The tumor microenvironment (TME) is comprised of tumor cells, immune cells and stromal cells, moreover the intricate interactions among these cellular components play a vital role in tumor initiation and progression. Within the TME, immune cells and stromal cells engage in cytotoxic or inflammatory responses to counteract tumor cells, but they employ a range of immune regulatory mechanisms to facilitate tumor evasion. Previous treatments for lymphoma mainly targeted malignant cells themselves. However, with the clinical application of immune checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, the elimination of TME-mediated tumor protection has gained increasing attention. By harnessing the high-throughput and multi-dimensional analytical capabilities of mass cytometry (CyTOF) and imaging mass cytometry (IMC), it has become feasible to systematically analyze the composition of the lymphoma TME using large-scale samples.

Objective:To analyze the prognostic value of del(1p32)in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma(MM).Methods:The clinical data of 341 newly diagnosed MM attended in Jiangsu Province Hospital were retrospective analyzed.Clinical characteristic combined with genetic features,especially del(1p32),were analyzed for survival and prognostic of patients.Results:Among the 341 patients with newly diagnosed MM,24(7.0％)patients were del(1p32)positive.The progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival(OS)were significantly shorter in MM patients with del(1p3 2)than those without de1(1p32)(PFS:P＜0.001;OS:P＜0.001).The COX proportional-hazards model showed that del(1 p32)was an independent risk factor for PFS and OS of patients with MM.The patients with both 1q21 gain/amplification and del(1p32),as"double-hit chromosome 1",have worse prognosis than those with only 1q21 gain/amplification or only del(1 p32)(PFS:P＜0.001;OS:P＜0.001).Conclusion:Del(1p32)is an independent risk factor for PFS and OS of patients with MM.Del(1p32)detection should be widely used in the prognostic analysis for newly diagnosed MM patients.

Objective:To investigate the effect of pre-treatment plasma Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)DNA copy number on the clinical features and prognosis of patients with adult secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis(sHLH).Methods:The clinical characteristics,survival rate,and prognostic factors of 171 patients with adult sHLH treated at Jiangsu Province Hospital from June 2017 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed in this study.Patients were divided into three groups,including the EBV DNA-negative group(＜5.0 × 102 copies/ml),lower EBV-DNA loads group(5.0 × 102-8.51 × 104 copies/ml),and higher EBV-DNA loads group(＞8.51 × 104 copies/ml),according to pre-treatment plasma EBV-DNA copy number.Cox regression model was established for screening prognostic factors.Adult sHLH survival prediction model was constructed and realized through the nomogram based on EBV-DNA load after adjusted the factors affecting survival of etiology and treatment strategy.Concordance index(C-index)and calibration curves were calculated to verify model predictive and discriminatory capacity.Results:Among 171 adult sHLH patients,84 patients were not infected with EBV(EBV DNA-negative group),and 87 with EBV(EBV DNA-positive group,48 lower EBV-DNA loads group and 39 higher EBV-DNA loads group).Consistent elevations in the levels of liver enzymes(ALT and AST),LDH,TG,β2-microglobulin and ferritin across the increasing of EBV-DNA load(all P＜0.05),while the levels of fibrinogen decrease(P＜0.001).The median follow-up time was 52 days(range 20-230 days),and 123 patients died.The overall survival(OS)rate of patients in EBV DNA-positive group was lower than that in EBV DNA-negative group(median OS:40 days vs 118 days,P＜0.001).Higher EBV-DNA loads had worse OS(median OS:24 days vs 45 days vs 118 days,P＜0.0001 for trend)compared to lower EBV-DNA loads and EBV DNA-negative group.Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that higher EBV-DNA loads(P=0.005),fibrinogen≤ 1.5 g/L(P=0.012),ferritin(P=0.041),associated lymphoma(P=0.002),and anti-tumor based strategy(P=0.001)were independent prognostic factors for OS.The C-indexes of 30 day,90 days,365 days survival rate were all greater than 0.8 of the nomogram model and calibration curves provided credibility to their predictive capability.Subgroup analysis showed that patients with higher EBV-DNA loads had a significantly worse prognosis in adult sHLH who were women,ferritin＞5 000 μg/L,β2-microglobulin＞7.4 mmol/L and regardless of age,etiologies,HScore points.Conclusion:The EBV-DNA load is a strong and independent predictor for survival in patients with sHLH.The prognostic nomogram based on EBV-DNA loads was dependable and provides a visual tool for evaluating the survival of adult sHLH.

Objective:To analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics of acute myeloid leukemia,myelodysplasia-related(AML-MR)patients and evaluate their prognostic risk stratification,to guide clinical treatment decisions and improve understanding of the biological characteristics and disease progression.Methods:The study analyzed cellular and molecular genetic information of 307 AML-MR patients,diagnosed based on clinical history,bone marrow morphology,cytogenetics,and molecular genetic abnormalities.The risk stratification followed the 2022 ELN guidelines.Results:57 cases(18.6％)met the AML-MR diagnostic criteria based on morphology and clinical history,110 cases(37.2％)met the AML-MR diagnostic criteria based on cytogenetic results,and 210 cases(74.5％)met the AML-MR diagnostic criteria based on molecular testing results.Among different type of mutations,ASXL1 mutation was the most frequent,followed by SRSF2 and BCOR mutations.Except for 2 cases with incomplete data that could not be classified.263(86.2％)of the 305 patients were classified as poor prognosis,20(6.6％)were classified as good prognosis group,and 22(7.2％)were classified as intermediate prognosis group.Conclusion:Molecular genetic information plays a crucial role in diagnosing AML-MR,highlighting the importance of genetics in diagnosis and prognosis.Most AML-MR patients fall into poor prognosis categories,necessitating early intensive and targeted therapy for better survival outcomes.

Objective:To explore the mutation of PTPN11 gene in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS),and explore their correlation with mutations of other genes,clinical features and prognostic of patients.Methods:High throughput DNA sequencing was used to identify mutations in common blood tumor genes.The mutational characteristics of the PTPN11 gene and the correlation between gene mutations and patients clinical characteristics and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The incidence of PTPN11 mutations in 131 MDS patients was 9.16％.The genes with a mutation rate greater than 10％ were RUNX1 (24.43％),U2AF1 (20.61％),ASXL1 (19.85％),DNMT3A (15.27％),TP53 (14.50％)and TET2 (11.45％).The most common co-mutation gene of PTPN11 mutations was RUNX1 (50％,6/12).There was no significant difference between the PTPN11 mutation and the wild-type groups in sex,peripheral leukocytes,hemoglobin,platelet levels,MDS subtype,karyotype,and bone marrow blast counts (P>0.05).The transformation rate in PTPN11 mutation group was higher than that in wild-type group[54.55％(6/11)vs. 25. 29％(22/87),P<0.05].The median OS of patients with PTPN11 mutation was significantly low than that in the wide-type group.Conclusion:PTPN11 mutation had a modest incidence in MDS patients,which was often coexists with RUNX1 mutation.Patients with PTPN11 mutations were more likely to progress to AML than the wild-type group.

POEMS syndrome is a rare plasma cell dysplasia. Its clinical manifestations include polyneuropathy, monoclonal protein, increased extravascular volume load, endocrinopathy, organomegaly and skin changes. The complex and atypical symptoms at presentation make early diagnosis challenging due to multiple system involvement. Peripheral neuropathy, limb numbness, is the most common initial symptom of this disease. However, case reports of increased extravascular volume load are rare. This article collected and analyzed the clinical data of two groups of patients with different initial symptoms (increased extravascular volume load and limb numbness). The clinical characteristics and treatment responses were summarized.

Objective:To determine the expression and diagnostic value of peripheral blood lymphocytes and functional activation status in non-Hodgkin lymphoma with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (NHL-HLH) .Methods:We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 30 newly diagnosed NHL-HLH patients admitted to Jiangsu Province Hospital from September 2022 to September 2023. We assessed peripheral blood lymphocytes and activation status by flow cytometry. Forty newly diagnosed patients with NHL who received treatment at our hospital during the same period and had lymphocyte and functional activation indexes were selected as the control group. The differences in relative and absolute lymphocyte counts and functional activation indexes between the two groups were compared. The optimal cutoff values for continuous variables were calculated from the receiver operating characteristic curve and logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk factors in NHL patients with HLH.Results:A total of 30 NHL-HLH patients were evaluated, including 12 T-cell lymphoma and 18 B-cell lymphoma patients. Forty individuals were in the control group, which included 19 T-cell lymphoma and 21 B-cell lymphoma patients. The absolute counts of CD3 + T, CD4 + T, CD8 + T, and NK cells, along with the relative count of NK cells, were significantly lower in the HLH group compared with that in the control group (all P values<0.01) . The expression of CD38 and HLA-DR on CD8 + T-cell activated subgroups was significantly higher in the NHL-HLH group compared with that in the control group (CD8 +CD38 +/CD8 + T expression median: 57.4% vs 21.5%, P<0.001; CD8 +CD38 +/CD8 + T expression median: 49.7% vs 33.5%, P=0.028, respectively) . In addition, CD28 expression on CD4 + and CD8 + T cells was significantly higher in NHL-HLH patients ( P<0.01) . ROC curve and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that absolute NK cell count ≤72.0 cells/μl, CD4 +CD28 +/CD4 + T >94.2%, and CD8 +CD28 +/CD8 + T >38.4% were risk factors for predicting the occurrence of NHL-HLH patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the regression model were 86.7% and 86.1%, respectively, with an area under the curve of 0.94 ( P<0.001) . Conclusions:In NHL patients with HLH, there was a significant reduction in the absolute number of peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations, whereas T-cell function was notably activated. Specifically, absolute counts of NK cells ≤72.0 cells/μl, CD4 +CD28 +/CD4 + T >94.2%, and CD8 +CD28 +/CD8 + T >38.4% were identified as risk factors for predicting the development of NHL-HLH patients. This will assist in early clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of orelabrutinib combined with R-CHOP in the treatment of MCD subtype diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) .Methods:Twenty-three MCD subtype patients whose gene-subtype classification was based on baseline tumor tissue and/or baseline plasma using the LymphGen algorithm from June 2022 to June 2023 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were retrospectively enrolled in the analysis. All patients were treated with R-CHOP or R-miniCHOP in Course 1, OR-CHOP or OR-miniCHOP (21 days for one course) in Courses 2-6, and R-monotherapy in Courses 7-8.Results:Of the 23 patients, the median age was 58 years (range: 30-81 years), and 11 (47.8% ) aged >60 years. Fifteen cases (65.2% ) had international prognostic index (IPI) scores of 3 to 5. The top 10 mutated genes in the gDNA tissues were PIM1 (78.3% ), MYD88 (69.6% ), ETV6 (43.5% ), BTG1 (39.1% ), CD79B (43.5% ), HIST1H1E (39.1% ), BTG2 (34.8% ), KMT2D (30.4% ), CD58 (26.1% ), and CDKN2B (21.7% ). The consistency rate of the tissue and plasma mutations was 80%, while the baseline plasma ctDNA burden was closely correlated with the LDH levels and IPI scores ( P<0.05). All patients received 5 courses of OR-CHOP regimens. The mid-term (after 3 courses) evaluation showed that the overall response rate (ORR) was 100% (23/23), with 22 patients (95.65% ) achieving complete remission (CR), and 1 patient (4.35% ) achieving partial remission (PR). The ORR after the end of treatment (EOT) was 95.65% (22/23). Moreover, 21 patients (91.30% ) obtained CR, 1 patient (4.35% ) obtained PR, and 1 patient (4.35% ) obtained progression disease (PD). Of the 21 patients who had the dynamic EOT-ctDNA burden, only four patients (19.0% ) did not achieve EOT-ctDNA clearance, while the other 17 patients (81.0% ) achieved EOT-ctDNA clearance. The median follow-up time was 20.8 (15.3-30.0) months, while the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were not reached. The 2-year PFS rate was 71.8% (95% CI 54.7% -94.2% ), while the 2-year OS rate was 91.3% (95% CI 80.5% -100.0% ). Furthermore, the OR-CHOP regimen was generally well tolerated during clinical use, with hematological toxicity being the main adverse effect. Conclusion:This study revealed that the OR-CHOP regimen can be used as an effective and safe first-line treatment for MCD subtype DLBCL.

Objective:To investigate the vaccination status, characteristics and prognosis of patients suffering from a combination of COVID-19 and chronic lymphocytic anemia (CLL) in China.Methods:Clinical data of 328 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who were first diagnosed with COVID-19 and treated in the Department of Hematology of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital between November 2022 and February 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analysis of data of patients with severe/critical COVID-19 were conducted by applying the binary logistic regression model.Results:The median age of the CLL patients was 60 (24-87) years. 23.5% (77/328) of these patients suffered from severe/critical COVID-19 infection. Univariate analysis of the data demonstrated that a combination of factors including age >67 years ( OR=2.15, 95% CI 1.24- 3.73, P=0.006), diabetes ( OR=2.09, 95% CI 1.05-4.20, P=0.037), chronic hepatitis B ( OR=2.91, 95% CI 1.30-6.51, P=0.010), CLL progressive ( OR=3.79, 95% CI 1.57-9.15, P=0.003) and CD20 antibody-based treatments within three months prior to the COVID-19 infection ( OR=2.79, 95% CI 1.35-5.77, P=0.006) were the risk factors for severe/critical COVID-19. According to the multivariate analysis, CLL progressive ( OR=2.98, 95% CI 1.10-8.10, P=0.033) was an independent risk factor for severe/critical COVID-19 and administration of the BTK (Bruton tyrosine kinase) inhibitor monotherapy might exert a protective effect and influence a positive outcome of the COVID-19 infection ( OR=0.38, 95% CI 0.16-0.90, P=0.028). Among the 242 patients who were followed up until October 2023, 9.1% (22/242) had multiple subsequent COVID-19 infections (≥3), and 2.1% (5/242) had persistent COVID-19 infections (patients with persistent positive test for the SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing until missing follow-up for any reason). The peak value of the anti-SARS-CoV-2-IgG titres was observed between three and four months post symptom onset (median: 3.511 S/CO vs 1.047 S/CO, P<0.05). The levels of immunoglobulin A gradually decreased following infection with COVID-19, and its trough levels were attained between two to four weeks post infection (median: 0.30 g/L vs 0.74 g/L, P<0.05). According to this study the mortality of patients suffering from a combination of COVID-19 infection and CLL was 2.7% (9/328), and the main reason for their death was respiratory failure and heart failure. Conclusions:A low rate of COVID-19 vaccination and a high rate of severe/critical COVID-19 infection was observed in the CLL patients. CLL progressive was associated with severe/critical COVID-19. Anti-CD20-based treatments received within the past three months might be a risk factor for exacerbation of COVID-19 infection, whereas a monotherapy with BTK inhibitors exert a protective effect and improve outcome of COVID-19 infection.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of CCR (cyclophosphamide+clarithrobin+rituximab) regimen in the treatment of hairy cell leukemia (HCL).Methods:A retrospective case series study was performed. The clinical data of 4 HCL patients who received the treatment of single course CCR regimen in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from October 2015 to March 2023 were collected. The short-term efficacy and safety of CCR regimen were summarized, and the survival status of patients was evaluated by using Kaplan-Meier method.Results:All 4 patients were initial-treated classic HCL, including 3 males and 1 female, with a median age of 46 years old (range: 41-66 years old). The median follow-up time of 4 patients was 34.5 months (range: 4-92 months). Four months after the end of treatment, 3 patients achieved complete remission (CR), and 1 patient achieved partial remission (PR); none of 3 CR patients had minimal residual disease. The prognostication of Kaplan-Meier method showed that all 4 patients had progression-free survival and overall survival at 5 years. No serious drug-related adverse events occurred during the treatment process. No infusion response related to rituximab occurred. Two patients developed grade 1 fatigue, 1 patient developed grade 2 pneumonia; 1 patient developed grade 4 granulocytopenia, 3 patients developed grade 4 thrombocytopenia, and no bleeding event occurred; all adverse reactions were controllable.Conclusions:The single course CCR regimen has good efficacy and safety in treating HCL, and it can serve as a new attempt in clinical treatment of HCL.