Relative Risk Of Treatment Failure Research Articles

Overall Survival After Treatment Failure Among Patients With Rectal Cancer

Oncologic outcomes among patients with rectal cancer after developing local recurrence and/or distant metastases remain poorly studied. To analyze the trend of overall survival after treatment failure for patients with rectal cancer within three consecutive phase 2 or 3 trials of the German Rectal Cancer Study Group. This cohort study is a post hoc analysis of 3 randomized phase 2 or 3 trials (CAO/ARO/AIO-94, -04, and -12 trials, conducted in Germany) that included 1948 patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma. The CAO/ARO/AIO-94 trial recruited patients between February 1995 and September 2002, the CAO/ARO/AIO-04 trial recruited patients between July 2006 and February 2010, and the CAO/ARO/AIO-12 trial recruited patients between June 2015 and January 2018. Statistical analysis was conducted between September 2022 and March 2023. A total of 119 of 391 patients in the CAO/ARO/AIO-94 trial group A, 295 of 1236 patients in the CAO/ARO/AIO-04 trial, and 69 of 306 in the CAO/ARO/AIO-12 trial experienced treatment failure (R2 resection or local recurrence or distant metastases) and were included in further analyses. Characteristics of treatment failure and overall survival were assessed in all 3 trial cohorts. Of the 1948 patients treated in the 3 trials, 15 were excluded because of missing data. Of the remaining 1933 patients (median age, 62.5 years [range, 19-84 years]; 1363 men [71%] and 570 women [29%]) with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma (cT3 or 4 or cN+) treated within 3 consecutive clinical trials, 483 experienced treatment failure and were analyzed. After a median follow-up of 36 months (IQR, 24-51 months) for all patients, overall survival after treatment failure was significantly improved in the CAO/ARO/AIO-04 trial (at 3 years, 44% [IQR, 37%-51%]; hazard ratio [HR], 0.61 [95% CI, 0.47-0.79]) and further improved in the CAO/ARO/AIO-12 trial (at 3 years, 73% [IQR, 60%-87%]; HR, 0.32 [95% CI, 0.18-0.54]) compared with the CAO/ARO/AIO-94 trial (at 3 years, 30% [IQR, 22%-39%]) (both P < .001). Distant metastasis was the main reason for treatment failure throughout a 5-year follow-up (range, 67%-87%), and the relative risk for treatment failure was highest in the first 18 months in all 3 trials. ypTNM stage was significantly associated with the risk and time interval to treatment failure. Improvement in overall survival after treatment failure was independent of sex. This cohort study suggests that advancements in salvage strategies during the past decades have likely improved overall survival among patients with rectal cancer who experienced treatment failure.

Addition of probenecid to oral β-lactam antibiotics: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To explore the literature comparing the pharmacokinetic and clinical outcomes from adding probenecid to oral β-lactams. Medline and EMBASE were searched from inception to December 2021 for all English language studies comparing the addition of probenecid (intervention) with an oral β-lactam [flucloxacillin, penicillin V, amoxicillin (± clavulanate), cefalexin, cefuroxime axetil] alone (comparator). ROBINS-I and ROB-2 tools were used. Data on antibiotic therapy, infection diagnosis, primary and secondary outcomes relating to pharmacokinetics and clinical outcomes, plus adverse events were extracted and reported descriptively. For a subset of studies comparing treatment failure between probenecid and control groups, meta-analysis was performed. Overall, 18/295 (6%) screened abstracts were included. Populations, methodology and outcome data were heterogeneous. Common populations included healthy volunteers (9/18; 50%) and those with gonococcal infection (6/18; 33%). Most studies were crossover trials (11/18; 61%) or parallel-arm randomized trials (4/18; 22%). Where pharmacokinetic analyses were performed, addition of probenecid to oral β-lactams increased total AUC (7/7; 100%), Cmax (5/8; 63%) and serum t½ (6/8; 75%). Probenecid improved PTA (2/2; 100%). Meta-analysis of 3105 (2258 intervention, 847 control) patients treated for gonococcal disease demonstrated a relative risk of treatment failure in the random-effects model of 0.33 (95% CI 0.20-0.55; I2 = 7%), favouring probenecid. Probenecid-boosted β-lactam therapy is associated with improved outcomes in gonococcal disease. Pharmacokinetic data suggest that probenecid-boosted oral β-lactam therapy may have a broader application, but appropriately powered mechanistic and efficacy studies are required.

Cost Saving of Short Hospitalization Nonoperative Management for Acute Uncomplicated Appendicitis

BackgroundNonoperative management (NOM) of uncomplicated appendicitis has gained recognition as an alternative to surgery. In the largest published randomized trial (Appendicitis Acuta), patients received a 3-d hospital stay for intravenous antibiotics; however, cost implications for health care systems remain unknown. We hypothesized short stay protocols would be cost saving compared with a long stay protocol. Materials and methodsWe constructed a Markov model comparing the cost of three protocols for NOM of acute uncomplicated appendicitis: (1) long stay (3-d hospitalization), (2) short stay (1-d hospitalization), and (3) emergency department (ED) discharge. The long stay protocol was modeled on data from the APPAC trial. Model variables were abstracted from national database and literature review. One-way and two-way sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the impact of uncertainty on the model. ResultsThe long stay treatment protocol had a total 5-y projected cost of $10,735 per patient. The short stay treatment protocol costs $8026 per patient, and the ED discharge protocol costs $6,825, which was $2709 and $3910 less than the long stay protocol, respectively. One-way sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the relative risk of treatment failure with the short stay protocol needed to exceed 6.3 (absolute risk increase of 31%) and with the ED discharge protocol needed to exceed 8.75 (absolute risk increase of 45%) in order for the long stay protocol to become cost saving. ConclusionsShort duration hospitalization protocols to treat appendicitis nonoperatively with antibiotics are cost saving under almost all model scenarios. Future consideration of patient preferences and health-related quality of life will need to be made to determine if short stay treatment protocols are cost-effective.

Natural History of 321 Flatfoot Reconstruction Patients Over a 14 Year Period Performed at a Single Institution

Category:Midfoot/ForefootIntroduction/Purpose:Outcomes following surgical reconstruction for acquired flatfoot deformity secondary to posterior tibial tendon dysfunction have been well described. However, the majority of studies have a limited number of patients or short to mid- term follow-up. The purpose of this study was to report the natural history, demographics, and mechanisms of treatment failure for patients undergoing flatfoot reconstruction at a single institution by a single surgeon.Methods:With IRB approval, 321 consecutive patients undergoing flatfoot reconstruction during a 14-year period were included in this study (February 2002 through October 2016). All procedures were performed by a single surgeon (PJJ) at our institution. Demographic data, surgical data, clinic notes, and radiographs were available for review. Exclusion criteria included patients without electronic records or incomplete data. Failure was defined as a need to return to the operating room for revision surgery. Statistical analysis was performed.Results:321 consecutive patients underwent flatfoot reconstruction from 2002-2016. The majority of patients were female (83.2%) with left laterality (58.6%) & a body mass index classified as overweight (21.5%) or obese (56.4%). 13.7% of patients were diabetics, and 18.4% were current smokers. 54 patients (16.8%) experienced treatment failure. Painful calcaneal hardware requiring removal occurred in 11.8% of patients, conversion to triple arthrodesis occurred in 3.45%, and wound complications or infection requiring irrigation & debridement occurred in 1.87%. There were no mortalities reported within 90 days. There were 3 symptomatic deep vein thromboses, none requiring surgical intervention, & no pulmonary embolisms. A significant increase in relative risk of treatment failure was calculated for female gender, current cigarette use, & age under 60 (3.4 p=0.0005/1.9 p=0.0081/1.8 p=0.042).Conclusion:This study represents the largest series of patients undergoing flatfoot reconstruction by a single surgeon at a single institution. Although retrospective, the results provide valuable insight to the natural history of patients undergoing this procedure. The overall complication rate and treatment failure rates are low and similar to those previously reported in the literature. Patients with female gender or under 60 years of age should be notified of their increased relative risk of treatment failure & counseled accordingly. Smoking cessation is recommended to reduce the risk of treatment failure.

Clinical outcome in heart transplant recipients receiving everolimus in combination with dosage reduction of the calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A or tacrolimus

The mTOR inhibitor everolimus (EVL) can be used for calcineurin inhibitor-sparing immunosuppression in heart transplantation (HTx). However, comparable data regarding clinical outcomes in HTx recipients receiving EVL either with dosage reduction of cyclosporine A (CSA) or with dosage reduction of tacrolimus (TAC) is scarce. In a retrospective data analysis, we compared 5-year clinical outcomes in 154 maintenance patients receiving EVL with CSA (n=106) or TAC (n=48). The primary endpoint was a composite of death, graft loss and EVL discontinuation (treatment failure). Secondary endpoints were kidney function, cardiac rejection, cytomegalovirus infection and biochemical safety parameters.In the CSA and TAC group, the primary endpoint was reached by 59.8% and 53.1%, respectively (P=0.716). Five-year mortality was 30.4% (CSA group) and 23.13% (TAC group), respectively (P=0.371), and freedom from EVL discontinuation was 53.3% and 59.6% (P=0.566) in the respective groups. Covariate-adjusted relative risk of treatment failure was in the CSA group=1.28 (95% CI: 0.70–2.34; P=0.43) compared with the TAC group. The course of covariate-adjusted estimated glomerular filtration rate and freedom from cytomegalovirus infection was similar in the two groups (P=0.502 and P=0.476), whereas covariate-adjusted freedom from rejection was lower in the CSA group compared with the TAC group (P=0.023). Lipid status and blood cell counts were comparable between groups.In conclusion, data indicate that EVL plus reduced TAC is not superior to EVL plus reduced CSA regarding treatment failure and kidney function. However, compared with EVL plus reduced CSA, EVL plus reduced TAC seems to reduce cardiac rejections.

Forty years of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a review of the Basel experience

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) characteristics and outcome in our combined paediatric and adult programme over the past four decades, since its implementation in 1973. The total number of transplant procedures rose from 109 in the first decade (1973-82) to 939 in the last decade (2003-12). Transplant characteristics changed significantly over time: patient age increased, peripheral blood largely replaced bone marrow as stem cell source, unrelated donors became an alternative to matched siblings, and patients are increasingly transplanted in more advanced disease stages. Advances such as improved supportive care and histocompatibility typing resulted in a steady decrease of transplant-related mortality after allogeneic HSCT (43% in the first decade, 22% in the last decade). Despite this, unadjusted survival rates were stable in the last three decades for allogeneic HSCT (approximately 50% 5-year survival) and in the last two decades for autologous HSCT (approximately 60% 5-year survival). After adjustment for covariates such as donor type, age and stage, the relative risk of treatment failure continuously dropped (for allogeneic HSCT: first decade 1.0, second decade 0.58, third decade 0.51, last decade 0.41). Collectively, these data suggest that improvements in peri- and post-transplant care have allowed considerable extension of transplant indications without having a negative impact on outcome.

Comparative Efficacy of Lamivudine and Emtricitabine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

IntroductionLamivudine and emtricitabine are considered equivalent by several guidelines, but evidence of comparable efficacy is conflicting.MethodsWe searched two databases up to June 30 2013 to identify randomized and quasi-randomized trials in which lamivudine and emtricitabine were used as part of combination antiretroviral therapy for treatment-naïve or experienced HIV-positive adult patients. We only included trials where partner drugs in the regimen were identical or could be considered to be comparable. We allowed for comparisons between tenofovir and abacavir provided the study population did not begin treatment with a viral load >100,000 copies/ml.Results12 trials contributed 15 different randomized comparisons providing data on 2251 patients receiving lamivudine and 2662 patients receiving emtricitabine. Treatment success was not significantly different in any of the 12 trials. In the three trials that directly compared lamivudine and emtricitabine, the relative risk for achieving treatment success was non-significant (RR 1.03 95%CI 0.96-1.10). For all trials combined, the pooled relative risk for treatment success was not significantly different (RR 1.00, 95%CI 0.97–1.02). No heterogeneity was observed (I 2 = 0). Similarly, there was no difference in the pooled relative risk for treatment failure (RR 1.08, 95%CI 0.94–1.22, I 2 = 3.4%).ConclusionsThe findings of this systematic review suggest that lamivudine and emtricitabine are clinically equivalent.

Impact of rituximab on the course of low-grade follicular lymphoma.

8572 Background: Rituximab has revolutionized the treatment of lymphomas and has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in patients with follicular lymphoma. Our study evaluated the progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with grades I and II follicular lymphoma when rituximab was used as initial therapy, as salvage or if no rituximab was used. Methods: Patients with grades I and II follicular lymphoma treated between June 1981 and January 2010 were included. Disease and treatment related variables were compared based on type of treatment (No rituximab-Group I, rituximab as salvage-Group II, Rituximab as initial treatment-Group III) using the Kruswal Wallis or chi-square tests. Univariate probabilities of PFS and OS were estimated using the Kaplan Meier method. Multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to evaluate differences in risk of treatment failure and mortality in the three groups while adjusting for covariates. Results: There were 226 patients in group I, 84 in group II and 110 in group III. Significant differences were found in some of the disease and treatment related variables. Univariate analysis is shown in the Table. The relative risk of treatment failure for group II was 0.82 (p=0.26) and 2.63 (p=0.0001) respectively in the first 10 years and after 10 years while it was 0.52 (p=0.0003) and 3.97 (p=0.001) respectively for group III in the first 10 years and after 10 years. The relative risk of mortality in group II was 0.63 (p=0.008) and group III was 0.32 (p&lt;0.0001). Conclusions: Overall survival for patients with low grade follicular lymphoma is significantly improved when rituximab is used as initial treatment or as salvage when compared with no rituximab. [Table: see text]

Antibiotics as Part of the Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition

BackgroundSevere acute malnutrition contributes to 1 million deaths among children annually. Adding routine antibiotic agents to nutritional therapy may increase recovery rates and decrease mortality among children with severe acute malnutrition treated in the community.MethodsIn this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned Malawian children, 6 to 59 months of age, with severe acute malnutrition to receive amoxicillin, cefdinir, or placebo for 7 days in addition to ready-to-use therapeutic food for the outpatient treatment of uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition. The primary outcomes were the rate of nutritional recovery and the mortality rate.ResultsA total of 2767 children with severe acute malnutrition were enrolled. In the amoxicillin, cefdinir, and placebo groups, 88.7%, 90.9%, and 85.1% of the children recovered, respectively (relative risk of treatment failure with placebo vs. amoxicillin, 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.68; relative risk with placebo vs. cefdinir, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.27 to 2.11). The mortality rates for the three groups were 4.8%, 4.1%, and 7.4%, respectively (relative risk of death with placebo vs. amoxicillin, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.07 to 2.24; relative risk with placebo vs. cefdinir, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.22 to 2.64). Among children who recovered, the rate of weight gain was increased among those who received antibiotics. No interaction between type of severe acute malnutrition and intervention group was observed for either the rate of nutritional recovery or the mortality rate.ConclusionsThe addition of antibiotics to therapeutic regimens for uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition was associated with a significant improvement in recovery and mortality rates. (Funded by the Hickey Family Foundation and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01000298.)

Percutaneous Release, Open Surgery, or Corticosteroid Injection, Which Is the Best Treatment Method for Trigger Digits?

Percutaneous A1 pulley release surgery for trigger digit (finger or thumb) has gained popularity in recent decades. Although many studies have reported the failure rate and complications of percutaneous release for trigger digit, the best treatment for trigger digit remains unclear. Our aim was to identify the relative risk of treatment failure, level of satisfaction, and frequency of complications, comparing percutaneous release with open surgery or corticosteroid injections for adult patients with trigger digits. We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), comparing percutaneous release with open surgery or corticosteroid injections. Seven RCTs involving 676 patients were identified. Methodologic quality was assessed by the Detsky quality scale. After data extraction, we compared results using a fixed meta-analysis model. There were no differences in the failure rate (risk ratio [RR] = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.14-6.25) and complication frequency (RR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.15-4.72) between patients undergoing percutaneous release and open surgery. Patients treated with percutaneous release had fewer failures (RR = 0.07; 95% CI, 0.02-0.21) and a greater level of satisfaction (RR = 2.01; 95% CI, 1.62-2.48) compared with the patients treated with corticosteroid injections. We found no difference in complication frequency between percutaneous release and corticosteroid injection (RR = 3.19; 95% CI, 0.51-19.91). The frequencies of treatment failure and complications were no different between percutaneous release surgery and open surgery for trigger digit in adults. Patients treated with percutaneous releases were less likely to have treatment failure than patients treated with corticosteroid injections.

Improving the treatment outcome in follicular lymphoma using rituximab maintenance

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most frequent lymphoma, representing approximately 70% of all indolent lymphomas and approximately 20% of all nonHodgkin’s lymphomas (NHLs) in adults [1]. Patients with FL usually have a long overall survival (OS) time, but disease progression typically occurs 3–5 years after initiation of treatment. There is no commonly accepted standard frontline therapy for FL patients. For several years a broad range of therapeutic options were available; however, historical studies did not show a survival benefit of one particular regimen. The real progress in FL treatment has been made after the introduction of immunochemotherapy with rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. The CD20 antigen is expressed on the surface of both normal and NHL B-cells, although it is in especially high density on FL tumor cells [2]. The addition of rituximab to standard polychemotherapy regimens such as cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) or cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone (CVP), resulted in a significant increase in overall response (OR), complete response (CR) and time-to-progression (TTP) rates in FL [3–6]. In a study conducted by Hiddemann et al., 428 patients with untreated, advanced-stage FL were randomly assigned to therapy with CHOP alone or CHOP combined with rituximab (R-CHOP) [7]. R-CHOP reduced the relative risk for treatment failure by 60% and significantly prolonged TTP (p < 0.001). In addition, patients treated with R-CHOP had a significantly higher OR rate (96 vs 90%; p = 0.011) and prolonged time of remission (p = 0.001), as well as superior OS (p = 0.016). In a large, randomized, multicenter study, the combination of rituximab with a CVP regimen (R-CVP) resulted in a significant increase in both OR and CR rates compared with patients treated with CVP alone (81 and 41 vs 57 and 10%, respectively; p < 0.0001) [8]. According to the current recommendations, immunochemotherapy with rituximab used in combination with CVP or CHOP regimens, but also with purine nucleoside analog-based schemes or bendamustine, should be applied in FL patients with progressive, symptomatic disease [9]. However, despite distinct progress in FL treatment, the disease still remains incurable. Different maintenance regimens were assessed to provide means for improving progression-free survival (PFS) and OS of indolent NHL patients. Numerous randomized trials examined the benefit of IFN-a consolidation or maintenance therapies for indolent NHL, including FL [10,11]. In the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) study, 279 indolent lymphoma patients in advanced clinical stage III and IV, who responded to the induction treatment with prednisone, methotrexate, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, mechlorethamine, vincristine and procarbazine (ProMACE-MOPP), were randomly assigned either to consolidation with IFN-a or to the observation “...maintenance treatment with rituximab should be considered for all [follicular lymphoma] patients responding to first-line therapy, as a new standard of care in previously untreated [follicular lymphoma] patients.”

Early Development of Castrate Resistance Varies with Different Dosing Regimens of Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone Agonist in Primary Hormonal Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist therapy is one of the mainstays of prostate cancer treatment. Three dosing regimens currently exist: calendar-based, intermittent, and a testosterone (T)-based (T-based) regimen. We investigated the differences in development of early castrate resistance rates between these different regimens. We evaluated 1617 patients with prostate cancer who received LHRH-agonist monotherapy in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Cancer Registry between January 2003 and December 2006. Patients who had undergone surgery and/or radiation were excluded. Patients were grouped according to their dosing regimen: calendar-based, intermittent dosing, and T-based. Cox proportional hazard-regression analysis was used to estimate the hazards ratio (HR) for treatment failure. A total of 692 patients who received an LHRH agonist as primary monotherapy for prostate cancer fit our criteria. Calendar-based dosing was used in 325 patients; 252 received T-based dosing and 115 received intermittent dosing. On multivariate analysis controlling for demographic and prostate cancer-related variables, the T-based dosing group showed a significantly lower relative risk of treatment failure (HR = 0.65, P = .02). The intermittent-dosing group trended toward a lower risk treatment failure (HR = 0.80, P = .3). Among the variables analyzed, only a Gleason score >8 (HR = 2.05, P = .01) and a pretreatment prostate-specific antigen >20 (HR = 2.00, P <.01) were associated with a higher risk of treatment failure. During the time period studied, T-based and intermittent dosing regimen of LHRH agonist had lower rates of early castrate resistance compared with standard calendar dosing, based on measurements for early androgen resistance.

High-dose therapy followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation with and without rituximab for primary treatment of high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

BackgroundWe aimed to determine safety and efficacy of rituximab (R) in combination with repetitive high-dose therapy (HDT) as primary treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Patients and methodsPatients aged 18–60 years and elevated lactate dehydrogenase were treated with four cycles of MegaCHOEP and transplantation of autologous stem cells after cycles 2, 3 and 4. Rituximab (375 mg/m2) was given before each cycle and 12 and 33 days after start of the last cycle of chemotherapy. Sixty-four patients given R-MegaCHOEP were compared with 29 patients who had received identical treatment without rituximab. ResultsOverall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) after 3 years were significantly improved in patients treated with R-MegaCHOEP (OS: 78.7% versus 55.0%, P = 0.045; EFS: 72.7% versus 47.2%, P = 0.013). In a Cox regression model adjusted for performance status and stage, relative risk of treatment failure was lower (relative risk 0.5, P = 0.041) and OS was better (relative risk 0.4, P = 0.054) for patients given R-MegaCHOEP. Grade 3/4 infections were more frequent in the R-MegaCHOEP group (18.5% versus 6.0%, P = 0.003). ConclusionsThe addition of rituximab to MegaCHOEP significantly improved outcome in young patients with high-risk DLBCL. The higher incidence of grade 3/4 infections needs consideration when rituximab and HDT regimens are combined.

Optimizing Patient Selection for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

Abstract 3392Poster Board III-280Although imatinib has replaced allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) as the first treatment option for CML in first chronic phase (CP1), approximately 35% of patients do not obtain long-term benefit. As only 40-50% of these patients can be salvaged with second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors there is considerable debate about use of SCT as second line therapy. It is therefore important to identify groups of patients who would have a good outcome after SCT so that it may be offered after imatinib failure.In a previous analysis we identified the pre-conditioning level of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a prognostic factor for the outcome of SCT in CML. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of comorbidities together with CRP at the time of myeloablative SCT, for patients with CML in CP1. Clinical data on 312 consecutive patients who underwent SCT between January 1991 and July 2008 was reviewed; 41 patients with incomplete data were omitted from the analysis. The median age of 271 analyzed patients was 34.3 years (range 9.7 – 59.6). 256 (94.5%) patients received bone marrow (BM) and 15 (5.5%) patients received peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC). Conditioning consisted of cyclophosphamide and TBI for 130 (48%) recipients of sibling stem cells. In addition in vivo T cell depletion with anti CD52 antibody (Campath 1H) was used for 141 (52%) unrelated donor transplants. Comorbidities were defined and assigned different weights (1-3) by the hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index (HCT-CI; Sorror, ML et al, Blood 2005). HCT-CI scores were calculated for each patient stratifying them into low risk (LR, no comorbidities, HCT-CI =0), intermediate risk (IR, HCT-CI 1 or 2) and high risk (HR, HCT-CI ≥3) groups and were evaluated for their effects on transplant related mortality (TRM) and overall survival (OS).In multivariate analysis the HCT-CI score failed to predict OS or TRM at 1 year. The only significant difference was in TRM at 100 days between the patients with HCT-CI =0 (LR group) and patients with HCT-CI ≥1 (IR and HR groups; relative risk (RR) 4.0; 95% CI: 1.4 – 11.6). The absolute number of comorbidities (CMn) was a better prognostic indicator for day 100 TRM then the weighted HCT-CI (CMn=1, RR: 3.1, CI 1.3-7.3; CMn ≥1, RR: 4.9, CI: 1.7-14.1). Pre-conditioning CRP was predictive for both TRM and survival and was independent of CMn. We thus combined these two parameters into a new risk assessment tool (CRP/CMn), with 3 prognostic groups: LR (no comorbidities and CRP <2 mg/L), HR (1 comorbidity and CRP >10 mg/L or >1 comorbidity) and IR (remaining patients). These groups yielded probabilities of OS at 10 years of 81% (N=61, LR), 63% (N=159, IR) and 38% (N=25, HR; p=0.0001, Figure 1). When adjusted for patient age, duration of disease pre-SCT, donor type and patient/donor gender mismatch in a multivariate analysis, the relative risk of treatment failure (death) was 5.3 (95% CI: 2.5 – 11.5) for the HR group, and 2.3 (95% CI: 1.2 – 4.4) for the IR group when compared to the LR group. [Display omitted] In our single center cohort of patients with CML in CP1 the HCT-CI was a poor indicator of prognosis post SCT. However, by removing the weighted scores and combining absolute number of co-morbidities with pre-conditioning CRP levels, we identified a new risk assessment tool that helps to select patients with CML in CP1 who could benefit from SCT as second line therapy. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Eradication of Methicillin‐ResistantStaphylococcus aureusCarriage: A Systematic Review

A systematic review was performed to determine the effectiveness of different approaches for eradicating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage. Twenty-three clinical trials were selected that evaluated oral antibiotics (7 trials), topically applied antibiotics (12 trials), or both (4 trials). Because of clinical heterogeneity, quantitative analysis of all studies was deemed to be inappropriate, and exploratory subgroup analyses were performed for studies with similar study populations, methods, and targeted bacteria. The estimated pooled relative risk of treatment failure 1 week after short-term nasal mupirocin treatment, compared with placebo, was 0.10 (range, 0.07-0.14). There was low heterogeneity between study outcomes, and effects were similar for patients and healthy subjects, as well as in studies that included only methicillin-susceptible S. aureus carriers or both methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus carriers. The development of drug resistance during treatment was reported in 1% and 9% of patients receiving mupirocin and oral antibiotics, respectively. Short-term nasal application of mupirocin is the most effective treatment for eradicating methicillin-resistant S. aureus carriage, with an estimated success of rate of 90% 1 week after treatment and approximately 60% after a longer follow-up period.

Empiric antibiotic therapy for suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials

To compare specific antibiotic regimens, and monotherapy vs. combination therapy, for the empirical treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Meta-analysis. Medline, Embase, Cochrane register of controlled trials, study authors, and review articles. We included randomized controlled trials that evaluated empirical parenteral antibiotic regimens for adult patients with clinically suspected VAP. Two independent review groups searched the literature, extracted data, and evaluated trial quality. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality; secondary outcomes included treatment failure. Relative risks were pooled using a random effects model. We identified 41 trials randomizing 7,015 patients and comparing 29 unique regimens. Methodological quality was low, reflecting low rates of complete follow-up (43.9%), use of a double-blinded interventional strategy (14.6%), and randomization concealment (48.6%). Overall mortality was 20.3%; treatment failure occurred in 37.4% of patients who could be evaluated microbiologically. No mortality differences were observed between any of the regimens compared. Only one of three pooled comparisons yielded a significant difference for treatment failure: The combination of ceftazidime/aminoglycoside was inferior to meropenem (two trials, relative risk 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.53-0.93). Rates of mortality and treatment failure for monotherapy compared with combination therapy were similar (11 trials, relative risk for mortality of monotherapy 0.94, confidence interval 0.76-1.16; and relative risk of treatment failure for monotherapy 0.88, confidence interval 0.72-1.07). Monotherapy is not inferior to combination therapy in the empirical treatment of VAP. Available data neither identify a superior empirical regimen nor conclusively conclude that available regimens result in equivalent outcomes. Larger and more rigorous trials evaluating the choice of, and even need for, empirical therapy for VAP are needed.

High-Dose Chemotherapy Followed by Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (AHSCT) for Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin's Disease.

Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin's Disease (LPHD) is a B-cell lymphoma that may require different treatment and may have a different natural history than classical Hodgkin's disease. Although AHSCT is accepted therapy for patients with relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin's disease, there is little information regarding transplantation for LPHD. We performed a retrospective analysis of 19 patients who were treated with AHSCT for relapsed or refractory LPHD at the University of Nebraska Medical Center between April, 1987 and October, 2002. Biopsies of all LPHD patients were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis according to the WHO classification. Patients with a prior or concurrent diagnosis of classical Hodgkin's disease or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were excluded. There were 18 men and 1 woman. Median age was 33 years (range 19–52). Thirteen patients (68%) received 1–2 chemotherapy regimens prior to AHSCT, and 6 patients (32%) received 3 or more regimens. Nine patients (47%) received radiation therapy prior to AHSCT. Five patients (26%) had extranodal disease at the time of AHSCT. Five patients (26%) were transplanted with autologous bone marrow, and 14 patients (74%) received peripheral blood stem cells. Six patients (32%) were transplanted with BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan), and 13 patients (68%) were treated with CBV (cyclophosphamide, carmustine, etoposide). The results of AHSCT for the 19 patients with LPHD were compared with 229 patients in our database who received AHSCT for relapsed and refractory nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's disease during the same time period. The characteristics of the groups were similar with respect to age, disease status at the time of AHSCT, stage at AHSCT, amount of treatment prior to AHSCT, and interval between diagnosis and AHSCT. Patients with LPHD were more likely to be males (p<0.001), less likely to have received radiation prior to AHSCT (p=0.06), and more likely to have been transplanted with peripheral blood stem cells (p=0.05). The actuarial 5-year progression-free survival following AHSCT for patients with LPHD and nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's disease was 40% (95% CI 18% to 61%) and 39% (95% CI 33% to 45%), respectively (p=0.30). The actuarial 5-year overall survival following AHSCT for patients with LPHD and classical Hodgkin's disease was 56% (95% CI 30% to 75%) and 53% (95% CI 46% to 59%), respectively (p=0.36). A multivariate analysis comparing patients with LPHD and those with nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's disease was performed. The relative risk of treatment failure following AHSCT for patients with nodular sclerosis histology was 1.14 (95% CI 0.62 to 2.12; p=0.67), and the relative risk of death was 1.22 (95% CI 0.62 to 2.41; p=0.56). These results demonstrate that long-term progression-free survival and overall survival can be achieved following high-dose therapy and AHSCT for patients with LPHD. Furthermore, no significant differences in progression-free survival and overall survival were identified when results of AHSCT for LPHD and nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's disease were compared. Although none of the LPHD patients were treated with newer agents such as gemcitabine or rituximab prior to AHSCT, this analysis suggests that high-dose therapy followed by AHSCT may be used for patients with relapsed and refractory LPHD as well as classical Hodgkin's disease.

Frontline therapy with rituximab added to the combination of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) significantly improves the outcome for patients with advanced-stage follicular lymphoma compared with therapy with CHOP alone: results of a prospective randomized study of the German Low-Grade Lymphoma Study Group

Phase 2 studies suggest that the monoclonal antibody rituximab may improve the prognosis of patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) when it is added to chemotherapy. In the current study, 428 patients with untreated, advanced-stage FL were randomly assigned for therapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) alone (n = 205) or CHOP combined with rituximab (R-CHOP) (n = 223). R-CHOP reduced the relative risk for treatment failure by 60% and significantly prolonged the time to treatment failure (P < .001). In addition, a significantly higher overall response rate (96% vs 90%; P = .011) and a prolonged duration of remission (P = .001) were achieved. In spite of a relatively short observation time, these beneficial effects even translated to superior overall survival (P = .016), with 6 deaths in the R-CHOP group compared with 17 deaths in the CHOP group within the first 3 years. The predominant treatment-related adverse effect was myelosuppression. Severe granulocytopenia was more frequently observed after R-CHOP (63% vs 53%; P = .01). However, severe infections were rare and of similar frequency after R-CHOP and CHOP (5% and 7%). Hence, adding rituximab to CHOP significantly improves the outcome for patients with previously untreated advanced-stage FL and does not induce major adverse effects.

Dose Escalated CHOP + Etoposide Followed by Repetitive Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (MegaCHOEP) with or without Rituximab for Primary Treatment of Aggressive NHL.

Whilst safety and efficacy of adding rituximab to standard therapy has been reported, less information is available on the combination of rituximab (R) with HDT and autologous SCT. The German Study Group for High-Grade NHL (DSHNHL) developed a repetitive HDT program consisting of 4 courses dose escalated CHOP + Etoposide +/− R. Patients aged 18 to 60 years and elevated LDH at diagnosis were included. Mega-CHOEP consisted of four cycles of chemotherapy. Cycles 2 to 4 were followed by autologous SCT. At dose level 3 (DL3) cumulative doses of drugs were as follows: C 19.5 g/m2, H 280 mg/m2, O 8 mg, E 5.04 g/m2, P 2000 mg. When feasibility and safety of MegaCHOEP at DL3 had been demonstrated, rituximab was added (DL3R). Six cycles of rituximab (375 mg/m2) were given: one dose of rituximab prior to each cycle of chemotherapy and two additional doses 3 and 6 weeks after the last cycle of chemotherapy, respectively. From September 1999 to may 2001 35 pts with validated diagnosis of aggressive B-NHL received MegaCHOEP DL3, from June 2001 to February 2003, 72 pts received DL3R. There was a higher percentage of B-cell NHL patients with ECOG performance status > 1 at DL3 (42.9 %) than at DL3R (19.7 %, p = 0.012) and as consequence more patients with age-adjusted IPI high risk at DL3 (34.3 %) than at DL3R (12.7 %, p = 0.029). We observed significant differences in the incidence of WHO grade III/IV infections (DL3 9 of 123 cycles (7.3%), DL3R 48 of 236 cycles (20.3%); p=0.001) and in the percentage of patients receiving the complete program of chemotherapy (DL3:91 %, DL3R 71%; p=0.017). There were no relevant differences in other types of non-hematologic toxicity or hematopoietic recovery between treatment groups. Median observation times of patients at DL3 and DL3R were 2.6 years and 4.5 years, respectively. In univariate analysis, there was a trend to better overall survival with rituximab (75%) than without rituximab (57%) at three years (p=0.168) and a significantly better freedom from treatment failure in patients receiving DL3R as compared to DL3 with 70 % vs 50 % at 3 years (p = 0.040). In a Cox regression model adjusted for IPI, there was a trend to a higher relative risk of treatment failure of MegaCHOEP without rituximab (RR 1.8); this, however, was not statistically significant (p = 0.087). Rituximab may have beneficial influence on lymphoma control in this setting; its use, however, is accompanied by higher incidence of serious infections which subsequently compromise the dose intensity of this aggressive treatment program. The DSHNHL is currently performing a randomized study comparing MegaCHOEP+R with CHOEP−14+R.

Primary versus delayed wound closure in complicated appendicitis: an international systematic review and meta-analysis

The purpose of this study was to determine, by means of a systematic review, whether the method of wound closure in complicated appendicitis affects the incidence of wound infection. A comprehensive literature search of multiple databases including MEDLINE (1980-2003), was performed, using the Cochrane search strategy, for articles on wound closure and complicated appendicitis. Clinical trials examining the method of wound closure were selected for systematic review and all quasi-randomized and randomized trials underwent meta-analysis. Failure to close the wound as planned in delayed closure (DC) was considered indicative of a wound infection. Purulent drainage requiring wound opening indicated an infection in the wounds closed primarily. Six randomized trials were considered adequate for meta-analysis. None independently showed a statistically significant difference in the risk of developing a wound infection with primary closure (PC). When pooled data were subjected to meta-analysis, PC achieved a statistically significant reduction in the relative risk of treatment failure and did not lead to an increase in wound infections. Primary closure does not increase the risk of developing a wound infection after operation for perforated appendicitis. Given the lack of benefit of DC, and the less traumatic, less painful, and less costly nature of PC; primary closure is a safe and practical treatment option.