeloablative stem cell transplant with ATG, TBI 200 cGy, and fludarabine.

Identification of a radio-resistant and cycling dermal dendritic cell population in mice and men.

In this study, we explored dermal dendritic cell (DC) homeostasis in mice and humans both in the steady state and after hematopoietic cell transplantation. We discovered that dermal DCs proliferate in situ in mice and human quiescent dermis. In parabiotic mice with separate organs but shared blood circulation, the majority of dermal DCs failed to be replaced by circulating precursors for >6 mo.

Thrombotic microangiopathy associated with combined sirolimus and tacrolimus immunosuppression after intestinal transplantation.

Calcineurin inhibitor-induced thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) has been described in up to 14% of solid-organ transplant recipients. Sirolimus has recently been described in two reports in association with TMA. Sirolimus is known to potentiate cyclosporine-induced nephrotoxicity, but such effect has not been shown with tacrolimus.

Low-dose total body irradiation, fludarabine, and antithymocyte globulin conditioning for nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplantation.

Nonmyeloablative allogeneic peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation with low-dose total body irradiation (TBI; 200 cGy) plus fludarabine followed by cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil results in modest graft rejection rates. Acute and chronic graft-versus-host diseases (GVHD) are also seen and may not differ substantially from those that occur after fully ablative transplantation. Adding antithymocyte globulin (ATG) to pretransplant conditioning produces substantial immunosuppression.

Primary splenic lymphoma: report of 10 cases using the REAL classification.

Primary splenic lymphoma (PSL) is rare with a reported incidence of less than 1%. Diffuse large cell pathology has been reported in 22-33% of the cases and is felt to have a poor outcome. We report our experience in patients with PSL seen at Mount Sinai Medical Center during the years 1994-1999.