Despite the development of highly effective, targeted inhibitors of B-cell proliferation and anti-apoptotic pathways in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), these treatments are not curative, and many patients will develop either intolerance or resistance to these treatments. Transformation of CLL to high-grade lymphoma-the so-called Richter syndrome (RS)-remains a highly chemoimmunotherapy-resistant disease, with the transformation occurring following targeted inhibitors for CLL treatment being particularly adverse. In light of this, cellular therapy in the form of allogenic stem cell transplantation and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy continues to be explored in these entities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe co-occurrence of myeloid neoplasms and lymphoproliferative diseases (LPDs) has been epidemiologically described, particularly in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). However, the clinical features of these patients are poorly known. In this study, we evaluated a single-center cohort of 44 patients with a diagnosis of myeloid and LPD focusing on clinical features, therapy requirement, and outcome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLack of demonstrable mutations affecting , or driver genes within the spectrum of -negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) is currently referred to as a triple-negative genotype, which is found in about 10% of patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and 5-10% of those with primary myelofibrosis (PMF). Very few papers are presently available on triple-negative ET, which is basically described as an indolent disease, differently from triple-negative PMF, which is an aggressive myeloid neoplasm, with a significantly higher risk of leukemic evolution. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bone marrow morphology and the clinical-laboratory parameters of triple-negative ET patients, as well as to determine their molecular profile using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify any potential clonal biomarkers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hematological patients. We prospectively tested a new molecular assay (Verigene) in 79 consecutive hematological patients, with sepsis by gram-negative bacteria. A total of 82 gram-negative microorganisms were isolated by blood cultures, of which 76 cases were mono-microbial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFebrile neutropenia and sepsis are common and life-threatening complications in hematological diseases. This study was performed retrospectively in 514 patients treated for febrile neutropenia at our institute, to investigate the clinical usefulness of a molecular tool, LightCycler® SeptiFast test (SF), to promptly recognize pathogens causing sepsis in hematological patients. We collected 1837 blood samples of 514 consecutive hematological patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Infections and graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) still represent major, not easily predictable complications in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT). Both conditions have been correlated to altered enteric microbiome profiles during the peritransplant period. The main objective of this study was to identify possible early microbiome-based markers useful in pretransplant risk stratification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Blood Marrow Transplant
December 2016