Reactivation of tuberculosis following ruxolitinib therapy for primary myelofibrosis: Case series and literature review.

Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a subtype of BCR-ABL1 negative myeloproliferative neoplasm. Its characteristic features include clonal myeloproliferation, dysregulation of kinase signaling pathway, abnormal release of cytokines leading to fibrosis in the bone marrow, osteosclerosis, and extramedullary hematopoiesis. Approximately 20% of deaths occur because of disease progression, but death may also result occur because of cardiovascular complications or as a consequence of either infection or bleeding. The only and curative option for PMF is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT); however, the Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib is highly effective in reducing constitutional symptoms and spleen volume, and has been found to improve survival. Ruxolitinib decreases the activity of type I T-helper cells, leading to decreased release of cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, interferon-γ, and production of IL-12, which can be a risk factor for opportunistic infections. In this report, we describe three cases of tuberculosis reactivation shortly after initiation of ruxolitinib therapy followed by a literature review.

Bowel Perforation Secondary to Ponatinib Treatment in a Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Patient: A Case Report.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm of hematopoietic cell origin.It arises from the translocation of chromosomes 9 and 22, with resultant Philadelphia (Ph+) chromosome that contains the BCR-ABL1 gene. CML has three phases: the chronic phase, the accelerated phase, and blast crisis. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are used as the targeted therapy of CML. This report is about a 30-year-old male who is normally fit and well with no past medical history of note. He was diagnosed previously with CML and presented in a blast crisis. With this blast crisis at presentation, the patient was started on ponatinib. After 12 days from starting ponatinib, the patient presented with abdominal pain and vomiting. Imaging showed small bowel perforation, which required immediate surgery. The patient's cardiovascular risk for such event was low and ponatinib was thought to be the most likely cause of this complication; thus, higher-risk patients for such ischemic events should be observed closely.

Spontaneous Subgaleal Hematoma in a Sickle Cell Disease Patient: A Case Report.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most commonly inherited conditions on the Arabian Peninsula. We report a case of a 17-year-old boy, who had previously been diagnosed with SCD and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and recently presented to our hospital with spontaneous subgaleal hematoma (SGH), which was managed conservatively. We also present a literature review on the topic of spontaneous intra- and/or extra-cranial bleeds.