Host metabolome predicts the severity and onset of acute toxicities induced by CAR T-cell therapy
Jalota and colleagues performed untargeted/targeted metabolomic analyses to identify metabolic fingerprints that were associated with cytokine release syndrome (CRS) severity and time-of-onset of CRS among patients with large B-cell lymphoma that went on to receive chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. The authors identified that pretreatment levels of glucose, cholesterol, and glutamate were associated with time-to-onset of CRS, whereas proline, glycine, and isoursodeoxycholate were correlated with CRS severity. They assert that the pretreatment host metabolome has biomarker potential for identifying individuals at high risk of developing CRS.
Splenectomy improves erythrocyte functionality in spherocytosis based on septin abundance, but not maturation defects
This study by Cloos and colleagues explores the role of septins (newly described membrane-associated proteins in red blood cells) in hereditary spherocytosis and the effect of splenectomy on red blood cell characteristics, including maturation defects.
The prevalence of thrombocytopenia in patients with acute cancer-associated thrombosis
Led by Hsu et al, this 10-year retrospective, single-institution administrative dataset of venous thromboembolism within 6 months of cancer diagnosis confirms the very high coprevalence of thrombocytopenia and thrombosis in 1 in 2 heme malignancies and 1 in 5 solid tumors. These findings suggest the need for trials to better address anticoagulation cancer-associated thrombosis in the setting of thrombocytopenia.
Diminished humoral and cellular responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Ujjani et al studied the humoral and cellular responses to COVID-19 vaccination in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The antibody response rates were 56% and 68%, respectively, after primary vaccination and following booster doses. Patients receiving B-cell–directed therapy were less likely to seroconvert. Furthermore, correlations were seen between serologic response and CD4 T-cell responses for both variants.
Novel risk assessment for the intensity of conditioning regimen in older patients
In this article, Akahoshi et al retrospectively analyzed older patients enrolled in the Japanese registry database to derive a prognostic score (RICE: risk assessment for the intensity of conditioning regimen in elderly patients) that predicts nonrelapse mortality based on advanced age, hematopoietic cell transplantation–specific comorbidity index, and umbilical cord blood. The authors’ results indicate that the RICE score is useful for personalizing the conditioning intensity, and it may improve transplant outcomes in older patients.
Minimal residual disease in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation
In this study, Merryman and colleagues studied the prognostic impact of measurable residual disease on the outcome of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who underwent autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). The authors observed that detectable disease in the apheresis stem cell product was a strong predictor of posttransplant outcomes, justifying the need for alternative treatment strategies or trials of novel consolidation options in patients with DLBCL who undergo ASCT.
