Massive hemorrhage after percutaneous liver biopsy in a pediatric patient with graft-versus-host disease; a successful angiographic embolization

Most cases of bleeding that develop after percutaneous liver biopsies can be managed with follow-up and supportive treatment. In life-threatening situations, however, open surgery or minimally invasive methods are required. This case report describes the clinical course of an 11-year-old patient with a diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome who experienced a major hemorrhage following a percutaneous liver biopsy. Clinical findings, imaging, interventions, and results were evaluated. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed without any problem. The patient's bilirubin level started to increase on the 20th day after transplantation. Profuse watery diarrhea started on the 24th day. Graft-versus-host disease of the gastrointestinal tract and liver was considered as his diarrhea continued to the 29th day. An ultrasound-guided Tru-cut® liver biopsy (Merit medical, South Jordan, UT, USA) was performed with an 18-gauge needle on the 52nd day after transplantation. In the fourth hour after the procedure, the general condition of the patient started to deteriorate. Active bleeding was detected in the patient with computed tomography, and he was hypotensive and tachycardic. The patient was urgently transferred to the angiography unit and a successful angiographic embolization was performed. Angiographic embolization is an intervention with high success rates in cases of bleeding where the patient is hemodynamically stable. However, it can also be successfully applied in selected patients who are hemodynamically unstable.

Progression of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN): Diagnostic and Therapeutic Perspectives

Classical BCR-ABL-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are a heterogeneous group of hematologic malignancies, including essential thrombocythemia (ET), polycythemia vera (PV), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF), as well as post-PV-MF and post-ET-MF. Progression to more symptomatic disease, such as overt MF or acute leukemia, represents one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. There are clinically evident but also subclinical types of MPN progression. Clinically evident progression includes evolution from ET to PV, ET to post-ET-MF, PV to post-PV-MF, or pre-PMF to overt PMF, and transformation of any of these subtypes to myelodysplastic neoplasms or acute leukemia. Thrombosis, major hemorrhage, severe infections, or increasing symptom burden (e.g., pruritus, night sweats) may herald progression. Subclinical types of progression may include increases in the extent of bone marrow fibrosis, increases of driver gene mutational allele burden, and clonal evolution. The underlying causes of MPN progression are diverse and can be attributed to genetic alterations and chronic inflammation. Particularly, bystander mutations in genes encoding epigenetic regulators or splicing factors were associated with progression. Finally, comorbidities such as systemic inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, and organ fibrosis may augment the risk of progression. The aim of this review was to discuss types and mechanisms of MPN progression and how their knowledge might improve risk stratification and therapeutic intervention. In view of these aspects, we discuss the potential benefits of early diagnosis using molecular and functional imaging and exploitable therapeutic strategies that may prevent progression, but also highlight current challenges and methodological pitfalls.

The PAR4 platelet thrombin receptor variant rs773902 does not impact the incidence of thrombotic or bleeding events in a healthy older population

Background: Protease-activated receptor 4 (PAR4) is a platelet thrombin receptor important for thrombosis and a target of anti-platelet drug development. A frequently occurring single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; rs773902) causes a PAR4 sequence variant (NC_000019.10:p.Ala120Thr) whereby platelets from Thr120-expressing individuals are hyper-responsive to PAR4 agonists versus platelets from Ala120-expressing individuals. However, whether this enhanced platelet responsiveness translates to increased thrombotic risk or decreased bleeding risk remains unknown. Objectives: To examine the association of rs773902 with adjudicated cardiovascular events and aspirin use in a randomized trial population of healthy older individuals. Patients/Methods: We analyzed 13,547 participants in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial. Participants had no previous cardiovascular events at enrollment and were randomized to either 100 mg daily aspirin or placebo for a median follow-up of 4.7 years. Total genotypes were 8,761 (65%) GG (Ala120 variant), 4,303 (32%) heterozygotes, and 483 (4%) AA (Thr120 variant). Cox proportional hazard regression tested the relationship between rs773902 and thrombotic events (major adverse cardiovascular events [MACE] and ischemic stroke [IS]) and bleeding (major hemorrhage [MHEM] and intracranial bleeding [ICB]). Results: No statistically significant association was observed overall or by treatment group between rs773902 and any thrombotic or bleeding event examined. Further, there was no significant interaction between rs773902 and treatment for any of MACE, IS, MHEM, or ICB. Conclusions: This post-hoc analysis of a prospective cohort study suggests that, despite sensitizing platelet activation, the rs773902 PAR4 variant is not associated with thrombotic cardiovascular or bleeding events in a healthy older population.

Surgical strategy for pulmonary sequestration: Focus on precautions for aberrant vessels under minimally invasive surgery

Background Recently, thoracoscopic resection of pulmonary sequestration has become more common, since resection of an aberrant artery using an end-stapler is a safe maneuver in many cases. However, injury of the vessels can lead to major hemorrhage. We reported our surgical experience based on thoracoscopic surgery, with five cases of interlobar pulmonary sequestration, focusing on precautions for aberrant arterial vessels. Object and methods We performed pulmonary resections for five patients with interlobar pulmonary sequestration in a lower lobe (left, n = 4; right, n = 1) between April 2004 and May 2020. All aberrant vessels were derived from the lower thoracic artery. Two patients had a single aberrant artery and three had multiple. In four patients, these vessels were detected before surgery, and pulmonary sequestration was diagnosed in four. In one elderly patient, the aberrant vessel was overlooked, and lung cancer was suspected before surgery. Angiography or multidetector-row computed tomography was subsequently performed in four cases. The surgical plan was determined according to the location and size of the pulmonary lesion and three-dimensional images of aberrant vessels. Result In all patients, approaches were made thoracoscopically. Hemorrhage from an anomalous vessel was encountered in one case. Pulmonary resections included two lobectomies and three limited resections. Angioplasty for the root of anomalous branches was performed following pulmonary resections under converted minimal lateral thoracotomy in two cases. Conclusion Preoperative assessment of the anatomical variations in abnormal vessels is essential to achieve safe surgical procedures. According to the situation of the aberrant vessels, selecting surgical procedures with consideration of potential subsequent complications arising over a long period of time is important.

Perioperative and Long-Term Outcomes of Ross versus Mechanical Aortic Valve Replacement

Background The ideal aortic valve replacement strategy in young- and middle-aged adults remains up for debate. Clinical practice guidelines recommend mechanical prostheses for most patients less than 50 years of age undergoing aortic valve replacement. However, risks of major hemorrhage and thromboembolism associated with long-term anticoagulation may make the pulmonary autograft technique, or Ross procedure, a preferred approach in select patients. Methods Data were retrospectively collected for patients 18 to 50 years of age who underwent either the Ross procedure or mechanical aortic valve replacement (mAVR) between January 2000 and December 2016 at a single institution. Propensity score matching was performed and yielded 32 well-matched pairs from a total of 216 eligible patients. Results Demographic and preoperative characteristics were similar between the two groups. Median follow-up was 7.3 and 6.9 years for Ross and mAVR, respectively. There were no early mortalities in either group and no statistically significant differences were observed with respect to perioperative outcomes or complications. Major hemorrhage and stroke events were significantly more frequent in the mAVR population ( p < 0.01). Overall survival ( p = 0.93), freedom from reintervention and valve dysfunction free survival ( p = 0.91) were equivalent. Conclusions In this mid-term propensity score-matched analysis, the Ross procedure offers similar perioperative outcomes, freedom from reintervention or valve dysfunction as well as overall survival compared to traditional mAVR but without the morbidity associated with long-term anticoagulation. At specialized centers with sufficient expertise, the Ross procedure should be strongly considered in select patients requiring aortic valve replacement.

Low-Risk Polycythemia Vera Treated with Phlebotomies: Clinical Characteristics, Hematologic Control and Complications in 358 Patients from the Spanish Registry of Polycythemia Vera

Introduction: Current recommendations for patients with low-risk polycythemia vera (PV) include hematocrit (Htc) control with phlebotomies and primary prophylaxis of thrombosis with low-dose aspirin. There is scarce information regarding the hematological control, the incidence of complications and the need for cytoreduction in PV patients treated with phlebotomies only. Methods: A total of 358 patients with low-risk PV (&lt;60 years old and without history of thrombosis) from the Spanish Registry of Polycythemia Vera were included in the present study. PV-related symptoms and blood counts were collected at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months from diagnosis while the patients were treated with phlebotomies only. The duration of the treatment with phlebotomies, the indication of starting cytoreduction and the incidence of thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events during the cytoreduction-free period was also analyzed. Results: Baseline characteristics at the time of diagnosis are described in Table 1. Table 2 summarizes the main hematological and clinical characteristics under treatment with phlebotomies. Inadequate control of the Htc (&gt; 45%) was reported in 61-70% of the patients, leukocytosis &gt;15x10 9/l in 10% and thrombocytosis &gt;1000x10 9/l in 5%. In addition, about 20% of the patients had pruritus and 10% had microvascular symptoms. Of the 358 patients included, 275 (77%) required cytoreduction, 261 (73%) with hydroxyurea and 14 (4%) with IFN. The main indication of cytoreduction was thrombocytosis (20%), followed by age &gt;60 years old (15%) and microvascular symptoms (13%). Median duration of cytoreduction abstention was 4.7 (0.1-30.4) years being significantly longer in patients younger than 50 years (6 and 2 years for patients younger and older than 50 years, respectively, p&lt;0.0001). With a follow-up of 1659 person-years under phlebotomy only treatment, 14 thrombosis were observed (arterial n=9, venous n= 5), 12 hemorrhages (major n=4, minor n=8) and 4 solid tumors (1 melanoma and 3 non-cutaneous carcinomas). The incidence of complications during the cytoreduction-free period by person-years was: 0.8% for thrombosis, 0.2% for major hemorrhage and 0.2% for second neoplasia. The median follow-up until last visit including the time after starting cytoreductive therapy was 8.4 (0.2-39) years. Of 14 deaths observed, none occurred during the phlebotomy period. Half of the patients died from PV related reasons but the other 50% were not related. The median survival estimation by K-M was 36.5 years. Disease progression was documented in 27 (7.5%) patients, 26 of them to myelofibrosis, 1 to myelodysplastic syndrome and none to acute leukemia. Progression to myelofibrosis occurred during the cytoreduction-free period in 5 patients (1.4%) after a median of 5.8 years (Range: 4.9-8.9). Conclusions The incidence of thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications was very low in this series of low-risk patients treated with phlebotomies, even though only 30-40% of patients maintained the Htc &lt;45%. The data from the present study show that low-risk patients have different therapeutic needs than other PV patients and support the development of new treatment strategies. Representing the Spanish Group of Myeloproliferative Disorders. GEMFIN Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Bellosillo: Qiagen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Thermofisher Scientific: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Ferrer Marin: Cty: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Garcia Gutierrez: Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

The 1.5 Million Platelet Count Threshold in Essential Thrombocythemia: Phenotype and Genotype Correlates and Relevance to Vascular Events

Background Current NCCN and ELN guidelines lack supporting evidence in regards to initiation of cytoreductive therapy in essential thrombocythemia (ET) with extreme thrombocytosis (ExT) ≥1500 x 10 9/L (NCCN guidelines: myeloproliferative neoplasms, version 2. 2019, Barbui, Leukemia, 2018).; we sought to determine prevalence and establish phenotype and genotype correlates for ET with ExT and assess its impact on thrombotic and bleeding events, in the context of aspirin therapy or cytoreduction. Methods 1,249 WHO-defined ET patients evaluated over five decades (1967-2021) were retrospectively recruited from the Mayo Clinic. Conventional criteria were used to define major arterial and venous thrombosis and major hemorrhage. Conventional statistical methods were applied using JMP Pro 14.0.0 software package, SAS Institute, Cary, NC. Results i) Phenotype and genotype correlates Among 1,249 consecutive patients with ET, 104 (8%) displayed Ext ≥1500 x 10 9/L, at time of initial diagnosis; these patients were characterized by younger age (median 47 vs 59 years; p&lt;0.001) female gender (80% vs 62%; p&lt;0.001), CALR mutation (39% vs 25%; p=0.004), lower hemoglobin (median 13.1 vs 13.7 g/dl; p&lt;0.0001), leukocytosis ≥11 x 10 9/l (42% vs 23%; p&lt;0.0001), and palpable splenomegaly (22% vs 14%; 0.03); multivariable analysis confirmed associations with age, anemia, leukocytosis, and CALR mutation. Acquired von Willebrand syndrome was reported in 4/9 (44%) vs 27/78 (35%) tested patients, with or without Ext ≥1500 x 10 9/L, respectively (p=0.57); however, comparison using platelet ≥1000 x 10 9/L resulted in near-signficant difference (46% vs 29%; p=0.11). NGS was performed in 297 patients and showed a non-sigificant association with U2AF1 mutations (5% vs 0.4%; p=0.11). ExT ≥1500 x 10 9/L was present in 25/986 (3%), 42/891 (5%), and 15/558 (3%) in the validation cohort; the limited number of cases precluded comparative analyses. ii )Correlation with vascular events at/prior to diagnosis Arterial or venous thrombosis at/prior to diagnosis occurred in 190 (15%) and 111 (9%) patients, respectively, and major hemorrage in 50 (4%). Ext ≥1500 x 10 9/L was associated with major hemorrhage (HR 2.9; 1.3-6.3), but not with arterial (p=0.15) or venous (p=0.41) thrombotic events, at/prior to diagnosis. Instead, multivariable analysis for events at/prior to diagnosis identified male gender (p=0.02), JAK2 mutation (p=0.01), and cardiovascular risk factors (p=0.001) as risk factors for arterial thrombosis and JAK2 mutation (HR 2.8; 1.4-5.7) as a risk factor for venous thrombosis. iii ) Correlation with vascular events after diagnosis At median follow-up of 10 years, arterial or venous thrombosis occurred in 222 (18%) and 97 (8%) patients, respectively, and major hemorrage in 128 (11%). Ext ≥1500 x 10 9/L at diagnosis was not associated with arterial (p=0.35) or venous (p=0.23) thrombosis-free survival or hemorrhage-free survival (p=0.24). Instead, multivariable analysis identified age &gt;60 years, presence of cardiovascular risk factors, and history of arterial thrombosis, as risk factors for arterial thrombosis-free survival; and male gender and history of venous thrombosis as risk factors for venous thrombosis-free survival; and age &gt;60 years and leukocytosis of ≥11 x 10 9/L as risk factors for hemorrhage-free survival. In addition, aspirin therapy was idependently protective of venous thrombosis (HR 0.5; 0.2-0.9), and also of arterial thrombosis, in univariate analysis (HR 0.6; 0.3-0.9), without being associated with an increased risk of major hemorrhage (p=0.64); by contrast, beneficial effect from cytoreductive therapy was not evident for either arterial (p=0.37) or venous (p=0.77) thrombosis. In low-risk patients with Ext ≥1500 x 10 9/L, both aspirin and cytoreductive therapy were protective of venous events (Figure 1), without affecting hemorrhage-free survival. Conclusion ExT ≥1500 x 10 9/L in ET was associated with major hemorrhage at diagnosis but did not affect thrombosis-free or hemorrhage-free survival. Initial therapy with aspirin and/or cytoreductive therapy was protective of venous events in ET patients with ExT ≥1500 x 10 9/L, including those with low-risk disease, without enhancing the risk of hemorrhage. The limited number of informative cases with ExT in the validation cohort, underscore the foreseeable challenges associated with controlled studies. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Szuber: Novartis: Honoraria. Vannucchi: AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte Corporation: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Barbui: AOP Orphan: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Pooled safety analysis of zanubrutinib monotherapy in patients with B-cell malignancies

Zanubrutinib is a selective Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor evaluated in multiple B-cell malignancy studies. We constructed a pooled safety analysis to better understand zanubrutinib-associated treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and identify treatment-limiting toxicities. Data were pooled from 6 studies (N=779). Assessments included type, incidence, severity, and outcome of TEAEs. Median age was 65 years; 20% were ≥75 years old. Most patients had Waldenström macroglobulinemia (33%), chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (29%), or mantle-cell lymphoma (19%). Median treatment duration was 26 months (range: 0.1-65); 16% of patients were treated for ≥3 years. Common nonhematologic TEAEs were upper respiratory tract infection (URI, 39%), rash (27%), bruising (25%), musculoskeletal pain (24%), diarrhea (23%), cough, pneumonia (21% each), urinary tract infection (UTI), fatigue (15% each). Most common grade ≥3 TEAEs were pneumonia (11%), hypertension (5%), URI, UTI, sepsis, diarrhea, and musculoskeletal pain (2% each). Atrial fibrillation and major hemorrhage occurred in 3% and 4% of patients, respectively. Atrial fibrillation, hypertension and diarrhea occurred at lower rates than those reported historically for ibrutinib. Grade ≥3 AEs included neutropenia (23%), thrombocytopenia (8%), and anemia (8%). Serious TEAEs included pneumonia (11%), sepsis (2%), and pyrexia (2%). Treatment discontinuations and dose reductions for AEs occurred in 10% and 8% of patients, respectively. Thirty-nine patients (4%) had fatal TEAEs, including pneumonia (n=9), sepsis (n=4), unspecified cause (n=4), and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (n=5). This analysis demonstrates that zanubrutinib is generally well tolerated with a safety profile consistent with known BTK inhibitor toxicities; these were manageable and mostly reversible.

Anticoagulation in cancer-associated thromboembolism with thrombocytopenia: a prospective, multi-center cohort study

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) with concurrent thrombocytopenia is frequently encountered in patients with cancer. Therapeutic anticoagulation in the setting of thrombocytopenia is associated with a high risk of hemorrhage. Retrospective analyses suggest the utility of modified-dose anticoagulation in this population. To assess the incidence of hemorrhage or thrombosis according to anticoagulation strategy, we performed a prospective, multi-center, observational study. Patients with active malignancy, acute VTE, and concurrent thrombocytopenia (platelet count &lt; 100,000/µL) were enrolled. The cumulative incidences of hemorrhage or recurrent VTE were determined considering death as a competing risk. Primary outcomes were centrally adjudicated and comparisons made according to initial treatment with full-dose or modified-dose anticoagulation. A total of 121 patients were enrolled at six hospitals. Seventy-five patients were initially treated with full-dose anticoagulation (62%), 33 (27%) with modified-dose anticoagulation, while 13 (11%) received no anticoagulation. Most patients who received modified-dose anticoagulation had a hematologic malignancy (31 of 33, 94%) and an acute DVT (28 of 33, 85%). In patients who initially received full-dose anticoagulation, the cumulative incidence of major hemorrhage at 60 days was 12.8% (95% CI, 4.9-20.8%) and 6.6% (95% CI, 2.4-15.7%) in those who received modified-dose anticoagulation (Fine-Gray HR 2.18, 95% CI 1.21-3.93). The cumulative incidence of recurrent VTE at 60 days in patients who initially received full-dose anticoagulation was 5.6% (95% CI, 0.2-11%) and 0% in patients who received modified-dose anticoagulation. In conclusion, modified-dose anticoagulation appears to be a safe alternative to therapeutic anticoagulation in patients with cancer who develop DVT in the setting of thrombocytopenia.

Zanubrutinib monotherapy in relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma: a pooled analysis of two clinical trials

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a mature B-cell neoplasm with a high initial response rate followed almost invariably by relapse. Here we report the pooled data from 2 studies, BGB-3111-AU-003 and BGB-3111-206, to explore the efficacy of zanubrutinib monotherapy in relapsed/refractory (R/R) MCL. A total of 112 patients were included. Median follow-up durations were 24.7 and 24.9 months for BGB-3111-AU-003 and BGB-3111-206, respectively. Overall response rate (ORR) and complete response (CR) rate were 84.8% and 62.5%, and median duration of response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 24.9, 25.8 and 38.2 months, respectively. After weighting, the PFS (median: NE vs. 21.1 months, P = 0.235) and OS (median: NE vs. 38.2 months, P = 0.057) were similar but numerically better in the second-line than later-line group. Zanubrutinib was well-tolerated with treatment discontinuation and dose reduction for adverse events in 12.5% and 2.7% of patients, respectively. Hypertension, major hemorrhage and atrial fibrillation/flutter rates were 11.6%, 5.4% and 1.8%, respectively. Zanubrutinib is efficacious in R/R MCL, with a favorable safety profile.