Incidence and outcome of Kaposi sarcoma after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a retrospective analysis and a review of the literature, on behalf of infectious diseases working party of EBMT.

The incidence, the clinical characteristics, and the outcome of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) in patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were assessed. During the period 1987-2018, 13 cases of KS were diagnosed, 3 females and 10 males, median age of 50 years, median time from HSCT of 7 months. KS had an incidence of 0.

Genetic history of the population of Crete.

The medieval history of several populations often suffers from scarcity of contemporary records resulting in contradictory and sometimes biased interpretations by historians. This is the situation with the population of the island of Crete, which remained relatively undisturbed until the Middle Ages when multiple wars, invasions, and occupations by foreigners took place. Historians have considered the effects of the occupation of Crete by the Arabs (in the 9th and 10th centuries C.

A prospective non-interventional study on the impact of transfusion burden and related iron toxicity on outcome in myelodysplastic syndromes undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Most myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)-patients receive multiple red blood cell transfusions (RBCT). Transfusions may cause iron-related toxicity and mortality, influencing outcome after allogeneic HSCT. This prospective non-interventional study evaluated 222 MDS and CMML patients undergoing HSCT.

Beta-thalassemia: renal complications and mechanisms: a narrative review.

Objectives: Beta-thalassemias are a group of recessively autosomal inherited disorders of hemoglobin synthesis, which, due to mutations of the beta-globin gene, lead to various degrees of defective beta-chain production, an imbalance in alpha/beta-globin chain synthesis, ineffective erythropoiesis, and anemia. Improved survival in thalassemic patients has led to the emergence of previously unrecognized complications, such as renal disease.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review through PubMed was undertaken to summarize the published evidence on the epidemiology and pathophysiology of renal disease in thalassemia.

Correction to: Real-world data on Len/Dex combination at second-line therapy of multiple myeloma: treatment at biochemical relapse is a significant prognostic factor for progression-free survival.

The original version of this article contained a mistake. The name of Eirini Katroditou should have been Eirini Katodritou. The original article has been corrected.

Extramedullary relapse and discordant CD19 expression between bone marrow and extramedullary sites in relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia after blinatumomab treatment.

Blinatumomab, a bispecific T-cell engager antibody construct targeting CD19, has been shown to improve the outcome in patients with relapsed and/or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Treatment with blinatumomab demonstrated significant survival benefit over chemotherapy, supporting its use as a bridge therapy to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Unfortunately, following initial response, approximately 50% of responding patients eventually relapse.

Real-world data on Len/Dex combination at second-line therapy of multiple myeloma: treatment at biochemical relapse is a significant prognostic factor for progression-free survival.

We evaluated progression-free survival (PFS) rate of patients treated with lenalidomide/dexamethasone (Len/Dex), the efficacy of the combination, and the prognostic significance of treatment at biochemical vs. clinical relapse on PFS in 207 consecutive myeloma patients treated with Len/Dex in second line, according to routine clinical practice in Greece. First-line treatment included bortezomib-based (63.

Melphalan 140 mg/m or 200 mg/m for autologous transplantation in myeloma: results from the Collaboration to Collect Autologous Transplant Outcomes in Lymphoma and Myeloma (CALM) study. A report by the EBMT Chronic Malignancies Working Party.

Melphalan at a dose of 200 mg/m is standard conditioning prior to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma, but a dose of 140 mg/m is often used in clinical practice in patients perceived to be at risk of excess toxicity. To determine whether melphalan 200 mg/m and melphalan 140 mg/m are equally effective and tolerable in clinically relevant patient subgroups we analyzed 1964 first single autologous transplantation episodes using a series of Cox proportional-hazards models. Overall survival, progression-free survival, cumulative incidence of relapse, non-relapse mortality, hematopoietic recovery and second primary malignancy rates were not significantly different between the melphalan 140 mg/m (n=245) and melphalan 200 mg/m (n=1719) groups.

The ex vivo toll-like receptor 7 tolerance induction in donor lymphocytes prevents murine acute graft-versus-host disease.

Background Aims: Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, mediated by alloreactive donor T cells. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), a family of conserved pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs), represent key players in donors' T-cell activation during aGVHD; however, a regulatory, tolerogenic role for certain TLRs has been recognized in a different context. We investigated whether the ex vivo-induced TLR-2,-4,-7 tolerance in donor cells could prevent alloreactivity in a mismatched transplantation model.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for primary refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the EBMT.

Background: Patients with primary refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (PREF ALL) who fail to achieve a complete remission (CR) after ≥2 courses of chemotherapy have a dismal prognosis without undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). To the authors' knowledge, there currently are no data regarding factors influencing transplantation outcomes.

Methods: The authors retrospectively studied outcomes of transplantation for cases of PREF ALL reported to European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry.

The β-globin Replicator greatly enhances the potential of S/MAR based episomal vectors for gene transfer into human haematopoietic progenitor cells.

Specific human chromosomal elements enhance the performance of episomal gene-transfer vectors. S/MAR-based episomal vector pEPI-eGFP transfects CD34 haematopoietic cells, but only transiently. To address this issue we reinforced (1) transgene transcription by replacing the CMV promoter driving eGFP with the EF1/HTLV or SFFV promoters to produce vectors pEPI-EF1/HTLV and pEPI-SFFV, respectively; and (2) plasmid replication by inserting the replication-Initiation Region (IR) from the β-globin locus into vector pEPI-SFFV to produce vector pEP-IR.

Hemosiderosis causing liver cirrhosis in a patient with Hb S/beta thalassemia and no other known causes of hepatic disease.

Background: Hemosiderosis in the absence of blood transfusions has been encountered in conditions associated with ineffective erythropoiesis but not in sickle-cell disease (SCD). Description of the case: We report a case of a 34-year-old Caucasian male, with a history of SCD and beta thalassemia (Hb S/β-thal) who presented with acute painful crises. Despite never having received regular blood transfusions in the past, the patient demonstrated elevated ferritin levels and transferrin saturation of 83 %.

Outcomes after use of two standard ablative regimens in patients with refractory acute myeloid leukaemia: a retrospective, multicentre, registry analysis.

Background: Cyclophosphamide plus intravenous busulfan has not been compared with cyclophosphamide plus total body irradiation (TBI) in adults with advanced refractory acute myeloid leukaemia before allogeneic haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HCT). We aimed to assess whether survival of patients receiving ablative intravenous busulfan-based conditioning regimens before a related or volunteer-unrelated donor HCT for refractory acute myeloid leukaemia is not inferior to that of patients receiving an ablative TBI-based regimen.

Methods: In this retrospective, multicentre, registry-based study, we obtained data for patients (aged >18 years) with refractory acute myeloid leukaemia in active phase of disease, who had received HCT from an HLA-identical sibling or an unrelated donor after intravenous busulfan plus cyclophosphamide or cyclophosphamide plus TBI conditioning between 2000 and 2012.

Does ex vivo CD34+ positive selection influence outcome after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in systemic sclerosis patients?

This EBMT Autoimmune Disease Working Party study aimed to evaluate the influence of CD34+ positive graft selection (CD34+) on the outcome of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). Clinical and laboratory data from 138 SSc patients at diagnosis, before and after AHSCT were retrospectively analyzed. CD34+ selection was performed in 47.

Lack of survival improvement with novel anti-myeloma agents for patients with multiple myeloma and central nervous system involvement: the Greek Myeloma Study Group experience.

Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) is a rare complication of multiple myeloma (MM). Herein, we have described the incidence, characteristics, prognostic factors for post CNS-MM survival, and outcome of CNS-MM and explored the efficacy of novel agents (NA) (thalidomide, bortezomib, lenalidomide) in this setting. Between 2000 and 2013, 31 (0.

Superior long-term repopulating capacity of G-CSF+plerixafor-mobilized blood: implications for stem cell gene therapy by studies in the Hbb(th-3) mouse model.

High numbers of genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) equipped with enhanced engrafting potential are required for successful stem cell gene therapy. By using thalassemia as a model, we investigated the functional properties of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from Hbb(th3)/45.2(+) mice after mobilization with G-CSF, plerixafor, or G-CSF+plerixafor and the engraftment kinetics of primed cells after competitive primary and noncompetitive secondary transplantation.

Long-term results of stem cell transplantation for MS: a single-center experience.

Objective: To report long-term results of a phase I/II study conducted in a single center in order to investigate the effect of hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: Clinical and MRI outcomes of 35 patients with aggressive MS treated with HSCT are reported after a median follow-up period of 11 (range 2-15) years.

Results: Disease progression-free survival (PFS) at 15 years is 44% for patients with active CNS disease and 10% for those without (p=0.

Autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis: is it worthwile?

High-dose immunosuppressive chemotherapy or total body irradiation followed by autologous transplantation of hemopoietic stem cells (ASCT) was introduced in the treatment of active, progressing, and therapy-resistant multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1995. Since then, more than 300 patients have undergone this sort of treatment worldwide and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) published on two occasions, in 2002 and in 2006, the results of collective analyses performed in 85 and in 183 cases, respectively. In most communications the results were reported favorable with some cases showing spectacular recoveries and also probabilities of long-lasting disease stability, between 60 and 80% at three years after transplant.

Therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome with monosomy 5 and 7 following successful therapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia with anthracyclines.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in patients treated for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a rare event. We describe a patient with APL who developed MDS 40 months after entering complete remission (CR). Karyotypic analysis revealed monosomy 5 and 7, which are cytogenetic changes usually occurring after the use of alkylating agents.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis. A retrospective multicenter study.

Rationale: Phase I/II studies of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for multiple sclerosis ( MS) were initiated, based on results of experimental transplantation in animal models of multiple sclerosis and clinical observations in patients treated concomitantly for malignant disease.

Patients: Eighty-five patients with progressive MS were treated with autologous HSCT in 20 centers and reported to the autoimmune disease working party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT). 52 (61 %) were female, median age was 39 [20-58] years.

Isolated pentasomy of chromosome 8 in erythroleukemia.

Pentasomy 8 as a sole anomaly in hematological disorders is rare. Only 2 such cases, one in acute monocytic leukemia and one in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia have been described in the literature to date. Here, we report the first case of a 42 year old man with erythroleukemia displaying a pentasomy 8 clone.

Safety and early efficacy assessment of liposomal daunorubicin (DaunoXome) in adults with refractory or relapsed acute myeloblastic leukaemia: a phase I-II study.

We have conducted a phase I/II trial to determine the maximum tolerated dose, early safety and efficacy of single-agent liposomal daunorubicin in relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Successive cohorts of six patients received escalated doses of 75, 100, 125 or 150 mg/m2 of DaunoXome for three consecutive days. Responding patients received a further consolidation cycle of DaunoXome at a dose identical to the one inducing complete or partial remission at the various dose levels.

Autologous stem cell transplantation in progressive multiple sclerosis--an interim analysis of efficacy.

Based on the good results of experimental transplantation in animal models of multiple sclerosis and of other autoimmune diseases, we have treated 24 patients suffering from chronic progressive multiple sclerosis with high-dose chemotherapy (BEAM regimen) followed by autologous blood stem cell rescue and antithymocyte globulin. Blood stem cells were mobilised with cyclophosphamide at 4g/m2 and G- (or GM-) CSF. In 9 cases, additional CD34+ cell-selection of the graft was performed.