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Biomedical subjects

A Maiolino

Publications and source records attributed to A Maiolino.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Frontline therapy with early intensification and autologous stem cell transplantation versus conventional chemotherapy in unselected high-risk, aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients: a prospective randomized GEMOH report.

This prospective multicenter randomized trial compares conventional with early intensification with high-dose sequential chemotherapy (HDS) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) as frontline therapy in high-risk non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). Newly diagnosed patients with aggressive high-risk [intermediate-high (HI) and high-risk (HR)] NHL according to the international prognosis index (IPI) were randomized to receive 12-week VACOP-B (arm A, 27 patients) or 6-week VACOP-B followed by HDS and ASCT (arm B, 29 patients). Complete remission rate was 52% in arm A and 55% in B. Nine patients (16%) died early due to progression. According to intention-to-treat, with a median follow-up of 23 months, the 5-year actuarial overall survival, progression-free survival and disease-free survival in arms A and B were 47 and 40% (p = nonsignificant), 47 and 30% (p = nonsignificant), and 97 and 47% (p = 0.02), respectively. Abbreviated chemotherapy followed by intensification with HDS-ASCT does not seem to be superior to conventional chemotherapy in HI/HR aggressive NHL.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Engraftment syndrome following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: definition of diagnostic criteria.

Engraftment syndrome (ES) is an increasingly reported complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In order to better characterize the clinical criteria for the diagnosis of ES, we retrospectively analyzed 125 autologous HSCT recipients. ES was first defined as the presence of noninfectious fever plus skin rash. Patients with and without these findings were compared (univariate and multivariate analyses) regarding the presence of weight gain, hypoalbuminemia, pulmonary infiltrates, diarrhea, neurological manifestations and jaundice. The variables that are significantly more frequent in patients with fever and skin rash were incorporated in the definition criteria. The final diagnostic criteria were noninfectious fever plus any of the following: skin rash, pulmonary infiltrates or diarrhea. The incidence of ES was 20%. The single risk factor for ES by multivariate analysis was a diagnosis other than Hodgkin's disease (odds ratio 6.17, 95% confidence interval 1.38-27.78). Patients with ES received empirical antifungal therapy more frequently than patients without the syndrome (40 vs 19%, P=0.03), and had a longer duration of hospitalization (P=0.0007). The prospective application of these diagnostic criteria may have a favorable impact on the early diagnosis of the syndrome, with the initiation of corticosteroids and a reduction in the unnecessary use of antimicrobial agents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Infectious complications in patients randomized to receive allogeneic bone marrow or peripheral blood transplantation.

Very few data are available on the comparison of infectious complications in peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) and bone marrow transplant (BMT). The objective of this study was to evaluate the severity and frequency of infectious complications in patients randomized to receive PBSCT or BMT. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients included in a randomized clinical trial comparing PBSCT (27 patients) and BMT (29 patients). We analyzed two periods: pre-engraftment and post-engraftment. In the pre-engraftment period, we compared the two groups with respect to the duration of neutropenia, antibiotic use and hospitalization, and documentation of infection. In the post-engraftment period, we analyzed the occurrence and severity of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), duration of cyclosporine, corticosteroids, antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal prophylaxis, number of episodes of infection, and death rates. Patients receiving PBSCT had shorter duration of neutropenia, but there were no differences in the incidence of infections or duration of antibiotic therapy. Patients receiving PBSCT had a higher incidence of extensive chronic GVHD (65% vs. 39%, P=0.08), longer duration of cyclosporine use (risk ratio [RR] 1.97), corticosteroids (RR 1.66), antibacterial (RR 2.60), antifungal (RR 2.50), anti-Pneumocystis carinii (RR 2.06) and anti-cytomegalovirus (RR 1.44) prophylaxis, and more infectious episodes (3.65 vs. 2.32 per 1000 days at risk, RR 1.57). There were no differences in death rates. Multivariate analysis identified the use of steroids as the most significant variable associated with infectious episodes. PBSCT was associated with more infections in the post-engraftment period.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

A randomized, multicenter study of G-CSF starting on day +1 vs day +5 after autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation.

In order to assess the effect of delaying G-CSF administration after autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) transplantation on the duration of neutropenia, 87 patients were randomized to receive G-CSF 5 microg/kg/day starting on day +1 (n = 45) or +5 (n = 42) following PBPC transplantation, until recovery of the neutrophils. The duration of neutropenia (<0.5 x 10(9)/l) was shorter in the day +1 group (7 vs 8 days; P = 0.02), especially in patients receiving melphalan 200 mg/m(2) and CD34(+) cell doses >3.0 x 10(6)/kg. These patients had a later onset of neutropenia after transplant. There were no differences in time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment, or in the incidence of fever and documentation of infection. Although the duration of antibiotic therapy (7 vs 10.5 days; P = 0.01) and time to hospital discharge (13 vs 15 days; P = 0.02) were shorter in the day +1 group, these differences could not be predicted by the day of G-CSF initiation in multivariate analysis. Starting G-CSF on day +1 does not result in faster neutrophil engraftment but in later onset and consequently, slightly shorter duration of neutropenia in patients who receive melphalan 200 mg/m(2) and CD34(+) cell doses >3.0 x 10(6)/kg.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Clinical factors predictive of bone marrow involvement in Hodgkin's disease.

The role of bone marrow biopsy in the staging of Hodgkin's disease is undergoing reevaluation. We have studied the relationship of clinical factors to the presence of bone marrow involvement in 130 previously untreated patients with Hodgkin's disease. The presence of fever, spleen enlargement, anemia, leukopenia, poor performance status and poor histologic subgroups were positively correlated with the presence of bone marrow involvement in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, only fever, spleen involvement, leukopenia and poor histologic subgroups were significant. The predictive value of the absence of fever in regard to the absence of bone marrow involvement was 98%. The likelihood of bone marrow involvement in the absence of all four significant factors was only 0.05%. Patients without these clinical factors should probably not be submitted to a bone marrow biopsy as part of the staging procedures performed in Hodgkin's disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Cyclosporin A and chronic graft versus host disease.

One hundred and seventeen patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for severe aplastic anemia (n = 18) or leukemia (n = 99) who were alive on day +180, were analysed for the incidence and severity of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), developing before or after discontinuation of cyclosporin A (CSA). All patients received CSA for GVHD prophylaxis for 94 to greater than 988 days post-BMT. cGVHD developed in 74 patients (63%) before CSA discontinuation (de novo n = 12, progression from acute GVHD n = 42, following resolution of acute GVHD n = 20). CSA was discontinued in 112 patients: electively (n = 80), because of toxicity (n = 8), or following relapse of leukemia (n = 24). In five patients CSA was never discontinued. After discontinuation of CSA, progression or de novo cGVHD was seen in 25 patients, with a significant difference in patients treated for more or less than 150 days (8% vs 41%, p = 0.0007). In 15 patients CSA had to be re-instituted and in 14 it could be discontinued a second time. Overall 111/117 (94%) patients have finally discontinued CSA. In conclusion cGVHD will progress or appear de novo in 41% of patients receiving CSA for less and in 8% of those receiving CSA for more than 150 days respectively, indicating that the drug should be administered for at least 5 months post-BMT. Most patients (94%) will eventually become CSA independent.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ceftazidime plus amikacin plus teicoplanin or vancomycin in the empirical antibiotic therapy in febrile neutropenic cancer patients.

A prospective randomized trial was performed to compare teicoplanin to vancomycin as part of the empirical antibiotic therapy of febrile neutropenic cancer patients. Fifty-three patients were randomized to receive ceftazidime (100 mg/kg daily every 8 h), amikacin (15 mg/kg daily every 8 h) and teicoplanin (6 mg/kg once a day) and 53 other patients received ceftazidime, amikacin (same dosages) and vancomycin (30 mg/kg/day every 6 h). In 99 evaluable episodes, the success rates were 54% for patients receiving teicoplanin and 52% for patients receiving vancomycin (p=0.76, 95% CI-18-23). The response rates were similar for patients with unexplained fever and for patients with documented infections. There were no differences in renal toxicity or cutaneous side effects between the two groups. The overall death rate was 18.9%, with 10 deaths in each group. The most important factor associated with death was the diagnosis of a fungal infection (p=0.001). Teicoplanin seems to be well tolerated and as effective as vancomycin in the empirical antibiotic therapy of fever in neutropenic cancer patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cutaneous involvement of systemic fungal infections in neutropenic patients.

Skin nodules can be the first evidence of a disseminated fungal infection in febrile neutropenic patients. We present our experience in the diagnosis of this clinical problem in five patients treated for serious hematologic conditions in our Service. There were two cases of Candida sp., two of Fusarium sp., and one of Trichosporon sp.. The immediate assessment of any suspicious lesion, including a biopsy of the lesion for microbiological and histopathologic examinations, will usually lead to the correct diagnosis.

Anemia, Aplastic↗