Potential factors for and the prognostic impact of ascites after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Ascites is sometimes detected after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT); however, since limited information is currently available, its clinical meaning remains unclear. Therefore, we herein examined potential factors for and the impact of ascites on the prognosis of patients after allo-HSCT at our institutes. Fifty-eight patients developed ascites within 90 days of allo-HSCT (small in 34 (16%), moderate-large in 24 (11%)).

Repeated spontaneous remission of acute myeloid leukemia in response to various infections: a case report.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a progressive hematological malignancy that can be fatal when left untreated. However, spontaneous remission is rarely observed in the presence of infectious diseases.

Case Presentation: We treated an 80-year-old woman with AML who spontaneously underwent remission after infections.

Prognostic impact of the simple L-index and absolute lymphocyte count early after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background Aims: The L-index, designed as a quantitative parameter to simultaneously assess the duration and severity of lymphopenia, and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) have a prognostic impact after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, discrepancies have been reported in the impact of ALC, and limited information is currently available on the L-index.

Methods: To search for a better clinical tool, the authors retrospectively compared the simple L-index at 30 days (sL-index(30)), which aims to make the original L-index more compact, and ALC at 30 days (ALC(30)) after allo-HSCT in 217 patients who underwent allo-HSCT at the authors' institutions.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Transplantation-Ineligible Elderly Patients With Acute Leukemia Harboring a Molecular Target: Ph-Positive Acute Leukemia and FLT3-Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitors are promising agents for Ph-positive acute leukemia (Ph AL) and FLT3 mutated acute myeloid leukemia (FLT3-AML), respectively.

Methods: We examined the cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) of dasatinib and ponatinib for Ph AL and the cost-effectiveness of gilteritinib and quizartinib for FLT3-AML in elderly patients. Molecular therapy can fit the elderly population better than chemotherapy (CT).

Distinct Characteristics of Sweet's Syndrome of the Scrotum Caused by All- Retinoic Acid in a Patient with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia.

Induction therapy with all- retinoic acid (ATRA) is effective for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). ATRA induces neutrophil differentiation and its associated side effects. The differentiation syndrome is the most characterized ATRA-induced adverse effect.

Risk Factors for and the Prognostic Impact of Pericardial Effusion after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Pericardial effusion (PE) is a rare complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Although the mechanisms underlying the onset of PE remain unclear, patients with PE after allo-HSCT have poor clinical outcomes. However, the prognostic impact of PE remains controversial, and risk factors have varied among studies.

Binimetinib, a novel MEK1/2 inhibitor, exerts anti-leukemic effects under inactive status of PI3Kinase/Akt pathway.

A MEK1/2 inhibitor, binimetinib is promising as a therapeutic agent for malignant melanoma with N-RAS mutation. We examined in vitro effects of binimetinib on 10 human myeloid/lymphoid leukemia cell lines, and found that three of five cell lines with N-RAS mutation and one of five without N-RAS mutation were responsive to treatment with binimetinib. Binimetinib inhibited cell growth mainly by inducing G arrest and this action mechanism was assisted by gene set enrichment analysis.

KIF20A, highly expressed in immature hematopoietic cells, supports the growth of HL60 cell line.

A microtubule-associated motor protein, kinesin-like family member 20A (KIF20A; also called MKlp2) is required for cytokinesis and contributes to intracellular vesicular trafficking. KIF20A plays a critical role in the development of several cancers, but its role in blood cells and hematological malignancies have not been studied. In the present study, we focused on the role of KIF20A in hematopoietic cells and possible involvement in myeloid neoplasms.

Withaferin A suppresses the growth of myelodysplasia and leukemia cell lines by inhibiting cell cycle progression.

Treatment outcomes for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) remain unsatisfactory despite progress in various types of chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Therefore, there is a need for the development of new treatment options. We investigated the growth-suppressive effects of withaferin A (WA), a natural plant steroidal lactone, on myelodysplasia and leukemia cell lines.

Perforation in an intestinal malignant lymphoma case.

Background: The gastrointestinal tract is a relatively common involvement site in lymphoma and, in such cases, intestinal perforation is a concern before and during chemotherapy. The prediction of intestinal perforation prior to chemotherapy is difficult, and there is no standard strategy to minimize the frequency of severely adverse gastrointestinal events in lymphoma cases.

Case Presentation: The 61-year-old female patient had a history of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), diagnosed histologically as diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava in Hematological Malignancy Requiring Central Venous Catheter Insertion for Intensive Chemotherapy.

Persistent left superior vena cava is a congenital vascular anomaly, which is possibly arrhythmogenic and thrombogenic, rarely complicated with coronary sinus atresia. We treated a 42-year-old male with Hodgkin's lymphoma requiring central venous catheter placement for intensive chemotherapy. Persistent left superior vena cava was revealed after the insertion of the central venous catheter by the radiological finding of the catheter tip cannulated into the vena cava cavity.

An Autopsy Case of Rapidly Progressing Spindle Cell Carcinoma of the Lung Accompanied with Intratumor Hemorrhage.

Background: Spindle cell carcinoma (SPCC) of the lung is a subset of sarcomatoid carcinoma. Its clinical features are unclear because of its rarity. Here, we report an autopsy case of SPCC and review CT findings and chemotherapeutic regimens based on previous reports of this disease.

Marked Hematopoiesis Masquerading Multiple Bone Metastasis in a Lung Cancer Patient With Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

We diagnosed a 62-year-old man with lung cancer, well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, on the right upper lobe and left lower lobe. He had a history of myelodysplastic syndrome and refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts diagnosed 5 years earlier. The patient's ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT for the clinical staging of lung cancer revealed accumulations of FDG in multiple bones including the rib bones, which strongly suggested multiple bone metastases.