Extracorporeal photopheresis for the treatment of chronic graft versus host disease.

Objectives: Chronic graft versus host disease (chronic GVHD) still remains the leading cause of late morbidity and mortality for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) recipients. In this retrospective study, 53 consecutive allo-HSCT patients with chronic GVHD refractory to corticosteroids were treated with extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP).

Methods: This study was performed as a retrospective single-center study.

Interleukin-21 and Interleukin-32 gene expression levels and their relationship with clinicopathological parameters in colorectal cancer.

Background And Aims: The immune cells in tumor microenvironment release chemokines and cytokines which determine the immune phenotype of the tumor and play an important role in the prognosis. Present study evaluates the gene expression levels of IL-21 and IL-32 and their relations to clinicopathologic parameters in colorectal cancer.

Patients And Methods: 31(17F) patients with colorectal cancer were included.

Deep Vein Thrombosis Following Non-myeloablative Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation: Presentation of Three Cases and Literature Review.

Unlabelled: The incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after non-myeloablative (NMA) allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is unknown. In addition, very few studies on the predisposing factors for DVT post SCT have been published. The incidence of DVT among patients that underwent NMA allo-SCT at our hospital was 4.

The roles of epigenetic modifications of proapoptotic BID and BIM genes in imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia cells.

In chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), epigenetic modifications such as promoter hypermethylation and inactive histone modification are known mechanisms of drug resistance. In our study, we investigated the roles of promoter hypermethylation of BIM and BID genes and H3K27me3 histone modification on imatinib resistance. We detected higher expression levels of BIM and BID genes and lower expression levels of EZH2, EED2, SIRT1, and SUZ12 genes in imatinib-resistant K562/IMA-3 cells compared to imatinib-non-resistant K562 cells.

Prognostic importance of additional cytogenetic anomalies in chronic myeloid leukemia.

Additional chromosomal abnormalities (ACAs) in Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are strongly associated with disease progression, but their prognostic impact and effect on treatment response are not clear. While the onset of ACAs in Ph-negative cells during treatment has been described, their origin and clinical significance remain to be clarified. Between January 2008 and January 2011, 105 patients with Ph-positive CML were analyzed.

The effect of granulocyte colony stimulating factor receptor gene missense single nucleotide polymorphisms on peripheral blood stem cell enrichment.

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) has become the most effective agent supporting hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The cognate interaction between G-CSF and its specific receptor, G-CSFR, induces the mobilization of HSCs and increases their pool in the peripheral blood. G-CSFR has a highly conserved structure which may be functionally modulated by the presence of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Thrombosis in stem cell transplantation.

Hemostatic changes and thrombotic events are frequent in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation. Arterial and venous thromboses are major causes of morbidity and mortality. Thrombotic complications can be classified into four groups including: catheter-related thrombosis, venous thromboembolic (VTE) events, sinusoidal obstructive syndrome (SOS)/veno-occlusive disease, and transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TAM).

Relationship between LYVE-1, VEGFR-3 and CD44 gene expressions and lymphatic metastasis in gastric cancer.

Aim: To investigate the expression levels of lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1 (LYVE-1), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) and CD44 genes and the relationship between their levels and clinicopathological parameters in gastric cancer.

Methods: Tissue samples were obtained from 33 patients (8 females) with gastric cancer. mRNA levels of LYVE-1, VEGFR-3 and CD44 in normal and tumor tissues were quantitatively measured using real time polymerase chain reaction.

Identification of the peripheral blood levels of interleukin-12, interleukin-10, and transforming growth factor-β in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the biology of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) to develop effective novel treatment modalities.

Methods: Serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12, and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were evaluated in 50 patients with laryngeal SCC and 15 controls. Results were compared according to tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification criteria.

High complete remission rate and durable remissions achieved with rational use of autologous stem-cell transplantation, thalidomide maintenance, and non-myeloablative allogeneic transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma.

Autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) has emerged as the standard approach in patients with multiple myeloma, although it is unlikely to achieve cure. Thalidomide maintenance and non-myeloablative allogeneic transplantation (NST) may increase complete remission (CR) rate and increase overall survival. In this study, 35 ASCT and 10 NST were performed in 33 patients.

Transfection of myeloid leukaemia cell lines is distinctively regulated by fibronectin substratum.

Gene transfer into haematopoietic cells is a challenging approach. The extracellular matrix component fibronectin has been known to modulate the cell cycle dynamics, viability and differentiation of leukaemia cells. Thus, our aim was to investigate the influence of fibronectin substratum on the liposomal transfection of myeloid leukaemia cell lines.

Late relapse of a light-chain myeloma as extramedullary plasmacytoma of the thyroid gland after second allogeneic stem-cell transplantation.

We present a rare experience with a myeloma patient who had a late relapse as isolated extramedullary plasmacytoma of the thyroid gland after a second allogeneic transplantation. We give PET/CT scan findings at diagnosis and during follow up of the disease after subsequent management. The possible pathogenesis of the late extramedullary relapse of myeloma after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation and management options are discussed.

Primary tumor cells obtained from MNU-induced mammary carcinomas show immune heterogeneity which can be modulated by low-efficiency transfection of CD40L gene.

The presence of CD40 on carcinoma cells is an important factor for the generation of tumor-specific responses induced by CD40 ligation. In an N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced autochthonous mammary tumor model, we analyzed the immune features of primary tumor cells. Here, CD40 was frequently detected on the primary tumor cultures and selectively expressed on the malignant mammary tissue in vivo.

Fibronectin promotes the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced macrophage differentiation in myeloid leukemia cells.

The extracellular matrix plays a critical role in macrophage maturation. In this study, the HL60 cell line was used as a model of leukemic myeloid cell differentiation. We assessed the ability of HL60 cells cultured on fibronectin substratum prior to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) induction to differentiate into terminally differentiated macrophages.

The lollipop with strawberry aroma may be promising in reduction of infusion-related nausea and vomiting during the infusion of cryopreserved peripheral blood stem cells.

Nausea and vomiting during the infusion of cryopreserved peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) are common. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of lollipop with strawberry aroma on the infusion-related nausea and vomiting of cryopreserved autologous PBSCs. We compared 2 groups of adult patients receiving lollipop with strawberry aroma during cryopreserved PBSC infusions or not to assess the incidences of nausea and vomiting occurring during infusions.

High dose sequential chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with relapsed/refractory lymphoma.

Although high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has become the standard approach for patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's disease (HD) or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), more than 50% of patients will experience relapse following ASCT. High-dose sequential chemotherapy (HDSC) can intensify the conventional salvage treatment and improve the outcome of ASCT by maximal debulking of the tumor load with the use of non-cross resistant drugs, each at their maximal tolerated doses. We conducted a phase II study in 40 patients with relapsed/refractory HD (n = 18) and NHL (n = 22) using HDSC followed by ASCT.

Improvement of chronic pulmonary graft-vs-host disease manifesting as bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia following extracorporeal photopheresis.

Despite use of combined immunosuppressive agents, prognosis of patients developing pulmonary manifestations of chronic graft-vs-host disease (cGVHD) following allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) still remains poor. We present a male patient who developed pulmonary cGVHD in the form of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) following allogeneic SCT for acute myelogenous leukemia. The patient developed progressive course despite use of a combination of immunosuppressive agents including high-dose prednisone, cyclosporin-A, and mycophenolate mofetil in addition to steroid-related complications.

Possible association between Budd-Chiari Syndrome and gemtuzumab ozogamicin treatment in a patient with refractory acute myelogenous leukemia.

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO; CMA-676; Mylotarg) is a chemotherapeutic agent approved for the treatment of CD33-positive acute myelogenous leukemia in patients of age 60 years or older after first relapse. Hepatic veno-occlusive disease has been reported to develop as a late complication of gemtuzumab ozogamicin treatment. A patient who developed Budd-Chiari Syndrome with hepatic vein thrombosis following treatment with GO is presented.

Ifosfamide, idarubicin, and etoposide in relapsed/refractory Hodgkin disease or non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a salvage regimen with high response rates before autologous stem cell transplantation.

To achieve long-term disease-free survival, high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the current standard approach in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin disease (HD) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Because chemosensitivity is a significant factor in determining transplantation eligibility, it is critical to select a salvage chemotherapy regimen that has the potential to induce a high response rate with low nonhematologic toxicity. In this phase II study, 49 patients with relapsed or refractory HD (n = 22) and NHL (n = 27) with a median age of 42 years were treated with an IIVP salvage regimen consisting of ifosfamide, idarubicin, and etoposide.