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An open-label, phase II non-randomised trial was conducted with darbepoetin (DAR), an erythropoiesis-stimulating factor with prolonged half-life, at a weekly dose of 300 mug subcutaneously in 62 anaemic patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with an endogenous erythropoietin (EPO) level <500 mU/ml. Most of the patients were classified as low or intermediate 1 according to the International Prognostic Scoring System. After 12 weeks, 44 (71%) patients had an erythroid response (34 major and 10 minor), including eight of 13 patients who were previous non-responders to conventional EPO. Two additional responses (one minor and one major) occurred, in 10 non-responders, after the addition of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Thirty-six of the 46 total responders (31/35 major and 5/11 minor) continued to respond on maintenance DAR after a median of 40 weeks (range 4-84). Median dose of DAR required to maintain response was 300 microg every 14 d. The only prognostic factors of favourable response were low endogenous EPO level and low or absent red blood cell transfusion requirement. Those results suggest that high-dose DAR alone yields high erythroid response rates in anaemia of lower risk MDS, possibly equivalent to those obtained with conventional EPO + G-CSF, although this will need to be confirmed in larger and randomised trials.

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The aims of the study were to evaluate the impact of a written information about treatment related risks in patient receiving blood derived or recombinant medications. Haemophiliac patients and patients with constitutional or acquired immune deficiencies are concerned by this treatment and these information. Our objectives are to evaluate the efficacy of the written information, the knowledge of the patients about these medications and the psychological, emotional impact if these information. The study is based on questionnaires which specified how the patient treat bleeding episodes, their knowledge about viral safety of blood products, the patient's perception of his or her health status and relationship with the physician. Psychological and emotional status are evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The results show the difficulty to inform patients: if the information generate only limited anxiety in patients with haemophilia or immune deficiencies, we observe that the delivery of a written information got a mediocre effect on overall knowledge. We think that this information must be appropriate for patients and be communicated orally within the patient-physician relationship.

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We report here a very unusual patient with Polycythemia vera treated with Pipobroman who developed severe aplastic anemia following administration of the drug. Six months later, because of lack of response, cyclosporine therapy was given there was rapid and complete hematological recovery, highly suggestive of an immune-mediated mechanism, in this case.

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Autologous transplantation after high-dose chemo or radiotherapy is now frequently used for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). The collection of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) has a theoretical advantage over autologous bone marrow collection as the malignant plasmacytic contamination is believed to be lower. However, the extent of B cell contamination in PBSC has not been extensively investigated. Using an immunoglobulin heavy chain gene 'fingerprinting' technique at diagnosis and during apheresis after one cycle of chemotherapy we detected a monoclonal population in 44% of PBSC samples (9 positives in 22 studied). There was no correlation between contamination and sex, age, Durie and Salmon classification, C-reactive protein and albumin. A significant correlation was observed with beta 2 microglobulin serum level (P = 0.02). Twenty one patients were grafted and up to the present, with a mean follow-up of 12 months, 6 patients have relapsed including 4 patients with contaminating B cells. Our results suggest that PBSC contamination, defines a 'poor risk' group of patients, with poor prognosis. However, we could not exclude reinitiation of the disease by plasmacyte stem cells after grafting.

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Post-transfusional iron overload is a real problem for doctors in charge of transfusions, as shown by the survey we led in twenty French blood banks. Deferoxamine remains the most efficient chelator, but can be prescribed only in a parenteral way. It is now proved that continuous infusions, intravenous or subcutaneous, are preferable to intermittent injections as far as iron excretion is concerned. In our study, we selected 15 polytransfused patients for dysmyelopoiesis. 13 cases were analysed by measuring the serum ferritin level. A clear decrease was noted, as well as a relative normalization of serum alanine amino transferases. However, if this treatment is effective and well tolerated, the problem is that it obviously requires the patient's compliance. It seems important to us to optimize prevention and treatment of post-transfusional iron overload through a consensus.

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Peripheral blood samples obtained from five patients with multiple myeloma, after high-dose chemotherapy, were studied for monoclonal B plasma cell contamination. We used the technique of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene 'fingerprinting' at the time of diagnosis and during apheresis. The level of sensitivity of this technique is between 0.01% and 0.001% in two patients in whom a monoclonal population was detected in peripheral blood.

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Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were collected from 29 patients with high risk Hodgkin's disease (n = 3) or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 26) in partial remission or first sensitive relapse. Patients had either bone marrow involvement or hypoplastic bone marrow. The conditioning regimen prior PBSC collection included amsacrine and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) or Ara-C alone. PBSC collection was performed after leukocyte counts reached 1 x 10(9)/1. A good yield was obtained in 23 patients, whereas sufficient numbers of CFU-GM were not obtained in six cases. Twenty-one patients have been transplanted. All patients except one achieved bone marrow engraftment. Eight patients are in complete remission (mean duration 15 months). The estimated 2 years survival rate is 46.4% (CI 25-68%). This procedure would seems a good alternative in poor prognosis lymphomas.

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HLA immunization is a common complication of transfusion therapy in 30% to 60% of oncohematologic patients. Evidence shows that leukocytes present in cellular blood products are the main component involved in the occurrence of HLA immunization, and several studies showed that leukocyte-poor blood products are less able to induce it. However, leukocyte-poor platelet concentrates obtained by conventional techniques, ie, centrifugation, frequently have a high level of remaining leukocytes. Cotton wool filter Imugard IG 500 can be used to obtain leukocyte-poor cellular blood products. The technique is easy to perform, even in an emergency, and can be used with either packed RBCs or platelet concentrates. Means of 97%, 92%, and 76% elimination of leukocytes are obtained for packed RBCs, pooled standard platelet concentrates, and single-donor platelet concentrates, respectively. Patients were randomized to receive either standard (control group) or filtered (leukocyte-poor group) blood products. Of 112 randomized patients, 69 were evaluable, 35 in the control group and 34 in the leukocyte-poor group. Both groups are comparable according to age, diagnosis, sex ratio, previous transfusions, and pregnancies. There is a significant difference in regard to the HLA immunization rate (31.4% in the control v 11.7% in the leukocyte-poor group, P less than .05) and frequency of refractoriness to platelet transfusions (46.6% v 11.7%, P less than .05). We conclude that this filtration technique can be an efficient means to reduce the HLA immunization rate in polytransfused oncohematologic patients.

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It is necessary to think about the frequency of mistakes made at term as well as about the rare case of antenatal microcephaly when confronted with an abnormally small biparietal diameter. The authors, when confronted on twelve occasions with the problem of antenatal microcephaly, classified two situations: the discovery from systematic screening of a break in the growth of the cranial diameters. In the case of overall growth retardation of the fetus it becomes necessary to carryout amniocentesis to look for associated chromosome abnormality (two out of twelve cases); ultrasound monitoring of a pregnancy in the woman who has previously delivered a microcephalic infant in order to diagnose a possible recurrence of the condition (three out of the twelve cases). Furthermore the authors point out tha there are limits to the method. Ultrasound is only a complementary examination and the results obtained should be studied critically, confirmed by repeated examinations and integrate into the whole clinical picture. Finally, it is not always possible to differentiate between the normal and the abnormal by ultrasound. In borderline cases ultrasound has the advantage that it can point out the need for extra careful post-natal examination of the infant.

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