COCHRANE HAEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES GROUP NEWSLETTER Welcome to our sixth newsletter! Issue 6 October 2010 INSIDE THIS ISSUE First announcement: 10 years CHMG CHMG and its funding sources The 2009 impact factor for Cochrane Reviews Monthly submission of protocols and reviews News from the Editorial Base New reviews and protocols in 2010 Projects of the CHMG Publication dates and deadlines CHMG website Meet the CHMG FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT 10 YEARS CHMG Scientific symposium on the occasion of the 10 th anniversary Cochrane Haematological Malignancies Group June 24, 2011, University of Cologne, Germany. For further information please see http://chmg.cochrane.org/10th-anniversary. CHMG AND ITS FUNDING SOURCES The Cochrane Haematological Malignancies Group (CHMG), based in Cologne, Germany, was founded in 2000 and is one of 52 groups that are part of the Cochrane Collaboration. The scope of the CHMG focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of haematological malignancies. The Editorial Base currently receives funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the following projects: Antibody therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (2 Cochrane Reviews). Identification of prognostic factors/markers for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: an individual patient data meta-analysis A third project is being funded by the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in German, the German Cancer Society and the German Cancer Aid: Evidence-based guidelines on the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma. COCHRANE REVIEWS STILL ON THE RISE The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Impact Factor for 2009 is 5.653 and is ranked 11th out of 132 in the ISI category Medicine, General and Internal. The 2008 IF was 5.182 and the ranking was 12th out of 107. It is really worthwhile writing Cochrane Reviews! Please do not forget to cite Cochrane Reviews in your articles and also in other Cochrane Reviews! Authors should correctly reference Cochrane Reviews using the this record should be cited as guidance in the header of each review article to assure a continues rise of Impact factor in the future. SUBMISSION OF PROTOCOLS AND REVIEWS NOW POSSIBLE EVERY MONTH In January 2010 the Cochrane Database of systematic reviews moves to monthly publication! Please see inside the newsletter for the new publication dates.
EDITORIAL BASE IN COLOGNE Andreas Engert Nicole Skoetz Ina Monsef Kathrin Bauer Sabine Kluge Bettina Schmidtke Ulla Georgi NEWS FROM THE EDITORIAL BASE New members Bettina Schmidtke is carrying out a research traineeship in the Editorial Base since the beginning of October 2010. After receiving her university degree in Biology and German philology, she enrolled for an advanced vocational training in the field of medical documentation in 2008. In the course of her training she accomplished a seven-month internship at the Diagnostic Decision Making Group at the Behavioural Science Institute of the Radboud University in Nijmegen, where her main task was her contribution to a project in the research field of clinical reasoning in collaboration with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and the University Göttingen. Prospectively Bettina will join the team of the Editorial Base as research associate after finishing her training in February 2011. Additional Managing Editor As of November 2010 Sabine Kluge - already being active as Research Associate at CHMG in a part-time position since 2008 - will be working as additional Managing Editor 10 hours per week (sabine.kluge@uk-koeln.de). Trials Search Co-ordinator Ina Monsef, our Trials Search Co-ordinator, will be on maternity leave from October 28, 2010 to February/March 2011. Bettina Schmidtke (see above) will be taking over her role as Trials Search Co-Ordinator during this period. New consumer referee We are happy to announce that we involve a new consumer referee in the editorial process! Céline Fournier from Australia resumed her work with the Editorial Base of the CHMG in December 2009. She already gave her feedback on protocols and reviews from 2002 to 2006 and is now a steady member of our group giving her valuable input and improving the quality of our reviews. CONSUMERS WANTED Consumers interested to comment on CHMG protocols and reviews are always welcome. Please contact Sabine (Sabine.kluge@uk-koeln.de). Sabine is the contact person who will provide additional information, answer your questions, and co-ordinate the consumer refereeing process in the CHMG. BECOMING A REVIEW AUTHOR FOR THE CHMG If you are interested in preparing and maintaining a review for the CHMG, please contact our Managing Editor Nicole (Nicole.Skoetz@uk-koeln.de) for relevant information, and to discuss possible topics. EDITORS AT CHMG Ben Djulbegovic Pia Raanani Sven Trelle Lena Specht Keith Wheatley Sue Richards Olaf Weingart Page 2 of 6
NEW REVIEWS AND PROTOCOLS IN 2010 As of October 2010, the CHMG published 23 systematic reviews and 22 protocols. A total of 83 review titles are registered with the Cochrane Collaboration and in various stages of the editorial process. NEW REVIEWS (2010, ISSUE 1 2010, ISSUE 11) Interferon-alpha for maintenance of follicular lymphoma Baldo P, Rupolo M, Compagnoni A, Lazzarini R, Bearz A, Cannizzaro R, Spazzapan S, Truccolo I, Moja L. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Plain language summary: The aim of this systematic review is to outline the possible benefits (i.e. prolonging survival) and also the disadvantages (adverse events) of therapy with interferon-alpha, administered alone or in combination with other proven drug regimens (otherwise known as chemotherapy) to patients affected by follicular non- Hodgkin's lymphoma. Interferons are proteins secreted by vertebrate cells that exhibit various biological actions. They confer resistance against many different viruses, inhibit proliferation of normal and malignant cells, augment natural killer cell activity, and show several other immunomodulatory functions. Interferons, types alfa-2a or alfa-2b, are usually administered in combination with other drugs to treat a variety of infective and neoplastic diseases. The results showed a significant benefit in progression-free survival in patients treated with interferon-alpha alone or combined with chemotherapy as compared with comparator therapies. There was, however, less evidence that interferonalpha supported any benefit on overall survival. Furthermore, the presence of relevant drug-related adverse events suggested that a careful analysis of the risks and benefits has to be performed when making a specific clinical decision about this therapy. Corticosteroid regimens for treatment of acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GvHD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation Salmasian H, Rohanizadegan M, Banihosseini S, Darabad RR, Rabbani-Anari M, Shakiba A, Ferrara JLM. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Plain language summary: Corticosteroids are commonly used to treat acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) but their effect on length and quality of life of patients has not been studied systematically. In this systematic review, we tried to compare the effect of treatment regimens used for GvHD in the absence and presence of corticosteroids, or with different doses of corticosteroids. After searching relevant sources, we located only two studies that met our criteria to be included in the study. Their results are described in detail in the text of the review. In brief, these studies are in favor earlier remission and slightly better outcome in patients but more evidence is needed in this field. Deferasirox for managing iron overload in people with myelodysplastic syndrome Meerpohl JJ, Antes G, Rücker G, McLeod C, Fleeman N, Niemeyer C, Bassler D. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 11. Plain language summary: Repeated red blood cell transfusions can lead to relevant secondary iron overload in some people with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) particularly of lower risk groups over the course of their disease. Drugs to remove the excess iron (iron chelation therapy) might be indicated to prevent organ complications. Since the new oral iron chelator deferasirox has become available, iron chelation therapy is offered more widely to people with MDS. Several current clinical practice guidelines suggest consideration of iron chelation therapy for people with MDS of lower risk groups. These recommendations are based on retrospective data or observational studies. However, these recommendations cannot yet be supported by data from high quality, randomised controlled trials. No completed trial evaluating the effects of deferasirox in Page 3 of 6
MDS patients could be identified. One ongoing trial investigating deferasirox in people with MDS of lower risk groups (low and intermediate-1 risk MDS) was identified by this review. Once available, these results will be important to inform physicians and patients on advantages and disadvantages of this treatment option. Bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma (Update) Mhaskar R, Redzepovic J, Wheatley K, Clark OA, Miladinovic B, Glasmacher A, Kumar A, Djulbegovic B Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 3. Otavio Augusto Camara Clark 5 Plain language summary: Multiple myeloma (also known as myeloma or plasma cell myeloma) is a B-cell malignancy, or more precisely, plasma cell neoplasm. Multiple myeloma cells migrate to the bone marrow and continuously multiply. Thus, the cancer grows inside or outside of the bones. The bone damage, or osteolytic lesions, may lead to fractures of the long bones or compression fractures in the spine. The mechanism of bone destruction appears to be related to increased bone resorption by cells called osteoclasts. Bisphosphonates are drugs that can inhibit bone resorption by reducing the number and activity of osteoclasts. The review of trials shows that adding bisphosphonates to myeloma treatment reduces fractures of the vertebra (bones in the spine) and bone pain. NEW PROTOCOLS (2010, ISSUE 1 2010, ISSUE 6) Imatinib for treating patients with chronic myelogeneous leukemia. Navas V, Simancas D, González LE, Hidalgo R, Cardona AF, Martí-Carvajal AJ. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Objectives: To assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of imatinib as front-line therapy for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), including those with chronic, accelerated and blastic phases of the disease. The role of colony stimulating factors administered for prevention and treatment of infectious complications in patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia. Belnik-Plitman Y, Gurion R, Gafter-Gvili A, Paul M, Vidal L, Ben-Bassat I, Shpilberg O, Raanani P. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of CSFs administered after induction, consolidation, or salvage treatment and after HSCT in patients with AML. To evaluate the safety of CSF in young vs. elderly patients as defined per study (usually older than 55 or 60 years). TPO receptor agonist for chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Zeng Y, Duan X, Ni X, Xu J. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Objectives: To determine the efficacy of TPO receptor agonists in chronic ITP patients. Treatment for disseminated intravascular coagulation in patients with acute and chronic leukemia, Martí-Carvajal AJ, Cardona AF, Simancas D. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 6. Objectives: To assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of heparins (low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and unfractionated heparin (UH)), danaparoid sodium (DS), synthetic protease inhibitor (SPI), antithrombin (AT III), human recombinant activated protein C (APC), recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin, recombinant tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), recombinant activated factor VIIa (rfviia), recombinant hirudin and antifibrinolytic drugs for treating disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in patients with acute or chronic leukemia. Page 4 of 6
PROJECTS OF THE CHMG NEW PROJECT FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF PROGNOSTIC FACTORS FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKAEMIA: AN INDIVIDUAL PATIENT DATA META- ANALYSIS Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) accounts for 25% of all leukaemias and is the most common form of lymphoid malignancies in western countries. The disease is characterized by a highly variable clinical course and prognosis. Some patients may have no or minimal symptoms for many years with a normal live expectancy. Others are symptomatic at or shortly after diagnosis and die as early as within two years of presentation. The main objective of this review is to identify prognostic factors/markers in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and to assess their prognostic value based on individual patient data. All clinical study centres providing data will be included in the International Collaborative Group. The aim of this project is to summarize the evidence in a way which can lead to two important achievements: To enable physicians to make an accurate prediction which patient may benefit from an early or more aggressive treatment strategy and to make it possible to provide patients with relevant prognostic information. This project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant no. 01KG0814). PUBLICATION DATES AND DEADLINES Issue Copy-edit support deadlines* CDSR/ABOUT submission deadlines** Publication dates 11 15 September 2010 7 October 2010 10 November 2010 12 20 October 2010 11 November 2010 8 December 2010 1 17 November 2010 9 December 2010 19 January 2011 2 29 December 2010 20 January 2011 16 February 2011 3 26 January 2011 15 February 2011 12 March 2011 4 23 February 2011 13 March 2011 16 April 2011 5 23 March 2011 17 April 2011 7 May 2011 6 20 April 2011 8 May 2011 4 June 2011 7 18 May 2011 5 June 2011 8 July 2011 8 15 June 2011 9 July 2011 6 August 2011 9 14 July 2011 7 August 2011 10 September 2011 10 17 August 2011 11 September 2011 8 October 2011 11 14 September 2011 6 October 2011 9 November 2011 12 19 October 2011 10 November 2011 7 December 2011 * For Managing Editors to submit Cochrane reviews to Wiley for copy-editing ** For Managing Editors to submit their Group s articles for CDSR Individual authors should contact their Cochrane Review Group for editorial deadlines. CHMG WEBSITE Visit our website at http://www.chmg.de. The CHMG Website offers information on systematic reviews as well as resources for review authors and consumers in English and in German. The site includes a detailed area with support material for Review authors and background information. It also includes sections covering ongoing projects and publications from the Editorial base. Page 5 of 6
CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME If you like this newsletter, and you have information for our readers, why not join the team and write an article? Methodological issues, a new piece of research, work experience whatever your ideas, why not share them? Feel free to contact us info@chmg.de! MEET THE CHMG Joint Colloquium of the Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations 18 22 Oct., 2010 in Keystone, Colorado If you are interested in the work of the CHMG we would be happy to meet you during the Meet the entities meeting or throughout the Colloquium. 8th International Symposium on Hodgkin Lymphoma 23 26 Oct., 2010 in Cologne, Germany On behalf of the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) we cordially invite you to participate and contribute to this meeting. All major aspects of biology, molecular pathology, staging, treatment and survivorship will be covered. 52th ASH Annual Meeting 4 7 Dec., 2010 in Orlando, Florida Each December, the Society's annual meeting provides haematologists from around the world a forum for discussing critical issues in haematology. Nearly 20,000 clinicians, scientists, and others attend the four-day meeting, which consists of a superb educational program and cutting-edge scientific sessions. CO-ORDINATING EDITOR Prof. Andreas Engert, Germany EDITORS Dr. Julia Bohlius, Switzerland Prof. Benjamin Djulbegovic, USA Prof. Auro di Giglio, Brazil Dr. Pia Raanani, Israel Dr. Sue Richards, UK Dr. Guido Schwarzer, Germany Dr. Lena Specht, Denmark Dr. Sven Trelle, Switzerland Dr. Olaf Weingart, Germany Prof. Keith Wheatley, UK EDITORIAL BASE IN COLOGNE CO-ORDINATING EDITOR Prof. Andreas Engert MANAGING EDITORS Dr. Nicole Skoetz Sabine Kluge, M.A. TRIALS SEARCH CO-ORDINATORS Bettina Schmidtke Ina Monsef RESEARCH ASSOCIATE Dr. Kathrin Bauer TEAM ASSISTANCE Ursula Georgi CONTACT DETAILS Cochrane Haematological Malignancies Group Editorial Base University Hospital Cologne Department I of Internal Medicine Kerpener Straße 62 50924 Cologne Germany Nicole.skoetz@uk-koeln.de New phone and fax numbers! Phone: +49 221 478 96647 Fax: +49 221 478 96654