In this prospective study, we examined the prophylactic effect of itraconazole oral solution (ITCZ-OS) against invasive fungal disease in hematologic malignancy patients. The participants were 36 patients, at least 16 years of age, with hematologic malignancies treated at our hospital. ITCZ-OS 200 mg/day was administered orally twice a day with a target trough plasma concentration of 350 ng/ml. If the patient did not achieve the target trough plasma concentration, the dose was increased. The success rate of achieving the target trough plasma concentration of ITCZ with a dose of 200 mg/day was 63.9%. During the observation period, 2 patients (5.6%) were diagnosed with possible invasive fungal disease according to the EORTC/MSG 2008 criteria. Adverse events were observed in 2 patients (5.6%). The results showed administration of ITCZ-OS while monitoring ITCZ trough plasma concentrations to be effective for preventing invasive fungal disease, and no serious adverse events occurred. Since predicting trough levels in response to ITCZ administrations is difficult, its measurement is necessary to maintain the prophylactic effect of ITCZ.

We describe herein the clinical outcomes of 16 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in the chronic phase who stopped the administration of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) after maintaining undetectable levels of major BCR-ABL1, based on real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, for prolonged periods (undetectable MR for a median of 2,100 days (822-4,068). The reasons for discontinuing TKI were enrollments in a clinical trial testing discontinuation of these agents (n=9), adverse effects (n=2) or financial problems (n=5). After TKI discontinuation, patients were followed for a median of 551 days (154-2,446). A total of 8 patients (50%) experienced molecular relapse after a median of 119 days (28-171). Among them, 6 patients who lost major molecular response (MMR) were treated with imatinib (n=2) or dasatinib (n=4), while 2 patients who lost undetectable MR after discontinuing TKI (1 each had taken bostinib and imatinib) but maintained MMR were carefully monitored without re-administration of TKI. Of 6 patients who re-started TKI, 4 (67%) achieved undetectable MR but the other 2 achieved only MMR. The results of this small, retrospective study may support the current understanding of treatment discontinuation, possibly leading to a sustained deep molecular response in some patients.

TAFRO syndrome is a systemic inflammatory disorder. TAFRO is an acronym that stands for thrombocytopenia, anasarca, fever, reticulin fibrosis, renal dysfunction, lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. There are no reports of TAFRO syndrome describing cholangitis on liver biopsy. Herein, we report the first case of TAFRO syndrome with cholangitis. The patient was a 56-year-old man who presented with sudden onset abdominal pain and fever. His symptoms progressed to generalized edema, thrombocytopenia, hepatomegaly, and acute renal failure. Biopsies taken from the mediastinal lymph nodes and bone marrow showed the mixed type of multicentric Castleman’s disease and mild reticulin fibrosis, respectively, compatible with TAFRO syndrome. His symptoms were temporarily relieved by steroid pulse therapy and tocilizumab. Fever and anasarca relapsed in a few weeks, however. He was then administered rituximab which resolved his symptoms almost completely.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) frequently involves the gastrointestinal tract, but the endoscopic characteristics of this condition have not been discussed in detail. We report two cases of EBV-related PTLD involving rapidly forming characteristic lesions. Case 1 was a 60-year-old man with acute myeloid leukemia who underwent cord blood transplantation (CBT) after which he initially achieved complete remission (CR). He developed nausea and vomiting on day 99. Gastrointestinal endoscopy showed no tumor-like lesions in his stomach. However, a second endoscopic evaluation, which was performed 7 days after the first, revealed multiple raised lesions in his stomach, and a histopathological examination of the biopsy specimen resulted in a diagnosis of EBV-related PTLD. Case 2 was a 36-year-old man with acute myeloid leukemia who underwent CBT after achieving his second CR. He suffered nausea and pharyngalgia on day 309. Although the initial gastrointestinal endoscopic examination showed only multiple erosive or small ulcerative lesions, a second endoscopic evaluation, which was performed 10 days after the first, revealed a raised lesion with a central ulcer in the duodenum. Histopathological examination of the biopsy specimen yielded a diagnosis of EBV-related PTLD. Both patients were successfully treated by reducing the dose of immunosuppressive agents and administering rituximab.

A 64-year-old man with recurrent multiple myeloma (BJP-κ type) was treated with 15 mg of lenalidomide (LEN) and dexamethasone. He developed Quincke’s edema on his eyelid on day 4. Since the edema improved after withdrawal of LEN, the drug was subsequently re-administered at a decreased dose. However, the edema developed again on day 4. After withdrawal of LEN, the drug was administered again with gradually dose escalation, while confirming the absence of eyelid edema. Although edema did not develop, eosinophils and basophils were increased, and the CRP level was elevated. During the third course of LEN administration, his chest CT showed bilateral ground-glass opacity, and LEN-induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis was diagnosed. The pneumonitis resolved after LEN withdrawal and prednisolone administration. These observations suggested that Quincke’s edema, eosinophilia and basophilia, CRP elevation, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis might occur due to the immunological effects of LEN, which is classified as an immunomodulatory drug.

A 77-year-old man with myelodysplastic syndrome suffered from duodenal perforation after undergoing endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for treatment of duodenal cancer. He presented with hemorrhagic shock, peritonitis and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and received transfusions of red blood cells (RBC), fresh frozen plasma (FFP), γ-globulin and albumin (Alb). One month after the last RBC transfusion, prolonged thrombocytopenia was observed, and platelet concentrate (PC) was transfused. However, immediately after starting PC transfusion, he developed dyspnea, hypotension and rash, and was thus diagnosed as being in anaphylactic shock. Analysis of the patient’s serum revealed absence of haptoglobin (Hp) and the presence of anti-Hp antibody. Further studies, using PCR detected Hp^del, yielded a diagnosis of congenital Hp deficiency. Thus, the anaphylactic shock was considered to have been induced by Hp in the transfused PC reacting with pre-existing anti-Hp antibodies. Thereafter, transfusions were safely carried out with the use of washed PC. Congenital Hp deficiency is relatively prevalent, and in such cases transfusions should be carried out using washed RBC, washed PC and congenital Hp deficiency donor derived FFP to avoid anaphylactic transfusion reactions. Transfusions would be even safer if production of congenital Hp deficiency donor derived PC were to be made available in the future.

Simultaneous onset of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) and pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is rare and any possible association between these two disorders remains obscure. A 46-year-old previously healthy woman was diagnosed as having AIHA based on severe anemia, positive direct and indirect Coomb’s tests, decreased serum haptoglobin, elevated serum LDH, and indirect bilirubin-dominant hyperbilirubinemia. Oral steroid administration (1 mg/kg) and subsequent half-pulse steroid therapy ameliorated the AIHA, but the anemia was unexpectedly prolonged with the low peripheral blood reticulocyte count further decreasing to 0.11%. Bone marrow aspiration revealed a marked decrease in erythroblasts with an M/E ratio of 69.5. Anti-parvovirus B19 IgM antibody and serum B19 viral DNA (10⁹ copy/ml) were detected but no other distinct abnormalities which might have caused acquired PRCA were detected. Therefore, she was considered likely to have idiopathic AIHA and acquired PRCA simultaneously. AIHA-mediated erythroblastosis probably raised the parvovirus B19 DNA level to an extraordinary degree and thereby led to severe aplastic crisis, subsequently causing prolonged anemia. Parvovirus B19 infection should be considered in AIHA patients showing unexpectedly low reticulocyte counts.

Acquired bone marrow failure syndromes consist of aplastic anemia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Clonal hematopoiesis is frequently observed in non-neoplastic disorders, aplastic anemia and PNH as well as a neoplastic phenotype, MDS. However, the significance of such clonal hematopoiesis, particularly in aplastic anemia, remains to be elucidated. Recent advancements in next generation sequencing technology have revealed a diverse clonal structure in these bone marrow failure syndromes, as well as in age-related clonal hematopoiesis in healthy people. In this review article, we describe gene mutations in bone marrow failure syndromes, together with those detected in healthy people.

This review outlines recent advances in the understanding of gene alterations and the genetic background associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), as well as describing the roles of these genetic factors in the development of MPNs. JAK2, CALR, and MPL mutations that are specifically found in patients with MPNs have been shown to constitutively activate cytokine receptors. Other mutations that are commonly found in hematopoietic malignancies have been demonstrated to synergize with disease-specific mutations and to accelerate the development of MPN, or to define the disease subtype. However, some of these mutations are found in healthy elderly persons, such that the mechanism of MPN development remains elusive. Further analyses including those for genetic factors associated with the occurrence of MPN will lead to a complete understanding of MPN development.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease, the onset of which involves a variety of chromosomal abnormalities and gene mutations. In recent years, the use of next-generation sequencers has facilitated intensive exploration of gene mutations resulting in the discovery of many AML-related gene mutations, and in clarifying the clonal evolution process of relapse. Epigenetic regulatory gene mutations have occurred in pre-leukemic cells with normal differentiation potential, and the acquisition of numerous genetic mutations was found to be strongly associated with AML onset, with further co-mutations contributing to clonal diversity and leading to the generation of treatment-resistant clones. As a result of these fruitful findings, the gene mutations of AML are becoming useful as not only prognostic factors but also the targets of molecular medicines such as FLT3 and IDH inhibitors. Most notably, several guidelines have proposed a prognostic classification that groups FLT3ITD, NPM1 mutation, and CEBPA mutation together under conventional chromosomal aberrations. This review outlines recent findings pertaining to the gene mutations in AML.

Recent progress in next generation sequencing technologies has enabled us to investigate somatic mutations throughout the coding regions of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and have likely provided us with almost the entire spectrum of driver mutations responsible for this disease. As shown by numerous recent studies, such frequent mutations play an important role in the leukemogenesis of MDS. In the first part of this review, we comprehensively describe the characteristics and frequencies of the most prevalent mutations already confirmed as drivers in MDS. Second, we focus on the associations between karyotypic abnormalities and somatic mutations involving chromosomes 5 and 7. In particular, CSNK1A1 mutations are the most recently identified among the 5q− syndromes. Finally, we summarize recently reported findings on the functional effects of frequent splice factor mutations on splicing defects, which have been clarified by multiple institutions.

Information on the cancer genome has accumulated rapidly, since approximately 2009, with the use of second-generation sequencing technology. Malignant lymphoma is no exception. In mature B-cell lymphomas, which constitute the vast majority of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, frequent mutations are identified in genes involved in signaling pathways, histone-modifying molecules, the DNA damage-response pathway, etc. The signaling pathways in which multiple genes are mutated include immune cell-specific pathways such as the B-cell receptor, the Toll-like receptor, and their downstream NF-κB signaling pathways, as well as the NOTCH signaling pathway. In mature T/NK-cell lymphomas, mutations accumulate in genes involved in the T-cell receptor pathway and its downstream NF-κB signaling pathway, regulators of DNA methylation, the JAK-STAT pathway, etc. Many of these mutations are found in multiple types of lymphomas but the frequencies of each gene mutation differ among diseases, demonstrating characteristic profiles. This cumulative and growing fund of knowledge provides an important basis for the development of new molecular-targeted drugs.