FCM significantly improves the sensitivity of CC for the identification of leptomeningeal disease in aggressive B-NHL at higher risk of CNS disease, particularly in paucicellular samples.

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Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration is characterized by pathological features and gene expression profile resembling those of Burkitt lymphoma but lacks the MYC rearrangement and carries an 11q-arm aberration with proximal gains and telomeric losses. Whether this lymphoma is a distinct category or a particular variant of other recognized entities is controversial. To improve the understanding of Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration we performed an analysis of copy number alterations and targeted sequencing of a large panel of B-cell lymphoma-related genes in 11 cases. Most patients had localized nodal disease and a favorable outcome after therapy. Histologically, they were high grade B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (8 cases), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (2 cases) and only one was considered as atypical Burkitt lymphoma. All cases had a germinal center B-cell signature and phenotype with frequent LMO2 expression. The patients with Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration had frequent gains of 12q12-q21.1 and losses of 6q12.1-q21, and lacked common Burkitt lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma alterations. Potential driver mutations were found in 27 genes, particularly involving BTG2 , DDX3X , ETS1 , EP300 , and GNA13 . However, ID3 , TCF3 , or CCND3 mutations were absent in all cases. These results suggest that Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration is a germinal center-derived lymphoma closer to high-grade B-cell lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma than to Burkitt lymphoma.

Treatment options for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) are limited with no standard of care; prognosis is poor, with 4- to 6-month median survival. Avadomide (CC-122) is a cereblon-modulating agent with immunomodulatory and direct antitumor activities. This phase 1 dose expansion study assessed safety and clinical activity of avadomide monotherapy in patients with R/R de novo DLBCL and transformed lymphoma. Additionally, a novel gene expression classifier, which identifies tumors with a high immune cell infiltration, was shown to enrich for response to avadomide in R/R DLBCL. Ninety-seven patients with R/R DLBCL, including 12 transformed lymphoma, received 3 to 5 mg of avadomide administered on continuous or intermittent schedules until unacceptable toxicity, disease progression, or withdrawal. Eighty-two patients (85%) experienced ≥1 grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs), most commonly neutropenia (51%), infections (24%), anemia (12%), and febrile neutropenia (10%). Discontinuations because of AEs occurred in 10% of patients. Introduction of an intermittent 5/7‑day schedule improved tolerability and reduced frequency and severity of neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and infections. Among 84 patients with de novo R/R DLBCL, overall response rate (ORR) was 29%, including 11% complete response (CR). Responses were cell-of-origin-independent. Classifier-positive DLBCL patients (de novo) had an ORR of 44%, median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 6 months, and 16% CR versus an ORR of 19%, mPFS of 1.5 months, and 5% CR in classifier-negative patients (P = .0096). Avadomide is being evaluated in combination with other antilymphoma agents. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01421524.

et al. Mutations in SETBP1 are recurrent in myelodysplastic syndromes and often coexist with cytogenetic markers associated with disease progression. Br J Haematol. 2013;163:235-9.

No abstract

Several factors hinder the identification of risk factors for central nervous system (CNS) involvement in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), including the retrospective nature of most studies, the relatively low frequency of CNS relapse in DLBCL, and the heterogeneity of CNS prophylaxis methods used in these studies. Moreover, the impact of newly developed diagnostic tools (such as multiparameter flow cytometry [FCM]) and new treatments introduced in the last decade, in particular rituximab, has still not been fully clarified.Several studies 4,5,[7][8][9][10] and a recent meta-analysis 1 have described a decrease in rates D iffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients have a 5% overall risk of central nervous system events (relapse or progression), which account for high morbidity and frequently fatal outcomes, 1 and shortened overall survival of <6 months.2 Early diagnosis of central nervous system events is critical for successful treatment and improved prognosis. Identification of patients at risk of central nervous system disease is critical to accurately identify candidates for central nervous system prophylaxis vs. therapy. [3][4][5] This report by the Spanish Lymphoma Group (GELTAMO) aims to provide useful guidelines and recommendations for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of central nervous system diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients with, or at risk of, leptomeningeal and/or brain parenchyma lymphoma relapse. A panel of lymphoma experts working on behalf of GELTAMO reviewed all data published on these topics available in PubMed up to May 2016. Recommendations were classified according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. 6 A practical algorithm based on the proposed recommendations was then developed (Figure 1 have concluded that the incidence of CNS relapse decreased after the introduction of rituximab (Table 1). The identification of risk factors has been the major goal of many studies of CNS involvement. Several large retrospective studies conducted in the pre-rituximab era [12][13][14][15] reported higher rates of CNS relapse in patients with increased serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and/or involvement of >1 extranodal site, although these factors failed to predict CNS relapse in more than half of all cases.12 In addition to the involvement of >1 extranodal site and increased LDH, International Prognostic Index (IPI) score was also identified as an independent predictor for CNS relapse in other studies.13,16 A post-rituximab era study of 399 DLBCL patients, randomized to R-CHOP or CHOP chemotherapy, 3 identified an age-adjusted IPI (aaIPI) >1 as the only risk factor for CNS involvement, although a high aaIPI score was recorded for more than 60% of the patients. When aaIPI was excluded from the analysis, elevated LDH and a poor performance status (PS >1) were identified as independent predictive factors for CNS relapse. Similarly, in the randomized RICOVER-60 trial, 4 the combination of increased LDH levels, the involvement of >1 ex...

The presence of occult CNS involvement at diagnosis in patients with NHL at high risk of CNS disease is associated with a higher probability of CNS relapse.