Acquired Hemophilia A In Adults: A Multicenter Study from Turkey

Acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is a rare disease caused by autoantibodies inhibiting factor VIII (FVIII) activity. Although the conditionis usually idiopathic, there may be other underlying diseases. Treatment consists of two steps: treatment of acute bleeding and immunosuppression. In this multicenter study, we aimed to demonstrate the clinical characteristics, management details, and survival of AHA patients in Turkey. Data was collected from eleven centers in Turkey. aPTT, FVIII, FVIII inhibitor, and hemoglobin (HB) levels, mixing test results, and demographics at diagnosis, treatment information, adverse events, bleeding episodes during follow-up, relapses, and outcome were analyzed. Twenty-nine patients were analyzed (58.6% female). No underlying disorder could be detected in 14 patients. The most prevalent etiologies were pregnancy, malignancy and infections. The median FVIII activity and FVIII inhibitor titer at diagnosis were 0.7% (0.0-29.4%) and 32.6 BU (0.6-135.6 BU) respectively. Bleeding was severe in 44.8% of patients. The HB value was significantly lower in patients with severe bleeding. Most of the patients (n = 25, 86.2%) had only one bleeding episode without relapse, three patients (10.3%) had two bleeding episodes, and one patient had more than three bleedings. 21 (75%) patients received hemostatic therapy. The use of recombinant FVIIa was slightly higher than activated prothrombin complex concentrate (15 versus 10 patients). Immunosuppressive treatment was initiated in 26 (93%) patients. Regimens containing steroid, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab in different combinations were the most preferred. The median follow-up period was 13 months (2-156 months). Median overall survival was 154.97 months. Four and six-year survival were 90.9 ± 0.8% and 77.9 ± 14.1% respectively. This is a unique study that investigated the demographic characteristics, treatment approaches, and patient survival of AHA in Turkey.

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma diagnosed on prostate biopsy: a case report

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a very rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, usually affecting elderly patients and characterized by selective infiltration of neoplastic cells within blood vessels' lumina. IVLBCL diagnosed with prostatic involvement is extremely rare. We report a patient of 65 years old, having mostly neurological complaints but diagnosed with IVLBCL upon histopathological examination of transurethral prostate resection material, which revealed large neoplastic cell infiltration totally limited within the lumens of small vessels. By immunohistochemistry, neoplastic cell infiltration was positive with MUM1, bcl-6, and bcl-2 and negative with ALK1, CD10, and CD30, with a high Ki-67 proliferation index. CD34 and CD31 staining showed expression in endothelial cells, highlighting the intravascular nature of neoplastic infiltrate. The patient unfortunately refused to receive treatment and died of the disease 8 months after the diagnosis. IVLBCL, though very rare, should be considered in differential diagnosis of all organ biopsies with intravascular infiltration. Further improvements in the understanding of the pathogenesis and biology of this rare type of lymphoma are mandatory.