Etoposide combined with ruxolitinib for refractory hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis during pregnancy: a case report and literature review

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an immune-mediated disorder caused by uncontrolled inflammatory responses and the activation of T lymphocytes. This life-threatening disease, characterized by fever, cytopenia and hepatosplenomegaly, is extremely rare during pregnancy with high mortality. Despite the improvement of treatment regimen in recent years, HLH is still a great challenge for clinicians. Here, we described a 26-year-old woman who admitted to our hospital at her first pregnancy with pyrexia. Her condition continued to deteriorate after receiving broad-spectrum antimicrobials, presenting with fever, pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, ferritin ≥ 500 μg/L, hemophagocytosis and low NK-cell activity. HLH was eventually diagnosed by clinical manifestation and laboratory examination results. Then the patient recovered well after treatment with etoposide combined with ruxolitinib therapy and underwent successful induced-labor operation. Additionally, we summarized similar cases from the literature to improve the management of HLH during pregnancy. In conclusion, this study highlights the challenges and difficulties in the diagnosis and management of patients with HLH during pregnancy. Moreover, this is the first case report of etoposide combined with ruxolitinib in the treatment of patients with refractory secondary HLH during pregnancy.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis with recurrent Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD), also known as histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, is a self-limiting lymphadenitis. It is a benign disease mainly characterized by high fever, lymph node swelling, and leukopenia. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening disease with clinical symptoms similar to those of KFD, but it requires a significantly more aggressive treatment. A 19-year-old Korean male patient was hospitalized for fever and cervical lymphadenopathy. Variable-sized lymph node enlargements with slightly necrotic lesions were detected on computed tomography. Biopsy specimen from a cervical lymph node showed necrotizing lymphadenitis with HLH. Bone marrow aspiration showed hemophagocytic histiocytosis. The clinical symptoms and the results of the laboratory test and bone marrow aspiration met the diagnostic criteria for HLH. The patient was diagnosed with macrophage activation syndrome—HLH, a secondary HLH associated with KFD. He was treated with dexamethasone (10 mg/m²/day) without immunosuppressive therapy or etoposide-based chemotherapy. The fever disappeared within a day, and other symptoms such as lymphadenopathy, ascites, and pleural effusion improved. Dexamethasone was reduced from day 2 of hospitalization and was tapered over 8 weeks. The patient was discharged on day 6 with continuation of dexamethasone. The patient had no recurrence at the 18-month follow-up.

Atypical neuroimaging characteristics of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in infants: a case series of hemorrhagic brain lesions in the deep grey matter

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare multisystem condition associated with uncontrolled overproduction and infiltration of lymphocytes and histiocytes predominantly in liver, lymph nodes, spleen, and central nervous system. Neuroimaging findings on MRI are fairly nonspecific and classically include periventricular white matter signal abnormalities and diffuse atrophy. Focal parenchymal lesions may demonstrate post contrast ring or nodular enhancement and calcification. However, the MR imaging characteristics can be highly variable. Here, we present two cases of HLH in infants with multiple hemorrhagic lesions mostly depicted in both thalami and basal ganglia regions. Thalamic, basal ganglia, and brain stem involvement with hemorrhagic changes in HLH are rarely described in literature. Early diagnosis of HLH may be lifesaving. Awareness of the disease is necessary to investigate its characteristic findings and avoiding a delay in diagnosis.

Systemic autoimmune abnormalities complicated by cytomegalovirus-induced hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: A case report

BACKGROUND

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but life-threatening disorder, characterized by a hyperimmune response. The mortality is high despite progress being made in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. HLH is traditionally divided into primary (familial or genetic) and secondary (reactive) according to the etiology. Secondary HLH (sHLH), more common in adults, is often associated with underlying conditions including severe infections, malignancies, autoimmune diseases, or other etiologies.

CASE SUMMARY

The case involves a 31-year-old woman, presented with a high persistent fever, rash, and splenomegaly. She met the diagnostic criteria of the HLH-2004 guideline and thus was diagnosed with HLH, with positive anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and positive cytomegalovirus (CMV)-DNA. The patient responded well to a combination of immunomodulatory, chemotherapy, and supportive treatments. When her PCR evaluation for CMV turned negative, her serum ferritin also dropped significantly. Her clinical symptoms improved dramatically, and except for ANA, the abnormal laboratory findings associated with HLH returned to normal. Our previous study has shown that the median overall survival of HLH patients is only 6 mo; however, our patient has been cured and has not presented with any relapse of the disease for 6 years.

CONCLUSION

This case emphasizes that thorough early removal of the CMV infection is significant for the prognosis of this HLH patient.

Emapalumab for the treatment of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Emapalumab-Igsz (Gamifant) is a human monoclonal antibody directed against interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapy for primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). HLH is a disorder characterized by hypercytokinemia in the setting of unbridled immune activation, and emapalumab represents the first therapeutic developed to address the underlying pathophysiology of HLH. Emapalumab is approved for treatment of primary HLH that is refractory, recurrent, progressing or intolerant to current HLH treatments in both adult and pediatric patients. FDA approval was based on the results of a phase II/III clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of emapalumab in 34 pediatric patients with primary HLH, 27 of whom were refractory to current therapies. Additional studies of emapalumab are currently ongoing in adults and other pediatric populations. Here, we will review the pharmacology, safety and efficacy of emapalumab for the treatment of HLH.

Case report: a fatal combination of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis with extensive pulmonary microvascular damage in COVID-19 pneumonia

The clinical features of COVID-19 have a considerable range from a mild illness to severe disease. Underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of the rapidly progressive, and often fatal, pulmonary disease frequently observed in COVID-19 need to be elucidated, in order to develop new treatment strategies for different disease endotypes. Fatal cases can display features of a cytokine storm, which may be related to hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Also, a spectrum of vascular changes, including microvascular damage, is known to accompany severe COVID-19. In this paper, we describe the co-occurrence of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and extensive pulmonary microvascular damage with thrombosis and its sequelae in a patient with fatal COVID-19. We believe these response patterns may be linked by common mechanisms involving hypercytokinemia and require further investigation as a fatal constellation in COVID-19, to generate appropriate treatment in patients who display these combined features.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a patient with COVID-19 treated with tocilizumab: a case report

Background

The understanding of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly evolving. Although it is primarily a respiratory illness, other manifestations, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, immune thrombocytopenia, and immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, have been described. We present a case of a patient with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to COVID-19 treated with tocilizumab with a marked biochemical improvement.

Case presentation

In this case report we present a Caucasian patient with COVID-19 who developed a marked elevation of inflammatory parameters with ferritin 36,023 μg/L, but also elevated C-reactive protein 334 mg/L and lactate dehydrogenase 1074 U/L, 1 week after admission to the intensive care unit. He met five of eight criteria for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, but he lacked the high fever and cytopenia seen in the majority of cases. He was treated with tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the interleukin-6 receptor, and over the next days, a rapid decrease in ferritin and C-reactive protein levels was observed. However, his respiratory failure only improved gradually, and he was weaned off the respirator 11 days later.

Conclusion

COVID-19 may induce a hyperinflammatory clinical picture and in some cases develop into hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. In our patient’s case, therapeutic interleukin-6 blockade abrogated signs of hyperinflammation but did not seem to improve pulmonary function. Measurement of ferritin and C-reactive protein, as well as quantification of interleukin-6 on indication, should be performed in patients with severe COVID-19. Specific treatment in such patients must also be contemplated, preferably in randomized controlled trials.

Using etoposide + dexamethasone-based regimens to treat nasal type extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

PURPOSE

Nasal type extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) can be associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (NK/T-LAHLH), which is a rare and fatal disease with no effective therapy. We evaluated whether etoposide + dexamethasone-based chemotherapy regimens might be useful for treating NK/T-LAHLH.

METHODS

This retrospective single-center study evaluated clinical data from 37 patients with NK/T-LAHLH who were treated between May 2008 and January 2020.

RESULTS

Among 363 patients with ENKTL, the cumulative incidence of HLH was 11.9%. Among 43 patients with NK/T-LAHLH, 37 patients received etoposide + dexamethasone-based chemotherapy regimens, with an overall response rate of 45.9% for the HLH. The overall response rate was substantially higher for newly diagnosed NK/T-LAHLH than it was for relapsed or refractory NK/T-LAHLH (66.7% vs. 18.8%). The median overall follow-up time was 4 months, with overall survival rates of 81.1% at 1 month, 62.2% at 2 months, 56.8% at 3 months, and 34.4% at 6 months. Significantly better overall survival (all P < 0.05) was observed for patients with newly diagnosed NK/T-LAHLH (vs. relapsed/refractory disease), stage I/II disease (vs. stage III/IV disease), and nasal disease (vs. non-nasal disease). Patients who responded to the ENKTL treatment also experienced response in their HLH; 8 patients experienced continued complete response for both HLH and ENKTL. Multivariate analysis revealed that a poor prognosis among patients with NK/T-LAHLH was independently related to relapsed/refractory ENKTL and non-nasal disease.

CONCLUSION

Although patients with NK/T-LAHLH generally experienced poor outcomes, etoposide + dexamethasone-based chemotherapy regimens were associated with good outcomes among select patients with newly diagnosed or stage I/II NK/T-LAHLH.

Ruxolitinib for hematopoietic cell transplantation-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a severe complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and can cause graft failure or multi-organ failure. Here, we report two children with refractory HCT-associated HLH treated with ruxolitinib. In the first patient, ruxolitinib resolved fever, cytopenia and hyperferritinemia. In another patient, although severe hepatic failure, which developed and worsened before the administration of ruxolitinib, was irreversible, rapid improvement in fever, leukopenia and hyperferritinemia was observed. Of note, multiplex cytokine profiling showed amelioration of cytokine storm in both patients. Ruxolitinib may be an encouraging option for HCT-associated HLH.

Neuroimaging Findings in Griscelli syndrome: A case report and review of the literature

Our case involved a 1-year-old female with multiple admissions for chest infections. Given her family history and high clinical suspicion, a diagnosis of Griscelli syndrome and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis was made. Her work-up included a brain MRI, which revealed diffuse volume loss and corpus callosum hypogenesis associated with a diffuse simplified pattern of the sulci and gyri compatible with lissencephaly.

We describe hypogenesis of the corpus callosum and lissencephaly for the first time in this syndrome.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection-Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis

OBJECTIVES

A subset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients exhibit clinical features of cytokine storm. However, clinicopathologic features diagnostic of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) have not been reported. We studied the reticuloendothelial organs of 4 consecutive patients who died of COVID-19 and correlated with clinical and laboratory parameters to detect HLH.

METHODS

Autopsies were performed on 4 patients who died of COVID-19. Routine H&E staining and immunohistochemical staining for CD163 were performed to detect hemophagocytosis. Clinical and laboratory results from premortem blood samples were used to calculate H-scores.

RESULTS

All 4 cases demonstrated diffuse alveolar damage within the lungs. Three of the 4 cases had histologic evidence of hemophagocytosis within pulmonary lymph nodes. One case showed hemophagocytosis in the spleen but none showed hemophagocytosis in liver or bone marrow. Lymphophagocytosis was the predominant form of hemophagocytosis observed. One patient showed diagnostic features of HLH with an H-score of 217, while a second patient likely had HLH with a partial H-score of 145 due to a missing triglyceride level. The remaining 2 patients had H-scores of 131 and 96.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-associated HLH. Identification of HLH in a subset of patients with severe COVID-19 will inform clinical trials of therapeutic strategies.

Aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: report of one case

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare fatal hyperinflammatory syndrome resulting in cytokine storm and secondary multi-organ impairment. The natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma is the predominant subtype in patients with lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (LAHS) in Asia. Yet the non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma is a relatively uncommon trigger of HLH. We report a case of a 64-year-old woman who had a bone marrow-spleen type of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) associated with HLH. The patient presented with EBV-positive infection, significantly increased inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10), and dramatically increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and total bilirubin (TB), resulting the patient's aggressive clinical course and early death. This case may not only illustrate the nonspecific manifestation and rapidly progressive characteristics of HLH but also highlight the necessity of anti-inflammatory therapy for the treatment of lymphoma-associated HLH.

Clinical profiles and risk factors of 7-day and 30-day mortality among 160 pediatric patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

BACKGROUND

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a relatively rare and life-threatening disorder. Early mortality remains significantly high among patients with HLH. Our aim was to investigate clinical features and risk factors associated with 7-day and 30-day mortality among pediatric HLH patients. We retrospectively collected medical records of patients with discharge diagnosis of HLH between August 2014 and October 2018 from a tertiary children's hospital in China. The main outcome measures were the 7-day and 30-day outcome after hospital admission. The associations between symptoms, concomitant diagnoses, laboratory test results, and the risk of 7-day and 30-day mortality were examined.

RESULTS

Among 160 pediatric HLH patients, 18 (11.3%) patients were deceased within 7 days after admission, and 46 (28.8%) patients were deceased within 30 days. The identified strong risk factors (OR > 10 and p < 0.05) for 30-day mortality were myocardial damage, severe pneumonia, respiratory failure, coagulopathy, gastrointestinal disorder, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Factors strongly associated with 7-day mortality were sepsis, myocardial damage, shock, and respiratory failure. All patients deceased within 7 days developed hepatic dysfunction, coagulopathy, and MODS.

CONCLUSIONS

The identified risk factors could help to stratify patients with high risk of early death, and need to be considered in the development of treatment protocols. As early mortality of HLH remains high, studies are needed to investigate how to initiate adequate HLH-directed treatment strategies for patients at higher risk of early death.

Clinico-laboratory profile and perforin gene mutations of pediatric hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis cases: a five-year single center study

Introduction

hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an immunological disease characterized by hemophagocytosis of blood cells and proliferation of T-cells and histiocytes in the spleen and bone marrow then infiltration into body organs. Familial HLH (FHL) is a fatal disorder and determining gene mutations is a good guide for predicting the prognosis and choosing treatment options. This study aimed to illustrate the clinical, laboratory characteristics, including perforin gene mutation screening, treatment and survival outcome of pediatric HLH patients.

Methods

we conducted this cross-sectional study on pediatric patients who were diagnosed with HLH using the revised HLH-2004 criteria, from January 2014 to February 2019 at Zagazig University Children's Hospital, Egypt. We collected demographic, clinical and laboratory data and screened for the presence of mutations in perforin (PRF1) gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. We treated the patients according to HLH-2004 treatment protocol and documented their survival outcome.

Results

the total number of cases were 18; eight males and ten females, the age range was between three months and 12 years. Of the eight HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria, all patients met at least five criteria. We detected PRF1 gene mutation in 38.9% (7 patients) with nine previously unreported mutations. Sixteen patients (88.9%) received HLH-2004 treatment protocol and the remaining two patients died before initiation of treatment. The overall mortality was 72.2% (13 patients).

Conclusion

our results increase the awareness of clinical and laboratory characterizations of pediatric HLH patients and the prevalence of PRF1 gene mutations among those patients.

Hemophagocytic syndrome with histiocytic glomerulopathy associated with ovarian serous carcinoma

Histiocytic glomerulopathy, an entity characterized by glomerular infiltration by foamy histiocytes with endothelial injury, has recently been reported as a manifestation of hemophagocytic syndrome. We report a case of histiocytic glomerulopathy in a woman receiving chemotherapy for ovarian serous carcinoma with proteinuria in whom hemophagocytic syndrome was not clinically suspected.

COVID-19 as part of the hyperferritinemic syndromes: the role of iron depletion therapy

SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterized by a protean clinical picture that can range from asymptomatic patients to life-threatening conditions. Severe COVID-19 patients often display a severe pulmonary involvement and develop neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and strikingly elevated levels of IL-6. There is an over-exuberant cytokine release with hyperferritinemia leading to the idea that COVID-19 is part of the hyperferritinemic syndrome spectrum. Indeed, very high levels of ferritin can occur in other diseases including hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, macrophage activation syndrome, adult-onset Still's disease, catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome and septic shock. Numerous studies have demonstrated the immunomodulatory effects of ferritin and its association with mortality and sustained inflammatory process. High levels of free iron are harmful in tissues, especially through the redox damage that can lead to fibrosis. Iron chelation represents a pillar in the treatment of iron overload. In addition, it was proven to have an anti-viral and anti-fibrotic activity. Herein, we analyse the pathogenic role of ferritin and iron during SARS-CoV-2 infection and propose iron depletion therapy as a novel therapeutic approach in the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 as part of the hyperferritinemic syndromes: the role of iron depletion therapy

SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterized by a protean clinical picture that can range from asymptomatic patients to life-threatening conditions. Severe COVID-19 patients often display a severe pulmonary involvement and develop neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and strikingly elevated levels of IL-6. There is an over-exuberant cytokine release with hyperferritinemia leading to the idea that COVID-19 is part of the hyperferritinemic syndrome spectrum. Indeed, very high levels of ferritin can occur in other diseases including hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, macrophage activation syndrome, adult-onset Still's disease, catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome and septic shock. Numerous studies have demonstrated the immunomodulatory effects of ferritin and its association with mortality and sustained inflammatory process. High levels of free iron are harmful in tissues, especially through the redox damage that can lead to fibrosis. Iron chelation represents a pillar in the treatment of iron overload. In addition, it was proven to have an anti-viral and anti-fibrotic activity. Herein, we analyse the pathogenic role of ferritin and iron during SARS-CoV-2 infection and propose iron depletion therapy as a novel therapeutic approach in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dilemmas in diagnosis and management of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in children

BACKGROUND

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening entity which is characterized by severe hyperinflammation. Now the HLH-2004 protocol has been widely accepted and clinically used; however, many questions still remain in clinical practice. In this review, we discuss the dilemmas in the diagnosis and treatment of HLH in children.

DATA SOURCES

Original research for articles and literature reviews published in PubMed was carried out using the key term "hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis".

RESULTS

As the gene sequencing technology progresses, the range of causal mutations and primary HLH has been redefined. The monoallelic variants may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. Many conditions without defective cytotoxicity of T or NK cells may lead to HLH, such as primary immunodeficiency (PID) and dysregulated immune activation or proliferation (DIAP). HLH shares overlapping clinical and laboratory characteristics with severe sepsis, but usually the single values are more pronounced in HLH than sepsis. H score is another approach to help the diagnosis of secondary HLH. Specific Th1/Th2 cytokine patterns are very helpful tools to differentiate HLH (reactivation of HLH) from sepsis. Moreover, it also has been used successfully to stratify the therapy intensity. The treatment of HLH should consider underlying diseases, triggers and severity. HLH-94 is recommended for patients who need etoposide-based therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Dramatic progress has been made during the past decades in understanding the pathophysiology of HLH. However, diagnosis and treatment of HLH remain with many dilemmas because of the heterogeneous nature of the disease. Better understanding new gene defects and more effective diagnostic approaches and salvage regimens are goals for the future.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis as a presentation of inflammatory bowel disease

Background

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is considered a medical emergency that should be recognized in patients with fever, splenomegaly, and progressive deterioration of the general condition. Laboratory findings include cytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia, and hyperferritinemia. For HLH diagnosis, it is essential, although not mandatory, to perform a bone marrow biopsy. Given its nature, secondary causes of HLH should be sought, mainly infections, hemato-oncological disorders, autoimmune diseases, and auto-inflammatory conditions.

Case report

We present the case of a female adolescent who presented with fever and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Upon admission, acute liver failure and pancytopenia were documented. A bone marrow aspirate was performed, which revealed hemophagocytosis; other tests confirmed HLH diagnosis. During the diagnostic approach, inflammatory bowel disease was diagnosed. The patient received first-line treatment with an adequate response.

Conclusions

Inflammatory bowel disease can be considered a cause of secondary HLH, particularly in patients with suggestive symptoms, such as digestive bleeding in the absence of other secondary causes of HLH.

Could hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis be the core issue of severe COVID-19 cases?

BACKGROUND

COVID-19, a disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), commonly presents as fever, cough, dyspnea, and myalgia or fatigue. Although the majority of patients with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, some are more prone to serious outcomes, including pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and even death. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a severe, life-threatening inflammatory syndrome associated with intense cytokine release (also known as a "cytokine storm"). Similar to COVID-19, HLH is characterized by aggressive course leading to multi-organ failure.

MAIN TEXT

The purpose of this review article is to draw attention to the possibility of the complication of HLH in patients with the severe course of COVID-19. Indeed, some of the clinical characteristics observed in the more severe cases of COVID-19 are reminiscent of secondary HLH (which can be triggered by infections, malignancies, rheumatological diseases, or autoimmune/immunodeficiency conditions). The pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection also suggests that HLH or a similar hyperinflammatory syndrome is the cause of the severe course of the infection.

CONCLUSION

The pathogenesis and clinical symptoms of severe COVID-19 indicate that an increased inflammatory response corresponding to HLH is occurring. Therefore, patients with severe COVID-19 should be screened for hyperinflammation using standard laboratory tests to identify those for whom immunosuppressive therapy may improve outcomes.

Proceedings from the 2nd Next Gen Therapies for Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Macrophage Activation Syndrome symposium held on October 3-4, 2019

For reasons poorly understood, and despite the availability of biological medications blocking IL-1 and IL-6 that have markedly improved overall disease control, children with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) are now increasingly diagnosed with life-threatening chronic complications, including hepatitis and lung disease (SJIA-LD). On October 3-4, 2019, a two-day meeting, NextGen Therapies for Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) & macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) organized by the Systemic JIA Foundation ( www.systemicjia.org/ ) in Washington, DC brought together scientists, clinicians, parents and FDA representatives with the objectives (1) to integrate clinical and research findings in MAS and SJIA-LD, and (2) to develop a shared understanding of this seemingly new pulmonary complication of SJIA. The current manuscript summarizes discussions and conclusions of the meeting.

Successful treatment of refractory hyperferritinemic syndromes with canakinumab: a report of two cases

BACKGROUND

Hyperferritinemic syndromes are systemic inflammatory disorders characterized by a dysfunctional immune response, which leads to excessive activation of the monocyte-macrophage system with hypercytokinemia and may pursue a rapidly fatal course.

CASE PRESENTATION

We describe two patients of 11 and 9 years of age with hyperferritinemic syndromes, one with impending macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and one with overt MAS, who were refractory or intolerant to conventional therapies, but improved dramatically with canakinumab.

CONCLUSIONS

Our report indicates that canakinumab may be efficacious in the management of hyperferritinemic syndromes, including MAS.

HLA-mismatched GPBSC infusion therapy in refractory Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: an observational study from a single center

Background

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a severe or even fatal inflammatory state. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection-associated HLH (EBV-HLH) is one of the most common secondary HLH and suffers a very poor prognosis. Allo-HSCT is often required for refractory EBV-HLH, but some patients still cannot proceed to the next allo-HSCT due to various factors. This study aimed to observe the efficacy of HLA-mismatched granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (GPBSCs) infusion for refractory EBV-HLH.

Methods

A retrospective case-control study of refractory EBV-HLH patients with GPBSC infusion from HLA-mismatched donors after chemotherapy (as GPBSC group) and sole chemotherapy (as control group) was performed. Efficacy was evaluated 2 and 4 weeks and all patients were followed-up until March 1, 2018.

Results

There were 18 cases who accepted infusion between March 2016 and Sep 2017 and 19 were randomly selected from refractory EBV-HLH patients who underwent salvage therapy during the same period for the control group. In GPBSC group, WBC (p = 0.017), Fbg (p = 0.040), and ferritin (p = 0.039) improved significantly after treatment. The overall response rate was 66.7% (CR 22.2%, PR 44.4%). However, there are no significant differences in changes of WBC, HGB, PLT, TG, Fbg, Ferritin, AST, ALT, and T-bil between two groups. Only the Fbg level was recovered better in the GPBSC infusion group (p = 0.003). In the GPBSC group, EBV-DNA decreased significantly after 2 weeks (p = 0.001) and 4 weeks (p = 0.012) after treatment, and the effect of the decrease was significantly better than that of the chemotherapy alone group in 2 weeks but not 4 weeks (p2w = 0.011, p4w = 0.145). The median survival time in the infusion group was 20.4 weeks [95% CI 10.9, 29.9], and the median survival time in the control group was 10.8 weeks [95% CI 0–24.34]. In the short-term, the infusion group’s survival rate was better (2-month 88.89% vs. 52.63%, p = 0.008; 3-month 83.33% vs. 47.09%, p = 0.012), but there was no difference in OS (p = 0.287).

Conclusions

Infusing GPBSCs combined with chemotherapy is effective, especially in decreasing EBV-DNA, performs better than chemotherapy alone, and improves short-term survival rate. GPBSC infusion is suggested as a bridging treatment method to allo-HSCT.

Macrophage Activation in COVID-19 Patients in Intensive Care Unit

We report six cases of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, admitted to intensive care unit (ICU), for whom bone marrow aspirate revealed hemophagocytosis. We compared their clinical presentation and laboratory findings to those that can be encountered during a hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. These observations might evoke a macrophage activation mechanism different from the one encountered in the hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).