Measurable Residual Disease (MRD) as a Surrogate Efficacy-Response Biomarker in AML

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) many patients experience relapse, despite the achievement of morphological complete remission; therefore, conventional morphologic criteria are currently considered inadequate for assessing the quality of the response after treatment. Quantification of measurable residual disease (MRD) has been established as a strong prognostic marker in AML and patients that test MRD negative have lower relapse rates and better survival than those who test positive. Different techniques, varying in their sensitivity and applicability to patients, are available for the measurement of MRD and their use as a guide for selecting the most optimal postremission therapy is an area of active investigation. Although still controversial, MRD prognostic value promises to support drug development serving as a surrogate biomarker, potentially useful for accelerating the regulatory approval of new agents. In this review, we will critically examine the methods used to detect MRD and its potential role as a study endpoint

The ISTH DIC-score predicts early mortality in patients with non-promyelocitic acute myeloid leukemia

coagulation disorders frequently complicate the clinical course of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. this study examined the frequency and prognostic significance, with regards of early mortality, of the presence of overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) at AML diagnosis and its correlation with clinical and biological characteristics. a retrospective analysis of 351 newly diagnosed non-promyelocytic AML patients was conducted, utilizing the 2018 ISTH DIC-Score criteria to evaluate the presence of overt DIC at AML onset. the study cohort had a median age of 65 years with a predominance of male gender (59%). overt DIC was present in 21% of cases and was associated with advanced age, comorbidities, poor performance status, hyperleukocytosis, LDH levels, NPM1 mutations, expression of CD33 and CD4, and lack of expression of CD34. With a median follow-up of 72 months (3–147 months), the 6-year overall survival (OS) was 17.4%, with patients having overt DIC showing significantly poorer outcomes (7.2% compared to 20.3 % of those without DIC, p < 0.001). patients with overt DIC showed markedly high early mortality rates at 30 (42.5% vs 8 %), 60 (49.3% vs 16.9%), and 120 days (64.4% vs 25.6%) from disease onset. In multivariate analysis overt DIC retained its independent prognostic value for early mortality. In conclusion, the prevalence and clinical relevance of DIC in non-promyelocytic AML is not negligible, underlining its potential as an unfavorable prognostic marker. In newly diagnosed patients with AML, early recognition and measure to counteract coagulation disturbances might help mitigate the elevated mortality risk associated with DIC

ACUTE LEUKEMIA AND LATENT TUBERCULOSIS INFECTION IN ITALY: QUANTIFERON-TB TEST SCREENING IN A LOW TUBERCULOSIS INCIDENCE COUNTRY

background: identification of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a critical step of tuberculosis surveillance, especially in low-incidence countries. however, it is limited to situations with a higher probability of developing active disease, e.g., patients with hematological malignancies. according to guidelines, in TB non-endemic countries, no clear screening program is established at diagnosis for patients with acute leukemia (AL). the primary endpoint of this study was to establish the prevalence of LTBI in patients with a diagnosis of AL using quanti FERON (QFT)-TB. Secondarily, radiological and clinical features driving the increased risk of LTBI were evaluated. methods: QFT-TB screening was performed before induction or consolidation in all patients with AL (myeloid and lymphoid) treated at our Institution between october 2019 and august 2023. results: we accrued 62 patients, of whom 7 (11,3%) tested positive, without any symptoms or signs of active TB, and 2 (3,2%) resulted as indeterminate. all positive patients started prophylaxis with isoniazid 300 mg daily, while patients whose test was indeterminate did not receive any prophylaxis. active TB was excluded by imaging, as well as microscopic, cultural, and molecular examination on bronchoalveolar lavage if signs of any infection were detected. during the 46 months of observation, no patients developed TB reactivation. conclusions: despite the low sample size, 1/10 of our patients had prior TB exposure, hinting that LTBI could be more common than expected in italy. this finding suggests implementing TB screening in the pre-treatment setting, particularly at a time when more active treatments are becoming available also for patients ineligible for intensive chemotherapy

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in root s(NN)=2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions

We present measurements of the azimuthal dependence of charged jet production in central and semi-central root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions with respect to the second harmonic event plane, quantified as nu(ch)(2) (jet). Jet finding is performed employing the anti-k(T) algorithm with a resolution parameter R = 0.2 using charged tracks from the ALICE tracking system. The contribution of the azimuthal anisotropy of the underlying event is taken into account event-by-event. The remaining (statistical) region-to-region fluctuations are removed on an ensemble basis by unfolding the jet spectra for different event plane orientations independently. Significant non-zero nu(ch)(2) (jet) is observed in semi-central collisions (30-50% centrality) for 20 <p(T)(ch) (jet) <90 GeV/c. The azimuthal dependence of the charged jet production is similar to the dependence observed for jets comprising both charged and neutral fragments, and compatible with measurements of the nu(2) of single charged particles at high p(T). Good agreement between the data and predictions from JEWEL, an event generator simulating parton shower evolution in the presence of a dense QCD medium, is found in semi-central collisions. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Forward-central two-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

Two-particle angular correlations between trigger particles in the forward pseudorapidity range (2.5 2GeV/c. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B. V.Peer reviewe

phi-Meson production at forward rapidity in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV and in pp collisions at root s=2.76 TeV

The first study of phi-meson production in p-Pb collisions at forward and backward rapidity, at a nucleonnucleon centre-of-mass energy root s(NN)= 5.02 TeV, has been performed with the ALICE apparatus at the LHC. The phi-mesons have been identified in the dimuon decay channel in the transverse momentum (p(T)) range 1 <p(T) <7GeV/c, both in the p-going (2.03 <y <3.53) and the Pb-going (-4.46 <y <-2.96) directions - where ystands for the rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass - the integrated luminosity amounting to 5.01 +/- 0.19nb(-1) and 5.81 +/- 0.20nb(-1), respectively, for the two data samples. Differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity are presented. The forward-backward ratio for f-meson production is measured for 2.96Peer reviewe

Event-shape engineering for inclusive spectra and elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV

Peer reviewe

Measurement of D-s(+) product ion and nuclear modification factor in Pb-Pb collisions at root S-NN=2.76 TeV

Peer reviewe