Clinical Characteristics and Therapeutic Efficacy of Multiple Myeloma Combined with Renal Amyloidosis / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical characteristics of multiple myeloma (MM) combined with renal amyloidosis and its curative efficacy and prognosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 22 cases of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma combined with renal amyloidosis treated in our hospital from November 2011 to July 2015 were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>According to Intenational Staging System (ISS), among above-menthioned 22 patients the ISS II accounted for 77.2% (17/22), ISS III accounted for 22.8% (5/22). The patients with renal impairment accounted for 36.4% (8/22), with anemia 40.9% (9/22), with serum album < 35 g/L 86.4% (19/22), with urinary protein positive 100% (22/22). The evaluation of the curative efficacy of the 22 cases was as follows: CR 13.6% (3/22); VGPR 4.5% (1/22); PR 22.8% (5/22); SD 45.5% (10/22); PD 13.6% (3/22). Out of 9 patients with effective treatment, 3 cases (3/9, 33.3%) achieved "improved" in renal amyloidosis, 4 cases (4/9, 44.5%) achieved stable in renal amyloidosis, 2 cases (2/9, 2%) achieved "worsened" in renal amyloidosis. Among 17 cases who were followed up, 7 cases died, 10 cases survived, the average duration of follow-up for these cases was 11 (1-37) months, the median overall survival (OS) time was 19 (95% CI 9.2-28.8) months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MM with renal amyloidosis is rare, refractory and has a poor prognosis. Whether there is impairment of kidney function or not, renal amyloidosis shall be taken into consideration if the MM patients got massive proteinuria especially nephritic syndrome. Bortezomib may improve the curative efficacy.</p>

Clinical observation of thalidomide combined with VAD regimen for treatment of osteosclerotic myeloma (POEMS syndrome) / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was purposed to analyze the clinical features and evaluate the efficacy of thalidomide combined with VAD regimen for treatment of osteosclerotic myeloma (POEMS syndrome). The data of 27 patients with POEMS syndrome in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were analyzed retrospectively, including clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, treatments and prognosis. The results showed that the polyneuropathy was observed in 27 patients (27/27), hepato-spleno-lymphadenectasis was found in 15 patients (15/27), endocrinopathy was found in 24 patients (24/27), skin changes was observed in 22 patients (22/27). M protein was found in 23 patients (23/27); in addition to these clinical manifestations, the papilledema serous cavity effusion and sclerotic bone lesion were also frequently observed in patients with POEMS syndrome. The remission rates of treatment of POEMS syndrome with thalidomide combined with VAD regimen for organomegaly, edema, skin changes, and endocrinopathy were 60, 58.3, 41 and 45.8 respectively. The level of serum M protein and the nervous system ODSS value decreased greatly after treatment (P < 0.01). It is concluded that the clinical characteristics of POEMS syndrome are complicated and easy to be misdiagnosed, and the evidence of monoclonal plasma cell hyperplasia should be actively searched for those patients whose serum M protein is negative. Thalidomide combined with VAD regimen for treatment of patients with POEMS syndrome has advantages such as significant curative effects, less side-effects, good tolerance, and higher safety and can be chosen as a preferred approach.

Immunophenotyping characteristics of adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in different ages / 中国实验血液学杂志

The purpose of this study was to investigate the immunophenotyping characteristics of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients in groups of different ages. Immunophenotyping was performed in 260 ALL patients by flow cytometry using a panel of monoclonal antibodies and CD45/SSC gating. The results indicated that (1) all the 82 cases of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) expressed CD7 (100%) while the positive rate of CD2 remarkably decreased with aging. The positive rate of CD2 in patients aged 14 to 18 years (adolescents) was 91.67%, which is significantly higher than that in cases aged 19 to 35 years (young adults) and > 35 years (older adults) (65.71% and 43.48% respectively, p < 0.05); the positive rate of CD34 and HLA-DR increased with aging, there was significant difference of the HLA-DR expression between the older adults group (39.13%) and the other two groups (4.17% in adolescents and 11.43% in young adults respectively (p < 0.05). Moreover, there were significant differences of the myeloid antigen (MyAg) and CD13 expression between the older adults and younger adults (p < 0.05). (2) As to adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the positive rates of CD19 and HLA-DR in 178 cases were 100%; the positive rate of CD33 in young adults was significant higher than that in adolescents (p < 0.05), the differences of the other marker expressions failed to reach statistical significance in adult B-ALL patients. It is concluded that the immunophenotypes of adult T-ALL are evidently heterogeneous in different ages, and expression with more aberrant phenotypes indicates poor prognostic significance in patients older than 35 years. There is no significant association of immunophenotypes with ages among different age groups of adult B-ALL.

Clinical features and survival analysis of patients with CD20 positive adult B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

The aim of this study was to explore the clinical features and survival of adult patients with CD20 positive B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). The clinical manifestations, examination results, therapeutic effect and survival rate of 119 adult B-ALL patients diagnosed and treated in our hospital from May 2004 to January 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. The results showed that among 119 cases, CD20 positive B-ALL accounted for 40 cases (33.61%), CD20 negative B-ALL patents accounted for 79 cases (66.39), the percentage of male patients in CD20 positive and negative groups were 72.50% and 50.63%, the leukocyte counts at diagnosis in these two groups were (27.35+/-30.29)x10(9)/L and (0.11+/-81.72)x10(9)/L, respectively, there were significant differences (p<0.05), whereas the distribution of age, infiltration of liver, spleen, lymph nodes and central nervous system, the hemoglobin and platelet levels, the expression of myeloid lineage marker, the incidence of Ph chromosome, the ratio of hyperdiploid and normal karyotype, the complete remission rate within 4 weeks, induction death rate and relapse rate and so on in CD20 positive and negative groups showed no significant differences (p>0.05). The analysis of Kaplan-Meier curve on survival rate demonstrated that the median overall survival time and 3-year overall survival rate of adult B-ALL patients in CD20 positive and negative groups were 11.0 months and 12.0 months, 28% and 20% respectively, there were no statistical differences (p=0.832). It is concluded that the expression of CD20 in adult B-ALL appears to be associated with sex and leukocyte count, but not associated with other clinical features, which indicates no significant influence on the prognosis of patients.

Sensitivity of survivin-positive primary leukemia cells to chemotherapy / 中国实验血液学杂志

To explore the sensitivity of survivin-positive primary acute leukemia (AL) cells to various chemotherapeutics, RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of survivin mRNA in AL cells, the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutics was investigated with the MTT assay. The results indicated that for the primary AL cells cultured with various chemotherapeutics for 15 hours, the cytotoxicities of daunorubicin (DNR), homoharringtonine (HHT), aclacinomycin (Acla), Ara C (cytosine arabinoside), HA (HHT + Ara C), DA (DNR+Ara C) to the survivin-positive AL cells were similar with that to the survivin-negative AL cells. When AL cells were treated with AA (Acla + Ara C) in vitro, the cytotoxicity in survivin-positive group was apparently higher than that in survivin-negative group [(37.24 +/- 18.36)% vs (24.32 +/- 9.33)%, P = 0.032]. It is suggested that the survivin-positive AL cells may be sensitive to some chemotherapy, such as AA (Acla + Ara C).

The expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA and its significance in acute leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

To investigate the expression of hTERT mRNA in bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNCs) from acute leukemia patients, the method of semi-quntitative RT-PCR was used to examine the expression of hTERT mRNA in marrow MNCs, and the telomerase activity of marrow MNCs was determined with the method of TRAP-PCR-ELISA by using a commercial kit. The results indicated that the expression of hTERT mRNA of marrow MNCs in 30 untreated AL patients was markedly higher than that in 12 CR cases (0.71 +/- 0.34 vs 0.43 +/- 0.25, P < 0.05) and 6 normal volunteers (0.71 +/- 0.34 vs 0.22 +/- 0.21, P < 0.01), respectively. Telomerase activity of marrow MNCs in 30 untreated AL patients was significantly higher than that in 12 CR cases (0.235 +/- 0.395 vs 0.012 +/- 0.015, P = 0.007). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the hTERT mRNA synthesis and telomerase activity in AL cells (r = 0.421, P < 0.01). The pencentage of blast cells in marrow smear of the untreated AL patients was positively correlated with both the expression of hTERT mRNA and the telomerase activity of bone marrow MNCs (r = 0.457, P < 0.05 and r = 0.411, P < 0.05), respectively. It is concluded that the expression of hTERT mRNA in bone marrow MNCs from untreated AL patients was correlated with their telomerase activity. It is suggested that the expression of hTERT mRNA leukemic cells indicates their higher proliferation ability.

Effect of homoharringtonine on expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA in HL-60 cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

To investigate the mechanism and its significance of the depression of telomerase activity in HL-60 cells exposed to homoharringtonine (HHT), the semi-quantitative RT-PCR and PCR-ELISA were used to detect the expression of hTERT mRNA and telomerase activity in HL-60 cells, the apoptotic rate of HL-60 cells was assayed with TUNEL. The results indicated that compared with the control, the level of hTERT mRNA synthesis in HL-60 cells treated with HHT at 0.005 - 0.03 micro g/ml for 12 hours did not change significantly, but it reduced obviously at 0.04 micro g/ml and was undetectable at 0.05 micro g/ml. When HL-60 cells incubated with HHT at 0.02 micro g/ml for various hours, the expression of hTERT mRNA did not decrease after 6 - 18 hours and reduced significantly after 24 hours and was undetectable at 30 hours. The tendency for suppression of telomerase activity was consistent with decrease of the expression of hTERT mRNA in HHT-treated HL-60 cells. The apoptotic rate of HL-60 cells was apparently increased with the depression of hTERT mRNA and telomerase activity. In conclusion, the transcription of hTERT mRNA in HL-60 cells can be inhibited by HHT. The relationship between regulation of hTERT mRNA expression and HHT-induced apoptosis is worth investigating furtherly.