Pulmonary comorbidity in chronic lymphoproliferative diseases: realities of the problem in the Dnipro region

The prevalence of the chronic lymphoproliferative diseases is increasing worldwide with increase of the population age. It is known that the presence of comorbidities in such patients plays an important role in predicting treatment outcomes. The aim of the work was to study the prevalence and determine the structure of respiratory symptoms and comorbid pulmonary pathology in patients with chronic lymphoproliferative diseases (CLPD) in the Dnipro region of Ukraine. After analyzing 986 cards of inpatients of the hematology department, whose average age was 65 (56; 69) years, it was determined that 9.0% of patients had at least one chronic respiratory disease, the most common among which were chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as community-acquired pneumonia. Dyspnea and tachypnea are also common among patients with CLPD without established respiratory comorbidity, cardiovascular disease, or anemia. Based on the data obtained, we can recommend a study of the respiratory function and pulse oximetry, as well as a thorough collection of anamnesis of smoking and analysis of the results of chest computed tomography in all patients with CLPD in order to identify the possible cause of shortness of breath and establish the presence of respiratory comorbidity.

Infectious complications in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors

The aim of this study is to analyze the scientific literature data on the frequency and characteristics of infectious complications during the treatment of patients with lymphoproliferative diseases with a new class of drugs, selective inhibitors of Brutons tyrosine kinase (BTK). This work describes the indications for appointing these drugs as well as the participation of BTK in the development and activation of B cells. We have studied the main characteristics of BTK inhibitors used in clinical practice and associated disorders in the activity of off-target tyrosine kinases. The work describes the main types of known infectious complications developing during the treatment with the drugs of this group, the period of their appearance, and characteristic pathogens.

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of lymphoproliferative diseases in primary Sjogren's syndrome associated with anticentromere antibodies

Purpose of the study. To study the characteristics and frequency of lymphomas in patients with Sjogren's disease (SD) and anticentromere antibodies (ACA); to evaluate the predictors of the development of lymphoproliferative diseases (LPD) in this group of patients. Material and methods. Over the period from 1998 till 2019, 131 ACA-positive patients were under medical supervision at the Research Institute of Rheumatology named after Nasonova V.A. Isolated SD was diagnosed in 82 patients (62.6%), isolated limited form of SSc — in 12 patients (9.2%), combination of SD and limited form of SSc — in 37 patients (28.2%). Lymphoproliferative diseases (LPD) were diagnosed in 20 ACA-positive patients: in 15 — with SD, in 5 — with SD and SSc; no lymphomas were found in the group of patients with isolated SSc. All lymphomas were diagnosed on the basis of histological, immunohistochemical and PCR examination with of B-cell clonality determination in the tissue, and were classified on the base of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissue tumors classification by the World Health Organization. Further analysis included 15 ACA-positive patients with isolated SD and lymphomas. Results. In our study, 18.3% of patients with isolated ACA-positive SD were diagnosed with LPD, represented by MALT lymphomas of the salivary glands (subsequent transformation into aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was noted in one patient) in most cases. The course of SD before the diagnosis of LPD was characterized by a gradual progression of dental manifestations of SD with the development of late stages of parenchymal parotitis, severe xerostomia, and significant enlargement of the salivary glands with a minimum number of systemic manifestations of the disease. Significant enlargement of salivary glands, severe infiltration of minor salivary glands, severe xerostomia, decreased level of C4-complement component, monoclonal secretion, low content of CD19+B-cells in peripheral blood, positive B-cell clonality in biopsy material were the main signs of LPD in this study. When diagnosing MALT lymphomas, a focal damage of the salivary glands with no signs of dissemination, no symptoms of B-cell intoxication, and minimal changes in laboratory assessment were found in patients with ACA-positive SD. Conclusion. The natural course of ACA-positive SD and the absence of pathogenetic therapy at an early stage contribute to the development of salivary gland lymphomas in the first 10 years of the disease. Persistent enlargement of the salivary glands in SD, especially in the presence of other predictors of lymphoproliferation, is a direct indication for biopsy followed by the research to exclude the presence of lymphoma.

An unusual cause of ascites: Castleman disease

Background Castleman disease (CD) is a group of rare lymphoproliferative diseases with common lymph node histological features that can easily be misdiagnosed as infections, multiple autoimmune diseases, and malignant tumors. Case presentation Here we report a rare case of a Chinese male with refractory ascites for two years and was eventually diagnosed as CD. Conclusions The challenges in diagnosis of CD arise from the large differential, clinical heterogeneity and our limited understanding of pathology. In case of rare ascites, CD needs to be considered.

Modern possibilities of therapy for primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas: the first results of the use of brentuximab vedotin in the Russian Federation

Background. Primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are rare heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative diseases characterized by primarily involving skin and subcutaneous adipose tissue. Half of these cases are mycosis fungoides (MF), for about 25% are cutaneous CD30+ lymphoproliferative diseases (CD30+ LPD): primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (pcALCL) and lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP). During the initiating treatment of patients with MF and Szary syndrome (SS), carried out on the territory of the Russian Federation, for about 30% of patients are resistant to various therapeutic effects, especially in the later stages. The problem of the treatment of CD30+ LPD is extracutaneous dissemination in case of pcALCL, steadily relapsing course of LyP without symptom-free intervals. These characteristics of the therapy of cutaneous lymphomas demand for the need to search for new treatment options. Brentuximab vedotin, according to the results of the international randomized ALCANZA trial, has shown high efficiency in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases. Aim. To evaluate the efficacy of brentuximab vedotin application in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphomas in adverse risk group received at least one line of systemic therapy. Materials and methods. The study included 21 patients: 16 men and 5 women. The diagnosis of MF was verified in 8 patients, SS in 5 patients, cutaneous CD30+ LPD in 6 patients (5 patients pcALCL, 1 patient LyP) and a primary cutaneous peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified in 2 patients. The diagnosis of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma was verified on the basis of the anamnesis of the disease, on the character of cutaneous lesions, on histological, immunohistochemical and in some cases on molecular genetic testing of the biopted sample of the skin (the assessment of T-cell receptor gene rearrangement). Results. The late stages of the disease were diagnosed in 12 of 13 patients with MF/SS. Extracutaneous lesions were diagnosed in 57% of cases. The median of prior lines therapy was 3 (18 variants of treatment). The overall response to the treatment was achieved in 91% of cases (in 19 of 21 patients): the complete remission was obtained in 53% of cases, very good partial remission in 31% of cases and partial remission in 16% of cases. The progression of the disease was determined in 2 patients (after the first and fourth cycles). Some patients with partial remission as a result of therapy using brentuximab vedotin had the additional therapy (radiation therapy, interferon , the cycles of systemic therapy) and these acts gave an option of achieving deeper antitumor response. The early relapse was diagnosed in 2 of 19 patients who had responded to the treatment. The treatment tolerability was acceptable, and the toxicity did not exceed the already known one described in earlier studies. Thus, the stable overall antitumor response had been persisting in 89% of patients (the median of the observation was 10 months). Conclusion. The use of targeted therapy with brentuximab vedotin gave an option of achieving high treatment results in group of patients with advanced stages of the disease and inefficiency of several lines of therapy.

Diagnostic criteria of lymphoproliferative diseases from the peripheral blood samples using a cell biochip

Background: At present, the diagnosis of lymphoproliferative disorders is based on the combination of blood or bone marrow smear morphology and immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. Immunophenotypic testing by flow cytometry technique is available only in big medical centers, which is not always convenient for a patient. Therefore, development of an available method for preliminary diagnosis of lymphoproliferative diseases not requiring special equipment seems relevant.Materials and methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 17 patients admitted to the hospital with suspicion of a lymphoproliferative disorder, and 17 healthy donors were studied on a cell biochip for determination of proportions of cells positive for various surface CD antigens. The diagnosis was verified by flow cytometry.Results: Compared to healthy controls and patients with T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (TCLPD), the patients with B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (BCLPD) had significantly lower proportion of CD7+ cells (medians, 7% and 73% respectively, p=2×10-6 for comparison with healthy controls; median 7% and 93% for comparison with TCLPD, p=0.032). In addition, the patients with BCLPD had higher proportion of peripheral СD19+ mononuclear cells, compared to that in the patients with TCLPD and healthy donors (medians 84% and 13% for comparison between BCLPD and healthy control, p=2×10-5; 84% and 3% for comparison of BCLPD and TCLPD, p=0.033). The patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia had significantly higher CD5+ cells in the cell biochip compared to the patients with other BCLPD (medians 72% and 9%, p=0.024). The patients with TCLPD had significantly lower proportion of CD19+ cells than the healthy controls (medians, 3% and 13%, respectively, р=0.042).Conclusion: The study has demonstrated the potential to use the previously developed cell biochip for diagnosis of lymphoproliferative diseases. The biochip makes it possible to sort out white blood cells according to their surface differentiation antigen for their further morphological analysis. The cell biochip allows for the differential diagnosis between BCLPD and TCLPD and determination the lymphocyte clones based on the expression of immunoglobulin light chains.

Off-Label Use of Thrombopoietin Receptor Agonists: Case Series and Review of the Literature

Since their license in 2008, studies on thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) are proceeding at a fast pace. Their favorable efficacy and safety profile makes them good candidates for the management of thrombocytopenia in different settings, even beyond their current indications. In the last 10 years, we faced patients with refractory thrombocytopenia that required treatment with off-label TPO-RA, despite the paucity of data in the literature and the possible risks, particularly that of thrombosis. We hereby report our 10-year real-life single-center experience of TPO-RA used off-label. Fourteen patients were divided into three groups according to the etiology of thrombocytopenia: myelodysplastic syndromes, post-transplantation, and lymphoproliferative diseases. Clinical features and results are reported within each group. Overall, TPO-RA proved effective in all these conditions achieving responses also in heavily pretreated patients. The overall response rate (ORR) was 100% in patients with thrombocytopenia after transplantation and in those with lymphoproliferative diseases and 75% in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. The median duration of therapy was 285 days (range 93–1,513 days). Four patients (29%) discontinued treatment because of lack of response (n=2) or a sustained response (n=2). No grade 3–4 adverse events occurred, particularly no thrombosis. In our real-life experience, TPO-RAs were effective and safe and proved of value in the challenging management of patients with refractory thrombocytopenia associated with different conditions.