Recent Advances in the Molecular Biology of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: How to Define Prognosis and Guide Treatment.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is the most frequent type of leukemia in Western countries. In recent years, there have been important advances in the knowledge of molecular alterations that underlie the disease's pathogenesis. Very heterogeneous prognostic subgroups have been identified by the mutational status of immunoglobulin heavy variable genes (), FISH analysis and molecular evaluation of mutations.

Patients' preferences for chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment: The CHOICE study.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) therapies differ in efficacy, side effects, route, frequency, and duration of administration. We assessed patient preferences for treatment attributes and evaluated associations with disease stage, treatment line, and socio-demographic characteristics in a cross sectional, observational study conducted at 16 Italian hematology centers. Study visits occurred between February and July 2020; 401 adult patients with CLL (201 Watch and Wait (W&W), 200 treated) participated in a discrete choice experiment (DCE), composed of 8 choices between pairs of treatment profiles with different levels of 5 attributes of currently available CLL treatments (length of response, route and duration of administration, risk of side effects including diarrhea, infections, or organ damage).

Health-related Quality of Life Profile of Newly Diagnosed Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes by Age, Sex, and Risk Group: A Real-world Study by the GIMEMA.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important goal of therapy for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); however, little is known about HRQoL of these patients at clinical presentation. We report HRQoL profile of newly diagnosed patients with MDS across both the the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) and IPSS-Revised (IPSS-R) classifications, stratified by sex and age group categories, aiming to also establish European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) reference values for these patients. Analysis was based on 927 patients with a median age of 73.

New treatment options in elderly patients with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma.

Most patients with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) are old (>65 years of age) and this population is expected to increase in the following years. A simplified geriatric assessment based on a careful evaluation of the fitness status and comorbidities is essential to choose the correct intensity of treatment. Fit older patients can benefit from a standard immunochemotherapy, while unfit/frail patients frequently need reduced doses or substitution of particular agents with less toxic ones.

A Fondazione Italiana Linfomi cohort study of R-COMP vs R-CHOP in older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) is the most commonly used regimen for the upfront treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, it is associated with cardiotoxicity, especially in older patients. Substituting doxorubicin with non-PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (R-COMP) may reduce the risk of cardiac events, but its efficacy has never been demonstrated in prospective trials.