Conditional relative survival in Waldenström’s macroglobulinaemia: a population-based study in The Netherlands

Contemporary diagnosed WM patients, compared to the general population, continue to experience excess mortality regardless of having survived up to 15 years post-diagnosis. This gradual increase in excess mortality might result from the incurable nature of this disease characterized by multiple relapses throughout the disease course with limited efficacious treatment options in the released/refractory setting

Primary therapy and relative survival in patients with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/Waldenström macroglobulinaemia: a population-based study in the Netherlands, 1989–2018

It is unclear how treatment advances impacted the population-level survival of patients with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (LPL/WM). Therefore, we assessed trends in first-line therapy and relative survival (RS) among patients with LPL/WM diagnosed in the Netherlands between 1989 and 2018 (N = 6232; median age, 70 years; 61% males) using data from the nationwide Netherlands Cancer Registry. Patients were grouped into three age groups (75 years) and four calendar periods. Overall, treatment with anti-neoplastic agents within 1 year post-diagnosis gradually decreased over time, following a broader application of an initial watch-and-wait approach. Approximately 40% of patients received anti-neoplastic therapy during 2011–2018. Furthermore, use of chemotherapy alone decreased over time, following an increased application of chemoimmunotherapy. Detailed data among 1596 patients diagnosed during 2014–2018 revealed that dexamethasone-rituximab-cyclophosphamide was the most frequently applied regimen; its use increased from 14% to 39% between 2014 and 2018. The 5-year RS increased significantly over time, particularly since the introduction of rituximab in the early–mid 2000s. The 5-year RS during 1989–1995 was 75%, 65%, and 46% across the age groups compared to 93%, 85%, and 79% during 2011–2018. However, the survival improvement was less pronounced after 2011. Collectively, the impressive survival improvement may be accounted for by broader application of rituximab-containing therapy. The lack of survival improvement in the post-rituximab era warrants studies across multiple lines of therapy to further improve survival in LPL/WM

Psychological distress among patients with lymphoma: the association with personality and coping strategies

Background: Up to one-quarter of patients with lymphoma experience persisting levels of psychological distress. This study aims to examine the extent to which personality traits and coping strategies, separately and together, are associated with psychological distress among patients with lymphoma, controlling for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Methods: A population-based sample of patients with lymphoma, selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR), was invited to complete a questionnaire about psychological distress, personality, and coping strategies (Mental Adjustment to Cancer). Sociodemographic and clinical data were retrieved from the NCR. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to assess the unique variance in psychological distress explained by personality traits and coping strategies separately and together. Results: A total of 456 patients completed the questionnaire (51%), the average age was 65 years, 64% were male, and 17% reported psychological distress. Of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, comorbidity (β = .14, P < .001) and age (β = −.10, P = .03) were independently associated with psychological distress. In addition, of personality traits, only neuroticism was related to psychological distress (neuroticism, β = .43, P < .001). Furthermore, the coping styles anxious preoccupation (β = .12, P = .01) and helplessness/hopelessness (β = .30, P < .001) were associated with more psychological distress, whereas avoidance was associated to less psychological distress (β = −.09, P = .01). Conclusions: In conclusion, besides comorbidity and age, personality traits—in particular neuroticism—and the coping strategies helplessness/hopelessness, anxious preoccupation, and avoidance were significantly independently associated with psychological distress. Unlike personality, coping strategies are considered to be changeable and could be targeted by interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy

Psychological distress among patients with lymphoma: the association with personality and coping strategies

Background: Up to one-quarter of patients with lymphoma experience persisting levels of psychological distress. This study aims to examine the extent to which personality traits and coping strategies, separately and together, are associated with psychological distress among patients with lymphoma, controlling for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Methods: A population-based sample of patients with lymphoma, selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR), was invited to complete a questionnaire about psychological distress, personality, and coping strategies (Mental Adjustment to Cancer). Sociodemographic and clinical data were retrieved from the NCR. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to assess the unique variance in psychological distress explained by personality traits and coping strategies separately and together. Results: A total of 456 patients completed the questionnaire (51%), the average age was 65 years, 64% were male, and 17% reported psychological distress. Of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, comorbidity (β = .14, P < .001) and age (β = −.10, P = .03) were independently associated with psychological distress. In addition, of personality traits, only neuroticism was related to psychological distress (neuroticism, β = .43, P < .001). Furthermore, the coping styles anxious preoccupation (β = .12, P = .01) and helplessness/hopelessness (β = .30, P < .001) were associated with more psychological distress, whereas avoidance was associated to less psychological distress (β = −.09, P = .01). Conclusions: In conclusion, besides comorbidity and age, personality traits—in particular neuroticism—and the coping strategies helplessness/hopelessness, anxious preoccupation, and avoidance were significantly independently associated with psychological distress. Unlike personality, coping strategies are considered to be changeable and could be targeted by interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy

The evolution of the loss of life expectancy in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia: a population-based study in the Netherlands, 1989–2018

Studies on the conditional life expectancy of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) are lacking. Using data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry, we examined the life expectancy of patients with CML in the Netherlands diagnosed during 1989–2018. As of the early 2010s, the life expectancy of patients with CML who survived several years after diagnosis came narrowly close to the general population’s life expectancy, regardless of age. This finding can essentially be ascribed to the introduction and broader application of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and provide optimism to patients with CML who can look forward to a near-normal life expectancy in a modern TKI era