[Rinshō ketsueki] The Japanese journal of clinical hematology
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Although Hodgkin lymphoma is a disease with a low incidence rate, there is a significant social resources perspective associated with this disease to ensure that adolescents and young adults are adequately treated and receive social reintegration. Consequently, Hodgkin lymphoma is considered an important disease in the field of oncology. Combined modality therapy, which combines chemotherapy and radiotherapy, has resulted in cure rates of more than 80% in patients with early stages of this disease, although long-term sequelae remain a problem. ⋯ Both high cure rates and toxicity control are essential targets for treatment modalities of Hodgkin lymphoma. Long-term follow-up of secondary malignancy and heart and lung failure should be incorporated into such treatment strategies. In this review, I explore comprehensive treatment strategies for Hodgkin lymphoma in the early stage with both favorable and unfavorable prognosis, in the advanced stage, and relapsed or refractory disease.
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Review Case Reports
Myelodysplastic syndrome with myelofibrosis in which azacitidine therapy was effective and cord blood transplantation was carried out.
Myelodysplastic syndrome with myelofibrosis (MDS-F) is a disease with a poor prognosis, and patients with this condition are at an increased risk of engraftment failures after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Azacitidine (AZA) is effective in high-risk MDS patients. However, the effects of AZA on MDS-F have not been elucidated. ⋯ He developed acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) of the skin (stage 3/grade II), but it could be controlled using prednisolone. Chronic GVHD was not observed and he was discharged in good general condition on day 68. While treatment prior to allogeneic SCT of MDS-F has not been established, in the present case, the hematological improvement brought about by AZA likely contributed to the patient's positive response to UCBT.
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Immune checkpoint inhibitors are the most striking innovation in the clinical development of immunotherapy. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) restore and augment the antitumor immune activities of cytotoxic T cells by mainly blocking immune checkpoint molecules on T cells or their ligands on antigen-presenting and tumor cells. Based on preclinical data, many clinical trials have demonstrated the acceptable safety profiles and efficacies of mAb in various cancers. ⋯ Current advances in tumor immunology have unveiled the importance of immunosuppressive cells, such as regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and tumor-associated macrophages, especially in a tumor microenvironment (TME). Some data from basic research in mouse models and the immunomonitoring of cancer patients suggest that the inhibition of immunosuppressive cells and the cytokines related to them activate and infiltrate cytotoxic T cells and in TME, which could be one of the next combination strategies. The current clinical development of, translational research on, and future challenges in utilizing immune checkpoint inhibitors are described.
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Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a fulminant infective necrotizing fasciitis, which includes the genital, perineal, and perianal regions. A 77-year-old man had previously been diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus (DM) and was treated with pioglitazone (15 mg) and miglitol (150 mg). He developed sudden perineal discomfort, fever with painful penile, and scrotal edema, subsequently leading to urinary retention. ⋯ Bone marrow aspiration revealed hypercellularity with 9% myeloblasts, micromegakaryocytes, abnormal leukocyte granulation, and erythrocytic dyspoiesis, leading to a diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) RAEB-1, and he was evaluated as high risk according to IPSS-R. After 4 courses of azacitidine treatment, he achieved HI-E and had no further recurrence of FG for more than 18 months. Although DM and alcohol misuse are common systemic comorbidities in patients with FG, MDS should be considered in elderly FG cases, even when DM complications are present.
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Recent progress in the development of novel therapeutic agents has remarkably improved the treatment outcome for multiple myeloma (MM). Proteasome inhibitors such as bortezomib, carfilzomib, and ixazomib; immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, and pomalidomide; the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor panobinostat; and the monoclonal antibody, elotuzumab, have all been approved in Japan, although only bortezomib and lenalidomide have been approved for initial therapy. ⋯ These novel agents provide us with wider therapeutic options for relapsed or refractory patients. Consequently, treatment paradigms for MM continue to rapidly evolve, and it is important to select the optimal treatment strategy for each patient.