The impact of early PEG-asparaginase discontinuation in young adults with ALL: a post hoc analysis of the CALGB 10403 study
Aldoss et al used the study population of the landmark trial C10403 to determine the impact of early discontinuation of PEG-asparaginase upon the outcomes on adolescent and young adults (AYA) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The authors showed that early PEG-asparaginase discontinuation is common in AYAs with ALL and is associated with inferior survival in patients with standard-risk ALL.
Incidence and clinical impact of bleeding events in older patients with acute venous thromboembolism
Anticoagulated older patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) are at an increased risk for bleeding. Knowing this, Ferrazzini and colleagues initiated a prospective multicohort study to examine the clinical impact of anticoagulation-related bleeding in this patient group. The study enrolled more than 900 patients over 65 years of age who presented with acute VTE. The cohort had an 8.5% incidence of major bleeding (MB) and/or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (CRNMB), and patients with MB had high hospitalization (79%) that was often intracranial and fatal.
Baseline radiomics features and MYC rearrangement status predict progression in aggressive B-cell lymphoma
In an effort led by Eertink and colleagues, this retrospective analysis of 3 prospective studies including 323 patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma for whom both positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography at diagnosis and data on MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 rearrangements were available, shows that PET radiomics features are able to identify high-risk patients and that this model seems better than combining the International Prognostic Index and MYC rearrangement status.
Reduction in vaso-occlusive events following stem cell transplantation in patients with sickle cell disease
This report by Leonard et al describes vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The authors found that VOEs were reduced within the first 12 months of patients undergoing HSCT, and this reduction was more dramatic 12-24 months post-HSCT. These results should help with future studies of autologous HSCT gene-therapy approaches in patients with SCD.
The impact of in utero transfusions on perinatal outcomes in patients with alpha thalassemia major: the UCSF registry
This is a very important and timely report on the impact of in utero transfusions on the clinical outcome in patients with alpha-thalassemia major (ATM), in which Schwab et al analyzed results from a battery of tests performed on patients at multiple clinical centers over the course of 20 years. The data provided incontrovertible proof that transfusions given in utero with an optimal protocol (ie >2 infusions during gestation) result in improved survival and dramatically improves all clinical measures.
Real-world effectiveness of caplacizumab vs the standard of care in immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
This article by Izquierdo et al addresses an important and current issue: the role of caplacizumab in the management of acute episodes of immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP). In this report by the Spanish TTP group, caplacizumab reduced exacerbations and refractoriness compared to standard of care regimens. Furthermore, when administered within the first 3 days after PEX, it also provided a faster clinical response, reducing hospitalization and treatment days.
