Treatment of autoimmune cytopenia complicating progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is constrained by intolerance of myelosuppression and the risk of exacerbation of autoimmune cytopenia by purine analogs particularly when used as single agents. We report on 20 such patients treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CVP). Autoimmune cytopenia responded in 19 patients (14 complete remissions (CR), five partial remissions (PR)) with a median time to next treatment (TTT) for autoimmune cytopenia of 21.7 months. Progressive CLL responded in 17 patients (nine CR/complete clinical response, eight PR) with a median TTT of 27.7 months. Five patients have not required any re-treatment at 15–30 months. Grade 3–4 toxicities were infections (n = 3) and drug-induced pneumonitis (n = 1). No patient required blood cell transfusions after cycle 1 of therapy. We conclude that R-CVP is effective and tolerable therapy for autoimmune cytopenia complicating progressive CLL, but the duration of response is suboptimal.

CpG oligonucleotide 7909 (CpG 7909, PF-03512676), a synthetic 24mer single stranded agonist of TLR9 expressed by B cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, is immunomodulatory and can cause activation-induced death of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells. We report a phase I study of CpG 7909 in 41 patients with early relapsed CLL. A single intravenous dose of CpG 7909 was well tolerated with no clinical effects and no significant toxicity up to 1.05 mg/kg. Single dose subcutaneous CpG 7909 had a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 0.45 mg/kg with dose limiting toxicity of myalgia and constitutional effects. Multiple weekly subcutaneous doses at the MTD were well tolerated. CpG 7909 administration induced immunologic changes in CLL and non-malignant cells that were dose and route dependent. We conclude that multidose therapy with subcutaneous CpG 7909 (0.45 mg/kg) could be used in future phase II combination clinical trials for CLL.

Background

The t(14;18)(q32;q21) is the most commonly observed chromosomal translocation in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), resulting in constitutive Bcl-2 expression and apoptosis inhibition. In addition, germline variation in both BCL2L11 (BIM) and CASP9, known regulators of apoptosis, have recently been linked to NHL risk. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of 36 apoptosis pathway genes with risk of NHL.

Methods

We genotyped 226 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 36 candidate genes in a clinic-based study of 441 newly diagnosed NHL cases and 475 frequency matched controls. We used principal components analysis to assess gene-level associations, and logistic regression to assess SNP-level associations. MACH was used for imputation of SNPs in BCL2L11 and CASP9.

Results

In gene level analyses, BCL2L11 (p=0.0019), BCLAF1 (p=0.0097), BAG5 (p=0.026) and CASP9 (p=0.0022) were associated with NHL risk after accounting for multiple testing (tail strength 0.38; 95% CI 0.05, 0.70). Two of the 5 BCL2L11 tagSNPs (rs6746608 and rs12613243), both genotyped BCLAF1 tagSNPs (rs797558 and rs703193), the single genotyped BAG5 tagSNP (rs7693), and 3 of the 7 genotyped CASP9 tagSNPs (rs6685648, rs2020902, rs2042370) were significant at p<0.05. We successfully imputed BCL2L11 and CASP9 SNPs previously linked to NHL, and replicated all 4 BCL2L11 and 2 of 3 CASP9 SNPs.

Conclusion

We replicated the association of BCL2L11 and CASP9 with NHL risk at the gene and SNP-level, and identified novel associations with BCLAF1 and BAG5.

Impact

Closer evaluation of germline variation of genes in the apoptosis pathway with risk of NHL and its subtypes is warranted.

The study looks at the high cost of new treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and calls for the consideration of a standardized and transparent method to determine the price of new drugs based on comparative effectiveness.

Background

Patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) often have chemotherapy resistant disease resulting in a poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to learn if inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) would produce tumor responses.

Methods

This was a phase II study of oral single-agent everolimus (10 mg/day) for relapsed/refractory indolent lymphoid malignancies including CLL.

Results

Four of 22 patients with CLL (18%, 95% CI: 5–40%) achieved a partial remission to therapy. An unanticipated finding in this study was an increase in the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) associated with a decrease in lymphadenopathy in 8 (36%) patients. The ALC increased a median of 4.8 fold (range, 1.9 – 25.1), and the clinically measurable lymphadenopathy decreased a median of 75.5% (range, 38 – 93) compared to baseline measurements.

Conclusion

Everolimus has modest anti-tumor activity against CLL and can mobilize malignant cells from nodal masses into the peripheral circulation in a subset of CLL patients. Because CLL cells in lymphatic tissue and bone marrow can be more resistant to therapy than circulating CLL cells, the ability of everolimus to mobilize CLL cells into the circulation could be utilized in combination therapeutic regimens.

We have shown that the combination of pentostatin (P), cyclophosphamide (C) and rituximab (R) achieves an overall response (OR) rate >90% with more than 40% complete responses (CR) in patients with untreated CLL. To evaluate if the tolerability of this regimen could be enhanced without sacrificing efficacy, we conducted a phase II trial of P and R without cyclophosphamide, using a higher P dose (4 mg/m2). Among the 33 patients enrolled, 82% were male, median age was 65 (9 patients ≥70 years) and 64% were Rai stage III-IV. The OR rate was 76% with 9 CR (27%), 5 nPR, and 11 PRs. At the time of this analysis, 29/33 patients are still alive and the median follow up for patients still alive is 14 months (range: 1-34.8 months). Four (12%) patients experienced grade 3 or higher hematologic toxicity and 5 (15%) experienced grade 3 or higher non-hematologic toxicity. Comparison of this trial to our previous PCR trial showed that patients treated with PCR had a higher OR rate (91% vs. 76%) and CR rate (41% vs. 27%) compared to patients treated with PR. Median treatment-free survival for all accrued patients was notably longer in PCR treated patients compared to PR (30 vs. 16 months). These findings suggest that increasing the dose of the purine nucleoside analogue does not eliminate the need for cyclophosphamide in chemoimmunotherapy for treatment of CLL.

We present the design features and implementation of a clinic-based case-control study on the molecular epidemiology of lymphoma conducted at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota, USA), and then assess the internal and external validity of the study. Cases were newly diagnosed lymphoma patients from Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin seen at Mayo and controls were patients from the same region without lymphoma who had a pre-scheduled general medical examination, frequency matched on age, sex and residence. Overall response rates were 67% for cases and 70% for controls; response rates were lower for cases and controls over age 70 years, cases with more aggressive disease, and controls from the local area, although absolute differences were modest. Cases and controls were well-balanced on age, sex, and residence characteristics. Demographic and disease characteristics of NHL cases were similar to population-based cancer registry data. Control distributions were similar to population-based data on lifestyle factors and minor allele frequencies of over 500 SNPs, although smoking rates were slightly lower. Associations with NHL in the Mayo study for smoking, alcohol use, family history of lymphoma, autoimmune disease, asthma, eczema, body mass index, and single nucleotide polymorphisms in TNF (rs1800629), LTA (rs909253), and IL10 (rs1800896) were at a magnitude consistent with estimates from pooled studies in InterLymph, with history of any allergy the only directly discordant result in the Mayo study. These data suggest that this study should have strong internal and external validity. This framework may be useful to others who are designing a similar study.

Summary

Deletion 13q14 on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis is the most common cytogenetic abnormality in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and is a favorable prognostic biomarker when detected as a sole abnormality. We intensively interrogated clinical outcome in 323 consecutive, untreated CLL patients with isolated 13q- identified within two years of diagnosis. We also analyzed outcome in 217 additional patients with deletion 11q22.3 or 17p13.1, or trisomy 12 based on whether these occurred in isolation or in conjunction with 13q-. Patients with a heterozygous 13q- and those with a homozygous deletion had similar time to first treatment (TFT) and overall survival (OS). In contrast, a higher percentage of 13q- nuclei was associated with significantly shorter TFT (p<0.001). The 5-year untreated rate was 79% for patients with isolated 13q- in ≤65.5% of nuclei compared to 38% among those with 13q- in >65.5% of nuclei (p<0.001). The percentage of nuclei exhibiting 13q- remained an independent predictor of TFT after controlling for ZAP-70, IgVH, or CD38 (all p<0.001). Among patients with 13q- plus one other FISH abnormality, concomitant 13q- appeared to attenuate the shorter survival associated with 17p- (p=0.019). The clinical implications of 13q- in CLL appear more complex than originally appreciated.

Background

The pathology and clinical course of patients with CD5+ chronic B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders, excluding those that present with typical chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) or mantle cell lymphoma, (i.e. CD5+B-CLPD) are poorly defined.

Methods

We studied patients with CD5+B-CLPD to 1) more completely define the clinical features and pathology of CD5+B-CLPD, 2) compare these features to patients presenting with typical CLL, and 3) test the hypothesis that a subset of patients with CD5+B-CLPD could have a unique B-cell malignancy.

Results

We identified 229 patients with CD5+B-CLPD. A definitive pathological diagnosis was made in all 61 (27%) CD5+B-CLPD patients with non-bone marrow (BM) biopsy specimens considered adequate for a comprehensive pathological examination. The most common diagnosis among these 61 patients was CLL (44%) followed by the leukemic phase of marginal zone lymphoma (34%), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (11%), diffuse large B cell lymphoma (8%), and high grade B cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (2%). In contrast, among 168 patients without a non-BM tissue biopsy specimen, a specific diagnosis could be made on review of all available data in only 24 (14%) with 144 (86%) remaining “unclassified”.

Conclusions

In patients with CD5+B-CLPD, a definitive diagnosis can be made on an adequate non-BM tissue biopsy suggesting that this entity does not include a novel disease. We recommend that all patients with CD5+B-CLPD should have a non-BM tissue biopsy to make a definitive diagnosis prior to initiation of treatment.

It was hypothesized that contact between chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B-cells and marrow stromal cells impact both cell types. To test this hypothesis, we utilized a long-term primary culture system from bone biopsies that reliably generates a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC). Co-culture of MSC with CLL B-cells protected the latter from both spontaneous apoptosis and drug-induced apoptosis. The CD38 expression in previously CD38 positive CLL B-cells was up-regulated with MSC co-culture. Up-regulation of CD71, CD25, CD69 and CD70 in CLL B-cells was found in the co-culture. CD71 up-regulation was more significantly associated with high-risk CLL, implicating CD71 regulation in the microenvironment predicting disease progression. In MSC, rapid ERK and AKT phosphorylation (within 30 min) were detected when CLL B-cells and MSC were separated by transwell; indicating that activation of MSC was mediated by soluble factors. These findings support a bi-directional activation between bone marrow stromal cells and CLL B-cells.

Purpose

The diagnosis of monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) is used to characterize patients with a circulating population of clonal B cells, a total B-cell count of less than 5 × 109/L, and no other features of a B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder including lymphadenopathy/organomegaly. The natural history of clinically identified MBL is unclear. The goal of this study was to explore the outcome of patients with MBL relative to that of individuals with Rai stage 0 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Patients and Methods

We used hematopathology records to identify a cohort of 631 patients with newly diagnosed MBL or Rai stage 0 CLL. Within this cohort, 302 patients had MBL (B-cell counts of 0.02 to 4.99 × 109/L); 94 patients had Rai stage 0 CLL with an absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) ≤ 10 × 109/L; and 219 patients had Rai stage 0 CLL with an ALC more than 10 × 109/L. Data on clinical outcome were abstracted from medical records.

Results

The percentage of MBL patients free of treatment at 1, 2, and 5 years was 99%, 98%, and 93%, respectively. B-cell count as a continuous variable (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.9, P = .04) and CD38 status (HR = 10.8, P = .006) predicted time to treatment (TTT) among MBL patients. The likelihood of treatment for MBL patients was lower (HR = 0.32, P = .04) than that of both Rai stage 0 CLL patients with an ALC less than 10 × 109/L (n = 94) and Rai stage 0 CLL patients with an ALC more than 10 × 109/L (n = 219; P = .0003).

Conclusion

Individuals with MBL identified in clinical practice have a low risk for progression at 5 years. Because B-cell count seems to relate to TTT as a continuous variable, additional studies are needed to determine what B-cell count should be used to distinguish between MBL and CLL.

Summary

Germline mutations in complement genes have been associated with susceptibility to infections and autoimmune diseases, conditions that are associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk. To test the hypothesis that common genetic variation in complement genes affect risk of NHL, we genotyped 167 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 31 genes in 441 NHL cases and 475 controls. Principal components (PC) and haplotype analyses were used for gene-level tests of NHL risk, while individual SNPs were modeled as having a log-additive effect. In gene level PC analyses, C2 (p=0.023), C5 (p=0.0032) and C9 (p=0.020) were associated with NHL risk; haplotype analyses showed similar results, as well as a haplotype association for C7 (p=0.046). When all 4 genes were considered simultaneously, only C5 and C9 remained significant (p<0.05). In SNP level results from these genes, 10 SNPs had a p<0.05. However, after correcting for multiple testing, only the C5 SNPs rs7026551 (q=0.015; OR=1.54, 95% CI 1.21-1.95) and rs2416810 (q=0.015; OR=1.57; 95% CI 1.22-2.01), and the C9 SNP rs187875 (q=0.015; OR=0.68; 95% 0.56-0.84) remained noteworthy. Associations were similar for the common NHL subtypes. In summary, we provide evidence for a role of genetic variation in complement genes, particularly C5 and C9, and NHL risk.

Purpose

Smudge cells are ruptured chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells appearing on the blood smears of CLL patients. Our recent findings suggest that the number of smudge cells may have important biologic correlations rather than being only an artifact of slide preparation. In this study, we evaluated whether the smudge cell percentage on a blood smear predicted survival of CLL patients.

Patients and Methods

We calculated smudge cell percentages (ratio of smudged to intact cells plus smudged lymphocytes) on archived blood smears from a cohort of previously untreated patients with predominantly early-stage CLL enrolled onto a prospective observational study. The relationship between percentage of smudge cells, patient survival, and other prognostic factors was explored.

Results

Between 1994 and 2002, 108 patients were enrolled onto the study and had archived blood smears available for review; 80% of patients had Rai stage 0 or I disease. The median smudge cell percentage was 28% (range, 1% to 75%). The percentage of smudge cells was lower in CD38+ versus CD38– patients (P = .019) and in Zap70-positive versus Zap70-negative patients (P = .028). Smudge cell percentage as a continuous variable was associated with prolonged survival (P = .042). The 10-year survival rate was 50% for patients with 30% or less smudge cells compared with 80% for patients with more than 30% of smudge cells (P = .015). In multivariate analysis, the percentage of smudge cells was an independent predictor of overall survival.

Conclusion

Percentage of smudge cells on blood smear is readily available and an independent factor predicting overall survival in CLL.

Background

CLL patients are usually only treated for progressive disease. However, the discovery of biological predictors of high risk of disease progression together with the development of newer more targeted therapies could change this paradigm. In this phase 2 study we tested the safety and efficacy of early treatment of high risk CLL patients with alemtuzumab and rituximab.

Methods

Patients were eligible for treatment if they were 1) previously untreated 2) had no NCI-Working Group 1996 criteria for treatment and 3) had at least one marker of high risk disease (17p13−, 11q22−, or combination of unmutated IgVH and CD38+/ZAP70+). Treatment consisted of subcutaneous alemtuzumab (initial dose escalation followed by 30 mg on Monday-Wednesday-Friday for 4 weeks) and intravenous rituximab (375 mg/m2/week × 4 doses). All patients received PCP and herpes virus prophylaxis and were monitored for CMV reactivation.

Results

Twenty seven of thirty (90%) patients responded to therapy with 11 (37%) complete responses (CR). Five (17%) patients with CR had no detectable minimal residual disease. Median duration of response was 14.4 months and only nine patients have required re-treatment for progressive disease to date (median follow 17.6 months). Study patients had a significantly longer time from diagnosis to first treatment for CLL using conventional indications than a comparison cohort with similar biologic risk profiles.

Conclusions

The therapy regimen was safe and effective for high-risk, early stage patients. Further studies are required to determine if this early treatment strategy decreases morbidity and mortality for high-risk CLL.

We evaluated patients’ satisfaction with the physician caring for them as part of an international web-based survey of quality of life(QOL) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL; n=1482). Over half(55.9%) of patients thought about their diagnosis daily. Although >90% felt their doctor understood how their disease was progressing(i.e., stage, blood counts, nodes), <70% felt their physician understood how CLL affected their QOL(anxiety, worry, fatigue). Reported satisfaction with their physician in a variety of areas strongly related to patients’ measured emotional and overall QOL(all p<0.001). Physician use of specific euphemistic phrases to characterize CLL (e.g., “CLL is the ‘good’ leukemia”) was also associated with lower emotional QOL among patients (p<0.001). These effects on QOL remained(p<0.001) after adjustment for age, co-morbid health conditions, fatigue, and treatment status. The effectiveness with which physicians help patients adjust to the physical, intellectual, and emotional challenges of CLL appears to impact patient QOL.

Background

The clinical course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is highly variable. A prognostic index based on widely available clinical and laboratory features was recently developed to predict survival among patients with previously untreated CLL. This index requires validation in an independent series of patients before widespread use can be recommended.

Methods

We used the Mayo Clinic CLL database to evaluate the validity and reproducibility of the new prognostic index.

Results

We identified 440 patients with newly diagnosed CLL who were seen at Mayo Clinic within 12 months of diagnosis and who had data to calculate index score. Patients were classified as low, intermediate, or high risk using the prognostic index. The estimated median survival times were: not reached for low risk; 10.1 years for intermediate risk; and 7.2 years for high risk. Estimated median and 5 year survival by prognostic index category were similar to those originally reported. The prognostic index added predictive value beyond that of Rai risk alone (p=0.004). Prognostic index risk category remained a predictor of survival when analysis was limited to Rai stage 0 (p=0.03) and non-referred patients (p<0.0001) and also predicted time to treatment (p<0.0001).

Conclusion

We confirm the ability of a newly developed prognostic index to predict survival among patients with previously untreated CLL. We also extend the utility of the index by demonstrating that it is useful at diagnosis, retains prognostic value when applied exclusively to Rai stage 0 patients, is effective in non-referred patients, and predicts time to treatment.

The mechanism of cytotoxicity of alemtuzumab and rituximab in CLL is not well understood. We obtained fresh CLL cells from early stage high risk patients just prior to treatment with alemtuzumab and rituximab to study mechanisms of action and resistance. Alemtuzumab had minimal direct cytotoxicity but caused significant complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) although a subpopulation of CLL cells had intrinsic resistance. Rituximab had no direct cytotoxicity and caused minimal CDC in cells from most patients. These data suggest that CDC has a therapeutic role in patients treated with alemtuzumab and that measures to decrease resistance to CDC could increase efficacy.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a cancer closely associated with immune function, and the TNF G-308A promotor polymorphism, which influences immune function and regulation, was recently reported by the InterLymph Consortium to be associated with NHL risk. TNF signaling activates the NF-κB canonical pathway, leading to transcriptional activation of multiple genes that influence inflammation and immune response. We hypothesized that in addition to TNF signaling, common genetic variation in genes from the NF-κB canonical pathway may affect risk of NHL. We genotyped 54 SNPs within TNF, LTA, and nine NF-κB genes from the canonical pathway (TNFRSF1A, TRADD, TRAF2, TRAF5, RIPK1, CHUK, IKBKB, NFKB1, REL) in a clinic-based study of 441 incident cases and 475 frequency matched controls. Tagging SNPs were selected from HapMap, supplemented by putative functional SNPs for LTA/TNF. We used principal components and haplo.stats to model gene level associations, and logistic regression to model SNP level associations. Compared to the wildtype (GG), the AA genotype for the TNF promoter polymorphism G-308A (rs1800629) was associated with increased risk of NHL (OR=2.14, 95% CI 0.94-4.85), while the GA genotype was not (OR=1.00, 95% CI 0.74-1.34). This association was similar for follicular lymphoma and DLBCL. A previously reported TNF/LTA haplotype was also associated with NHL risk. In gene-level analysis of the NF-κB pathway, only NFKB1 showed a statistically significant association with NHL (p=0.049), and one NFKB1 tagSNP (rs4648022) was associated with NHL risk overall (ordinal OR= 0.59, 95% CI 0.41-0.84; p-trend=0.0037), and for each of the common subtypes. In conclusion, we provide additional evidence for the role of genetic variation in TNF and LTA SNPs and haplotypes with risk of NHL, and we also provide some of the first preliminary evidence for an association of genetic variation in NFKB1, a downstream target of TNF signaling, with risk of NHL.

The development of cytopenia in CLL patients can predict poor prognosis. We evaluated all CLL patients seen in the Division of Hematology at Mayo Clinic Rochester from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2004 (n = 1,750) for cytopenia, etiology of cytopenia, and clinical outcome. Cytopenia occurred in 423 (24.2%) patients and was attributable to CLL in 303 (17.3%) with 228 (75%) of these having bone marrow (BM) failure and 75 (25%) having autoimmune disease (AID). Survival from onset of cytopenia was significantly better for patients with AID (median 9.1 years) compared to patients with BM failure (median 4.4 years, p < 0.001). Patients with AID diagnosed within 1 year of the diagnosis of CLL (n = 35) had similar survival from diagnosis compared to patients without CLL related cytopenia (median 9.3 vs. 9.7 years, p = 0.881). Although cytopenia caused by BM failure predicts a poorer prognosis in CLL, cytopenia caused by AID is not an adverse prognostic factor. These findings suggest that patients with cytopenia due to AID cannot be meaningfully classified by the current clinical staging systems. Revisions of the NCI-WG 96 criteria should consider the etiology of cytopenia in staging CLL patients.

TCL-1 expression is variable in CLL, and no study has examined its association with treatment response. We measured TCL-1 protein in CLL cells from 51 patients who then received pentostatin, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab. TCL-1 expression did not correlate with any pre-treatment characteristics. Lower TCL-1 levels were associated with higher probability of attaining flow cytometry-negative status post-treatment (52% versus 17%, p=0.046). Trends toward improved complete remission rate (49% versus 19%, p=0.064) and progression-free survival (medians: 33 versus 20 months, p=0.199) were noted with lower TCL-1 expression. These data suggest TCL-1 expression may help predict treatment outcome in CLL patients following chemoimmunotherapy, and examination in larger studies is warranted.

Survival of patients with B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) can be predicted by analysis of mutations in the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable gene (IGHV). Patients without mutations (unmutated [UM]) are at greater risk for disease progression and death than patients with mutations (M). Despite this broad prognostic difference, there remains wide intragroup variation in the clinical outcome of UM patients, especially those with low/intermediate Rai risk disease. We evaluated UM B-CLL patients with low/intermediate Rai risk to determine the relationship between IGHV, IGH diversity (IGHD), and IGH joining (IGHJ) gene usage and time to treatment (TTT). Irrespective of IGHV usage, UM patients whose B-CLL cells expressed the IGHD3-3 gene had a significantly shorter TTT than other UM B-CLL patients, and specifically, use of the IGHD3-3 gene in reading frame 2 (RF2) predicted shorter TTT. As expected, Rai risk was the best single prognostic factor for TTT; however, IGHD usage was also a significant variable for TTT. Therefore, both IGHD gene and IGHD RF usage have prognostic relevance in UM B-CLL patients with low/intermediate Rai risk disease. In addition, these data support the concept that antigen-driven selection of specific Ig receptors plays a role in the clinical course of B-CLL.

Background

We sought to assess self-rated importance of the medical interview to clinical practice and competence in physician-patient communication among new internal medicine faculty at an academic medical center.

Methods

Since 2001, new internal medicine faculty at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (Rochester, Minnesota) have completed a survey on physician-patient communication. The survey asks the new faculty to rate their overall competence in medical interviewing, the importance of the medical interview to their practice, their confidence and adequacy of previous training in handling eight frequently encountered challenging communication scenarios, and whether they would benefit from additional communication training.

Results

Between 2001 and 2004, 75 general internists and internal medicine subspecialists were appointed to the faculty, and of these, 58 (77%) completed the survey. The faculty rated (on a 10-point scale) the importance of the medical interview higher than their competence in interviewing; this difference was significant (average ± SD, 9.4 ± 1.0 vs 7.7 ± 1.2, P < .001). Similar results were obtained by sex, age, specialty, years since residency or fellowship training, and perceived benefit of training. Experienced faculty rated their competence in medical interviewing and the importance of the medical interview higher than recent graduates (ie, less than one year since training). For each challenging communication scenario, the new faculty rated the adequacy of their previous training in handling the scenario relatively low. A majority (57%) said they would benefit from additional communication training.

Conclusion

Although new internal medicine faculty rate high the importance of the medical interview, they rate their competence and adequacy of previous training in medical interviewing relatively low, and many indicate that they would benefit from additional communication training. These results should encourage academic medical centers to make curricula in physician-patient communication available to their faculty members because many of them not only care for patients, but also teach clinical skills, including communication skills, to trainees.

Monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL) is a hematologic condition wherein small B cell clones can be detected in the blood of asymptomatic individuals. Most MBL have an immunophenotype similar to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and “CLL-like” MBL is a precursor to CLL. We used flow cytometry to identify MBL from unaffected members of CLL kindreds. We identified 101 MBL cases from 622 study subjects; of these, 82 individuals with MBL were further characterized. Ninety-one unique MBL clones were detected: 73 CLL-like MBL (CD5+CD20dimsIgdim), 11 atypical MBL (CD5+CD20+sIg+), and 7 CD5neg MBL (CD5negCD20+sIgneg). Extended immunophenotypic characterization of these MBL subtypes was performed, and significant differences in cell surface expression of CD23, CD49d, CD79b, and FMC-7 were observed among the groups. Markers of risk in CLL such as CD38, ZAP70, and CD49d were infrequently expressed in CLL-like MBL, but were expressed in the majority of atypical MBL. Interphase cytogenetics was performed in 35 MBL cases, and del 13q14 was most common (22/30 CLL-like MBL cases). Gene expression analysis using oligonucleotide arrays was performed on 7 CLL-like MBL, and showed activation of B cell receptor associated pathways. Our findings underscore the diversity of MBL subtypes and further clarify the relationship between MBL and other lymphoproliferative disorders.

Summary

Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) is an asymptomatic haematological condition characterized by low absolute levels of B-cell clones with a surface immunophenotype similar to that of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). In the general population, MBL increases with age with a prevalence of 5–9% in individuals over age 60 years. It has been reported to be higher among first-degree relatives from CLL families. We report results of multi-parameter flow cytometry among 505 first-degree relatives with no personal history of lymphoproliferative disease from 140 families having at least two cases of CLL. Seventeen percent of relatives had MBL. Age was the most important determinant where the probability for developing MBL by age 90 years was 61%. MBL clustered in certain families but clustering was independent of the number of known CLL cases in a family. As is the case with CLL, males had a significantly higher risk for MBL than did females (p=0.04). MBL patients had significantly higher mean absolute lymphocyte counts (2.4 × 109/l) and B-cell counts (0.53 × 109/l) than those with a normal B-cell immunophenotype. Our findings show that MBL occurs at a very high rate in high risk CLL families. Both the age and gender distribution of MBL are parallel to CLL, implying a shared inherited risk.

Background

There is strong and consistent evidence that a genetic component contributes to the etiology of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of CLL identified 7 genetic variants that increased the risk of CLL within a European population.

Methods

We evaluated the association of these variants, or variants in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with these variants, with CLL risk in an independent sample of 438 CLL cases and 328 controls.

Results

Of these 7 SNPs, 6 had p-trend < 0.05 and had estimated odds ratios (ORs) that were strikingly comparable to those of the previous study. Associations were seen for rs9378805 (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.80, p-trend = 0.0003) near IRF4 and rs735665 near GRAMD1B (OR= 1.47; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.89; p-trend = 0.003). However, no associations (P> 0.05) were found for rs11083846, nor were any found for any SNPs in LD with rs11083846.

Conclusions

Our results confirm the previous findings and further support the role of a genetic basis in the etiology of CLL; however, more research is needed to elucidate the causal SNP(s) and the potential manner in which these SNPs or linked SNPs function in CLL pathogenesis.