Derya Koyun

Aim: Healthcare workers involved in diagnostic, interventional, and surgical procedures may be chronically exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation during their professional activities. Because the hematopoietic system is among the most radiosensitive tissues, hematological parameters may provide useful indicators of biological effects associated with occupational radiation exposure. This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic low-dose occupational ionizing radiation exposure on hematological parameters in healthcare workers.Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 60 radiation-exposed and 50 non-exposed healthcare workers. Personal dosimetry records [Hp(10) and Hp(0.07)] and employment duration were collected. Hematological parameters and assessments of lymph nodes and the spleen were also analyzed. Group differences and dose–response relationships were evaluated using correlation analyses, regression models, and ANCOVA.Results: Radiation-exposed workers had higher hematocrit, red blood cell (RBC) counts, and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) than controls (p

Background: Post-treatment erythrocytosis (PT-E⁺)—an increase in red blood cell counts after therapy—is an uncommon but reproducible finding in a subset of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivors, and its biological basis remains undefined. Methods: A targeted DNA sequencing panel of 33 genes was used at diagnosis and during follow-up in PT-E⁺ patients and HL controls who did not develop erythrocytosis (E⁻; those without increased red blood cells). Germline (inherited) and somatic (acquired) genetic variants were compared, and changes in variant frequency over time were assessed. Results: PT-E⁺ patients had a unique molecular profile. They showed inherited variants in genes that regulate oxygen sensing and red blood cell production (EPAS1, EGLN3, HIF3A, PKLR, SH2B3, and RAB4B-EGLN2). Rare, acquired mutations affecting hypoxia, HIF, and EPO pathways (EGLN1/2/3, EPAS1, HIF1A/3A, VHL, EPO, and PKLR) were also found. These changes did not appear in E⁻ controls, who instead had common clonal hematopoiesis mutations (DNMT3A, TET2, ASXL1, and JAK3). Most somatic variants in the hypoxia pathway in PT-E⁺ patients decreased or disappeared after treatment, which suggests these changes are temporary and influenced by the surrounding environment. Conclusions: PT-E⁺ is biologically different from polycythemia vera and from idiopathic or JAK2-unmutated erythrocytosis. Both inherited risk and HL-related hypoxic or inflammatory stress are present. This supports a two-hit model, in which genetically primed red blood cell pathways respond strongly to disease-related triggers. These results suggest a new way to understand erythrocytosis after HL treatment.

AlloHCT remains a curative option for R/R Hodgkin lymphoma despite advances with BV and CPIs. This study evaluates its role and outcomes in this challenging patient population. This retrospective oligocentric analysis involved 70 patients with R/R classical HL who underwent alloHCT. Patients were split into two treatment cohorts: era1 (2004-2010), 16 patients, and era2 (2011-2021), 54 patients. Among the cohort, sixty-three patients had previously received an autologous stem cell transplant. Forty patients were administered only (n=29) BV or BV preceding CPI (n=11) before alloHCT. A median follow-up of 64 months (40.7-87.3) revealed a 100-day non-relapse mortality (NRM) rate of 26%, with the 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) reported as 39% and 28%, respectively. AlloHCT using haplotype-matched donors was linked to better OS and PFS. Post-transplant cyclophosphamide (post-tx CY) as a prophylactic approach for graft versus host disease (GVHD) significantly improved OS and PFS. A complete response (CR) during the post-transplant phase significantly improved OS and PFS. Indeed, better OS, PFS, and a reduced rate of NRM were observed in the pre/post-alloHCT BV and CPI group, although we could not demonstrate statistical significance. The survival (OS, PFS) curves and NRM rates were similar for both eras. AlloHCT is a potentially practical therapeutic approach in responding to R/R HL patients.

Introduction: In our study, we aimed to predict the presence of the JAK2V617F mutation using haemogram, biochemical parameters, and serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels in patients with erythrocytosis living at high altitudes.Methods: In this retrospective study, 186 patients who presented with erythrocytosis between 2022 and 2025 and had resided at an altitude of ~1800 metres for at least one year were examined. The presence of erythrocytosis was determined according to the 2022 World Health Organisation criteria. Demographic, haematological, and biochemical parameters, as well as serum EPO levels, of the patients were compared according to the presence of the JAK2V617F mutation. Multivariate logistic regression and ROC analysis were then applied.Results: The study included 186 patients; 151 (81.2%) were negative for the JAK2V617F mutation, and 35 (18.8%) were positive. Mutation-positive patients were significantly older ( p < 0.001). Univariate analyses revealed decreased levels of haemoglobin (p = 0.015), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) (p = 0.029),Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) (p < 0.001), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) (p < 0.001), and EPO (p < 0.001). They significantly increased proliferative parameters, including Red Blood Cell Count (RBC) (p = 0.001), Platelet Count (PLT) (p < 0.001), Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) (p

A Real World Study: Efficacy and Safety of Pegylated Interferon Alpha-2a in Patients with Myeloproliferative Neoplasm - Journal of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine

Anaplastic Multiple Myeloma: An Aggressive Myeloma Variant with A Poor Response to Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation - Journal of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine