Objective:To investigate the feasibility of the bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRD) regimen combined with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and renal impairment, analyze treatment efficacy and renal responses stratified based on renal dysfunction severity, and explore the prognostic significance of early renal response and its affecting factors.Methods:This retrospective study, conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, categorized 316 patients with newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) from August 2018 to October 2022 based on renal function for analysis of clinical characteristics, treatment response, and prognosis. Continuous variables were compared using t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests, categorical variables utilizing Chi-square tests, survival outcomes employing Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank tests, and renal response predictors with logistic regression.Results:Patients were stratified based on baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) : normal [≥90 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1, n=160], mild [≥60 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1 to <90 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1, n=55], moderate [≥30 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1 to <60 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1, n=39], and severe impairment [<30 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1, n=62]. Moderate and severe renal impairment correlated with advanced International Staging System/Revised International Staging System classification, lower hemoglobin levels, frailty, and higher light-chain/IgD subtype prevalence ( P<0.05). Despite younger age ( P=0.001) and higher transplant rates ( P=0.041) in severe cases, overall response rates ( ORR: 93.7% ; ≥VGPR: 82.9% ) were comparable across groups ( P>0.05). Among 24 dialysis-dependent patients at diagnosis, 11 (45.8% ) achieved dialysis independence after induction [median: 3.0 (0.5–4.0) months], including 10 undergoing auto-HSCT. In 89 evaluable patients [baseline eGFR <50 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1], renal ORR (RORR) was 70.8% [rapid complete response: 31.5% ; rapid partial response: 11.2% ; rapid minimal response (RMR) : 28.1% ]. Renal response predicted better survival (overall survival: HR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.13–0.99, P=0.049). Moderate-to-severe renal impairment was associated with increased transplant-related adverse events and delayed engraftment ( P<0.05) ; however, auto-HSCT significantly improved outcomes after 33.5-month median follow-up (range: 2–65 months). Multivariate analysis identified 1q21+ ( OR=3.58, 95% CI: 1.17–11.02, P=0.026) and light-chain subtype ( OR=2.86, 95% CI: 1.08–7.69, P=0.036) as independent predictors of poor renal response. Conclusion:VRD regimen plus auto-HSCT demonstrates robust efficacy in NDMM, including patients with renal impairment, with a 70.8% RORR and manageable toxicity. Achieving ≥RMR correlates with superior prognosis, whereas 1q21+ and light-chain subtype independently predict inferior renal response.

Although standardized diagnosis and treatment procedures and appropriate therapy have been recommended for hematological malignancies under the practice of evidence-based medicine,due to heterogeneity of the disease and individual differences in the population,different patients may get dif-ferent clinical efficacy and treatment-related toxicities under the same therapy.How to predict the toler-ance of an individual with hematological malignancy to a specific regimen accurately is critical.This pa-per reviews the evaluation methods of treatment tolerance in patients with hematological malignancies,assisting clinicians in making scientific evaluation of tolerance for different patients and choosing the most suitable regimen.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of the bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRD) regimen combined with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and renal impairment, analyze treatment efficacy and renal responses stratified based on renal dysfunction severity, and explore the prognostic significance of early renal response and its affecting factors.Methods:This retrospective study, conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, categorized 316 patients with newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) from August 2018 to October 2022 based on renal function for analysis of clinical characteristics, treatment response, and prognosis. Continuous variables were compared using t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests, categorical variables utilizing Chi-square tests, survival outcomes employing Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank tests, and renal response predictors with logistic regression.Results:Patients were stratified based on baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) : normal [≥90 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1, n=160], mild [≥60 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1 to <90 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1, n=55], moderate [≥30 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1 to <60 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1, n=39], and severe impairment [<30 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1, n=62]. Moderate and severe renal impairment correlated with advanced International Staging System/Revised International Staging System classification, lower hemoglobin levels, frailty, and higher light-chain/IgD subtype prevalence ( P<0.05). Despite younger age ( P=0.001) and higher transplant rates ( P=0.041) in severe cases, overall response rates ( ORR: 93.7% ; ≥VGPR: 82.9% ) were comparable across groups ( P>0.05). Among 24 dialysis-dependent patients at diagnosis, 11 (45.8% ) achieved dialysis independence after induction [median: 3.0 (0.5–4.0) months], including 10 undergoing auto-HSCT. In 89 evaluable patients [baseline eGFR <50 ml·min -1· (1.73 m 2) -1], renal ORR (RORR) was 70.8% [rapid complete response: 31.5% ; rapid partial response: 11.2% ; rapid minimal response (RMR) : 28.1% ]. Renal response predicted better survival (overall survival: HR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.13–0.99, P=0.049). Moderate-to-severe renal impairment was associated with increased transplant-related adverse events and delayed engraftment ( P<0.05) ; however, auto-HSCT significantly improved outcomes after 33.5-month median follow-up (range: 2–65 months). Multivariate analysis identified 1q21+ ( OR=3.58, 95% CI: 1.17–11.02, P=0.026) and light-chain subtype ( OR=2.86, 95% CI: 1.08–7.69, P=0.036) as independent predictors of poor renal response. Conclusion:VRD regimen plus auto-HSCT demonstrates robust efficacy in NDMM, including patients with renal impairment, with a 70.8% RORR and manageable toxicity. Achieving ≥RMR correlates with superior prognosis, whereas 1q21+ and light-chain subtype independently predict inferior renal response.

Although standardized diagnosis and treatment procedures and appropriate therapy have been recommended for hematological malignancies under the practice of evidence-based medicine,due to heterogeneity of the disease and individual differences in the population,different patients may get dif-ferent clinical efficacy and treatment-related toxicities under the same therapy.How to predict the toler-ance of an individual with hematological malignancy to a specific regimen accurately is critical.This pa-per reviews the evaluation methods of treatment tolerance in patients with hematological malignancies,assisting clinicians in making scientific evaluation of tolerance for different patients and choosing the most suitable regimen.

Purpose: The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an established therapeutic target for various kinds of solid tumors. HER2 amplification occurs in approximately 1% to 6% of colorectal cancer. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy in HER2-positive metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Materials and Methods: An open-label, phase II trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03185988) was designed to evaluate the antitumor activity of trastuzumab and chemotherapy in HER2-positive digestive cancers excluding gastric cancer in 2017. Patients from this trial with HER2-positive, KRAS/BRAF wild-type, unresectable mCRC were analyzed in this manuscript. Eligible patients were treated with trastuzumab (8 mg/kg loading dose and then 6 mg/kg every 3 weeks) and irinotecan (120 mg/m2 days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks). The primary endpoint was the objective response rate. Results: Twenty-one HER2-positive mCRC patients were enrolled in this study. Seven patients (33.3%) achieved an objective res-ponse, and 11 patients (52.4%) had stable disease as their best response. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.3 months (95% confidence interval, 2.7 to 5.9). Four of the 21 patients (19.0%) had grade 3 adverse events, including leukopenia, neutropenia, urinary tract infection, and diarrhea. No treatment-related death was reported. Exploratory analyses revealed that high tumor tissue HER2 copy number was associated with better therapeutic response and PFS. Alterations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, HER2 gene, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT pathway, and cell cycle control genes were potential drivers of trastuzumab resistance in mCRC. Conclusion Trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy is a potentially effective and well-tolerated therapeutic regimen in mCRC with a high HER2 copy number.

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has achieved 40%-50% long-term complete response in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. However, the underlying mechanism of alterations in the tumor microenvironments resulting in CAR-T cell therapy failure needs further investigation. A multi-center phase I/II trial of anti-CD19 CD28z CAR-T (FKC876, ChiCTR1800019661) was conducted. Among 22 evaluable DLBCL patients, seven achieved complete remission, 10 experienced partial remissions, while four had stable disease by day 29. Single-cell RNA sequencing results were obtained from core needle biopsy tumor samples collected from long-term complete remission and early-progressed patients, and compared at different stages of treatment. M2-subtype macrophages were significantly involved in both in vivo and in vitro anti-tumor functions of CAR-T cells, leading to CAR-T cell therapy failure and disease progression in DLBCL. Immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments persisted before CAR-T cell therapy, during both cell expansion and disease progression, which could not be altered by infiltrating CAR-T cells. Aberrant metabolism profile of M2-subtype macrophages and those of dysfunctional T cells also contributed to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments. Thus, our findings provided a clinical rationale for targeting tumor microenvironments and reprogramming immune cell metabolism as effective therapeutic strategies to prevent lymphoma relapse in future designs of CAR-T cell therapy.

BACKGROUND: Although the need for consolidation chemotherapy after successful induction therapy is well established in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR1), the value of consolidation chemotherapy before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation remains controversial. METHODS: We retrospectively compared the effect of the number of pre-transplant consolidation chemotherapies on outcomes of human leukocyte antigen-matched sibling stem cell transplantation (MSDT) for patients with AML in CR1 in multicenters across China. In our study, we analyzed data of 373 AML patients in CR1 from three centers across China. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 969 days, patients with ≥ 3 courses of consolidation chemotherapy had higher probabilities of leukemia-free survival (LFS) (85.6% vs . 67.0%, P < 0.001) and overall survival (89.2% vs . 78.5%, P  = 0.007), and better cumulative incidences of relapse (10.5% vs . 19.6%, P  = 0.020) and non-relapse mortality (4.2% vs . 14.9%, P  = 0.001) than those with ≤ 2 courses of consolidation chemotherapy. Pre-transplantation minimal residual disease-negative patients with AML in CR1 who received MSDT with ≥ 3 courses of consolidation chemotherapy had a higher probability of LFS (85.9% vs . 67.7%, P  = 0.003) and a lower cumulative incidence of relapse (9.6% vs . 23.3%, P  = 0.013) than those with ≤ 2 courses. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that patients with AML in CR1 who received MSDT might benefit from pre-transplant consolidation chemotherapy.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Consolidation Chemotherapy/methods* ; Siblings ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/etiology* ; HLA Antigens ; Allografts

Blinatumomab, as a novel bispecific antibody targeting CD19 and CD3, can induce T lymphocytes to precisely target CD19 positive B lymphocytes to apoptosis. At present, it is the only bispecific antibody approved for the treatment of hematological malignancies in China. Blinatumomab is effective in the treatment of newly diagnosed, relapsed/refractory, minimal residual disease positive patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) . It can improve the survival of the patients and is well tolerated. The further study of blinatumomab can provide theoretical basis and new ideas for induction therapy, salvage therapy and subsequent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with B-ALL.