  Guidelines of the Belgian Hematological Society for newly diagnosed and relapsed follicular lymphoma 2012; ; et al in Belgian Journal of Hematology (2012), 3(2), 41-50 Follicular lymphoma is an indolent lymphoma that has occurred more frequently over the last decades. In this article we present an overview of the diagnosis and initial work-up, prognostic scoring system ... [more ▼] Follicular lymphoma is an indolent lymphoma that has occurred more frequently over the last decades. In this article we present an overview of the diagnosis and initial work-up, prognostic scoring system and choice of therapy. For limited stage disease radiotherapy is the treatment of choice, and may have a curative potential. For advanced stages treatment should be initiated upon certain criteria, and is essentially based on immunochemotherapy, rituximab plus chemotherapy. The choice of chemotherapy depends on age, frailty, and specific toxicities of chemotherapy. Maintenance therapy with rituximab after induction has become standard practice. Since virtually all patients relapse eventually, an overview of the treatment in the relapsed setting is given. The treatment is then again based on immunochemotherapy but there is also a place for radio-immunotherapy, or immunotherapy alone. For young patients, high dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue should be considered. A brief overview on novel agents, and agents that are in the pipeline, is given. We conclude with some recommendations for follow-up. [less ▲] Detailed reference viewed: 16 (0 ULg)Less vasoocclusive disease after intravenous ersus oral busulfan for autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation : the Belgian pediatric experience; BEGUIN, Yves  ; et alin Belgian Journal of Hematology (2012), 3(2), 34-40 Busulfan is commonly used in preparative conditioning regimens prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children and young adults for malignant and non-malignant disorders. For many years ... [more ▼] Busulfan is commonly used in preparative conditioning regimens prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children and young adults for malignant and non-malignant disorders. For many years Busulfan was only available in an oral form, resulting in large inter- and intra-patients variability in plasma exposure, associated with higher graft failure rate as well as higher toxicity such as venoocclusive disease. With the development of an intravenous formulation of Busulfan, a more accurate control of both the inter- and intra-patient variability has been provided. The goal of this study was to evaluate the use and efficacy of intravenous Busulfan in comparison with the oral formulation in children undergoing an autologous transplantation after conditioning with Busulfan. Despite the small number of patients, this study confirmed the apparent benefit of intravenous Busulfan in children undergoing an autologous HSCT. The use of a 5-level dose schedule defined by body weight resulted in an efficient engraftment with marked reduction in the incidence of veno-occlusive disease compared with oral Bu. In terms of diseasefree outcome, survival and event-free survival, similar results have been obtained in both groups. The choice of this formulation of Busulfan should therefore be considered. [less ▲] Detailed reference viewed: 17 (1 ULg)Academic clinical trials run by the transplant committee of the Belgian Hematological SocietyVANDAMME, Arnaud ; ; BEGUIN, Yves in Belgian Journal of Hematology (2012), 3(2), 62-67 The Transplantation Committee of the Belgian Hematological Society (BHS) is supported by all university centers and nonuniversity centers with significant transplant activity. The committee is involved in ... [more ▼] The Transplantation Committee of the Belgian Hematological Society (BHS) is supported by all university centers and nonuniversity centers with significant transplant activity. The committee is involved in the development of transplant guidelines and recommendations, the transplant peer review process, contacts with regulatory authorities, the introduction of expanded access and medical need programs and the initiation of academic studies addressing important questions in the transplant field. Since 2008, 8 clinical trials have been initiated after approval by the Ethics Committees and the National Competent Authority (AFMPS/FAGG). So far, one of them has been completed and is being prepared for publication. In this paper, we briefly describe the rationale, objectives, treatment arms, major inclusion criteria and current status of these different trials. In addition and for each trial a link is provided to the BHS website to obtain more details regarding inclusion criteria, participating centers and administrative/contact information [less ▲] Detailed reference viewed: 20 (6 ULg)Reduced intensity conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)Servais, Sophie ; Beguin, Yves ; Baron, Frédéric in Belgian Journal of Hematology (2011), 2 Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens have allowed performing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients for whom conventional myeloablative allogeneic HSCT is ... [more ▼] Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens have allowed performing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients for whom conventional myeloablative allogeneic HSCT is associated with unacceptable risks of non-relapse-mortality. This approac relies mainly on graft-versus-tumour effects for tumour eradication. Retrospective studies have suggested that, in patients aged 40 to 60 years, RIC-HSCT was associated with a higher risk of relapse but a lower incidence of transplant-related mortality than myeloablative allogeneic HSCT, leading to similar progression-free and overall survivals. After reviewing the rationale for RIC-HSCT, this article discusses the results of RIC-HSCT in specific deseases, and proposes what could be current indications for RIC-HSCT in 2011. Finally, the article briefly presents some possible strategies aimed at increasing the anti-tumoral activity of the procedure while reducing the incidence and severity of acute graft-versus-host disease. [less ▲] Detailed reference viewed: 52 (16 ULg) |
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