Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia with peripheral neuropathy and favorable long-term treatment responses

PURPOSE: We performed a prospective phase II study to assess the activity of thalidomide in patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with WM were treated with thalidomide at a starting dose of 200 mg daily with dose escalation in 200-mg increments every 14 days as tolerated to a maximum of 600 mg. All patients were symptomatic, their median age was 74 years, and 10 patients were previously untreated. RESULTS: On an intent-to-treat basis, five (25%) of 20 patients achieved a partial response after treatment. Responses occurred in three of 10 previously untreated and in two of 10 pretreated patients. None of the patients treated during refractory relapse or with disease duration exceeding 2 years responded to thalidomide. Time to response was short, ranging between 0.8 months to 2.8 months. Adverse effects were common but reversible and consisted primarily of constipation, somnolence, fatigue, and mood changes. The daily dose of thalidomide was escalated to 600 mg in only five patients (25%), and in seven patients (35%), this agent was discontinued within 2 months because of intolerance. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that thalidomide has activity in WM but only low doses were tolerated in this elderly patient population. Confirmatory studies as well as studies that will combine thalidomide with chemotherapy or with rituximab may be relevant.

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Long Term Responses to Fludarabine and Rituximab in Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v112.11.3057.3057 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 112 (11) ◽

pp. 3057-3057 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Steven Treon ◽

Andrew Branagan ◽

Leukothea Ioakimidis ◽

Jacob Soumerai ◽

Christopher Patterson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myelogenous Leukemia ◽

Aggressive Lymphoma ◽

Unknown Primary ◽

Waldenström’S Macroglobulinemia ◽

Term Outcome ◽

Long Term Outcome ◽

Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia ◽

Waldenstrom’S Macroglobulinemia ◽

Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia

Abstract Fludarabine and rituximab are commonly used in combination in the treatment of Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM), though long term outcome of this regimen remains to be defined. We therefore examined the outcome of 43 WM patients treated on a clinical trial whose eligibility included < 2 prior therapies, and no previous nucleoside analogue or rituximab treatment. Therapy consisted of 6 cycles (25 mg/m2/day for 5 days) of fludarabine and 8 infusions (375 mg/m2/week) of rituximab over 31 weeks. 43 patients were enrolled with a median age of 61, and median prior therapies of 0. Responses were: CR (n=2); VGPR (n=14); PR (n=21); MR (n=4); for an overall and major response rate of 95.3% and 86.0%, respectively. At best response, median bone marrow disease involvement declined from 55% to 5% (p<0.00001), while serum IgM decreased from 3,840 to 443 mg/dL (p<0.00001), and hematocrit rose from 31.2% to 38.0% (p<0.0008). The median time to progression for all patients was 51.2 months, and was longer for untreated versus previously treated patients (77.6 vs. 38.4 months; p=0.017), as well as for those patients who achieved ≥ VGPR versus <VGPR (>88.3 vs. 36.9 months; p=0.049). Grade ≥ 3 toxicities included neutropenia (n=27); thrombocytopenia (n=7); pneumonia (n=6), including two patients who succumbed to non-PCP interstitial pneumonia; peripheral neuropathy (n=2); limbic encephalitis (n=1); hemolytic anemia (n=1). With a median follow-up of 40.3 months, we observed transformation to aggressive lymphoma (n=3); myelodysplasia (n=1); acute myelogenous leukemia (n=2); bladder carcinoma (n=1); and carcinoma of unknown primary (n=1) among 8 patients. The results of this study demonstrate that fludarabine and rituximab is an active regimen in WM, though short and long term toxicities need to be carefully weighed against other available treatment options.

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Diagnostic Tools of Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia – Best Possibilities for Non-invasive and Long-term Disease Monitoring

Klinicka onkologie ◽

10.14735/amko20172s81 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (Suppl 2) ◽

pp. 2S81-2S91 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kateřina Growková ◽

Zuzana Kufová ◽

Tereza Ševčíková ◽

Jana Filipová ◽

Michal Kaščák ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Disease Monitoring ◽

Waldenström’S Macroglobulinemia ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia ◽

Waldenstrom’S Macroglobulinemia ◽

Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia

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Long-term responses to thalidomide and rituximab in Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2007.25.18_suppl.8017 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽

pp. 8017-8017 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J. D. Soumerai ◽

A. R. Branagan ◽

C. J. Patterson ◽

Z. R. Hunter ◽

S. P. Treon

Keyword(s):

Response Rates ◽

High Serum ◽

Waldenström’S Macroglobulinemia ◽

Highly Active ◽

Best Response ◽

Major Response ◽

Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia ◽

Waldenstrom’S Macroglobulinemia ◽

Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia

8017 Background: Rituximab is active in Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM), producing response rates of 40–50%. Lower response rates are observed among patients with the FcγRIIIA-158 FF polymorphism; high B2M (≥3.0 mg/dL), and high serum IgM levels (≥6,000 mg/dL). Thalidomide enhances rituximab-mediated ADCC of lymphoplasmacytic cells and produces response rates of 25% in WM. As such, we conducted this phase II study using thalidomide and rituximab in patients naïve to either agent. Methods: Intended therapy was: Weeks 1–52: Thalidomide (200 mg po qHS for 2 wks, then 400 mg po qHS) Weeks 2–5, 13- 16: Rituximab (375 mg/m2/wk) Twenty-five patients were enrolled, 20 of whom were previously untreated, with a baseline median age of 62 (range 44–86 yrs), BM involvement of 40 (range 5–80%), serum IgM of 3,670 (range 924–8,610 mg/dL), B2M of 2.6 (range 1.4–8.3 mg/L), Hct of 34.1 (range 23.6–42.6%). Results: Grade ≥2 toxicities to thalidomide included neuroparesthesias (n=11); somnolence (n=3); confusion (n=3); rash (n=2); tremors (n=2); bradycardia (n=2) and palpitations (n=1). Among patients experiencing neuroparesthesias, 10 demonstrated resolution to grade 1 (n=3) or complete resolution (n=7) at a median of 6.7 (range 0.4- 22.5 months). Dose reduction of thalidomide occurred in all patients and led to discontinuation in 11 patients. Twenty-three patients were evaluable. Responses among evaluable patients: CR (n=1); PR (n=15); MR (n=2); SD (n=1) for an overall and a major response rate of 78% and 70%, respectively. Median serum IgM decreased from 3,670 (924–8,610 mg/dL) to 1,590 (36–5,230 mg/dL) (p<0.001), while median hematocrit rose from 33.0 (23.6–42.6%) to 37.6 (29.3–44.3%) (p=0.004) at best response. With a median follow-up of 42+ months, the median TTP for all evaluable patients on study was 35 months, and 38+ months for responders. Overall response was associated with median cumulative thalidomide dose: CR/PR/MR (29,275 mg) vs. SD/NR (7,400 mg); p=0.004. Overall responses were unaffected by FcγRIIIA-158 polymorphism status (81% vs. 71% for VV/FV vs. FF); serum IgM (78% vs. 80% for <6,000 vs. ≥6,000 mg/dL); and B2M levels (71% vs. 89% for <3 vs. ≥3 g/dL); p=NS. Conclusions: Thalidomide in combination with rituximab is highly active and produces long- term responses in patients with WM. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

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Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia and Peripheral Neuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal Gammopathy, and Skin Changes with a Bleeding Diathesis and Rash

Case Reports in Oncological Medicine ◽

10.1155/2013/890864 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-3 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

S. Haider ◽

T. Latif ◽

A. Hochhausler ◽

F. Lucas ◽

N. Abdel Karim

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Peripheral Neuropathy ◽

Monoclonal Gammopathy ◽

Poems Syndrome ◽

Waldenström’S Macroglobulinemia ◽

Excessive Bleeding ◽

Skin Changes ◽

Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia ◽

Waldenstrom’S Macroglobulinemia ◽

Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia

We report a case of a 29-year-old male who presented with paraesthesia and skin lesions with excessive bleeding after skin biopsy leading to hematology consultation. He was found to have prolonged partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and monoclonal gammopathy on serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP). He experienced excessive bleeding leading to hospitalization after bone marrow biopsy and required blood transfusion. He was diagnosed with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia (WM), based on the presence of IgM-κtype monoclonal (M) protein and infiltration of lymphoplasmacytic cells identified in bone marrow aspirates. He was noticed to have features of peripheral neuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes (POEMS syndrome). This is a very rare case of WM with POEMS syndrome which responded to chemotherapy using bortezomib, steroids, and rituximab.

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