European journal of haematology
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The management of patients with CLL is undergoing significant changes; during the last decade, the outcome of first-line therapies has been markedly improved with the addition of anti-CD20 antibodies to chemotherapy. Today, chemoimmunotherapy for physically fit patients ≤ 65 years should consist of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR). The combination of bendamustine and rituximab (BR) should be considered in physically fit patients > 65 years and in patients with a higher risk of infections. ⋯ An increasing understanding of the disease biology has led to the development of targeted drugs for the treatment of CLL, such as the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib and PI3K inhibitor idelalisib. These agents have shown efficacy in high-risk and relapsed/refractory patients and are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for first-line therapy. It is anticipated that these compounds and further other novel agents will profoundly change the therapy of CLL.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Thiotepa-based versus total body irradiation-based myeloablative conditioning prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia in first complete remission: a retrospective analysis from the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
Thiotepa is an alkylating compound with an antineoplastic and myeloablative activity and can mimic the effect of radiation. However, it is unknown whether this new regimen could safely replace the long-established ones. This retrospective matched-pair analysis evaluated the outcome of adults with acute myeloid leukaemia in first complete remission who received myeloablative conditioning either with a thiotepa-based (n = 121) or a cyclophosphamide/total body irradiation-based (TBI; n = 358) regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from an HLA-matched sibling or an unrelated donor. ⋯ At 2 yrs, the cumulative incidences of non-relapse mortality and relapse incidence were 23.9% (thiotepa) vs. 22.4% (TBI; P = 0.66) and 17.2% (thiotepa) vs. 23.3% (TBI; P = 0.77), respectively. The probabilities of leukaemia-free and overall survival at 2 yrs were not significantly different between the thiotepa and TBI groups, at 58.9% vs. 54.2% (P = 0.95) and 61.4% vs. 58% (P = 0.72), respectively. Myeloablative regimens using combinations including thiotepa can provide satisfactory outcomes, but the optimal conditioning remains unclear for the individual patient in this setting.