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Biomedical subjects

A Delmer

Publications and source records attributed to A Delmer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Minimal change nephrotic syndrome and classical Hodgkin's lymphoma: report of 21 cases and review of the literature.

Minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) is described as a paraneoplastic manifestation of classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL). We reassessed the pathophysiological and clinical significance of this association. A retrospective study was performed to evaluate a cohort of adult patients who developed MCNS and cHL. Twenty-one patients recruited in 15 French centers were analyzed. cHL was associated with inflammatory and general symptoms in most cases. The morphological subtype was predominantly nodular sclerosis (71.4%). MCNS appeared before the diagnosis of lymphoma in eight patients (38.1%) and in this case, it was characterized by a nephrotic syndrome (NS) frequently resistant (50%) or dependent (12.5%) to steroid treatment. Interestingly, diagnosis (3-120 months after MCNS) and effective treatment of the hemopathy were associated with the disappearance of the MCNS. cHL was diagnosed before MCNS in nine patients (42.9%), and in this case, glomerulopathy was associated with cHL relapse in 55.5% of cases. In four patients (19%), the two diseases occurred simultaneously. Extensive immunohistochemical study of lymph nodes was performed in eight patients and did not reveal particular features. In conclusion, MCNS associated with cHL is frequently dependent or resistant to steroid regimen, but remission of NS is obtained with the cure of lymphoma.

Adolescent↗

[Legionellosis due to Legionella gormanii fortuitously found in a man with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a case study and literature review].

Legionellosis due to other species than Legionella pneumophila is rarely described in human cases. It has been reported in immunocompromised patients with respiratory symptoms of pneumonia. We report a case of legionellosis in an immunocompromised 54-year-old man hospitalized for a blood transfusion. A routine pulmonary X- Ray was made and then a bronchoalveolar lavage was collected in which Legionella gormanii was identified. The diagnostic of legionellosis must be considered in all immunocompromised patients presenting with any pulmonary symptoms.

Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune↗

[MALT (Mucosal Associated Lymphoid Tissue) lymphoma of the palpebral conjunctiva].

BACKGROUND: MALT (Mucosal Associated Lymphoid Tissue) lymphomas of the conjunctiva belong to the extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphomas. This site, while standard, is uncommon. CASE-REPORT: A pink papular tumor developed on the lower eyelid of a 59-year-old woman. Sarcoidosis was diagnosed 9 years earlier associated with mediastinal lymphadenopathy and erythema nodosum not requiring treatment. Histological examination yielded a diagnosis of conjunctival MALT lymphoma. No visceral involvement was demonstrated. Radiotherapy (30 Gy) induced a complete response. A remote lesion developed on the patient's arm 18 months later. No other sites were found. Further radiotherapy (26 Gy) again induced complete remission. No new lesions were seen after 24 months of follow-up. DISCUSSION: This case is interesting because of the association of a MALT lymphoma and previous sarcoidosis, described in the literature as "sarcoidosis-lymphoma syndrome". Association of sarcoidosis with MALT lymphoma is infrequent. Treatment of conjunctival MALT lymphoma is standardized. Radiotherapy offers excellent efficacy and is well tolerated at this site. Regular and long-term follow-up is required. Local and distant relapse can occur.

Biopsy↗

Common 4q24 deletion in four cases of hematopoietic malignancy: early stem cell involvement?

We determined bone marrow karyotype at diagnosis in four female acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplasia patients, aged between 52 and 56 years. In each case, we observed chromosome rearrangement involving the same 4q24 band. Three patients had a balanced reciprocal translocation as the sole abnormality - t(3;4)(q26;q24), t(4;5)(q24;p16) and t(4;7)(q24;q21) - and the fourth had del(4)(q23q24), +4. We used a set of 4q BAC probes for fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in these four cases. We found a 4q24 submicroscopic deletion in all three translocations, with a common deletion of approximately 0.5 Mb. In three cases, we concluded that rearrangement occurred in an early hematopoietic stem cell, as it was detected, in mosaic with a normal karyotype, in a fraction of remission bone marrow cells, peripheral T and B lymphocytes, malignant lymph node T-lymphoma cells in one case and B-lymphoblastoid cell lines established in two cases. Moreover, one of 10 additional AML patients tested by FISH had a normal karyotype and deletion of one of the commonly deleted probe sequences. A tumor suppressor gene may therefore be involved, especially as two patients developed malignant lymphoma at the same time as myeloid proliferation.

Acute Disease↗

Fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia: results in 49 patients.

Fludarabine (FDR) therapy gives a response rate of about 30% in previously treated patients with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM). The combination of FDR and cyclophosphamide (Cy) has been shown to be effective in chronic lymphoproliferative disorders. We administered the combination of FDR (30 mg/m2 i.v. D1-D3) and Cy (300 mg/m2 i.v. D1-D3) to 49 patients. Median age was 64 years. The median hemoglobin, albumin, beta 2 microglobulin and immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels were 9.9 g/100 ml, 39.6 g/l, 3 mg/l and 24.7 g/l, respectively. In all, 14 patients (29%) had not previously been treated. FDR/Cy was administered every 4 weeks for a median of four cycles. In all, 38 patients (77.6%) had partial responses, nine had stable disease and two had progressive disease. After a median of follow-up of 25 months, six patients relapsed and two patients developed large-cell lymphoma. The median time to treatment failure was 27 months. The main toxicity was hematological. In all, 12 patients died, four from progression, one from large-cell lymphoma, three from infection and four from a second malignancy. Two factors negatively influenced overall and event-free survival, age >65 years and IgM <40 g/l. The FDR/Cy combination, therefore, gives a high response rate in WM, even in previously treated patients with factors of poor prognosis.

Aged↗

T-cell/histiocyte-rich large B-cell lymphomas and classical diffuse large B-cell lymphomas have similar outcome after chemotherapy: a matched-control analysis.

PURPOSE: Because it is unclear whether T-cell/histiocyte-rich large B-cell lymphomas (H/TCRBCL) should be considered as a true clinicopathologic entity, we conducted a matched-control analysis comparing patients with H/TCRBCL and patients with diffuse large-B cell lymphoma (B-DLCL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: More than 4,500 patients were enrolled onto non-Hodgkin's lymphoma trials conducted by the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte. After histologic review, 50 patients were subclassified as H/TCRBCL. They were matched to 150 patients with B-DLCL for each of the factors of the International Prognostic Index (IPI). RESULTS: Clinical characteristics of H/TCRBCL patients showed a male predominance and a median age of 47 years. Performance status was normal in 89% of patients, whereas lactate dehydrogenase level was increased in 60% of patients. The disease was disseminated in 81% of patients, and 48% had two or more involved extranodal sites. The IPI score was >or= 2 in 53% of patients. The complete response rate to chemotherapy was 63%, and 5-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) rates (mean +/- SD) were 58% +/- 18% and 53% +/- 16%, respectively. The matched-control analysis showed a trend toward a better response to chemotherapy for patients with B-DLCL (P =.06), whereas no difference was observed in OS (P =.9) and EFS (P =.8). CONCLUSION: H/TCRBCL is an aggressive disease that often presents with adverse prognostic factors. However, when treatment is adapted to the disease risk, outcome is equivalent to that observed in patients with B-DLCL. Thus H/TCRBCL should be considered a pathologic variant that belongs to the B-DLCL category.

Adult↗

Fludarabine-induced apoptosis of B chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells includes early cleavage of p27kip1 by caspases.

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is characterized by the accumulation of growth arrested clonal B lymphocytes that undergo apoptosis when treated with fludarabine. To further explore the mechanism for the cell cycle arrest, we examined the expression and activity of cyclin-dependent kinases and inhibitors in primary B-CLL cells. We observed high levels of p27kip1, cyclin D2, cyclin E, cdk2, and cdk4 expression in freshly isolated B-CLL cells. Despite high levels of cyclins and cdks, little cdk2 or cdk4 activity was observed with p27kip1 in complex with cyclinD2/cdk4 and cyclin E/cdk2. Remarkably, when B-CLL cells were treated in vitro with fludarabine, p27kip1 underwent caspase-specific degradation accompanied by an increase in cdk4 activity. We conclude that the G0/G1 arrest of B-CLL cells may protect against apoptosis and that the decrease in p27kip1 expression by caspase cleavage may be a key step in chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in B-CLL.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Primary follicular lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract: a study of 25 cases and a literature review.

BACKGROUND: To describe better the clinical, biological, endoscopic and pathological presentations, as well as the outcome, of primary follicular lymphoma (FL) of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From November 1983 to February 2001, 25 eligible patients with primary FL of the GI tract were retrieved from several French Departments of Pathology departments based on histological diagnosis and immunophenotype. Median age was 56 years (range 44-71) with a sex ratio female/male of 2 (17/8). RESULTS: Abdominal pain was the main presenting symptom followed by intestinal obstruction. The small intestine was the most common site of involvement. Lesions were unifocal in the majority of patients (15/25). A pattern similar to lymphomatous polyposis was observed in 50% (7/14) of patients. Twelve patients had stage I, 10 patients stage II and three patients stage IV disease, and there was minimal extra intestinal involvement. Lymphoma tissues were composed of neoplastic follicles, most of which were grade 1 according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification. The immunophenotype of the lymphoma cells was CD20+, CD10+, bcl2+ and CD5-. In tissue samples, IgH/bcl2 rearrangement at the MBR locus was present in 11 of 14 patients tested. Seven patients did not receive any treatment; four of them progressed after a median follow-up of 37.5 months. Treatment was otherwise heterogeneous, and complete remission was obtained in 15 patients which lasted for a median of 31 months. Relapses were either in the GI tract (n = 3) or outside the GI tract (n = 3). After a median follow-up of 34 months (range 5-203), 22 patients were still alive (complete remission, 11; partial remission, three; stable disease, six; progressive disease, two). CONCLUSIONS: Primary FL of the GI tract is a predominantly female lymphoma that most frequently involves the small intestine. Since the endoscopic and clinical presentation may not be different from lymphomatous polyposis, which is often associated with mantle cell origin of tumor cells, it is mandatory to perform an immunohistological and, if possible, a molecular analysis of GI lymphoma. The course of the disease is indolent and does not differ from nodal FL. Thus, therapy may not be required unless significant clinical symptoms are present or until disease progression.

Adult↗

Surgical resection plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone: comparison of two strategies to treat diffuse large B-cell gastric lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The usefulness of chemotherapy to treat gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) is well known. Whether or not chemotherapy should be performed as the only treatment or after surgical resection is debated. The aim of this study was to compare two strategies: surgical resection plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1988 and December 1996, 58 patients included in the trials promoted by the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte (GELA) (LNH-87 and LNH-93) received chemotherapy and 48 included in the protocol of the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes Digestifs (GELD) underwent surgical resection followed by chemotherapy. They all presented with localized DLBCL (stage IE and IIE according to the Ann Arbor classification). From the GELA group, seven patients received additional radiotherapy. Gastrectomy was total in 27 of the 48 patients in the GELD group. In both groups chemotherapy included anthracyclin and alkylating agents. Chemotherapy was more intensive in the GELA group than in the GELD group. RESULTS: In the GELA and the GELD groups, distribution according to sex ratio, age (>60 or < or = 60 years), ECOG performance status (> or = 2 or <2) and staging (IE or IIE) was similar. Univariate analysis comparing prognostic factors in both groups showed significant differences: serum lactate dehydrogenase level above normal (28.6% versus 2.4%, P = 0.001), tumor size >10 cm (28.6% versus 12.5%, P = 0.04), patients with International Prognostic Index (IPI) >1 (21.4% versus 11.1%, P = 0.168) and 5-year survival (79% versus 90%, P = 0.03). Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors with a Cox model showed that IPI was the only independent prognostic factor (odds ratio 3, P = 0.03). Consequently, patients with IPI 0-1 were selected for comparison between the GELA group (44 patients) and the GELD group (40 patients). There was no significant difference between the two groups. Median follow-up was 59 months (range 3-128). Estimates of 5-year survival rates and event-free survival rates were 90.5% versus 91.1% (P = 0.303) and 85.9% versus 91.6% (P = 0.187), respectively. In the GELA group, seven of 44 patients died: five from a lymphoma-unrelated cause and two from tumor progression. In the GELD group, four of 40 patients died: two of unrelated causes and two from tumor progression. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that in localized gastric DLBCL with IPI 0-1, a similar 5-year survival rate (>90%) is to be expected with either surgery plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone.

Adult↗

Sequential chemotherapy by CHOP and DHAP regimens followed by high-dose therapy with stem cell transplantation induces a high rate of complete response and improves event-free survival in mantle cell lymphoma: a prospective study.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a distinct clinico-pathological entity with a poor prognosis. We have conducted a prospective study in patients with MCL to evaluate a therapeutic strategy in which CHOP polychemotherapy was followed by DHAP if CHOP failed to induce complete remission. Responding patients then proceeded to an intensification therapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT). Twenty-eight consecutive patients with newly diagnosed aggressive MCL were included. After four cycles of CHOP regimen, two complete responses (CR) were obtained (7%) and 14 (50%), five (18%) and seven (25%) patients achieved partial (PR), minor (MR) and no response, respectively (one patient died from septic complications during CHOP induction). The two patients in CR after CHOP underwent intensification with TBI, high-dose cyclophosphamide-etoposide and APBSCT. The other twenty-five patients received DHAP and in this group a response rate of 92% (21 CR (84%), two PR (8%)) was observed. Two patients had progressive disease. The twenty-three responding patients received high-dose therapy (TAM8 regimen: TBI-cytarabine-melphalan) followed by APBSCT. One of the two partial responding patients achieved CR after TAM8. After a median follow-up of 47.6 months (range, 14-70), seven patients have relapsed. Our data confirm that: (1) CHOP regimen induces a low CR rate in MCL; (2) CHOP plus DHAP appears to be much more efficient and allows a large proportion of patients to proceed to high-dose therapy in CR; (3) consolidation therapy including TBI and high-dose Arac-C followed by APBSCT may improve event-free survival.

Adult↗

Primary plasma cell leukaemia: a report of 18 cases.

Primary plasma cell leukaemia (P-PCL) is a variant of multiple myeloma (MM) first diagnosed in the leukemic phase, with >2000/mm(3) circulating plasma cells (PCs) and plasmacytosis >20% of the white cell count. We investigated the clinical characteristics, therapy, immunophenotype and prognosis factors of 18 patients. Common features at diagnosis were asthenia (seven patients), renal insufficiency (ten patients), bone pain (seven patients), splenomegaly or hepatomegaly (five patients). Hypercalcemia was present at diagnosis in seven patients and was the most potent poor prognosis factor (P<0.05). Most patients (16 out of 18) were treated with an anthracyclin containing regiment; complete remission was attained in one patient and partial remission in 11 patients while six patients had no response. The median survival time from diagnosis was 7 months (2--12, 95% confidence interval), but response to treatment had favorable predictive value (P<0.05). The PCs were usually positive for mature B-cell markers (PCA-1, CD38). They expressed integrins which may increase their binding to endothelial cells and thus participate in PCL physiopathology by favoring plasmocyte extramedullary spread.

Adult↗

Cell cycle regulatory protein expression in fresh acute myeloid leukemia cells and after drug exposure.

Characteristics of treatment-induced cell cycle arrest are important for in vitro and in vivo sensitivity of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells to cytotoxic drugs. We analyzed the expression of the major G1 cell cycle regulators (p21Cip1, p27Kip1, cyclins D, cyclin E and pRb) in 41 fresh AML cell samples. The level of p27 expression was the only factor correlated with the response to chemotherapy, a high level of p27 expression being predictive of complete remission. There was a close relation between expression of pRb, cyclin D2 and FAB subtype, illustrated by the absence of both proteins in most samples having a monocytic component (M4, M5). We also assessed the expressions of pRb, cyclin E, p21 and p27 and the activity of cdk2, the major regulator of S-phase entry, after exposure to cytosine-arabinoside (AraC) and daunorubicin (DNR), and found these proteins could characterize time- and dose-dependent cellular response to each drug. We observed hyperphosphorylated pRb, increased levels of cyclin E and a high cdk2 activity, but no p21 induction, in AML cells exposed to 10(-6) M AraC. After exposure to 10(-5) M AraC, corresponding to the serum concentration reached in high-dose AraC regimens (HDAraC), a strong p21 induction was observed, associated with similarly overexpressed cyclin E and even higher cdk2 activity than after 10(-6) M AraC, while apoptosis was significantly increased. These data suggest that cdk2 activity is likely to play a role in AraC-induced apoptosis in AML cells. This mechanism may account for high efficacy of HDAraC in cells showing little sensitivity to conventional AraC doses.

Apoptosis↗

Molecular epidemiology of human herpesvirus 8 in africa: both B and A5 K1 genotypes, as well as the M and P genotypes of K14.1/K15 loci, are frequent and widespread.

We have studied 52 new HHV8 strains by sequencing the complete hypervariable K1 gene and genotyping the K14.1/K15 loci located at both sides, respectively, of the viral genome. The samples originated from 49 patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS; 32 patients), multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD; 12 patients), or primary effusion lymphoma (PEL; 5 patients). Among these patients, 32 were of African origin (West and Central African countries and Creoles from French Guiana) and the 17 others were mostly French homosexuals. Comprehensive phylogenetic studies allowed the identification of distinct groups within the three already known main subtypes. Interestingly, two new sequences that did not cluster within a known subtype or group could be considered as prototypes of early/ancient variants of the C subtype and A/C set, respectively. Among the 32 African strains, the majority were either of the B subtype (13 cases) or of the A5 group (11 cases), indicating that this latter genotype is frequent and widespread in Africa. In contrast, a subtype C strain infected most of the 17 other patients. PCR-based genotyping of the K14.1/K15 loci revealed an overall predominance of P subtype, except in the A5 and B K1 groups, in which the P and M alleles were equally represented. The implications of these data on the evolution and spread of HHV8 among human African populations are discussed.

Adult↗

Mantle cell lymphoma, in leukaemic phase with prominent splenomegaly. A report of eight cases with similar clinical presentation and aggressive outcome.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a well-defined peripheral B-cell lymphoma usually diagnosed upon peripheral lymph node biopsy. We report eight cases of peripheral B-cell leukaemia that demonstrate presumptive evidence of mantle cell characteristics. The patients had a median age of 68.5 years, and five were male. All presented with an enlarged spleen without any peripheral lymphadenopathies, and they were leukaemic at presentation (median lymphocytosis, 38x10(9)/l). Morphological diagnosis of MCL was very difficult in five cases but easier in three because we were able to analyse either pre- or post-mortem lymph nodes and spleen. The immunophenotype of blood lymphocytosis using flow cytometry, the presence of a t(11;14)(q13;q32) and a cyclin D1 expression by leukaemic cells all fit with the diagnosis of MCL. All patients progressed and died with a median overall survival of 8 months. Multifocal areas of transformation in blastoid or large cell variants were observed in the three autopsied patients. In summary, one should consider the diagnosis of MCL at presentation in leukaemic phase even in the absence of peripheral adenopathies.

Aged↗

Deregulated expression of promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemias does not affect cyclin A expression.

INTRODUCTION: The promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF) gene encodes a transcription factor expressed in myeloid, lymphoid and CD34(+) progenitor cells. Structurally related to BCL-6, which is involved in human lymphoma, PLZF may have a role in proliferation, differentiation and survival of hematopoietic cells, that could be mediated by transcriptional repression of the cyclin A gene. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Quantitative competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the levels of expression of PLZF and cyclin A in normal leukocyte subsets (including CD19(+) lymphocytes, n=21) and malignant B lymphocytes (including B-chronic lymphocytic leukemias [B-CLL], n=63). Results obtained with this method were confirmed by Western and Northern blot analysis. Transactivation assays were performed using an expression construct for PLZF and two cyclin A promoter luciferase reporters in an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B-cell line. Cyclin A expression, cell growth kinetics, and cell cycle were analysed in stable clones of the Burkitt lymphoma (BL) B-cell line DG75 with inducible expression of PLZF, generated using the tetracycline-regulated expression system. RESULTS: Expression of PLZF was 100-fold downregulated in 90% B-CLL (56/63) compared to normal B lymphocytes (P<0.001). B-CLL patients with the highest levels of PLZF had a poorer survival (P<0.013). In transactivation assays, PLZF inhibited the activity of the cyclin A reporters by 50%, demonstrating that PLZF can repress cyclin A expression in non-malignant B lymphocytes. However, in B-CLL patients, the level of cyclin A expression was found to be within the normal range. Altered PLZF function in B lymphoid malignancies was further corroborated in the PLZF-regulatable DG75 clones, where induction of PLZF expression did not significantly alter the levels of cyclin A expression, the cell growth kinetics, or the cell cycle phase distribution. CONCLUSION: The lower survival of patients with the highest levels of PLZF suggests that this protein may be a marker of progression in B-CLL. The absence of co-ordinated regulation of PLZF and cyclin A genes in B-CLL and in a malignant B-cell line may indicate a loss of cyclin A control by PLZF in B-CLL and other B-cell disorders. Deregulation of PLZF could thus play a role in B-cell malignancy.

Antigens, CD↗