Patients' Ability to Take Dermoscopic Follow-Up Images of Atypical Melanocytic Lesions With Smartphones: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Short-term teledermoscopic monitoring helps to distinguish early melanomas from nevi. As the incidence of melanoma is increasing, there are several benefits of patients' taking their own dermoscopic images, but only a few previous studies have investigated the feasibility of this approach.

Objectives: To examine patients' ability to take evaluable dermoscopic images of atypical melanocytic lesions in need of short-term monitoring.

Incomplete Excisions of Melanocytic Lesions: Rates and Risk Factors.

Incomplete excisions of melanocytic lesions occur despite the intention of complete removal. The aim of this study was to determine the incomplete excision rates for benign and malignant melanocytic lesions and the associated risk factors. Demographic, clinical, and histo-pathological data possibly associated with incomplete excision were collected from 2,782 consecutive excisions between 2014 and 2015.

Granulocyte transfusions could benefit patients with severe oral mucositis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background And Objectives: Mucositis is a common complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and is caused by a combination of conditioning-induced mucosal damage and severe neutropenia. The symptoms include oral and abdominal pain, inability to swallow food and fluids, and severe diarrhoea. Severe mucositis is associated with increased risk of Graft-versus-Host disease and infection.

Facing the future: challenges and opportunities in adoptive T cell therapy in cancer.

Introduction: In recent years, immunotherapy for the treatment of solid cancer has emerged as a promising therapeutic alternative. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT), especially T cell-based, has been found to cause tumor regression and even cure in a percentage of treated patients. Checkpoint inhibitors further underscore the potential of the T cell compartment in the treatment of cancer.

Signatures of CD8+ T cell dysfunction in AML patients and their reversibility with response to chemotherapy.

Background: Our understanding of phenotypic and functional signatures of CD8+ T cell dysfunction in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is limited. Deciphering these deranged T cell functional states and how they are impacted by induction chemotherapy is essential for incorporation of novel immune-based strategies to restore and maintain antileukemia immunity.

Methods: We utilized high-dimensional immunophenotyping, gene expression, and functional studies to characterize peripheral blood and bone marrow CD8+ T cells in 72 AML patients at diagnosis and after induction chemotherapy.

Expansion of Gammadelta T Cells from Cord Blood: A Therapeutical Possibility.

Gammadelta () T cells are found in both blood and tissues and have antiviral and antitumor properties. The frequency of T cells in umbilical cord blood (UCB) is low, and the majority express 1, in contrast to blood, whereas the main subset is δ29 T cells. UCB γδ T cells are functionally immature, which together with their scarcity complicates the development of UCB T cell therapies.

Increased Coexpression of PD-1, TIGIT, and KLRG-1 on Tumor-Reactive CD8 T Cells During Relapse after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) can be a curative treatment for patients with a hematologic malignancy due to alloreactive T cell responses recognizing minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHA). Yet tumor immune escape mechanisms can cause failure of T cell immunity, leading to relapse. Tumor cells display low expression of costimulatory molecules and can up-regulate coinhibitory molecules that inhibit T cell functionality on ligation with their counter-receptors on the tumor-reactive T cells.

NK cell recovery after haploidentical HSCT with posttransplant cyclophosphamide: dynamics and clinical implications.

The use of posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis has revolutionized haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), allowing safe infusion of unmanipulated T cell-replete grafts. PT-Cy selectively eliminates proliferating alloreactive T cells, but whether and how it affects natural killer (NK) cells and their alloreactivity is largely unknown. Here we characterized NK cell dynamics in 17 patients who received unmanipulated haploidentical grafts, containing high numbers of mature NK cells, according to PT-Cy-based protocols in 2 independent centers.

Advances in umbilical cord blood cell therapy: the present and the future.

Umbilical cord blood (UCB), previously seen as medical waste, is increasingly recognized as a valuable source of cells for therapeutic use. The best-known application is in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), where UCB has become an increasingly important graft source in the 28 years since the first umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) was performed. Recently, UCB has been increasingly investigated as a putative source for adoptive cell therapy.

Expanded umbilical cord blood T cells used as donor lymphocyte infusions after umbilical cord blood transplantation.

Background: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an alternative graft source for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and has been shown to give results comparable to transplantation with other stem cell sources. Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is an effective treatment for relapsed malignancies after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. However, DLI is not available after UCB transplantation.

Cord blood T cells cultured with IL-7 in addition to IL-2 exhibit a higher degree of polyfunctionality and superior proliferation potential.

One disadvantage with umbilical cord blood transplantation is that donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) for treatment of threatening rejection or relapse of underlying malignant disease is not available. We have previously expanded T cells from the cord blood graft in clinical setting using anti-CD3/CD28 paramagnetic beads and interleukin (IL)-2 for possible future DLI. Here we studied the effect of adding clinical-grade IL-7 to the expansion protocol.

Chimerism and use of mesenchymal stem cells in umbilical cord blood transplantation.

We performed a retrospective single-center analysis of 50 umbilical cord blood transplantations (UCBTs), focusing on chimerism development. Complete donor chimerism (DC) was associated with acute graft-vs.-host disease (aGVHD) grades II-IV for the CD3 (+) cell lineage (p = 0.

Factors with an impact on chimerism development and long-term survival after umbilical cord blood transplantation.

Background: Umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) is increasingly used and produces similar results to matched unrelated donor transplantation.

Methods: We performed a retrospective single-center analysis of 50 umbilical cord blood transplantations UCBTs performed from 2001 to 2010, including 37 single and 13 double umbilical cord blood transplantations UCBTs.

Results: The rate of engraftment of neutrophils was 88% at a median time of 29 days (range, 3-79).

Rapid salvage treatment with virus-specific T cells for therapy-resistant disease.

Background: Viral infections are major complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). During posttransplant immunosuppression the regular T-cell control is compromised. Even if treatment strategies against infections caused by herpes viruses such as cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and adenovirus have improved, the mortality rate is still considerable.

Expansion of T-cells from the cord blood graft as a predictive tool for complications and outcome of cord blood transplantation.

We have previously successfully expanded functional T-cells in vitro from cord blood grafts used for clinical transplantation, with the aim of creating donor lymphocyte infusions to treat e.g. malignant relapse.

Mesenchymal stem cells inhibit thymic reconstitution after allogeneic cord blood transplantation.

Cord blood (CB) as a source of stem cells has been a successful addition to the field of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT). The increased human leukocyte antigen (HLA) permissiveness of CB grafts has made it possible for more patients to undergo treatment. The drawback is that patients suffer from a longer period of compromised immunity.

Improved survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in recent years. A single-center study.

We analyzed the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) over the past 2 decades. Between 1992 and 2009, 953 patients were treated with HSCT, mainly for a hematologic malignancy. They were divided according to 4 different time periods of treatment: 1992 to 1995, 1996 to 2000, 2001 to 2005, and 2006 to 2009.

Stable mixed donor-donor chimerism after double cord blood transplantation.

Double cord blood transplantation (DCBT) has been used increasingly and has proven to be both safe and efficacious. In chimerism analysis, previous studies have indicated single unit predominance early after DCBT. In the present study, we evaluated the chimeric pattern in T-, B- and myeloid cells using PCR-based chimerism analysis in seven patients after DCBT: five patients had acute leukemia and two had lymphoma.