1/4. Rituximab (anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody) administration in a young patient with resistant B-prolymphocytic leukemia.Following the administration of the human anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody IDEC-C2B8 (rituximab), a 31-year-old woman with B-prolymphocytic leukemia, who had been resistant to CHOP, fludarabine, pentostatin and 2-CdA, achieved complete remission. Rituximab was administered intravenously once a week for 4 weeks. The patient only had mild but tolerable side effects during the first cycle of therapy. She remains in complete remission 8 months following the discontinuation of treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cycle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/4. Unusual case of leukemic mantle cell lymphoma with amplified CCND1/IGH fusion gene.We describe a case of leukemic mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) with complex karyotype and amplification of the CCND1/IGH fusion gene. Testing for the presence of t(11;14), the hallmark of MCL, revealed multiple copies of the fusion signals. We therefore conducted extensive molecular cytogenetic studies to delineate the nature and consequences of such an abnormality. We localized the amplification to the der(14)t(11;14) and to a der(2) chromosome in a form of interspersed chromosome 11 and 14 material. This resulted in high expression of cyclin d1 mRNA and the protein expressed independently of the cell cycle phase. CGH analysis revealed that the overrepresentation on chromosome 11 included chromosomal band 11q23 in addition to the CCND1 locus at 11q13. The band 11q23 harbors the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene recently proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of MCL with high incidence of deletions in this locus. Using YAC 801e11, containing the ATM gene, we demonstrated several hybridization signals, suggesting that this region also formed part of the amplicon. This case also showed TP53 gene abnormalities: protein expression, monoallelic deletion, and a mutation in exon 5. The clinical course was aggressive, and the patient died within 6 months of presentation. This is to our knowledge the first description of amplification of the CCND1/IGH fusion gene in a human neoplasm, which may have played a role in the fulminating course of the disease in this patient.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cycle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/4. ProMACE day 1/MOPP day 8 chemotherapy for prolymphocytic leukemia: a case report of prolonged survival.The treatment result of a case of de novo B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL) is described. The diagnosis was established with histologic, ultrastructural and immunologic studies. The patient was treated with chemotherapy using a total of seven cycles of ProMACE Day 1/MOPP Day 8 lymphoma regimen. Complete remission was achieved after 5 cycles of chemotherapy. The patient remains disease free after a 7-year follow up. This is the first case of PLL being treated with such a regimen and the only case reported achieved such prolonged survival. Results of other treatment modalities are reviewed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = cycle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/4. Autoimmune haemolysis in patients with B-CLL treated with chlorodeoxyadenosine (CDA).We have treated 19 B-chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) patients with CDA (Leustat, Janssen-Cilag). Four patients developed severe autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, and 2 of these had severe reticulocytopenia due to red cell aplasia/hypoplasia. Two patients died as a complication of the haemolysis one during the primary episode, with a clinical course suggestive of transfusion associated graft-versus-host disease (taGVHD), and one following a relapse of haemolysis. The onset of haemolysis occurs within 4 cycles of CDA therapy and is temporally related to the T-lymphocyte nadir induced by CDA. The presence of a positive DAT prior to therapy in 3 of 4 patients developing haemolysis suggests that the CDA induced T-lymphocytopenia may exacerbate the tendency of certain CLL patients to autoimmune haemolysis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cycle (Clic here for more details about this article) |