Hematology

Review Hematology

Vasculopathy in COVID-19

Robert Flaumenhaft, Keiichi Enjyoji, Alec A. Schmaier

Summary: This article reviews the vascular pathology of COVID-19, focusing on the role of endothelial cells in the infection process and the impact of inflammatory and prothrombotic changes on endothelial cell function. The consequences of COVID-19 vascular involvement on organ systems are also discussed, with reference to vascular responses seen in other severe respiratory diseases caused by viruses. This conceptual framework provides context for interpreting new information on the vascular complications of COVID-19.
Article Hematology

Humoral serological response to the BNT162b2 vaccine is abrogated in lymphoma patients within the first 12 months following treatment with anti-CD20 antibodies

Ronit Gurion, Uri Rozovski, Gilad Itchaki, Anat Gafter-Gvili, Chiya Leibovitch, Pia Raanani, Haim Ben-Zvi, Moran Szwarcwort, Mor Taylor-Abigadol, Eldad J. Dann, Nurit Horesh, Tsofia Inbar, Inna Tzoran, Noa Lavi, Riva Fineman, Shimrit Ringelstein-Harlev, Netanel A. Horowitz

Summary: This study aimed to assess the humoral response of lymphoma patients after receiving two doses of BNT162b2 Pfizer vaccine and identify factors affecting the response. The results showed that lymphoma patients, especially those recently treated with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, failed to develop sufficient humoral response to the vaccine. This low level of response could make them more vulnerable to COVID-19, highlighting the need for a different vaccination schedule for this population.

HAEMATOLOGICA (2022)

Article Hematology

SARS-CoV-2-reactive antibody detection after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: Prospective survey from the Spanish Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Cell Therapy Group

Jose Luis Pinana, Lucia Lopez-Corral, Rodrigo Martino, Juan Montoro, Lourdes Vazquez, Ariadna Perez, Gabriel Martin-Martin, Ana Facal-Malvar, Elena Ferrer, Maria-Jesus Pascual, Gabriela Sanz-Linares, Beatriz Gago, Andres Sanchez-Salinas, Lucia Villalon, Venancio Conesa-Garcia, Maria T. Olave, Javier Lopez-Jimenez, Sara Marcos-Corrales, Marta Garcia-Blazquez, Valentin Garcia-Gutierrez, Jose Angel Hernandez-Rivas, Ana Saus, Ildefonso Espigado, Carmen Alonso, Rafael Hernani, Carlos Solano, Blanca Ferrer-Lores, Manuel Guerreiro, Montserrat Ruiz-Garcia, Juan Luis Munoz-Bellido, David Navarro, Angel Cedillo, Anna Sureda

Summary: This multicenter study observed SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection in allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients post-vaccination, with most recipients showing detectable antibodies. Factors associated with lower antibody detection included lymphopenia, active GvHD, and timing of vaccination in allo-HSCT; and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and corticosteroid therapy in ASCT recipients. These findings suggest considerations for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in immunocompromised patients following stem cell transplants.

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY (2022)

Review Oncology

Enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of nanoparticles for cancer treatment using versatile targeted strategies

Hailong Tian, Tingting Zhang, Siyuan Qin, Zhao Huang, Li Zhou, Jiayan Shi, Edouard C. Nice, Na Xie, Canhua Huang, Zhisen Shen

Summary: Nanoscale drug delivery systems can effectively deliver drugs to tumor cells by targeting cell surface-specific receptors, tumor vasculature, and antigens, and stimulus-responsive nanoplatforms are considered a promising targeting strategy.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Review Oncology

The 5th edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Haematolymphoid Tumours: Lymphoid Neoplasms

Rita Alaggio, Catalina Amador, Ioannis Anagnostopoulos, Ayoma D. Attygalle, Iguaracyra Barreto de Oliveira Araujo, Emilio Berti, Govind Bhagat, Anita Maria Borges, Daniel Boyer, Mariarita Calaminici, Amy Chadburn, John K. C. Chan, Wah Cheuk, Wee-Joo Chng, John K. Choi, Shih-Sung Chuang, Sarah E. Coupland, Magdalena Czader, Sandeep S. Dave, Daphne de Jong, Ming-Qing Du, Kojo S. Elenitoba-Johnson, Judith Ferry, Julia Geyer, Dita Gratzinger, Joan Guitart, Sumeet Gujral, Marian Harris, Christine J. Harrison, Sylvia Hartmann, Andreas Hochhaus, Patty M. Jansen, Kennosuke Karube, Werner Kempf, Joseph Khoury, Hiroshi Kimura, Wolfram Klapper, Alexandra E. Kovach, Shaji Kumar, Alexander J. Lazar, Stefano Lazzi, Lorenzo Leoncini, Nelson Leung, Vasiliki Leventaki, Xiao-Qiu Li, Megan S. Lim, Wei-Ping Liu, Abner Louissaint, Andrea Marcogliese, L. Jeffrey Medeiros, Michael Michal, Roberto N. Miranda, Christina Mitteldorf, Santiago Montes-Moreno, William Morice, Valentina Nardi, Kikkeri N. Naresh, Yasodha Natkunam, Siok-Bian Ng, Ilske Oschlies, German Ott, Marie Parrens, Melissa Pulitzer, S. Vincent Rajkumar, Andrew C. Rawstron, Karen Rech, Andreas Rosenwald, Jonathan Said, Clementine Sarkozy, Shahin Sayed, Caner Saygin, Anna Schuh, William Sewell, Reiner Siebert, Aliyah R. Sohani, Reuben Tooze, Alexandra Traverse-Glehen, Francisco Vega, Beatrice Vergier, Ashutosh D. Wechalekar, Brent Wood, Luc Xerri, Wenbin Xiao

Summary: This article provides an overview of the upcoming 5th edition of the World Health Organization classification of lymphoid tumors, highlighting changes from the previous edition such as reorganization of entities, modification of nomenclature, revision of diagnostic criteria, deletion of entities, introduction of new entities, and inclusion of tumor-like lesions.

LEUKEMIA (2022)

Article Hematology

Donor memory-like NK cells persist and induce remissions in pediatric patients with relapsed AML after transplant

Jeffrey J. Bednarski, Clare Zimmerman, Melissa M. Berrien-Elliott, Jennifer A. Foltz, Michelle Becker-Hapak, Carly C. Neal, Mark Foster, Timothy Schappe, Ethan McClain, Patrick P. Pence, Sweta Desai, Samantha Kersting-Schadek, Pamela Wong, David A. Russler-Germain, Bryan Fisk, Wen-Rong Lie, Jeremy Eisele, Stephanie Hyde, Sima T. Bhatt, Obi L. Griffith, Malachi Griffith, Allegra A. Petti, Amanda F. Cashen, Todd A. Fehniger

Summary: In this study, memory-like NK cells (ML NK cells) were used to treat relapsed pediatric and young adult patients with AML after HCT. The results showed that ML NK cells can persist and exhibit potent anti-leukemic activity in a compatible post-HCT immune environment. The combination of DLI and ML NK cells provides a novel immunotherapy platform for relapsed AML.
Article Hematology

Validation of POD24 as a robust early clinical end point of poor survival in FL from 5225 patients on 13 clinical trials

Carla Casulo, Jesse G. Dixon, Jennifer Le-Rademacher, Eva Hoster, Howard S. Hochster, Wolfgang Hiddemann, Robert Marcus, Eva Kimby, Michael Herold, Catherine Sebban, Emmanuel Gyan, Kenneth Foon, Tina Nielsen, Umberto Vitolo, Gilles A. Salles, Qian Shi, Christopher R. Flowers

Summary: Observational studies and stand-alone trials have shown that patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) who experience disease progression within 24 months of front-line chemoimmunotherapy have poor outcomes. This pooled analysis of clinical trials validates POD24 as a robust indicator of poor FL survival and identifies clinical predictors of early death and progression, which can aid in building comprehensive prognostic models incorporating clinical and molecular predictors of POD24.
Article Hematology

Apixaban compared with warfarin to prevent thrombosis in thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome: a randomized trial

Scott C. Woller, Scott M. Stevens, David Kaplan, Tzu-Fei Wang, D. Ware Branch, Danielle Groat, Emily L. Wilson, Brent Armbruster, Valerie T. Aston, James F. Lloyd, Matthew T. Rondina, C. Greg Elliott

Summary: This study suggests that apixaban may not be routinely substituted for warfarin in preventing recurrent thrombosis, especially strokes, among patients with TAPS.

BLOOD ADVANCES (2022)

Review Oncology

Extramedullary disease in multiple myeloma: a systematic literature review

Joan Blade, Meral Beksac, Jo Caers, Artur Jurczyszyn, Marie Von Lilienfeld-Toal, Philippe Moreau, Leo Rasche, Laura Rosinol, Saad Z. Usmani, Elena Zamagni, Paul Richardson

Summary: Extramedullary involvement is an aggressive form of multiple myeloma, with varied typical sites and incidence rates. Patients with EMD have poor prognosis and lower treatment efficacy. The lack of prospective studies limits strong recommendations for treatment approaches.

BLOOD CANCER JOURNAL (2022)

Article Hematology

IL-1 mediates microbiome-induced inflammaging of hematopoietic stem cells in mice

Larisa Kovtonyuk, Francisco Caiado, Santiago Garcia-Martin, Eva-Maria Manz, Patrick Helbling, Hitoshi Takizawa, Steffen Boettcher, Fatima Al-Shahrour, Cesar Nombela-Arrieta, Emma Slack, Markus G. Manz

Summary: Aging is associated with impaired hematopoietic and immune function. Older mice produce more IL-1a/b and have higher levels of microbe-associated molecular patterns. HSC aging is driven by IL-1a/b, and blocking IL-1 signaling can reverse myeloid-biased output in older mice.
Article Hematology

ALK-positive histiocytosis: a new clinicopathologic spectrum highlighting neurologic involvement and responses to ALK inhibition

Paul G. Kemps, Jennifer Picarsic, Benjamin H. Durham, Zofia Helias-Rodzewicz, Laura Hiemcke-Jiwa, Cor van den Bos, Marianne D. van de Wetering, Carel J. M. van Noesel, Jan A. M. van Laar, Robert M. Verdijk, Uta E. Flucke, Pancras C. W. Hogendoorn, F. J. Sherida H. Woei-A-Jin, Raf Sciot, Andreas Beilken, Friedrich Feuerhake, Martin Ebinger, Robert Mohle, Falko Fend, Antje Bornemann, Verena Wiegering, Karen Ernestus, Tina Mery, Olga Gryniewicz-Kwiatkowska, Bozenna Dembowska-Baginska, Dmitry A. Evseev, Vsevolod Potapenko, Vadim V. Baykov, Stefania Gaspari, Sabrina Rossi, Marco Gessi, Gianpiero Tamburrini, Sebastien Heritier, Jean Donadieu, Jacinthe Bonneau-Lagacherie, Claire Lamaison, Laure Farnault, Sylvie Fraitag, Marie-Laure Jullie, Julien Haroche, Matthew Collin, Jackie Allotey, Majid Madni, Kerry Turner, Susan Picton, Pasquale M. Barbaro, Alysa Poulin, Ingrid S. Tam, Dina El Demellawy, Brianna Empringham, James A. Whitlock, Aditya Raghunathan, Amy A. Swanson, Mariko Suchi, Jon M. Brandt, Nabeel R. Yaseen, Joanna L. Weinstein, Irem Eldem, Bryan A. Sisk, Vaishnavi Sridhar, Mandy Atkinson, Lucas R. Massoth, Jason L. Hornick, Sanda Alexandrescu, Kee Kiat Yeo, Kseniya Petrova-Drus, Stephen Z. Peeke, Laura S. Munoz-Arcos, Daniel G. Leino, David D. Grier, Robert Lorsbach, Somak Roy, Ashish R. Kumar, Shipra Garg, Nishant Tiwari, Kristian T. Schafernak, Michael M. Henry, Astrid G. S. van Halteren, Oussama Abla, Eli L. Diamond, Jean-Francois Emile

Summary: ALK-positive histiocytosis is a rare and poorly characterized subtype of histiocytic neoplasm. This study provides the largest analysis of ALK-positive histiocytosis to date, describing the clinicopathologic and molecular characteristics of 39 cases. The study also highlights the robust responses observed in patients treated with ALK inhibition, particularly those with neurologic involvement.
Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals the transcriptional landscape in ischemic stroke

Kai Zheng, Lingmin Lin, Wei Jiang, Lin Chen, Xiyue Zhang, Qian Zhang, Yi Ren, Junwei Hao

Summary: The study identified distinct subpopulations of brain cells and their functions in the progression of ischemic stroke, revealing specific gene expression patterns in different cell types during stroke. This research sheds light on the precise transcriptional changes at the single-cell level during neuroinflammation, offering new insights for exploring disease mechanisms and drug discovery in stroke.

JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM (2022)

Review Oncology

Liquid biopsy in bladder cancer: State of the art and future perspectives

Felice Crocetto, Biagio Barone, Matteo Ferro, Gian Maria Busetto, Evelina La Civita, Carlo Buonerba, Giuseppe Di Lorenzo, Daniela Terracciano, Jack A. Schalken

Summary: Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract. Traditional diagnostic methods are invasive and uncomfortable, while alternative methods have poor sensitivity. Therefore, an improved non-invasive approach is needed for the management of bladder cancer.

CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ONCOLOGY HEMATOLOGY (2022)

Review Oncology

Mitochondrial metabolism as a potential therapeutic target in myeloid leukaemia

Lucie de Beauchamp, Ekaterini Himonas, G. Vignir Helgason

Summary: Although progress has been made, the abnormal metabolism of leukemia cells remains a major factor in treatment resistance and disease relapse in patients. Identifying and targeting the aberrant metabolism of resistant cells is essential for developing new leukemia treatment strategies.

LEUKEMIA (2022)

Article Hematology

American Society of Hematology living guidelines on the use of anticoagulation for thromboprophylaxis in patients with COVID-19: July 2021 update on postdischarge thromboprophylaxis

Adam Cuker, Eric K. Tseng, Robby Nieuwlaat, Pantep Angchaisuksiri, Clifton Blair, Kathryn Dane, Jennifer Davila, Maria T. DeSancho, David Diuguid, Daniel O. Griffin, Susan R. Kahn, Frederikus A. Klok, Alfred Ian Lee, Ignacio Neumann, Ashok Pai, Marc Righini, Kristen M. Sanfilippo, Deborah Siegal, Mike Skara, Deirdra R. Terrell, Kamshad Touri, Elie A. Akl, Reyad Nayif Al Jabiri, Yazan Nayif Al Jabiri, Angela M. Barbara, Antonio Bognanni, Imad Bou Akl, Mary Boulos, Romina Brignardello-Petersen, Rana Charide, Matthew Chan, Luis E. Colunga-Lozano, Karin Dearness, Andrea J. Darzi, Heba Hussein, Samer G. Karam, Philipp Kolb, Razan Mansour, Gian Paolo Morgano, Rami Z. Morsi, Giovanna Muti-Schunemann, Menatalla K. Nadim, Atefeh Noori, Binu A. Philip, Thomas Piggott, Yuan Qiu, Yetiani Roldan Benitez, Finn Schunemann, Adrienne Stevens, Karla Solo, Wojtek Wiercioch, Reem A. Mustafa, Holger J. Schunemann

Summary: These guidelines aim to support the use of anticoagulation for thromboprophylaxis in COVID-19 patients without confirmed or suspected VTE. One conditional recommendation is against the use of outpatient anticoagulant prophylaxis in discharged COVID-19 patients.

BLOOD ADVANCES (2022)

Article Hematology

Lenalidomide promotes the development of TP53-mutated therapy-related myeloid neoplasms

Adam S. Sperling, Veronica A. Guerra, James A. Kennedy, Yuanqing Yan, Joanne Hsu, Feng Wang, Andrew T. Nguyen, Peter G. Miller, Marie E. McConkey, Vanessa A. Quevedo Barrios, Ken Furudate, Linda Zhang, Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, Jianhua Zhang, Latasha Little, Curtis Gumbs, Naval Daver, Courtney D. DiNardo, Tapan Kadia, Farhad Ravandi, Hagop Kantarjian, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, P. Andrew Futreal, Benjamin L. Ebert, Koichi Takahashi

Summary: There is increasing evidence that therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MNs) with driver gene mutations arise in the background of clonal hematopoiesis (CH) under the positive selective pressure of chemo- and radiation therapies. This study found that lenalidomide treatment provides a selective advantage to TP53-mutant hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), promoting the development of TP53-mutated t-MNs. These findings offer a potential alternative strategy to reduce the risk of t-MN development.
Article Hematology

Genomic profiling for clinical decision making in lymphoid neoplasms

Laurence de Leval, Ash A. Alizadeh, P. Leif Bergsagel, Elias Campo, Andrew Davies, Ahmet Dogan, Jude Fitzgibbon, Steven M. Horwitz, Ari M. Melnick, William G. Morice, Ryan D. Morin, Bertrand Nadel, Stefano A. Pileri, Richard Rosenquist, Davide Rossi, Itziar Salaverria, Christian Steidl, Steven P. Treon, Andrew D. Zelenetz, Ranjana H. Advani, Carl E. Allen, Stephen M. Ansell, Wing C. Chan, James R. Cook, Lucy B. Cook, Francesco D'Amore, Stefan Dirnhofer, Martin Dreyling, Kieron Dunleavy, Andrew L. Feldman, Falko Fend, Philippe Gaulard, Paolo Ghia, John G. Gribben, Olivier Hermine, Daniel J. Hodson, Eric D. Hsi, Giorgio Inghirami, Elaine S. Jaffe, Kennosuke Karube, Keisuke Kataoka, Wolfram Klapper, Won Seog Kim, Rebecca L. King, Young H. Ko, Ann S. LaCasce, Georg Lenz, Jose Martin-Subero, Miguel A. Piris, Stefania Pittaluga, Laura Pasqualucci, Leticia Quintanilla-Martinez, Scott J. Rodig, Andreas Rosenwald, Gilles A. Salles, Jesus San-Miguel, Kerry J. Savage, Laurie H. Sehn, Gianpietro Semenzato, Louis M. Staudt, Steven H. Swerdlow, Constantine S. Tam, Judith Trotman, Julie M. Vose, Oliver Weigert, Wyndham H. Wilson, Jane N. Winter, Catherine J. Wu, Pier L. Zinzani, Emanuele Zucca, Adam Bagg, David W. Scott

Summary: With the introduction of large-scale molecular profiling methods and high-throughput sequencing technologies, the genomic features of most lymphoid neoplasms have been characterized at an unprecedented scale. However, the current diagnosis of lymphoid tumors is largely based on morphological assessment and immunophenotyping, with only few entities being defined by genomic criteria. This paper discusses how established and newly developed molecular testing technologies complement clinical diagnoses and contribute to refining diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapy prediction for lymphoid neoplasms. Future methods such as whole-genome sequencing, circulating tumor DNA analyses, single-cell analyses, and epigenetic profiling are likely to become important tools for implementing precision medicine approaches in clinical decision making for lymphoid malignancies.
Article Hematology

Chronic myeloid leukemia: 2022 update on diagnosis, therapy, and monitoring

Elias Jabbour, Hagop Kantarjian

Summary: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by a genetic translocation and fusion gene. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the frontline therapy, but second-line options are available for patients who develop resistance. Stem cell transplantation and non-TKI agents are recommended for advanced disease and relapse patients.

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Hematology

Genomic profiling for clinical decision making in myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia

Eric J. Duncavage, Adam Bagg, Robert P. Hasserjian, Courtney D. DiNardo, Lucy A. Godley, Ilaria Iacobucci, Siddhartha Jaiswal, Luca Malcovati, Alessandro M. Vannucchi, Keyur P. Patel, Daniel A. Arber, Maria E. Arcila, Rafael Bejar, Nancy Berliner, Michael J. Borowitz, Susan Branford, Anna L. Brown, Catherine A. Cargo, Hartmut Dohner, Brunangelo Falini, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Torsten Haferlach, Eva Hellstrom-Lindberg, Annette S. Kim, Jeffery M. Klco, Rami Komrokji, Mignon Lee-Cheun Loh, Sanam Loghavi, Charles G. Mullighan, Seishi Ogawa, Attilio Orazi, Elli Papaemmanuil, Andreas Reiter, David M. Ross, Michael Savona, Akiko Shimamura, Radek C. Skoda, Francesc Sole, Richard M. Stone, Ayalew Tefferi, Matthew J. Walter, David Wu, Benjamin L. Ebert, Mario Cazzola

Summary: Myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemias are caused by somatic gene mutations that drive the clonal expansion of hematopoietic cells. Genomic characterization plays a crucial role in diagnosis, risk assessment, and clinical decision making. Conventional cytogenetics has been the main method for genomic testing, but recent advances in sequencing technology allow for more accurate detection of somatic mutations. Whole-genome sequencing shows potential as a replacement for traditional methods in patients with myeloid neoplasms, providing rapid and comprehensive genomic profiling.
Article Hematology

Immunogenicity and safety of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients

Noga Shem-Tov, Ronit Yerushalmi, Ivetta Danylesko, Vladislav Litachevsky, Itzchak Levy, Liraz Olmer, Yaniv Lusitg, Abraham Avigdor, Arnon Nagler, Avichai Shimoni, Galia Rahav

Summary: The study confirmed that the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine is effective in producing antibodies against COVID-19 in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients, with minimal adverse events compared to healthy controls.

BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY (2022)