0000000000020264
AUTHOR
Marco Santoro
Rituximab for Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Retrospective Analysis on the Role of Prophylaxis Against Pneumocystis Jirovecii and Herpes Zoster Virus
Abstract Introduction and objective of the study Rituximab (RTX) is considered a valid second line treatment option for persistent or chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP). RTX is known to affect the immune system thus increasing the risk for viral and fungal infections. Although prophylactic treatment to prevent Pneumocystis jirovecii (PJ) and herpes viruses' infections is used in patients with haematological neoplasms receiving RTX, these evidence is lacking in ITP patients candidated to anti-CD20 therapy. We here reported the role of phrophylaxis in a cohort of patients treated with RTX for refractory/relapsed ITP. Methods Data from patients affected by ITP and treated at our Institution…
The new HFA/ICOS risk assessment tool to identify patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia at high risk of cardiotoxicity
AimsTyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) used to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) can cause cardiovascular adverseevents. So far, the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) charts of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) have beenused to identify cancer patients at increased cardiovascular risk. The primary aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulnessof the new cardiovascular risk assessment model proposed by the Cardio-Oncology Study Group of the Heart Failure Associ-ation (HFA) of the ESC in collaboration with the International Cardio-Oncology Society (ICOS) to stratify the cardiovascular riskin CML patients, compared with SCORE risk charts. The secondary aim was to establish…
COMPARISON OF CLINICAL AND LABORATORY DATA, INCLUDING JAK-2 46/1 HAPLOTYPE, BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC ERYTHROCYTOSIS AND POLYCYTHEMIA VERA.
Cardiovascular risk factor in MPN patients
The Essential Thrombocythemia in 2020: What We Know and Where We Still Have to Dig Deep
The Essential Thrombocythemia is a Chronic Philadelphia-negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasm characterized by a survival curve that is only slightly worse than that of age- and sex-adjusted healthy population. The criteria for diagnosis were reviewed in 2016 by WHO. The incidence varies from 0.2 to 2.5:100 000 people per year, with a prevalence of 38 to 57 cases per 100 000 people. The main characteristics of ET are the marked thrombocytosis and the high frequency of thrombosis. The spectrum of symptoms is quite wide, but fatigue results to be the most frequent. Thrombosis is frequently observed, often occurring before or at the time of diagnosis. The classification of thrombotic risk has …
Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms in younger adults: A critical discussion of unmet medical needs, with a focus on pregnancy
Abstract Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are traditionally regarded as a disease of older adults, though a not negligible fraction of cases occurs at a younger age, including women of childbearing potential. MPN in younger patients, indeed, offer several challenges for the clinical hematologist, that goes from difficulties in reaching a timely and accurate diagnosis to a peculiar thrombotic risk, with a relatively high incidence of thromboses in unusual sites (as the splanchnic veins or the cerebral ones). Moreover, the issue of pregnancy is recently gaining more attention as maternal age is rising and molecular screening are widely implemented, leading to a better recognition of these c…
A Retrospective Analysis about Frequency of Monitoring in Italian Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients after Discontinuation
Background: Successful tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) discontinuation has been obtained in some patients (pts) with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML). Careful molecular monitoring after discontinuation is the key to guarantee the safety, in terms of prompt resumption of therapy according to retreatment threshold criteria. It was observed that the majority of relapses usually occur during the first 6 months after TKI discontinuation [Saussele S, Lancet Oncol 2018; Etienne G, JCO 2017], accounting for the monthly quantitative PCR (qPCR) that all prospective protocols included in the trial design at least during the first half-year. Two studies [Kong HJ, Cancer 2017; Shanmugan…
Splenomegaly Impacts Prognosis in Essential Thrombocythemia and Polycythemia Vera: A Single Center Study
Splenomegaly is one of the major clinical manifestations of primary myelofibrosis and is common also in other chronic Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms, causing symptoms and signs and affecting quality of life of patients diagnosed with these diseases. We aimed to study the impact that such alteration has on thrombotic risk and on the survival of patients with essential thrombocythemia and patients with Polycythemia Vera (PV). We studied the relationship between splenomegaly (and its grade), thrombosis and survival in 238 patients with et and 165 patients with PV followed at our center between January 1997 and May 2019.
Isolated Nodal TBC Reactivation in a Patient with Post-Thrombocythemia Myelofibrosis Treated with Ruxolitinib: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Ruxolitinib side effects include the most frequent hematological toxicity along with a more recently evidenced immunosuppressive activity, interfering both with the innate and adaptive immunity, and several cases of reactivation of latent infections by opportunistic agents in patients in treatment with ruxolitinib have been published in the last years. Several pathophysiological mechanisms may explain an association between ruxolitinib and opportunistic infections. From what we know, the only case of an isolated lymph node TBC reactivation in a ruxolitinib-treated myelofibrosis (MF) patient was reported by Patil et al. in 2016 [Int J Med Sci Public Health. 2017;6(3):1]. Other 10 cases descr…
Cancer Patients Requiring Interruption of Long-Term Anticoagulant Therapy: The Use of Fixed Sub-Therapeutic Doses of Low-Molecular Weight Heparin
Abstract Abstract 1244 Introduction. We tested the efficacy and safety of fixed doses of Low-Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH) in cancer patients requiring interruption of Vitamin-k Antagonist (VKA) because of invasive procedures (defined as major and non major surgery) or chemotherapy inducing platelets depletion. Methodology. Cancer patients were defined to be at high (atrial fibrillation [AF] with previous stroke, prosthetic mitralic valves and venous thromboembolism [VTE] lasting < 3months) or low risk of thrombosis (AF without previous stroke, VTE lasted > 3 months, and prosthetic aortic valves). They discontinued VKA 5 + 1days before surgery or chemotherapy; in those at low-risk f…
JAK2 ALLELE BURDEN IN PATIENTS WITH PHILADELPHIA NEGATIVE MYELOPROLIFERATIVE NEOPLASMS
Familial essential thrombocythemia: 6 cases from a mono‐institutional series
Rarely essential thrombocythemia (ET) is diagnosed in more than one person within a family. Familial myeloproliferative neoplasms are underdiagnosed. In this report, we describe 6 couples of familial ET, evaluating the heterogeneity of the mutational state and the clinical presentation.
Immunosenescence and lymphomagenesis
Abstract One of the most important determinants of aging-related changes is a complex biological process emerged recently and called “immunosenescence”. Immunosenescence refers to the inability of an aging immune system to produce an appropriate and effective response to challenge. This immune dysregulation may manifest as increased susceptibility to infection, cancer, autoimmune disease, and vaccine failure. At present, the relationship between immunosenescence and lymphoma in elderly patients is not defined in a satisfactory way. This review presents a brief overview of the interplay between aging, cancer and lymphoma, and the key topic of immunosenescence is addressed in the context of t…
A Retrospective Analysis about Frequency of Monitoring in Italian Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients after Discontinuation.
Successful discontinuation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors has been achieved in patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Careful molecular monitoring after discontinuation warrants safe and prompt resumption of therapy. We retrospectively evaluated how molecular monitoring has been conducted in Italy in a cohort of patients who discontinued tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment per clinical practice. The outcome of these patients has recently been reported&mdash
Late onset of unilateral optic disk edema secondary to treatment with imatinib mesylate
Key Clinical Message Prompt ophthalmology evaluation and immediate imatinib suspension should be suggested at any time of tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy in patients with visual deficit, as it may be a clinical manifestation of optic disk edema, and suspension may help in prompt recovery.
Clinical utility and physician perceptions of a digital platform for electronic patient-reported outcomes monitoring in patients with hematologic malignancies in real-world practice.
Abstract Background There is now great interest in using digital health tools to monitor patients' health status in real-world practice. Such tools often include electronic-patient-reported outcome (ePRO) systems in which symptoms questions are included into online interfaces for patient self-reporting, with real-time alerts triggered to the treating physician if severe symptoms or problems are reported. However, there is little information about the clinical utility and user perceptions of these systems, and this is particularly true in the area of hematology. Objectives This study investigates physicians' perceptions of usability and clinical utility of using remote ePROs in routine pract…
Antimicrobial prophylaxis in patients with immune thrombocytopenia treated with rituximab: a retrospective multicenter analysis
The primary aim of this study was to describe the use of primary anti-infective prophylaxis (AP) in common clinical practice in patients affected by immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and treated with RTX. Population studied consisted of patients affected by ITP (age ≥ 18 years) who had received at least one dose of RTX from January 2008 to June 2018. Five Italian haematology centres participated in the current study. Data were retrospectively collected: demographic data (age, gender), concomitant comorbidities and previous therapies for ITP, characteristics of AP, the occurrence of infections and their management. The ITP cohort consisted of 67 patients sub-grouped into two categories according…
Effects of B-Cell Lymphoma on the Immune System and Immune Recovery after Treatment: The Paradigm of Targeted Therapy
B-cell lymphoma and lymphoproliferative diseases represent a heterogeneous and complex group of neoplasms that are accompanied by a broad range of immune regulatory disorder phenotypes. Clinical features of autoimmunity, hyperinflammation, immunodeficiency and infection can variously dominate, depending on the immune pathway most involved. Immunological imbalance can play a role in lymphomagenesis, also supporting the progression of the disease, while on the other hand, lymphoma acts on the immune system to weaken immunosurveillance and facilitate immunoevasion. Therefore, the modulation of immunity can have a profound effect on disease progression or resolution, which makes the immune syst…
Cardiovascular Issues in Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Treatments for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Review
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm driven by a fusion gene, encoding for the chimeric protein BCR-ABL, with constitutive tyrosine kinase activity. The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has drastically improved survival, but there are significant concerns about cardiovascular toxicity. Cardiovascular risk can be lowered with appropriate baseline evaluation, accurate choice of TKI therapy, improvement of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors through lifestyle modifications, and prescription of drugs for primary or secondary prevention. Which examinations are necessary, and when do they have to be scheduled? How often should a TKI-treated patient undergo wh…
Thrombotic complications in paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria: a literature review.
Residual vein thrombosis for assessing duration of anticoagulation after unprovoked deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs: the extended DACUS study.
Abstract The safest duration of anticoagulation after idiopathic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is unknown. We conducted a prospective study to assess the optimal duration of vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy considering the risk of recurrence of thrombosis according to residual vein thrombosis (RVT). Patients with a first unprovoked DVT were evaluated for the presence of RVT after 3 months of VKA administration; those without RVT suspended VKA, while those with RVT continued oral anticoagulation for up to 2 years. Recurrent thrombosis and/or bleeding events were recorded during treatment (RVT group) and 1 year after VKA withdrawal (both groups). Among 409 patients evaluated for unprovoked DVT…
Comparison between thrombotic risk scores in essential thrombocythemia and survival implications.
The conventional thrombotic risk stratification in essential thrombocythemia (ET) distinguishes patients in two risk groups based on previous thrombosis and age (< or >60). The IPSET-thrombosis takes into account four risk factors: age greater than 60 years and the presence of CV risk factors, thrombosis history and JAK2 V617F presence. The revised IPSET-thrombosis uses three adverse variables to delineate four risk categories: age greater than 60, thrombosis history, and JAK2 V617F presence. We compared different risk models in the estimation of thrombotic risk in 191 patients with ET and the role of specific driver mutations affecting overall survival, according to thrombotic risk. …
Safety of plasma-derived protein C for treating disseminated intravascular coagulation in adult patients with active cancer
Cancer-related disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a life-threatening condition for which no effective treatment is currently available. Protein C (PC), a modulator of coagulation as well as the inflammatory system, has been successfully tested (in its activated recombinant form [a-rPC]) in sepsis-related coagulopathy, but with an increased risk for major bleeding. Plasma-derived PC (pd-PC) is more suitable than a-rPC in patients at high risk from bleeding due to its self-limiting process. We carried out a single-arm study evaluating the role of pd-PC in adult cancer patients with overt DIC. Over a period of 3 years, we treated 19 patients with overt DIC and a PC plasma concentr…
Efficacy of ruxolitinib retreatment in a patient with high-risk myelofibrosis using the international prognostic scoring system
Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm in which clonal proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and bone marrow fibrosis coexist.1 Patients may eventually die due to leukemic progression, which occurs in up to 20% of cases, or because of cardiovascular comorbidities or cytopenia, which causes susceptibility to infections and bleeding.2 Myelofibrosis diagnosis relies upon the evaluation of several clinical and laboratory criteria suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016.3 The major mutations leading to myelofibrosis usually occur in the JAK2, CALR, and MPL genes. However, in almost 10% of the cases, none of the above-mentioned mutations can be detected …
Cancer patients requiring interruption of long-term warfarin because of surgery or chemotherapy induced thrombocytopenia: The use of fixed sub-therapeutic doses of low-molecular weight heparin
No data are available regarding the management of cancer patients requiring interruption of long-term vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) therapy. For this purpose, we tested the efficacy and safety of fixed doses of low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in substitution of VKA because of invasive procedures or chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. In cancer patients on VKA, therapy was discontinued 5 ± 1 days before surgery or chemotherapy. Heparin was given at prophylactic dosage in patients at low risk and at fixed subtherapeutic doses (3,800 or 4,000 UI anti-FXa, b.i.d.) in those at high-risk for thrombosis. LMWH was reinitiated 12 hr after surgery and VKA the day after. In patients receiving chem…
Triple-Negativity Identifies a Subgroup of Patients with Better Overall Survival in Essential Thrombocythemia
Essential thrombocythemia, as defined by the WHO in 2016, is a Philadelphia-negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm showing a better prognosis than polycythemia vera and myelofibrosis. In a variable percentage, patients with essential thrombocythemia show none of the known driver-gene mutations that may occur on JAK2, CALR, and MPL genes. Such patients are classified as triple-negative and their clinical features and prognosis have not been described with precision yet. In this study, we evaluated some of the characteristics of this population by comparing them with those of patients with driver-gene mutated ET. Data from 266 consecutive essential thrombocythemia patients were analysed…
Essential thrombocythemia: Biology, clinical features, thrombotic risk, therapeutic options and outcome
Prevention of venous thromboembolic events occurring in myeloma patients treated with second-generation novel agents
Thrombosis and neoplasms are strictly linked, and the diagnosis of a malignancy is a relevant risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE). In particular, between gammopathies, the VTE risk is known to be increased in both monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance and in multiple myeloma, with a 3- and 9-fold increase respectively, when compared to the general population. The risk appears to be further increased in patients treated with immunomodulating drugs, such as thalidomide, especially when in combination with dexamethasone or conventional cytotoxic chemotherapies, and lenalidomide. In 2008 the International Myeloma Working Group put out thrombosis prophylaxis recommendations fo…
THE ANTINEOPLASTIC ROLE OF STAT5 INHIBITION IN BCRABL1-POSITIVE CELLS EXPOSED TO PIMOZIDE ALONE AND IN COMBINATION WITH DASATINIB AND PONATINIB
EVEN though the last decades have seen the success of the targeted treatments for BCRABL1-positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), with the outstanding achievement of placing selected patients into the so called treatment-free remission, a minor part of these subjects face TKI resistance and/or intolerance. Resistance is a challenging point in the clinical management of CML, occurring in approximately 10–20% of CML cases, due to several mechanisms, among which point mutations of the BCR‐ABL kinase domain, BCRABL overexpression or alternative splicing, sub-efficient plasma concentration of the inhibitor and abnormal drug efflux/influx. The Signal Transducer and Activators of Transcription (S…
CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN ESSENTIAL THROMBOCYTHEMIA AND POLYCYTHEMIA VERA: THROMBOTIC RISK AND SURVIVAL
Thromboembolic and bleeding events pose a severe risk for patients with Polycythemia Vera (PV) and Essential Thrombocythemia (ET). Many factors can contribute to promoting the thrombotic event due to the interaction between platelets, leukocytes, and endothelium alterations. Moreover, a significant role can be played by cardiovascular risk factors (CV.R) such as cigarette smoking habits, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and dyslipidemia. In this study, we evaluated the impact that CV.R plays on thrombotic risk and survival in patients with PV and ET .
The Essential Thrombocythemia, Thrombotic Risk Stratification, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Essential thrombocythemia is a rare hematological malignancy with good overall survival, but moderate to high risk of developing arterial or venous thrombosis lifelong. Different thrombotic risk scores for patients with essential thrombocythemia have been proposed, but only one of them (the IPSET-t scoring system) takes into account the classical cardiovascular risk factors as one of the scoring items. Currently, in clinical practice, the presence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diagnosis of ET rarely determines the decision to initiate cytoreductive therapies. In our study, we compared different risk models to estimate the thrombotic risk of 233 ET patients and the role of …
A multicenter real‐life study on anticoagulant treatment with direct oral anticoagulants in patients with P h‐negative myeloproliferative neoplasms
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Beyond the comfort zone of deep molecular response: discontinuation in major molecular response chronic myeloid leukemia.
Discontinuation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) therapy is now feasible for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with deep and longstanding molecular response (MR 4/4.5); around 40–60%...
Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria: When delay in diagnosis and long therapy occurs
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare clonal disorder characterized by hemolytic anemia, bone marrow failure and thrombosis, caused by a somaticmutation in PIG-A gene that results in theabsence of CD55 and CD59, two important complement regulatory proteins. In thispaper, a case of PNH is retrospectively examined looking for clinical and laboratory features, and the entire course of the disease from the onset of the symptoms isdescribed, together with an adequate follow-up over a 7-years treatment period. Inthis case, the not specificity and the limited clinical relevance of the symptoms led to adelay in diagnosis. After thrombosis, Eculizumab therapy has been shown to be effec…
Coexistence of Von Willebrand disease and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (G.I.S.T): Case report of a rare and challenge association
Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder and is caused by a quantitative (type 1 and 3) or qualitative (type 2) defect of Von Willebrand factor (VWF). Bleeding from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not uncommon in VWD and is usually associated with angiodysplasia. We report herein on the management of a patient affected by VWD2B with severe GI bleeding secondary to gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) complicated by deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The current case demonstrated that the hemostatic balance, in RBDs under specific circumstances, can range from a tendency toward a hemorrhagic to normal or prothrombotic state. In these patients, a close collabor…
Network meta-analysis of randomized trials in multiple myeloma: Efficacy and safety in frontline therapy for patients not eligible for transplant
The treatment scenario for newly-diagnosed transplant-ineligible multiple myeloma patients (NEMM) is quickly evolving. Currently, combinations of proteasome inhibitors (PI) and/or immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD) +/- the monoclonal antibody Daratumumab are used for first-line treatment, even if head-to-head comparisons are lacking. To compare efficacy and safety of these regimens, we performed a network meta-analysis (NMA) of 27 phase 2/3 randomized trials including a total of 12935 patients and 23 different schedules. Four efficacy/outcome and one safety indicators were extracted and integrated to obtain (for each treatment) the surface under the cumulative ranking-curve (SUCRA), a metric use…
Age at diagnosis is an important prognostic factor in Philadelphia-negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
Cardiovascular Risk in Polycythemia Vera: Thrombotic Risk and Survival: Can Cytoreductive Therapy Be Useful in Patients with Low-Risk Polycythemia Vera with Cardiovascular Risk Factors?
<b><i>Background/Aims:</i></b> Cardiovascular risk factors are not considered in the current scores for evaluation of the thrombotic risk in myeloproliferative neoplasms, and in polycythemia vera (PV) in particular. Cytoreduction is currently not indicated in low-risk patients with PV, despite the absence or presence of cardiovascular risk factors. Our purpose is to highlight how cardiovascular risk factors in patients with PV increase the thrombotic risk both in low- and high-risk patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We collected and analyzed data from 165 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of PV followed at our institution and compared the fr…
Observational study of chronic myeloid leukemia Italian patients who discontinued tyrosine kinase inhibitors in clinical practice.
It is judged safe to discontinue treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in experimental trials on treatment-free remission (TFR). We collected a total of 293 Italian patients with chronic phase CML who discontinued TKI in deep molecular response. Seventy-two percent of patients were on treatment with imatinib, and 28% with second generation TKI at the time of discontinuation. Median duration of treatment with the last TKI was 77 months [Interquartile Range (IQR) 54;111], median duration of deep molecular response was 46 months (IQR 31;74). Duration of treatment with TKI and duration of deep molecular response were shorter with second generation TK…
Post-transplant consolidation based on combination of lenalidomide and proteasome inhibitors in multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy due to uncontrolled proliferation of neoplastic plasma cells in the bone marrow, associated to chromosomal instability and cytogenetic abnormalities, which could have an impact on prognosis. Response to treatment and survival of newly diagnosed myeloma patients is heterogeneous, with median overall survival ranging from two to more than ten years, due to clinical and biological factors. To warrant long-term control of disease, several strategies have been proposed in the last years, including short-term high-dose of treatment, named as consolidation, before maintenance. This review will discuss the role of consolidation in the current myel…
Host-related factors and cancer: Malnutrition and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Assessment of host-related factors is a crucial aspect in the comprehensive management of cancer patients. A distinct nutritional disturbance linked to cancer has been recognized to be associated with negative outcomes. However, compared to solid tumors, only a limited number of studies have looked specifically at nutritional issues in the field of lymphoma. The aim of this review is to integrate the current knowledge on interactions between malnutrition and lymphoma and address most relevant and pertinent questions. We first provide a literature review on the mutual biological relationship between malnutrition and lymphoma. Next, we explore the overlap between malnutrition, sarcopenia, cac…
Adherence to ruxolitinib, an oral JAK1/2 inhibitor, in patients with myelofibrosis: interim analysis from an Italian, prospective cohort study (ROMEI).
ROMEI, a prospective, observational study in patients with myelofibrosis receiving the oral JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib in real-world practice, assesses treatment adherence based on the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Here, we present MMAS-8 results at week 24. Overall, 101 of 188 evaluable patients completed the questionnaire at every visit (full completers). Mean (±standard deviation) total MMAS-8 scores remained stable from week 4 to week 24 in the overall population (7.54 ± 0.77 and 7.67 ± 0.70, respectively) and full completers (7.53 ± 0.79 and 7.67 ± 0.73, respectively). Rates of low (MMAS-8 ˂6) or medium (MMAS-8 ≥ 6 to ˂8) adherence were 25–40% and 26–36%, respec…
Management of Ponatinib in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia with Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Cardiovascular (CV) adverse events are considered common complications of ponatinib treatment. Recently, it has been demonstrated that ponatinib dose reductions in definite settings can obtain optimal responses and lower ponatinib-related CV events. In this study, we describe the management of 5 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia treated with ponatinib, from second to fourth line of tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, carrying high pre-ponatinib CV risk, who obtained optimal molecular response and developed no CV adverse event during follow-up. Among these 5 patients, 2 had diagnosis of ischemic heart disease and underwent percutaneous angioplasty, 2 had type 2 diabetes and arterial hype…