Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) of the liver is a frequent complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. This report describes hepatic GVHD following autologous ...transplantation.
We reviewed 116 consecutive autologous transplant recipients. A diagnosis of GVHD was based on histology (segmental to subtotal destruction of bile ductal epithelial cells with apoptosis and lymphocytic infiltrates), clinical criteria (elevated serum alkaline phosphatase), a response to immunosuppressive therapy, and finding no other cause for cholestatic liver disease.
Two patients developed cholestatic liver disease (alkaline phosphatase levels over five times the normal upper limit) and had liver biopsies showing apoptotic and dysmorphic ductular epithelial cells typical of GVHD. Three additional patients developed cholestasis and intestinal symptoms but had gastric biopsies only, showing apoptotic crypt epithelial cells and crypt cell drop-out typical of GVHD.
Two recipients of autologous hematopoietic cells developed histologic abnormalities of small bile ducts and cholestatic liver disease resembling GVHD of the liver after allogeneic transplant. The mechanisms of bile duct damage in this setting may involve immune dysregulation related to reconstitution of immunity with peripheral blood stem cells.
Serial bone marrow aspirates from patients previously given a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who had undergone chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation (BMT), or both were analyzed ...by multidimensional flow cytometry (MDF) to detect residual disease (lower limit of detection 0.3%). Correlation between the results of morphologic examination and MDF showed concordant results on 100 of 118 specimens. The MDF-positive, morphologic examination-negative specimens were positive by cytogenetic examination or were obtained from patients in whom the ALL eventually relapsed. Similar correlations between MDF and the results of cytogenetic examination were obtained. Leukemic cells were detected in 29 of 62 patients before BMT and 12 of 52 after BMT Normal regenerating lymphoblasts were identified and quantified by MDF in patients without detectable leukemic lymphoblasts. Patients with leukemic lymphoblasts found by MDF in specimens obtained immediately before BMT were 3.28 times more likely to experience relapse after BMT compared with MDF-negative patients, even when leukemic lymphoblasts were undetectable by histopathologic examination, cytogenetic examination, or both. All patients who had undergone BMT with leukemic lymphoblasts found by MDF, with or without morphologic or cytogenetic confirmation, experienced relapse according to conventional criteria within 42 days of the MDF analysis. The detection of residual disease before overt relapse may provide information for early intervention, while definitive recognition of normal recovering blasts may prevent unnecessary treatment.
Sensory peripheral neuropathy is a common and sometimes debilitating toxicity associated with paclitaxel therapy. This study aims to identify genetic risk factors for the development of this ...toxicity.
A prospective pharmacogenetic analysis of patients with primary breast cancer, randomized to the paclitaxel arm of CALGB 40101, was used to identify genetic predictors of the onset and severity of sensory peripheral neuropathy. A genome-wide association study in 855 subjects of European ancestry was conducted and findings were replicated in additional European (n = 154) and African American (n = 117) subjects.
A single nucleotide polymorphism in FGD4 was associated with the onset of sensory peripheral neuropathy in the discovery cohort rs10771973; HR, 1.57; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.30-1.91; P = 2.6 × 10(-6) and in a European (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.06-2.80; P = 0.013) and African American (HR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.13-3.28; P = 6.7 × 10(-3)) replication cohort. There is also evidence that markers in additional genes, including EPHA5 (rs7349683) and FZD3 (rs10771973), were associated with the onset or severity of paclitaxel-induced sensory peripheral neuropathy.
A genome-wide association study has identified novel genetic markers of paclitaxel-induced sensory peripheral neuropathy, including a common polymorphism in FGD4, a congenital peripheral neuropathy gene. These findings suggest that genetic variation may contribute to variation in development of this toxicity. Validation of these findings may allow for the identification of patients at increased risk of peripheral neuropathy and inform the use of an alternative to paclitaxel and/or the clinical management of this toxicity.
Studies supporting a strong association between tau deposition and neuronal loss, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline have heightened the allure of tau and tau‐related mechanisms as therapeutic ...targets. In February 2020, leading tau experts from around the world convened for the first‐ever Tau2020 Global Conference in Washington, DC, co‐organized and cosponsored by the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association, and CurePSP. Representing academia, industry, government, and the philanthropic sector, presenters and attendees discussed recent advances and current directions in tau research. The meeting provided a unique opportunity to move tau research forward by fostering global partnerships among academia, industry, and other stakeholders and by providing support for new drug discovery programs, groundbreaking research, and emerging tau researchers. The meeting also provided an opportunity for experts to present critical research‐advancing tools and insights that are now rapidly accelerating the pace of tau research.
In order to assess the prevalence of venocclusive disease in autopsied recipients of bone marrow transplantation, we reviewed coded liver histology from 204 consecutive autopsied recipients ...transplanted for leukemia (142), other malignancies (5), or aplastic anemia (57). Twenty-seven patients with leukemia, 2 with carcinoma, and 3 with aplasia had venocclusive disease and survived 2-86 days post-transplant. Early lesions showed subintimal edema and hemorrhage within small central venules and centrilobular congestion with hepatocyte degeneration. Later lesions showed subtotal to complete fibrous obliteration of the central venule lumina and centrilobular sinusoidal fibrosis. Thirteen patients had a subclinical course, and 19 were symptomatic. Venocclusive disease was life-threatening or lethal in 13. Typical symptoms developed 1-3 wk post-transplant and consisted of sudden weight gain, hepatic enlargement, ascites, high bilirubin, and encephalopathy. Statistical analyses showed a significantly higher prevalence of venocclusive disease associated with transplantation for leukemia (P = 0.014), pretransplant conditioning with more rigorous chemoradiotherapy regimens (P < 0.001) and three- to fourfold increase of venocclusive disease in patients whose conditioning included dimethyl busulfan (P < 0.005). Abnormal liver tests before transplant were also more prevalent among patients with venocclusive disease. No factors predicted the clinical outcome of established venocclusive disease. Venocclusive disease showed no association with hepatic graft-versus-host disease even among prolonged cases with severe periportal hepatitis and cholestasis. Other centrilobular lesions (hepatocyte degeneration, sinusoidal fibrosis, and phlebosclerosis) were identified in 23 patients. These non-specific changes may occur with viral hepatitis, graft-versus-host disease or chemoradiotherapy effects.
A vexing problem after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for leukemia is assessing the biologic significance of low numbers of cells "suspicious" for relapse seen in morphologic review of ...peripheral blood smears (PBSs). In 27 patients, in apparent hematologic remission after HCT for leukemia, we studied the nature of such cells in PBSs to the endpoint of leukemic relapse by using multidimensional flow cytometry (MDF) on blood or bone marrow aspirates. Based on abnormal cytometric maturational patterns, +/- cell sorting of blasts with fluorescence in situ hybridization with informative markers, we differentiated benign recovering myeloid and lymphoid precursors from leukemic cells. In 17 patients, blasts were characterized by MDF as normal early hematopoietic precursors, lymphoblasts, or NK cells. Of these patients, 16 remained in remission for at least 42 days. In 10 patients, blasts were characterized by MDF as a malignant immunophenotype; 9 relapsed within 10 days and 1 relapsed 280 days after a graft-vs-leukemia effect. MDF status was strongly associated with a 90 x probability of relapse even after adjusting for other potential variables. Morphologic triggered MDF characterization of peripheral blasts is a powerful and rapid tool for distinguishing immature regenerative forms from early leukemic relapse.
We reviewed magnetic resonance (MR) staging examinations of 98 patients with malignant lymphoma who failed other therapy and were under evaluation for bone marrow transplantation. MR scan results ...were compared with blind posterior iliac crest aspirations and biopsies. Images of vertebral, pelvic, and femoral marrow were obtained using a standard T1 -weighted, short repetition time (TR), short time to echo (TE) (TR700/TE22), spin-echo (T1-SE) method in 92 patients and short Tl inversion recovery (STIR) technique (TR1,500/TE36/ Tl100) in all. On standard T1-SE sequence, normal marrow is bright due to the predominance of marrow fat, and tumor is dark. With STIR images, water containing tumor has a very high signal intensity in a dark (fat suppressed) background. Thirteen patients had positive MR scans and marrow biopsies, whereas 49 had negative MR scans and biopsies. Of 36 discordant MR/histology results, 10 had positive biopsies and negative MR exams; eight of these had microscopic infiltration (<5%) with tumor. MR detected marrow tumor either in the crests or elsewhere in 25 of 75 (33%) patients with negative study biopsies. We could confirm marrow involvement in 15 of these 25 (60%) by clinical methods. Therefore, up to one third of the patients evaluated with routine biopsies may have occult marrow tumor detectable by MR exam. In patients with negative marrow biopsies, especially those with Hodgkin's disease or intermediate to high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, MR scans found focal lesions distant from the crests. Biopsy better detected lower grade microscopic involvement. We conclude that optimal marrow staging of lymphoma patients incorporates both biopsy and MR imaging.
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