Detection of a gammaretrovirus, XMRV, in the human population: Open questions and implications for xenotransplantation
XMRV (xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus) is a gammaretrovirus that has been detected in human patients with prostate carcinoma, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and also in a small percentage of clinically healthy individuals. It is not yet clear whether the distribution of this virus is primarily limited to the USA or whether it is causally associated with human disease. If future investigations confirm a broad distribution of XMRV and its association with disease, this would have an impact on xenotransplantation of porcine tissues and organs. Xenotransplantation is currently being developed to compensate for the increasing shortage of human material for the treatment of tissue and organ failure but could result in the transmission of porcine pathogens. Maintenance of pathogen......
POSTED 03/09/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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Sustained Molecular Response With Interferon Alfa Maintenance After Induction Therapy With Imatinib Plus Interferon Alfa in Patients With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia [Hematologic Malignancies]
Conclusion
Treatment with IFN enables discontinuation of imatinib in most patients after prior imatinib/IFN combination therapy and may result in improved molecular response. Induction of a proteinase-3–specific CTL response by IFN may contribute to this effect. (Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology)...
POSTED 03/08/2010 at 05:01 PM --
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Key Cause Of Chronic Leukemia Progression Identified By Study
Researchers have discovered a key reason why a form of leukemia progresses from its more-treatable chronic phase to a life-threatening phase called blast crisis. The study, led by cancer researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James), indicates that chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) progresses when immature white blood cells lose a molecule called miR-328. Loss of the molecule traps the cells in a rapidly growing, immature state... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)...
POSTED 03/08/2010 at 02:00 AM --
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Key Cause Of Chronic Leukemia Progression Identified By Study
Researchers have discovered a key reason why a form of leukemia progresses from its more-treatable chronic phase to a life-threatening phase called blast crisis. The study, led by cancer researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J... (Source: Lymphoma / Leukemia News From Medical News Today)...
POSTED 03/08/2010 at 02:00 AM --
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Prognostic impact of ZAP-70 expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: mean fluorescence intensity T/B ratio versus percentage of positive cells
Conclusions:
We suggest to evaluate ZAP-70 expression in routine settings using the T/B Ratio-method, given the operator and laboratory independent feature of this approach. We propose the 3.0 T/B Ratio value as optimal cut-off to discriminate ZAP-70+ (T/B Ratio less than 3.0) from ZAP-70- (T/B Ratio more/equal than 3.0) cases. (Source: Journal of Translational Medicine)...
POSTED 03/07/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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Study identifies key cause of chronic leukemia progression
Researchers have discovered a key reason why chronic myeloid leukemia progresses from its more-treatable chronic phase to a life-threatening phase called blast crisis. The study indicates that CML progresses when immature white blood cells lose a molecule called miR-328 and this traps the cells in a rapidly growing, immature state. The research should provide a better understanding of the blast-crisis stage of CML, and it suggests a possible new treatment strategy for the disease. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)...
POSTED 03/05/2010 at 10:00 AM --
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Intracellular Succinylation of 8-Chloroadenosine and Its Effect on Fumarate Levels [Bioenergetics]
8-Chloroadenosine (8-Cl-Ado) is a ribosyl nucleoside analog currently in phase I testing for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). 8-Cl-Ado activity is dependent on adenosine kinase and requires intracellular accumulation of 8-Cl-Ado as mono-, di-, and tri-phosphates. In the current study with four mantle cell lymphoma cell lines, we report a new major metabolic pathway for 8-Cl-Ado intracellular metabolism, the formation of succinyl-8-chloro-adenosine (S-8-Cl-Ado) and its monophosphate (S-8-Cl-AMP). 8-Cl-AMP levels were highly associated with S-8-Cl-AMP levels and reached a steady-state prior to the secondary metabolites, 8-Cl-ATP and S-8-Cl-Ado. Consistent with fumarate as a required substrate for formation of succinyl-8-Cl-adenylate metabolites, the S-8-Cl-adenylate conce......
POSTED 03/05/2010 at 08:37 AM --
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Successful Peripheral Blood Stem Cells Collection in Imatinib Pretreated and Nilotinib-Treated Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patient
We report a case of a successful mobilization and harvest of the peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) in imatinib-pretreated and nilotinib treated 52-year-old woman diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive and BCR-ABL (b2a2) positive chronic phase CML in 2/2002. She failed interferon-alfa and imatinib treatment. She achieved her first complete molecular remission after 16 months of nilotinib treatment and later on was mobilized with filgrastim at a dose of 10 ug/kg/day applied subcutaneously once daily. The total number of 2.98×106 CD34+ cells/kg was harvested on the fourth day of the mobilization. The autologous graft of the stem cells was cryopreserved and tested for the residual disease: the FISH revealed negative results and the RT-PCR was positive (BCR-ABL/A......
POSTED 03/05/2010 at 07:48 AM --
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NICE Set To Recommend Rituximab For Relapsed Or Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today (4 March) issued final draft guidance recommending the drug rituximab(MabThera) as a treatment for certain patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. This draft is now with consultees who have the opportunity to appeal against the proposed recommendations before final guidance is published later this year. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and is the most common form of leukaemia in the UK... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)...
POSTED 03/04/2010 at 10:00 PM --
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NICE Set To Recommend Rituximab For Relapsed Or Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today (4 March) issued final draft guidance recommending the drug rituximab(MabThera) as a treatment for certain patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia... (Source: Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today)...
POSTED 03/04/2010 at 10:00 PM --
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Key cause of chronic leukemia progression
COLUMBUS, Ohio Scientists have discovered a key reason why a form of leukemia progresses from its more-treatable chronic phase to a life-threatening phase called blast crisis. The study, led by cancer scientists at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James), indicates that chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) progresses when immature white blood cells lose a molecule called miR-328........ (Source: Medicineworld.org: New Article Alert)...
POSTED 03/04/2010 at 09:04 PM --
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Pelvic radiotherapy and the risk of secondary leukemia and multiple myeloma
Although several studies had examined secondary malignancies in patients with specific primary tumor types, to the authors' knowledge there are very few data examining the long-term sequelae of pelvic radiation as a whole. The goal of the current study was to examine the risk of treatment-associated leukemia and multiple myeloma in patients treated with pelvic radiotherapy.Patients with invasive tumors of the vulva, cervix, uterus, anus, and rectosigmoid treated from 1973 to 2005 and recorded in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were analyzed. Patients were stratified based on receipt of pelvic radiotherapy. The incidence of secondary leukemia (except chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and multiple myeloma were examined. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models......
POSTED 03/04/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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Circulating microvesicles in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia can stimulate marrow stromal cells: implications for disease progression
This study demonstrates the existence of separate MV phenotypes during leukemic disease progression and underscores the important role of MVs in activation of the tumor microenvironment. (Source: Blood)...
POSTED 03/04/2010 at 11:00 AM --
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Single-agent arsenic trioxide in the treatment of children with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia
The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of treatment of pediatric acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) with single-agent arsenic trioxide (ATO). A total of 19 children (≤ 15 years of age) with newly diagnosed APL were treated with single-agent ATO for remission induction and postremission therapy. Seventeen of the children (89.5%) achieved complete hematologic remission, and 2 early deaths occurred from intracranial hemorrhage. ATO-induced leukocytosis was observed in 13 (68.4%) patients. Other ATO-related toxicities were minimal and transient. Postremission ATO therapy continued for 3 years; the most common side effect was ATO-induced neutropenia. With a median follow-up of 53 months (range, 23-76 months), the calculated 5-year overall survival and event-free survi......
POSTED 03/04/2010 at 11:00 AM --
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Pharmacological activation of the p53 pathway in haematological malignancies
p53 gene mutations are rarely detected at diagnosis in common haematological cancers such as multiple myeloma (MM), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and Hodgkin's disease (HD), although their prevalence may increase with progression to more aggressive or advanced stages. Therapeutic induction of p53 might therefore be particularly suitable for the treatment of haematological malignancies. Some of the anti-tumour activity of current chemotherapeutics has been derived from activation of p53. However, until recently it was unknown whether p53 signalling is functional in certain haematological cancers including MM and if p53 activity is sufficient to trigger an apoptotic response. With the recent discovery of nutlins, which represent the first highly selective......
POSTED 03/04/2010 at 09:42 AM --
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Study identifies key cause of chronic leukemia progression
(Ohio State University Medical Center) Researchers have discovered a key reason why chronic myeloid leukemia progresses from its more-treatable chronic phase to a life-threatening phase called blast crisis. The study indicates that CML progresses when immature white blood cells lose a molecule called miR-328 and this traps the cells in a rapidly growing, immature state. The research should provide a better understanding of the blast-crisis stage of CML, and it suggests a possible new treatment strategy for the disease. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)...
POSTED 03/03/2010 at 11:00 PM --
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NICE issues Final Appraisal Determination on rituximab for relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
Source: NICE
Area: News
NICE has issued its Final Appraisal Determination on rituximab for relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, which contained the following preliminary recommendations:
. Rituximab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide is recommended as a treatment option for people with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia except when the condition is refractory to fludarabine (i.e. not responded to fludarabine or has relapsed within 6 months of treatment) or has previously been treated with rituximab.
. Rituximab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide is recommended only in the context of research for people with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia that has previously been treated with ritu......
POSTED 03/03/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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NICE issues Final Appraisal Determination on azacitidine
Source: NICE
Area: News
NICE has prepared a Final Appraisal Determination on azacitidine for the treatment of myelodyplastic syndrome, chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia, and acute myeloid leukaemia, which stated that azacitidine is not recommended as a treatment option for people who have the following conditions and are not eligible for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation:
. Intermediate-2 and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes according to the International Prognostic Scoring System.
. Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia with 10-29% marrow blasts without myeloproliferative disorder.
. Acute myeloid leukaemia with 20-30% blasts and multilineage dysplasia, according to the WHO classification.
The appeal period for this appraisal......
POSTED 03/03/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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ARIAD Receives Orphan Drug Designations For Its Investigational Pan BCR-ABL Inhibitor, AP24534, In Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) announced that its investigational pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor, AP24534, has been granted orphan drug designation by both the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In the U.S... (Source: Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today)...
POSTED 03/03/2010 at 04:00 AM --
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ARIAD Receives Orphan Drug Designations For Its Investigational Pan BCR-ABL Inhibitor, AP24534, In Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) announced that its investigational pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor, AP24534, has been granted orphan drug designation by both the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In the U.S., the orphan designation of AP24534 is for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) and in the E.U., its orphan designation is for CML and acute lymphoblastic leukemia... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)...
POSTED 03/03/2010 at 04:00 AM --
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