Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) remains the most relevant factor affecting survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). Besides corticosteroids (and ibrutinib in the USA), there is no established therapy for cGvHD. Tocilizumab, a humanized IgG1 IL6-receptor antibody, has shown efficacy in acute GvHD and cGvHD. We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab for the treatment of advanced cGvHD. Eleven patients with severe steroid refractory cGvHD (median age 49; range 21-62 years) that received at least two prior lines of therapy for cGvHD (range 2-8 regimens) were treated with tocilizumab (q4w, dosage 8 mg/kg IV) with a median number of 15 cycles (range 2-31). NIH consensus criteria grading for cGvHD were recorded prior to tocilizumab administration and after 3, 6, and 12 months of therapy. All patients received additional concomitant immunosuppression (IS) but no new IS within the last 4 weeks before start of tocilizumab and response assessment was terminated before start of any new IS. The median number of days between alloHSCT and initiation of tocilizumab therapy was 1033 days. Organs involved at initiation of tocilizumab therapy were skin (100%, all grade 3), eyes (82%), fascia (82%), mouth (64%), lungs (55%), and genitals (18%). Overall, 7/10 patients (70%) showed partial remission, 2/10 patients (20%) showed progressive cGvHD, 1/10 patient (10%) showed mixed response, and 1 patient died due to sepsis before first response assessment 1.5 months after initiation of treatment. Four patients required subsequent new immunosuppressive treatment. Two patients developed bacterial sepsis, one of whom died. The overall survival and relapse-free survival were 82% with an average follow-up of 22 months (range 1.5-52 months). Tocilizumab seems a promising treatment option in advanced cGvHD but further evaluation within a phase II trial is required.
We present the case of a 64-year-old man diagnosed with large B-cell lymphoma who relapsed twice after standard-of-care therapy. Due to persisting cytopenia, Next generation sequencing analysis was performed, revealing a small TP53-mutated clone. As a third-line therapy, the patient was treated with CAR-T cells, which resulted in complete remission. However, this treatment also led to the expansion of the TP53-mutated clone and therapy-related myelodysplasia with a complex aberrant karyotype. This case may serve as a paradigmatic example of clonal hematopoietic progression in a patient undergoing CAR-T cell therapy, especially in the context of a TP53-mutated clone.
Introduction: Data on melanoma incidence and mortality in Montenegro is only partially complete. GLOBOCAN and EUCAN reports estimate melanoma incidence in Montenegro to be between 4.6-7.3 cases/100 000.At least 50% of all metastatic melanoma cell lines carry an activating mutation in the BRAF oncogene. The treatment of advanced melanoma with the selective BRAF inhibitors, such as vemurafenib demonstrated improvement in progression free interval and overall survival when compared to conventional chemotherapy treatment. Up to 95% of patients treated with vemurafenib experience skin toxicity. Material and methods:Five patients with metastatic melanoma have been treated with vemurafenib at the Clinic for Oncology and Radiotherapy Podgorica, Montenegro, during the period 2013-2014. They were treated with standard dose (960 mg twice a day, per os). Data about the occurrence and management of skin side-effects in these patients were retrospectively collected from medical charts. Severity of side-effects was graded using the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0.Results: In 2013, 41 new cases of melanoma were registered in Montenegro, 20 (48.7%) male and 21 (51.3%) female. In 2014, 49 new cases of melanoma were registered, 27 (55.1%) male and 22 (44.9%) female. Two out of five (40%) vemurafenib treated patients experienced photosensitivity, three (60%) had rash eruptions, four (80%) developed alopecia, and two (40%) had dry skin problems. Alteration in nevus color and size occurred in one (20%) patient, and two (40%) patients developed new pigmented lesions.Conclusion: Skin side effects associated with vemurafenib are plentiful, but generally manageable with supportive care measures. In our experience, majority of described side-effects were of grade 1 or 2, and none required dose modifications, or discontinuation of the therapy. Our experience suggests that patients taking BRAF inhibitors should have regular full body skin assessments, both prior to the beginning of the therapy and periodically after its onset. Clinicians should be aware of the skin related toxicities, in order to minimize their impact on treatment efficacy and patients' quality of life.
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