Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma.

50 patients with a median age of 41 years (range 29-54) underwent allogenic bone marrow transplantation for multiple myeloma. 35 patients were on second-line treatment, and 15 on first-line treatment. 24 patients were considered refractory to previous treatment.

Hypertension in bone marrow transplanted patients.

Possible etiological factors of cyclosporine (CyA) induced hypertension were investigated in 10 bone marrow transplanted (BMT) patients followed during one week before and 3 weeks after transplantation. Diastolic blood pressure increased significantly after CyA in 4 patients (75 +/- 1 to 94 +/- 2 mmHg) but remained unchanged in 6 others (83 +/- 1 to 87 +/- 1 mmHg). Plasma renin activity on CyA was significantly lower in the hypertensive (0.

[Granulocytic sarcoma: apropos of 7 case reports].

Seven cases of granulocytic sarcoma (GS) with different clinical presentations are reported. Granulocytic sarcoma is diagnosed by tumor biopsy. The antilysozyme immunoperoxidase technique and the ASD chloroacetate esterase staining are used to confirm the diagnosis.

Interferon alpha induced and maintained complete remission in chronic granulocytic leukemia in relapse after bone marrow transplantation.

We describe a patient with chronic granulocytic leukaemia (CGL) who relapsed after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Interferon alpha 2b (IFN alpha 2b) induced and maintained a complete remission. IFN alpha 2b led to full restoration of donor bone marrow.

Diagnosis of heterotopic bone marrow in the mediastinum using 52Fe and positron emission tomography.

A patient with hereditary spherocytosis was admitted with mediastinal masses on the chest X-ray. 52Fe and positron emission tomography (PET) showed uptake of 52Fe in the masses and established the diagnosis of thoracic extramedullary hematopoiesis.

Accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in reperfused ischemic canine myocardium: relation with tissue viability assessed by fluorine-18-2-deoxyglucose uptake.

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes may participate in reperfusion injury. Whether leukocytes affect viable or only irreversibly injured tissue is not known. Therefore, we assessed the accumulation of 111In-labeled leukocytes in tissue samples characterized as either ischemic but viable or necrotic by metabolic, histochemical, and ultrastructural criteria.

In vivo measurement of carbon-11 thymidine uptake in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma using positron emission tomography.

Carbon-11 thymidine (TdR) uptake using positron emission tomography (PET) has been measured in ten patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The rate of TdR uptake (mean +/- s.d.

Intensive chemotherapy for acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia after primary myelodysplastic syndrome.

Twenty-five patients with a primary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) transformed into acute non-lymphoblastic leukaemia (ANL) were treated with intensive chemotherapy. A complete remission (CR) was obtained in six patients (24 per cent). In five of these six patients two courses of chemotherapy were needed to achieve CR.

Alpha interferon in the treatment of symptomatic myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia.

2 patients with myelofibrosis and myeloid metaplasia had symptomatic splenomegaly and were treated with interferon alpha-2c (IFN alpha-2c). The splenic pain and pressure symptoms disappeared, accompanied by a decrease in the size of the spleen. However, the peripheral blood count worsened and no improvement in the bone marrow fibrosis could be observed.

Assessment of bone marrow blood flow using positron emission tomography: no relationship with bone marrow cellularity.

Bone marrow blood flow has been assessed using positron emission tomography and the 15O-labelled carbon dioxide steady-state technique. The measurements were performed at the site of the posterior iliac crest. The bone marrow blood flow was 10.

Chromosome studies in patients with acute nonlymphocytic or acute lymphocytic leukemia submitted to bone marrow transplantation--results of a European cooperative study.

The chromosomal data of 58 acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) patients and of 32 acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) patients submitted to bone marrow transplantation and collected from nine institutions are reported. Chromosomal studies were available at diagnosis in 19 cases with ANLL: seven had a partially or completely abnormal pattern. Forty-one patients had a chromosome study before bone marrow transplantation and all had a normal pattern.

Chromosome studies in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia submitted to bone marrow transplantation--results of a European Cooperative Study.

The karyotypes of 74 patients with Ph-positive chronic myeloid leukemia submitted to bone marrow transplantation collected from nine institutions were studied serially before and after transplantation. In 13 cases sporadic Ph-positive metaphases were detected without signs of relapsing disease at various intervals after transplantation. These data indicate that the leukemic clone may not be completely suppressed by the conditioning treatment and that other biological mechanisms may be involved in destroying this clone or controlling its expansion.

The spleen and haemolysis: evaluation of the intrasplenic transit time.

The mean intrasplenic red cell transit time (STT) and the slow mixing splenic red cell volume (SSV) have been measured in patients with hereditary spherocytosis (HS), autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) and lymphoproliferative disease (LD). There was an inverse relationship between the mean red cell life span (MRCLS) and the STT in HS (r = -0.96, P less than 0.

Splenectomy in advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Forty chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with splenomegaly were evaluated for splenectomy. Twenty were splenectomized. All but two normalized their hematocrit and all but one their platelet count.

Quantitative assessment of erythropoiesis in bone marrow expansion areas using 52Fe.

Quantitative 52Fe scans were performed in 180 patients. Expansion of bone marrow was observed in 70. This bone marrow expansion was a nearly constant feature in haemolytic anaemia and in sideroblastic anaemia.

Bronchoesophageal fistula caused by pulmonary aspergillosis.

A 29-year-old patient developed a bronchoesophageal fistula after expectorating a mycetoma caused by Aspergillus fumigatus. After failure of medical therapy, a retrosternal coloplasty was performed. Pulmonary aspergillosis can be the cause of a bronchoesophageal fistula.

Combined modality therapy for mediastinal Hodgkin's disease. Prognostic significance of constitutional symptoms and size of disease.

Combined modality therapy was used in an attempt to increase the complete remission rate and survival of previously untreated patients with Hodgkin's disease. MOPP (nitrogen mustard, vincristine, procabazine, prednisone) chemotherapy was followed by radiotherapy. The median duration of follow-up exceeded 5 years.