Real-life Experience With Rituximab-CHOP Every 21 or 14 Days in Primary Mediastinal Large B-cell Lymphoma.

Background/aim: Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBCL) is an aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), whose prognosis has greatly improved since the incorporation of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab into current therapeutic regimens. Evidence, however, on the optimal time interval between consecutive chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) cycles is still scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy outcomes of the more commonly administered 3-weekly regimens to the biweekly ones in a PMLBCL patients' population, who were mostly treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone every 21 days (R-CHOP-21) or R-CHOP-14.

The integrity of underlying phonological representations of Greek-speaking children with speech sound disorders.

Underlying representations are important for the development of spoken and written language. English-speaking children with speech sound disorders (SSD) have been reported to show significant difficulty with tasks tapping phonological representations. The present study describes the development of a task for the assessment of phonological representations in Greek-speaking children.

Identification of Very Low-Risk Subgroups of Patients with Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma Treated with R-CHOP.

Background: R-CHOP can cure approximately 75% of patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBCL), but prognostic factors have not been sufficiently evaluated yet. R-da- EPOCH is potentially more effective but also more toxic than R-CHOP. Reliable prognostic classification is needed to guide treatment decisions.

Dimethylarginines in acute myocardial infarction: Association with lifestyle, sociodemographic, and somatometric factors.

Background: Recent findings associate asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) with the prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The purpose of the current study was to associate patients' lifestyle, sociodemographic, and somatometric characteristics with the time course of ADMA and SDMA concentrations in the serum of AMI patients.

Patients And Methods: In the serum of 66 AMI patients, ADMA, SDMA, troponin T, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured upon hospital admission (<24 h) and on the 3 day following.

Positron emission tomography after response to rituximab-CHOP in primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma: impact on outcomes and radiotherapy strategies.

End-of-treatment (EoT) PET/CT is used as a guide to omit radiotherapy (RT) patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). We present the mature and extended results of a retrospective study evaluating the prognostic significance of EoT-PET/CT after adequate response to R-CHOP. Among 231 consecutive PMLBCL patients, 182 underwent EoT-PET/CT and were evaluated according to the Deauville 5-point scale (D5PS) criteria.

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) Q192R and L55M Polymorphisms as Potential Predisposition Factors for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Background/aim: PON1 gene has an executive role in antioxidant defense, protecting cells from genotoxic factors. Q192R and L55M PON1 polymorphisms reduce catalytic activity of the encoded protein. These polymorphisms were studied in 300 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients and 106 healthy donors.

Positive impact of brentuximab vedotin on overall survival of patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma who relapse or progress after autologous stem cell transplantation: A nationwide analysis.

The outcome of patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R cHL) after autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT) is poor. Recently, the anti-CD30 monoclonal antibody-drug conjugate, brentuximab vedotin (BV), has shown remarkable activity in the setting of R/R cHL. In the pivotal phase II study, BV produced an overall response rate of 75% and a median progression-free survival of 6.

Cohesin RAD21 Gene Promoter Methylation in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common type of leukemia in adults and is characterized by the presence of specific cytogenetic abnormalities. CLL research has been focused on epigenetic processes like gene promoter methylation of CpG islands. In the present study, the methylation status of the RAD21 gene is studied and associated with cytogenetic findings in CLL patients in order to investigate its possible implication in CLL pathogenesis and the formation of CLL chromosomal abnormalities.

Brentuximab vedotin in relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. The Hellenic experience.

This retrospective study aimed to describe the Hellenic experience on the use of brentuximab vedotin (BV) in relapsed/refractory (R/R) Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) given within its indication. From June 2011 to April 2015, ninety-five patients with R/R HL, who received BV in 20 centers from Greece, were analyzed. Their median age was 33 years, and 62% were males.

High incidence of thyroid cancer among patients with acromegaly.

Purpose: Several studies have suggested that patients with acromegaly have an increased risk of thyroid, colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. In this study we determined the prevalence of malignant neoplasms in patients with acromegaly.

Methods: Cancer risk was evaluated in a cohort of 110 patients (M/F 48/62, age 58.

Safety and Efficacy of Buparlisib (BKM120) in Patients with PI3K Pathway-Activated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Results from the Phase II BASALT-1 Study.

Introduction: The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway promotes tumor growth and treatment resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of the open-label, two-stage, Phase II study BASALT-1 (NCT01820325) was to investigate the pan-PI3K inhibitor buparlisib (BKM120) in patients with PI3K pathway-activated, relapsed NSCLC.

Methods: After prescreening for PI3K pathway activation, patients with PI3K pathway-activated, metastatic, squamous or nonsquamous NSCLC, who had relapsed after prior systemic antineoplastic therapy, were enrolled.

Beta-thalassemia major and female fertility: the role of iron and iron-induced oxidative stress.

Endocrine complications due to haemosiderosis are present in a significant number of patients with beta-thalassemia major (BTM) worldwide and often become barriers in their desire for parenthood. Thus, although spontaneous fertility can occur, the majority of females with BTM is infertile due to hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) and need assisted reproductive techniques. Infertility in these women seems to be attributed to iron deposition and iron-induced oxidative stress (OS) in various endocrine organs, such as hypothalamus, pituitary, and female reproductive system, but also through the iron effect on other organs, such as liver and pancreas, contributing to the impaired metabolism of hormones and serum antioxidants.

Increased serum levels of MIP-1alpha correlate with bone disease and angiogenic cytokines in patients with multiple myeloma.

Many cytokines possess variable roles in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma. Macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha) is an osteoclast-activating factor with a major role in myeloma bone disease. The aim of the study was to examine its participation in the angiogenic process of the disease.

Positive correlation between bone marrow mast cell density and ISS prognostic index in patients with multiple myeloma.

We evaluated mast cell density (MCD) in myeloma bone marrow biopsies and correlated it with stage of disease and markers of angiogenesis. Fifty-three untreated myeloma patients and 28 of them responded to therapy were studied. Mast cells were highlighted using immunohistochemical stain for tryptase.

Critical role of RAGE in lung physiology and tumorigenesis: a potential target of therapeutic intervention?

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the world and one of the leading causes of death from cancer. In the search for molecules that may be involved in lung tumor induction and progression, the receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE) comes across as a critical regulator of lung physiology. RAGE is a multiligand receptor that presents a differential expression pattern in lung epithelial cells compared to other cell types being gradually increased from fetal to birth and adult life.

Programmed death 1 and B and T lymphocyte attenuator immunoreceptors and their association with malignant T-lymphoproliferative disorders: brief review.

Malignant T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases are relatively rare. T cells are activated through the T-cell receptor with the aid of costimulating molecules that can be either excitatory or inhibitory. Such pathways have been also implicated in mechanisms of malignant T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases' persistence and relapse by circumventing immune responses.

Relationship between circulating BAFF serum levels with proliferating markers in patients with multiple myeloma.

In multiple myeloma, there are many factors influencing the growth of the malignant clone in direct and indirect manners. BAFF is a growth factor for myeloma cells. The aim of the study was to measure its circulating levels in 54 pretreatment patients, along with serum levels of other proliferation markers, such as interleukins-6, -10, and -15, CRP, and beta-2 microglobulin, as well as bone marrow plasma cell infiltration and expression of Ki-67 PI, in various stages of the disease and after effective treatment in 28 of them.

Liver disease in adult transfusion-dependent beta-thalassaemic patients: investigating the role of iron overload and chronic HCV infection.

Background: Iron overload and hepatitis-C virus (HCV) infection, have been implicated in the evolution of liver disease, in patients with transfusion-dependent beta-thalassaemia major (BTM). However, the impact of these factors in late stages of liver disease in adults with BTM, has not been extensively studied.

Aims: To investigate serum indices of iron overload, HCV infection and liver disease, in a cohort of 211 adult Greek patients with BTM, in relation with the findings from liver biopsies.

Correlation of CYP1A1, GSTP1 and GSTM1 gene polymorphisms and lung cancer risk among smokers.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide and tobacco smoking has been established as its biggest risk factor. Cigarette smoke contains several carcinogens. Most of them need to be activated by phase I enzymes, such as cytochrome P450 (CYP), while phase II enzymes, such as glutathione S-transferases are responsible for the detoxification of activated forms.

Rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone with or without radiotherapy in primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma: the emerging standard of care.

Unlabelled: More aggressive treatment approaches (methotrexate, cytarabine, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and bleomycin [the MACOP-B regimen] or consolidation with high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation) have been considered to be superior to cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) in patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBCL). Rituximab-CHOP (R-CHOP) is the standard of care for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, whereas efficacy in PMLBCL has not been adequately confirmed.

Patient And Methods: Seventy-six consecutive PMLBCL patients who received R-CHOP with or without radiotherapy (RT) were compared with 45 consecutive historical controls treated with CHOP with or without RT.

No significant improvement in the outcome of patients with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia treated over the last 25 years.

The treatment of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) has changed over the last decades, mainly because of the introduction of nucleoside analogues and of rituximab while novel agents such as bortezomib have been recently introduced. We performed an analysis to investigate whether the outcome of patients with WM has improved over the last years, compared to that of patients who started treatment before new drugs became widely available, especially as part of the frontline treatment. We analyzed 345 symptomatic patients with WM: 130 who initiated treatment before and 215 who started treatment after January 1, 2000.

Prognostication of the high-risk WM patient.

Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is characterized by a protracted course in most patients and the median survival may be long. However, a subset of patients may present with more aggressive disease that is associated with short survival. In order to better characterize these "poor-risk" patients, we identified patients who died within 2 years from the initiation of front-line treatment.