PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “hematologic malignancies”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Prognosis of hematologic malignancies does not predict intensive care unit mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between specific prognosis of hematologic malignancies on the one hand and intensive care unit and hospital mortality in critically ill patients with hematologic malignancies on the other hand. DESIGN: Observational study during a 10-yr period. SETTING: A 22-bed medical-surgical intensive care unit. PATIENTS: A total of 84 consecutive patients with nonterminal hematologic malignancies with medical complications requiring intensive care. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS: Demographic factors, acute physiology and organ dysfunction scores, microbiology, therapeutic support, and hematologic factors data on admission and during the intensive care unit stay were collected, together with mortality follow-up. Based on specific-disease prognostic factors and related published survival curves, the prognosis of hematologic malignancies was assessed and defined as good, intermediate, or poor according to a 3-yr survival probability of >50%, 20-50%, or <20%, respectively. MAIN RESULTS: Prognosis of hematologic malignancies does not predict intensive care unit or hospital mortality and almost reaches significance for 6-mo mortality (53%, 71%, and 84% rate for patients with good, intermediate, and poor prognosis, respectively, p =.058), but it determines long-term survival (p =.008). Intensive care unit, hospital, and 6-mo overall mortality rates were 38%, 61%, and 75%, respectively. Using multivariate analysis, intensive care unit mortality was best predicted on admission by respiratory failure and fungal infection, whereas hospital mortality was predicted by the number of organ failures, the bone marrow transplant status, and the presence of fungal infection. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II had no prognostic value, whereas the difference of the Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score between at the time of admission and at day 5 allowed quick prediction of hospital mortality. Diseases with the poorest 6-mo prognosis were acute myeloid leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. CONCLUSION The severity of the underlying hematologic malignancies does not influence intensive care unit or hospital mortality. Short-term prognosis is exclusively predicted by acute organ dysfunctions and by a pathogen's aggressiveness. Therefore, reluctance to admit patients with nonterminal hematologic malignancies to the intensive care unit based only on the prognosis of their underlying hematologic malignancy does not seem justified.

APACHE↗

[Second cancers in hematologic malignancies (epidemiologic observations from a 20-year period)].

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of malignant tumours have increased steadily worldwide. Prior reports indicate that patients with some hematologic malignancies (for example chronic lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) may be at increased risk of second neoplasms. AIM: The aim of the authors was to explore the possible association between hematologic malignancies and subsequent solid tumours. PATIENTS, METHODS: Between January 1, 1983 and December 31, 2002, in the county of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg 151 cases with both malignant hematologic diseases and cancers were registered by the authors. In their 60 patients (50 with lymphoid and 10 with myeloid malignancies) the first tumour was the hematologic malignancy. Among these cases the number of second cancers was 64. RESULTS: The most common kind of second tumours was lung cancer. There was a significant connection between lymphoid malignancies and second cancers as compared to myeloid malignancies and subsequent cancers (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Analysing the epidemiologic data the authors established the following conclusions: the association of second cancers with hematologic malignancies in most of the cases is not accidental. The age of patients with second cancers seemed to be not too important, but it was of crucial importance in patients with Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The role of immunodeficiency in the development of second cancers may be important in patients with Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (the number of second cancers in their patients with multiple myeloma and hairy cell leukemia was too small do draw a conclusion).

Age Factors↗

[A report of five cases of multiple cancer with hematologic malignancies].

Five patients with multiple cancers that included hematologic malignancies are described. The incidence of multiple cancers in hematologic malignancies has been 8.8% in the past two and a half years at our hospital. The combinations were: 1) primary bilateral breast cancers and acute monocytic leukemia; 2) breast cancer, malignant lymphoma and gastric cancer; 3) malignant lymphoma and gastric cancer; 4) malignant lymphoma and prostate cancer, and 5) colon cancer and multiple myeloma. Our experience suggests an increasing incidence of multiple cancer in hematologic malignancies.

Aged↗

[Oral antitumor drugs for hematological malignancies].

The oral antitumor drugs against hematological malignancies are summarized. Sobuzoxane, a topoisomerase II inhibitor, is useful for the treatment of lymphoma, especially adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma. Sobuzoxane has an effect to protect against doxorubicin cardiotoxicity. Cytarabine ocfosfate, a derivative of cytosine arabinoside, is a useful agent against acute leukemia and MDS, especially RAEB, RAEB in T, CMMoL. The JALSG AML 92 study for APL with all-trans retinoic acid resulted in a 89% CR rate in 196 and 64% 4-year DFS in CR cases. Hydroxycarbamide is can control the WBC in CML. This agent is also effective for other myeloproliferative disorders, such as acute leukemia and MDS. Oral administration of 50 mg etoposide daily showed a good outcome in old patients with malignant lymphoma. For old patients and those with refractory hematological malignancies, oral administration of these agents can offer a new form of palliative therapy to allow them to remain at home while maintaining a high quality of life.

Administration, Oral↗

Hematologic malignancies in patients with cryoglobulinemia: association with autoimmune and chronic viral diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of hematologic malignancies occurring in a large series of patients diagnosed with cryoglobulinemia, and to study their association and overlap with autoimmune and/or chronic viral diseases. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the occurrence of hematologic malignancies in 607 patients diagnosed with cryoglobulinemia in a single institution. Clinical, histologic, and serologic characteristics of patients were recorded on a protocol form. Hematologic malignancies were diagnosed according to the Revised European-American Lymphoma/World Health Organization classification criteria. RESULTS: Of the total cohort of 607 patients with cryoglobulinemia, we retrospectively identified 27 patients (5%) in whom a hematologic malignancy was diagnosed, including 24 (89%) lymphoproliferative and 3 (11%) myeloid malignancies. Fifteen (56%) were men and 12 (44%) women, with a median age at diagnosis of hematologic malignancy of 67 years (range, 44 to 88 years). The identified hematologic malignancies were non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 18), Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 2), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n = 2), and 1 case each of multiple myeloma, Waldenström macroglobulinemia, Castleman disease, chronic myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. Of the 18 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, there was a predilection for specific histologic types (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in 8 cases and small lymphocytic lymphoma in 4) and a higher frequency of a primary extranodal origin in 6 (33%) cases. Conditions associated with hematologic malignancies were hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 14 patients (52%) and systemic autoimmune diseases in 13 (48%), with both HCV and systemic autoimmune disease in 6 cases (22%). CONCLUSIONS: Hematologic neoplasia associated with cryoglobulinemia is defined by a clear predominance of lymphoproliferative disorders (mainly non-Hodgkin lymphoma), with substantial extranodal involvement and an elevated presence of immunologic markers. HCV infection is the main etiologic factor associated with hematologic malignancies in patients with cryoglobulinemia, followed by specific systemic autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus, highlighting the close relationship between lymphoproliferation, autoimmunity, and viruses.

Adult↗

Maintenance treatment with interferon alpha-2b in multiple myeloma: a prospective randomized study from PETHEMA (Program for the Study and Treatment of Hematological Malignancies, Spanish Society of Hematology).

The objectives of the present study were to investigate whether interferon alpha (IFN) maintenance could prolong response duration and survival in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) in objective response and to analyze the characteristics of relapse and subsequent survival. From January 1991 to November 1994, 92 patients from the Spanish Cooperative Group PETHEMA with MM in objective response after 12 courses of VCMP/VBAP chemotherapy were randomized to receive IFN maintenance vs no treatment until relapse. Prognostic factors at diagnosis were similar in both groups. IFN was administered at a starting dose of 3 mU/m2 three times per week. The IFN toxicity was moderate with granulocytopenia and fatigue being the most common adverse effects. Median duration of response from randomization until relapse was 13 months in the IFN group vs 7.7 months in the no treatment arm (P = 0.042). Median survival from randomization was 38.8 months for patients given IFN vs 32.7 months for those allocated to the no treatment arm (P = 0.12). Features at relapse were similar in patients who received IFN maintenance and in those assigned to no treatment. Finally, survival from relapse was identical in both groups. In summary, our results show a significant prolongation of response in patients maintained with IFN with no significant influence on survival. In addition, in our series features at relapse and subsequent outcome were similar in both groups.

Aged↗

Effect of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor on empiric therapy with flomoxef sodium and tobramycin in febrile neutropenic patients with hematological malignancies. Kan-etsu Hematological Disease and Infection Study Group.

The clinical effects of concomitant use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on empiric antibiotic therapy in febrile neutropenic patients were evaluated in a randomized fashion. Two hundred and fourteen neutropenic febrile episodes (neutrophil counts < 1.0 x 10(9)/l) were treated with flomoxef sodium and tobramycin with or without G-CSF. The resolution of fever at day 4 (excellent response) or at day 7 (good response) was deemed effective. Among 157 evaluable episodes, the observed excellent responses were 31 (38.8%) and the good responses were 20 (25.0%) in the G-CSF group; those in the control group were 26 (33.8%) and 25 (32.5%), respectively. The overall efficacy rate was 63.8% (51/80) in the G-CSF group and 66.2% (51/77) in the control group (not significant). The initial neutrophil count was 0.186 +/- 0.249 x 10(9)/l in the G-CSF group and 0.235 +/- 0.290 x 10(9)/l in the control group, and rose to 2.889 +/- 4.198 x 10(9)/l and 0.522 +/- 0.844 x 10(9)/l, respectively, at day 7. These results indicate that G-CSF does not affect the rate of response to empiric antibiotic therapy in febrile neutropenic patients, although a significant effect of G-CSF was observed on neutrophil recovery.

Adolescent↗

Angiogenesis and anti-angiogenesis in hematological malignancies.

Although it is well established that the growth of solid tumors requires vigorous neovascularization, it has been assumed that leukemias and other hematological malignancies do not depend on angiogenesis. However, the role of angiogenesis in growth and survival of neoplastic cells of the hematopoietic system has recently been recognized, and provides a rationale for novel therapeutic approaches to hematological malignancy. This review summarizes the literature concerning the relationship between angiogenesis and disease progression of several hematological malignancies. It is becoming increasingly evident that agents that interfere with blood vessel formation also block tumor progression, and, accordingly, antiangiogenic therapy has gained much interest as a potential adjunct to conventional therapy of many hematological malignancies. Recent successful applications of antiangiogenic agents that interfere or block the progression of hematological malignancies are evaluated in light of recent demonstrations of potent angiogenic activity of several hematopoietic growth factors. A novel finding regarding the role of angiogenesis in hematological malignancies, which accounts for many clinical observations as well as the apparent independence of these tumors on marrow vascularity, is presented. The information presented in this review will facilitate the design of future clinical trials using antiangiogenic agents for the treatment of hematological malignancies and will provide a basis for the design of experiments undertaken to define the mechanisms involved, mechanisms that may shed new light on the pathology of hematological malignancies.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors↗

Methylation of p16 gene in hematological malignancies.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of p16 gene methylation in hematological malignancies, and the relations between p16 gene methylation and the prognosis of hematological malignancies. METHODS: Fifty-five patients were studied by restriction enzyme polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect p16 gene methylation. RESULTS: p16 gene methylation was detected in 6 of 55 patients (10.9%), who were 1 patient with M2a, 1 patient with M5a, 2 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in blast crisis, 1 patient with progressing multiple myeloma (MM), 1 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) accompanied by B-ALL, respectively. p16 gene methylation correlates with adverse prognostic features. The patients with p16 gene methylation had poor response to therapy, and died shortly after p16 gene methylation was detected. CONCLUSION: The methylation of p16 gene plays an important role in the pathogenesis and the development of some hematological malignancies. The patients with p16 gene methylation have poor prognosis. The detection of p16 gene is a useful tool for evaluating prognosis of hematological malignancies.

DNA Methylation↗

Prevention and treatment of hyperuricemia in hematological malignancies.

The standard prophylactic and treatment regimen for hyperuricemia in patients with hematological malignancies previously included vigorous hydration, urinary alkalinization, and a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, allopurinol, which blocks the conversion of hypoxanthine and xanthine to uric acid. However, xanthine is less soluble than uric acid, and preexisting uric acid is not affected by allopurinol. The enzyme urate oxidase, not present in mammals, converts uric acid to allantoin, which is 5-10 times more soluble than uric acid. A new recombinant form of urate oxidase, rasburicase, has recently been developed. In a phase I/II study of rasburicase in children and young adults with hematological malignancies, rasburicase was demonstrated to be well tolerated at 0.2 mg/kg/day intravenously, had a mean T1/2 of 21.2 +/- 12.0 hours, and induced a median decrease in uric acid from 9.7 mg/dL to 1.0 mg/dL (P < 0.001). We recently demonstrated, in a randomized prospective trial comparing rasburicase versus allopurinol in children with hematological malignancies at high risk of tumor lysis syndrome, that rasburicase significantly lowered the mean uric acid area under the curve 0 to 96 hours (128 +/- 70 mg/dL/hour vs. 329 +/- 129 mg/dL/hour; P < 0.001) and 4 hours post uric acid by 86% versus 12% (P < 0.001). Furthermore, in the hyperuricemic group, the baseline creatinine level decreased from 144% to 102% by 96 hours following rasburicase compared to an increase from 132% to 147% following allopurinol. Although the difference in effect on creatinine levels is not significant, the study was not designed or powered to question this effect. Lastly, in 510 patients with hematological malignancies at risk for tumor lysis syndrome who received rasburicase, only 2 (0.4%) have developed new renal complications requiring hemodialysis. In summary, in the prevention and treatment of hyperuricemia, patients with hematological malignancies at risk of tumor lysis syndrome appear to benefit significantly from the use of a recombinant urate oxidase (rasburicase).

Allopurinol↗

Pulmonary disease in patients with hematologic malignancies.

Patients with hematologic neoplasms frequently experience pulmonary disease. The possibility of a malignant involvement of the lung parenchyma is a well recognized and not unusual event, secondary spread due to lymphoproliferative disorders being the most common situation. Furthermore, the development and the advances in treatment options such as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, radiation therapy and/or combined drug regimen use have significantly widened the spectrum of non-neoplastic pulmonary complications that can crop up in these patients. Infections, drug/radiation-induced toxicity, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-related complications account by now for most pulmonary problems in hematologic patients and represent a difficult challenge both in diagnostic and in therapeutic terms for the clinician. The aim of this review is to highlight the clinicopathologic spectrum of lung diseases which can occur in the setting of hematologic malignancies. A particular emphasis is devoted to the diagnostic approach, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) assuming a key role since different patterns of CT abnormalities are associated with a different yield of the available diagnostic tools and may help in narrowing the differential diagnosis.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and family history of hematologic malignancy.

Familial aggregation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and the co-occurrence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other hematologic malignancies within families, provide evidence for genetic or common environmental etiologies for these conditions. The authors analyzed the association between non-Hodgkin's lymphoma risk and family history of hematologic malignancy using a case-control study based in the United Kingdom. The study recruited patients diagnosed with lymphoma during 1998-2001. Results indicated an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma for persons with a positive family history of any hematologic malignancy (odds ratio = 1.70, 95% confidence interval: 1.08, 2.69) and particularly of any lymphoma (odds ratio = 2.43, 95% confidence interval: 1.14, 5.19). The authors compared the number of hematologic malignancies among relatives reported by the cases and controls with that expected from the national rates of hematologic malignancy registered in the United Kingdom. Through these comparisons, the authors raise questions about the validity of self-reported family history of hematologic malignancy, especially regarding identification of specific types of hematologic malignancies. Given these reservations, they consider how future epidemiologic studies may contribute to further understanding the role of familial susceptibility in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Adolescent↗

Disease- and treatment-related elevation of the neurodegenerative marker tau in children with hematological malignancies.

Children acquire neuropsychologic dysfunctions after chemotherapy for hematologic malignancy. In this study, putative changes in levels of CSF-tau (a marker of neural dysintegrity) in leukemic children prior to and during chemotherapy were studied. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were obtained before and during treatment from patients with B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL, n = 10), non-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/NHL (non-B-ALL, n = 48), acute myeloid leukemia (AML, n = 9), other malignant diseases (n = 9), and six control children. A sandwich-type ELISA (INNOTEST hTAU-Ag) was used for measuring CSF-tau. Sixteen out of 50 patients with hematological malignancies, including the patients with proven leukemic CNS invasion, already showed high CSF-tau levels at baseline (>300 pg/ml). The pre-induction treatment for non-B-ALL, consisting of only corticosteroids and methotrexate (MTX), resulted in a significant increase of tau at day 8 (on average to 535 pg/ml). Larger increases as compared to baseline levels of CSF-tau were observed in patients treated for B-NHL with systemic vincristine, corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide, and intrathecal MTX (mean 776 pg/ml at day 8). In two AML patients with CNS invasion, CSF-tau increased during chemotherapy up to 1,500 and 948 pg/ml, respectively. In one non-B-ALL patient with MTX-induced clinical neurotoxicity, CSF-tau was above the detection limit of 2,000 pg/ml. Almost one-third of the patients with hematological malignancies had elevated CSF-tau levels at diagnosis. Transient high levels of CSF-tau, reaching levels observed in other neurodegenerative disorders, were observed during induction chemotherapy for non-B-ALL, B-NHL and CNS+ AML. The clinical implications of both observations will be the subject of further study.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Combination of antisense oligonucleotide and low-dose chemotherapy in hematological malignancies.

Current conventional chemotherapy for the treatment of hematological malignancies, although quite effective, has associated toxicities to normal tissue and organs, which is still a major dose limiting factor. In addition, high dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation is limited by tumor cell contamination in the stem cell harvest. The use of conventional chemotherapy alone to purge these tumor cell contaminants is known to damage normal hematopoietic progenitor cells, resulting in delayed engraftment. The combination of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) and low doses of chemotherapy offer a potential regiment which may lower the doses of conventional therapeutics required to effectively combat disease, thus lowering cytotoxicity experienced by normal cells. Transient downregulation of genes by ODN treatment, which are involved in the transformation or perpetuation of the cancerous disease state, can remove the growth and survival advantages exploited by tumor cells. Many groups are currently investigating this combination and have produced intriguing results. This review article discusses the current research investigating the combination of antisense ODN therapy with conventional chemotherapy in the treatment of hematological malignancies. Although further improvements in this strategy are required, the results thus far support a future for this strategy in clinical management of hematological malignancy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

The evolving role of monoclonal antibodies and dendritic cell therapy in hematologic malignancies.

The approach for treatment of hematological cancers had changed in the last decade from non-specific eradication of tumor cells by chemotherapy to more specific strategies by activation of immune system. There are number of potential targets of immune responses in patients with hematological malignancies. Some have been developed like monoclonal antibody therapy and others that have yet to be define like dendritic cell infusion. In this review, we will discuss the evolving role of monoclonal antibody therapy and donor dendritic cell infusion in mounting on immune response in hematological malignancies.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Hematologic malignancies during pregnancy.

Most hematologic malignancies are rare during the childbearing years with the exception of Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, the continued spread of retroviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus, in the heterosexual population may result in a substantial rise in viral-induced non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Although pregnancy does not affect the natural course of these illnesses, adequate staging and therapy can be a difficult task. The obstetrician and the consultant hematologist/oncologist must weigh the benefit of immediate treatment while minimizing toxicity to the fetus.

Decision Trees↗

Fatal hepatic failure caused by chemotherapy-induced reactivation of hepatitis B virus in a patient with hematologic malignancy.

A patient with hematologic malignancy and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection received chemotherapy containing a glucocorticoid. The patient developed severe hepatitis after chemotherapy and, despite achieving complete remission of the malignancy, died of hepatic failure. We carried out a retrospective study of changes in the serological markers of HBV in this patient. Both serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) were negative on admission. During the course of chemotherapy, HBsAg gradually became positive, but no liver dysfunction was apparent until after completion of the chemotherapy. The patient showed no initial evidence of being a latent HBV carrier. Therefore, we believe that screening for HBsAg is insufficient for detecting latent HBV carriers, and that investigation for hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) is essential.

Aged↗

Supportive care in hematologic malignancies.

Supportive care in hematologic malignancies includes a wide range of topics. We have selected the following issues for a review of recently published developments: new insights into the benefits and risks of established hematopoietic growth factors (HGF), such as granulocyte- or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF, GM-CSF); the emerging role of newly introduced HGFs such as keratinocyte-growth factor (KGF) and thrombopoietin; the prophylactic and therapeutic use of amifostine, a cytoprotective agent; the role of hematopoietic growth factors and the demethylating agent decitabine in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); infectious complications of anticancer therapy; and, recent improvements in and complications of transfusional therapy, including the renewed interest in granulocyte transfusions.

Antineoplastic Agents↗