Multiple myeloma and infections: a population-based study on 9253 multiple myeloma patients.

Infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with multiple myeloma. To estimate the risk of bacterial and viral infections in multiple myeloma patients, we used population-based data from Sweden to identify all multiple myeloma patients (n=9 253) diagnosed from 1988 to 2004 with follow-up to 2007 and 34 931 matched controls. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the risk of infections. Overall, multiple myeloma patients had a 7-fold (hazard ratio =7.1; 95% confidence interval = 6.8-7.4) risk of developing any infection compared to matched controls. The increased risk of developing a bacterial infection was 7-fold (7.1; 6.8-7.4), and for viral infections 10-fold (10.0; 8.9-11.4). Multiple myeloma patients diagnosed in the more recent calendar periods had significantly higher risk of infections compared to controls (p<0.001). At one year of follow-up, infection was the underlying cause in 22% of deaths in multiple myeloma patients. Mortality due to infections remained constant during the study period. Our findings confirm that infections represent a major threat to multiple myeloma patients. The effect on infectious complications due to novel drugs introduced in the treatment of multiple myeloma needs to be established and trials on prophylactic measures are needed

Depletion of the AP-1 repressor JDP2 induces cell death similar to apoptosis

AbstractJDP2 is a ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein that efficiently represses the activity of the transcription factor AP-1. Thus far, all studies of JDP2 function have relied on the ectopic expression of the protein. In this study, we use a different approach: depletion of JDP2 from cells. Specific depletion of JDP2 resulted in p53-independent cell death that resembles apoptosis and was evident at 72 h. The death mechanism was caspase dependent as the cells could be rescued by treatment with caspase inhibitor zVAD. Our studies suggest that JDP2 functions as a general survival protein, not only following UV-irradiation, as reported earlier, but also under normal culture conditions. Thus, our data support that JDP2 is a cellular survival protein whose presence is necessary for normal cellular function

Spd1 accumulation causes genome instability independently of ribonucleotide reductase activity but functions to protect the genome when deoxynucleotide pools are elevated

Cullin4, Ddb1 and Cdt2 are core subunits of the ubiquitin ligase complex CRL4(Cdt2), which controls genome stability by targeting Spd1 for degradation during DNA replication and repair in fission yeast. Spd1 has an inhibitory effect on ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), the activity of which is required for deoxynucleotide (dNTP) synthesis. The failure to degrade Spd1 in mutants where CRL4(Cdt2) is defective leads to DNA integrity checkpoint activation and dependency. This correlates with a lower dNTP pool. Pools are restored in a spd1-deleted background and this also suppresses checkpoint activation and dependency. We hypothesized that fission yeast with RNR hyperactivity would display a mutator phenotype on their own, but also possibly repress aspects of the phenotype associated with the inability to target Spd1 for degradation. Here, we report that a mutation in the R1 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase cdc22 (cdc22-D57N), which alleviated allosteric feedback inhibition, caused a highly elevated dNTP pool that was further increased by deleting spd1. The Δspd1 cdc22-D57N double mutant had elevated mutation rates and was sensitive to damaging agents that cause DNA strand breaks, demonstrating that Spd1 can protect the genome when dNTP pools are high. In ddb1-deleted cells, cdc22-D57N also potently elevated RNR activity, but failed to allow cell growth independently of the intact checkpoint. Our results provide evidence that excess Spd1 interferes with other functions in addition to its inhibitory effect on ribonucleotide reduction to generate replication stress and genome instability

Treatment cessation in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B: clinical response is associated with increase in specific proinflammatory cytokines

Abstract Patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B may experience an immune response after stopping nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA)therapy, which may potentially trigger HBsAg loss or off-therapy sustained viral control. The immunological mechanisms determining clinical response remain poorly understood. To identify inflammatory signatures associated with defined outcomes, we analysed plasma cytokines and chemokines from 57 HBeAg-negative patients enrolled in the Nuc-Stop Study at baseline and 12 weeks after NA cessation. Clinical response at 12 weeks was classified into four groups: immune control, viral relapse, evolving clinical relapse, and resolving clinical relapse. Twelve weeks after treatment cessation 17 patients (30%) experienced immune control, 19 (33%) viral relapse, 6 (11%) evolving clinical relapse, and 15 (26%) resolving clinical relapse. There was a significant increase in interferon-γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10; p = 0.012) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF; p = 0.032) in patients with evolving clinical relapse. Sparse partial least-squares multivariate analyses (sPLS-DA) showed higher first component values for the clinical relapse group compared to the other groups, separation was driven mainly by IP-10, TNF, IL-9, IFN-γ, MIP-1β, and IL-12. Our results demonstrate that evolving clinical relapse after NA cessation is associated with a systemic increase in the proinflammatory cytokines IP-10 and TNF. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT03681132

Multiple Myeloma and Infections: A Population-Based Study Based On 9,610 Multiple Myeloma Patients

Abstract Abstract 945 Background Infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). No large population-based evaluation has been made to assess the risk of infections in MM patients compared to the normal population. Therefore, we performed a large study, using population-based data from Sweden, to estimate the risk of bacterial and viral infections among 9,610 MM patients compared to 37,718 matched controls. Methods We gathered information on all MM patients reported to the nationwide Swedish Cancer Registry from 1988 to 2004, with follow-up to 2007. For each MM patient, four population-based controls (matched by age, sex, and county of residence) were identified randomly from the Swedish population database. Information on occurrence and date of infections was obtained from the centralized Swedish Patient registry that captures information on individual patient-based discharge diagnosis from inpatient (with very high coverage) and outpatient care (since 2000). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the overall, one- and five-year risk of infections. In addition, the effect of gender, age and calendar period of diagnosis was evaluated. Hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the occurrence of different infections. Results Overall, MM patients had a 6-fold (HR= 5.9; 95% CI=5.7-6.1) risk of developing any infection compared to matched controls (Figure). The increased risk of developing a bacterial infection was 6-fold (HR=5.9; 95%; CI=5.6-6.1), and for viral infections 9-fold (HR=9.0; 95% CI=8.0-10.1), compared to controls. More specifically, MM patients had an increased risk (p<0.05) of the following bacterial infections: cellulitis (HR=2.6; 95% CI =2.2-3.1), osteomyelitis (HR=3.0; 95% CI 2.0–4.4), endocarditis (HR=4.4; 95% CI 2.9–6.6), meningitis (HR=14.5; 95% CI 9.1–23.0), pneumonia (HR=6.2; 95% CI 5.9–6.5), pyelonephritis (HR=2.5; 95% CI 2.1–3.0), and septicaemia (HR=13.7; 95% CI 12.5–14.9) and for the viral infections influenza (HR=5.4; 95% CI 4.4–6.7) and herpes zoster (HR=12.8; 95% CI 10.5–15.5). The risk of infections was highest during the first year after diagnosis; the risk of bacterial infections was 11-fold (95% CI 10.7–12.9) and the risk of viral infections was 18-fold (95% CI 13.5–24.4) higher compared to controls during the first year after diagnosis. MM patients diagnosed in the more recent calendar periods had significantly higher risk of infections, reflected in a 1.6-fold (95% CI=1.5-1.7) and 2-fold (95% CI=1.9-2.1) increased risk in patients diagnosed during 1994–1999 and 2000–2004, compared to patients diagnosed 1986–1993. Females had a significantly lower risk of infections compared to males (p<0.001). Increasing age was significantly associated with a higher risk of infections (p<0.001). Discussion In this large population-based study including over 9,000 MM patients and 35,000 matched controls, we found that bacterial and viral infections represent a major threat to myeloma patients. We found the risk of specific infections like pneumonia, and septicemia to be over ten times higher in patients than in controls during the first year after MM diagnosis. Importantly, the risk of infections increased in more recent years. The effect on infectious complications due to novel drugs in the treatment of MM needs to be established and trials on prophylactic measures are required. Disclosures: Mellqvist: Janssen, Celgene: Honoraria

Population-based study of survival for women with serous cancer of the ovary, fallopian tube, peritoneum or undesignated origin - on behalf of the Swedish gynecological cancer group (SweGCG)

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine survival outcome in patients with serous cancer in the ovary, fallopian tube, peritoneum and of undesignated origin. Methods: Nation-wide population-based study of women. ≥. 18. years with histologically verified non-uterine serous cancer, included in the Swedish Quality Registry for primary cancer of the ovary, fallopian tube and peritoneum diagnosed 2009-2013. Relative survival (RS) was estimated using the Ederer II method. Simple and multivariable analyses were estimated by Poisson regression models. Results: Of 5627 women identified, 1246 (22%) had borderline tumors and 4381 had malignant tumors. In total, 2359 women had serous cancer; 71% originated in the ovary (OC), 9% in the fallopian tube (FTC), 9% in the peritoneum (PPC) and 11% at an undesignated primary site (UPS). Estimated RS at 5-years was 37%; for FTC 54%, 40% for OC, 34% for PPC and 13% for UPS. In multivariable regression analyses restricted to women who had undergone primary or interval debulking surgery for OC, FTC and PPC, site of origin was not independently associated with survival. Significant associations with worse survival were found for advanced stages (RR 2.63, . P . <. 0.001), moderate (RR 1.90, . P . <. 0.047) and poor differentiation (RR 2.20, . P . <. 0.009), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (RR1.33, . P . <. 0.022), residual tumor (RR 2.65, . P . <. 0.001) and platinum single (2.34, . P . <. 0.001) compared to platinum combination chemotherapy. Conclusion: Survival was poorer for serous cancer at UPS than for ovarian, fallopian tube and peritoneal cancer. Serous cancer at UPS needs to be addressed when reporting and comparing survival rates of ovarian cancer

Risk factors for lymph node metastases in women with endometrial cancer : A population-based, nation-wide register study—On behalf of the Swedish Gynecological Cancer Group

The role of lymphadenectomy in the management of early endometrial cancer remains controversial. In the recent ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO guidelines, lymphadenectomy is recommended for patients with endometrioid adenocarcinoma Grade 3 with deep myometrial invasion, but complete agreement was not achieved. In Sweden, DNA aneuploidy has been included as a high-risk factor. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of tumor histology, FIGO grade, DNA ploidy and myometrial invasion (MI) on occurrence of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with endometrial cancer. The study design is a retrospective cohort study based on prospectively recorded register data. Endometrial cancer patients registered in the Swedish Quality Registry for Gynecologic Cancer 2010–2015 with FIGO Stages I–III and verified nodal status were included. Data on DNA ploidy, histology, FIGO grade and MI were included in multivariable log-binomial regression analyses with LNM as dependent variable. 1,165 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The multivariable analyses revealed increased risk of LNM in patients with tumors with MI ≥ 50% (risk ratio [RR] = 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0–5.6), nonendometrioid compared to endometrioid histology (RR 1.8; CI 1.4–2.4) and FIGO Grade 3 compared to Grade 1–2 tumors (RR 1.5; CI 1.1–2.0). No statistically significant association between DNA ploidy status and LNM was detected. This population-based, nation-wide study in women with endometrial cancer confirms a strong association between MI ≥ 50%, nonendometrioid histology and FIGO Grade 3, respectively, and LNM. DNA ploidy should not be included in the preoperative decision making of removing nodes or not