The ongoing CTT number begins with a review article by Dr. A. Grigoriants et al. which deals with oral problems in the patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), expecially, short- and long-term dental disorders in children after intensive cytotoxic therapy, and inflammatory/atrophic changes of oral mucosa associated with acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), due to infections and autoaggressive processes.

International data show good efficiency of haploidentical HSCT when treating acute leukemias. Appropriate clinical protocols for children and adolescents using non-manipulated hematopoietic grafts, and evaluation of medium- and long-term results are reported by Dr. O. Paina et al. The authors conclude on good efficiency of haploidentical HSCT for this age group, being comparable to HLA-compatible transplantation.

Novel inhibitors of PD-1 apoptotic pathway are intensively studied, aiming for enhanced immune therapy of different malignancies. The article by Dr. K. Lepik et al. concerns application of Nivolumab in relapsed Hodgkin’s disease (HD) following allogeneic HSCT. Most patients exhibited appreciable clinical response, thus confirming efficiency of this drug in HD.

Treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloblastic leukemias (AML) evolving from acquired aplastic anemia are discussed in the article by Dr. I. Golubovskaya et al. which presents clinical results obtained, when treating these rare conditions with complex pathogenesis. In particular, the authors discuss early complications and overall survival following immunosuppressive therapy and allo-HSCT.

The article by Dr. E. Babenko et al. presents a comparative statistical evaluation of transplantation with cryopreserved vs freshly taken hematopoietic grafts in a heterogenous patient sample. A long-term experience has generally shown that the results of allogeneic HSCT with cryopreserved graft are comparable to native hematopoietic transplants, in terms of severe acute and chronic GVHD, overall survival, and GVHD-relapse-free survival.

Expression of leukemia-associated genes, such as EVI 1, WT 1, etc., is important both for primary diagnostics, and, especially, for the minimal residual disease (MRD) quantitation after therapy. The study by Dr. A. Shakirova et al. is focused on prognostic significance and diagnostic cut-off values for BAALC gene expression predictive for high risk of relapse in acute myeloid leukemia after allo-HSCT.

Clinical value of cytogenetics for tracing clonal evolution in myelodysplastic syndrome is well illustrated by a clinical case presented by Prof. N. Mamaev et al. The case is quite instructive to oncohematologists since it compares clinical course, cytogenetic and molecular evolution in the patient.

A good experimental study is presented by a group from Novosibirsk (Dr. D. Matvienko et al.). The authors have produced a clone of CAR cells which could be potentially applied for immunotherapy of prostate cancer.

This issue also contains a concise comment by Professor Axel R. Zander, who presents the available clinical criteria for risk prediction in AML patients that was vividly discussed in two previous CTT journals. The readership is invited to follow the entire discussion in details.