Citations

Key Points There was no difference in overall survival after allogeneic transplant between patients aged 55-64 years and patients ≥65 years. Age alone should not be a determinant for allogeneic transplant eligibility among older non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients.

572 Background: Single-center observational studies have established the use of single or tandem SCT to salvage relapsed GCT but randomized trials are lacking. We analyzed outcomes and prognostic factors in 2,395 male SCT recipients for relapsed GCT between 1990 and 2015. Methods: Recipients of single or tandem SCT reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research were identified. Outcomes were compared by SCT year: 1990-94 (N = 288), 1995-99 (N = 351), 2000-04 (N = 376), 2005-09 (N = 509) and 2010-15 (N = 871). A recent subset (n = 267, 2000-2015) with detailed disease- and transplant-related data was further analyzed with a multivariate (MVA) Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Median age at SCT was 31 (11-76) years and 49% received SCT within 12 months of diagnosis consistent with early relapse/primary refractory GCT. 26% had primary extragonadal GCT; 1,167 (49%) had intent to tandem transplant (TT). The median follow up was 51 (3-313) months. Day 100 non-relapse mortality was statistically similar at 8% in 1990-94 (vs. 4% in 2010-15) but 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) improved from 24 (18-31)% in 1990-94 to 47 (43-50)% in 2010-15 (p < 0.0001) and 3-year survival (OS) from 35 (29-40)% to 54 (50-57)% in 2010-15 (p < 0.0001). Compared with single SCT, TT recipients were younger 31 (16-62) vs 34 (13-76), with lower Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation-Comorbidity Index, more likely to undergo SCT after 1 line of chemotherapy (28% vs 9%), and within 1 year of diagnosis (51% vs 38%). TT was preferred over single SCT over time (48% of SCT were TT in 2000-04 vs. 81% in 2010-15). In MVA, non-seminoma histology, residual tumor at SCT, receipt of > 1 line of pre-SCT chemotherapy and single SCT (vs. TT), were associated with worse PFS and OS. Year of SCT was not significant when adjusted for these covariates. Conclusions: In this large longitudinal cohort, improvements in PFS and OS were observed in recent years. SCT earlier in disease course and tandem SCT were associated with superior outcomes. These data involving a large cohort reported from 225 centers confirm specialized centers’ date in a real-world setting.

Acquired angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1INH-AAE) is a rare and potentially fatal syndrome of bradykinin-mediated angioedema characterized by episodes of angioedema without urticaria. It typically manifests with nonpitting edema of the skin and edema in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract mucosa or upper airway. Edema of the upper airway and tongue may lead to life-threatening asphyxiation. C1INH-AAE is typically under-diagnosed because of its rarity and its propensity to mimic more common abdominal conditions and allergic reactions. In this article, we present the case of a 62-year-old male with a history of recently diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who presented to our hospital with recurrent abdominal pain, initially suspected to haveClostridium difficilecolitis and diverticulitis. He received a final diagnosis of acquired angioedema due to C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency due to concomitant symptoms of lip swelling, cutaneous nonpitting edema of his lower extremities, and complement level deficiencies. He received acute treatment with C1 esterase replacement and icatibant and was maintained on C1 esterase infusions. He also underwent chemotherapy for his underlying CLL and did not experience further recurrence of his angioedema.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a fulminant soft tissue infection characterized by rapid progression and high mortality. Rituximab is a generally well-tolerated immunosuppresive medication used for B-cell malignancies and some rheumatological disorders. We report a case of a 69-year-old male with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who suffered necrotizing fasciitis of his left lower extremity secondary to Clostridium septicum 7 weeks after treatment with rituximab. Despite immediate intravenous antimicrobial therapy and emergent fasciotomy with extensive debridement, his hospital course was complicated by septic shock and he required an above-the-knee amputation. Physicians need to be aware of the possibility of necrotizing fasciitis in patients presenting with skin infections after rituximab therapy.

Pulmonary toxoplasmosis is a serious pulmonary condition caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. It typically affects immunocompromised patients presenting acutely with cough, fever, myalgias, arthralgias and lymphadenopathy, and chronically with persistent cough and dyspnoea. Because of its protean features, it can mimic many more common lung conditions in the immunocompromised patient, including atypical pneumonia, Pneumocystis pneumonia and interstitial lung disease. In this article, we present the case of a 55-year-old woman who presented to our hospital with persistent dyspnoea and cough, initially suspected to have an arthritis-related interstitial lung disease. She received a final diagnosis of pulmonary toxoplasmosis after lung biopsy demonstrated Toxoplasma cysts, later confirmed by serology. Treatment with trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole resulted in significant improvement of her respiratory symptoms after 3 months.

Purpose Sorafenib and lenvatinib are oral multikinase inhibitors targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and approved for radioiodine (RAI)-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). However, there are no approved second- or third-line therapies. MET is implicated in resistance to VEGFR inhibitors. Cabozantinib is an oral multikinase inhibitor targeting MET in addition to VEGFR and is approved for medullary thyroid cancer. In a phase I study of cabozantinib, five of eight patients with DTC previously treated with a VEGFR-targeted therapy had an objective response to cabozantinib. Patients and Methods Patients with RAI-refractory disease with Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor (RECIST) measurable disease and evidence of progression on prior VEGFR-targeted therapy were enrolled in this single-arm phase II study. The cabozantinib starting dose was 60 mg/day orally but could be escalated to 80 mg if the patient did not experience a response. Patients underwent tumor assessment according to RECIST v1.1 every 8 weeks. In this study, if at least five of 25 response-evaluable patients had an objective response, cabozantinib would be considered a promising agent in this patient population. Results Twenty-five patients were enrolled. The median age was 64 years, and 64% of patients were men. Twenty-one patients had received only one prior VEGFR-targeted therapy (sorafenib, pazopanib, or cediranib), and four patients had received two such therapies. The most common treatment-related adverse events were fatigue, weight loss, diarrhea, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, and hypertension. One drug-related death was noted. Of the 25 patients, 10 (40%) had a partial response, 13 (52%) had stable disease, and two (8%) had nonevaluable disease. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 12.7 months and 34.7 months, respectively. Conclusion Cabozantinib demonstrated clinically significant, durable objective response activity in patients with RAI-refractory DTC who experienced disease progression while taking prior VEGFR-targeted therapy.

Key Points Over the last decade, allogeneic HCT has been increasingly administered in the United States to adults aged 70 and older with hematologic malignancies. Allogeneic transplant outcomes were reasonable; high comorbidity and ablative conditioning regimens were associated with inferior outcomes.

BACKGROUNDRace/ethnicity remains an important barrier in clinical care. The authors investigated differences in the receipt of autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) among patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and outcomes based on race/ethnicity in the United States.METHODSThe Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database was used to identify 28,450 patients who underwent AHCT for MM from 2008 through 2014. By using data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18 registries, the incidence of MM was calculated, and a stem cell transplantation utilization rate (STUR) was derived. Post‐AHCT outcomes were analyzed among patients ages 18 to 75 years who underwent melphalan‐conditioned peripheral cell grafts (N = 24,102).RESULTSThe STUR increased across all groups from 2008 to 2014. The increase was substantially lower among Hispanics (range, 8.6%‐16.9%) and non‐Hispanic blacks (range, 12.2%‐20.5%) compared with non‐Hispanic whites (range, 22.6%‐37.8%). There were 18,046 non‐Hispanic whites, 4123 non‐Hispanic blacks, and 1933 Hispanic patients. The Hispanic group was younger (P < .001). Fewer patients older than 60 years underwent transplantation among Hispanics (39%) and non‐Hispanic blacks (42%) compared with non‐Hispanic whites (56%). A Karnofsky score <90% and a hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index score >3 were more common in non‐Hispanic blacks compared with Hispanic and non‐Hispanic whites (P < .001). More Hispanics (57%) versus non‐Hispanic blacks (54%) and non‐Hispanic whites (52%; P < .001) had stage III disease. More Hispanics (48%) versus non‐Hispanic blacks (45%) and non‐Hispanic whites (44%) had a very good partial response or better before transplantation (P = .005). Race/ethnicity did not impact post‐AHCT outcomes.CONCLUSIONSAlthough the STUR increased, it remained low and was significantly lower among Hispanics followed by non‐Hispanic blacks compared with non‐Hispanic whites. Race/ethnicity did not impact transplantation outcomes. Efforts to increase the rates of transplantation for eligible patients who have MM, with an emphasis on groups that underuse transplantation, are warranted. Cancer 2017;123:3141–9. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Abstract Introduction A classification framework for posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is proposed to improve the uniformity of definition of the syndrome in a variety of research settings. Methods Consensus statements about PCA were developed through a detailed literature review, the formation of an international multidisciplinary working party which convened on four occasions, and a Web‐based quantitative survey regarding symptom frequency and the conceptualization of PCA. Results A three‐level classification framework for PCA is described comprising both syndrome‐ and disease‐level descriptions. Classification level 1 (PCA) defines the core clinical, cognitive, and neuroimaging features and exclusion criteria of the clinico‐radiological syndrome. Classification level 2 (PCA‐pure, PCA‐plus) establishes whether, in addition to the core PCA syndrome, the core features of any other neurodegenerative syndromes are present. Classification level 3 (PCA attributable to AD [PCA‐AD], Lewy body disease [PCA‐LBD], corticobasal degeneration [PCA‐CBD], prion disease [PCA‐prion]) provides a more formal determination of the underlying cause of the PCA syndrome, based on available pathophysiological biomarker evidence. The issue of additional syndrome‐level descriptors is discussed in relation to the challenges of defining stages of syndrome severity and characterizing phenotypic heterogeneity within the PCA spectrum. Discussion There was strong agreement regarding the definition of the core clinico‐radiological syndrome, meaning that the current consensus statement should be regarded as a refinement, development, and extension of previous single‐center PCA criteria rather than any wholesale alteration or redescription of the syndrome. The framework and terminology may facilitate the interpretation of research data across studies, be applicable across a broad range of research scenarios (e.g., behavioral interventions, pharmacological trials), and provide a foundation for future collaborative work.