Primary unifocal penile follicular center non-Hodgkin lymphoma:Report of a rare case and review of the literature

Dear Editor,We present a rare case of a primary penile follicular center non-Hodgkin lymphoma and a review of the available literature on this condition.A BCL2 gene transposition which was identified with fluorescent in situ hybridization(FISH)molecular analysis is a unique manifestation not previously reported to the best of our knowledge.A 67-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of a small nodule on the left side of the corona of glans penis.The patient had no significant medical or family history.The patient underwent excision and biopsy of the penile lesion with a 0.5 cm macroscopic margin under local anesthesia and sedation.He was discharged on the day of surgery,and there were no postoperative complications or adverse events.The informed consent was obtained from thepatient.

2022 Chinese expert consensus and guidelines on clinical management of toxicity in anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Adoptive cellular immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor(CAR)T cells has emerged as a novel modality for treating relapsed and/or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma(B-NHL).With increasing approval of CAR T-cell products and advances in CAR T cell therapy,CAR T cells are expected to be used in a growing number of cases.However,CAR T-cell-associated toxicities can be severe or even fatal,thus compromising the survival benefit from this therapy.Standardizing and studying the clinical management of these toxicities are imperative.In contrast to other hematological malignancies,such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma,anti-CD19 CAR T-cell-associated toxicities in B-NHL have several distinctive features,most notably local cytokine-release syndrome(CRS).However,previously published guidelines have provided few specific recommendations for the grading and management of toxicities associated with CAR T-cell treatment for B-NHL.Consequently,we developed this consensus for the prevention,recognition,and management of these toxicities,on the basis of published literature regarding the management of anti-CD19 CAR T-cell-associated toxicities and the clinical experience of multiple Chinese institutions.This consensus refines a grading system and classification of CRS in B-NHL and corresponding measures for CRS management,and delineates comprehensive principles and exploratory recommendations for managing anti-CD19 CAR T-cell-associated toxicities in addition to CRS.

Correlation between the Human Development Index and the Incidence and Mortality of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Objective This study was to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status and the incidence and mortality of non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL).Methods We compared the age-standardized incidence rate(ASIR),age-standardized mortality rate(ASMR),and the ASMR to ASIR ratio(MIR)at national and regional levels and studied the correlation between the MIR and the human development index(HDI)in 2012 and 2018.Results The highest ASIR was in North America in 2012 and in Australia in 2018,and the lowest ASIR was in Central and South Asia in both 2012 and 2018.The highest ASMR was in North Africa in both 2012 and 2018,and the lowest ASMR was in Eastern Asia and South-Central Asia in 2012 and in South-Central Asia in 2018.The lowest MIR was in Australia in both 2012 and 2018,and the highest MIR was in Western Africa in both 2012 and 2018.HDI was strongly negatively correlated with MIR(r:−0.8810,P<0.0001,2012;r:−0.8895,P<0.0001,2018).Compared to the 2012 data,the MIR in the intermediate HDI countries significantly deceased and the HDI in low and high HDI countries significantly increased in 2018.Conclusion The MIR is negatively correlated with HDI.Increasing the HDI in low and intermediate HDI countries may reduce the MIR and increase the survival of patients with NHL.

A multi-center,open-label,randomized,parallel-controlled phase II study comparing pharmacokinetic,pharmacodynamics and safety of ripertamab(SCT400)to rituximab(Mab Thera?)in patients with CD20-positive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Objective:This multi-center,open-label,randomized,parallel-controlled phaseⅡstudy aimed to compare the pharmacokinetics(PK),pharmacodynamics(PD)and safety profile of ripertamab(SCT400),a recombinant antiCD20 monoclonal antibody,to rituximab(MabThera^(■))in patients with CD20-positive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL).Methods:Patients with CD20-positive B-cell NHL who achieved complete remission or unconfirmed complete remission after standard treatment were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive a single dose of ripertamab(375mg/m^(2))or rituximab(MabThera^(■),375 mg/m^(2)).PK was evaluated using area under the concentration-time curve(AUC)from time 0 to d 85(AUC_(0-85d)),AUC from time 0 to week 1(AUC0-1 w),AUC from time 0 to week 2(AUC_(0-2 w)),AUC from time 0 to week 3(AUC_(0-3 w)),AUC from time 0 to week 8(AUC_(0-8 w)),maximum serum concentration(C_(max)),terminal half-life(T_(1/2)),time to maximum serum concentration(T_(max))and clearance(CL).Bioequivalence was confirmed if the 90%confidence interval(90%CI)of the geometric mean ratio of ripertamab/rituximab was within the pre-defined bioequivalence range of 80.0%-125.0%.PD,immunogenicity,and safety were also evaluated.Results:From December 30,2014 to November 24,2015,a total of 84 patients were randomized(ripertamab,n=42;rituximab,n=42)and the PK analysis was performed on 76 patients(ripertamab,n=38;rituximab,n=38).The geometric mean ratios of ripertamab/rituximab for AUC_(0-85d),ATC_(0-inf),and Cmaxwere 96.1%(90%CI:87.6%-105.5%),95.9%(90%CI:86.5%-106.4%)and 97.4%(90%CI:91.6%-103.6%),respectively.All PK parameters met the pre-defined bioequivalence range of 80.0%-125.0%.For PD and safety evaluation,there was no statistical difference in peripheral CD 19-positive B-cell counts and CD20-positive B-cell counts at each visit,and no difference in the incidence of anti-drug antibodies was observed between the two groups.The incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events and treatment-related adverse events were also comparable between the two groups.Conclusions:In this study,the PK,PD,immunogenicity,and safety profile of ripertamab(SCT400)were similar to rituximab(MabThera^(■))in Chinese patients with CD20-positive B-cell NHL.

Primary gastric non-Hodgkin lymphomas:Recent advances regarding disease pathogenesis and treatment

Primary gastric lymphomas(PGLs)are distinct lymphoproliferative neoplasms described as heterogeneous entities clinically and molecularly.Their main histological types are diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL)or mucosaassociated lymphoma tissue.PGL has been one of the main fields of clinical research of our group in recent years.Although gastric DLBCLs are frequent,sufficient data to guide optimal care are scarce.Until today,a multidisciplinary approach has been applied,including chemotherapy,surgery,radiotherapy or a combination of these treatments.In this minireview article,we provide an overview of the clinical manifestations,diagnosis and staging of these diseases,along with their molecular pathogenesis and the most important related clinical published series.We then discuss the scientific gaps,perils and pitfalls that exist regarding the aforementioned studies,in parallel with the unmet need for future research and comment on the proper methodology for such retrospective studies.Aiming to fill this gap,we retrospectively evaluated the trends in clinical presentation,management and outcome among 165 patients with DLBCL PGL who were seen in our institutions in 1980-2014.The study cohort was divided into two subgroups,comparing the main 2 therapeutic options[cyclophosphamide doxorubicin vincristine prednisone(CHOP)vs rituximab-CHOP(R-CHOP)].A better outcome with immunochemotherapy(R-CHOP)was observed.In the next 2 mo,we will present the update of our study with the same basic conclusion.

Correlation between Increased Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Stage of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

This study aims to examine the levels of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (cEPCs) in the peripheral blood of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and their correlation with the tumor stage. Forty-one patients with biopsy-proven NHL and 16 healthy individuals were recruited. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by density gradient centrifugation, and cEPCs were characterized by triple staining using antibodies against CD133, CD34 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2, CD309) and quantified by flow cytometry. In NHL patients, the number of cEPCs was significantly greater than in control group (P=0.000). The cEPCs counts in patients with NHL of stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ were significantly greater than in stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (P=0.010). FACS analysis revealed that the number of cEPCs in NHL patients had no correlation with the gender (P=0.401) or the pathological category (P=0.852). It was suggested that the over-expression of cEPCs in NHL patients may serve as a novel biomarker for disease progression in NHL.

Prognostic value of pre-and post-transplantation 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography results in non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients receiving autologous stem cell transplantation

Objective: High-dose chemotherapy(HDC) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation(ASCT) is the standard of care in the upfront or relapsed/refractory setting in some patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL).However,a proportion of patients do not respond to ASCT.^(18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG) positron emission tomography(PET)/computed tomography(CT) has been widely used for staging,response evaluation,and prognosis prediction.Here,we investigated the prognostic role of PET/CT in NHL patients before and after ASCT.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Peking University Cancer Hospital.All NHL patients who underwent ASCT between March 2010 and July 2016 were identified.Patients who had PET/CT scan before and after ASCT were included.Deauville criteria(5-point scale) were used to interpret PET scans.Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed using Cox regression.The predictive value of PET scanning was estimated by comparing the area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve.Results: In total,79 patients were enrolled in this study.In univariate analysis,pre-and post-ASCT PET result was identified as prognostic factors for 3-year progression-free survival(PFS) and overall survival(OS).Patients with negative pre-ASCT PET result demonstrated significantly better PFS(84.2% vs.54.2%) and OS(89.2% vs.63.6%) than patients with positive pre-ASCT PET result.PFS(91.6% vs.25.3%) and OS(96.5% vs.36.8%) were also significantly different between patients with negative and positive post-ASCT PET result.Multivariate analysis also showed a significant association between survival and post-ASCT PET result.ROC analysis revealed that the predictive value of post-ASCT PET result was superior to that of pre-ASCT PET result alone.Combined pre-and post-ASCT PET result is better for predicting outcomes in patients with NHL receiving transplantation.Deauville criteria score >3 was identified as the best cutoff value for post-ASCT PET.Conclusions: Post-ASCT PET result was more important than pre-ASCT PET result in predicting outcomes for NHL patients who underwent ASCT.The prognostic significance can be improved when combining preASCT PET result with post-ASCT PET result.Deauville criteria can be used for interpreting PET scans in this scenario.

The prognostic value of programmed cell death ligand 1expression in non-Hodgkin lymphoma:a meta-analysis

Objective: Although the prognostic value of programmed cell death-ligand 1(PD-L1) expression in non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL) has been evaluated in many studies, the results remain controversial. To investigate the prognostic role of PD-L1 expression and the association between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathological features of NHL, we performed a meta-analysis.Methods: The Pub Med, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to November 30, 2017. The hazard ratio(HR), 95% confidence interval(CI), and odds ratios(OR) with 95% CIs were combined to evaluate the association of PD-L1 expression with overall survival(OS) and clinicopathological features. Review manager 5.3 and STATA 12.0 were used in this meta-analysis.Results: A total of 2,005 patients across nine studies were enrolled in our meta-analysis, and the pooled results showed that high PD-L1 expression was associated with a poor prognosis(HR=2.04, 95% CI: 1.18–3.54, P=0.01). In the subgroup analysis according to histology types, pooled results demonstrated that an increased PD-L1 expression was an unfavorable prognostic factor for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(HR=1.92, 95% CI: 1.06–3.48, P=0.03) but not for natural killer/T-cell lymphoma(HR=2.41, 95%CI: 0.47–12.22, P=0.29). Pooled ORs indicated that PD-L1 expression was higher in NHL with international prognostic indices of≥3. However, PD-L1 expression had no correlation with gender, age, disease stage, lactate dehydrogenase level, B symptoms, and germinal center B-cell-like lymphoma.Conclusions: High PD-L1 expression was a poor prognostic biomarker in patients with NHL. Because of our limited sample size,high-quality studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate our results.

Expression of survivin in Human Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Its Correlation with Proliferation and Angiogenesis

In order to investigate the expression change of survivin in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and its possible effects on NHL development, the expression of survivin, Ki-67, caspase3 and FVIIIRAg in reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RH) and NHL was detected by immunohistochemical assay, and apoptosis index (AI) in RH and NHL by TUNEL analysis. The results showed that the expression of survivin is significantly higher in aggressive NHL than in indolent NHL (P<0.01), while there was no statistically significant difference between RH and indolent NHL (P>0.05). The expression of survivin had a significantly positive correlation with the expression of Ki-67 and FVIIIRAg (r=0.6495, 0.6635, respectively, both P<0.01), and a negative correlation with the expression of cas-pase3 and AI (r=-0.5820, -0.6013, respectively, P<0.01). It was suggested that survivin may contribute to the progression of NHL by playing an important role in promoting cell proliferation, inhibiting cell apoptosis and enlisting angiogenesis. Survivin expression is closely related to malignant grade and therefore may be considered an important prognostic factor of NHL.

Relationship between Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4E and Malignant Angiogenesis in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

The relationship between angiogenesis and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (EIF4E) expression level in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) was studied. Mean microvessel density (MVD) and EIF4E were detected in 52 lymph node samples paraffin sections of patients with newly diagnosed NHL by the way of immunohistochemistry. Antisense EIF4E cDNA was cloned into plasmid pcDNA3.1 (+) and transfected into Raji cells. A series of angiogenesis related factors,including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinases 9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) proteins were detected by Western blot. The results showed that: (1) The Expression of EIF4E and MVD was higher in aggressive lymphomas than in indolent lymphomas(P<0.05)and the expression of EIF4E was positively correlated with MVD in lymph node of NHL(r=0.695, P<0.01). (2) Antisense EIF4E eukaryocytic expression vector (pcDNA3.1-EIF4Eas) was constructed successfully. (3) EIF4E, VEGF and MMP-9 were expressed at high levels in Raji cells as compared to normal human peripheral blood monocular cells (NHPMC), and blockage of EIF4E expression brought down the expression of VEGF and MMP-9. However, TIMP-2 was undetectable in Raji cells, although a moderate level of TIMP-2 was detected in NHPMC. It was concluded that the increased EIF4E expression was associated with aggressive property of NHL.

Pediatric Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Retrospective 7-Year Experience in Children &Adolescents with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treated in King Fahad Medical City (KFMC)

Background: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is an aggressive malignant disease in children and adolescents. Although it is the fourth most common malignancy in Saudi children as reported in Saudi cancer registry, less information is available about pediatric Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and its outcome in Saudi Arabia. Study Objectives: To provide demographic data, disease characteristics, treatment protocol, toxicity and outcome of treatment in children & adolescents with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma treated at KFMC. This study will form base line for future studies about pediatric Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in KFMC, which may help to improve outcome for children with cancer in Saudi Arabia. Study Patients and Method: We retrospectively analyzed 28 children and adolescents diagnosed to have Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at KFMC between December 2006 and December 2013, followed-up through June 2014. Results: Of the 28 patients, 10 (35.7%) girls and 18 (64.3%) boys, the male-to-female ratio was 1.8;1. The median age at time of diagnosis was 6.4 years old (range 2.0 to 13.0 years old). The majority of patients (64.3%) were aged between 5 and 12 years old. Burkitt’s lymphoma BL/BLL was the most common pathological subtype (60.7%), and DLBCL was the second most common subtype (21.4%). Abdominal and Retroperitoneal involvement was the most common primary site (78.6%) including the ileocaecal region. Most of the children presented with advanced Stage III and IV (75%), Cytogenetic study which screens specifically for the t (8;14) (q24;q32) a characteristic genetic feature of Burkitt’s Lymphoma was obtained from 21 patients, variant rearrangement was observed in 3/21 samples and complex chromosomes karyotype in addition to IGH/MYC rearrangement was observed in 2/21 samples. Those patients presented with very aggressive lymphoma and combined BM and CNS involvement. We use the French-American-British Mature B-Cell Lymphoma 96 Protocol (FAB LMB 96) for treatment fornewly diagnosed Mature B-Cell type NHL and high risk ALL CCG 1961 Protocol for lymphoblastic lymphoma and international Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma 99 Study Protocol for ALCL. The median follow-up in patients not experiencing an adverse event was 53.1 months. The estimated 3-year EFE and OS rates in the entire cohort of patients with newly diagnosed NHL treated in the KFMC were 85.2% and 89.2% respectively;Overall survival (OS) rate of patients with mature B-cell-NHL was 88.9%. Conclusion: The outcomes and survival in our small series appeared to be excellent compared with those reported in other international trials even though most of our patients presented in advanced stage of the disease. We feel that the importance of the current study is to document the relative distribution of various types of pediatric non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas and age-specific distribution in different Histological subtypes.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma as a cause of obstructive jaundice with simultaneous extrahepatic portal vein obstruction:A case report

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a rare cause of biliary ob-struction. To the best of our knowledge, non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the peripancreatic region causing obstruc-tive jaundice with simultaneous portal vein (PV) inva-sion has not yet been reported. We present a 50-year-old patient with obstructive jaundice whose extrahepatic portal vein was obstructed by the invasion of a peripan-creatic non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The patient denied any other symptoms such as recurrent fever, night sweat and loss of body weight. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a 10 cm mass in the retroperitoneal space behind the head of the pancreas causing obstruction of the distal bile duct and the PV. A pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy combined with a PV resection was performed. The PV was reconstructed using an au-tologous right internal jugular vein graft. The resected specimen showed endoluminal invasion of both the bile duct and the PV. Histological examination showed the mass consisting of diffuse sheets of large malignant lymphoid cells. These cells were positive for CD20 and CD79a, partially positive for CD10, and negative for CD3, CD4, CD5, CD8 and CD30. The pathologic diagno-sis was diffuse large B-cell type non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the patient was transferred to the Department of Hematology and Oncology for chemotherapy. He re-ceived four cycles of combined chemotherapy including cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and pred-nisone plus rituximab, and three cycles of intrathecal chemoprophylaxis including methotorexate, cytosine arbinoside and prednisone. The patient is alive with noevidence of the disease for 7 mo after operation and will receive additional courses of chemotherapy.

Metabolic assessement of spleen infiltration by non-Hodgkin lymphoma using ^(18)F-FDG PET/CT:Preliminary clinical results

18F-FDG PET/CT was used for evaluation of spleen infiltration in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL).Five patients with histological diagnosed B-cell NHL underwent1 8F-FDG PET/CT examination.On integrated PET/CT image,spleen infiltration was considered when PET images revealed a discrete margin of solid splenic masses or diffuse lesion of spleen with higher maximum standardized uptake value(SUV) greater than those of normal liver structures.CT images demonstrating a positive splenic index(>480 mL)or focal hypodensities were classified as positive for spleen infiltration.All the patients underwent systemic chemotherapy.The1 8F-FDG PET and CT results were compared with final diagnoses.All patients had spleen infiltration originating from B-cell NHL at final diagnosis.Final diagnoses,which were confirmed by clinical and CT(n=3) or1 8F-FDG PET/CT(n=1) follow-up in 4 patients and biopsy of 1 patient.On integrated PET/CT image,1 8F-FDG PET was true-positive in all 5 patients with spleen infiltration.CT was true-positive in 4 of the 5 patients with spleen infiltration and false-negative in 1 patients (spleen infiltration without morphology changes).The accuracies of1 8F-FDG PET and CT for evaluating the spleen infiltration were 100% and 80% at staging,respectively.Our preliminary results suggested metabolic imaging of1 8F-FDG PET/CT may be helpful in the diagnosis of spleen infiltration in B-cell NHL patients.These patients may benefit from1 8F-FDG PET/CT in diagnosis,when spleen infiltration without morphology changes,which may not be diagnosed exactly by conventional image.

SHMTI C1420T polymorphism contributes to the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma： evidence from 7309 patients

Background Serine hydroxymethyltransferase 1 （SHMT1） is a key enzyme in the folate metabolic pathway thatplays an important role in biosynthesis by providing one carbon unit. SHMT1 C1420T may lead to the abnormalbiosynthesis involved in DNA synthesis and methylation, and it may eventually increase cancer susceptibility. Manyepidemiologic studies have explored the association between C1420T polymorphism and the risk of non-Hodgkinlymphoma （NHL）, but the results have been contradictory.Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to evaluate therelationship.Methods： The meta-analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of SHMT1 C1420T polymorphism on NHL risk.Odds ratios （ORs） and 95% confidence intervals （CIs） were calculated to measure the strength of the association.Results： Eight studies encompassing 3232 cases and 4077 controls were included. A statistically significant associationwas found between SHMT1 C1420T polymorphism and NHL risk under the allelic comparison （T vs. C： OR = 1.09,95% Cl 1.01-1.17）; a borderline association was found between SHMT1 C1420T polymorphism and NHL risk under thehomozygote model （TT vs. CC： OR = 1.18,95% Cl 1.00-1.39） and the dominant model （CT＋TT vs. CC： OR = 1.10,95%Ci 1.00-1.21）.Conclusion： SHMT1 C1420T polymorphism may be associated with NHL risk, which needs to be validated in large,prospective studies.

An uncommon clinical presentation of retroperitoneal non-Hodgkin lymphoma successfully treated with chemotherapy: A case report

We report the case of a patient affected by an extra-nodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma presenting as a unique, large retroperitoneal mass with an unusual clinical presentation mimicking gastric peptic or neoplastic disease. The patientwas successfully treated with a first generation therapy,CHOP modified regimen (cyclophosphamide 600mg/m^2 intravenously on d 1, epirubicin 55mg/m^2 intravenously on d 1, vincristine 1.2 mg/m^2 intravenously on d 1,prednisone 60 mg/m^2 on d 1-5), and a complete response was achieved. The (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography was used to assess the therapy outcome. A brief review of literature is provided.

Allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplantation with busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide conditioning therapy for relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma

The optimal stem cell transplantation (SCT) conditioning therapy for relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is not clearly defined. In a retrospective analysis, we examined 25 patients with “high risk” relapsed/refractory NHL who received busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide (Bu/Cy/VP16) conditioning with autologous or allogeneic SCT. The majority of patients had aggressive histology and 52% had primary refractory NHL. Furthermore, 48% of patients had chemotherapy-resistant disease at the time of SCT. Fifty-six percent of patients underwent allogeneic SCT, while 44% had autologous SCT. The median engraftment time for neutrophils and platelets was 13.5 and 14 days, respectively. The 100-day treatment-related mortality (TRM) was 16%, while the 2-year non-relapse mortality (NRM) rate was also 16%. At a median follow-up of 15 months, the estimated 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 64% (95% confidence interval (CI): 36%-82%) and the estimated 2-year overall survival (OS) was 69% (95% CI: 40%-86%). Furthermore, the 2-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rate was 73% (95% CI: 40%-90%). Using Cox proportional hazard modeling, the International Prognostic Index at time of relapse predicted DFS and OS. Altogether, Bu/Cy/VP16 was associated with early TRM;however, late toxicities (including NRM) were uncommon resulting in relatively good survival rates in a high-risk relapsed/refractory NHL population.

Recent advances in post autologous transplantation maintenance therapies in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas

Lymphomas constitute the second most common indication for high dose therapy(HDT) followed by autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation(autoHCT). The intent of administering HDT in these heterogeneous disorders varies from cure(e.g., in relapsed aggressive lymphomas) to disease control(e.g., most indolent lymphomas). Regardless of the underlying histology or remission status at transplantation, disease relapse remains the number one cause of post autoHCT therapy failure and mortality. The last decade has seen a proliferation of clinical studies looking at prevention of post auto-HCT therapy failure with various maintenance strategies. The benefit of such therapies is in turn dependent on disease histology and timing of transplantation. In relapsed, chemosensitive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL), although post auto-HCT maintenance rituximab seems to be safe and feasible, it does not provide improved survival outcomes and is not recommended. The preliminary results with anti- programmed death-1(PD-1) antibody therapy as post auto-HCT maintenance in DLBCL is promising but requires randomized validation. Similarly in follicular lymphoma, maintenance therapies including rituximab following auto-HCT should be considered investigational and offered only on a clinical trial. Rituximab maintenance results in improved progressionfree survival but has not yet shown to improve overall survival in mantle cell lymphoma(MCL), but given the poor prognosis with post auto-HCT failure in MCL, maintenance rituximab can be considered on a caseby-case basis. Ongoing trials evaluating the efficacy of post auto-HCT maintenance with novel compounds(e.g., immunomodulators, PD-1 inhibitors, proteasome inhibitors and bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors) will likely change the practice landscape in the near future for B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas patients following HDT and auto-HCT.

Dural Graft-Induced Fibrotic Mass Twelve Years after Successful Treatment of Skull Base Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Mimicking Recurrence: Case Report and Literature Review

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma involving the skull base is a very rare tumour. The role of surgery for these patients remains controversial, as is the use of dural graft for CSF leak repair. With an increasing incidence of CNS lymphoma, more atypical presentations are reported. It is, therefore, important to include lymphoma in the differential diagnosis of skull base lesions as long-term remission is achievable for such patients, as shown in our case. Dural graft used for CSF leak repair could present with delayed complication mimicking tumour recurrence. Relevant published literature is reviewed.

Post Radiotherapy “Isolated LP of the Lips” in a Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patient: A Possible Relation

We report upon a case of 62 years old Saudi male with non-Hodgkin lymphoma who developed lichen planus (LP) on the inner aspect of the upper lip six months after finishing radiotherapy. The diagnosis of LP was confirmed by histopathology. Literature review reveals few countable similar reports of “post radiotherapyoral LP (OLP)”. However, the isolated location of lichen planus on the upper lip per se in this case merits reporting being exceptional and reported before as isolated lichen planus of the lips (ILPL). We assume, after screening literature, that this is the first report of post radiotherapy ILPL in Arabian Gulf countries, though it may be underestimated and underreported. The etiological relation between radiotherapy and LP is discussed.

Role of lenalidomide in the treatment of peripheral T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas

T-cell lymphomas(TCLs)represent a group of lymphoid neoplasms characterized by an aggressive clinical course,even after an anthracycline-containing regimen.Novel agents for patients with relapsed/refractory TCL are urgently needed.Lenalidomide is an oral drug with immunomodulatory,antiangiogenic and direct antineoplastic effects.These peculiar mechanisms of action make TCL an attractive target for lenalidomide.We have identified five clinical trials in which lenalidomide monotherapy was investigated to treat TCL,including cutaneous TCL(CTCL)and adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia(ATLL).In the ATLL-002 study,the overall response rate(ORR)was 42%and median progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival were 3.8 mo and 20.3 mo,respectively.In a phase II trial for CTCL,ORR was 28%and median PFS and overall survival were 8 mo and 43 mo,respectively.For nodal peripheral TCL,ORR was between 10%and 43%in three clinical trials,with a median PFS of about 4 mo,even if some patients had a durable response.Overall toxicity is manageable and grade 3-4 events are mainly hematological and reversible.Combination strategies did not improve PFS.In conclusion,lenalidomide could represent a suitable treatment option for relapsed/refractory TCL,especially for neoplasms with a T-follicular helper origin,such as angioimmunoblastic TCL.