Efficacy and safety of bendamustine, rituximab and bortezomib treatment in relapsed/refractory Waldenstrom Macroglobulinaemia: results of phase 2 single-arm FIL-BRB trial.

This multicentre phase II study Fondazione Italiana Linfomi (FIL)-bortezomib plus rituximab plus bendamustine (BRB) tested a combination of bendamustine (90 mg/m on days 1-2), rituximab (375 mg/m intravenously on day 1) and bortezomib (1.3 mg/m sc on days 1, 8, 15, 22) every 28 days for six cycles in 38 symptomatic patients with relapsed/refractory Waldenstrom macroglobulinaemia (RR-WM). Moreover, MYD88 and CXCR4 mutations were tested by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) both at baseline and at the end of treatment in 21 patients.

Consensus for Flow Cytometry Clinical Report on Multiple Myeloma: A Multicenter Harmonization Process Merging Laboratory Experience and Clinical Needs.

Flow cytometry is a highly sensitive and specific approach for discriminating between normal and clonal plasma cells in multiple myeloma. Uniform response criteria after treatment have been established by the International Myeloma Working Group and the EuroFlow Group; however, the way in which flow cytometry data are reported has suffered from no collaborative or multicentre efforts. This study, involving 8 expert laboratories and 12 clinical hematology units of the Lazio region in Italy, aims to produce a uniform and shared report among the various Centres.

Immunotactoid glomerulopathy and chronic lymphocytic leukemia: The need for a multidisciplinary approach.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common type of leukemia in western countries. The association between CLL and glomerular disease (GD) is rare. The most frequent GD associated with CLL is membranoproliferative membranous glomerulonephritis (GN) (MPGN) (45%) types I and II, followed by membranous glomerulonephritis, with the same reports of immunotactoid glomerulopathy (ITG).

Daratumumab combined with dexamethasone and lenalidomide or bortezomib in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients: Report from the multiple myeloma GIMEMA Lazio group.

The multiple myeloma (MM) treatment has changed over the last years due to the introduction of novel drugs. Despite improvements in the MM outcome, MM remains an incurable disease. Daratumumab is a human IgGK monoclonal antibody targeting CD38 with tumor activity associated with immunomodulatory mechanism.

Autologous stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma patients over 70 years: A GIMEMA Lazio Working Group experience in a retrospective case-control study.

High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT) is the standard treatment for young patient ≤65 years with multiple myeloma (MM). The role of auto-SCT in elderly patients older than 70 years remains controversial in the era of novel agents and especially since the recent introduction of monoclonal antibodies (AbMo). In this study, we evaluated 12 patients with MM over 70 years old undergoing auto-SCT (elderly graft cohort) in seven centers of GIMEMA Working Group Lazio.

Safety and effectiveness of ruxolitinib in the real-world management of polycythemia vera patients: a collaborative retrospective study by pH-negative MPN latial group.

Ruxolitinib is approved for polycythemia vera (PV) patients after failure to previous cytoreductive therapy, based on durable results observed in phase 3 trials. We report a multicenter retrospective study demonstrating the efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib in real-life setting. Eighty-three patients were evaluated.

Dose/schedule-adjusted Rd-R vs continuous Rd for elderly, intermediate-fit patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Lenalidomide-dexamethasone (Rd) is standard treatment for elderly patients with multiple myeloma (MM). In this randomized phase 3 study, we investigated efficacy and feasibility of dose/schedule-adjusted Rd followed by maintenance at 10 mg per day without dexamethasone (Rd-R) vs continuous Rd in elderly, intermediate-fit newly diagnosed patients with MM. Primary end point was event-free survival (EFS), defined as progression/death from any cause, lenalidomide discontinuation, or hematologic grade 4 or nonhematologic grade 3 to 4 adverse event (AE).

Pulmonary arterial hypertension in a patient with multiple myeloma during carfilzomib treatment: in search of better management.

Background: Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell dyscrasia accounting for 1% of neoplastic diseases and is the second most common hematologic malignancy after lymphoma. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is characterized by increased blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation and the development of pulmonary vascular remodeling. Increased resistance in the pulmonary vessels strains the right ventricle, leading to right heart failure.

Onset and Progression of Precancerous Lesions on Gastric Mucosa of Patients Treated for Gastric Lymphoma.

Background And Aims: Patients with primary gastric lymphoma are at an increased risk of developing gastric cancer. Data on gastric precancerous lesions development in these patients are scanty. We assessed gastric precancerous lesions in a cohort of patients with primary lymphoma.

Once-weekly twice-weekly carfilzomib in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: a pooled analysis of two phase I/II studies.

Twice-weekly carfilzomib is approved at 27 and 56 mg/m to treat relapsed multiple myeloma patients. In the phase III study ARROW, once-weekly 70 mg/m 2 carfilzomib prolonged the median progression-free survival of relapsed multiple myeloma patients in comparison with twice-weekly 27 mg/m carfilzomib, without adding significant toxicity. Data were pooled from two phase I/II studies of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who received nine induction cycles of carfilzomib (either 70 mg/m once-weekly or 36 mg/m twice-weekly), cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone, followed by carfilzomib maintenance.

Aspirin or enoxaparin thromboprophylaxis for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma treated with lenalidomide.

Lenalidomide plus dexamethasone is effective in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) but is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). This prospective, open-label, randomized substudy of a phase 3 trial compared the efficacy and safety of thromboprophylaxis with low-dose aspirin (ASA) or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in patients with newly diagnosed MM, treated with lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone induction and melphalan-prednisone-lenalidomide consolidation. Overall, 342 patients who did not have clinical indications or contraindications to antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy were randomly assigned to receive ASA 100 mg/d (n = 176) or LMWH enoxaparin 40 mg/d (n = 166).