Long-term follow-up of a prospective phase 2 clinical trial of extended treatment with rituximab in patients with B cell post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease and validation in real world patients.

The purpose of this report is to provide long-term follow-up of 38 patients diagnosed of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) included in a phase 2 clinical trial of first line therapy with rituximab and to evaluate the same therapy in a real world cohort of 21 consecutive patients treated once the trial was closed. Eligible patients were ≥ 18 years of age with a biopsy-proven CD20 positive B cell PTLD and treatment naive except for reduction of immunosuppression. Treatment consisted in four weekly infusions of rituximab at the standard dose of 375 mg/m.

Subcutaneous bortezomib in newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma nontransplant eligible: Retrospective evaluation.

Bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone combination is one of the standards of care for nontransplant eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. However, bortezomib intravenous (twice weekly for 4 cycles then weekly for 5 cycles) results in ~13% of patients with grade 3-4 peripheral neuropathy. Bortezomib subcutaneous (SQ) and weekly delivery, improves tolerability without impairment of efficacy.

Role of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in the management of Burkitt lymphoma.

Unlabelled: Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is highly FDG-avid even though its usefulness in the management of these patients is still controversial.

Aim: We analyzed the role of positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) in staging newly diagnosed patients with BL and evaluating disease after first-line chemotherapy.

Methods: Fifty-two PET/CTs were performed in 32 patients (20 at diagnosis, 27 after treatment, five to monitor residual disease).

Prospective phase II trial of extended treatment with rituximab in patients with B-cell post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease.

Background And Objectives: The elective treatment of patients with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders is controversial. The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy of treatment with extended doses of rituximab adapted to the response in patients with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders after solid organ transplantation.

Design And Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, phase II trial.

Treatment with all-trans retinoic acid and anthracycline monochemotherapy for children with acute promyelocytic leukemia: a multicenter study by the PETHEMA Group.

Purpose: To analyze the simultaneous combination of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and anthracycline monochemotherapy for children with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).

Patients And Methods: Since November 1996, 66 children (younger than 18 years) with genetically proven APL received induction therapy with ATRA and idarubicin. Consolidation therapy consisted of three courses of anthracycline monochemotherapy.

[HIV-2 and HTLV-I/II infections in Spain].

Up to December 2002, a total of 56, 566 and 109 cases of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I), HTLV-II and human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) infection, respectively, were identified in Spain. Most HTLV-I- and HIV-2-infected subjects were immigrants from endemic areas or Spaniards who had traveled to, or had sexual contacts with natives from, these areas. In contrast, HTLV-II infection was mainly limited to Spanish intravenous drug users (IDU) who were frequently coinfected with HIV-1.

Risk-adapted treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia with all-trans-retinoic acid and anthracycline monochemotherapy: a multicenter study by the PETHEMA group.

All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) increases the efficacy of chemotherapy when used for induction and maintenance treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), but its role in consolidation is unknown. Since November 1996, 426 patients with newly diagnosed APL have received induction therapy with ATRA and idarubicin. Before November 1999 (LPA96 study), consolidation therapy consisted of 3 courses of anthracycline monochemotherapy.

Cosmopolitan HTLV-Ia subtype among Spanish native patients.

HTLV-I isolates exhibit peculiar geographic distributions, but are believed not to be associated with different pathogenic outcomes of these retroviral infections. We have analyzed two HTLV-I-infected Spanish native patients: one patient with a T-cell lymphoma had not travelled to HTLV endemic areas, and the other patient had a paraparesis and had travelled to many HTLV endemic areas such as South America, and Central and South Africa. LTR proviral sequences of these isolates were amplified and sequenced to generate phylogenetic trees with different reported HTLV-I strains in order to subtype them.

Cefepime plus amikacin versus piperacillin-tazobactam plus amikacin for initial antibiotic therapy in haematology patients with febrile neutropenia: results of an open, randomized, multicentre trial.

Background: Standard therapy for suspected infections in patients with profound neutropenia is the combination of a beta-lactam antibiotic plus an aminoglycoside. Cefepime's broad-spectrum activity makes it an option for initial empirical therapy in neutropenic patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cefepime plus amikacin compared with piperacillin-tazobactam plus amikacin for initial empirical treatment of fever in adult haematology patients with severe neutropenia.

Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system and HTLV-I infection.

Only a few cases of AIDS-related primary lymphomas of the central nervous system (CNS) show a T-cell phenotype. We have recently studied two intravenous drug users with HIV infection who had primary CNS T-cell lymphomas. In both cases, the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for HTLV gave a positive result.

Identification of two atypical PML-RAR(alpha) transcripts in two patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

We identified two patients with atypical PML-RAR(alpha) rearrangements, 53 and 13 base pairs longer than the typical bcr1 transcript. Sequence analysis revealed a new PML breakpoint at the end of exon 7a in patient 1, and a PML exon 6 breakpoint in patient 2, with an insertion of 35 nucleotides of RAR(alpha) intron 2. Patient 1 did not express RAR(alpha)-PML and patient 2 showed the RAR(alpha)-PML transcript, which corresponded to the typical bcr1.