CD49d (ITGA4) expression is a predictor of time to first treatment in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and mutated IGHV status.

We investigated CD49d (also termed ITGA4) expression and its biological and clinical correlations in 415 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. CD49d expression was stable over the course of the disease. A high expression of CD49d (>30%) was found in 142/415 (34%) patients and was associated with progressive disease (advanced clinical stage, high serum lactate dehydrogenase or β2 -microglobulin levels; all p < 0·05) and aggressive disease biology (increased ZAP70 or CD38, unmutated IGHV, trisomy 12, mutations of NOTCH1 and SF3B1; all P < 0·05).

Comparison of three prognostic scoring systems in a series of 146 cases of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML): MD Anderson prognostic score (MDAPS), CMML-specific prognostic scoring system (CPSS) and Mayo prognostic model. A detailed review of prognostic factors in CMML.

Although specific prognostic models for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) exist, few are based on large series of patients. MD Anderson prognostic score (MDAPS) has been the most useful for CMML risk assessment. Due to recent emergence of CMML-specific prognostic scoring system (CPSS) and Mayo prognostic model, we compared the three scores.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the elderly: clinico-biological features, outcomes, and proposal of a prognostic model.

We investigated the clinico-biological features, outcomes, and prognosis of 949 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia according to age. No biological differences (cytogenetics by fluorescent in situ hybridization, IGHV, ZAP-70, CD38, NOTCH1, SF3B1) were found across age groups. Elderly patients (>70 years; n=367) presented more frequently with advanced disease (Binet C/Rai III-IV: 10/12% versus 5/5%; P<0.

The prognostic impact of minimal residual disease in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia requiring first-line therapy.

A proportion of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia achieve a minimal residual disease negative status after therapy. We retrospectively evaluated the impact of minimal residual disease on the outcome of 255 consecutive patients receiving any front-line therapy in the context of a detailed prognostic evaluation, including assessment of IGHV, TP53, NOTCH1 and SF3B1 mutations. The median follow-up was 73 months (range, 2-202) from disease evaluation.

New treatment options for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Introduction: Chemoimmunotherapy is the gold standard of therapy for patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), resulting in high and durable complete response rates. However, all patients eventually relapse and CLL remains incurable. Newer and more rationally developed compounds are needed to improve CLL therapy, particularly in cases of refractory disease.

Rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy prolongs survival of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia independently of the time of administration.

Background: The combination of purine analogues (PA) and rituximab (chemoimmunotherapy) is considered the treatment of choice for CLL. The aim of this study was to determine whether chemoimmunotherapy prolonged the overall survival in patients with CLL from a single center.

Patients And Methods: From 1980 to 2010, 273 patients with CLL received: (1) PA (n = 159); and (2) PA plus rituximab (PA+R) (n = 114).

Biallelic losses of 13q do not confer a poorer outcome in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: analysis of 627 patients with isolated 13q deletion.

Losses in 13q as a sole abnormality confer a good prognosis in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Nevertheless, its heterogeneity has been demonstrated and the clinical significance of biallelic 13q deletions remains controversial. We compared the clinico-biological characteristics of a series of 627 patients harbouring isolated 13q deletions by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), either monoallelic (13q × 1), biallelic (13q × 2), or the coexistence of both clones (13qM).

Two successful pregnancies in a chronic myeloid leukemia patient treated with imatinib.

The number of CML patients in child-bearing age and treated with imatinib is increasing. These women may want to be pregnant or are actually pregnant while on imatinib. Physicians do not know when to stop the treatment and what the risks are for the foetus and the mother.