Purpose of the study. A comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of different therapeutic strategies in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET). Materials and methods. Patients with PV or ET, diagnosed according to the criteria WHO 2016 were included in the study. The primary endpoint - 6 months of therapy (clinical-hematological and molecular responses). The secondary endpoint - 12 months of therapy (clinico-hematologic, molecular, histological responses). Sixty three patients were included in the analysis: the first group consisted of 33 patients who received the therapy with ce-pegiterferone alpha-2b (ce-pegalpha-INF-α-2b), 10 of them received previous treatment; the second group - 23 patients btained hydroxycarbamide; the third group - 7 patients were treated with recombinant interferon alpha therapy (rINFα). In comparison groups, differences in age were revealed: patients receiving hydroxycarbamide therapy were older. Phlebotomy occurred in 36% of patients in the first group, 9% in the second group, and 14% in the third group. Results. By the 6th month of therapy, 43% of the patients receiving the ce-pegalpha-INF-α-2b had complete clinical-hematologic response, 36% had partial clinical-hematologic remission and stabilization of the disease was established in 21% cases. No disease progression occured. By the 12th month of therapy, statistically significant differences in terms of efficacy between the different therapeutic groups (p = 0.2462, Fisher's exact test). In all three groups, the allelic load of JAK2V617F decreased: from 50 to 19%, from 22.3 to 15.8%, from 50 to 7.19%, respectively. The lower the allele load positively correlated with better response to therapy, which was observed in all analyzed groups. Hematologic adverse events (AEs) were more frequently observed in patients receiving ce-pegalpha-INF-α-2b therapy. Local reactions developed on 3-7 days of therapy as a hyperemic macula at the injection site. Both these reactions and hair loss did not influence on patient’s condition. In the second group (patients with hydroxycarbamide therapy) there were changes in the skin and mucous membranes: dry skin, stomatitis, and in older patients new keratomas appeared. The flu-like syndrome was the most common adverse event associated with the therapy of ce-pegalpha-INF-α-2b, which fully relived during the first month of therapy. There was only one case with the flu-like syndrome we observed at the 11th month of therapy. As a rule, the biochemical blood test changes did not influence on patient’s condition, were mostly associated with dietary violations, had a tendency to self-resolution and did not require medical interventions. Serious AEs were reported in one case - pulmonary embolism in a patient treated with rINFα. The reasons for the therapy discontinue in group 1: toxic hepatitis, intolerance, by the request of the patient, inadequate efficacy of therapy; in group 2: skin toxicity, in group 3: thromboses. The conclusion. Treatment of ce-pegalpha-INF-α-2b in patients with PV and ET is highly effective - the most patients pbtained clinical and hematological responses. There were no statistically significant differences in these parameters in comparison with hydroxycarbamide and rINFα. The use of the ce-pegalpha-INF-α-2b had an acceptable safety profile. The estimated therapeutic dose should be calculated according to body weight. To reduce the frequency of hematologic AE, titration of the drug dose is required.

Results: Serum OPG concentrations increased throughout the study period (p = 7.26x10 -5 ) while RANKL concentrations did not change (p = 0.19). The OPG:RANKL ratio exhibited a 6.2-fold increase between Days 1 and 5. CTX-1 concentrations were lower (p = 0.006) 30 minutes after the 50 U/kg FVIII infusion. CTX-1 response for each participant was assessed using linear regression throughout the time course. Spine L1-L4 Z-score (SZ) and Hip Total Z-score (HTZ) correlate with CTX-1 response (p = 3.4x10 -4 and 0.014, respectively). The mean age of participants was 25.2 ± 2.1 at time of first study visit. Participants had a mean SZ of −0.74 ± 0.34, HTZ of −0.17 ± 0.32, Hip Neck Z-score (HNZ) of −0.16 ± 0.35, and HJHS of 20 ± 5. HTZ and HNZ decreased significantly with patient age (p = 0.027 and 0.032) while SZ and HJHS did not (p = 0.18 and 0.16). Consequently, age correction was applied to BMD comparisons. Statistical comparisons between HAL, EQ-5D-3L, and BHQ answers, BMD data, and HJHS are shown in Table 1. Summary/Conclusion: This prospective study demonstrates a relationship between FVIII deficiency and bone disease in PwH. OPG acts as a decoy ligand to RANKL, inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption. The observed increase in OPG:RANKL ratio suggests FVIII has a direct impact on this pathway. Decreased CTX-1 concentrations following factor infusion and correlations between CTX-1 response and BMD further suggests that FVIII plays a role in moderating bone remodeling. Hemophilia-associated bone and joint pathology is associated with decreased quality of life. Correlations between BMD and questionnaire responses demonstrate that poor bone and joint health is physically limiting, causes discomfort, and negatively impacts perceptions of personal well-being. Furthermore, correlations between BMD and HJHS and ISTH-BAT responses (Table 1) illustrate a relationship between bleeding management and skeletal health. PwH with lower BMD report more nose and gum bleeds, suggesting a link between FVIII replacement and skeletal health. Bleeds in the extremities were not correlated with decreased BMD or increased HJHS, but abdominal (stomach, iliopsoas) and other bleeds were. Analysis of these data is ongoing.

CONTEXT: Many hematological and non-hematological diseases can be hidden under the mask of isolated thrombocytopenia. The choice of therapeutic tactics is determinated by correct diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: to define the frequency of occurrence of primary immune thrombocytopenia (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura-ITP) in the group of patients with isolated thrombocytopenia. Materials and methods: We analysed clinical and laboratory data of 301 patients who applied to the outpatient department of National Research Center for hematology, Russian Federation with thrombocytopenia of unspecified origin. The first group is 183 patients who applied for the first time. The second group is 118 patients with long history of ITP. All patients were examined according to the extended differential diagnostic protocol used in isolated thrombocytopenia and based on international and National clinical recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of ITP in adults. Results: Median age of patients in both groups was 36 years, male/female ratio in group 1 was 1:2, in group 2 - 1:4. In group 1, the count of platelets in the blood was more than 50*109/l in 87% of cases, while in the second group, in most cases (94%), there was a decrease in the count of platelets <50*109/l. Among the patients of the first group, haemorrhagic syndrome was absent in 50% of cases, even with platelet count less than 50*109/l. In the second group, 88% of patients complained of haemorrhages on the skin and mucosa, in 2% of cases life-threatening bleeding (uterine and gastrointestinal) developed (table 1). The examination carried out according to the protocol allowed to establish the diagnosis of ITP in group 1 in 88 (48%) patients, in group 2 in 100 (85%). Thus, the ratio of primary and secondary thrombocytopenia in group 1 was 1:1, in group 2 - 6:1. (fig. 1). The causes of secondary thrombocytopenia in group 1 were: increased consumption syndrome with thrombogenic complications in 16 (9%) patients, autoimmune diseases, occurring with isolated thrombocytopenia in 13 (7%) cases, virus-associated thrombocytopenia in 12 (7%) patients, drug-induced thrombocytopenia in 8 (4%) patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system, long-taking anticoagulants and disaggregants, in 7 (4%) cases of chronic viral hepatitis C, in 4 (2%) - liver cirrhosis of non-viral etiology, in 4 (2%) HIV infection, in 4 (2%) lymphoproliferative disease, in 2 (1%) acute leukemia, in 3 (2%) cases myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 14 (8%) women were diagnosed with gestational thrombocytopenia, EDTA-associated false thrombocytopenia was detected in 8 (4%) patients. Repeated examination of patients of the second group was carried out in the following cases: early relapse, resistance to corticosteroid therapy or loss of response after any line of therapy, incompliance of haemorrhagic syndrome with the count of platelets, the presence of thrombosis in the history, causing doubts in the diagnosis of ITP. The diagnosis of ITP in this group was changed to antiphospholipid syndrome in 4 patients, MDS in 4 cases, in 2 - systemic lupus erythematosus, in 3 - primary immunodeficiency and 2 patients, aged 40 and 44 years were found to have a genetic abnormality - abnormality Meya-Hegglina and thrombasthenia Glanzmann. A comparison of the number of patients diagnosed with ITP and secondary thrombocytopenia by age groups showed that secondary thrombocytopenia are more common at the age of 60 years (38% versus 19%, respectively) (Fig. 2). Conclusion: This study clearly presents a variety of hematological and non-hematological diseases occurring with isolated thrombocytopenia, which indicates the ambiguity of such concepts as the symptom of isolated thrombocytopenia and primary immune thrombocytopenia and requires a complete examination not only in the onset of the disease, but also in the recurrence of ITP. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Primary myelofibrosis is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that occurs de novo, characterized by clonal proliferation of stem cells, abnormal expression of cytokines, bone marrow fibrosis, hepatosplenomegaly as a result of extramedullary hematopoiesis, symptoms of tumor intoxication, cachexemia, peripheral blood leukoerythroblastosis, leukemic progression and low survival. Primary myelofibrosis is a chronic incurable disease. The aims of therapy: preventing progression, increasing overall survival, improving quality of life. The choice of therapeutic tactics is limited. Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the only method that gives a chance for a cure. The role of mutations in a number of genes in the early identification of candidates for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is being actively studied. The article describes the clinical case of the detection ofASXL1gene mutations in a patient with prefibrous primary myelofibrosis. The diagnosis was established on the basis of WHO criteria 2016. The examination revealed a mutation ofASXL1. Interferon alfa therapy is carried out, against the background of which clinico-hematological remission has been achieved. Despite the identified mutation, the patient is not a candidate for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Given the unfavorable prognostic value of theASXL1mutation, the patient is subject to active dynamic observation and aggressive therapeutic tactics when signs of disease progression appear.

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