IL-2/CD25 axis mediates cellular networks promoting the growth of CD25 acute myeloid leukemia cells.

Although the expression of interleukin-2 receptor α-chain (IL-2Rα, CD25) has been provided prognostic significance independent of known biomarkers in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the functional role of CD25 molecule remains unknown. Since IL-2 can be trans-presented via CD25 to another cell, CD25AML cells may deliver environmental IL-2 to surrounding immune cells to produce myeloid growth factors for their proliferation. We hypothesize that cellular interactions via IL-2/CD25 axis in the bone marrow microenvironment contributes to the growth advantage of these AML cells and affects the clinical outcome of those AML patients.

IL-2/IL-3 interplay mediates growth of CD25 positive acute myeloid leukemia cells.

Cell surface interleukin-2 receptor α-chain (IL-2Rα, CD25) expression is currently recognized to be a strong predictor for poor prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, it is still unknown that the reason why CD25 positive AML patients have a dismal clinical outcome. CD25 positive AML cells are generally unresponsive to IL-2, but strongly respond to IL-3.

Prognostic Relevance of Cytokine Receptor Expression in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Interleukin-2 Receptor α-Chain (CD25) Expression Predicts a Poor Prognosis.

A variety of cytokine/cytokine receptor systems affect the biological behavior of acute leukemia cells. However, little is known about the clinical relevance of cytokine receptor expression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We quantitatively examined the expression of interleukin-2 receptor α-chain (IL-2Rα, also known as CD25), IL-2Rβ, IL-3Rα, IL-4Rα, IL-5Rα, IL-6Rα, IL-7Rα, the common β-chain (βc), γc, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)Rα, G-CSFR, c-fms, c-mpl, c-kit, FLT3, and GP130 in leukemia cells from 767 adult patients with AML by flow cytometry and determined their prevalence and clinical significance.

[Palliative care for patients with hematological malignancies in the Japan Baptist Medical Foundation].

The Japan Baptist Medical Foundation has established a "hospice triangle" system consisting of the hospice ward, general ward, and home hospice. Palliative care is provided for patients with various types of cancer, including hematological malignancies, in the place where they desire to receive care. From December 2010 to December 2013, 37 patients with hematological malignancies received palliative care and died at our foundation.

[A case of gastric cancer accompanied by disseminated carcinomatosis of bone marrow wherein long-term chemotherapy was enabled by early supportive palliative care].

Here we report gastric cancer accompanied by bone marrow carcinomatosis in a patient for whom long-term chemotherapy was enabled by early pain-relief therapy. A 45-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of back pain associated with multiple spinal tumors in June 2011. Blood tests showed a trend toward disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC) and gastric cancer was suspected as the primary lesion.

Double-hit lymphoma with a feature of follicular lymphoma concurrent with clonally related B lymphoblastic leukemia : a preference of transformation for the bone marrow.

We describe a 65-year-old woman with follicular lymphoma (FL), grade 1, stage IV, which occurred concurrently with B lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma. Through the evaluation of FL, the cells that were morphologically suspected of having undergone transformation were found in the bone marrow, and flow cytometric and cytogenetic analyses detected the transformed population that suggested concomitant t(8;22) with typical t(14;18) FL cells. Repeated analyses of the lymph nodes demonstrated the typical morphological, phenotypic, and cytogenetic features of FL.

High serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor in acute myeloid leukemia: correlation with poor prognosis and CD4 expression on blast cells.

Backgorund: Although increased serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and their clinical importance are well known in mature type lymphoproliferative disorders (LD), little data is available about such information in acute type hematological malignancies.

Methods: We examined the serum levels of sIL-2R in 57 adult patients with acute type leukemias: 32 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 14 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 11 chronic myelocytic leukemia in blast crisis (CMLBC), and in 29 adult patients with mature type LD, and assessed their cellular and clinical relevance in acute type leukemias.

Results: No significant differences were seen in the sIL-2R levels between acute type leukemias and mature type LD.

Clinicopathologic significance of loss of CD19 expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

To clarify the clinicopathologic significance of a loss of CD19 expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), we evaluated CD19 expression immunohistochemically in frozen sections from 227 patients who had received diagnoses of DLBCL according to the World Health Organization classification between 1987 and 2002. Histopathologic features of patients with CD19- DLBCL were reviewed, and their clinical features, immunophenotypes, and prognoses were compared retrospectively with respect to CD19 expression. CD19 expression was positive in 205 patients (90%).

Low p53 expression of acute myelocytic leukemia cells with t(8;21) chromosome abnormality: association with low p14(ARF) expression.

In this study, the mRNA expression of p14(ARF) in t(8;21)AML cells was found to be significantly lower than acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) cells without t(8;21) chromosome abnormality, which was concordant with previous observation by Linggi et al. that AML1-MTG8 represses the transcription of p14(ARF). Although p53 mRNA expression level of t(8;21)AML cells was not low, p53 protein expression was reduced in t(8;21)AML cells.

CD21S antigen expression in tumour cells of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas is an independent prognostic factor indicating better overall survival.

To evaluate the clinical significance of CD21S expression of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) tumour cells, we compared their clinical features, immunophenotype, response to therapy and outcome in relation to CD21S expression. Between 1987 and 1999, frozen sections from 240 DLBCL cases were examined for CD21S expression by immunohistochemical methods. CD21S expression was detected on the tumour cells of 87 (36%) cases.

Augmented expression of P-gp/multi-drug resistance gene by all-trans retinoic acid in monocytic leukemic cells.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp)/multi-drug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene is recognized to be, at least in part, responsible for the refractoriness to chemotherapy of leukemia. The transcriptional mechanism of MDR1 gene is largely unknown. However, recent reports have clarified that early growth response 1 gene (Egr1) positively regulates MDR1 transcription, while Wilms' tumor suppressor gene (WT1) does negative regulation of MDR1 gene expression in 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate treated K562 cells.