Articles related to BLEEDING/BLOOD DISORDERS

Individuals with cancer often have an elevated platelet count at the time of diagnosis. But what, if any, is the relationship? This study of nearly nine million individuals followed over 10 years points to a positive correlation.

In this late-breaking abstract from the ASH Annual Meeting & Exhibition, the researches wanted to address the limited understanding of how and when CH develops, what factors govern its behavior, how it interacts with aging, and how these variables relate to malignant progression. Here are the results from analyzing 1,593 blood DNA samples from 385 elderly individuals, each sampled up to 5 times over approximately 13 years.

This BMJ editorial examines whether approaches better equipped to compare rates of menstrual variation in vaccinated versus unvaccinated populations are needed, based on the reports of changes to periods and unexpected vaginal bleeding after vaccination. The US has taken the first step, earmarking $1.67M from the National Institutes of Health to encourage research.

Review Publication: Hematology AdvisorDesign: At the Annual Meeting of the Society of Hematologic Oncology, researchers presented a study identifying a higher percentage of patients with germline predisposition syndromes (GPS).Results: Following a review of medical records of patients diagnosed with GPS between 1994 and 2018, the investigators reported that the detection of GPS positively impacted medical care in 91% of cases, including proper selection of a bone marrow donor, selection of drug and conditioning regimens, and genetic counseling.

Despite peripheral blood making up 80% of all of hematopoietic cell transplants, there are similar rates of overall survival, disease-free survival, and transplant-related mortality when comparing marrow and peripheral blood as graft sources. Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) are more significant in those who received peripheral blood, yet the standard of care hasn’t changed. Here, two doctors reflect on the debate.

After diagnosis during a partial mastectomy, this patient’s estimated blood loss was 58 mL, causing anemia and requiring a red blood cell transfusion along with ventriculoperitoneal drain placement. With a substantive bleeding history before the diagnosis, what would you do next with this patient? Work her up for von Willebrand disease? Do a complete blood count test to look at platelet count, a peripheral smear to look at the morphology of the platelets, and a coagulation profile? Offer genetic testing for fibrinogen disorders? What would your next steps be? Read the full case presentation and expert opinion to see how your peers responded.