Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018133 (graft-versus-host disease)
 18,032 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is conventionally treated in three phases: remission induction, consolidation and maintenance. In adults initial remission rates of nearly 80% can be achieved. The 3 to 5 year leukemia free survival is 20 to 40%. Most relapses occur during maintenance, despite continuous therapy for 2 to 3 years. The value of maintenance therapy following intensive induction in adults is not documented. In this pilot study we treated 34 patients with ALL in five Swiss centers between 1986 and 1989 with intensive induction/consolidation therapy alone. Three induction/consolidation courses were applied: course I, 43 days, consisting of daunomycin, vincristine, prednisone, methotrexate, L-asparaginase and intrathecal CNS prophylaxis; course II, 6 days, consisting of high dose cytosine arabinoside and VP-16; course III, three non randomized arms, either allogeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or high dose cyclophosphamide and repeated intrathecal therapy alone. 32 patients (94%) reached complete remission (CR): 24 after course I (71%), 7 after course II (cumulative 91%) and one after course III only (cumulative 94%). 3 patients had early, relapses before course III, 3 died of infection, and 2 of graft-versus-host disease. One patient had refractory leukemia in all three courses. 26 patients (76%) were in CR after completion of therapy. 16 relapsed within 1 to 17 months (median 5). 10 patients are free of disease after 10 to 44 months (median 24): 5 had had allogeneic BMT, 3 autologous BMT and 2 cyclophosphamide in course III.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[The treatment of acute lymphatic leukemia in adults: pilot project with intensive early therapy without a maintenance phase]. 200 99

A 12-year-old boy with Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia received bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from an HLA identical sibling during the second remission. The diagnosis was made at the age of nine. Laboratory examination on admission revealed remarkable leukocytosis (92,000/microliters) with 93% lymphoblasts in the peripheral blood. Blastic cells were FAB L1 common ALL. Chromosomal study on both peripheral blood and bone marrow cells showed that lymphoblasts had an abnormal karyotype of 47, XY, inv (9), t(9; 22), +17. One month later he achieved remission by induction therapy consisting of vincristine, L-asparaginase, doxorubicin, and prednisolone. He was given intrathecal injection of methotrexate and cranial irradiation of 24 Gy for CNS prophylaxis. The cells with Philadelphia chromosome disappeared during remission. Hematological relapse occurred twenty one months later after first remission on April, 1986. He received re-induction therapy including L-Asp VDP, and high-doses of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and araC. He obtained karyotypic remission on October 1986. Subsequently, bone marrow transplantation was performed following high-dose araC, CY and TBI as preconditioning on December 18, 1986. Methotrexate and cyclosporin A were given intravenously to prevent GVHD. On day 14, karyotypic conversion was detected, suggesting the successful bone marrow grafting. Acute GVHD appeared on day 25, and was treated with prednisolone and cyclosporin A. Prednisolone was tapered by day 80. On day 91, cyclosporin A was discontinued because herpes zoster occurred. Acyclovir was effective, but skin GVHD reappeared. With low-dose prednisolone, skin GVHD improved. Sicca syndrome soon appeared and was followed by chronic GVHD.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in a case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia with positive Philadelphia chromosome]. 279 82

This 35-year-old housewife was initially treated with vincristine, prednisolone and L-asparaginase for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, L1 by FAB classification) in 1988 and entered into complete remission. Ten months later she underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from her HLA-identical and MLC-negative sister. The conditioning regimens consisted of busulfan 4 mg/kg/day for 4 days orally and cyclophosphamide 60 mg/kg/day for 2 days intravenously followed by cyclosporine and prednisolone for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis. Fifty days after BMT, she suffered interstitial pneumonitis and a gastric ulcer, and was treated with a high dose of methylprednisolone and cimetidine. She experienced transient improvement, but soon cough, dyspnea and epigastralgia became worse. The specimens obtained by transbronchial alveolar lavage (BAL) and endoscopic gastric biopsy showed many giant cells containing inclusion bodies which were identified as cytomegalovirus (CMV). This time ganciclovir was started in addition to prednisolone. Then she gradually improved and after repeated BAL and the gastric biopsy after treatment showed no inclusion body in the specimen. Although leukocytopenia was significant for this patient, ganciclovir is considered to be useful for controlling CMV infection in both the lungs and stomach.
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PMID:[Good response to ganciclovir in a patient of cytomegalovirus (CMV) interstitial pneumonitis and gastric ulcer following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia]. 774 99

A 2-year-old Japanese boy who presented with multiple cervical, axillary, and inguinal lymphadenopathy was diagnosed by immunocytochemical analysis as having myeloid/natural killer (NK) cell precursor acute leukemia. Leukemic blasts in the bone marrow were positive for CD56 (NK marker), CD7 (T-cell marker), CD33 (myeloid marker), CD34, and HLA-DR. Tumor cells in a lymph node were also positive for CD2, cytoplasmic CD3 (T-cell marker), CD7, CD33, CD34, and CD56, but negative for peroxidase staining and other T-cell, NK, and myeloid markers. Southern blot analysis showed no rearrangement bands for T-cell receptor delta and immunoglobulin heavy chain. Chromosomal analysis revealed 46,XY,inv(7)(p21q21). Neither chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia nor that for acute myeloid leukemia induced remission in this patient. However, complete remission was achieved by the administration of L-asparaginase (6,000 U/m2 for 5 days). Because the disease was considered refractory to standard chemotherapy, cord blood transplantation was performed from an HLA 1-locus mis-matched unrelated donor. The conditioning regimen consisted of total body irradiation, cytarabine, and cyclophosphamide, and cyclosporine and short-term methotrexate were employed for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. Hematological reconstitution was rapid, and only grade I acute GVHD was observed. The patient has been in remission for more than 24 months after transplantation. Our findings indicate that combination therapy with L-asparaginase and allogeneic stem cell transplantation may be useful for the treatment of myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia.
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PMID:Treatment of a child with myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia with L-asparaginase and unrelated cord blood transplantation. 1193 70

Nasal natural killer (NK)/T cell lymphoma is a rare entity of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which mostly occurs in East Asian countries. The advanced disease above clinical stage III is often refractory to the radiation and chemotherapies, remission is transient even if achieved, and median survival is about 12 months. Thus the prognosis of advanced NK/T cell lymphoma is generally poor, however, the promising results of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for advanced NK/T cell lymphoma have been recently reported. In most of these cases, stem cell sources were human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched donors and alternative sources were seldom used. We report here a case of a 36-year-old woman who was diagnosed as having an extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type. The patient achieved a complete remission after 2 cycles of chemotherapy including Carboplatin, Etoposide, Ifosfamide, and Dexamethasone, but 3-months later relapsed during the search for HLA-matched unrelated donors. She received unrelated cord blood transplantation (CBT) in the second remission achieved by a regimen containing L-asparaginase. The conditioning regimen was 12 Gy of total body irradiation, high-dose cytarabin and cyclophosphamide. FK506 and methotrexate were used for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. GVHD involving the intestine and the oral mucosa was observed, but improved without additional immunosuppressive therapies. The patient remains in remission 33 months after CBT. Cord blood thus could be an appropriate stem cell source for patients with advanced NK/T lymphoma who have no HLA matched donors.
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PMID:Successful treatment of advanced extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma with unrelated cord blood transplantation. 1740 80

Acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia remain devastating diseases. Only approximately 40% of younger and 10% of older adults are long-term survivors. Although curing the leukemia is always the most formidable challenge, complications from the disease itself and its treatment are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Such complications, discussed herein, include tumor lysis, hyperleukocytosis, cytarabine-induced cellebellar toxicity, acute promyelocytic leukemia differentiation syndrome, thrombohemorrhagic syndrome in acute promyelocytic leukemia, L-asparaginase-associated thrombosis, leukemic meningitis, neutropenic fever, neutropenic enterocolitis, and transfussion-associated GVHD. Whereas clinical trials form the backbone for the management of acute leukemia, emergent clinical situations, predictable or not, are common and do not readily lend themselves to clinical trial evaluation. Furthermore, practice guidelines are often lacking. Not only are prospective trials impractical because of the emergent nature of the issue at hand, but clinicians are often reluctant to randomize such patients. Extensive practical experience is crucial and, even if there is no consensus, management of such emergencies should be guided by an understanding of the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms.
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PMID:How I treat hematologic emergencies in adults with acute leukemia. 2270 Jul 23

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. Although some very well validated scores delineate the risk of VTE by cancer subtype and other risk factors, hematologic malignancies are underrepresented in these models. This subgroup represents a unique entity that undergoes therapy that can be thrombogenic. The overall risk of VTE in patients with leukemia depends on the use of L-asparaginase treatment, older age, comorbidities and central venous catheters. Patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia are at particularly high risk of VTE but also have an increased risk of bleeding. Patients with aggressive lymphomas have a high incidence of VTE, roughly 10%. Patients with multiple myeloma at highest risk of VTE are those receiving immunomodulatory agents such as thalidomide or lenalidomide. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation carries a risk of thrombosis, particularly in patients developing graft versus host disease. This review summarizes the incidence of VTE in leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and stem cell transplantation and provides practical guidance for preventing and managing VTE in patients with hematologic malignancies.
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PMID:Venous thromboembolism incidence in hematologic malignancies. 3026 70