Pattern of brexucabtagene autoleucel-related neurotoxicity on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in a patient with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and prior leptomeningeal disease.

Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) secondary to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is common in adult patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but imaging findings during neurologic toxicity and their meaning have yet to be systematically described in this patient population. Brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) is a CD19-directed autologous T-cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with R/R B-cell ALL that can enter the central nervous system. We present a case of an adult patient with R/R B-cell ALL and prior leptomeningeal disease who developed neurologic toxicity and new findings on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain while receiving brexu-cel.

Melflufen and Dexamethasone in Heavily Pretreated Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma.

Purpose: Melphalan flufenamide (melflufen) is a first-in-class peptide-drug conjugate that targets aminopeptidases and rapidly and selectively releases alkylating agents into tumor cells. The phase II HORIZON trial evaluated the efficacy of melflufen plus dexamethasone in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), a population with an important unmet medical need.

Patients And Methods: Patients with RRMM refractory to pomalidomide and/or an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody received melflufen 40 mg intravenously on day 1 of each 28-day cycle plus once weekly oral dexamethasone at a dose of 40 mg (20 mg in patients older than 75 years).

Dietary Intake and Diet Quality of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Survivors.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) survivors are burdened by a high prevalence and early onset of chronic diseases. Healthy dietary patterns have been associated with lower risks of chronic health conditions in the general population. HCT survivors are susceptible to multiple complications that may result in chronic illness.

Survivor and Caregiver Expectations and Preferences Regarding Lung Cancer Treatment.

Purpose: Treatment success in lung cancer is no longer restricted to objective measures of disease-specific outcomes and overall survival alone but now incorporates treatment morbidity and subjective quality of life (QoL). This study reports how lung cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers define treatment success and prioritize treatment decisions.

Materials And Methods: An online survey with both ranking and free-response questions was administered among lung cancer survivors and caregivers.

A genomics-informed computational biology platform prospectively predicts treatment responses in AML and MDS patients.

Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are generally older and have more comorbidities. Therefore, identifying personalized treatment options for each patient early and accurately is essential. To address this, we developed a computational biology modeling (CBM) and digital drug simulation platform that relies on somatic gene mutations and gene CNVs found in malignant cells of individual patients.

Impact of the CYP2C19 genotype on voriconazole exposure in adults with invasive fungal infections.

Objectives: Voriconazole, a first-line agent for the treatment of invasive fungal infections (IFIs), is metabolized by CYP2C19. A significant proportion of patients fail to achieve therapeutic trough concentrations with standard weight-based voriconazole dosing, placing them at increased risk for treatment failure, which can be life threatening. We sought to test the association between the CYP2C19 genotype and subtherapeutic voriconazole concentrations in adults with IFIs.

A new model to predict remission status in AML patients based on day 14 bone marrow biopsy.

Although bone marrow evaluation on day 14 after initiation of induction chemotherapy (D14 BM) is a widely accepted practice in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), it has suboptimal predictive value for predicting complete remission. We retrospectively analyzed pretreatment characteristics and post-induction response in a cohort of AML patients to determine if adding clinical and laboratory characteristics can improve the predictive value of the D14 BM evaluation. Among 297 patients treated for AML at the single institution 183 patients (61%) had leukemia-positive D14 BM.

How I manage pulmonary nodular lesions and nodular infiltrates in patients with hematologic malignancies or undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Pulmonary nodules and nodular infiltrates occur frequently during treatment of hematologic malignancies and after hematopoietic cell transplantation. In patients not receiving active immunosuppressive therapy, the most likely culprits are primary lung cancer, chronic infectious or inactive granulomata, or even the underlying hematologic disease itself (especially in patients with lymphoma). In patients receiving active therapy or who are otherwise highly immunosuppressed, there is a wider spectrum of etiologies with infection being most likely, especially by bacteria and fungi.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: an overview of infection risks and epidemiology.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a treatment for multiple medical conditions that result in bone marrow failure and as an antineoplastic adoptive immunotherapy for hematologic malignancies. HSCT is associated with profound compromises in host barriers and all arms of innate and acquired immunity. The degree of immune compromise varies by type of transplant and over time.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: an overview of infection risks and epidemiology.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a treatment for multiple medical conditions that result in bone marrow failure and as an antineoplastic adoptive immunotherapy for hematologic malignancies. HSCT is associated with profound compromises in host barriers and all arms of innate and acquired immunity. The degree of immune compromise varies by type of transplant and over time.

Management of infections complicating allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

The use of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of hematologic malignancies, as well as some benign hematologic disorders, has continued to grow over the last 10 years. The availability of this procedure to an increasing number of patients has been facilitated by the use of newer techniques, including reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens, peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) and cord blood as donor sources, graft manipulation such as selective T-cell depletion, and other in vitro and in vivo attempts to reduce the risk and severity of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after transplantation without losing the potential benefits of a graft-versus-tumor effect for patients with hematologic malignancies. The underlying theme of many of these newer techniques has been to minimize the severity and duration of transplant-related immune suppression, thus reducing the risk of morbidity and mortality from infectious complications.

Micafungin versus fluconazole for prophylaxis against invasive fungal infections during neutropenia in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

We hypothesized that chemoprophylaxis with the echinocandin micafungin would be an effective agent for antifungal prophylaxis during neutropenia in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We therefore conducted a randomized, double-blind, multi-institutional, comparative phase III trial, involving 882 adult and pediatric patients, of 50 mg of micafungin (1 mg/kg for patients weighing <50 kg) and 400 mg of fluconazole (8 mg/kg for patients weighing <50 kg) administered once per day. Success was defined as the absence of suspected, proven, or probable invasive fungal infection (IFI) through the end of therapy and as the absence of proven or probable IFI through the end of the 4-week period after treatment.