Summary
In the era of immunochemotherapy, data on the long‐term prognosis of elderly patients diagnosed with a diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are scarce. In this population and on the longer ...term, other‐cause mortality is an important competing risk that needs to be accounted for. Using clinical trial data and relative survival approaches, we estimated the 10‐year net survival (NS) and we described the excess mortality hazard (EMH) due (directly or indirectly) to the DLBCL, over time and according to main prognosis factors using flexible regression modelling. The 10‐year NS was 65% 59; 71. Using the flexible modelling, we showed that the EMH decreases steeply after diagnosis. The variables ‘performance status’, ‘number of extra‐nodal sites’ and the serum ‘lactate dehydrogenase’ were strongly associated with the EMH, even after adjustment on other important variables. EMH is very close to zero at 10 years for the whole population, so DLBCL patients do not experience an increased mortality compared to the general population in the long term. The number of extra‐nodal sites was an important prognostic factor shortly after diagnosis, suggesting that it is correlated with an important but unmeasured prognostic factor that would lead to this selection effect over time.
FIP1L1‐PDGFRA‐positive myeloid neoplasm with eosinophilia (F/P+ MN‐eo) is a rare disease: robust epidemiological data are lacking and reported issues are scarce, of low sample‐size and limited ...follow‐up. Imatinib mesylate (IM) is highly efficient but no predictive factor of relapse after discontinuation has yet been identified. One hundred and fifty‐one patients with F/P+ MN‐eo (143 males; mean age at diagnosis 49 years; mean annual incidence: 0.18 case per million population) were included in this retrospective nationwide study involving all French laboratories who perform the search of F/P fusion gene (study period: 2003‐2019). The main organs involved included the spleen (44%), skin (32%), lungs (30%), heart (19%) and central nervous system (9%). Serum vitamin B12 and tryptase levels were elevated in 74/79 (94%) and 45/57 (79%) patients, respectively, and none of the 31 patients initially treated with corticosteroids achieved complete hematologic remission. All 148 (98%) IM‐treated patients achieved complete hematologic and molecular (when tested, n = 84) responses. Forty‐six patients eventually discontinued IM, among whom 20 (57%) relapsed. In multivariate analysis, time to IM initiation (continuous HR: 1,01 0.99‐1,03; P = .05) and duration of IM treatment (continuous HR: 0,97 0,95‐0,99; P = .004) were independent factors of relapse after discontinuation of IM. After a mean follow‐up of 80 (56) months, the 1, 5‐ and 10‐year overall survival rates in IM‐treated patients were 99%, 95% and 84% respectively. In F/P+ MN‐eo, prompt initiation of IM and longer treatment durations may prevent relapses after discontinuation of IM.
Summary
The effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has made it possible to consider treatment discontinuation in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients that achieve an excellent ...response. However, a few of the patients included in the Europe Stop Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (EURO‐SKI) trial reported musculoskeletal pain shortly after stopping TKIs, considered as a withdrawal syndrome (WS). To identify factors that may predispose to TKI WS, we analysed the pharmacovigilance declarations for the 6 months after stopping TKIs in a large cohort of CML (n = 427) that combined the French patients included in the STop IMatinib 2 (STIM2; n = 224) and EURO‐SKI (n = 203) trials. Among these patients, 23% (99/427) developed TKI WS after stopping imatinib (77/373; 20·4%), nilotinib (12/29; 41·4%) or dasatinib (10/25; 40%). WS concerned mainly the upper body joints, and required multiple symptomatic treatments in 30% of patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified two risk factors: duration of TKI treatment risk ratio (RR) = 1·68 (1·02–2·74) with a 93‐month cut‐off time, and history of osteoarticular symptoms RR = 1·84 (1·04–3·28). These findings confirm that WS is a TKI class effect. CML patients should be carefully screened before treatment initiation to identify pre‐existent osteoarticular symptoms. Moreover, before TKI discontinuation, patients should be informed of the possibility of WS, particularly after a long treatment period.
Summary
Molecular recurrence (MRec) occurs in about half of all patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) who discontinue tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in sustained deep molecular response. A ...second TKI discontinuation has been attempted in some patients who regain the discontinuation criteria after resuming treatment. Nilotinib treatment affords faster and deeper molecular responses than imatinib as first‐line therapy. We prospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of nilotinib (300 mg twice daily) in chronic‐phase CML patients who experienced MRec, after imatinib discontinuation and analysed the probability of TFR after a new attempt in patients treated for 2 years with sustained MR4.5 for at least 1 year. A total of 31 patients were included in the study between 2013 and 2018. Seven (23%) patients experienced serious adverse events after a median of 2 months of nilotinib treatment leading to discontinuation of treatment. One patient was excluded from the study for convenience. Among the 23 patients treated for 2 years with nilotinib, 22 maintained their molecular response for at least 1 year (median: 22 months) and stopped nilotinib. The TFR rates at 24 and 48 months after nilotinib discontinuation were 59.1% (95% confidence interval CI: 41.7%–83.7%) and 42.1% (95% CI: 25%–71%) respectively (NCT #01774630).
Background
MDS‐RS patients are characterized by chronic anemia and a low risk of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) progression and they generally become Red Blood Cell (RBC) transfusion dependent (TD).
...Study design and methods
We performed a retrospective “real‐life” observational study of 6 months in 100 MDS‐RS TD patients, recruited in 12 French centers, to describe transfusion characteristics, and evaluate the frequency and causes of hospitalizations, health costs, and morbidity, associated with transfusion dependency, in a French population of RBC transfusion‐dependent MDS‐RS patients.
Results
79% of the patients had high transfusion burden (HTB) and 21% low transfusion burden (LTB). HTB patients had a longer disease duration (6 vs. 3.7 years, p = 0.0078), more frequent iron chelation (82% vs. 50%, p = 0.0052) and higher serum ferritin (p = 0.03). During the 6‐month study period, 22% of the patients required inpatient hospitalization, 36% of them for symptomatic anemia requiring emergency RBC transfusion. The 6‐month median transfusion costs, including the cost of the day care facility, transportation to and from the hospital, iron chelation, and lab tests, was 16,188€/patient.
Discussion
MDS‐RS represents the archetypal type of chronically transfused lower‐risk MDS. Most of those patients have a high transfusion burden and thus frequently need visits to the hospital's day care facility, and frequent hospitalizations, with an overall high median treatment cost. Those costs should be compared with costs of new treatments potentially able to avoid RBC transfusion dependence and to reduce the complications of chronic anemia in MDS‐RS patients.
Summary
Despite a moderate prevalence in low‐risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML), thrombocytopenia remains a risk of severe bleeding and therapeutic ...options are still limited. There are only a few studies with eltrombopag (ELT), a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, in those patients. In this retrospective multicentre study, ELT was used in 50 patients with MDS and 11 with CMML, with no excess of marrow blasts and platelet counts of <50 × 109/l in a ‘real‐life’ situation. Platelet response occurred in 47 (77%) patients. The median (range) duration of response was 8 (0–69) months. None of the eight still responders who discontinued ELT had relapsed, at a median (range) of 16 (6–23) months after ELT discontinuation. Although 36% of the patients were anti‐coagulated or anti‐aggregated only 10% of patients had Grade ≥3 bleeding events. Thrombotic events were observed in six (10%) patients, who all but one had a medical history of arterial or venous thrombosis. Progression to acute myeloid leukaemia occurred in four (7%) patients. In this first ‘real‐life’ study, ELT was effective and generally well tolerated in patients with MDS/CMML without excess blasts.
Summary
Superior rates of deep molecular response (DMR) have been reported with the combination of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and pegylated‐interferon‐alpha (Peg‐IFN) in patients with newly diagnosed ...chronic phase‐chronic myeloid leukaemia (CP‐CML). In this setting, this study investigated the efficacy and safety of dasatinib combined to Peg‐IFN‐α2b (Dasa‐PegIFN, NCT01872442). A total of 79 patients (age ≤65 years) started dasatinib; 61 were eligible for Peg‐IFNα‐2b add‐on therapy at month 3 for a maximum 21‐months duration. Dasatinib was continued thereafter. The primary endpoint was the cumulative rate of molecular response 4.5 log (MR4.5) by 12 months. The results are reported for the 5‐year duration of the study. Grade 3 neutropenia was frequent with the combination but did not induce severe infection (one of grade 3). Other adverse events were generally low grade (4% of grade 3–4) and expected. Seventy‐nine per cent and 61% of patients continued the Peg‐IFN until months 12 and 24, respectively. Overall, at these time points, MR4.5 rates were 25% and 38%, respectively. Thereafter, 32% and 46% of patients achieved a sustained (≥2 years) MR4.5 or MR4, respectively. This work established the feasibility and high rates of achievement of early and sustained DMR (a prerequisite for treatment‐free‐remission) with dasatinib and Peg‐IFNα‐2b combination as initial therapy.
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