Cutaneous presentation of steroid responsive blastoid natural killer cell lymphoma.

CD56+ lymphomas derived from natural killer (NK) cell lineage are rarely encountered in Western populations and their clinical and pathological features have not been fully defined. The majority of reported cases are lymphomas of the nasal cavity, which are most commonly seen in Asia. A subtype of CD56+ lymphoma has recently been described (blastoid NK-cell lymphoma) which characteristically presents in older patients with cutaneous infiltrates and disease at other nodal and extranodal sites. We describe a case that correlates well with the clinicopathological features of blastoid NK-cell lymphoma. An unusual feature in our patient was that the cutaneous features of the lymphoma showed complete resolution shortly following commencement of oral steroid therapy.

Minimal residual disease status before allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is an important determinant of successful outcome for children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The efficacy of allografting in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is heavily influenced by remission status at the time of transplant. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based minimal residual disease (MRD) analysis, we have investigated retrospectively the impact of submicroscopic leukemia on outcome in 64 patients receiving allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for childhood ALL. Remission BM specimens were taken 6 to 81 days (median, 23) before transplant. All patients received similar conditioning therapy; 50 received grafts from unrelated donors and 14 from related donors. Nineteen patients were transplanted in first complete remission (CR1) and 45 in second or subsequent CR. MRD was analyzed by PCR of Ig or T-cell receptor delta or gamma rearrangements, electrophoresis, and allele-specific oligoprobing. Samples were rated high-level positive (clonal band evident after electrophoresis; sensitivity 10(-2) to 10(-3)), low-level positive (MRD detected only after oligoprobing; sensitivity 10(-3) to 10(-5)), or negative. Excluding 8 patients transplanted in CR2 for isolated extramedullary relapse (all MRD-), MRD was detected at high level in 12 patients, low level in 11, and was undetectable in 33. Two-year event-free survival for these groups was 0%, 36%, and 73%, respectively (P <.001). Follow-up in patients remaining in continuing remission is 20 to 96 months (median, 35). These results suggest that MRD analysis could be used routinely in this setting. This would allow identification of patients with resistant leukemia (who may benefit from innovative BMT protocols) and of those with more responsive disease (who may be candidates for randomized trials of BMT versus modern intensive relapse chemotherapy).

Minimal residual disease status as a predictor of relapse after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

We have analysed the behaviour of minimal residual disease (MRD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) in 71 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The method relied on PCR of IgH, TCRdelta and/or TCRgamma gene rearrangements followed by electrophoretic size resolution and allele-specific oligoprobing. Patients were similarly conditioned; 55 received marrow from unrelated donors and 16 from related donors. MRD was assessed at various time-points up to 24 months after BMT. Three children were not evaluable due to transplant-related mortality. MRD was detected in 28/32 patients (88%) who relapsed post-BMT; 16 were positive at all times and 12 were initially negative but became positive at a median of 3 months (range 1.5-11) prior to relapse. In contrast, only eight of 36 (22%) patients who remained in continuing complete remission (CCR) (median follow-up 43 months, range 20-94) showed MRD at any time after BMT (P<0.0001). In these eight patients MRD was found up to 9 months after transplant and at low levels (0.01-0.001%). All eight (median follow-up 39 months, range 24-87) had at least two MRD-negative samples tested subsequently and five of the eight had evidence of grade I-II acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), raising the possibility of a graft-versus-leukaemia effect. In general, any evidence of MRD after allo-BMT is a poor prognostic sign. However, if immunotherapy were to be targeted towards patients with evidence of persisting MRD after BMT, the method described would expose only a small proportion of patients to unnecessary additional toxicity.

Unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation for children and adolescents with Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

PURPOSE: Few patients with Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-positive ALL) have been cured by chemotherapy alone. Registry figures show that 38% of patients who have a matched-sibling bone marrow transplant (BMT) are disease-free 2 years after transplant, but the majority of patients lack a sibling donor. Most modern ALL protocols recommend unrelated donor (UD) BMT for patients with Ph-positive ALL in first complete remission (CR1), but the outcome of this is unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report the results of 15 children and adolescents who had a T-cell depleted UD-BMT for Ph-positive ALL. Thirteen of 15 had been previously treated on United Kingdom ALL protocols. Nine were in CR1 and six had more advanced disease. Eleven donor recipient pairs were matched at HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-DR, and HLA-DQ, and four were mismatched at one or two HLA loci. RESULTS: The incidence of greater than grade I acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was low (13% and 8%, respectively). Six patients have relapsed and seven patients survive at a median of 21 months post-BMT; six of seven are disease free. All seven survivors are in full-time education or work. The 2-year overall and disease-free survivals are 44% +/- 13% and 37% +/- 13% (+/- SE). None of four patients who had mismatched donors survived, but seven of 11 matched recipients survive (P < .05). CONCLUSION: UD-BMT can produce prolonged disease-free survival in young patients with Ph-positive ALL who otherwise would have an extremely poor outlook.

Minimal residual disease analysis for the prediction of relapse in children with standard-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

We report a largely retrospective analysis of minimal residual disease (MRD) in a cohort of 66 children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). All patients lacked high-risk features at diagnosis, i.e. the presenting white cell count was <50 x 10(9)/l, age 1-16 years and translocations t(9;22) and t(4;11) were not present. All were treated according to either the MRC protocols UKALL X or XI. PCR of IgH, TCRdelta and TCRgamma gene rearrangements and allele-specific oligoprobing were employed for the detection of MRD. Sensitivity was at least 10(-4) in 78/82 (93%) probes examined. A total of 33 patients relapsed (seven on therapy and 26 off) and 33 remain in continuing complete remission (CCR) (median follow-up 69 months from diagnosis). Of those who remain in CCR, MRD was present in the bone marrow in 32%, 10% and 0% at 1, 3 and 5 months into therapy respectively. This is in marked contrast to the presence of MRD at these times in 82%, 60% and 41% of patients who relapsed (P<0.001, P<0.005 and P<0.005). These results provide further evidence of a strong correlation between clearance of MRD early in therapy and clinical outcome in childhood ALL.

Same-day determination of chimaeric status in the immediate period following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

The accurate and rapid determination of the origin of haemopoietic cells may provide valuable information as to the aetiology of, and most appropriate therapy for, leucopenia following allogeneic bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. We describe an approach to the analysis of chimaerism post bone marrow transplantation (BMT) based on the immunomagnetic capture of white cells combined with microsatellite polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and resolution of products by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). This non-isotopic method enables the chimaeric status to be determined from as little as 1.0 ml of profoundly leucopenic peripheral blood (WBC < or =0.1 x 10(9)/l) and has been applicable to all donor/recipient pairs tested so far. Results are available within 6 h of blood sampling and lineage-specific chimaerism is possible. Furthermore, blood transfusions do not interfere with the analysis.

High lactate dehydrogenase level is associated with an adverse outlook in autografting for Hodgkin's disease.

Forty-two patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's disease (HD) were treated with high-dose chemotherapy (BEAM regimen) followed by autologous bone marrow and/or peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) rescue. There was one procedure-related death and the overall response rate at 6 months was 88% (95% confidence interval 78-98%). The 2 year overall and event-free survival was 81% (95% confidence interval 65-96%) and 74% (95% confidence interval 58-89%) respectively. Median follow-up was 33 months. The use of PBPC instead of marrow resulted in a significant shortening of the time to engraftment (P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis identified the pre-transplant LDH level as a highly significant factor in predicting overall survival (P = 0.007). The BEAM regimen is an effective conditioning schedule that is well tolerated but patients with a raised LDH at the time of transplant remain at high risk of early relapse and death due to disease.