Publications by authors named "Martin Simkovic"

JCO SEQUOIA (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03336333) is a phase III, randomized, open-label trial that compared the oral Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor zanubrutinib to bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) in treatment-naïve patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). The initial prespecified analysis (median follow-up, 26.

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ALPINE (NCT03734016) established the superiority of zanubrutinib over ibrutinib in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma (R/R CLL/SLL); here we present data from the final comparative analysis with extended follow-up. Overall, 652 patients received zanubrutinib (n=327) or ibrutinib (n=325). At an overall median follow-up of 42.

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Introduction: The impact of chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) on immunoglobulin (Ig) quantities in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has not been extensively studied.

Methods: We analyzed Ig levels in 45 stable patients with indolent CLL (without indication for treatment) and 87 patients with progressive disease before first-line treatment. Fifty-five patients were evaluated again after the treatment with CIT.

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(hoary cress) is a perennial plant belonging to the family that produces two dominant glucosinolates (GLSs): glucoraphanin (GRN) and sinalbin (SBN). They represent the stored form, which is converted upon the myrosinase (Myr) hydrolysis activity to active compounds, mainly isothiocyanates (ITCs) such as sulforaphane (SFN) or -hydroxybenzyl isothiocyanate (pHBITC). Research on ITCs that have proven anticancer, antimicrobial, and chemoprotective properties is usually conducted with pure commercially available compounds.

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Article Synopsis
  • Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have a significantly heightened risk of developing other malignancies (OMs), with a study tracking nearly 20,000 CLL patients revealing 3,513 OMs diagnosed over 129,254 years of follow-up.
  • The study found that treatment with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide increased the likelihood of developing myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), while non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and prostate cancer were common solid tumors in treated patients.
  • Importantly, patients with CLL who developed OMs had lower overall survival rates, especially those diagnosed with AML and MDS, highlighting that C
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Background: In the GLOW study, fixed-duration ibrutinib-venetoclax showed superior progression-free survival versus chlorambucil-obinutuzumab in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who were older or had comorbidities, or both, at a median follow up of 27·7 months. In this Article, we report updated outcomes from GLOW after a 46-month median follow-up.

Methods: GLOW was a randomised, multicentre, phase 3 study done at 67 hospital centres across 14 countries.

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In this retrospective international multicenter study, we describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and related disorders (small lymphocytic lymphoma and high-count monoclonal B lymphocytosis) infected by SARS-CoV-2, including the development of post-COVID condition. Data from 1540 patients with CLL infected by SARS-CoV-2 from January 2020 to May 2022 were included in the analysis and assigned to four phases based on cases disposition and SARS-CoV-2 variants emergence. Post-COVID condition was defined according to the WHO criteria.

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The Virtual Opinions poll Independent Centered on CLL patients' Experience (VOICE) evaluated patients' knowledge about chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), their perspectives on diagnosis and treatment, and their unmet needs. Clinicians and patient advocacy group representatives developed and distributed the survey from March through December 2022 in 12 countries, and 377 patients with ≥1 line of previous CLL treatment responded from Europe, Latin America, the United States, Australia, Egypt, and Turkey. A majority of them (90%; 336/374) relied on their physicians for information regarding CLL and treatment.

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Purpose: In GLOW, fixed-duration ibrutinib + venetoclax showed superior progression-free survival (PFS) versus chlorambucil + obinutuzumab in older/comorbid patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The current analysis describes minimal residual disease (MRD) kinetics and any potential predictive value for PFS, as it has not yet been evaluated for ibrutinib + venetoclax treatment.

Methods: Undetectable MRD (uMRD) was assessed by next-generation sequencing at <1 CLL cell per 10,000 (<10) and <1 CLL cell per 100,000 (<10) leukocytes.

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Idelalisib (idela), a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, and ibrutinib, a Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, were the first oral targeted agents approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). However, no randomised trials of idelalisib plus rituximab (R-idela) versus ibrutinib have been conducted. Therefore, we performed a real-world retrospective analysis of patients with R/R CLL treated with R-idela (n = 171) or ibrutinib (n = 244).

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Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have a high risk of poor outcomes related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This multicenter cohort study evaluated the impact of COVID-19 infection on the population of CLL patients in the Czech Republic. Between March 2020 and May 2021, 341 patients (237 males) with CLL and COVID-19 disease were identified.

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Background: In a multinational, phase 3, head-to-head trial, ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, was compared with zanubrutinib, a BTK inhibitor with greater specificity, as treatment for relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). In prespecified interim analyses, zanubrutinib was superior to ibrutinib with respect to overall response (the primary end point). Data from the final analysis of progression-free survival are now available.

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Background: In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), changes in the peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets play an important role in disease progression and infectious complications. The impact of chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) on these changes has not been extensively studied METHODS: We used multi-color flow cytometry, to prospectively measure absolute and relative numbers of CD4 and CD8 T-cells and their subsets in 45 patients with indolent untreated CLL, 86 patients indicated for first-line treatment, and 34 healthy controls. In 55 patients, we analyzed the impact of CIT RESULTS: CLL patients had a significant increase in most cell populations in comparison to controls.

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Acalabrutinib is a Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). ASCEND is the pivotal phase 3 study of acalabrutinib versus investigator's choice of idelalisib plus rituximab (IdR) or bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) CLL. In the primary ASCEND analysis (median 16.

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Purpose: Zanubrutinib is a potent, irreversible next-generation Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor designed to maximize BTK occupancy and minimize off-target kinase inhibition. We hypothesized that complete/sustained BTK occupancy may improve efficacy outcomes and increased BTK specificity may minimize off-target inhibition-related toxicities.

Patients And Methods: ALPINE (ClinicalTrials.

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The expression of the membrane ABCB1 transporter in neoplastic cells is one of the most common causes of reduced sensitivity to chemotherapy. In our previous study, we investigated the effect of a single culture of ABCB1-negative (S) and ABCB1-positive variants of L1210 cells (R and T) in the presence of sulforaphane (SFN). We demonstrated that SFN induces the onset of autophagy more markedly in S cells than in R or T cells.

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Background: Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be more susceptible to COVID-19 related poor outcomes, including thrombosis and death, due to the advanced age, the presence of comorbidities, and the disease and treatment-related immune deficiency. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of thrombosis and bleeding in patients with CLL affected by severe COVID-19.

Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter study conducted by ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL, including patients from 79 centers across 22 countries.

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Liquid-liquid extraction methods are widely used for sample treatment in bioanalysis, although their implementation poses a common speed-limiting step in the analytical process when fast separation and detection methods such as UHPLC-MS are used. This study aimed to develop high-throughput salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction on a 96-well plate in combination with fast LC-MS analysis of ibrutinib and its active metabolite PCI-45227 (dihydrodiol ibrutinib) in human serum. A specially designed 3D printed extraction device developed in our laboratory allowed for the precise and rapid collection of the organic phase from the 96-well plate using a multichannel pipette, without the risk of aspiration of the bottom aqueous layer.

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Background: Zanubrutinib is a next-generation, selective Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor with efficacy in relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). We compared zanubrutinib with bendamustine-rituximab to determine its effectiveness as frontline therapy in patients with CLL or SLL.

Methods: We conducted an open-label, multicentre, phase 3 study at 153 academic or community hospitals in 14 countries and regions.

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BACKGROUND: GLOW is a phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of ibrutinib-venetoclax in older patients and/or those with comorbidities with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). METHODS: We randomly assigned (1:1) patients 65 years of age or older or those 18 to 64 years of age who also had a Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) score greater than 6 (CIRS scores range from 0 to 56, with higher scores indicating more impaired function of organ systems) or creatinine clearance of less than 70 ml/min, to ibrutinib-venetoclax (3 cycles ibrutinib lead-in, then 12 cycles ibrutinib-venetoclax) or chlorambucil-obinutuzumab (6 cycles). The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) assessed by an independent review committee.

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Background: Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare indolent lymphoproliferative disease with an accumulation of mature B lymphocytes with fine reticular chromatin and cytoplasm with typical hairy-like cytoplasmic projections. Rarely, hairy cell leukemia manifests as a lung infiltration. The differential diagnosis between infection and malignant involvement with hairy cell leukemia is often challenging in such situations.

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