In patients with refractory colorectal cancer, TAS-102, as compared with placebo, was associated with a significant improvement in overall survival. (Funded by Taiho Oncology-Taiho Pharmaceutical; RECOURSE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01607957.).

The inclusion of ATG resulted in a significantly lower rate of chronic GVHD after allogeneic transplantation than the rate without ATG. The survival rate was similar in the two groups, but the rate of a composite end point of chronic GVHD-free survival and relapse-free survival was higher with ATG. (Funded by the Neovii Biotech and the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00678275.).

* Authors on the Steering Committee contributed equally to the oversight of the study, including study design and maintaining the quality of study conduct. CONTRIBUTORS Owen O'Connor, Barbara Pro, Tim Illidge and Lorenz Trumper formed the ECHELON-2 steering committee and contributed equally to the oversight of the study, including study design and maintaining the quality of study conduct.

RIC followed by allogeneic stem-cell transplantation is feasible, has a low treatment-related mortality, and seems to be a promising salvage treatment for relapsed PTCL. These findings suggest that the existence of a graft-versus-T-cell lymphoma effect.

We have identified a t(8;9)(p21-23;p23-24) in seven male patients (mean age 50, range 32-74) with diverse hematologic malignancies and clinical outcomes: atypical chronic myeloid leukemia/chronic eosinophilic leukemia (n = 5), secondary acute myeloid leukemia (n = 1), and pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 1). Initial fluorescence in situ hybridization studies of one patient indicated that the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Janus-activated kinase 2 (JAK2) at 9p24 was disrupted. Rapid amplification of cDNA ends-PCR identified the 8p22 partner gene as human autoantigen pericentriolar material (PCM1), a gene encoding a large centrosomal protein with multiple coiled-coil domains. Reverse transcription-PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed the fusion in this case and also identified PCM1-JAK2 in the six other t(8;9) patients. The breakpoints were variable in both genes, but in all cases the chimeric mRNA is predicted to encode a protein that retains several of the predicted coiled-coil domains from PCM1 and the entire tyrosine kinase domain of JAK2. Reciprocal JAK2-PCM1 mRNA was not detected in any patient. We conclude that human autoantigen pericentriolar material (PCM1)-JAK2 is a novel, recurrent fusion gene in hematologic malignancies. Patients with PCM1-JAK2 disease are attractive candidates for targeted signal transduction therapy. (Cancer Res 2005; 65(7): 2662-7)

In this randomized multicenter study of 136 patients, 6 courses of CHOP (cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone) followed by rituximab (CHOP-R) were compared with rituximabsupplemented high-dose sequential chemotherapy with autografting (R-HDS) to assess the value of intensified chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for highrisk follicular lymphoma (FL) after the introduction of monoclonal antibodies. The analysis was intention to treat with event-free survival (EFS) as the primary endpoint. Complete remission (CR) was 62% with CHOP-R and 85% with R-HDS (P < .001). At a median follow-up (MFU) of 51 months, the 4-year EFS was 28% and 61%, respectively (P < .001), with no difference in overall survival (OS). Molecular remission (MR) was achieved in 44% of CHOP-R and 80% of R-HDS patients (P < .001), and was the strongest independent outcome predictor. Patients relapsing after CHOP-R underwent salvage R-HDS in 71% of cases. Salvage R-HDS had an 85% CR rate and a 68% 3-year EFS (MFU, 30 months). We conclude that (1) achieving MR is critical for effective disease control, regardless of which treatment is used; IntroductionIn the last 15 years, our approach to treatment of follicular lymphoma (FL) has evolved considerably, chiefly due to 3 major achievements. First, new agents, particularly rituximab, have improved overall outcome in patients with FL. 1,2 Second, a subset of patients with a rapid and progressive course has been recognized. [3][4][5] The International Prognostic Index (IPI), the age-adjusted IPI (aaIPI), and more recent FL-specific scores such as the Intergruppo Italiano Linfomi (IIL) score and Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) now allow simple and effective identification of these high-risk patients, whose management is currently far from satisfactory. 4,5 Finally, many phase 2 studies have demonstrated that the achievement of molecular remission (MR) as determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is associated with a better outcome in the context of a wide array of different treatments. [6][7][8][9][10][11] In this rapidly evolving field, the place for intensified regimens with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is poorly defined. Most data arise from pre-rituximab studies. [12][13][14][15][16] ASCT improves overall survival (OS) in relapsed patients, 7,12 while data at diagnosis are less clear. The 3 phase 3 studies published so far The online version of this article contains a data supplement.The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. Therefore, and solely to indicate this fact, this article is hereby marked ''advertisement'' in accordance with 18 USC section 1734. For personal use only. on May 7, 2018. by guest www.bloodjournal.org From have been based on total body irradiation (TBI)-containing regimens, did not select patients according to validated prognostic scores, and did not include molecular analysis. [13][14][15] Two of these trials showed that intensive therapy ensures better progression-free survi...

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