Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL), atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML), and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms, unclassifiable (MDS/MPN-U) are a group of rare and heterogeneous myeloid disorders. There is strong morphologic resemblance among these distinct diagnostic entities as well as a lack of specific molecular markers and limited understanding of disease pathogenesis, which has made diagnosis challenging in certain cases. The treatment has remained empirical, resulting in dismal outcomes. We, therefore, performed whole-exome and RNA sequencing of these rare hematologic malignancies and present the most complete survey of the genomic landscape of these diseases to date. We observed a diversity of combinatorial mutational patterns that generally do not cluster within any one diagnosis. Gene expression analysis reveals enrichment, but not cosegregation, of clinical and genetic disease features with transcriptional clusters. In conclusion, these groups of diseases represent a continuum of related diseases rather than discrete diagnostic entities.

Distributing wearable technology at the time of diagnosis may provide an avenue for improving HRQOL in adolescents and young adults with cancer.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare, life-threatening inflammatory disorder characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and activation of histiocytes with phagocytosis of normal hematopoietic cells. A 41-year-old woman, 19 weeks pregnant with twins, and a history of Still's disease, presented with rash, fever, and headache. Laboratory studies revealed transaminitis, hyperbilirubinemia, and eventually severe neutropenia as well as elevations in ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, and C-reactive protein. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed HLH. She declined standard HLH-treatment but responded well to high-dose corticosteroids. Her blood counts remained stable following corticosteroid taper, and she delivered healthy twin girls at 30-week gestation. Few cases of HLH during pregnancy have been reported. In some cases, the condition has proved fatal. Therefore recognizing signs and symptoms of HLH is essential to avoid treatment delay. In our case, high-dose corticosteroids alone were a safe and effective therapy for the mother and fetuses resulting in long-term disease control.

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Attendance at professional conferences is an important component of career development, because conferences are a major forum for presenting new research, interacting with colleagues and networking. An extensive literature documents differences in the professional experiences of women and men, including experiences at professional conferences. We hypothesized that women are less likely than men to ask questions at conferences, thus forgoing opportunities for professional development. To address this issue, we analyzed the question-asking behavior of women and men at the 2019 Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology. In all, 112 sessions (55% of those eligible) were randomly chosen for coding, yielding data on 577 presentations. Although approximately 50% of moderators and speakers were women, the proportion of questions asked by women was significantly lower compared with the estimated proportion of women attending the conference (23% vs 39%; P < .0001). Women were more likely to ask questions if another woman asked the first question or if the session topic was red cells. These results suggest that although women are represented equally as moderators and speakers, they are less likely to engage in the postpresentation discourse by asking questions. Encouraging women to speak up in professional situations and providing training on question-asking skills can help address this gender gap that potentially contributes to disparities in professional visibility and career advancement for women in hematology.