Methimazole-induced insulin autoimmune syndrome

Background: Hypoglycemia in a critical care setting is often multifactorial with iatrogenic insulin use, sulfonylurea (SU) use, sepsis, adrenal insufficiency and insulinoma among the common causes. Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) is a rare cause of hypoglycemia characterized by the presence of insulin-binding autoantibodies to the sulfhydryl group-containing agents. We report a case of methimazole-induced IAS managed in the intensive care unit. Case presentation: A 76-year-old woman with a history of primary hyperthyroidism was sent from a nursing home for unresponsiveness. Vital signs were significant for hypotension (74/46) and low blood sugars. Fluid resuscitations with normal saline and 50% dextrose stabilized the blood pressure (BP) to 135/75 and her blood glucose to 264. Due to respiratory distress and septic appearance, she required emergency intubation. Nursing home medications were noted for methimazole and absence of any insulin or SU use. Empiric antibiotic treatment was started and fluid resuscitation was continued while home medications were held. Her laboratory values were significant for elevated creatinine, lactic acid, serum cortisol, C-peptide, and insulin. Her cultures, SU screen and computerized tomography (CT) scan were negative for significant findings. On day 2, in addition to 10% dextrose, octreotide was initiated for recurrent hypoglycemia. Her blood glucose (BG) continued to drop throughout the day for which she required glucagon support and a D20 infusion. By day 4, the rate of infusion was titrated up and her BG continued to drop to <60 mg/dl despite D20, octreotide and tube feeds with concentrated calories (1.5 cal/ml). Due to her declining health, her family endorsed palliative care and she was extubated. After day 11, her hypoglycemic episodes resolved and she remained endogenously euglycemic. Conclusions: IAS is associated with methimazole use due to formation of autoantibodies to insulin after its interaction with Sulfhydryl (SH) group in methimazole. While IAS is a rare entity, it demands consideration in hypoglycemia in patients with autoimmune conditions

Latest advances in the management of classical Hodgkin lymphoma: the era of novel therapies

International audienceHodgkin lymphoma is a highly curable disease. Although most patients achieve complete response following frontline therapy, key unmet clinical needs remain including relapsed/refractory disease, treatment-related morbidity, impaired quality of life and poor outcome in patients older than 60 years. The incorporation of novel therapies, including check point inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates, into the frontline setting, sequential approaches, and further individualized treatment intensity may address these needs. We summarize the current treatment options for patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma from frontline therapy to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and describe novel trials in the field

Impact of initial chemotherapy regimen on outcomes for patients with double- expressor lymphoma: A multi- center analysis

Diffuse large B- cell lymphoma featuring overexpression of MYC and B- Cell Lymphoma 2 (double expressor lymphoma, DEL) is associated with poor outcomes. Existing evidence suggesting improved outcomes for DEL with the use of more intensive regimens than R- CHOP is restricted to younger patients and based on limited evidence from low patient numbers. We retrospectively evaluated the impact of intensive frontline regimens versus R- CHOP in a multicenter analysis across 7 academic medical centers in the United States. We collected 90 cases of DEL, 46 out of 90 patients (51%) received R- CHOP and 44/90 (49%) received an intensive regimen, which was predominantly DA- EPOCH- R. Treatment cohorts were evenly balanced for demographics and disease characteristics, though the intensive group had a higher lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, 326 vs. 230 U/L p = 0.06) and presence of B- symptoms (50% vs. 22%, p = 0.01) compared to the R- CHOP cohort. There was no difference in PFS (median 53 vs. 38 months, p = 0.49) or overall survival (67 vs. not reached months, p = 0.14) between the R- CHOP and intensive therapy cohorts, respectively. On multivariate analysis, intensive therapy was associated with a hazard ratio of 2.35 (95% CI 0.74- 7.41), though this was not statistically significant. Additionally, a subgroup analysis of intermediate high- risk lymphoma defined by IPI - ¥3 did not identify a difference in survival outcomes between regimens. We conclude that in our multi- center cohort there is no evidence supporting the use of intensive regimens over R- CHOP, suggesting that R- CHOP remains the standard of care for treating DEL.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170812/1/hon2902.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170812/2/hon2902_am.pd

Outcomes of Burkitt lymphoma (BL) managed in academic (Acad) or community (Comm) centers: real-world evidence (RWE) from 30 US sites

8043 Background: Prior analyses have suggested better overall survival (OS) of cancer patients (pts) treated in Acad rather than Comm hospitals, but these disparities may reflect different patient characteristics. We examined outcomes of pts with BL in a large RWE cohort from 30 US healthcare systems (Evens, ASH 2019) with a mix of Acad and affiliated Comm sites. Methods: We collected clinical data on adults with BL diagnosed in 2009-2018, individually assigned to Acad or Comm principal setting of care. We compared duration of chemotherapy (CTx, incl. standard CODOX-M/IVAC, hCVAD/MA, DA-EPOCH), rates of complete response (CR), progression-free survival (PFS), and OS adjusting for age, sex, HIV, performance status (PS), stage, LDH > 3x upper limit of normal (ULN), involvement of bone marrow or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), reporting adjusted risk (RR) or hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI. Results: Among 641 BL pts, 77 (12%) were managed in Comm setting. Comm pts had lower median age (45 vs 48 in Acad, P= .049), less frequent HIV (13% vs 23%, P= .039), less marrow (21% vs 36%, P= .009) or detected CSF involvement (8% vs 15%, P= .11), and less LDH > 3xULN (21% vs 41%, P= .013), with no significant differences in sex, PS, stage, hemoglobin, or receipt of CTx (97% vs 99%). Acad sites more often applied standard intensive CTx regimens (93% vs 85%, P= .03) and rituximab (92% vs 79%, P= .001), without significant difference in median time to CTx ( P= .69) or treatment-related mortality (TRM, P= .16). Pts managed in Comm (vs Acad) sites were less likely to achieve CR (61% vs 75%, P= .03; RR = 0.79 [0.65-0.95]) and had worse 3-year PFS (46% vs 67%, log-rank P= .003; HR = 2.17 [1.51-3.14]) and OS (53% vs 72%, P= .006; HR = 2.20 [1.48-3.25]). There was no significant interaction with age, sex, HIV, PS, or CSF involvement. Excess mortality concentrated in the 1 st year of follow-up. CR, PFS, and OS appeared similar between Acad and Comm settings for pts receiving hCVAD or DA-EPOCH, but outcomes were significantly worse in Comm setting for pts receiving CODOX-M/IVAC. Median number of cycles did not differ between Comm or Acad sites, but median duration of CODOX-M/IVAC delivery was significantly longer in Comm setting (113 vs 101 days, P= .023). Conclusions: In this large RWE analysis, superior outcomes of adults with BL in Acad setting were not explained by baseline patient characteristics or TRM. Differences in the use of standard CTx regimens, rituximab, duration of Ctx, and CR rates suggest need for further research on potential barriers to delivery of intensive CTx for BL in a broader Comm setting

Outcomes of Burkitt lymphoma with central nervous system involvement: evidence from a large multi-center cohort study

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement in Burkitt lymphoma (BL) poses a major therapeutic challenge, and the relative ability of contemporary regimens to treat CNS involvement remains uncertain. We described prognostic significance of CNS involvement and incidence of CNS recurrence/progression after contemporary immunochemotherapy using real-world clinicopathologic data on adults with BL diagnosed between 2009 and 2018 across 30 US institutions. We examined associations between baseline CNS involvement, patient characteristics, complete response (CR) rates, and survival. We also examined risk factors for CNS recurrence. Nineteen percent (120/641) of patients (age 18-88 years) had CNS involvement. It was independently associated with HIV infection, poor performance status, involvement of ≥2 extranodal sites, or bone marrow involvement. First-line regimen selection was unaffected by CNS involvement (P=0.93). Patients with CNS disease had significantly lower rates of CR (59% versus 77% without; P

Burkitt lymphoma in the modern era: real-world outcomes and prognostication across 30 US cancer centers

We examined adults with untreated Burkitt lymphoma (BL) from 2009 to 2018 across 30 US cancer centers. Factors associated with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated in univariate and multivariate Cox models. Among 641 BL patients, baseline features included the following: median age, 47 years; HIV+, 22%; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) 2 to 4, 23%; >1 extranodal site, 43%; advanced stage, 78%; and central nervous system (CNS) involvement, 19%. Treatment-related mortality was 10%, with most common causes being sepsis, gastrointestinal bleed/perforation, and respiratory failure. With 45-month median follow-up, 3-year PFS and OS rates were 64% and 70%, respectively, without differences by HIV status. Survival was better for patients who received rituximab vs not (3-year PFS, 67% vs 38%; OS, 72% vs 44%; P 3× normal (PFS, HR = 1.83, P < .001; OS, HR = 1.63, P = .009), and CNS involvement (PFS, HR = 1.52, P = .017; OS, HR = 1.67, P = .014) predicted inferior survival. Furthermore, survival varied based on number of factors present (0, 1, 2 to 4 factors) yielding 3-year PFS rates of 91%, 73%, and 50%, respectively; and 3-year OS rates of 95%, 77%, and 56%, respectively. Collectively, outcomes for adult BL in this real-world analysis appeared more modest compared with results of clinical trials and smaller series. In addition, clinical prognostic factors at diagnosis identified patients with divergent survival rates