Background. High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) is currently regarded as a standard treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). The efficacy of transplantation correlates with the depth of antitumor response achieved on pre-transplantation chemotherapy. A combination of PD-1 inhibitors with chemotherapy is a new forward-looking approach ensuring a higher rate of complete responses prior to auto-HSCT as well as better outcomes of the treatment in general. Aim. To assess the efficacy and safety of the combined program with Nivo-DHAP and subsequent HDCT and auto-HSCT in patients with relapsed/refractory cHL. Materials & Methods. From March 2020 to January 2022, 38 patients were enrolled in the study. The Nivo-DHAP program consisted of two stages. At stage 1 nivolumab immunotherapy was administered: two 240 mg/day IV infusions as a monoregimen 14 days apart. Stage 2, Nivo-DHAP immunochemotherapy, started in 14 days after stage 1: nivolumab 480 mg/day IV infusion on Day 1 in combination with DHAP chemotherapy, total of 4 cycles. The efficacy of this therapy was evaluated after 2 nivolumab infusions as well as after 2 and 4 Nivo-DHAP cycles. The program was fully implemented in 36 patients. HSCs were collected after remission had been reported, in most cases it was after 2 Nivo-DHAP cycles. For various reasons, auto-HSCT was performed only in 23 out of 36 patients. The median follow-up of patients after auto-HSCT was 24 months. Results. After completing the pre-transplantation stage of the program to the full extent, which included Nivo, Nivo, and 4 Nivo-DHAP cycles, 36 patients showed a 100 % overall objective response. Complete response was achieved in 27 (75 %) patients, and partial response was reported in 9 (25 %) patients. The signs of hematological toxicity grade 3/4 were manifested in 26 % of patients. In the total cohort of 36 patients with (n = 23) and without (n = 13) auto-HSCT, progression-free survival (PFS) was 81 % with the follow-up of 12 months, 78 % with the follow-up of 24 months, and 74 % with the follow-up of 36 months. Overall survival (OS) in the total cohort with the same follow-up end-points was 95 %. A comparative assessment revealed that PFS was 87 % in the cohort with auto-HSCT with the follow-up of 12, 24, and 36 months and 70 %, 64 %, and 48 % in the cohort without auto-HSCT with the same follow-up end-points, respectively (p = 0.056). Conclusion. A combination of PD-1 inhibitors with chemotherapy as a stage prior to HDCT followed by auto-HSCT is a promising strategy resulting in high PFS and OS rates. Preliminary data on using PD-1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy cannot yet provide substantial basis for disregarding HDCT with subsequent auto-HSCT which is considered to be the optimal method for remission consolidation.

Recent advances in the diagnosis and understanding of follicular lymphoma (FL) pathogenesis have had a significant impact on therapeutic tactics. The life expectancy of patients has increased significantly. Currently, the 5-year overall survival of FL patients achieved 90 %, and its median is approaching 20 years. However, FL remains an incurable disease with periods of remission and relapse, requiring multiple therapy courses throughout the patient’s life.The main problem is the treatment of patients with refractory/relapsed forms, especially after 3rd line of therapy, as well as with a primarily resistant course and early (in the first 2 years) relapses. Therefore, despite the indolent FL course in most patients, there remains a need for new drugs that can ensure increased treatment efficacy with minimal toxicity and simultaneously maintain a high quality of life, mainly in the presence of primary refractoriness, early progression and in later lines of therapy. In recent years, new targeted drugs have been studied – phosphoinositide 3-kinase, enhancer of zeste homolog 2 inhibitors, as well as immunological drugs (CAR-T therapy (CAR – chimeric antigen receptor) and bispecific antibodies).The article presents the possibilities of treatment for refractory/relapsed FL as 3rd and subsequent therapy lines.

Aim. To study the quality of life and symptoms, to assess the clinical effect and treatment safety in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (r/r cHL) patients treated with brentuximab vedotin (BV) as > 3rd-line therapy in the context of real clinical practice. Materials & Methods. The study enrolled 62 r/r cHL patients after the second- and subsequent-line chemotherapies, who are either ineligible for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) at the time of their enrollment into the study or after the failure of high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with auto-HSCT. The median age was 31 years; 46.8 % of patients were women. The patients received BV 1.8 mg/kg intravenously every 3 weeks. Clinical parameters, quality of life, and symptoms were assessed prior to BV therapy and in 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 months after therapy onset. The RAND SF-36 form was used to assess the quality of life, and the ESAS-R tool was applied to report on symptoms. Results. Objective response was observed in 68.3 % of patients, 40 % out of them showed complete response. The median progression-free survival was 10.6 months (95% confidence interval 7.4-12.9 months). Safety profile corresponded to the published data. Adverse events of grade 3/4 were identified in 1.6 % of patients. In the period of 15 months after therapy onset, quality of life improvement or stabilization was reported based on all the scales of RAND SF-36 (GEE, p < 0.001), and symptom relief was shown based on ESAS-R total score (GEE, p < 0.001). Conclusion. In the context of real clinical practice, BV appeared to be effective in r/r cHL patients either after the second- or subsequent-line chemotherapies or after the failure of HDCT with auto-HSCT. The study demonstrated that BV was well tolerated by the patients. BV therapy contributes to the improvement of r/r cHL patients’ quality of life. Positive changes in quality of life and symptoms on BV therapy testify to its patient-assessed efficacy and safety.

Introduction. The risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) with HIV infection is higher than in the general population, and the course of the disease itself is more aggressive. Currently, there is no unified approach to the treatment of HIV-related HL, and data on its epidemiology in the Russian Federation are limited.The objective was to study epidemiological characteristics, the used therapeutic tactics and the results of treatment for HIV-related HL.Methods and materials. The multicenter retrospective study included 46 patients with HIV- related HL treated in 9 centers of the Russian Federation. Descriptive statistics methods were used, the analysis of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method.Results. HIV-related HL is more often represented by an advanced stage, B-symptoms, and extranodal lesions. The ABVD regimen was used as the first-line therapy in 60 % for HIV-related HL. The overall response to therapy was 81.6 %, and the 2-year OS and PFS were 85 % and 49 %, respectively. Factors that worsened OS were CD4+˂266 cells/mcL and general somatic status ECOG≥2.

Aim. To analyze the first experience of administering polatu-zumab vedotin combined with bendamustine and rituximab (Pola-BR) in clinical practice at some specialized institutions in the Russian Federation. Materials & Methods. The prospective multi-center study enrolled 39 patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive В-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (B-NHLs): 31 (79 %) patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 7 (18 %) patients with primary mediastinal (thymic) large B-cell lymphoma, and 1 (3 %) patient with gray zone lymphoma. There were 20 men and 19 women aged 19-69 years (median 43 years). All the patients were treated with Pola-BR protocol: bendamustine 90 mg/m2 on Days 1 and 2, rituximab 375 mg/m2 on Day 1, and polatuzumab vedotin 1.8 mg/kg on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle. Full treatment with 6 cycles was completed by 19 patients. PET-CT was performed prior to therapy and after the 2nd, 4th, and 6th Pola-BR cycles. The tumor response was evaluated according to the Lugano 2014 criteria. The toxicity profile was assessed by means of reporting adverse events according to the NCI CTCAE, version 5.0. Results. Objective response to the therapy, according to the Lugano 2014 criteria, was identified in 24 (61.5 %) patients: 19 (48.7 %) of them showed the complete response, and 5 (12.8 %) of them showed the partial one. Stable disease as best response to the therapy was reported in 3 (7.7 %) patients, disease progression was observed in 12 (30.8 %) patients. By the time of data analysis, the median follow-up duration was 16.8 months (range 5.3-24.2 months). The 2-year overall survival (OS) was 44 % (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 24-62 %), the median OS was 20.8 months. The 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 27 % (95% CI 12-43 %), the median PFS was 7.3 months. Adverse events of grade 3/4 included anemia (n = 4; 10.3 %), neutropenia (n = 15; 38.5 %), thrombocytopenia (n = 3; 7.7 %), and febrile neutropenia (n = 2; 5.1 %). In 2 patients with history of hepatitis B, the virus reactivation was identified on Pola-BR therapy. No cases of peripheral neuropathy were observed. Conclusion. Results obtained in real-world clinical practice correspond to the previously published data and demonstrate that polatuzumab vedotin therapy (Pola-BR protocol) has a controllable toxicity profile and is, therefore, a promising chemotherapy method of relapsed/refractory aggressive B-NHL treatment.

Kikuchi–Fujimoto disease, or necrotizing histiocytic lymphadenitis, is one of the rare causes of benign lymphadeno-pathy. The diagnosis is based on histological and immunohistochemical analysis of the lymph node biopsy. The article presents four clinical cases of Kikuchi–Fujimoto disease. According to the results of the primary analysis of lymph node tissue three patients were misdiagnosed with lymphoma. due to the unusual for lymphoid malignancy course the primary material was reviewed. The diagnosis of Kikuchi–Fujimoto disease was put. In three patients the disease has a re-current course. during the observation period, the course of the disease in all the presented patients is benign with normal quality of life.

Background. Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare lympho-proliferative disease which is almost exclusively associated with immunodeficiency. Most ample experience of chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSCT) in this lymphoma variant has been accumulated in HIV-positive patients. Aim. To describe the current approaches to PBL diagnosis and treatment in HIV-positive patients as well as to provide the results of the first multi-center retrospective study on PBL epidemiology and therapy efficacy in HIV-positive patients in the Russian Federation. Materials & Methods. The study included 26 HIV-positive patients with PBL who were treated and followed-up at 5 Russian centers during 2012-2019. The present study is a part of multi-center retrospective study on lymphoma epidemiology in HIV-positive patients in Russia. Results. PBL accounted for 9.5 % of all lymphomas in HIV-positive patients enrolled in multi-center retrospective study on lymphoma epidemiology in HIV-positive patients in Russia. Epidemiological characteristics of these patients corresponded to those described in previously published literature: the disease being diagnosed mainly at late stages (88 %), oral and nasal mucosa lesions with a common involvement of facial bones (65 %), and lack of optimal HIV-infection control (66.7 %). Most commonly, the patients received EPOCH-like treatment as first-line therapy (50 %). However, the efficacy of primary therapy appeared to be low. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) during a year after first-line therapy onset was 57 % and 46 %, respectively. Bortezomib included in first-line therapy was associated with a trend to a more favorable prognosis. Half of patients showed a lymphoma relapse or progression after first-line therapy. Most used second-line regimen was DHAP. Overall response to second-line therapy was 38.5 %. After second-line therapy onset, 1-year OS and PFS were 26 % and 15 %, respectively. Conclusion. HIV-positive patients with PBL have poor prognosis. Efforts to improve the prognosis for HIV-positive patients with PBL should be aimed at increasing the efficacy of first-line therapy and should involve the use of intensive chemotherapy regimens with bortezomib. The role of auto-and allo-HSCTs in the treatment of PBL has not been clearly determined, however, PBL patients, despite their HIV-infec-tion, should be regarded as auto-HSCT-eligible in the first remission and allo-HSCT-eligible in case of relapse. Further prospective multi-center studies are needed to optimize the treatment of HIV-positive patients with PBL.

Objective. To assess the course and outcomes of COVID-19 in recipients of allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Materials and Methods. The retrospective study included 44 adult recipients (allogeneic – 33 [75%] and autologous – 11 [25%] of HSCT who diagnosed with COVID-19 after transplantation. Group mostly represented by acute leukemia – 18 (41%) and lymphoma – 10 (22.7%). The median follow-up time since the development of COVID-19 was 231 days (1–818 days), after HSCT – 507.5 days (14–3723 days). Overall and progression-free survival was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier and Log-Rank method. We also evaluated the characteristics of the course of a new coronavirus infection. Results. Median time for the development of COVID-19 from the moment of HSCT was 122.5 days (-1–3490 days). Twelve patients (27.2%) were in grade 3–4 neutropenia at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis, 16 (36.4%) patients were in grade 1–2 neutropenia. Sixteen (48.4%) allo-HSCT recipients had active graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) at the time of COVID-19 development. Disease severity was mild in 19 (43.2%) and moderate in 13 (29.5%) patients. Overall, 200-day survival from the onset of COVID-19 was 78.8% (95% CI [63.1–88.4]). Anemia (p = 0.02) and thrombocytopenia (p = 0.01) significantly decrease OS in patients with COVID-19 after HSCT. Patients with GVHD at the time of COVID-19 onset had a better survival rate (p = 0.02). The timing of COVID-19 development after HSCT did not affect outcomes. Conclusions. The key points of the course of COVID-19 in HSCT recipients are the presence of cytopenia and graft-versus-host disease. Overall survival was 78.8%.

Diseases with eosinophilia the pathogenesis of which is unclear are of particular clinical significance among hematological malignancies. These include acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD) associated with eosinophilia, hypereosinophilic syndrome and chronic myeloid leukemias, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The role of eosinophils and mast cells intracellular proteins in proliferative diseases is unknown. The objective of the investigation was to study the significance of tryptase and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) measurements in patients with chronic GVHD and hematological malignancies. Thirty two patients with verified oncohematological diseases (a study group) — 6 patients with chronic GVHD after allogeneic hemopoietic stem cells transplantation, 18 with asthma and 8 with solid tumors - were included in the study. The serum concentrations of tryptase and ECP were measured by immunofluorescence assay. Elevated ECP levels were found in patients with GVHD (p < 0.03) and in those with lymphoproliferative diseases (p = 0.007) as compared to the nonhematological group (p < 0.03). Increased tryptase level was recorded in patients with GVHD and lymphoproliferative diseases as compared to those with solid tumors and nonhematological disorders (p = 0.03), as well as in the GVHD versus lymphoproliferation groups (p < 0.05). A direct correlation between ECP concentration and the eosinophils count in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases (r = 0.9; p = 0.000001) was found. The authors have concluded that measurement of soluble eosinophilic proteins levels and mast cell enzymes is reasonable to diagnostics and monitoring of various hypereosinophilic states in patients with chronic GVHD and hematological malignancies.

The majority of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) are cured, which represents one of the best cure rates in oncology. However, the prognosis is not as favorable in case of relapsed or refractory (RR) disease. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) is an effective way to consolidate remission in patients with RR HL. Despite the many years of experience and the availability of results of randomized trials confirming the efficacy of high-dose chemotherapy in adults, the role of auto-HSCT in children with HL has not been studied as extensively, and there are only a limited number of publications on the subject. As is the case with the majority of other pediatric tumors, RR HL is a rare entity, which is why it is so difficult to study it. Here we share the experience of the R. M. Gorbacheva Research Institute for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Transplantation in auto-HSCT in children and adolescents with HL. The study was approved by an Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientific Council of the I.P. Pavlov First Saint-Petersburg State Medical University. We included 54 patients with RR HL who had undergone auto-HSCT during the period from 2007 to 2021. Refractory disease (n = 29; 54 %) was diagnosed in case of HL progression either during first-line therapy or in the first 3 months after the completion of the treatment. Relapsed disease was diagnosed in 25 (46 %) children. Early HL relapse (< 12 months since the start of therapy) was evident in 18 (72 %) patients, while late HL relapse (≥ 12 months since the start of therapy) occurred in 7 (28 %) children. The median number of lines of therapy before auto-HSCT was 3 (1–6). The first line of treatment was chemotherapy in accordance with the GPOH-HD (n = 27; 50 %), BEACOPP (n = 19; 35 %), or other protocols (n = 8; 15 %); the second line involved the use of IEP/ABVD (n = 14; 27 %), DHAP (n = 12; 23%), ICE (n = 13; 25 %), or other combinations (n = 13; 25%); and third-line treatment consisted of DHAP (n = 9; 29 %), a combination of brentuximab vedotin and bendamustine (n = 8; 26%), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) (n = 7; 22.5 %) or other regimens (n = 7; 22.5 %). ICIs were used for remission induction prior to auto-HSCT in 14 (26 %) patients. Response was assessed using the Lugano classification. Status before transplantation: complete remission (CR) – 21 (39 %) patients, partial remission (PR) – 30 (56 %), disease stabilization – 2 (3.5 %), disease progression – 1 (1.5 %). The BEAM conditioning regimen was used in 17 (31 %) patients, and the BeEAM regimen – in 32 (59 %) patients. The 3-, 5- and 10-year overall survival (OS) was 88% (95 % confidence interval (CI) 74–95), 80% (95 % CI 62–90) and 63% (95 % CI 34–81) respectively. The 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 46% (95 % CI 24–65). The median follow-up was 3.3 (0.1–12.3) years. The long-term PFS in children with CR and PR was 72% (95 % CI 41–89) and 33 % (95 % CI 8–61) respectively (p = 0.067). A total of 9 (16.7 %) patients died during follow-up. The main cause of death was progressive HL (n = 6), while some patients died in the early post-transplant period due to infections (n = 3; 5.6 %). The median time to relapse or progression after auto-HSCT was 6 (1–77) months. Out of 17 (31 %) patients with relapsed or progressive HL after auto-HSCT, 9 (53 %) children are alive at a median follow-up of 2.3 (0.7–9) years. Considering that our study included patients who had been more extensively pre-treated (the median number of lines of therapy – 3) than patients in the majority of other studies (the median number of lines of therapy – 2), it can be assumed that our results are superior to historical data. The improvement of transplantation outcomes observed over time can be attributed to better supportive treatment and probably, to the use of immunotherapy. According to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), it is crucially important that long-term survival in children with RR HL be monitored closely since it can be drastically different from results obtained during the first years of follow-up - due to late relapses and complications of the received treatment. The 10-year survival rates show that the RR HL problem is yet to be resolved. With the help of auto-HSCT, approximately half of children and adolescents with RR HL can be cured. One of the most important favorable prognostic factors in these patients is the achievement of CR before transplantation. The use of immunotherapy for remission induction before auto-HSCT is also promising.

Introduction.The biological heterogeneity of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is reflected in the rate of progression, the need for therapy, and the response to treatment. Analysis of prognostic factors contributes to improving the quality of treatment and rational distribution of healthcare resources.Materials and methods.Among 890 patients with documented stage of CLL, 405 (45.5 %) received treatment. As the first-line of treatment, 173 patients received intensive regimens (FCR or BR), 6 – new agents, and 226 – all other regimens. The initial stage of the disease, mutation status of IGHV, del17p with or without complex karyotype were analyzed as prognostic markers.Results.Immunochemotherapeutic regimens were shown to be highly effective in case planned amount of treatment was completed. The combination of such prognostic parameters as the initial stage of the disease, the mutation status of IGHV, and the presence of del17p and/or complex karyotype allows us to clearly identify a group of patients with an unfavorable prognosis, for which it is advisable to use either intensive programs or new agents in the first-line therapy.

Background. The emergence of signaling pathway inhibitors (SPI) considerably improved the prognosis in relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (R-CLL). Nevertheless, some patients cannot achieve optimal and sustained response. TP53 gene defects determine the refractoriness to immunochemotherapy (ICT) and lower rates of progression-free survival on SPI therapy. However, the prognostic value of complex karyotype (CK) in CLL has long been disputed. In recent years, greater attention has been placed on the prognostic impact of CK in the context of SPI therapy. Materials & Methods. The study included 180 patients who received the drug treatment for R-CLL (113 of them with ICT, 67 of them with SPI). Their age at the onset of second-line therapy, the response to first-line therapy, early (< 24 months) progression after first-line therapy, the number of therapy lines, and the presence of CK and TP53 gene defect were regarded as prognostic markers. Taking into account the clonal evolution in CLL, to assess the significance degree of the above predictors, Cox proportional hazards regression model with time-dependent variables was used. Results. The following independent factors proved to significantly reduce the risk of death: response achieved immediately after first-line therapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.38; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.20-0.72; p = 0.003) and the number of therapy lines (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.37-0.86; p = 0.008). Treatment with only ICT in first and subsequent lines was associated with increasing risk of death (HR 2.25; 95% CI 1.09-4.63; p = 0.028). Genetic risks worsened the prognosis to a high degree of significance in the case of TP53 gene defect with excluded or unknown CK status (HR 10.54; 95% CI 4.25-26.17; p < 0.001) as well as in the case of CK (HR 14.08; 95% CI 5.77-34.35; p < 0.001). A significant predictor of poor outcome was reported to be the factor of unknown CK status without TP53 gene defect (HR 4.15; 95% CI 1.72-10.00; p = 0.002). Neither relapse time after first-line therapy nor the age > 65 years showed independent prognostic value. Conclusion. Standard karyotyping of peripheral lymphocytes with specific stimulation establishes a clearer disease prognosis and suggests the optimal choice of R-CLL treatment strategy.

Aim. The observational program was aimed at obtaining data on classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL) incidence in the Russian Federation, therapy options, and clinical outcomes of treatment. The aim of the prospective part of the program was to standardize the approaches to therapy and to compare its outcomes with off-protocol treatment. Materials & Methods. The prospective-retrospective observational program for Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment engaged 32 regional and federal centers. It included 218 patients, 21 out of them were included into the prospective part of the RNWOHG-HD1 (Russian North-West Oncology and Hematology Group - Hodgkin Disease Study 1) program. The median age was 36 years (range 22-87 years). cHL stages I/II were identified in 48 % of patients, III/IV stages were reported in 52 % of patients. The prospective part of the program used escalating protocol in patients with stages I/IIA and without risk factors and de-escalating protocol in patients with advanced stages. Overall (OS) and progression-free (PFS) survivals were analyzed in 160 and 152 patients, respectively. PET-CT was used to assess the response in 33 % of patients. Results. The study used the following first-line chemotherapy regimens: ABVD in 42 %, BEACOPPst in 11 %, BEACOPP-14 in 17 %, BEACOPPesc in 25 %, and EACOPP in 1 % of cases. After the completion of first-line therapy objective response rate was 91 % including 61 % of complete responses. Response structure did not significantly differ in the groups of non-intensive therapy (ABVD and BEACOPPst), intensified regimens (BEACOPP-14, BEACOPPesc, and EACOPP), and treatment according to the RNWOHG-HD1 protocol (91 %, 92 %, and 96 %, respectively; p = 0.7226). In the total cohort the 3-year OS was 97 % (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 94-99 %), PFS was 87 % (95% CI 80-92 %). The 3-year PFS did not differ in ABVD, BEACOPPst, BEACOPP-14, BEACOP-Pesc, and RNWOHG-HD1 recipients (р = 0.37). International Prognostic Score (IPS) yielded significant results in PFS prediction for patients with IPS score of 5-6, but not for those with IPS score of 1-4 (p = 0.0028). Conclusion. The observational program showed that the majority of participating centers use the risk-adapted ABVD/ BEACOPPesc approach which explains no difference in PFS being found with the use of these chemotherapy options. The study demonstrated the need for PET-CT to assess the response since the CT alone cannot distinguish between complete and partial responses in a considerable number of patients. The prospective unified program for cHL treatment may well be implemented in the Russian Federation.

Aim. To assess prognostic factors and to analyze the outcomes of nivolumab therapy in patients with relapsed/re-fractory classic Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL) after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT). Materials & Methods. The retrospective analysis included 42 patients treated with nivolumab 3 mg/kg after auto-HSCT in the period from 2016 to 2020. The response to nivolumab therapy was assessed every three months by whole-body PET/CT based on LYRIC criteria. Toxicity profile was assessed by establishing adverse events (AE) based on NCI CTCAE 4.03 criteria. Results. The study included 42 patients with relapsed/re-fractory cHL: 21 (50 %) men and 21 (50 %) women. The median age was 32.5 years (range 22-43 years). At diagnosis the following cHL stages were identified: stage II in 14 pts (33.3 %), stage III in 12 pts (28.6 %), and stage IV in 16 pts (38.1 %). Primary chemoresistance after the first-line therapy was observed in 26 pts (61.9 %) and early relapse in 4 pts (9.52 %). The median follow-up was 38 months, 3-year overall survival was 97 % (95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 83.2-99.6 %), 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 34.8 % (95% CI 20.3-49.9 %; median 12.9 months). Objective response was reported in 69 % of patients, complete response (CR) in 33.3 %, partial response in 35.7 %, stable disease in 7.1 %, indeterminate response in 14.3 %, and progression in 9.5 % of patients. The analysis of factors affecting PFS revealed significant differences in patients who reached CR after 6 nivolumab cycles: 3-year PFS 56.2 % (95% CI 24.4-79.1 %) vs. 25.2 % (95% CI 10.46-43.1 %) in patients who did not reach CR (p = 0.054). If extranodal lesions were identified at nivolumab therapy onset, PFS was 29 % (95% CI 7.8-37.5 %) vs. 68 % (95% CI 35.9-86.8 %) in their absence (p = 0.0079). The overall rate of AEs on nivolumab therapy was 92.9 %, severe AEs of grade 3-4 were observed in 19.1 % of patients. Conclusion. Nivolumab shows high efficacy in the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory cHL after the failure of auto-HSCT and considerably improves prognosis compared with historical control. The efficacy of nivolumab is independent of brentuximab vedotin use and duration of prior therapy. Throughout the follow-up period the toxicity level of nivolumab was acceptable and controlled. Clinical factors that affect prognosis for patients on immunotherapy were identified.

Randomized multicenter trials in the area of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) face considerable challenges, therefore, their amount is relatively small. Most clinical guidelines are based on the data of multicenter registry studies or well-controlled prospective single-center non-randomized studies. To determine the criteria of a well-controlled single-center trial the results of which can be confi rmed by a multicenter analysis, the total of 44 groups of patients from 22 cooperative studies in collaboration with EBMT were analyzed. The results of these studies were compared with single-center data and the results of the planned studies of RM Gorbacheva Scientifi c Research Institute of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Transplantation. In 43 % of cases signifi cant diff erences were observed. The probability of diff erences did not decrease with an increasing number of patients in the single-center groups, but became higher (odds ratio 1.037; 95% confi dence interval 1.001-1.074; p = 0.046), which highlights the diff erences in methods of single- and multicenter trials. While analyzing the reasons for signifi cant diff erences the following necessary criteria for high-quali ty single-center trials in the area of HSCT were formulated: 1) conditioning regimens and graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis (if they are not subject of the study) need to be consistent with the most frequently used practices; 2) groups of patients should be status-homogeneous; 3) the trial must not include patients treated more than 5 years before the analysis; 4) patients should receive current antitumor therapy at pre- and post-transplantation stages; 5) each compared group should include more than 30-40 patients

Проведение рандомизированных многоцентровых исследований в области трансплантации гемопоэтических стволовых клеток (ТГСК) представляет значительные трудности, поэтому доля таких исследований невелика. Большинство клинических рекомендаций основывается на данных популяционных многоцентровых исследований регистров или хорошо контролируемых проспективных одноцентровых нерандомизированных исследований. С целью определить критерии хорошо контролируемого одноцентрового исследования, результаты которого могут быть подтверждены в многоцентровом анализе, проанализировано 44 группы пациентов из 22 совместных с группой EBMT исследований. Проведено сравнение результатов этих исследований с одноцентровыми данными и спланированными исследованиями НИИ ДОГиТ им. Р.М. Горбачевой. Выявлено, что статистически значимые различия наблюдались в 43 % случаев, при этом вероятность расхождения результатов при повышении числа пациентов в одноцентровых группах не уменьшалась, а увеличивалась (отношение шансов 1,037; 95%-й доверительный интервал 1,001–1,074; p = 0,046), что свидетельствует о различиях в методологии одноцентровых и многоцентровых исследований. При анализе причин статистически значимых результатов сформулированы следующие необходимые критерии высококачественных одноцентровых исследований в области ТГСК: 1) режимы кондиционирования и профилактики реакции «трансплантат против хозяина» (если они не являются предметом исследования) должны соответствовать наиболее часто используемым в практике; 2) группы пациентов должны быть однородными по своему статусу; 3) в исследование не должны включаться пациенты, получавшие лечение более чем за 5 лет до анализа; 4) пациенты должны получать современную противоопухолевую терапию на до- и посттрансплантационном этапах; 5) каждая сравниваемая группа должна включать более 30–40 пациентов.

Clinical recommendations.