Publications by authors named "Zora Marjanovic"

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a rare, heterogeneous, potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease. Presence of kidney or other major organ (brain, heart or lung) involvement are predictors of poor outcome and in a subset of patients resistant to 1st or 2nd line conventional treatment. The 10-year mortality remains around 10-15 %.

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  • - Immune effector cell-associated hematotoxicity (ICAHT) is a significant and common side effect following CAR-T-cell therapy, particularly impacting patient recovery and health.
  • - The article discusses three cases where patients experienced severe ICAHT after receiving axicabtagene-ciloleucel (axi-cel) for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, characterized by an increase in a specific type of lymphocyte in the bone marrow.
  • - Treatment with low-dose steroids successfully resolved the cytopenias (low blood cell counts) without harming the effectiveness of the cancer treatment.
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  • Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose significant health risks for immunocompromised patients, particularly those undergoing treatment for haematological malignancies, due to weakened immune systems from chemotherapy and stem-cell transplants.
  • The paper focuses on specific STIs such as Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, herpes, HPV, and hepatitis B, highlighting their increased incidence and severity in patients with blood cancers.
  • The authors call for more comprehensive research to better understand and address the impact of STIs on these patients, while also discussing necessary protective measures and the importance of vaccines.
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Sexual health is an important aspect of a person's life. Many patients and haematologists believe that intimacy and sexuality issues are substantial during cancer treatment. The haematological cancer disease, diagnosis, shock of the announcement, treatment, and follow-up appointments, can all have negative effects on the quality of life of patients, their partners, other family members, and friends.

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  • First-line treatments for autoimmune systemic diseases (ARD) typically involve immunosuppressive drugs, but long-term use can lead to significant health risks.
  • Innovative therapies like mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapies are emerging as promising alternatives for severe or refractory cases of ARD.
  • A workshop by the French Speaking Society of Bone Marrow and Cell Transplantation focuses on establishing healthcare pathways and safety protocols for the deployment of MSCs and CAR-T therapies in ARD treatment, emphasizing patient safety and collaboration among specialists.
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The immunosuppressive treatment of immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) in patients with intolerance or refractoriness to the B-cell depleting monoclonal antibody rituximab remains debated. Daratumumab, a plasma cell-directed monoclonal antibody targeting CD38, represents a therapeutic option, but data are scarce. The French Thrombotic Microangiopathies Reference Center conducted a nationwide survey on iTTP patients treated with daratumumab.

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  • Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a type of cancer with a poor response to traditional chemotherapy, featuring a low median survival rate and common relapses.
  • A study tested a combination of the drug 5-azacytidine and nivolumab (an anti-PD-1 therapy) in nine patients with AITL, finding it to be well-tolerated and effective, with a 78% overall response rate.
  • These promising results suggest that this treatment combination may be a safer and more effective option, warranting further research to establish its efficacy in larger trials.
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  • Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies have been effective against SARS-CoV-2 in at-risk groups, but their effectiveness is declining due to new variants.
  • Health authorities are using in vitro tests to guide treatment recommendations, but these tests may not accurately reflect clinical efficacy in real-world situations.
  • A study using hamsters shows that while AZD7442 retains some effectiveness against specific variants like BA.1 and BA.2, its reliability drops significantly against BA.5, underscoring the need for animal studies to enhance understanding of antibody performance in humans.
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The Francophone Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (SFGM-TC) organized the 13th workshop on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation clinical practices harmonization procedures in September 2022 in Lille, France. The aim of this workshop is to update the mobilization and conditioning protocols for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for autoimmune diseases, and to specify contraindications for transplant, conditioning regimen selection, immunosuppressive treatment discontinuation before mobilization and disease-specific surveillance.

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Coexisting malignancies is not only an uncommon event but, it can also represent a medical challenge. Its complexity relies on the difficulty of management and the need for personalized and prioritized therapeutic approaches, on the one hand, and in the potential misdiagnosis of recurrence or even a de novo disease, on the other. Here, we present a case of a 69-year-old patient, who was initially diagnosed with a chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), followed by monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS).

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The Francophone Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (SFGM-TC) organized the 12th workshop on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation clinical practices harmonization procedures on September 2021 in Lille, France. In the absence of specific national or international recommendation, the French working group for autologous stem Cell transplantation in Auto-immune Diseases (MATHEC) proposed guidances for vaccinations of patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for autoimmune disease, including in the context of SARS-Cov-2 pandemic.

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Patients with high-risk lymphoma have a poor prognosis when treated with standard chemoimmunotherapy. This retrospective study included 23 high-risk lymphoma patients with a median age at diagnosis of 59 (range, 35-68) years. They received 2 cycles of R-COPADM and 2 cycles of CYVE, completed by ASCT for fit patients.

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The management of cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) poses unique challenges to healthcare professionals. While low-molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) have long been the gold standard for both the primary and secondary prevention of CAT, results from large randomized controlled trials assessing the benefit of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in both settings have resulted in some paradigm shifts. Herein, we review and compare recommendations from the latest authoritative clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the management of CAT and summarize the most recent evidence on available treatment options.

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The Ottawa score (OS) for predicting the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients with VTE may help to guide anticoagulant treatment decisions that will optimize benefit-risk ratios. However, data on its reliability are conflicting. We applied the OS to all cancer patients with VTE enrolled in the prospective multicenter TROPIQUE study who received low-molecular-weight heparin over a 6-month period.

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Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease with high morbidity and mortality. Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (AHSCT) is the best therapeutic option for rapidly progressive SSc, allowing increased survival with regression of skin and lung fibrosis. The immune determinants of the clinical response after AHSCT have yet to be well characterized.

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