Incidence and Survivability of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients in the United States: Analysis of SEER Data Set from 2000-2019

The main goal of this research is to assess the impact of race, age at diagnosis, sex, and phenotype on the incidence and survivability of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) among patients in the United States. By taking these factors into account, the study aims to explore how existing cancer registry data can aid in the early detection and effective treatment of ALL in patients. Our hypothesis was that statistically significant correlations exist between race, age at which patients were diagnosed, sex, and phenotype of the ALL patients, and their rate of incidence and survivability data were evaluated using SEER*Stat statistical software from National Cancer Institute. Analysis of the incidence data revealed that a higher prevalence of ALL was among the Caucasian population. The majority of ALL cases (59%) occurred in patients aged between 0 to 19 years at the time of diagnosis, and 56% of the affected individuals were male. The B-cell phenotype was predominantly associated with ALL cases (73%). When analyzing survivability data, it was observed that the 5-year survival rates slightly exceeded the 10-year survival rates for the respective demographics. Survivability rates of African Americans patients were the lowest compared to Caucasian, Asian, Pacific Islanders, Alaskan Native, Native Americans and others. Survivability rates progressively decreased for older patients. Moreover, this study investigated the typical treatment methods applied to ALL patients, mainly comprising chemotherapy, with occasional supplementation of radiation therapy as required. The study demonstrated the considerable efficacy of chemotherapy in enhancing patients’ chances of survival, while those who remained untreated faced a less favorable prognosis from the disease. Although a significant amount of data and information exists, this study can help doctors in the future by diagnosing patients with certain characteristics. It will further assist the health care professionals in screening potential patients and early detection of cases. This could also save the lives of elderly patients who have a higher mortality rate from this disease.

A Rare Entity of Accelerated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Report of Two Cases and Review of Literature

Background: Accelerated-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (A-CLL) is a rare disease entity as it represents less than 1% of all reported cases of chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL). Moreover, it is most likely an under diagnosed entity due to its rarity and the non-standardized practice of lymph node biopsy in CLL. Purpose: The aims of our work are to establish the diagnosis of A-CLL and to study the prognosis and treatment of this rare entity. Method: here, we report the clinical presentation and the follow up of two cases of A-CLL. Results: Distinguishing Richter transformation (RT) from A-CLL is important as it may result in a major change in disease management. The prognosis of A-CLL is intermediate between CLL and RT. The prognosis is mainly poor due to a predominance of poor prognostic markers including an increasing number of p53-positive cases. Conclusion: To this date, no prospective study has been led to define the best treatment for A-CLL. The shorter survival of A-CLL when compared to typical CLL implies the need of a more aggressive treatment.

Targeting chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells in the tumor microenviroment: A review of the in vitro and clinical trials to date

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL) is the most common leukemia in the western world. Despite significantadvances in therapy over the last decade CLL remains incurable. Current front-line therapy often consists of chemoimmunotherapy-based regimens, most commonly the fludarabine, cyclophosphamide plus rituximab combination, but rates of relapse and refractory disease are high among these patients. Several key signaling pathways are now known to mediate the survival and proliferation of CLL cells in vivo, the most notable of which are the pathways mediated by the B-cell receptor(BCR) and cytokine receptors. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease, the underlying biology of the CLL-cell and the roles of the tumour microenvironment has provided the rationale for trials of a range of novel, more targeted therapeutic agents. In particular, clinical trials of ibrutinib and idelalisib, which target the Brutons tyrosine kinase and the delta isoform of phosphoinositol-3 kinase components of the BCR signaling pathway respectively, have shown extremely promising results. Here we review the current literature on the key signaling pathways and interactions of CLL cells that mediate the survival and proliferation of the leukemic cells. For each we describe the results of the recent clinical trials and in vitro studies of novel therapeutic agents.

Serum LDH level may predict outcome of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with a 17p deletion： a retrospective analysis of prognostic factors in China

Objective： This study aims to evaluate the natural history of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia （CLL） and a 17p deletion （17p-） and identify the predictive factors within this subgroup. Methods： The sample of patients with CLL were analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization for deletions in chromosome bands 1 lq22, 13q14 and 17p13; trisomy of bands 12q13; and translocation involving band 14q32. The data from 456 patients with or without a 17p- were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results： The overall response rate （ORR） in patients with a 17p- was 56.9%, and patients with a high percentage of 17p- （defined as more than 25% of cells harbouring a 17p-） had a lower ORR. The median overall survival （OS） in patients with a 17p- was 78.0 months, which was significantly shorter than the OS in patients without this genetic abnormality （median 162.0 months, P〈0.001）. Within the subgroup with a 17p-, the progression-free survival was significantly shorter in patients at Binet stage B-C and patients with elevated lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）, B symptoms, unmutated IGHVand a high percentage of 17p-. Conclusions： These results indicated that patients with a 17p- CLL have a variable prognosis that might be predicted using simple clinical and laboratory characteristics.

REARRANGEMENT AND EXPRESSION OF T CELL RECEPTOR β GENE IN HUMAN HEMOPOIETIC CELL LINES AND PRIMARY CELLS FROM ACUTE LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIAS

Using Southern blot, Northern blot and Quick blot methods, we examined the rearrangement and expression of TCR βgene in four early differentiation stage cell lines from human hemopoietic system, namely HL-60, Jurkat, Daudi and Raji cells as well as lymphocytes from 17 acute lymphocytic leukemia （ALL） patients. The results showed. Ⅰ) Rearrangement of TCR βgene was seen in Jurkat cells. A germline pattern was observed in HL-60, Daudi and Raji cells. 2) Eight of 9 patients with T-ALL had cells with rearranged TCR βgene. But two of 3 patients with B-ALL and three of 5 patients with nonT, nonB-ALL also had cells with rearranged TCR βgene. 3) A 1.3 kb full-length transcript and a 1.0 kb truncated transcript were detected in Jurkat cells by probing with 32P-TCR βcDNA. But some leukemic B cells also expressed an incompleted transcript. 4) TCR βmRNA was detected in six of 8 patients with T-ALL, four of 5 patients with nonT, nonB-ALL and one of 3 patients with B-ALL. But the level of expression was quite differ ent. The dual-rearrangement and the abnormal expression may give us a new clue for researching leukemogenesis.

Synchronous diagnosis and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia:Two case reports

BACKGROUND The concurrence of acute myeloid leukemia(AML)and chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL)is rare.Previous reports of such cases have focused mainly on clinical diagnosis and characteristics,so the mechanism remains unclear,and therapy options have been poorly explored.CASE SUMMARY Here,we report two cases of synchronous AML and CLL.Flow cytometry revealed two distinct abnormal cell populations(myeloblasts and lymphoid cells)according to scatter characteristics.CD5-positive B cell lymphoma with myeloid leukemia invasion was observed on lymph node biopsy.Chemotherapy regimens indicated for both AML and CLL were used in our patients,and our patients achieved complete response after chemotherapy.Next-generation sequencing of 88 genes was performed.CONCLUSION We conclude that early mutation and dysregulation at the hematopoietic stem cell stage and the accumulation of multiple rearrangements may cause the concurrence of CLL and AML.The treatment of infection and combination therapy aimed at the CLL component are significant in the management of patients with concurrent CLL and AML.

Time-limited,Combined Regimen in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia:A Promising Strategy to Achieve a Drug Holiday

Chemoimmunotherapy(CIT)is defined as standard first line treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL)patients while patients with unfavorable biological characteristics such as unmutated immunoglobulin heavy chain(UM-IGHV)and TP53 aberration failed to benefit from it.The emergency of the small molecular targeted agents including Bruton’s tyrosine kinase(BTK)inhibitor(BTKi)leads to a brand-new era,from a CIT to a chemo-free era in CLL.However,the treatment of target agents is not enough to attain a deep remission and high rate of complete remission(CR),especially in patients with high risks.The long duration brought about problems,such as cost,drug resistance and toxicity.To benefit CLL in progression free survival(PFS)and long-term remission,exploration of time-limited therapies,mainly with BTKi plus CIT and BCL2i based combination therapy has become a mainstream in clinical trials.The time-limited combination therapy shed light on the promising potentiality to attain sustainable deep remission and partly overcame the risk factors,although long term follow-up is required to consolidate the conclusion.In this review,we intend to introduce key results of clinical trials with combination therapy,discuss the achievements and limitations and put forward future direction for clinical trial design in this field.

A comparison of flow cytometry detection of minimal residual disease and chimerism kinetics in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Determination of minimal residual disease (MRD) remains crucial for the follow-up after therapy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Chimerism was assessed by short tandem repeat (STR)-PCR and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)-PCR, and MRD by a multicolor flow cytometric approach in 12 consecutive patients with CLL after they received allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Overall, 11 patients achieved MRD flow negativity [10 had full donor chimerism (FDC) and one had mixed chimerism (MC)]. Only one patient remained with MRD flow positivity and displayed MC. Fifty-six samples were concomitantly studied by both chimerism and MRD flow. A significant correlation was observed between MRD flow data and chimerism in both PB and BM by using a mixed effect linear regression (p < 0.001). Flow cytometry approach of MRD can be easily combined with chimerism during the follow-up post-allogeneic SCT. Both techniques appeared complementary for guiding post-transplant immunomodulation.

Papular mycosis fungoides: Six new cases and association with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Papular mycosis fungoides(MF) is a rare presentation of MF. Six illustrative cases of papular MF were retrospectively reviewed. Five of the cases studied by immunohistochemistry had variable numbers(range: 1%-20%) of CD30+ cells in the dermal infiltrate, a finding that is characteristic of lymphomatoid papulosis but may occasionally occur in typical early MF. Although none of our papular MF patients had progressive disease, lesions with relatively high numbers of CD30+ cells in 3 patients did not respond well to skin-directed treatments used for MF. Interestingly, these patients had evidence of coexisting clonal B cell populations in the blood(one with clonal B cell lymphocytosis and two with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia). We conclude that:(1) papular MF may contain CD30+ cells, thereby causing confusion with lymphomatoid papulosis; and(2) papular MF, like more typical MF, may be associated with clonal B-cell proliferations including chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Prognostic Value of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Objective: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous, hematologic malignancy at which short survival may be seen. Our study aims to evaluate the effect of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on the course of the disease, response to therapy, and overall survival (OS). Materials and Methods: A total of 124 patients followed-up with the diagnosis of AML from 2016 to 2019 were retrospectively examined. Results: 69 of the cases (55.6%) were men and 55 (44.3%) were women. The average age at the time of diagnosis was 53.44 ± 30.3 years old. We determined the NLR as median 0.46 (0.16 - 1.1). In AML, 69 patients were responsive to the induction regimen (57.9%) while 46 patients were unresponsive (37.8%). 5 patients died before completing the regimen. D-dimer was found to be higher and fibrinogen was found to be lower in the responsive group. Lower OS was observed in cases of >60 years of age, male gender, non-APL AML, high NLR, and recurrence at diagnosis. Recurrences were detected in 23 patients (18.5%) and the median time to the recurrence was 416 (236 - 639) days. Fibrinogen level and the bone marrow blast ratio at the time of application were determined to be associated with recurrence. The median follow-up time was 856 (143 - 1276) days. Final condition analysis reveals that 74 patients (59.6%) are alive. Conclusion: We determined in our study that the NLR is effective on survival. Medical literature on this subject is scanty and prospective studies with large patient groups are needed.

Curcumin in chronic lymphocytic leukemia——A review

Curcumin is a widely researched natural product and is known to possess anticarcinogenic properties.Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a type of leukemia that principally affects patients with age higher than 60 years.Since the toxicity of conventional drugs exceeds the benefits of treating this leukemia type,patients are treated only in the advanced symptomatic stages.The current article reviews curcumin,its general actions and targets in cancer,and specifically that of it in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

PURGING OF ACUTE NON-LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA PROGENITORS BY PROCAINE AND HYPERTHERMIA

Procaine and hyperthermia have been shown to possess a relatively selective cytotoxicity to leukemlc cells. In this study, the combined effects of procaine and hyperthermia on the growth of hematopoietic progenitors (GM-CFU) and ieukemic progenitors (L-CFU) were examined to determine if this combination resulted in a great selective killing of leukemlc cells than that achieved by procaine or heat alone. When the cells were treated simutaneously with procaine (2 mM) and hyperthermia (42℃) for one hour, the killing of L-CFU was enhanced considerably whereas GM-CFU were not markedly affected. These data Indicate that the combined treatment with procain and hyperthermia might offer an efficient mean to selectively purge residual leukemlc cells in vitro. Procaine with hyperthermia may have a role in clinical autoiogous bone marrow transplantation for acute leukemia.

Construction,Expression and in vitro Biological Effects of Idiotype Ig Fab Fragment of B-Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The purpose of this study was to construct expression vectors of idiotype （Id） SmIg in patients with B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia and to express them in E.coli to obtain recombinant Id, and to investigate the effect of the protein on the proliferation and secretion of IL-2 and IFN-γ of stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells （PBMC） in vitro. Light chain gene and Fd fragment of heavy chain gene were inserted into fd-tet-DOG2 vector to construct fd-tet-DOG2-Fab. Fab gene was further cloned into expression vector pHEN2 to construct the soluble expression vector pHEN2-Fab. After induction by IPTG, Fab protein was purified by Ni-NTA-chromatography. MTT was used to determine the effects of purified protein on the proliferation of stimulated PBMC in vitro and the concentrations of IL-2 and IFN-γ in the culture supernatants were detected by ELISA. The results showed that recombinant pHEN2-Fab expression vector was constructed successfully. Fab protein was expressed in positive clone after induced by IPTG and two specific bands at 24-25 kD position were observed by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. Proliferation of PBMC could be induced by purified Fab and the concentrations of IL-2 and IFN-γ in culture supernatants were increased significantly af- ter induction. It was suggested that the expression vector of SmIg Fab fragment was constructed suc- cessfully, and expressed and secreted from E. coli. The Fab protein could induce proliferation of PBMC and promote secretion of IL-2 and IFN-γ.

THE ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDY OF NON－HODGKIN＇S LYMPHOMA CELL，CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC AND HAIRY CELL LEUKEMIA

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cell leukemia (NHLCL),chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and hairy cell leukemia (HLC) are the diseases very similar to each other. The differential diagnosis is very difficult,especially when there are small lymphoid cells in Periphcral blood and bone marrow under light microscope. We have observed 34 cases with electron microscope. The studies were correlated with clinical manifestation, cytology, pathology and immunologic histochemistry. Ultrastructural features strongly indicated the difference in three various diseases, although all the immunologic markers showed B-cell type.It is concluded that electron microscopic examination is of a definite significance in the diaguosis and successful treatment.

INVESTIGATION OF INDUCING EFFECT OF SPECIFIC CYTOTOXICITY OF CTLS BY ANTIGEN PEPTIDES FROM T LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA CELLS

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of specific antitumor immunity induced by antigen peptides mixture from T lymphocytic leukemia cells. Method: Antigen peptides mixtures were prepared from different leukemia cell lines and then bound with Hsp70 in vitro. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were cultured in vitro, and activated with Hsp70-antigen peptides. The activated PBMC was cultured continuously in vitro, and used as effector cells in vitro test of cytotoxicity to different target cells. Results: The antigen peptides from different leukemia cell lines were peptides mixture and could activate PBMC effectively if they were presented by Hsp70. The activated PBMC could proliferate in the presence of IL-2 and Hsp70-antigen peptides. The proliferative PBMC had specific cytotoxicity to leukemia cells corresponding to the antigen peptides. PBMC activated by antigen peptides from T lymphocytic leukemia cell lines could effectively kill T lymphocytic leukemia cells, and the cytotoxicity of these PBMC to T lymphocytic leukemia cells was significantly stronger than that of PBMC activated by antigen peptides from other leukemia cells (P < 0.05). PBMC activated by either Hut78-peptides or Molt 4-peptides could effectively kill Jurkat cells. And the cytotoxicity of PBMC activated by Hut78/Molt-4-peptides to Jurkat cells was significantly stronger than that of PBMC activated by either Hut78-peptides or Molt-4-peptides alone (P<0.05). Conclusion: Antigen peptides mixture from T lymphocytic leukemia cell lines can induce specific cytotoxic effect to T lymphocytic leukemia cells. There exists cross-reactivity among antigen peptides mixture from different T lymphocytic leukemia cell lines. The cross-reactivity could be amplified by blending of different antigen peptides from different T lymphocytic leukemia cell lines, suggesting that it is possible to prepare broad-spectrum antigen peptide vaccine against T lymphocytic leukemia by using multiple leukemia cell lines.

Prognostic Significance of Apoptosis Regulators in B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Background: High levels of MCL-1 and BCL-2 proteins have been found in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), and inversely correlated with response to treatment. BCL-2/Bax ratio is the main director of apoptosis in CLL. The study aimed to clarify the prognostic role of MCL-1, BCL-2 and BCL-2/ Bax ratio in B-CLL. Patients & method: Estimation of MCL-1, BCL-2 and Bax expressions by a flow cytometry in 45 B-CLL patients and the prognostic value of these markers were correlated with other well-known established prognostic markers and treatment response. Results: MCL-1 was expressed in 60% of cases while BCL-2 was expressed in 82.2% of cases. MCL-1 expression was significantly high in male gender, short lymphocyte doubling time (LDT), and high expression of CD 38 (p β2M, CD38 expression), low ZAP-70 expression, splenomegaly and higher Rai stage were significantly increased in patients with high expression of BCL-2 (p β2M, high C-D38 expression, low ZAP-70 expression, the poor cytogenetic and splenomegaly in patients with high expression of BCL-2/ Bax ratio (p In conclusion: MCL-1, BCL-2 expressions and BCL-2/Bax ratio could be useful potential predictive and prognostic markers in B-CLL.

Mutation Analysis of IgVH Gene in B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Summary: The variable heavy chain region (VH) genes of 3 untreated patients with B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B CLL) were cloned and analyzed. The VH family used was VH3 11, VH3 72 and VH3 33. More than 2 % difference from the corresponding germline gene was detected in all the 3 obtained potential functional genes (average 16.7). Mutation pattern analysis indicated evidence of antigen selective pressure observed in 1 of 3 cases. Our findings suggested that the tumor cells originate from post GC cells.

The Unmet Need in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Impact of Comorbidity Burden on Treatment Patterns and Outcomes in Elderly Patients

Introduction: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disease of the elderly. Elderly patients often have increased comorbidity burden and loss of organ reserve that may impact their ability to tolerate cancer therapy. We described realworld characteristics of typical CLL patients and identified factors predictive of receiving treatment. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of 8343 first primary CLL patients was performed using the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database. Patients were diagnosed from 1/1/1998 to 12/31/2007, >66 years, and continuously enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B in the year prior to diagnosis. Comorbidity was examined using the National Cancer Institute comorbidity index and the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. Cox and Logistic regression modeling assessed patient characteristics predictive of receiving treatment within the first year after diagnosis. Results: Median follow-up time from diagnosis was 782 days. During the study time period, there were 3366 (40%) treated patients and 4977 (60%) untreated. Even among those diagnosed with advanced stage (n = 4213), 57% were not treated. Treated patients were younger at diagnosis compared to untreated (76 vs. 79;p < 0.0001). In general, as age increased, the incidence and severity of comorbidities increased. In multivariate regression analyses, the treatment rate was significantly lower among patients >80 years, females, and with early stage disease;and significantly decreased with increasing comorbidity burden. Conclusions: Age, gender, comorbidity and stage were predictive of receiving treatment. Among patients with advanced stage, 57% were not being treated possibly due to older age and/or higher comorbidity burden.

Correlates of Age at Initial Diagnosis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Exercise, ASA &Emotional Distress

Objective: No studies of either the cross-sectional or prospective association of behavioral lifestyle characteristics and the onset of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) exist. Methods: Multiple interview or questionnaire measures of emotional distress and social support, as well as personality characteristics, exercise, sleep quality, aspirin or lipid-lowering medication use, smoking status and history, educational history and farming/pesticide exposure were tested as correlates of age at initial diagnosis of CLL (AAID-CLL) in 183 patients recruited from the electronic records of Henry Ford Hospital or internet support sites. Results: Aspirin use, having always been “Fit” and living alone were positively associated with AAID. Negative associations were observed for farming/pesticide exposure, years of education, being married, self description as a “Lone Wolf” or “Worrier”, taking “nerve” or “sleeping” pills, awakenings per night, Packyears of Smoking and the Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, Anxiety, Hostility and Paranoia scales of the Symptom Checklist 90 - Revised, as well as the AIAI (anger), Depression and Anxiety scales of the Spouse/Friend Ketterer Stress Symptom Frequency Checklist. Conclusions: Aspirin use and exercise may exert a modifiable delaying influence in the onset of CLL. Conversely, emotional distress and smoking may hasten its onset. Prospective, and interventional, tests of these findings are needed.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma complicated with skin Langerhans cell sarcoma:A case report

BACKGROUND Langerhans cell sarcoma(LCS)is a rare malignancy with poor prognosis.LCS and chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma(SLL)can occur in the same diseased tissues,such as lymph nodes or skin.CASE SUMMARY A 48-year-old female Han Chinese patient was admitted for generalized lymph node enlargement for 6 years and abdominal distension for 1 wk.She was diagnosed with small B-cell lymphoma(stage IV)/CLL(Benet stage B)and received chemotherapy.She started oral ibrutinib in February 2019.She was hospitalized on June 11,2019,and a 1.5 cm×1.5 cm dark-red nodule with ulceration scalp lesion was found.Biopsy revealed LCS but without CLL/SLL.She was diagnosed with CLL/SLL(Binet stage C,Rai stage IV)accompanied by secondary histiocytic sarcomas and skin LCS and received cyclophosphamide,doxorubicin,vincristine,dexamethasone,and etoposide but developed severe cytopenia.She ultimately refused treatments and discharged spontaneously.She died on September 12,2019.The literature review showed that in patients with CLL/SLL,skin lesions of LCS are accompanied by CLL/SLL.This patient was different from the previously reported cases of skin LCS in patients with CLL/SLL.CONCLUSION In this patient,the skin lesion of LCS showed no concomitant CLL/SLL.