Clinical study on fludarabine combined with cytarabine regimen in the treatment of patients with refractory and relapsed acute myeloid leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

The aim of study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and toxicity of fludarabine combined with cytarabine (FA) regimen in the treatment of patients with refractory and/or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Nineteen cases with refractory/relapsed AML were treated with FA regimen in which fludarabine phosphate 25 mg/(m(2) x d), d1-5; cytarabine (Ara-C) 2 g/(m(2) x d), d1-5. Another 20 cases were treated with salvage chemotherapy (MAE regimen: mitoxantrone, Ara-C and etoposide or DAE regimen: daunorubicin, Ara-C and etoposide). All patients received at least 2 cycles chemotherapy. The results showed that 9 patients (47%) in FA regimen group achieved complete remission (CR), 8 cases (42%) obtained partial remission (PR), the clinical efficacy was superior to that of the MAE or DAE regimens (p < 0.05). Major toxicity of FA regimen was myelosuppression. Grade IV hematologic toxicity occurred in all patients received FA regimen. Nonhematologic complications consisted of gastrointestinal side effects, mucositis, liver toxicity, which were mild to moderate and could be alleviated with supportive therapy. In conclusion, FA regimen is an effective regimen for treatment of refractory and relapsed AML.

Arsenic trioxide induces socs-1 gene demethylation in myeloma cell lines / 中国实验血液学杂志

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) on the methylation status of socs-1 gene in multiple myeloma cell lines U266, RPMI8226. The cell viability was assayed by MTT method. The methylation status of socs-1 gene was detected by methylation specific PCR. The expression of socs-1 gene mRNA was determined with real-time PCR. The cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. The results indicated that hypermethylation of CpG island of socs-1 gene was observed without expression of socs-1 in myeloma cell lines U266, RPMI8226. The expression of socs-1 gene mRNA in each myeloma cell line increased significantly after exposure to As(2)O(3) for 72 hours as compared with the cell lines of wild type (p < 0.05). And cell proliferation was significantly inhibited, both early apoptosis and later apoptosis ratios increased in dose-dependent manner. It is concluded that As(2)O(3) may induce socs-1 demethylation and up-regulate the expression of the gene. This study provides a new thought and direction for exploring possible mechanism of cell apoptosis induced by As(2)O(3) and multiple myeloma treatment by As(2)O(3).

Progress of study on survivin in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma--review / 中国实验血液学杂志

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), which is also a significantly heterogeneous disease. Survivin, a unique member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family, is overexpressed in various cancers, including some types of lymphoma. It is found that inhibitor of apoptosis protein, survivin, plays an important role in the development and progression of DLBCL. Survivin is able to inhibit the cell apoptosis, and enhances the cell proliferation. Many studies showed that survivin may be considered as an independent unfavorable prognostic index of DLBCL. The poor prognostic cases early are screened in combination of survivin expression with International Prognostic Index (IPI), and improve the outcome of DLBCL. Survivin selectively expressed in tumor tissue, which provide an ideal target for tumor therapy. Modulation of survivin expression or function may provide a novel approach for experimental therapy in patients with DLBCL. In this review, the progress of study on mechanism of survivin protein, the survivin expression in DLBCL, its significance in diagnosis and therapy of DLBCL, and the prospective trend were summarized.