Management guidelines for the use of alemtuzumab in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The consensus views of an expert roundtable meeting are presented as updated management guidelines for using alemtuzumab in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Since the publication of previous management guidelines in 2004, clinical experience with alemtuzumab has grown significantly, especially regarding its efficacy and safety, management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation, identification of patient subgroups likely to benefit from alemtuzumab therapy and subcutaneous administration of alemtuzumab. The updated recommendations include (1) alemtuzumab monotherapy can be safely used as first-line therapy; (2) suitable patient subgroups for alemtuzumab therapy include elderly patients, patients with 17p deletion, patients with refractory autoimmune cytopenias and patients with profound pancytopenia at baseline due to heavily infiltrated bone marrow; (3) alemtuzumab treatment should be continued for 12 weeks (36 doses) whenever possible, and bone marrow examination may be considered at week 12 to evaluate response; (4) monitoring CMV reactivation by weekly PCR is mandated during therapy; when CMV reactivation becomes symptomatic or viremia increases, alemtuzumab therapy should be interrupted and anti-CMV therapy started; (5) subcutaneous administration is safe, easy to perform and appears equally effective compared with intravenous infusion and (6) our strong recommendation is that alemtuzumab combination therapy and consolidation therapy shall not be used outside carefully controlled clinical studies.

Assessment of fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (the LRF CLL4 Trial): a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia reported high response rates to fludarabine combined with cyclophosphamide. We aimed to establish whether this treatment combination provided greater survival benefit than did chlorambucil or fludarabine. METHODS: 777 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia requiring treatment were randomly assigned to fludarabine (n=194) or fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide (196) for six courses, or chlorambucil (387) for 12 courses. The primary endpoint was overall survival, with secondary endpoints of response rates, progression-free survival, toxic effects, and quality of life. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered as an International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial, number NCT 58585610. FINDINGS: There was no significant difference in overall survival between patients given fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, or chlorambucil. Complete and overall response rates were better with fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide than with fludarabine (complete response rate 38%vs 15%, respectively; overall response rate 94%vs 80%, respectively; p<0.0001 for both comparisons), which were in turn better than with chlorambucil (complete response rate 7%, overall response rate 72%; p=0.006 and 0.04, respectively). Progression-free survival at 5 years was significantly better with fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide (36%) than with fludarabine (10%) or chlorambucil (10%; p<0.00005). Fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide was the best combination for all ages, including patients older than 70 years, and in prognostic groups defined by immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (V(H)) mutation status and cytogenetics, which were tested in 533 and 579 cases, respectively. Patients had more neutropenia and days in hospital with fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide, or fludarabine, than with chlorambucil. There was less haemolytic anaemia with fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide (5%) than with fludarabine (11%) or chlorambucil (12%). Quality of life was better for responders, but preliminary analyses showed no significant difference between treatments. A meta-analysis of these data and those of two published phase III trials showed a consistent benefit for the fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide regimen in terms of progression-free survival. INTERPRETATION: Fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide should now become the standard treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and the basis for new protocols that incorporate monoclonal antibodies.

[Prevention of infections in patients with lymphoproliferative syndromes and myeloma by nebulization of an IgA concentrate]. / Prevención de infecciones en pacientes con síndromes linfoproliferativos y mieloma por nebulización de un concentrado de IgA.

Infection of the upper respiratory tract is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with lymphoproliferative syndromes and multiple myeloma. Nebulizations with IgA tested in a randomized double blind trial to evaluate its efficacy to prevent respiratory infections in patients with lymphoproliferative syndromes and multiple myeloma. Forty nine patients were evaluated (chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, 22; multiple myeloma, 11; lymphoma, 8; HCL, 6; Waldenström and lymphoepiteliod tymoma, 1 patient each) were randomized to receive nebulizations every 12 hours during 3 months of IgA or placebo. Seven infectious episodes (4 respiratory tract infections) in 25 IgA treated patients and 25 episodes (16 respiratory tract infections) in 24 control patients were recorded (p <0.0002). Eighteen patients belonging to the treated group remained free of infections against only 5 from the control group (p < 0.001). No difference related to the grade of infections was observed between groups. The arithmetic media for the first infection observed in each group was 45.6 +/- 22.0 days for the IgA treated and 28.6 +/- 17.5 days for the placebo (p < 0.025). According to this study, IgA nebulization therapy was useful to prevent respiratory tract infections and also delay the onset of infection in patients with lymphoproliferative syndromes and myeloma.

[Monocytoid B-lymphocytic leukemia]. / Leucemia de linfocitos monocitoides B.

The recently described monocytoid B-cell lymphoma is a low-grade lymphoma presenting most frequently in elderly women and commonly associated with autoimmune diseases. Leukaemic expression of this disease has been reported in advanced stages. A case of monocytoid lymphocytosis without lymph node enlargement is presented herein. A 60-year old woman complaining of easy bruises was found to have a 2-cm splenomegaly. Her laboratory data included the following: haemoglobin, 125 g/L; haematocrit, 0.35 L/L; white cell count, 29 x 10(9)/L with 32% PMN, 3% stabs, 2% myelocytes, 1% metamyelocytes, 30% lymphocytes and 32% atypical mononucleated cells showing wide, pale cytoplasm neatly contoured and oval nucleus with monocytoid features. The basal coagulation study showed prothrombin 50%, APTT 40 seconds, fibrinogen 68 mg/dL and FDP between 80 and 160 ng/dL. Splenomegaly without lymph-node enlargement was found on CT scan. The bone-marrow biopsy showed a 68% monocytoid lymphocytic infiltration, acid-phosphatase positive and tartrate-sensitive, without fibrosis. Bone-marrow and peripheral immunophenotype showed those cells to be CD22, CD 19 and CD11 positive, while T and CD25 markers were absent. The patient was treated with alpha-2b interferon at a dose of 3MU three times a week for 6 months, with general improvement and regression of the leukaemic expression. Eleven months after diagnosis she died of a central nervous system haemorrhage. The morphological, immunological and cytochemical features of the monocytoid lymphocytes in this case are commented, along with their variable behaviour. A review of the literature is also carried out, attention being laid on the onset and the response to therapy of B-cell monocytoid lymphomas as the singularity of this case lies on its exclusively leukaemic onset. It is concluded that an interrelationship between monocytoid B-lymphocytic leukaemia and B-cell monocytoid lymphoma might possibly exist, such as that between chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and diffuse lymphocytic lymphoma.

[Safe minor surgery in patients taking anticoagulants]. / Cirugía menor segura en pacientes anticoagulados.

The effectiveness of a commercial drug containing fibrinogen, thrombin and factor XIL (Tissucol, Immuno) was assessed in 127 patients receiving oral anticoagulant treatment with acenocoumarin who were subjected to 183 minor surgical procedures: 107 exodontia, 53 periodontal procedures, 17 combinations of the former, 4 liver biopsies and 2 skin biopsies. All but the liver biopsies were performed in the outpatient clinic. Mild haemorrhage appeared in 21 instances. None of the patients required systemic administration of coagulation factors, and the maneuvers did not take any longer than in patients with integrity of the coagulation mechanisms. The outstanding benefits of this technique are: less discomfort for patients, who can be subjected to a single procedure while otherwise requiring several sessions; anticoagulation needs not be discontinued, subcutaneous heparin being otherwise necessary; low risk of complications and avoidance of substitutive therapy; lesser economic burden, as no hospital admission is needed.

Leucemia monoblástica aguda: santuario cutáneo / Acute monoblastic leukemia: cutaneous santuaries

Presentamos una leucemia monoblástica aguda con múltiples infiltrados dérmicos específicos iniciales rebeldes a la quimioterapia, hematológicamente eficaz. Insistimos en la necesidad de diagnosticar (impronta) y evaluar la magnitud de los mismos con fines diagnósticos (biopsia), así como en la detección de posibles santuarios cutáneos, para lo cual la inmunomarcación de muramidasa resultó de gran valor

Leucemia monoblástica aguda: santuario cutáneo / Acute monoblastic leukemia: cutaneous santuaries

Presentamos una leucemia monoblástica aguda con múltiples infiltrados dérmicos específicos iniciales rebeldes a la quimioterapia, hematológicamente eficaz. Insistimos en la necesidad de diagnosticar (impronta) y evaluar la magnitud de los mismos con fines diagnósticos (biopsia), así como en la detección de posibles santuarios cutáneos, para lo cual la inmunomarcación de muramidasa resultó de gran valor (AU)