Caplacizumab as rescue therapy in refractory TTP involving neurologic features.

BACKGROUND: The role of caplacizumab in the routine treatment of immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) remains to be established. CASE SUMMARY: A 56-year-old woman was transferred to our center with iTTP and neurologic features. At the outside hospital, she was initially diagnosed and managed as Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP). Upon transfer to our center, daily plasma exchange, steroids, and rituximab were initiated. After an initial improvement, refractoriness became evident with a decline in platelet count and continued neurologic abnormalities. Initiation of caplacizumab resulted in rapid hematologic and clinical responses. CONCLUSION: Caplacizumab is a valuable treatment modality in iTTP, particularly in cases associated with refractoriness or neurologic features.

Hunting down the dominating subclone of cancer stem cells as a potential new therapeutic target in multiple myeloma: An artificial intelligence perspective.

The development of single-cell subclones, which can rapidly switch from dormant to dominant subclones, occur in the natural pathophysiology of multiple myeloma (MM) but is often "pressed" by the standard treatment of MM. These emerging subclones present a challenge, providing reservoirs for chemoresistant mutations. Technological advancement is required to track MM subclonal changes, as understanding MM's mechanism of evolution at the cellular level can prompt the development of new targeted ways of treating this disease. Current methods to study the evolution of subclones in MM rely on technologies capable of phenotypically and genotypically characterizing plasma cells, which include immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, or cytogenetics. Still, all of these technologies may be limited by the sensitivity for picking up rare events. In contrast, more incisive methods such as RNA sequencing, comparative genomic hybridization, or whole-genome sequencing are not yet commonly used in clinical practice. Here we introduce the epidemiological diagnosis and prognosis of MM and review current methods for evaluating MM subclone evolution, such as minimal residual disease/multiparametric flow cytometry/next-generation sequencing, and their respective advantages and disadvantages. In addition, we propose our new single-cell method of evaluation to understand MM's mechanism of evolution at the molecular and cellular level and to prompt the development of new targeted ways of treating this disease, which has a broad prospect.

Dual Monoclonal Antibody Therapy in Patients With Systemic AL Amyloidosis and Cardiac Involvement.

BACKGROUND: Systemic AL amyloidosis (AL) is a rare disease in which clonal immunoglobulin light chains produced by monoclonal plasma cells circulate and misfold, resulting in direct toxicity and fibrillar deposition of amyloid in numerous tissues. Early mortality from cardiac damage remains high. As depth of organ response carries a prognostic significance, combining anti-plasma cell and anti-amyloid therapies might hold the key to achieving long lasting responses. We report a series of patients who received 2 monoclonal antibodies, anti-CD38 and anti-amyloid, simultaneously. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe the characteristics and outcomes of 19 patients who received daratumumab (anti-CD38) on progression with front-line therapy for AL, 9 of whom were on concurrent dual monoclonal antibody treatment with daratumumab and NEOD001 (anti-amyloid), and also provide data on the schedule, safety, and tolerability of intravenous infusions of these monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: The 9 patients who received treatment with dual monoclonal antibodies achieved a high rate (100%) of hematologic response in a median of 33 days. There was no significant toxicity to dual monoclonal antibody therapy. Seven of the 8 met criteria for cardiac response, achieved in less than 3 months of combined therapy. Ten patients who received daratumumab alone also had high rates of hematologic and organ responses. CONCLUSIONS: Monoclonal antibodies with distinctly different targets can be safely combined in patients with AL and cardiac involvement. Patients experienced high rates of hematologic and cardiac response with combined anti-CD38 and anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody therapies. Further study of this combined approach is warranted.

A Case of T-Cell Large Granular Lymphocytic Leukemia and Renal Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia (T-LGL) is a rare hematological malignancy that currently has no standard therapy. Immunoglobulin heavy chain amyloidosis (AH) involving the kidney is a rare condition and the pathology, diagnosis, clinical characteristics, and prognosis are becoming understood. This report is of a rare case of T-LGL associated with renal AH and discusses the approach to management. CASE REPORT A 57-year-old woman presented with symptoms of fatigue and she had proteinuria. A diagnosis of T-LGL associated with renal AH was made, which is an association that has not been previously reported in the literature. Given the dysregulation of her immune function due to her underlying T-LGL and her comorbidities, treatment options were limited. She was clinically stable and was initially observed. After one year, her symptoms of fatigue became worse, and her proteinuria increased. Treatment was initiated with the triple drug combination of bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (CyBorD) with consideration for future hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Her clinical condition improved, with a reduction in proteinuria. CONCLUSIONS A rare case of T-LGL and renal AH is presented. Currently, there is no standard therapy for T-LGL and AH amyloidosis, and the approach, in this case, was to manage the patient initially with CyBorD triple chemotherapy.

New antibody approaches to lymphoma therapy.

The CD20-directed monoclonal antibody rituximab established a new era in lymphoma therapy. Since then other epitopes on the lymphoma surface have been identified as potential targets for monoclonal antibodies (mAb). While most mAbs eliminate lymphoma cells mainly by antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, complement-dependent cytotoxicity or direct cell death, others counter mechanisms utilized by malignant cells to evade immune surveillance. Expression of PD-L1 on malignant or stromal cells in the tumor environment for example leads to T-cell anergy. Targeting either PD-1 or PD-L1 via mAbs can indirectly eliminate cancer cells by unblocking the host intrinsic immune response. Yet another mechanism of targeted therapy with mAbs are bi-specific T-cell engagers (BiTE) such as blinatumomab, which directly engages the host immune cells. These examples highlight the broad spectrum of available therapies targeting the lymphoma surface with mAbs utilizing both passive and active immune pathways. Many of these agents have already demonstrated significant activity in clinical trials. In this review we will focus on novel CD20-directed antibodies as well as mAbs directed against newer targets like CD19, CD22, CD40, CD52 and CCR4. In addition we will review mAbs unblocking immune checkpoints and the BiTE blinatumomab. Given the success of mAbs and the expansion in active and passive immunotherapies, these agents will play an increasing role in the treatment of lymphomas.

Impact of induction regimen and stem cell transplantation on outcomes in double-hit lymphoma: a multicenter retrospective analysis.

Patients with double-hit lymphoma (DHL), which is characterized by rearrangements of MYC and either BCL2 or BCL6, face poor prognoses. We conducted a retrospective multicenter study of the impact of baseline clinical factors, induction therapy, and stem cell transplant (SCT) on the outcomes of 311 patients with previously untreated DHL. At median follow-up of 23 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates among all patients were 10.9 and 21.9 months, respectively. Forty percent of patients remain disease-free and 49% remain alive at 2 years. Intensive induction was associated with improved PFS, but not OS, and SCT was not associated with improved OS among patients achieving first complete remission (P = .14). By multivariate analysis, advanced stage, central nervous system involvement, leukocytosis, and LDH >3 times the upper limit of normal were associated with higher risk of death. Correcting for these, intensive induction was associated with improved OS. We developed a novel risk score for DHL, which divides patients into high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups. In conclusion, a subset of DHL patients may be cured, and some patients may benefit from intensive induction. Further investigations into the roles of SCT and novel agents are needed.

Complex atypical hyperplasia of the uterus: characteristics and prediction of underlying carcinoma risk.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to identify additional factors that may improve the ability to predict underlying carcinoma risk in patients with complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH) of the uterus. STUDY DESIGN: All subjects diagnosed with CAH of the uterus on endometrial sampling from March 1994 to May 2008 were identified. CAH was classified as CAH suspicious, CAH polypoid, CAH focal, or CAH not otherwise specified (NOS). Subjects were then exclusively assigned to 1 of 3 categories: CAH suspicious, CAH NOS, or CAH focal and/or polypoid. RESULTS: We identified 197 cases of CAH diagnosed on preoperative endometrial sampling. Carcinoma was subsequently diagnosed in the hysterectomy specimen in 67 subjects (34%). The risk of underlying carcinoma if assigning subjects as CAH suspicious, CAH NOS, or CAH polypoid and/or focal was 56%, 36%, and 20%, respectively (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The risk of underlying carcinoma in patients with CAH on preoperative endometrial sampling is associated with the method of sampling and age and can be significantly modified by the nature of pathologic assessment.