Successful treatment with fludarabine in two cases of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia

Oral fludarabine in combination with doxorubicin and dexamethasone as first-line therapy for nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas: early results of a prospective multicenter study

PURPOSE

Nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) have particularly poor prognoses. Few data enabling establishment of an accepted standard treatment modality for PTCLs are available. We hypothesized that fludarabine-based regimens are tolerable and effective in treatment for nodal PTCLs. Therefore, this study was to analyze the toxicity of, response rate for, and outcome of treatment for nodal PTCLs with oral fludarabine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (FAD).

METHODS

Patients with PTCLs received FAD every 28 days, consisting of oral fludarabine at 40 mg/m(2) on days 1-3, doxorubicin at 50 mg/m(2) on day 1, and oral dexamethasone at 20 mg/day on days 1-5. Patients who did not exhibit disease progression received at least four courses of treatment.

RESULTS

Thirty-one of 35 patients with previously untreated nodal PTCLs enrolled in the study from 2007 to 2008 were evaluable. The incidence of grade 3-4 neutropenia was 55%. Nine patients had to have dose reductions of fludarabine and doxorubicin, none of whom had grade 3 or 4 toxic effects at the lower dose. Five of 31 patients had pneumonitis. No treatment-related mortality occurred. The response rate for the entire patient population was 71%, and the complete remission rate was 48%. The PFS and OS rates at 2 years were 54.2 and 77.1%, respectively. Four patients had died of cancer progression at the time of this analysis. The serum lactate dehydrogenase level had a significant effect on PFS and OS.

CONCLUSION

The FAD regimen had encouraging efficacy with an acceptable toxicity profile in patients with nodal PTCLs.

Guidelines for the management of mature T-cell and NK-cell neoplasms (excluding cutaneous T-cell lymphoma)

The peripheral T-cell neoplasms are a biologically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare disorders that result from clonal proliferation of mature post-thymic lymphocytes. Natural killer (NK) cell neoplasms are included in this group. The World Health Organization classification of haemopoietic malignancies has divided this group of disorders into those with predominantly leukaemic (disseminated), nodal, extra-nodal or cutaneous presentation. They usually affect adults and are more commonly reported in males than in females. The median age at diagnosis is 61 years with a range of 17-90 years. Although some subtypes may follow a relatively benign protracted course most have an aggressive clinical behaviour and poor prognosis. Excluding anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), which has a good outcome, 5-year survival for other nodal and extranodal T-cell lymphomas is about 30%. Most patients present with unfavourable international prognostic index scores (>3) and poor performance status. The rarity of these diseases and the lack of randomized trials mean that there is no consensus about optimal therapy for T- and NK-cell neoplasms and recommendations in this guideline are therefore based on small case series, phase II trials and expert opinion.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm clinically characterized by sudden onset of constitutional symptoms, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, frequent autoimmune phenomena, particularly hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. The lymph node histological picture is also distinctive, constituted by a polymorphic infiltrate, a marked proliferation of high endothelial venules, and a dense meshwork of dentritic cells. The neoplastic CD4+ T-cells represent a minority of the lymph node cell population; its detection is facilitated by the aberrant expression of CD10. Almost all cases arbor an EBV infected B-cell population. Patients with AITL have a poor prognosis with conventional treatment, with a median overall survival of less than 3 years. Patients achieving a good clinical response seem beneficiate from a consolidation with high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. Constitutional symptoms and autoimmune phenomena, and some times also the neoplastic masses may respond to immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory agents such as thalidomide.

High-Dose Therapy and Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation in Angioimmunoblastic Lymphoma: Complete Remission at Transplantation Is the Major Determinant of Outcome—Lymphoma Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation

Purpose

Patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) have poor prognoses with current conventional chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of high-dose therapy (HDT) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) on patients with AITL.

Patients and Methods

We report a retrospective, multicenter study of 146 patients with AITL who received ASCT. The source of the stem cells was peripheral blood in 143 patients. The conditioning regimen varied, and 74% of the patients received carmustine and 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea; etoposide; ara-C; and melphalan chemotherapy.

Results

After a median follow-up of 31 months (range, 3 to 174 months), 95 patients (65%) remained alive, and 51 patients (35%) died. Forty-two patients died as a result of disease progression, and nine died as a result of regimen-related toxicity. The cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality was 5% and 7% at 12 and 24 months, respectively. The actuarial overall survival (OS) was 67% at 24 months and 59% at 48 months. The cumulative incidence of relapse was estimated at 40% and 51% at 24 and 48 months, respectively. Disease status at transplantation was the major factor that impacted outcome. Patients who received a transplant during first complete remission (CR) had significantly superior progression-free survival and OS. The estimated PFS rates for patients who received their transplants in CR were 70% and 56% at 24 and 48 months, respectively; 42% and 30% for patients with chemotherapy-sensitive disease at those time points, respectively; and 23% at both time points for patients with chemotherapy-refractory disease.

Conclusion

This study shows that HDT and ASCT offers the possibility of long-term disease-free survival to patients with AITL. Early transplantation is necessary to achieve optimal results.

Angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma: pathobiological insights and clinical implications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma is a complex lymphoproliferative disorder. While recent evidence suggests that the Epstein-Barr virus and B cell disregulation are implicated in the disease's pathogenesis, their mechanistic roles remain largely unknown. The prognosis with traditional chemotherapy has been poor, but improved understanding of the disease's pathobiology has led to several promising novel therapeutic strategies.

RECENT FINDINGS

The recent finding of overexpression of the chemokine CXCL13 by the neoplastic cells of angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma suggests that it is derived from follicular helper T cells. In addition, gene-expression profiling has demonstrated overexpression of several genes characteristic of follicular helper T cells. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A is also highly expressed. Novel therapeutic strategies including immunomodulation with agents like cyclosporine and angiogenesis inhibition with drugs such as bevacizumab are being investigated, and show early promise in this disease.

SUMMARY

Diseases such as angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma can help illuminate the biology of the normal immune system. Significant progress has been made in understanding the biology of angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma. This has paved the way for the development of new therapeutic strategies and these have shown interesting results.

Successful Treatment of Refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma with a Combination of Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide

We report a case of refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) successfully treated with a combination of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FLU/CY). A 68-year-old man with concurrent PTCL and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was treated effectively with 3-course CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone) therapy, but PTCL relapse occurred and was resistant to ESHAP (etoposide, methylprednisolone, cytarabine, and cisplatin) therapy. FLU/CY therapy led to complete remission, which was maintained for almost 14 months after a single course. We concluded that a FLU/CY regimen may be useful for attaining long-term remission in patients with refractory relapsed PTCL and should therefore be considered a valuable treatment choice.

Clinical Mimics of Lymphoma

Lymphadenopathy is a common clinical finding and is frequently benign. Warning signs suggestive of a malignant etiology include lymph nodes >2 cm in size, supraclavicular location, and generalized lymphadenopathy associated with hepatosplenomegaly or systemic symptoms. A metastatic solid tumor is always in the differential diagnosis of localized lymphadenopathy, particularly in older individuals. In the case of more generalized lymphadenopathy, in addition to the more common lymphomas, benign etiologies as well as benign and atypical lymphoproliferative disorders need to be considered. Benign etiologies of lymphadenopathy can include infections, autoimmune disorders, drug hypersensitivity reactions, sarcoidosis, and amyloidosis. Rare but benign lymphoproliferative disorders include Kikuchi's disease, Rosai-Dorfman disease, and progressive transformation of germinal centers. Atypical lymphoproliferative disorders that bear close surveillance for evolution to a more aggressive malignancy include Castleman's disease, lymphomatoid granulomatosis, and lymphomatoid papulosis. Previously considered in this category but now classified as a true lymphoma is angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia. Physicians need to be aware of all of these disorders when evaluating suspicious lymphadenopathy, while also considering the more common lymphomas and leukemias.

Epstein–Barr Virus Load Correlating with Clinical Manifestation and Treatment Response in a Patient with Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated lymphoma may arise secondary to angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). The prognosis is poor despite chemotherapy and experimental therapies. We report on a 40-year-old woman with AITL without obvious immunodeficiency in which EBV-associated lymphoma developed. The occurrence and size of enlarged lymph nodes correlated strongly with the EBV load in serum (EBVL). Treatment with valacyclovir at the early stage resulted in a drastic more than 3 log10 decrease of EBVL and complete remission. However, valacyclovir had to be stopped after 6 months due to side effects, and the lymphoma reoccurred 3 months later associated with increasing EBVL. Eventually started cytotoxic chemo- and anti-CD20 therapy resulted only in partial remission. The lymphoma progressed and 33 months after it was diagnosed the patient died. This case report demonstrates the close association of EBVL and AITL and a beneficial effect of antiviral therapy at an initial stage of disease manifestation.

Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma: complete remission with fludarabine

Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is an uncommon type of cutaneous lymphoma with an aggressive natural history. It generally carries a poor prognosis despite standard anthracycline-based chemotherapy. The optimum therapy is unknown. We report the case of a 66-year-old man with CD4/CD8 double negative SPTCL who achieved a complete remission with single-agent fludarabine. He received a total of six cycles of fludarabine given at 25 mg/m(2) daily for 5 days every 4 weeks. His skin ulcers started to heal within 2 weeks of the first cycle of chemotherapy and were completely healed before the fourth cycle. Unfortunately, he died suddenly of unknown cause 3 months after the completion of chemotherapy while remaining in complete remission. Our report suggests that fludarabine may be an active agent in SPTCL and deserves further study.

Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy following ciprofloxacin administration

Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy (AILD) is a rare disorder characterised by generalised lymphadenopathy, fever, hepatosplenomegaly, immune hemolytic anemia and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. We report the occurrence of histology-proven AILD in a patient who had received ciprofloxacin. We suggest that this drug may be added to the list of agents susceptible to elicit AILD.

Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy (AILD) may respond to thalidomide treatment: two case reports

The histological morphology of AILD-type T-cell lymphoma shows proliferation of small, arborizing high endothelial venules. Patients typically have generalized lymphadenopathy, fever, weight loss, skin rash, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia and autoimmune phenomena, and are susceptible to infections. The clinical course is usually aggressive. About 30% of patients have an initial remission on steroids alone, but most require some form of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Median survival ranges from 15 to 24 months, and it appears that the disease cannot be cured. We have used anti-angiogenetic therapy with thalidomide in two AILD patients and observed remarkable responses.

High-dose chemotherapy and APSCT as a potential cure for relapsing hemolysing AILD

Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia (or dysgammaglobulinemia) (AILD) is a lymphoproliferative disorder with cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities characteristic of malignant T-cell lymphoma (angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma -- AITL). We report the clinical course of a 58-year-old male patient with unusually aggressive AILD, including severe hemolysis and Guillain-Barré syndrome, who entered complete remission after CHOP therapy, but had a full relapse after 2 months. At relapse, treatment with high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation (APSCT) with CD34 selected cells was shown to be successful. The patient is alive and disease-free 3 years after diagnosis and 32 months after APSCT. Considering the poor prognosis of the majority of patients with AILD, intensive treatment followed by APSCT, may be a subject for further studies.