Update on myelodysplastic syndromes: New approaches to classification and therapy

Hematologic Malignancies Are Associated With Adverse Perioperative Outcomes After Total Hip Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Advancements in treating hematologic malignancies have improved survival, and these patients may be part of the growing population undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the perioperative outcomes of THA in patients with hematologic malignancies.

METHODS

The Nationwide Inpatient Sample identified patients who underwent THA from 2000 to 2011 (n = 2,864,412). Patients diagnosed with any hematologic malignancy (n = 18,012) were further stratified into Hodgkin disease (n = 786), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 5062), plasma cell dyscrasias (n = 2067), leukemia (n = 5644), myeloproliferative neoplasms (n = 3552), and myelodysplastic syndromes (n = 1082). Propensity matching for demographics, hospital characteristics, and comorbidities identified 17,810 patients with any hematologic malignancy and 17,888 controls; additional matching was performed to compare hematologic malignancy subtypes with controls. Multivariate regression was used to analyze surgical and medical complications, length of stay (LOS), and costs.

RESULTS

Compared to controls, hematologic malignancies increased the risk of any surgery-related complication (odds ratio [OR], 1.4; P < .0001) and any general medical complication (OR, 1.47; P < .0001). Additionally, hematologic malignancies were associated with an increase in LOS (0.16 days; P = .004) and increased costs ($1,101; P < .0001).

CONCLUSION

Patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing THA have an increased risk of perioperative complications, longer LOS, and higher costs. The risk quantification for adverse perioperative outcomes in association with increased cost may help to design different risk stratification and reimbursement methods in such populations.

Health care utilization and mortality among elderly patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

BACKGROUND

Mortality in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is high, and patients are likely to require hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits, and transfusions. The relationships between these events and the MDS complications of anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia are not well understood.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 1864 patients registered in the United States' Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program and aged ≥ 66 years old when diagnosed with MDS in 2001 or 2002 were included. Medicare claims were used to identify MDS complications and utilization (hospitalizations, ED visits, and transfusions) until death or the end of 2005. Mortality was based on SEER data. Kaplan-Meier incidence rates were estimated and multivariable Cox models were used to study the association between complications and outcomes.

RESULTS

The 3-year incidence of anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia was 81%, 25%, and 41%, and the incidence of hospitalization, ED visit, and transfusion was 62%, 42%, and 45%, respectively. Median survival time was 22 months. Cytopenia complications were significantly associated with each of these outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

All types of cytopenia are common among patients with MDS and are risk factors for high rates of health care utilization and mortality. Management of the complications of MDS may improve patient outcomes.

A patient with progressive multiple myeloma treated successfully with arsenic trioxide after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable progressive disease. Many therapeutic options are available to delay progression, including autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. At advanced stages, MM is often refractory to treatment. We report a heavily pretreated patient with graft-versus-host disease after bone marrow transplantations, treated at a terminal stage with a modified protocol for arsenic trioxide (ATO). This patient with poor clinical status tolerated the treatment very well. He had a remarkable clinical response and achieved complete remission. The mechanisms of ATO are presented and the potential role of ATO for MM is discussed.

Over-expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in bone marrow biopsies from patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: relationship to anemia and prognosis

OBJECTIVES

An excessive intramedullar progenitor cell apoptosis, to which elevated expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) might contribute, is considered the main cause of inefficient hematopoiesis in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Enhanced bone marrow (BM) angiogenesis is regarded as an essential cofactor in the progression of MDS to acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and microvessel formation may be induced by TNF-alpha as well. To investigate TNF-alpha signaling and neoangiogenesis as potential molecular pathways for therapeutic intervention in MDS with respect to the various MDS subtypes, we performed a morphological and clinico-pathological study on a large series of paraffin-embedded trephine BM biopsies.

METHODS

TNF-alpha expression and BM vessels were immunohistochemically analyzed on 89 paraffin-embedded BM biopsies from patients with MDS and secondary AML, including 12 control samples. Data were correlated with clinico-pathological and laboratory parameters and analyzed for their prognostic significance considering overall survival.

RESULTS

TNF-alpha was over-expressed in MDS patients, especially in those with refractory anemia and its expression correlated with BM cellularity and with magnitude of anemia as well as with microvessel density (MVD). TNF-alpha over-expression was associated with premature deaths. MVD was increased in MDS and secondary AML and correlated with marrow cellularity and expression of TNF-alpha, but was not of prognostic significance.

CONCLUSIONS

TNF-alpha expression and MVD are elevated in MDS and secondary AML. TNF-alpha expression in BM progenitor cells appears to negatively impact erythropoiesis and overall survival in MDS, and may serve as a potential therapeutic target in patients with hypercellular MDS with marked anemia.