Baseline serum TARC levels predict therapy outcome in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma

The challenging aspects of managing adolescents and young adults with Hodgkin's lymphoma

Cancer in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) is the second leading cause of nonaccidental death with hematological malignancies spiking during this period. Treatment of AYAs with hematological malignancies usually follows either pediatric or adult protocols with sufficient information lacking on subgroup analyses regarding course and outcome. In this review we will outline up-to-date treatment possibilities for AYAs diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Early and late toxicities will be addressed and future directions of research suggested.

Phagocytized neutrophil fragments in the bone marrow: a phenomenon most commonly associated with hodgkin lymphoma

Bone marrow macrophages containing other cells, or large pieces of other cells, represent a distinctive feature of diseases such as Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and Rosai-Dorfman disease. We describe a distinct variation of phagocytic histiocyte morphology, featuring histiocytes containing predominantly fragments of neutrophil nuclei. We retrospectively reviewed initial bone marrow samples for Hodgkin lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, Ewing sarcoma, or evaluation for nonneoplastic conditions, scoring the presence or absence of the above-described histiocytes. We find that these histiocytes, which we term “fragmentophages,” are associated with staging marrow sampling for malignancy, especially Hodgkin lymphoma (Hodgkin lymphoma: 28/34 or 82.4%, Ewing sarcoma: 11/26 or 42.3%, Burkitt lymphoma: 4/13 or 30.8%). These cells are significantly less common in marrow samples for nonneoplastic conditions (4/21 or 19.0%). Fragmentophages are significantly associated with malignancy, especially Hodgkin lymphoma, and their recognition has the potential to provide a clue to an underlying malignancy.

Customized targeted therapy in Hodgkin lymphoma: hype or hope?

Although most patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) are cured with primary therapy, patients with primary refractory disease or relapse after initial treatment have poor outcomes and represent an unmet medical need. Recent advances in unraveling the biology of HL have yielded a plethora of novel targeted therapies. This review provides an overview of the data behind the hype generated by these advances and addresses the question of whether or not clinically these targeted therapies offer hope for patients with HL.

Trial Watch: Immunostimulatory cytokines

During the past two decades, the notion that cancer would merely constitute a cell-intrinsic disease has gradually been complemented by a model postulating that the immune system plays a relevant role during all stages of oncogenesis and tumor progression. Along with this conceptual shift, several strategies have been devised to stimulate tumor-specific immune responses, including relatively unselective approaches such as the systemic administration of adjuvants or immunomodulatory cytokines. One year ago, in the July issue of OncoImmunology, we described the main biological features of this large group of proteins and discussed the progress of ongoing clinical studies evaluating their safety and therapeutic potential in cancer patients. Here, we summarize the latest developments in this area of clinical research, focusing on high impact studies that have been published during the last 13 mo and clinical trials launched in the same period to investigate which cytokines can be employed as safe and efficient immunostimulatory interventions against cancer.