Enterococcus gallinarum septicemia in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia

A 62-year-old male was admitted with complaints of fever and body weight loss. The patient was diagnosed as acute myeloid leukemia (M1) and chemotherapy was started. About 80 days after admission, the patient developed diarrhea with high fever. And E. gallinarum was isolated from the blood culture. We carried out PCR using primers for vanA, vanB and vanC in our E. gallinarum, and showed the existence of the vanC1. This organism should be considered as one of the possible pathogenes in the infectious complications of the immuno-compromized patient.     

Tailoring the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

For younger patients with acute myeloid leukemia, the current priority is to prevent disease relapse. Intensification of induction has been shown to achieve this. Several randomized trials have been conducted to evaluate the role of autografting in acute myeloid leukemia. All trials reduce the risk of relapse but do not necessarily improve the survival, either because the competing effects of procedural mortality or salvage after relapse balance the benefits. Patients with different risk profiles may have different treatment plans. In older patients, progress is difficult to detect. Overcoming inherent drug resistance is of current interest, while improving supportive care by the routine use of growth factors has been disappointing.     

急性髓性白血病的靶向治疗

目前,急性髓性白血病(AML)传统化疗的疗效已难以提高.在慢性粒细胞白血病确定了BCR-ABL可以作为有效的靶点,并合成了特异针对该靶点的药物伊马替尼,伊马替尼在临床上取得了非常好的疗效.通过研究AML的分子生物学、免疫表型和细胞生物学异常,从而确定有效的治疗靶点,合成特异的靶向治疗药物,可能会进一步提高白血病疗效.过去的十年,在AML的靶向治疗领域取得了巨大的进展,本文将对这些进展进行简述.     

低危急性髓系白血病的规范化治疗

根据基因及染色体改变急性髓系白血病可分为低危、中危和高危。低危急性髓系白血病的预后相对较好,复发率低、生存率高,治疗原则与中危、高危急性髓系白血病不同。本文从定义、治疗等方面对低危急性髓系白血病有关内容进行简述。     

老年人急性髓系白血病临床特点及疗效分析

目的 探讨老年人急性髓系白血病(AML)的临床特点及生物学特征.方法 回顾性分析62例60岁以上AML患者的临床资料,并与同期住院的60例中青年患者进行比较.结果 老年组完全缓解率27.7%,总有效率44.7%,中青年组分别为74.1%和87.9%(P＜0.01).老年组早期病死率19.0%,诱导期病死率29.3%,均高于中青年组(3.3%和6.7%,P＜0.01).老年组伴骨髓增生异常综合征(MDS)病史者占27.4%,中青年组仅10.0%(P＜0.05),继发于MDS的AML患者CR率低于无MDS病史者(P＜0.05).老年组伴淋系抗原表达者占28.2%,CD34+者占71.8%,均高于中青年组(8.1%和48.6%,P＜0.05),其CR率均低于仅有髓系抗原表达者和CD34-者(P＜0.05).老年组预后不良核型发生率高于中青年组(分别为45.7%和15.4%,P＜0.05).结论 老年AML患者具有多种不良预后因素,总体缓解率低,病死率高,在临床上有其特殊性,治疗上更强调个体化.     

Incidence of lymphoid markers in acute myeloid leukemia. Alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase versus immunofluorescence

The aim of the present study was to compare the immunofluorescence technique (IF) with the immunoenzymatic (IE) alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase method for the evaluation of the presence of lymphoid antigens (Ag) in 46 cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The first technique allows detection of Ag expressed on the cytoplasmic membrane of living cells, whilst the second shows the presence of intracytoplasmic Ag on fixed cells. In general, the percentages of lymphoid Ag expression on AML cells are relatively low with both IE (15.2%) and IF (17.4%). We found a good correlation between the two methods for CD2 (4/4), CD7 (4/5), CD20 (1/1) and CD4 (2/2). The Ag CD19, CD21 and CD8 were negative in all cases, both with IE and with IF. CD3 (2 cases) and CD22 (1 case) were only evident with IE. CD10 was seen in 1 case with IF, whilst it was found more frequently with IE. For this reason, demonstration of CD10 with IF is more specific for the classification of acute leukemia.     

急性髓细胞性白血病和急性早幼粒细胞性白血病的治疗进展

2003年12月5～9日第45届美国血液学年会(ASH) 在美国召开,与会代表2万多人,我国有100多位代表参加了会议.上海第二医科大学瑞金医院王振义院士(the first speaker from Asia to serve as the Ham-Wasserman Lecturer)在大会上作了"Treatment of Acute Leukemia by Inducing Differentiation and Apoptosis"的专题发言,引发了热烈的讨论.现将该次年会中有关急性髓细胞性白血病(AML)和急性早幼粒细胞性白血病(APL)治疗的进展作一介绍.     

Drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome with rapid hematopoietic reconstitution during treatment for acute myeloid leukemia

Drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS) is a rare but severe life-threatening, drug-induced, systemic hypersensitivity reaction. We report two patients who developed DIHS during treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. Awareness of DIHS is necessary when systemic eruptions and high fever occur in leukemic patients, especially with rapid hematopoietic recovery after chemotherapies.     

急性髓细胞白血病端粒酶活性及临床意义

目的：探讨端粒酶活性在急性髓细胞白血病（ＡＭＬ）发生中的作用。方法：采用端粒重复序列扩增文件酶标法（ＴＲＡＰ－ＥＬＩＳＡ）,对３２例ＡＭＬ和非恶性血液系统疾病骨髓细胞端粒酶活性检测。结果：端粒酶活性在初发ＡＭＬ患者高于非恶性血液系统疾病患者（Ｐ〈０．０１）,ＡＭＬ初发期患者高于完全缓解期患者（Ｐ〈０．０５）,端粒酶生与体内白血病细胞数之间无显著相关性。结论：端粒酶活性的观察有助于疗效的判断。     

Treatment of resistant acute myeloid leukemia.

Although combination cytotoxic chemotherapy induces complete remission in 60-80% of adults with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia, most patients will ultimately relapse and die from leukemia. Strategies which have been developed for patients with relapsed leukemia include the use of active non-cross-resistant chemotherapeutic agents, allogeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation, or combined sequential therapy with hematopoietic growth factors and chemotherapy. Most salvage chemotherapeutic regimens use high-dose cytarabine; other agents which have activity include idarubicin, mitoxantrone, etoposide, and high-dose cyclophosphamide. Bone marrow transplantation represents the preferred approach for patients with resistant leukemia offering a likelihood of prolonged disease-free survival. Unique combinations of high-dose chemotherapy and growth factors may provide an alternative therapeutic role in the treatment of resistant leukemia.     

Age and acute myeloid leukemia

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 968 adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on 5 recent Southwest Oncology Group trials to understand how the nature of AML changes with age. Older study patients with AML presented with poorer performance status, lower white blood cell counts, and a lower percentage of marrow blasts. Multidrug resistance was found in 33% of AMLs in patients younger than age 56 compared with 57% in patients older than 75. The percentage of patients with favorable cytogenetics dropped from 17% in those younger than age 56 to 4% in those older than 75. In contrast, the proportion of patients with unfavorable cytogenetics increased from 35% in those younger than age 56 to 51% in patients older than 75. Particularly striking were the increases in abnormalities of chromosomes 5, 7, and 17 among the elderly. The increased incidence of unfavorable cytogenetics contributed to their poorer outcome, and, within each cytogenetic risk group, treatment outcome deteriorated markedly with age. Finally, the combination of a poor performance status and advanced age identified a group of patients with a very high likelihood of dying within 30 days of initiating induction therapy. The distinct biology and clinical responses seen argue for age-specific assessments when evaluating therapies for AML.     

Angiogenesis and acute myeloid leukemia

Background

Angiogenesis is a word of Greek origin, ‘angeio’ refers to blood vessel, and genesis refers to creation, meaning the generation of new blood vessels. This process is essential for vertebrate development and plays a key role in human diseases. Angiogenesis is generally understood to be essential for the growth and metastasis of solid tumors and is also important in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Methods

This review summarizes the essential features of physiological and tumoral angiogenesis and the methods used for their assessment.

Results

Technologies for evaluating angiogenesis in AML are discussed and the prognostic significance of angiogenic factors is considered in the context of optimizing treatment.

Conclusion

As acute myelogenous leukemia and endothelial cells depend on each other for survival and proliferation, therapy directed against several pro-angiogenic factors might help to enhance the AML outcome.     

Long-term hypokalemia in acute myeloid leukemia.

A 48-year-old man suffering from acute myeloid leukemia presented a hypokalemia that persisted almost constantly during 18 months despite total hematological remission. The renal investigation demonstrated a hypokalemic nephropathy with an impairment of urinary concentrating function. Light and electron microscopy showed renal lesions related to potassium depletion. We did not observe specific lesions explaining the renal potassium wasting. Metabolic studies showed persistent hyperkaluresis, which appeared to be the main kaliopenic factor. We also found hypomagnesemia and changes of the renin-aldosterone system. We observed a hyperreninism, probably due to hypokalemia and a slight hyperaldosteronism, which could have been one of the kaluretic agents.