Additional booster doses in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia induce humoral and cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 similar to natural infection regardless ongoing treatments: A study by ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL

Profound immune dysregulation and impaired response to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine put patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) at risk of severe COVID-19. We compared humoral memory and T-cell responses after booster dose vaccination or breakthrough infection. (Green) Quantitative determination of anti-Spike specific antibodies. Booster doses increased seroconversion rate and antibody titers in all patient categories, ultimately generating humoral responses similar to those observed in the postinfection cohort. In detail, humoral response with overscale median antibody titers arose in >80% of patients in watch and wait, off-therapy in remission, or under treatment with venetoclax single-agent. Anti-CD20 antibodies and active treatment with BTK inhibitors (BTKi) represent limiting factors of humoral response, still memory mounted in ~40% of cases following booster doses or infection. (Blue) Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses. Number of T-cell functional activation markers documented in each patient. The vast majority of patients, including those seronegative, developed T-cell responses, qualitatively similar between treatment groups or between vaccination alone and infection cases. These data highlight the efficacy of booster doses in eliciting T-cell immunity independently of treatment status and support the use of additional vaccination boosters to stimulate humoral immunity in patients on active CLL-directed treatments.

Molecular and Clinical Characteristics of Different Toxicity Rates in Anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells: Real-World Experience

Commercially available anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CARΤ cells) have offered long-term survival to a constantly expanding patient population. Given that novel toxicities including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity (ICANS) have been observed, we aimed to document the safety and toxicity of this treatment in a real-world study. We enrolled 31 adult patients referred to our center for CAR T therapy. Tisagenlecleucel was infused in 12 patients, axicabtagene ciloleucel in 14, and brexucabtagene autoleucel in 5. Cytokine release syndrome was noted in 26 patients while neurotoxicity was observed in 7. Tocilizumab was administered for CRS in 18 patients, along with short-term, low-dose steroid administration in one patient who developed grade III CRS and, subsequently, grade I ICANS. High-dose steroids, along with anakinra and siltuximab, were administered in only two MCL patients. With a median follow-up time of 13.4 months, nine patients were then in CR. The progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 41.2% and 88.1% at one year, respectively. MCL diagnosis, which coincides with the administration of brexucabtagene autoleucel, was the only factor to be independently associated with poor OS (p < 0.001); meanwhile, increased LDH independently predicted PFS (p = 0.027).In addition, CRP at day 14 was associated with a poor OS (p = 0.001). Therefore, our real-world experience confirmed that commercial CAR T therapy can be administered with minimal toxicity.

Hemosiderosis causing liver cirrhosis in a patient with Hb S/beta thalassemia and no other known causes of hepatic disease

BACKGROUND

Hemosiderosis in the absence of blood transfusions has been encountered in conditions associated with ineffective erythropoiesis but not in sickle-cell disease (SCD). Description of the case: We report a case of a 34-year-old Caucasian male, with a history of SCD and beta thalassemia (Hb S/β⁺-thal) who presented with acute painful crises. Despite never having received regular blood transfusions in the past, the patient demonstrated elevated ferritin levels and transferrin saturation of 83 %. Further evaluation revealed diffuse hepatocellular dysfunction and cirrhosis.

CONCLUSION

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first patient with Hb S/β⁺-thal without a prior history of chronic blood transfusions or other predisposing factors for liver disease who developed hemosiderosis and cirrhosis. The pathomechanism, in this case, is thought to be related to increased duodenal iron uptake secondary to premature red cell precursor death. Further studies are required to characterize ineffective intramedullary erythropoiesis and iron metabolism better, and to improve the existing management guidelines of iron overload. The data reported herein suggest that patients with hemoglobinotpathies should be screened for iron overload regardless of transfusion history. HIPPOKRATIA 2017, 21(1): 43-45.