Ultrasound features of primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the palatine tonsil:A case report

BACKGROUND Lymphomas are the second most common malignancy of the head and neck.In this region,the vast majority of extranodal lymphomas are located in the palatine tonsil,accounting for about 51%.Tonsillar lymphomas are aggressive tumors with intermediate-or high-grade histology.We here report a case of primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the palatine tonsil and analyze its ultrasound features.CASE SUMMARY A 40-year-old man presented with right palatine tonsil swelling for 2 mo after a cold,accompanied by dysphagia,snoring,and suffocation.He had no sore throat,fever,or history of upper respiratory tract infection or tuberculosis.The patient was generally in good health and denied other diseases.He was diagnosed with acute tonsillitis initially and treated with antibiotics for 7 d.However,there was no improvement with the treatment.Tonsil biopsy and ultrasound-guided biopsy of the biggest lymph node of the right neck showed the typical pathology of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.CONCLUSION Primary lymphoma of the tonsils is rare,and its diagnosis is challenging.Ul-trasound is a useful modality in diagnosing oropharyngeal diseases,and can clearly show the features of this tumor,but the final diagnosis should be estab-lished by histology.

Primary Ovarian Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Retrospective Study of 16 Patients

Background: Primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (PONHL) of the ovary is rare disease. Ovarian involvement by NHL is usually secondary, as a part of systemic disease. It is frequently diagnosed as ovarian carcinoma which causes a significant delay in diagnosis and management. Objective: To analyze, to report and to better understand the clinico-pathologic features and results of treatment, and prognostic factors of these tumors. Material & methods: This was a retrospective single institutional work that included 16 cases of primary ovarian non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PONHL) treated in National Cancer Institute-Cairo University from January 2010 till January 2015. All available medical data including the clinical and pathological characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of patients with PONHL are analyzed. Results: Data from 16 patients are obtained. The patient’s age ranges from 14 to 55 years (mean 28 years). Ascites is the most common manifestation (75%). Tumor size ranges from 5 to 24 cm (mean 13.1). LDH is elevated in all cases (mean 644 U/L) and CA-125 is elevated in only 4 cases (25%) especially when there is an extensive peritoneal irritation. Ten cases (62.5%) are bilateral with stage IV-E according to the Ann Arbor staging system. The remaining six cases (37.5%) are unilateral with Ann Arbor stage I-E. There are no stage II-E or III-E in the current study. Tumors are classified according to the World Health Organization as follows: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (10 cases) (62.5%), Burkitt’s lymphoma (5 cases) (31%) and only one case of B-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia. All the tumors are of B-cell lineage and are all CD20 positive. All Burkitt’s lymphoma cases show higher Ki67 index (4 cases are 100% and one is 88%). The case of B-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia is positive for TDT & CD 10. Surgery is the main treatment modality for primary diagnosis and for staging, although chemotherapy should have been the primary treatment because it is one of the most chemosensitive tumors. Follow-up period ranges from 3 months to 5 years (mean 33 months). Ten patients are alive without disease. Two cases experienced relapse and one case died during chemotherapy treatment. The remaining three cases died from other causes than disease. The median overall survival time was not reached yet;however, the mean overall survival was 46.8 monthes;median progression free survival was 36 months. Conclusion: Most patients with PONHL present with symptoms attributable to an ovarian mass which necessitates extensive surgical staging that is not mandatory for lymphomas. More studies will be needed to better define and treat this rare entity.

Clinical Outcomes of 67 Patients Treated with Chemoradiotherapy for Primary Thyroid Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in Osaka Medical College

Background: The reports of clinical outcomes of patients treated with chemoradiotherapy for primary thyroid non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are rare. We report our results of chemoradiotherapy for primary thyroid non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Materials and Methods: The subjects were 67 patients with thyroid non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among 269 patients with malignant lymphoma who received radiotherapy in our hospital during a period between May 1990 and June 2005. The patients included 16 men and 51 women, with a mean age of 66.2 ± 10.7 years (30 - 84 years). The disease stage was stage I in 42 patients, stage II in 24, and unclear in 1. The histologic type was B-cell lymphoma in 66 patients, MALT in 9, diffuse type in 52, follicular type in 5, and diffuse and follicular type in 1. CHOP chemotherapy regimen for malignant lymphoma patients was as follows. Intravenous drip infusion of cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, (drip) infusion of doxorubicin 50 mg/m2, and intravenous injection of vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 were administered on day 1, followed by 5 consecutive days of oral prednisolone 100 mg/m2. This regimen was repeated every 3 weeks (21 days) in 6 to 8 courses. Modified CHOP chemotherapy regimen was as follows. Intravenous drip infusion of cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2, intravenous (drip) infusion of doxorubicin 40 mg/m2, intravenous infusion of vindesine 3 mg/m2, and intravenous drip infusion of prednisolone 60 mg/body were administered on day 1, and intravenous prednisolone was changed to oral prednisolone with the dose tapered gradually. After completing one course of this regimen, two courses of radiotherapy (a total of 36 Gy) were performed, followed by 6 courses of the chemotherapy regimen at lower doses (80% of the initial doses) repeated once a month. Results: Results of chemoradiotherapy in all patients were excellent. The 15-year survival rate was over 80%. Although there were no significant differences in the results of chemoradiotherapy among different histologic types of thyroid malignant lymphoma, the survival rate was 100% for MALT type, as compared with poor results for diffuse large type or diffuse mixed type. The analysis of the results of chemoradiotherapy according to the stage of malignant thyroid lymphomas revealed that therapeutic results were significantly better in stage I than in stage II. Conclusion: The CHOP chemoradiotherapy regimen and modified CHOP chemoradiotherapy regimen were excellent for primary thyroid non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

LMP1 Immunohistochemistry in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma of Sudanese Cases

Back ground: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) with its different subtypes is strongly related to Epstein Bar virus (EBV) infection mainly Burkitt’s lymphoma in Africa. Studies proved the role of EBV in tumor-genesis and linked it to prognosis and therapy of patients. Objectives: To determine the frequency of EBV in non-Hodgkin lymphomas using EBV latent membrane protein 1 (EBV-LMP1) immunohistochemical stain. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at radio-isotope centre of Khartoum (2012-2014). A total of 75 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma paraffin embedded sections were stained for EBV LMP1 antibody. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 and statistical cross linking of the results of immune staining with other data was done. Results: Out of 75 patients of non Hodgkin’s lymphoma (74.7%) were males. EBV-LMP1 Immune-staining was positive in (17.3%) with predominance of Burkitt’s lymphoma (33.3%), followed by diffuse large B cell lymphoma (17.9%). Conclusion: Burkitt’s lymphoma expressed the highest percentage of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma positive cases (46.2%) out of the total (17.3%) positive cases. Different methods need to be used in studying Burkitt’s lymphoma expression of EBV and its effects on the treatment and prognosis of cases.

A case of primary isolated non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the esophagus in an immunocompetent patient

Primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the esophagus is a rare disease.A case of primary isolated nonHodgkin’s lymphoma of the esophagus in a 77-yearold man without acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is presented.We describe the clinical features and the imaging findings(barium swallow,endoscopic ultrasonography and CT)of a biopsy proven B-cell lymphoma with diffuse transmural involvement of the esophagus wall,which was discovered incidentally.We also briefly review the literature.

Preliminary outcome of rituximab-containing salvage regimens on relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: single institution experience

Objective： The prognosis of relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma is poor, with a short-term survival after conventional second-line chemotherapy, Rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 antigen, in combination with CHOP or CHOP-like chemotherapy may improve both disease free survival （DFS） and overall survival （OS） of naive patients, but its role in the second-line therapy for relapsed non-Hodgkin＇s Lymphoma （NHL） remains to be defined, This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of rituximab-containing salvage regimens for relapsed or refractory NHL, and observe the toxicities. Methods： The clinical data of 54 patients, who were with relapsed or refractory NHL and treated in the Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University, were analyzed retrospectively, Of the 54 patients, 29 were man, 25 were women, with a median age of 52.5 years old （range 18 to 75）; 50 patients （92.6%） scored 0-1 for the ECOG performance status; for second-line international prognostic index （slPI）, 21 （38.9%） scored 0-1,30 （55.6%） scored 2 to 3, and 3 （5.6%） scored 4-5; 40 cases were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma （DLBCL）, accounting for 74.1% of all subtypes, Rituximab was administered intravenously at a dose of 375 mg/m^2 at the day before each chemotherapy cycle, The second or third-line salvage regimens included EPOCH, CHOP, DHAP, DICE, IVAC, IMVP-16 and FND, Results： Of the 54 patients, 49 received retuximab-containing salvage regimens, The objective response rate of the 45 evaluable cases was 68,8%, with a complete remission （CR） rate of 37.7%; 3 patients achieved CR after radiotherapy following rituximab-based regimens and 3 achieved CR after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, The most frequent adverse events were leucopenia, nausea and alopecia. The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy only elevated the occurrence of mild infusion-related reactions, such as chills, fever and pruritus. The median follow-up time was 18 months （range 2-86 months）; 5 patients were lost, 24 were dead （23 died of lymphoma, and 1 died of severe hepatitis）, the other patients remained alive. The median survival time was 32 months （range 2-86 months, 95% confidential interval 16-48 months）. The 1-, 2- and 3-year OS rates were 70.6%, 53,6% and 41,5%, respectively, The median TTP was 6 months （range 0-52 months）, The median PFS was 10 months （range 0-47 months, 95% CI 0-26 months）, The 1- and 2-year PFS were 49,3% and 41,3%. Conclusion： Rituximab-containing salvage regimens are effective and well tolerated therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell NHL, even those were extensively treated.

‘Les liaisons dangereuses’: Hepatitis C, Rituximab and B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas

Rituximab has provided a revolutionary contribution to the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL). A high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been described in B-cell NHL patients. Cases of liver dysfunction in HCV-positive patients have been reported with Rituximab-containing regimens. In this paper we review the recent data regarding the effects of Rituximab in NHL patients with HCV infection. We also added a section devoted to improving communication between oncohaematologists and hepatologists. Furthermore, we propose a common methodological ground to study hepatic toxicity emerging during chemotherapy.

Prognostic values of serum LDH and β2-MG in patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Objective： To evaluate the clinical significance of quantitative determination of serum lactic dehydrogenase （LDH） and beta 2-microgtobulin （β2-MG） in patients with non-Hodgkin＇s lymphoma （NHL）. Methods： Date of the 65 patients from 2003 to 2004 were retrospectively analyzed, relationship between LDH and β2-MG activities and tumor phase, effect of treat- ment as well as prognosis were studied. Results： The levels of LDH and β2-MG in the advanced stage, B group and bone marrow involvement were obviously higher than their comparison counterpart and the difference was significant （P 〈 0.05）. There was no significant difference between the high LDH group and normal LDH group in the two-year survival rate. But the difference in the four-year survival rate was significance. Conclusion： The level of LDH and β2-MG are valuable for clinical stage, prognosis and evaluation of therapeutic response in patients with NHL.

Post-Therapy Profile of BMI-for-Age of Indian Survivors of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Background: Obesity in pediatric ALL survivors is a well recognized late effect. Hence the present study examines the BMI-for-age of Indian childhood ALL and NHL survivors. Method: A retrospective study of 118 ALL/NHL survivors and 138 age sex matched was carried out. From the recorded heights and weights were body mass index (BMI) was computed. The survivor data was compared with 138 controls from the data set collected by investigators previously. Results: 82.8% of patients had BMI-for-age in 5th-84th percentile (healthy) at time of diagnosis and at inclusion in the study. Comparison of BMI of survivors with matched controls was not significant. However, The mean BMI-for-age for younger patients (3 to 12 years) was significantly higher than mean BMI-for-age of matched controls. Distribution of data by time elapsed from therapy was significant. Overweight/obesity was observed among the survivors who were off therapy for two years with increase in after four years post-therapy. Conclusion: Our preliminary study indicates late effects of therapy and points to the need of long term assessment of the survivors, even though majority of them were within the normal weight range.

Clinical randomized comparative trial of DICE regimen and CHOP regimen in treating intermediate and high grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Objective: To compare efficacies and safeties of DICE and CHOP regimens in treating intermediate and high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and indicate the standard treatment for it. Methods: A total of 74 patients with moder- ately or highly malignant NHL, verified by pathology or histology, were randomized into the trial group (37 patients treated with DICE regimen) and the control group (37 patients treated with CHOP regimen). Survival rate was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. Chi-square test was performed between groups. Results: The complete response rate, partial response rate, and response rate were significantly higher in DICE group than in CHOP group (40.5% vs. 29.7%, 37.8% vs. 27.0%, and 78.3% vs. 56.7%, respectively, P < 0.05). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were significantly higher in DICE group than in CHOP group (89.2% vs. 81.2%, 76.0% vs. 52.6%%, and 46.7% vs. 36.4%, respectively, P < 0.05). The major side effects, appeared with no differences (P > 0.05) in incidences between the two groups, were leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and nausea. There were only three episodes of clinical cystitis or gross haematuria in DICE regimen. Conclusion: The results showed higher efficacy of DICE regimen over CHOP regimen. DICE regimen may prolong the survival time of patients with moderately and highly malignant NHL.

Clinical characteristics for 112 cases with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Objective： To study clinical characteristics of non-Hodgkin＇s lymphoma （NHL） in order to diagnose and treat early and improve prognosis. Methods： 112 cases with NHL were pathologically diagnosed and treated in 1992-2005. Results： Among all cases, 30 were not treated previously, 79 were involved in peripheral lymph nodes, 55 deep lymph nodes, 18 Waldeyer＇s ring, 25 respiratory system, 26 digestive system, 26 spleen, 13 bone, 13 skin and subcutaneous, 4 urinogenital system, 13 other sites. Among 30 previously untreated patients, there were 4 staged 1, 3 IE1 5 Ⅱ, 1 ⅡE, 9 Ⅲ, 1 Ⅲs and 7 IV. Among 82 patients with prior treatment, 29 were involved in lymph nodes only, 53 involved in different organs and tissues. In our series, there were 38 cases and 74 cases belonged to subtype A and subtype B respectively. Conclusion： The enlargement of peripheral lymph nodes is main clinical characteristic in NHL, but lesions also involve different organs and tissues. The diagnosis of NHL depends upon pathological examination.

Unusual Case of Idiopathic Membranous Later Developing Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

A 30-year-old male presented to nephrology services as a case of nephrotic syndrome and membranous nephropathy was found on renal biopsy. He was treated for this pathology with steroid and cytotoxic drugs and remained in remission for 3 years and then presented with non Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Cost-Minimization and Budget Impact Analysis of Rituximab SC VS Rituximab IV for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHLs) in Greece

Background: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHLs) is a prevalent type of cancer for which Intravenous (IV) Rituximab is a widely used treatment option. Nevertheless, IV infusions can lead to intense resource use and, subsequently, costs. Given that a subcutaneous (SC) therapeutically equivalent formulation of the drug is currently available, this study aimed to examine the potential clinical and economic value of the introduction of the SC formulation for the Greek healthcare setting. Methods: A cost-minimization and budget-impact analysis contributed to comparing staff, patient time and resource utilization and estimating the clinical effects and associated costs in the IV and SC administration. A questionnaire-based survey was used to provide data regarding the local treatment patterns and the resource use associated with each treatment in the Greek NHS. The analysis followed the third-party payer perspective, and cost data relevant to personnel salaries, pharmaceuticals and resource utilization were obtained from official government sources. Results: SC administration was associated with time savings in activities such as pre-medication administration (3 minutes saved with the SC use), monitoring during infusion (12 minutes for physicians and 3 minutes for nurses) as well as time-savings in the preparation of the drugs, the actual dispensing process and the post-injecting monitoring processes. A significant decrease was observed in the nursing and chair time (57% and 90% per case, respectively) and a higher level of services could be secured in terms of hospital capacity with the SC use. SC administration was found to generate budget savings of 618,708€ per 1000 patients/3 years over the full course of treatment. Conclusions: Switching IV to SC administration, as demonstrated in the case of Rituximab for NHLs in Greece, can reduce staff time and administration costs, improve the capacity of the system and, possibly, improve resource allocation in the healthcare system.

Low Dose Total Body Irradiation for Relapsed Low Grade Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Experience of National Cancer Institute, Cairo

Background and Purpose: The relapsed low grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (LG-NHL) is currently?incurable disease and the optimal treatment regimen has not determined yet. Low dose total body irradiation (LTBI) provides an alternative mechanism of action against cancer cells rather than direct cell kill. The mode of action of LTBI is immune-modulatory effect, induction of apoptosis and?hypersensitivity to low radiation doses. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of LTBI on relapsed?LG-NHL and reporting our experience at National Cancer Institute, Cairo (NCI, Cairo). Material and Methods: Fifty eight patients with relapsed LG-NHL and received LTBI studied retrospectively.?LTBI dose was 1.6 Gy/8 fractions divided on 2 courses;each course 4 fractions treated over 4 days with 2 weeks rest between the 2 courses. Results: The median age is 54 years;65% of the patients are men. Forty (69%) patients had performance status of 2 or more. Twenty seven patients were stage II/III and 31 patients (53%) had stage IV disease. Twenty six (45%) patients had bulky disease more than 10 cm and 22 (38%) patients had B symptoms at the time of relapse. The?extranodal disease was present in 17 patients (29%) and 78% of the patients received?>3 regimens of chemotherapy before referral to LTBI. Twenty three patients received IFRT (mean dose 32 ± 4 Gy) to initially bulky sites after LTBI. Fourteen patients (24%) achieved complete remission (CR) while 45%, 21% and 10% had partial remission (PR), stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD) respectively. The median PFS duration was 14 months and the median OS duration?was 39 months. Stage VI,?>3 regimen of chemotherapy and bad response to LTBI (SD) affected?progression duration adversely (0.03, 0.05 and 0.01 respectively). The response to LTBI is the only factor affected the OS duration significantly. The 3-year PFS was 19% ± 9%, and 3-year OS was 45% ± 8%. Stage IV was the only factor affected the 3-year PFS significantly with p value 0.03. The hematological toxicity was the main side effect of LTBI. Eleven patients developed G3/4 anemia while 8 patients only developed G3/4 thrombocytopenia and 13 patients developed G3/4 leucopenia. Conclusion: The use of LTBI in patients with relapsed low grade NHL is a feasible, effective and tolerable treatment that is worthy of testing in a future with chemotherapy and Rituximab maintenance.

Clinical study of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma

BACKGROUND Chemotherapy for malignant tumors can cause brain changes and cognitive impairment,leading to chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment(CICI).Current research on CICI has focused on breast cancer and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.Whether patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma(NHL)undergoing chemo-therapy have cognitive impairment has not been fully investigated.therapy have cognitive impairment has not been fully investigated.AIM To investigate whether NHL patients undergoing chemotherapy had cognitive impairments.METHODS The study included 100 NHL patients who were required to complete a compre-hensive psychological scale including the Brief Psychiatric Examination Scale(MMSE)at two time points:before chemotherapy and within 2 wk of two chemo-therapy courses.A language proficiency test(VFT),Symbol Number Pattern Test(SDMT),Clock Drawing Test(CDT),Abbreviated Daily Cognition Scale(ECog-12),Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire,and Karnofsky Perfor-mance Status were used to assess cognitive changes before and after chemo-therapy.RESULTS The VFT scores for before treatment(BT)and after treatment(AT)groups were 45.20±15.62,and 42.30±17.53,respectively(t-2.16,P<0.05).The CDT scores were 8(3.5-9.25)for BT and 7(2.5-9)for AT groups(Z-2.1,P<0.05).Retrospective memory scores were 13.5(9-17)for BT and 15(13-18)for AT(Z-3.7,P<0.01).The prospective memory scores were 12.63±3.61 for BT and 14.43±4.32 for AT groups(t-4.97,P<0.01).The ECog-12 scores were 1.71(1.25-2.08)for BT and 1.79(1.42-2.08)for AT groups(Z-2.84,P<0.01).The SDMT and MMSE values did not show a significant difference between BT and AT groups.CONCLUSION Compared to the AT group,the BT group showed impaired language,memory,and subjective cognition,but objec-tive cognition and execution were not significantly affected.

Primary Non-Hodgkin’s Malignant Lymphoma of the Uterus at the Reference Hospital of Maradi/Niger: A Case Report

Malignant non-Hodgkins lymphoma (MHNL) of the uterus is uncommon. We report a case diagnosed on the basis of histologic and immunohistochemical studies of a hysterectomy specimen induced by a very painful pelvic mass in a 50-year-old patient with no previous history of the disease. It was classified as Ann Arbor IV Bb after imaging, given the medullary infiltration and signs of clinical and biological evolutivity: the patient had received two courses of chemotherapy, CHOP protocol. She died 23 days after the second treatment due to a hypertensive crisis.

SENEX-mediated CDK4/6 inhibition promotes senescence and confers apoptosis resistance in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Background:The primary cause of treatment failure in patients with refractory or relapsed B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma(r/r B-NHL)is resistance to current therapies,and therapy-induced senescence(TIS)stands out as a crucial mechanism contributing to tumor drug resistance.Here,we analyzed SENEX/Rho GTPase Activating Protein 18(ARHGAP18)expression and prognostic significance in doxorubicin-induced B-NHL-TIS model and r/r B-NHL patients,investigating its target in B-NHL cell senescence and the effect of combining specific inhibitors on apoptosis resistance in B-NHL-TIS cells.Methods:Raji cells were transfected with the human SENEX shRNA recombinant lentiviral vector(Sh-SENEX)and the empty vector negative(NC)to construct a stable transfection cell line with knockdown of SENEX.Effect of SENEX-silencing on B-NHL-TIS formation,cell function and cell cycle-related pathways was analyzed.Using doxorubicin(DOX)-inducible senescent B-NHL cells combined with the specific cyclin dependent kinase 4/6(CDK4/6)inhibitor Palbociclib to observe that blocking CDK4/6 effects on TIS formation.SENEX expression of 21 B-NHL patients and 8 healthy controls were analyzed by qRT-PCR,and the correlation between its expression and clinical indicators were evaluated.Results:The downregulation of SENEX expression promotes G1-S phase transition and apoptosis while inhibiting cell proliferation,collectively suppressing the formation of TIS in B-NHL.Blockade of CDK4/6 promotes the DOX-induced G1 phase arrest to enhance TIS formation in B-NHL cells which can reverse the regulatory effect of silencing SENEX on B-NHL cell cycle regulation and senescence.The expression levels of SENEX were notably elevated in B-NHL patients compared to healthy controls,and Elevated expression levels of SENEX were associated with poor prognosis of B-NHL patients.Conclusions:SENEX enhances apoptosis resistance in B-NHL by inhibiting CDK4/6,thereby preventing G1-S phase transition and promoting TIS formation.

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.

Comparison of clinical features of patients with or without severe gastrointestinal complications in aggressive gastrointestinal lymphomas

BACKGROUND Aggressive primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin lymphoma(PGINHL)is an uncommon and heterogeneous group of lymphoid malignancies,that differs from indolent lymphoma and has a high incidence of severe gastrointestinal complications(GICs).AIM To investigate and compare the clinicopathological characteristics,treatments and outcomes in the GICs and No-GICs group with aggressive PGINHL.METHODS This retrospective analysis was performed on aggressive PGINHL patients between January 2013 and December 2021 at our hospital.The independent influence factors of GICs were obtained by univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis,the selected variables significantly related to GICs were selected as the final predictors to construct nomogram.Kaplan-Meier curves further analyzed the survival of patients in GICs and No-GICs groups.Survival analysis of GICs group was performed using Cox regression.RESULTS We focused on 124 aggressive PGINHL cases,which had a relatively high incidence 48.4%(60/124 cases)of GICs,the most common histological type in GICs group was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL)(n=49,81.7%).In the GICs group,small intestine was the most common anatomic site of lesion(43.3%),followed by large intestine(31.7%),and then stomach and esophagus(25.0%).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the independent risk factors for GICs were the small intestine[odd ratio(OR)=3.33;95%confidence interval(CI):1.47-9.41;P=0.009),aggressive B-cell(OR=0.09;95%CI:0.01-0.83;P=0.033),maximum tumor diameter(OR=1.25;95%CI:1.07-1.47;P=0.005),invaded deep serous layer(OR=3.38;95%CI:1.24-9.19;P=0.017).We developed a nomogram to predict risk of GICs in aggressive PGINHL patients based on independent risk factors.The value of area under curve calculated by receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.815,and calibration curve and decision curve analysis further indicated that the prediction effect was superior.The majority of patients with GICs were given combination therapy(chemotherapy combined with surgery or radiation).Event-free survival and overall survival in GICs group were no worse than those in the No-GICs group.CONCLUSION The complication rate of GICs in patients with aggressive PGINHL was relatively high,particularly in PGI-DLBCL.The independent risk factors for GICs were the small intestine,PGI-TNKL,bulky tumor,and depth of invasion.A combination treatment,involving surgery,improved survival in the GICs group.

Absence of enhancement in a lesion does not preclude primary central nervous system T-cell lymphoma:A case report

BACKGROUND Primary central nervous system lymphoma(PCNSL)is a non-Hodgkin lymphoma that originates in the central nervous system(CNS)and is exclusively limited to the CNS.Although most PCNSLs are diffuse large B-cell lymphomas,primary CNS T-cell lymphomas(PCNSTLs)are rare.PCNSTLs typically demonstrate some degree of enhancement on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(MRI).To the best of our knowledge,non-enhancing PCNSTL has not been reported previously.CASE SUMMARY A 69-year-old male presented to the neurology department with complaints of mild cognitive impairment and gradual onset of left lower leg weakness over a span of two weeks.Initial MRI showed asymmetric T2-hyperintense lesions within the brain.No enhancement was observed on the contrast-enhanced T1 image.The initial diagnosis was neuro-Behçet’s disease.Despite high-dose steroid therapy,no alterations in the lesions were identified on initial MRI.The patient’s symptoms deteriorated further.An MRI performed one month after the initial scan revealed an increased lesion extent.Subsequently,brain biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of PCNSTL.The patient underwent definitive combined chemoradiotherapy.However,the patient developed bacteremia and died of septic shock approximately three months after diagnosis.CONCLUSION The absence of enhancement in the lesion did not rule out PCNSTL.A biopsy approach is advisable for pathological confirmation.