Case Report Isolated Gastric Myeloid Sarcoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Myeloid sarcoma represents the proliferation of myeloblasts of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at extramedullary sites. While extramedullary involvement in AML is uncommon in itself, isolated myeloid sarcomas, that is, myeloid sarcomas without any bone marrow involvement, are extremely rare and pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Here, we present the case of a middle-aged woman with isolated myeloid sarcoma in the stomach-an organ seldom involved by this disease. Additionally, the literature on the epidemiology, diagnosis, pathology, prognosis, and therapeutic options in myeloid sarcomas has been reviewed

Remission of Severe, Relapsed, and Refractory TTP after Multiple Cycles of Bortezomib

Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is characterized by autoantibodies against a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13). Uncleaved von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimers accumulate and bind to platelets which causes spontaneous microthrombi ultimately causing microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and end-organ ischemia. Plasma exchange (PEX) with or without steroids constitutes standard first-line therapy with rituximab typically reserved for refractory cases. Therapies beyond rituximab lack strong evidence for routine use. Recently, bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor used commonly in patients with multiple myeloma, was shown to induce remission in patients with refractory TTP. Here, we report a case of severe, relapsed TTP that was refractory to PEX, steroids, and rituximab that underwent remission following three cycles of bortezomib. We discuss the salient features of our case, the mechanism of action of bortezomib, and the very few other similar reports that exist in the literature. We conclude that bortezomib should be considered for patients with TTP refractory to PEX, steroids, and rituximab due to its efficacy and relatively favorable side effect profile

Consistency of spleen and symptom reduction regardless of cytopenia in patients with myelofibrosis treated with pacritinib

Cytopenias are common in patients with myelofibrosis (MF). The efficacy of the JAK2/IRAK1/ACVR1 inhibitor pacritinib was analyzed by baseline platelet and hemoglobin levels using data from 2 Phase 3 studies in patients with MF. Pacritinib demonstrated spleen volume reduction and symptom responses across hemoglobin and platelet subgroups, indicating that pacritinib may provide benefit regardless of the presence of severe cytope- nias. Background: Pacritinib is a JAK2/IRAK1/ACVR1 inhibitor that is approved in the United States for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis who have a platelet count 10 g/dL), with no diminution in treatment effect in patients with severe thrombocytopenia or anemia. Among 159 patients evaluable for symptoms response, improvement in total symptom score (TTS) was similar across platelet subgroups. A ≥50% improvement of TSS occurred more frequently in patients with baseline hemoglobin 10 g/dL. Patients with baseline hemoglobin < 8 g/dL also experienced improved hemoglobin sustained over 24 weeks, whereas subgroups with less severe anemia had stable hemoglobin levels over time. Symptom improvement as assessed using the Patient Global Impression of Change instrument was generally consistent across platelet and hemoglobin subgroups. Conclusion: Pacritinib demonstrates consistent efficacy in patients with MF regardless of baseline platelet and hemoglobin counts

Spontaneous Remission in an Older Patient with Relapsed FLT3

Spontaneous remission (SR) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a very rare phenomenon. AML characterized by FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3 ITD) is typically associated with an aggressive clinical course with rapid progression, relapse, and short overall survival in the absence of transplantation. We report here the first case of SR of FLT3 ITD mutant AML in the literature. Our patient was an elderly woman with relapsed NPM1 and FLT3 ITD mutant AML whose disease underwent SR for a brief duration without precipitating cause. We review the potential immune mechanisms underlying SR in AML and discuss the implications for novel immunotherapeutic approaches for FLT3 mutant AML

Cardiac Toxicity Associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Case Series and Review of the Literature

The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized the treatment of patients with advanced stage cancers. However, immune-related adverse events are frequently observed. Cardiac toxicity from ICI therapy can range from asymptomatic troponin-I elevations to conduction abnormalities of the heart and even fulminant myocarditis. Although rare, myocarditis is a potentially fatal adverse effect of ICI therapy. We present a series of five cases of ICI-related cardio-toxicity diagnosed and managed at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center along with a review of published case reports in the literature. Our series highlights the importance of high clinical suspicion, early diagnosis of myocarditis, and prompt initiation of immunosuppressive therapy

Safety and tolerability of AMG 330 in adults with relapsed/refractory AML:a phase 1a dose-escalation study

AMG 330, a bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE®) that binds CD33 and CD3 on T cells facilitates T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity against CD33+ cells. This first-in-human, open-label, dose-escalation study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy of AMG 330 in adults with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML). Amongst 77 patients treated with AMG 330 (0.5 µg/day-1.6 mg/day) on 14-day or 28-day cycles, maximum tolerated dose was not reached; median duration of treatment was 29 days. The most frequent treatment-related adverse events were cytokine release syndrome (CRS; 78%) and rash (30%); 10% of patients experienced grade 3/4 CRS. CRS was mitigated with stepwise dosing of AMG 330, prophylactic dexamethasone, and early treatment with tocilizumab. Among 60 evaluable patients, eight achieved complete remission or morphologic leukemia-free state; of the 52 non-responders, 37% had ≥50% reduction in AML bone marrow blasts. AMG 330 is a promising CD33-targeted therapeutic strategy for R/R AML.</p

Blinatumomab for MRD-Negative Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Adults.

BACKGROUND: Many older adults with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) have a relapse despite having a measurable residual disease (MRD)-negative complete remission with combination chemotherapy. The addition of blinatumomab, a bispecific T-cell engager molecule that is approved for the treatment of relapsed, refractory, and MRD-positive BCP-ALL, may have efficacy in patients with MRD-negative remission. METHODS: In a phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients 30 to 70 years of age with BCR::ABL1-negative BCP-ALL (with :: indicating fusion) who had MRD-negative remission (defined as &lt;0.01% leukemic cells in bone marrow as assessed on flow cytometry) after induction and intensification chemotherapy to receive four cycles of blinatumomab in addition to four cycles of consolidation chemotherapy or to receive four cycles of consolidation chemotherapy alone. The primary end point was overall survival, and relapse-free survival was a secondary end point. RESULTS: The data and safety monitoring committee reviewed the results from the third efficacy interim analysis and recommended that they be reported. Complete remission with or without full count recovery was observed in 395 of 488 enrolled patients (81%). Of the 224 patients with MRD-negative status, 112 were assigned to each group. The characteristics of the patients were balanced between the groups. At a median follow-up of 43 months, an advantage was observed in the blinatumomab group as compared with the chemotherapy-only group with regard to overall survival (at 3 years: 85% vs. 68%; hazard ratio for death, 0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23 to 0.73; P = 0.002), and the 3-year relapse-free survival was 80% with blinatumomab and 64% with chemotherapy alone (hazard ratio for relapse or death, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.87). A higher incidence of neuropsychiatric events was reported in the blinatumomab group than in the chemotherapy-only group. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of blinatumomab to consolidation chemotherapy in adult patients in MRD-negative remission from BCP-ALL significantly improved overall survival. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others; E1910 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02003222.)

Haploidentical donor hematopoietic cell transplantation for myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative overlap neoplasms: results from a North American collaboration

Haploidentical donors offer a potentially readily available donor, especially for non-White patients, for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). In this North American collaboration, we retrospectively analyzed outcomes of first HCT using haploidentical donor and post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MDS/MPN) overlap neoplasms (MDS/MPN). We included 120 consecutive patients who underwent HCT using a haploidentical donor for MDS/MPN across 15 centers. Median age was 62.5 years and 38% were of non-White/Caucasian ethnicity. The median follow-up was 2.4 years. Graft failure was reported in seven of 120 (6%) patients. At 3 years, nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was 25% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 17-34), relapse 27% (95% CI: 18-36), grade 3-4 acute graftversus- host disease 12% (95% CI: 6-18), chronic graft-versus-host disease requiring systemic immunosuppression 14% (95% CI: 7-20), progression-free survival (PFS) 48% (95% CI: 39-59), and overall survival (OS) 56% (95% CI: 47-67). On multivariable analysis, NRM was statistically significantly associated with advancing age at HCT (per decade increment, subdistribution hazard ratio [sdHR] =3.28; 95% CI: 1.30-8.25); relapse with the presence of mutation in EZH2/RUNX1/SETBP1 (sdHR=2.61; 95% CI: 1.06-6.44); PFS with advancing age at HCT (per decade increment, HR=1.98, 95% CI: 1.13-3.45); and OS with advancing age at HCT (per decade increment, HR=2.01; 95% CI: 1.11-3.63) and splenomegaly at HCT/prior splenectomy (HR=2.20; 95% CI: 1.04-4.65). Haploidentical donors are a viable option for HCT in MDS/MPN, especially for those disproportionately represented in the unrelated donor registry. Hence, donor mismatch should not preclude HCT for patients with MDS/MPN, an otherwise incurable malignancy. In addition to patient age, disease-related factors including splenomegaly and high-risk mutations dominate outcomes following HCT

A multicenter study to assess efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ropeginterferon alfa-2b-njft in patients with essential thrombocythemia in the US and Canada: EXCEED-ET trial

No new drugs have been approved for essential thrombocythemia (ET) treatment since the anagrelide approval in 1997. Ropeginterferon alfa-2b-njft (ropeg) is approved for polycythemia vera, providing a rationale for its use in ET. Its current dosing schema requires dose up-titrations with 50 mcg every 2 weeks and takes approximately 20 weeks to reach a plateau. The goal of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of ropeg in ET using a higher initial dose and accelerated titration (HDAC) regimen. This is a single-arm, multicenter study in the US and Canada. Patients with ET receive ropeg at 250 mcg on Day 0, 350 mcg at Week 2, and 500 mcg from Week 4 onward with flexibility of dose adjustment. The primary endpoint is: platelets ≤400×109/L, white blood cells &lt;10×109/L, improvement or non-progression of spleen size or major symptoms, and absence of hemorrhagic or thrombotic events, at months 10 and 13. Secondary endpoints include molecular response, safety and tolerability. A total of 91 patients were enrolled with 77 (84.6%) patients in the US and 14 (15.4%) in Canada. The last patient was enrolled on March 28, 2024. JAK2V617F was found in 52 (57.1%) patients while CALR and MPL mutations in 34 (37.4%) and 5 (5.5%), respectively. As of November 12, 2024, the discontinuation rate was 8.8%. The study results will be available in mid-2025. This study will provide efficacy, tolerability and safety, molecular response and quality of life data that will be critical in assessing ropeg for ET treatment.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05482971

Isolated Gastric Myeloid Sarcoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Myeloid sarcoma represents the proliferation of myeloblasts of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at extramedullary sites. While extramedullary involvement in AML is uncommon in itself, isolated myeloid sarcomas, that is, myeloid sarcomas without any bone marrow involvement, are extremely rare and pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Here, we present the case of a middle-aged woman with isolated myeloid sarcoma in the stomach—an organ seldom involved by this disease. Additionally, the literature on the epidemiology, diagnosis, pathology, prognosis, and therapeutic options in myeloid sarcomas has been reviewed