Publications by authors named "Olimpia Finizio"

Article Synopsis
  • * After a median follow-up of 10 years, 117 patients were assessed, with half receiving ATO and half receiving chemotherapy.
  • * Results showed that ATO treatment was associated with significantly better cognitive function and lower fatigue, indicating sustained HRQoL benefits compared to chemotherapy over the long term.
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Article Synopsis
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected individuals with hematological malignancies due to their weakened immune systems, resulting in higher mortality rates and severe outcomes.
  • Data from the EPICOVIDEHA registry, which compiles COVID-19 cases from these patients worldwide, was collected from 2020 to 2022, including 8,767 cases from 152 centers across 41 countries.
  • Findings show a significant drop in critical infections and overall mortality rates, but hospitalization (especially in ICU) remains a serious risk factor; vaccination is linked to better survival outcomes, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and support for these patients.
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In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the absolute risk of infection in the real-life setting of AML patients treated with CPX-351. The study included all patients with AML from 30 Italian hematology centers of the SEIFEM group who received CPX-351 from July 2018 to June 2021. There were 200 patients included.

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Background: Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment decreases the hospitalisation rate in immunocompetent patients with COVID-19, but data on efficacy in patients with haematological malignancy are scarce. Here, we describe the outcome of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment in a large cohort of the latter patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study from the multicentre EPICOVIDEHA registry (NCT04733729) on patients with haematological malignancy, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and September 2022.

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Background: The outcome of patients with simultaneous diagnosis of haematological malignancies (HM) and COVID-19 is unknown and there are no specific treatment guidelines. Methods: We describe the clinical features and outcome of a cohort of 450 patients with simultaneous diagnosis of HM and COVID-19 registered in the EPICOVIDEHA registry between March 2020 to February 2022. Results: Acute leukaemia and lymphoma were the most frequent HM (35.

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Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are at high risk of dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The optimal management of AML patients with COVID-19 has not been established. Our multicenter study included 388 adult AML patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 2020 and October 2021.

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The main objective of this study was to compare the long-term health-related quality of life of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) treated with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) plus arsenic trioxide (ATO) vs ATRA plus standard chemotherapy. Patients previously enrolled in the randomized controlled trial APL0406 were considered eligible for this follow-up study. The following patient-reported outcome measures were used: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy 20 (QLQ-CIPN20), and the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36).

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We report a modified post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PT-CY) regimen, for unmanipulated haploidentical marrow transplants, in 150 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). All patients received a myeloablative regimen, cyclosporine A (CsA) on day 0, mycophenolate on day +1, and PT-CY 50 mg/kg on days +3 and +5. The median age was 51 (range, 17-74) years, 51 (34%) patients had active disease at transplant, and the median follow-up of surviving patients 903 (range, 150-1955) days.

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Article Synopsis
  • A randomized clinical trial compared the effects of standard all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) plus chemotherapy versus ATRA plus arsenic trioxide in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), focusing on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as a secondary endpoint.
  • The study involved 162 patients, with evaluations of HRQOL conducted using a validated questionnaire, showing that ATRA plus arsenic trioxide provided significant benefits, particularly in reducing fatigue severity.
  • Findings support the use of ATRA plus arsenic trioxide as the preferred first-line treatment for patients with low- or intermediate-risk APL based on better HRQOL outcomes.
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Background: All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) with chemotherapy is the standard of care for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), resulting in cure rates exceeding 80%. Pilot studies of treatment with arsenic trioxide with or without ATRA have shown high efficacy and reduced hematologic toxicity.

Methods: We conducted a phase 3, multicenter trial comparing ATRA plus chemotherapy with ATRA plus arsenic trioxide in patients with APL classified as low-to-intermediate risk (white-cell count, ≤10×10(9) per liter).

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Relapse still occurs in approximately 20-30% of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and, after achievement of second complete remission (CR), the optimal strategy is still controversial. We describe therapeutic results from a series of 13 patients autografted in second molecular remission (MR) by a molecular negative apheresis product. In all patients, the disease was confirmed at the molecular level and all had received the GIMEMA/AIDA protocol, achieving molecular remission at the end of consolidation.

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Treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has evolved over recent years, resulting in a cure rate of 75-80%. However, the prognosis of older patients with APL remains poorer as compared to young adults because of substantial morbidity of either induction or consolidation therapy. We describe therapeutic results in a series of 34 consecutive APL patients aged over 60 years, with particular emphasis on those patients managed outside of clinical trials because of comorbidities at diagnosis.

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