{"title":"A phase 2 clinical trial of luspatercept in non-transfusion-dependent patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.","authors":"Hiroshi Kosugi, Tomoaki Fujisaki, Hiromi Iwasaki, Atsushi Shinagawa, Hiroatsu Iida, Tatsuro Jo, Shiro Kubonishi, Yasuyoshi Morita, Yasuhiro Nakashima, Koichi Onodera, Kenshi Suzuki, Takahiro Suzuki, Yotaro Tamai, Kensuke Usuki, Akira Yokota, Hideyuki Yonaga, Jin Hayakawa, Shuichi Midorikawa, Mitsufumi Nishio, Makoto Suda, Kosei Matsue","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03872-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12185-024-03872-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Luspatercept has shown durable clinical efficacy for the treatment of anemia in transfusion-dependent patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS). We report the results of a prespecified primary analysis of a phase 2 trial of luspatercept in non-transfusion-dependent (NTD) Japanese patients with anemia due to LR-MDS. Luspatercept (starting dose 1.0 mg/kg) was administered subcutaneously once every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who achieved hematological improvement-erythroid (HI-E) response (≥ 1.5 g/dL increase in hemoglobin level for 8 weeks) without transfusions within the first 24 weeks of treatment. At the primary analysis data cutoff, 21 patients had been enrolled/treated; 17 and 10 patients had completed 24 and 48 weeks of treatment, respectively. HI-E response occurred within 24 weeks in 10 patients (47.6%; 95% confidence interval, 25.7-70.2; P < 0.0001), which was significantly higher than the predefined threshold (10%). By week 48, HI-E response occurred in 12 patients (57.1%) and 17 patients (81.0%) remained NTD. Luspatercept was well tolerated. Three patients (14.3%) had grade 3-4 treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events. Luspatercept resulted in statistically and clinically significant improvements in hemoglobin levels, and may help delay the need for transfusions in NTD patients with LR-MDS.</p>","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":"68-78"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11741997/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142686902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Misleading antigenic von Willebrand factor levels in acquired von Willebrand syndrome secondary to monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance.","authors":"Shuichi Okamoto, Atsuo Suzuki, Shogo Tamura, Nobuaki Suzuki, Takeshi Kanematsu, Naruko Suzuki, Yoshino Kawaguchi, Akira Katsumi, Fumihiko Hayakawa, Hitoshi Kiyoi, Tetsuhito Kojima, Tadashi Matsushita","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03861-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12185-024-03861-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the diagnosis and treatment of acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS), von Willebrand factor (VWF) antigen levels (VWF:Ag) are helpful for quantifying blood VWF-protein levels. Most clinical laboratories measure VWF:Ag by latex immunoassay (LIA), but underlying diseases of AVWS may influence LIA results. A 60 year-old AVWS patient with immunoglobulin G (IgG) kappa-type monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) showed reduced VWF activity but normal levels of VWF:Ag. His VWF multimers were broadly decreased, which represented a large discrepancy with VWF:Ag. To investigate the mechanism of this discrepancy, we measured the patient's plasma VWF:Ag by in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and LIA. We also purified the IgG fraction from the patient's serum and measured VWF:Ag in VWF-deficient plasma supplemented with this fraction. VWF:Ag measured by in-house ELISA (VWF:Ag<sup>ELISA</sup>) was much lower than that measured by LIA (VWF:Ag<sup>LIA</sup>), which indicated reduced VWF-protein volume in blood. Indeed, VWF:Ag was detected by LIA in VWF-deficient plasma spiked with a patient-derived IgG fraction. These results suggest that LIA detected a non-specific immunoreaction and overestimated the patient's VWF:Ag<sup>LIA</sup>. Clinicians should be aware that underlying diseases of AVWS could influence the LIA system, and interpret VWF:Ag cautiously.</p>","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":"131-136"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142499922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"CD34<sup>+</sup> and CD34<sup>-</sup> MM cells show different immune-checkpoint molecule expression profiles: high expression of CD112 and CD137 ligand on CD34<sup>+</sup> MM cells.","authors":"Ayano Fukui-Morimoto, Kentaro Serizawa, Ko Fujimoto, Aki Hanamoto, Yoshio Iwata, Hiroaki Kakutani, Takahiro Kumode, Chikara Hirase, Yasuyoshi Morita, Yoichi Tatsumi, Hitoshi Hanamoto, Hirokazu Tanaka, Itaru Matsumura","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03867-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12185-024-03867-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the introduction of new drugs, multiple myeloma (MM) still remains incurable. We previously reported that CD34<sup>+</sup> MM cells, which are clonogenic and self-renewing, are therapy-resistant and persist as a major component of minimal residual disease, expanding during relapse. To investigate the effects of immunotherapies such as immune-checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T therapy, and bispecific antibodies on CD34<sup>+</sup> MM cells, we analyzed immune profiles of both MM cells and T cells from MM patients using microarrays and flow cytometry. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed 14 out of 289 canonical pathways were more active in CD34<sup>+</sup> MM cells compared to CD34<sup>-</sup> cells, many of which were involved in inflammation and immune responses. Notably, PD-1 signaling-related genes were highly expressed in CD34<sup>+</sup> MM cells. Among 10 immune-checkpoint molecules, CD34<sup>+</sup> cells more frequently expressed CD112, CD137L, CD270, CD275, and GAL9 than CD34<sup>-</sup> cells in both newly diagnosed and relapsed/resistant patients. In addition, CD4<sup>+</sup> and CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells more frequently expressed TIGIT and CD137, suggesting that CD112/TIGIT and CD137L/CD137 interactions may suppress T-cell activity against CD34<sup>+</sup> MM cells. Furthermore, our finding of higher FcRH5 expression on CD34<sup>+</sup> MM cells is encouraging for future research into the efficacy of FcRH5-targeted therapy in MM.</p>","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":"89-99"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11742359/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142619948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pseudo-Chediak-Higashi inclusions and Auer rods in a case of therapy-related acute monocytic leukemia.","authors":"Radu Chiriac","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03910-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-024-03910-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142909646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Isatuximab plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone in frail individuals with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in Japan.","authors":"Nami Tagami, Michihiro Uchiyama, Kenshi Suzuki, Heigoroh Shirai, Takeshi Seto, Shinsuke Iida","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03904-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-024-03904-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This post-marketing surveillance (PMS) assessed the safety and effectiveness of isatuximab plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone (Isa-Pd) for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in frail individuals during real-world use in Japan. Data from all individuals with RRMM treated with Isa-Pd in Japan between October 2020 and October 2021 were collected, with follow-up continued up to 12 months after starting Isa-Pd or until discontinuation. In the overall PMS population, 40 participants were classified as frail (33.3%) and 29 as fit/intermediate (24.2%), and 51 had no frailty score (42.5%). Incidence of adverse drug reactions in each group was 77.5%, 65.5%, and 37.3%. In frail versus fit/intermediate participants, bone-marrow suppression occurred in 72.5% versus 44.8%, infectious diseases in 17.5% versus 10.3%, and infusion-related reactions in 7.5% versus 3.5%. Heart failure occurred in one participant with no frailty score. The rates of overall response and very good partial response or better were higher (p = 0.101) in fit/intermediate participants (56.0% and 36.0%) than in frail participants (38.5% and 18.0%). Rates of treatment discontinuation due to disease progression were similar between groups. These findings support the safety and effectiveness of Isa-Pd for frail individuals with RRMM in real-life settings in Japan.</p>","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142894290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adjunctive effects of eltrombopag on immunosuppressive therapy for childhood aplastic anemia.","authors":"Katsuhide Eguchi, Masataka Ishimura, Shouichi Ohga, Saori Endo, Shoji Saito, Sachiyo Kamimura, Dai Keino, Shota Kato, Yoshihiro Azuma, Atsushi Watanabe, Akiko Inoue, Takeshi Higa, Shuichi Ozono, Naoto Fujita, Kenichiro Watanabe, Yoshiyuki Takahashi","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03903-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-024-03903-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Eltrombopag is used with first-line immunosuppressive therapy for adult aplastic anemia, although its practical utility in childhood remains unclear. We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of pediatric patients who received eltrombopag in Japan. Of the 27 eligible patients, 23 (85%) were previously treated, and 15 (56%) had severe or very-severe disease. Seventeen (63%) received eltrombopag with or after rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin plus cyclosporin-A. Within the first year of eltrombopag therapy, 12 patients showed a good or partial response, 15 showed no response, and 8 non-responders successfully underwent hematopoietic cell transplantation. Within the first 3 months after eltrombopag therapy, all but one of the transfusion-dependent responders became transfusion-independent. At 12 months, 6 of 12 responders were disease-free off-treatment. The one-year overall response rate was higher for severe or very-severe than non-severe cases (p = 0.006). Multivariable analysis showed that very-severe disease at the start of eltrombopag therapy was a predictor of being disease-free off-treatment (p = 0.03). No cytogenetic abnormalities developed, but myelofibrosis occurred 4 months after eltrombopag therapy in one non-responder with very-severe disease. The first 3 months' response to adjunctive eltrombopag may guide to the safe and effective use for the cure of disease, although prospective trials are needed to determine its long-term effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142894285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cost-effectiveness of ferric citrate hydrate in patients with iron deficiency anemia.","authors":"Mikio Momoeda, Kyoko Ito, Sachie Inoue, Hidetoshi Shibahara, Yuko Mitobe, Norio Komatsu","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03905-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-024-03905-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We investigated the cost-effectiveness of treating iron deficiency anemia (IDA) with ferric citrate hydrate (FC) in Japan. We employed four treatment strategies: switching from sodium ferrous citrate (SF) to FC at (1) 500 mg (approximately 120 mg of iron) per day or (2) 1000 mg (approximately 240 mg of iron) per day in patients with SF-induced nausea/vomiting, or starting treatment with FC at (3) 500 mg/day or (4) 1000 mg/day. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of these strategies compared with SF 100 mg (100 mg of iron) per day. Incremental effects over 26 weeks relative to SF 100 mg were 0.0052 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for (1) and (2), and 0.0044 QALYs for (3) and (4). From the payer's perspective, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs: JPY/QALY) against SF 100 mg were: (1) 1,107,780, (2) 2,257,477, (3) 5,588,430, and (4) 11,544,816. All four FC strategies were dominant (less costly and more effective) from a limited societal perspective. Treatment with FC for IDA was cost-effective (ICER ≤ JPY 5,000,000/QALY) when switching strategies from the payer perspective, and cost-saving (all FC strategies) from limited societal perspectives. Individual patients' characteristics and cost-effectiveness should be considered in treatment selection.</p>","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142894286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A 25-year clonal resurrection in adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma relapse.","authors":"Atae Utsunomiya, Jun-Ichirou Yasunaga, Tomohisa Tabuchi, Nobuaki Nakano, Jun Odawara, Ayumu Kubota, Masahito Tokunaga, Takayoshi Miyazono, Masao Matsuoka, Yoshikiyo Ito, Yukie Tashiro","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03901-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-024-03901-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Here, we report a rare case of relapsed adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) with evidence of clonal relapse 26 years after initial diagnosis. The patient had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma-type ATL 26 years prior and did not receive further ATL treatment for approximately 26 years after achieving complete remission. We used nested PCR to identify the amplification of ATL clone-specific accumulation sites in DNA from hematoxylin and eosin-stained specimens from the patient. Furthermore, the sequence of amplicons obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and lymphoma cells from the previously diagnosed ATL were identical, indicating that a human T-cell leukemia virus-type 1 (HTLV-1)-infected clone identical to the one that recently caused ATL was present in the original lymphoma tissue. Although we were unable to identify this clone as the cause of the previous ATL, the peripheral leukemia cells revealed an ATL clone that was present in the tumor cells of a lymph node diagnosed 26 years earlier. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating survival of HTLV-1-infected clones for a quarter of a century in a patient with recurrent ATL.</p>","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142885615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chimerism analysis by ABO blood group genotyping with digital droplet PCR.","authors":"Takuya Naruto, Maiko Sagisaka, Mieko Ito, Akiko Hayashi, Naoyuki Miyagawa, Dai Keino, Tomoko Yokosuka, Fuminori Iwasaki, Hiroaki Goto, Masakatsu Yanagimachi","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03898-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-024-03898-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Chimerism analysis is an important post-transplant assessment for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients. Although various chimerism analysis techniques are already established, they are limited in terms of sensitivity, versatility, and turnaround time. Our objective was to develop a digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) assay for chimerism analysis using ABO gene polymorphisms as markers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our new chimerism analysis method utilizes ddPCR to assess the ABO gene polymorphisms that encode the ABO blood genotype. ABO genotypes were determined in blood samples from 15 HCT recipients using the O panel (rs8176719) and B panel (rs8176746 and rs8176747).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The two panels distinguished six ABO genotypes (AA, AO, BB, BO, AB, and OO). The results of chimerism analysis using ABO genotypes with ddPCR were compatible with those of established methods, such as SRY gene analysis and the use of short tandem repeat markers via standard PCR. Our method could distinguish chimerism in 77% of donor and recipient combinations in the Japanese population.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We developed a sensitive and rapid chimerism analysis method for HCT using ABO gene polymorphisms in ddPCR.</p>","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142835633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Clinical practice guidelines for management of disseminated intravascular coagulation in Japan 2024. Part 1: sepsis.","authors":"Kazuma Yamakawa, Kohji Okamoto, Yoshinobu Seki, Takayuki Ikezoe, Takashi Ito, Toshiaki Iba, Satoshi Gando, Noritaka Ushio, Takaaki Totoki, Takeshi Wada, Hidesaku Asakura, Hiroyasu Ishikura, Mitsuhiro Uchiba, Toshimasa Uchiyama, Kaoru Kawasaki, Noriaki Kawano, Shigeki Kushimoto, Shin Koga, Yuichiro Sakamoto, Toshihisa Tamura, Kenji Nishio, Mineji Hayakawa, Takeshi Matsumoto, Seiji Madoiwa, Toshihiko Mayumi, Shinya Yamada, Hideo Wada","doi":"10.1007/s12185-024-03896-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-024-03896-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Japanese Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (JSTH) published the first-ever disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) guidelines in 2009. Fifteen years later, the JSTH developed new guidelines covering DIC associated with various underlying conditions. These guidelines were developed in accordance with the GRADE system to determine the strength of the recommendations and certainty of the evidence. This article was drafted as Part 1 of an overall DIC guideline covering various underlying conditions, with sepsis as the subject. In this section, seven key clinical issues (questions) are set. Question 1, regarding DIC diagnosis, introduces several diagnostic criteria, such as the JAAM-2, ISTH overt, SIC, and JSTH DIC criteria and recommends choosing the appropriate diagnostic criteria for DIC based on an understanding of their diagnostic properties. For pharmacotherapy in DIC patients with sepsis, we recommend the administration of antithrombin (Question 2) and recombinant thrombomodulin (Question 3) (both GRADE 1B). However, we do not make a clear recommendation regarding the administration of heparin (Question 6) and serine protease inhibitors (Question 7) because of the lack of evidence. Combination therapy, order of administration, and other administration methods for antithrombin and recombinant thrombomodulin are proposed as important future research questions (Questions 4 and 5).</p>","PeriodicalId":13992,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hematology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142828352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}