A. Jaspers MD, PhD

Front-line venetoclax monotherapy for blastic plasmacytoid dendritric cell neoplasm

SUMMARY

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare aggressive haematological disease with a grim prognosis. The majority of patients at diagnosis are elderly (typical age range: 60 to 70 years) and seldom fit enough to receive intensive induction therapy. We report here the case of a 76-year-old patient with significant cardiac comorbidity at the time of the diagnosis of BPDCN with bone marrow involvement. He achieved haematologic complete remission with venetoclax as first-line therapy with preservation of a good quality of life, an almost exclusively outpatient care and transfusion independency. The only adverse event was a grade 4 neutropenia without any infectious complication.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2024;15(3):125–9)

Venetoclax-Azacitidine, the new standard of care for AML patients unfit for intensive treatment: A guide for clinical practice

SUMMARY

Acute myeloid leukaemia is an aggressive form of bone marrow cancer with poor prognosis, especially in elderly, unfit patients. The VIALE-A study showed an impressive improvement in complete remission rate and overall survival with the addition of venetoclax, a BCL-2 inhibitor, to azacitidine. This combination therapy is now reimbursed in Belgium for newly diagnosed adult AML patients who are considered unfit for intensive chemotherapy based on age and/or comorbidities. In this article, we provide recommendations on the use of this new combination, as well as on prophylaxis and management of specific side effects.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2023;14(2):59–66)

Erythropoiesis and iron metabolism after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation

After haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), many patients present anaemia, which can persist for months due to an inadequate erythropoietin production for the degree of the anaemia. In this thesis, we performed two randomised studies with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents therapy after allogeneic (including myeloablative and non-myeloablative conditioning) and autologous transplantation. We showed a great efficacy of this growth factor to ensure full erythroid reconstitution when initiated soon after engraftment and not immediately after the transplant. Furthermore, as iron parameters are quite disturbed following HCT, we sought to study iron metabolism after HCT (which has not been much investigated), integrating the role of hepcidin, the key regulator in iron metabolism. Hence, we demonstrated that hepcidin levels prior to and following autologous HCT were influenced by iron stores and changes in erythropoietic activity.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2019;10(2):89–95)

P78 Outcome of patients with hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome admitted in the intensive care unit

P3.05 Long-term safety follow-up of a randomized trial of darbepoetin alpha and intravenous iron following autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation

O.6 Long-term survival in patients receiving rhEPO following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

P4.05 High incidence of second malignancies in patients given allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation following reduced-intensity (RIC) or nonmyeloablative conditioning