Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy that poses significant treatment challenges due to its heterogeneity and propensity for relapse and progression. In the last two decades, the therapeutic landscape of MM has changed dramatically, but the disease remains largely incurable, with many patients facing treatment resistance. This review evaluates the current status of MM treatments, emphasizing the limitations of traditional therapies and the emerging role of immunotherapy in improving patient outcomes. It highlights the importance of achieving and maintaining minimal residual disease negativity and a balanced immune response as key treatment goals. Furthermore, it discusses the advancements in immunotherapies that are improving the prospects for patients, particularly those with relapsed or refractory disease. Innovative strategies, such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, bispecific antibodies, and bispecific T cell engagers, have shown significant promise by targeting the malignant cells and the bone marrow microenvironment, which are essential for disease persistence and resistance to therapy. Future research should focus on refining MM treatment strategies, including the integration of immunotherapy into earlier treatment lines and the development of predictive biomarkers for personalized treatment approaches, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of leukemia in adults, which is characterized by a complex genetic background, high heterogeneity, and poor prognosis. With the advance in molecular biology and novel drug development, the pathogenesis of AML has been further elucidated. Some novel therapies for AML have been widely applied, including epigenetic modulators, molecular targeted agents, monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates, many of which have been approved and incorporated into treatment guidelines. Targeted monotherapy or combination therapies are precise and show mild adverse effects. Currently, whether targeted therapies can challenge conventional treatment methods for AML patients has become a research focus. This paper reviews the recent progress of targeted therapies for AML (non-acute promyelocytic leukemia).

Objective:To explore the effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) on SARS-CoV-2 infection, the related symptoms, and recovery in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. The information including general data and SARS-CoV-2 infection of 319 CML patients treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2021 to December 2021 and 547 co-residents during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic was collected by telephone follow-up from December 2022 to January 2023. The differences in clinical characteristics, infection rate, symptom severity, and recovery time of the SARS-CoV-2 between CML patients and their co-residents, between patients whether getting vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, between patients whether receiving TKI and among CML patients receiving different types of TKI were compared. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors influencing the infection rate, symptom severity, and recovery time of SARS-CoV-2.Results:The median age [ M ( Q1, Q3)] of CML patients was 46 years (36 years, 57 years) and all 319 CML patients included 188 (59.0%) males and 131 (41.0%) females; the median age of co-residents of CML patients was 41 years (22 years, 55 years), and all 547 co-residents included 266 (48.6%) males and 281 (51.4%) females. There were statistically significant differences in age, gender, vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 or not, infection rate [83.7% (267/319) vs. 90.5% (495/547)], distribution of symptomatic patients at different severity levels (mild, moderate, severe, and fatal), and recovery time [7 d (5 d, 14 d) vs. 6 d (2 d, 8 d)] between CML patients and co-residents (all P < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences in age, gender, SARS-CoV-2 infection rate, distribution of symptomatic patients at different severity levels and recovery time between CML patients (143 cases) and their co-residents (517 cases) who received the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (all P < 0.05); there were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, infection rate, distribution of symptomatic patients at different severity levels and recovery time between vaccinated and unvaccinated CML patients with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (all P > 0.05). There were 297 (93.1%) CML patients who took TKI and 22 patients who did not take TKI. There were no statistically significant differences in age and gender distribution between patients taking TKI and those not taking TKI (all P > 0.05). The infection rate of SARS-CoV-2 in patients taking TKI was lower than that of patients not taking TKI [82.5% (245/297) vs. 100.0% (22/22)], and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.032); however, there were no significant differences in distribution of symptomatic patients at different severity levels and recovery time between patients taking TKI and those not taking TKI (all P > 0.05). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that TKI therapy was an independent protective factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection in CML patients (taking TKI vs. not taking TKI: OR = 1.970, 95% CI: 1.093-3.554, P = 0.024), and was an independent risk factor for severe symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection (assigning mild, moderate, severe and fatal levels the value of 0, 1, 2, 3; OR = 0.042, 95% CI: 0.004-0.421, P = 0.007) and recovery time exceeding 7 d (> 7 d vs. ≤ 7 d, OR = 0.649, 95% CI: 0.426-0.988, P = 0.044). The third TKI therapy was given in 1 patient, and there were no statistically significant differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection rate, the symptoms at different severity levels and recovery time > 7 d between CML patients receiving first generation TKI (63 cases) and those receiving second generation TKI (77 cases) who were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 (all P > 0.05). Conclusions:TKI can reduce the infection rate of SARS-CoV-2 in CML patients, but will aggravate the severity of symptoms and prolong the recovery time. TKI types may have no impact on whether infected with SARS-CoV-2, the severity level of symptoms after infection and recovery time.

Objective:To explore the safety and efficacy of TBF conditioning regimen of thiotepa, fludarabine and busulfan in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) for recipients with hematological malignancies unsuitable for BUCY conditioning regimen (busulfan, cyclophosphamide & mBUCY).Method:A retrospective analysis was conducted for 20 recipients with malignant hematologic diseases receiving TBF conditioning regimen before haplo-HSCT at Soochow Hopes Hematologic Hospital from January 2020 to December 2023. The regimen-related toxicity of TBF was assessed by the Bearman scoring criteria. For comparing the safety and efficacy of TBF conditioning regimen with mBUCY regimen, propensity score matching was performed in a ratio of 1: 2 with disease type, patient age and gender as matching factors.Result:Mild oral mucositis and gastrointestinal reaction were major side-effects without severe cardiac events. Median time to neutrophil and platelet engraftments in TBF group was 11 and 18 days with comparable engraftment in mBUCY group. TBF regimen had a significantly lower incidence of grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) than mBUCY at Day 100 (5% vs 35%, P=0.01). No significant inter-group difference existed in overall survival (68% vs 62%, P=0.98) while 1-year incidence of graft-versus-host disease-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS) improved (63% vs 37%, P=0.06) in TBF group. Conclusion:TBF is a promising conditioning regimen with low toxicity and decent safety for haplo-HSCT. TBF patients tend to have a lower incidence of grade Ⅱ-ⅣaGVHD and better GRFS than mBUCY.

This review described the clinical data of 6 recipients with Legionella pneumonia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) through metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) from September 2019 to July 2023 at First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. The clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were retrospectively examined. Legionella infection is a rare opportunistic infection after allo-HSCT. A definite diagnosis is rather difficult and an earlier diagnosis yields a better prognosis. As an early and accurate diagnostic tool for clinical practice, mNGS detection is worthy of wider applications.

To explore the efficacy and safety of immunoadsorption (IA) in removing de novo donor specific antibody (DSA) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the relevant clinical data were retrospectively reviewed for one female patient of severe aplastic anemia (SAA). Desensitization treatment with IA after HSCT was offered for removing de novo DSA and ultimately promoting platelet engraftment at First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University in March 2021.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of rapid next-generation sequencing (NGS) strategy based on targeted amplicon sequencing in the diagnosis of myeloid neoplasms.Methods:In this observational study, both rapid NGS and conventional NGS on the bone marrow or peripheral blood samples of 682 patients were prospectively performed from February 2021 to August 2022 in First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. The sequencing results were analyzed using the local Ion Reporter software and our lab′s self-built bioinformatics platform, respectively. The timeliness of the two sequencing platforms was compared, and the Kappa consistency test was used to evaluate the consistency between the two sequencing platforms. Patients aged between 18 and 59 years with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) underwent screening by rapid NGS combining multiplex RT-PCR and in situ fluorescence hybridization technique within 72 hours, from whom high-risk patients according to European LeukemiaNet (ELN) 2017 were screened for individualized induction therapy.Results:In terms of timeliness, the median time from sample receipt to report issuance were 3 (2, 4) days and 13 (11, 15) days under rapid NGS and conventional NGS testing, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( Z=?22.636, P<0.001). Among 682 specimens with a total of 1 507 variants, rapid NGS detected a total of 1 499 variants, with a detection rate of 99.5% and 674 cases were accurate, with an accuracy rate of 98.8%; the conventional NGS detected 1 506 variants, with a detection rate of 99.9% and 681 cases were accurate, with an accuracy rate of 99.9%. In 682 specimens, there were 181 negative and 501 positive, in which 8 cases were missed under rapid NGS, and 1 case was missed under conventional NGS. The kappa value was 0.967 by Kappa consistency test, and P<0.001, suggesting good consistency and consistency between the two NGS platforms. From February 2021 to July 2022, 286 patients who were rapidly diagnosed of AML contained 78 patients screened as the ELN 2017 adverse-risk category, including 42 patients enrolled, with age 39 (33, 52) years old. After one cycle of venetoclax combined with decitabine induction therapy, 78.6%(38/42) of the patients achieved composite complete remission. Among the rest 104 additional myeloid neoplasms, rapid NGS detected mutations in 80 patients, with a detection rate of 76.9%, among which 89.0%(215/242) of the variants could serve as the basis for the diagnostic classification, prognostic evaluation, and target therapy of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN). Conclusion:The rapid NGS based on targeted amplicon sequencing is in good consistency with conventional NGS, and shorters the diagnostic time, whose sensitivity and detection range meets the need for diagnostic classification, prognostic stratification, and target therapy of myeloid neoplasms.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy followed by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in patients with Ph-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-ALL) .Methods:Patients with Ph-ALL who underwent CAR-T therapy followed by allo-HSCT from March 2018 to August 2023 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were included, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Of the 21 patients, 14 were male and 7 were female. The median age at the time of CAR-T therapy was 22 (6-50) years. Seven patients had ABL1-like rearrangements, and 14 had JAK-STAT rearrangements. Prior to CAR-T therapy, 12 patients experienced hematologic relapse; 7 were multiparameter flow cytometry minimal residual disease (MFC-MRD) -positive and 2 were MFC-MRD-negative. CAR-T cells were derived from patients’ autologous lymphocytes. Nine patients were treated with CD19 CAR-T cells, and 12 were treated with CD19/CD22 CAR-T cells. After assessment on day 28 after CAR-T therapy, 95.2% of the patients achieved complete remission, with an MRD-negative remission rate of 75%. Nineteen patients developed grade 0–2 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and 2 patients suffered grade 3 CRS, all cases of which resolved after treatment. All patients underwent allo-HSCT after CAR-T therapy. The median time from CAR-T therapy to allo-HSCT was 63 (38-114) days. Five patients experienced relapse after CAR-T therapy, including four with hematologic relapse and one with molecular relapse. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rates in the ABL1 and JAK-STAT groups were (83.3±15.2) % and (66.6±17.2) %, respectively ( P=0.68) . The 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rates were (50.0±20.4) % and (55.6±15.4) % in the ABL1 and JAK-STAT groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in 3-year OS or RFS between the two groups. Conclusions:CAR-T therapy followed by allo-HSCT leads to rapid remission in most patients with Ph-ALL and prolongs leukemia-free survival.

Objective:Exploring the efficacy and safety of bridging blinatumomab (BiTE) in combination with chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients with acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) .Methods:Clinical data from 36 adult B-ALL patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University from August 2018 to May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 36 cases were included: 18 men and 18 women. The median age was 43.5 years (21-72 years). Moreover, 21 cases of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia were reported, and 16 of these cases were relapsed or refractory. Eighteen patients underwent blinatumomab bridging followed by CAR-T cell therapy, and 18 patients received CAR-T cell therapy. This study analyzed the efficacy and safety of treatment in two groups of patients.Results:In the BiTE bridge-to-CAR-T group, 16 patients achieved complete remission (CR) after BiTE immunotherapy, with a CR rate of 88.9%. One month after bridging CAR-T therapy, bone marrow examination showed a CR rate of 100.0%, and the minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate was higher than the nonbridging therapy group (94.4% vs. 61.1%, Fisher, P=0.041). The incidence of cytokine release syndrome and other adverse reactions in the BiTE bridge-to-CAR-T group was lower than that in the nonbridging therapy group (11.1% vs. 50.0%, Fisher, P=0.027). The follow-up reveals that 13 patients continued to maintain MRD negativity, and five patients experienced relapse 8.40 months (2.57-10.20 months) after treatment. Two of five patients with relapse achieved CR after receiving the second CAR-T cell therapy. In the nonbridging therapy group, 10 patients maintained continuous MRD negativity, 7 experienced relapse, and 6 died. The 1 year overall survival rate in the BiTE bridge-to-CAR-T group was higher than that in the nonbridging therapy group, with a statistically significant difference at the 0.1 level (88.9%±10.5% vs. 66.7%±10.9%, P=0.091) . Conclusion:BiTE bridging CAR-T cell therapy demonstrates excellent efficacy in adult B-ALL treatment, with a low recent recurrence rate and ongoing assessment of long-term efficacy during follow-up.