Sažetak. Unatrag nekoliko godina u hematologiji i onkologiji globalno sve češći problem postaje prikladna opskrba „starijim i manje zanimljivim“ kemoterapeuticima. Zbog povremene nestašice ...karmustina, jednog od osnovnih kemoterapeutika pri kondicioniranju prije autologne transplantacije krvotvornih matičnih stanica (ATKS) u oboljelih od limfoma, u našem se centru od 2016. godine on zamjenjuje bendamustinom. U ovom radu retrospektivno analiziramo tijek ATKS-a u 41 bolesnika koji su primili bendamustin u sklopu protokola BeEAM te ga uspoređujemo s tijekom ATKS-a u 40 bolesnika koji su primili karmustin u sklopu protokola BEAM. Medijan oporavka vrijednosti neutrofila (> 0,5 × 109/l) u skupini koja je primila bendamustin iznosio je 11 dana, dok je u skupini kondicioniranoj karmustinom iznosio 10 dana. Medijan oporavka vrijednosti trombocita (> 20 × 109/l) bio je duži kod skupine koja je primala bendamustin (16 prema 13 dana) te su ti bolesnici bili duže ovisni o transfuzijama eritrocita (7 prema 5 dana). Infektivne komplikacije nisu bile češće nakon primjene bendamustina, ali smo nakon primjene karmustina imali veću pojavu mukozitisa II. – III. stupnja (35% prema 12%). Nakon primjene bendamustina zabilježen je jedan slučaj nefrotoksičnosti i kardiotoksičnosti terapije, dok kod primjene karmustina te komplikacije nisu zabilježene. Pri upotrebi bendamustina kod kondicioniranja u naših bolesnika u ovom trenutku nije utvrđena znatnija hematološka toksičnost u odnosu prema karmustinu, ali su prisutni dulji period oporavka vrijednosti trombocita te niža incidencija mukozitisa.
Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis whose expression may be associated with inferior outcome in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated without rituximab. Caspase-3 is the final ...caspase of the apoptotic cascade and its pattern of expression may also be related to patients’ outcome. In this study we investigated immunohistochemical expression of survivin and caspase-3 (CPP32) in 57 patients with DLBCL treated with rituximab and CHOP (R-CHOP). According to previously published criteria, we separately analyzed correlation of different types of survivin expression with patients’ outcome. Nuclear survivin was expressed in only 26% of cases, cytoplasmic survivin was expressed in 81% of cases while application of immunoreactivity scoring system yielded 58% of survivin positive cases. Caspase-3 was expressed in 77% of cases. There were no significant correlations between any type of survivin expression and response to treatment or survival of the patients. The expression of caspase-3 was also not associated with patients’ outcome. We conclude that survivin and caspase-3 have no significant prognostic significance in patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP.
We present case of oral and skin anaplastic T-cell lymphoma in a 68-year-old woman. The patient presented with extensive ulcerations and necrotic tissue on the left mandibular gingiva. ...Orthopantomogram finding showed extensive necrolytic lesions of the adjacent mandible. Biopsy finding of oral lesions and subsequently of the skin confirmed the diagnosis of anaplastic T-cell lymphoma. The bridge on the teeth 35-37 was taken out. After three cycles of chemotherapy, oral lesions subsided, unlike skin lesions. Dentists should be aware that differential diagnosis when dealing with oral ulcerations might be the result of certain malignant hematologic diseases.
Precursor lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL/LBL) is a malignant neoplasm of precursor lymphocytes of T- or B-cell phenotype. We describe the unusual features of an ALL/LBL in an ...adolescent man in whom the disease presented with involvement of lymph nodes, but without bone marrow and peripheral blood involvement. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that the tumor cells were positive for CD3, CD34 class II, CD10, CD79a and CD99 but negative for TdT. Even though TdT was negative, he received ALL-therapy and is now in remission.
Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy has become a well established technique in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of patients with head and neck lesions. As in lymphoma diagnostics, FNA serves as ...a screening method in evaluating potentially affected lymph node for open or core biopsy. According to the World Health Organization classification of lymphoid neoplasms, today it is important to recognize cell morphology and reveal its phenotype, then combine it with different genotypic information and clinical data to provide appropriate therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of FNA and immunocytochemistry based lymphoma diagnostic in head and neck region. We conducted a retrospective study during a period of three years where cases with either FNA diagnosis or clinical suspicion of newly recognized or relapsing lymphoma were reviewed. In the study were included patients that were referred to our laboratory from hematology department, in whom head and neck lymphadenopathia was found and lymph node FNA preceded other procedures. Two hundred eighty-five aspirations from 248 patients fulfilled study criteria. Adequate specimens were diagnosed as lymphoma in 100 cases (36%), in 65 male and 35 female patients, 76 in patients with newly discovered disease and 24 in patients with prior lymphoma diagnosis. Overall sensitivity of FNA specimens in the diagnosis of head and neck lymphomas was 90%, specificity 88%, predictive value of a positive result 97%, and predictive value of negative result 61%. Based on our results FNA corroborated with immunophenotyping by immunocytochemistry can be method of choice in primary lymphoma diagnosis as a method complementary to histopathology in lymphoma diagnostics.
Extramedullary plasmacytomas are plasma cell tumors that arise outside of the bone marrow. They account for approximately 3% of plasma cell neoplasms and are most frequently located in the head and ...neck region. Five months after undergoing cholecystectomy, a 69-year-old patient presented with the pain under the right costal margin and a 12 kg weight loss. Computed tomography of the abdomen demonstrated irregular, vascular mass in the gallbladder fossa that dents towards the duodenum and the pylorus and lowers caudally to the hepatic flexure. His laboratory tests indicated normocytic anemia and showed elevated sedimentation rate. During operative procedure, a tumorous mass in the gallbladder fossa was found, inseparable of the peritoneum of the hepatoduodenal ligament and the IVb liver segment. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemical staining determined the diagnosis of the plasmacytoma. Total resection of the tumor was achieved and after 24-month follow-up patient showed no signs of local recurrence or dissemination of the disease.