dard chemotherapy have a median survival ranging from Among the 248 patients evaluable for response 125 24 to 36 months with less than 5% of patients surviving at (51%) had a CR and 100 had a PR (40%). The median 10 years. 1-3 The response rates to most conventional duration of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall chemotherapy regimens are usually between 40 and 60%, survival (OS) after transplantation was 23 and 35and only 5 to 10% of these responses consist of complete months, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that remissions (CR).

Histological classification into LG and HG separates distinctive groups of gastric MALT lymphoma that show striking clinical and prognostic differences. Besides histological grade, stage is the most important prognostic feature.

No abstract

Three patients presenting with acute leukemic disorder and chromosome 3 rearrangement involving bands q21;q26 are reported, and the literature on chromosome 3q abnormalities is reviewed. All reported patients carrying a paracentric 3q inversion or a translocation 3;3 with breakpoints in q21;q26 had a myelodysplastic or acute leukemic disorder with a normal or elevated platelet count and lack of response to cytotoxic drug therapy. They showed an associated incidence of −7 or 7q− anomalies higher than de novo acute leukemia and appear to constitute a definite subgroup of the leukemic disorders with very poor prognosis. The majority of patients showing other chromosome 3 long arm rearrangements showed evidence of leukemic process, were in blastic crisis, or had been exposed to chemotherapy, exhibiting also a higher incidence of associated −5 or −7 cytogenetic abnormalities than is observed in patients not exposed to toxic agents.

Summary This study aimed to standardize a simple molecular method for evaluating the response to treatment in multiple myeloma (MM) patients after high dose chemotherapy. Fifty three patients enrolled in the GEM2000 protocol were studied for minimal residual disease (MRD) using both fluorescent‐polymerase chain reaction (F‐PCR) and flow cytometry. Most patients had achieved complete remission or very good response after autologous stem cell transplantation. The molecular analysis of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements at diagnosis and during the follow‐up was carried out by F‐PCR according to the Biomed‐2 protocols. F‐PCR could be used in 91% of the patients and the results were similar to flow cytometry. F‐PCR was able to identify a group of patients with a better prognosis [progression‐free survival (PFS) 67·86% in patients with negative F‐PCR vs. 28%; P = 0·001], even amongst patients who achieved a complete response with negative immunofixation (PFS 75% vs. 25%; P = 0·002). Multivariate analysis identified the F‐PCR result as the only variable to show a prognostic value when PFS was analysed. F‐PCR of DHJ and light chain rearrangements of immunoglobulin genes is a feasible method for evaluating MRD in MM patients after intensive therapy. Achieving molecular response by F‐PCR shows prognostic value.