Dose-escalated CHOP and tailored intensification with IFE according to early response and followed by BEAM/autologous stem-cell transplantation in poor-risk aggressive B-cell lymphoma: a prospective study from the GEL-TAMO Study Group.

Objectives: The role of high-dose therapy and autologous stem-cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) in the up-front treatment of poor-risk aggressive lymphoma is still unknown. We conducted a prospective multi-centre trial with dose-escalated CHOP (MegaCHOP) and tailored intensification prior to HDT/ASCT according to early response assessed by CT and gallium scan (Ga67S).

Patients And Methods: Eighty-six patients with newly diagnosed and Ga-67 avid aggressive B-cell lymphoma received MegaCHOP for three courses and were evaluated for response by CT and Ga67S.

Intracerebral Hodgkin's lymphoma in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus.

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement by Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is rarely reported. Retrospective and prospective cohort studies suggest an incidence of 0.2-0.

Donor age and degree of HLA matching have a major impact on the outcome of unrelated donor haematopoietic cell transplantation for chronic myeloid leukaemia.

We analysed the outcome of 92 consecutive unrelated donor haematopoietic cell transplantations (UD-HCTs) performed in Spain to treat adult patients with CML in the first chronic phase (1CP). Patients' and donors' median age was 32 (15-49) and 36 (22-56) years, respectively. In all, 73 pairs (79%) matched for A, B+/-C and DRB1+/-DQB1 loci and 19 had > or =1 mismatch.

[Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and urinary tract. About a case reported].

We pass to describe a case of non Hodgkin's secondary lymphoma with metachronic affectation in bladder and left kidney, in a patient with different extranodals locations. Both in bladder and kidney, it was a low grade lymphoma type B with centrofolicular cells. We suggest haematogenous dissemination and affinity of lymphomatous clone to the urinary tract.

Prognostic factors affecting long-term outcome after stem cell transplantation in Hodgkin's lymphoma autografted after a first relapse.

Purpose: To analyse outcome and prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) in 357 patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) undergoing an autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after a first relapse and reported to the The Grupo Espanol de Linfomas/Trasplante Autologo de Medula Osea (GEL/TAMO) Cooperative Group.

Methods: Two hundred and twenty males and 137 females with a median age of 29 years were autografted in second remission (n=181), first sensitive relapse (n=148) and first resistant relapse (n=28).

Results: Five-year actuarial TTF and OS were of 49% +/- 3% and 57% +/- 3%.

Chemokine receptors that mediate B cell homing to secondary lymphoid tissues are highly expressed in B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphomas with widespread nodular dissemination.

B cell neoplasms present heterogeneous patterns of lymphoid organ involvement, which may be a result of the differential expression of chemokine receptors. We found that chemokine receptor (CCR)7, CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR)4, or CXCR5, the main chemokine receptors that mediate B cell entry into secondary lymphoid tissues and their homing to T cell and B cell zones therein, were highly expressed in B malignancies with widespread involvement of lymph nodes. Conversely, those pathologies with little or no nodular dissemination showed no expression to very low levels of CCR7 and CXCR5 and low to moderate levels of CXCR4.

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Aim: Lymphomagenesis is a multifactorial process in which genetic, environmental and infectious factors can be involved. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and to compare it with that of a control group of voluntary blood donors.

Methods: All consecutive patients with a histological diagnosis of NHL from January 1996 to December 2001 were included in this prospective study.

Chronic myeloid leukemia patients resistant to or intolerant of interferon alpha and subsequently treated with imatinib show reduced immunoglobulin levels and hypogammaglobulinemia.

Background And Objectives: Imatinib mesylate inhibits ABL tyrosine kinase. This protein serves a complex role in cell cycling and is important in lymphopoiesis. We describe the immunologic findings in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia resistant to or intolerant of interferon (IFN) a who were treated with imatinib.

High molecular response rate and clinical correlation in patients with follicular lymphoma treated with cyclophosphamide-vincristine-prednisone plus interferon alpha 2b.

Purpose: The role of molecular monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) in low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is controversial. We have performed a prospective study of the molecular behavior of 35 patients with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who received cyclophosphamide-vincristine-prednisone chemotherapy in conjunction with IFN-alpha 2b.

Experimental Design: Bcl-2 and clonal immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene rearrangements were assayed at diagnosis by PCR in lymph node and bone marrow (BM) and sequentially after treatment.

Autologous stem cell transplantation for primary refractory Hodgkin's disease: results and clinical variables affecting outcome.

Background: Patients with primary refractory Hodgkin's disease (PR-HD) have a dismal prognosis when treated with conventional salvage chemotherapy. We analyzed time to treatment failure (TTF), overall survival (OS) and clinical variables influencing the outcome in patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for PR-HD and reported to the Grupo Español de Linfomas/Trasplante Autólogo de Médula Osea (GEL/TAMO).

Patients And Methods: Sixty-two patients, 41 males and 21 females with a median age of 27 years (range 13-55) were analyzed.

High incidence of autoimmune alterations in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with interferon-alpha.

Interferon-alpha is the frontline therapy of the majority of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who are not eligible for bone marrow transplantation. Many patients are treated for long periods, and there is concern about the long-term immune effects of its use. Autoimmune disorders in patients treated with IFN-alpha may be related to the direct immunomodulating properties of IFN or may be linked to a possible toxic effect in target organs, triggering autoimmunity.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy after stem cell transplantation, unsuccessfully treated with cidofovir.

We report a patient with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) after autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). This is an unusual association, and to date only seven cases have been reported. This is the first case of PML after SCT treated with cidofovir, and the fifth case treated with this drug in a patient without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Different patterns of relapse after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma: clinical results of 280 cases from the Spanish Registry.

Background And Objectives: Autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation is widely used to treat patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, only a small fraction of patients remain free of disease in the long-term and most patients will finally relapse. The clinical presentation of relapse after transplantation is very heterogeneous and few reports have analyzed this situation.

Deletion of sequences flanking the t(9;22) breakpoint: a secondary genetic event associated with loss of cytogenetic response to interferon in a Philadelphia-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia patient.

We present a Ph-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia patient who lost a complete cytogenetic response (CCR) of 23 months duration at the time of detection of a deletion, not previously observed, of chromosomes 9 and 22 sequences flanking the translocation breakpoint on the derivate 9 chromosome. To our knowledge, this is the first case in which a deletion at the t(9;22) breakpoint has arisen as a secondary genetic alteration produced after formation of the t(9;22) translocation. It remains to be determined whether this genetic abnormality has the same prognostic importance as when observed at diagnosis.

CsA-based post-graft immunosuppression: the main factor for improving outcome of allografted patients with acquired aplastic anemia. A retrospective survey by the Spanish Group of Hematopoietic Transplantation.

A retrospective multicenter study was performed to assess the clinical results in patients with acquired aplastic anemia (AA) allografted over a 19 year period and to identify prognostic factors influencing survival. From April 1978 to December 1997, 176 patients were transplanted. Records from 160 receiving related matched bone marrow transplantation (BMT) were reviewed.

Autologous stem-cell transplantation for Hodgkin's disease: results and prognostic factors in 494 patients from the Grupo Español de Linfomas/Transplante Autólogo de Médula Osea Spanish Cooperative Group.

Purpose: To analyze clinical outcome and significant prognostic factors for overall (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) in a group of 494 patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) undergoing autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT).

Patients And Methods: Detailed records from the Grupo Español de Linfomas/Transplante Autólogo de Médula Osea Spanish Cooperative Group Database on 494 HD patients who received an ASCT between January 1984 and May 1998 were reviewed. Two hundred ninety-eight males and 196 females with a median age of 27 years (range, 1 to 63 years) received autografts while in complete remission (n = 203) or when they had sensitive disease (n = 206) or resistant disease (n = 75) at a median time of 26 months (range, 4 to 259 months) after diagnosis.

Plasma endothelin-1 levels after stem cell transplantation.

Acute renal failure and veno-occlusive disease of the liver are serious complications following stem cell transplantation (SCT) and contribute to the non-relapse mortality associated with this procedure. Endothelins, a family of vasoconstrictor peptides, may be involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of renal and hepatic diseases, including CsA-associated hypertension and the hepatorenal syndrome. In order to study the relevance of endothelins to SCT-related liver and kidney dysfunction, we determined endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels in plasma samples obtained from 65 patients (38 autologous, 27 allogeneic) 7 days before and 7, 14 and 28 days after SCT.

Long-term liver dysfunction after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation: clinical features and course in 61 patients.

This retrospective study has aimed at determining the prevalence, aetiology and clinical evolution of chronic liver disease (CLD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). A total of 106 patients who had been transplanted in a single institution and who had survived for at least 2 years after BMT were studied. The prevalence of CLD was 57.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: better long term event-free survival with conditioning regimens containing total body irradiation.

Background And Objectives: There is only limited experience with conditioning regimens based on busulfan for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the event-free survival (EFS), transplant-related mortality (TRM) and the probability of relapse (PR) of patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for ALL conditioned with or without total body irradiation (TBI).

Design And Methods: The study sample consisted of 156 patients conditioned with regimens based on TBI (n=114) or on high doses of oral busulfan (BU) (n=42).