C. Hermans MD, PhD

Treatment of mantle cell lymphomas: recommendations of the Belgian Hematological Society

Summary

Mantle cell lymphoma was recognised in the nineties and is characterised by the t(11;14)(q13;q32) translocation which results in overexpression of cyclin D1.¹ This disease represents approximately 6% of all non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Mantle cell lymphoma generally affects patients over 60 years-old. Most patients have advanced disease (>70 % Ann Arbor stage IV). Several efforts have been made to predict outcome in mantle cell lymphoma. The cell-proliferation marker Ki-67, the Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index, fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and minimal residual disease are prognostic tools. For young patients, chemoimmunotherapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy plus stem cell transplantation is the treatment of choice. For the main group of older patients, chemo-immunotherapy followed by maintenance with rituximab is the gold standard. In relapses, temsirolimus is actually registered and new drugs, such as ibrutinib, are currently evaluated with promising preliminary results.^2–5

(BELG J HEMATOL 2014;5(3):89–96)

Old and new anticoagulants in practice

Functional assessment of haemophilic arthropathy with three-dimensional gait analysis

Summary

In patients with haemophilia, the long-term consequences of repeated haemarthrosis include joint cartilage damage and irreversible chronic arthropathy, resulting in severe impairments in locomotion. Quantifying the extent of joint damage is of paramount importance in order to prevent disease progression and compare the efficacy of treatment strategies, such as prophylaxis. Here we summarise the results of several studies establishing three-dimensional gait analysis as an innovative approach to evaluate functionally haemophilic arthropathy. This work also provides new insights into the understanding of the biome-chanical consequences of haemophilic arthropathy.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2013;4(2):72–76)