YM155 was well tolerated in subjects with advanced melanoma; however, the pre-specified primary end-point for efficacy which required two responders in 29 evaluable subjects was not achieved.

The post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that are one of the most serious complications of bone marrow and solid organ transplants. Because these disorders are rare, there are no randomized trials from which to derive optimal treatment. Management can be challenging and must balance the goal of PTLD eradication with the risks of graft rejection, graft-versus-host disease, further delays in immune reconstitution and life-threatening infections, among others. This paper will provide a comprehensive review of PTLD following solid organ transplant and haematopoietic stem cell transplant with a focus on management. Included is a discussion of novel agents that are being studied in clinical trials and, when combined or sequenced with conventional therapy, have the potential to improve outcomes.

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas are low-grade B-cell neoplasms that occur in a variety of extranodal sites. Only rarely has this entity been discovered as a primary tumor involving the dura of the cavernous sinus. We report the case of a 46 year old woman who presented with a mass involving the cavernous sinus that was originally diagnosed as a meningioma by MRI. However, at surgery the mass was found to be an extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the MALT type. The patient underwent partial excision of the lesion followed by radiation. There are only seven other cases of marginal zone B-cell lymphoma involving the intracranial dura reported in the literature. These patients were females who presented with intracranial lesions thought to be consistent with meningioma by preoperative radiographic imaging. MALT lymphomas of the dura, as their counterparts in other organs, appear to have favorable clinical outcomes and excellent long-term prognoses with local therapy alone.

A retrospective analysis of factors influencing survival in patients with primary lymphoma of bone (PLB) treated at a single institution was performed. The records of 30 eligible patients were evaluated for overall survival (OS) as related to age, sex, stage, International Prognostic Index (IPI) score, number of sites involved and type of treatment. There was a significant difference in OS in patients with IPI scores of low (L) and low intermediate (LI) versus high intermediate (HI) (P = 0.0035), regardless of stage. Sex, age, stage and number of sites did not have a significant influence on OS. There was a statistically significant difference in OS favouring use of combined chemotherapy (with or without rituximab) and radiation compared with either modality alone (P = 0.02). The addition of rituximab resulted in a non-significant trend towards improved OS (P = 0.11). With a median follow up of 49 months, 73% of patients are alive 5 years from diagnosis.

No abstract