Hope for Motherhood: Pregnancy After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation - a National Multicenter Study.

Improved long-term survival rates after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) make family planning for young adult cancer survivors an important topic. However, treatment-related infertility risk poses challenges. To assess pregnancy and birth rates in a contemporary cohort, we conducted a national multicenter study using data from the German Transplant Registry, focusing on adult women aged 18-40 who underwent alloHCT between 2003 and 2018. Out of 2,654 transplanted women, 50 women experienced 74 pregnancies, occurring at a median of 4.7 years post-transplant. Fifty-seven of these resulted in live births (77%). The annual first birth rate among HCT recipients was 0.45% (95%CI: 0.31 - 0.59%), which is more than six times lower than in the general population. The probability of a live birth 10 years after HCT was 3.4 % (95%CI: 2.3- 4.5%). Factors associated with an increased likelihood of pregnancy were younger age at alloHCT, non-malignant transplant indications, no total-body-irradiation (TBI) or a cumulative dose of <8 Gray, and non-myeloablative/reduced-intensity conditioning. 72% of pregnancies occurred spontaneously, with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) used in the remaining cases. Preterm delivery and low birth weight were more common than in the general population. This study represents the largest dataset reporting pregnancies in a cohort of adult female alloHCT recipients. Our findings underscore a meaningful chance of pregnancy in alloHCT recipients. ART techniques are important and funding should be made available. However, the potential for spontaneous pregnancies should not be underestimated, and patients should be informed of the possibility of unexpected pregnancy despite reduced fertility. Further research is warranted to understand the impact of conditioning decisions on fertility preservation.

Long term results of a prospective multicenter observational study on the use of anti-human T-lymphocyte immunoglobulin (ATLG) in unrelated donor transplantation (ATOS study).

ATOS is a prospective observational study evaluating the outcome of patients receiving anti-human T-lymphocyte immunoglobulin (ATLG) in unrelated donor transplantation. Primary endpoint was severe GvHD and relapse-free survival (SGRFS). GvHD prophylaxis consisted of ATLG and CSA/ MTX or MMF. Outcome was compared to the ATLG arm of our prospective randomized phase III multicenter trial trial (RCT) [1, 2]. 165 patients, median age 54 (18; 77) years, with haematological malignancies with early (45.5%), intermediate (17.6%), and advanced (37.0%) disease were included. ATLG dose differed between centers according to local practise (median total ATLG dose of 46 (IQR 32-60, range 15-91) mg/kg). Median follow-up was 70 months. Estimated probabilities at 5 years follow up were for SGRFS 0.27, OS 0.52, DFS 0.43, NRM 0.23, relapse 0.34, acute GvhD °III/IV 0.13, severe chronic GvHD 0.27. OS rates differed dependent on disease status. An effect of the given ATLG dose could not be separated from potential center effects. Despite higher age and more advanced disease in ATOS, outcome was similar to the ATLG arm of our RCT. This long-term, multicenter, experience in routine clinical practice confirms the GvHD-protective effect of ATLG without compromising relapse and non-relapse mortality rates.Clinical Trial Registry: German clinical trials register DRKS00004581.

Identification of clinical factors impacting outcome in patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation after BEAM and TEAM conditioning.

Organ dysfunction, including pulmonary function impairment, plays a key role in the choice of conditioning chemotherapy before autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT). Replacement of BCNU/carmustine as part of BEAM (BCNU/carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan) conditioning protocol by thiotepa (TEAM) reduces pulmonary toxicity while maintaining efficacy. We retrospectively analyzed the association of clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and organ function with outcomes after conditioning with BEAM or TEAM. Three hundred ninety-six patients undergoing auto-HSCT (n = 333 with BEAM; n = 63 with TEAM) at our institution between 2008 and 2021 were included in this study. In the multivariate analysis, CO-diffusion capacity corrected for hemoglobin (DLCOcSB) ≤ 60% of predicted, progressive disease (PD) before auto-HSCT, Karnofsky performance score (KPS) ≤ 80%, HCT-CI score ≥ 4, and cardiac disease before auto-HSCT were associated with decreased overall survival (OS) in patients treated with BEAM. In contrast, only PD before auto-HSCT was identified in patients treated with TEAM. Patients conditioned with BEAM and DLCOcSB ≤ 60% had higher non-relapse mortality, including pulmonary cause of death. In summary, we have identified clinical and pulmonary risk factors associated with worse outcomes in patients conditioned with BEAM compared to TEAM. Our data suggest TEAM conditioning as a valid alternative for patients with comorbidities, including pulmonary dysfunction and/or poorer performance scores, before auto-HSCT.

Long-term follow-up of patients with acute myeloid leukemia undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after primary induction failure.

Primary induction failure (PIF) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients is associated with poor outcome, with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) being the sole curative therapeutic option. Here, we retrospectively evaluated long-term outcomes of 220 AML patients undergoing allogeneic HCT after PIF who never achieved remission, and identified clinical and molecular risk factors associated with treatment response and ultimate prognosis. In this high-risk population, disease-free survival was 25.2% after 5 years and 18.7% after 10 years, while overall survival rates were 29.8% and 21.6% after 5 and 10 years of HCT, respectively. 10-year non-relapse mortality was 32.5%, and 48.8% of patients showed disease relapse within 10 years after allogeneic HCT. Adverse molecular risk features determined at initial diagnosis, poor performance status at the time of allogeneic HCT, and long diagnosis-to-HCT intervals were associated with unfavorable prognosis. Collectively, our data suggests that immediate allogeneic HCT after PIF offers long-term survival and cure in a substantial subset of cases and that high-risk AML patients who never achieved complete response during induction might benefit from early donor search.

High-fat diet impact on intestinal cholesterol conversion by the microbiota and serum cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol-to-coprostanol conversion by the intestinal microbiota has been suggested to reduce intestinal and serum cholesterol availability, but the relationship between intestinal cholesterol conversion and the gut microbiota, dietary habits, and serum lipids has not been characterized in detail. We measured conserved proportions of cholesterol high and low-converter types in individuals with and without obesity from two distinct, independent low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) dietary intervention studies. Across both cohorts, cholesterol conversion increased in previous low-converters after LCHF diet and was positively correlated with the fecal relative abundance of Eubacterium coprostanoligenes. Lean cholesterol high-converters had increased serum triacylglycerides and decreased HDL-C levels before LCHF diet and responded to the intervention with increased LDL-C, independently of fat, cholesterol, and saturated fatty acid intake. Our findings identify the cholesterol high-converter type as a microbiome marker, which in metabolically healthy lean individuals is associated with increased LDL-C in response to LCHF.

Phase II trial of hypomethylating agent combined with nivolumab for acute myeloid leukaemia relapse after allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation-Immune signature correlates with response.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) relapse after allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is often driven by immune-related mechanisms and associated with poor prognosis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with hypomethylating agents (HMA) may restore or enhance the graft-versus-leukaemia effect. Still, data about using this combination regimen after allo-HCT are limited. We conducted a prospective, phase II, open-label, single-arm study in which we treated patients with haematological AML relapse after allo-HCT with HMA plus the anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab. The response was correlated with DNA-, RNA- and protein-based single-cell technology assessments to identify biomarkers associated with therapeutic efficacy. Sixteen patients received a median number of 2 (range 1-7) nivolumab applications. The overall response rate (CR/PR) at day 42 was 25%, and another 25% of the patients achieved stable disease. The median overall survival was 15.6 months. High-parametric cytometry documented a higher frequency of activated (ICOS+ , HLA-DR+ ), low senescence (KLRG1- , CD57- ) CD8+ effector T cells in responders. We confirmed these findings in a preclinical model. Single-cell transcriptomics revealed a pro-inflammatory rewiring of the expression profile of T and myeloid cells in responders. In summary, the study indicates that the post-allo-HCT HMA/nivolumab combination induces anti-AML immune responses in selected patients and could be considered as a bridging approach to a second allo-HCT. Trial-registration: EudraCT-No. 2017-002194-18.

Empiric vs Preemptive Antifungal Strategy in High-Risk Neutropenic Patients on Fluconazole Prophylaxis: A Randomized Trial of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Empiric antifungal therapy is considered the standard of care for high-risk neutropenic patients with persistent fever. The impact of a preemptive, diagnostic-driven approach based on galactomannan screening and chest computed tomography scan on demand on survival and on the risk of invasive fungal disease (IFD) during the first weeks of high-risk neutropenia is unknown. METHODS: Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients were randomly assigned to receive caspofungin empirically (arm A) or preemptively (arm B), while receiving fluconazole 400 mg daily prophylactically. The primary end point of this noninferiority study was overall survival (OS) 42 days after randomization. RESULTS: Of 556 patients recruited, 549 were eligible: 275 in arm A and 274 in arm B. Eighty percent of the patients had AML or MDS requiring high-dose chemotherapy, and 93% of them were in the first induction phase. At day 42, the OS was not inferior in arm B (96.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 93.8%-98.3%) when compared with arm A (93.1%; 95% CI, 89.3%-95.5%). The rates of IFDs at day 84 were not significantly different, 7.7% (95% CI, 4.5%-10.8%) in arm B vs 6.6% (95% CI, 3.6%-9.5%) in arm A. The rate of patients who received caspofungin was significantly lower in arm B (27%) than in arm A (63%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The preemptive antifungal strategy was safe for high-risk neutropenic patients given fluconazole as prophylaxis, halving the number of patients receiving antifungals without excess mortality or IFDs. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT01288378; EudraCT 2010-020814-27.

Cellular and Humoral SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Responses in 192 Adult Recipients of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

To determine factors influencing the vaccination response against SARS-CoV-2 is of importance in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) as they display an increased mortality after SARS-CoV-2 infection, an increased risk of extended viral persistence and reduced vaccination response. Real-life data on anti-SARS-CoV-2-S1-IgG titers (n = 192) and IFN-γ release (n = 110) of allo-HCT recipients were obtained using commercially available, validated assays after vaccination with either mRNA (Comirnaty™, Pfizer-BioNTech™, NY, US and Mainz, Germany or Spikevax™, Moderna™, Cambridge, Massachusetts, US) or vector-based vaccines (Vaxzevria™,AstraZeneca™, Cambridge, UK or Janssen COVID-19 vaccine™Johnson/Johnson, New Brunswick, New Jersey, US), or after a heterologous protocol (vector/mRNA). Humoral response (78% response rate) was influenced by age, time after transplantation, the usage of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and ongoing immunosuppression, specifically corticosteroids. High counts of B cells during the vaccination period correlated with a humoral response. Only half (55%) of participants showed a cellular vaccination response. It depended on age, time after transplantation, ongoing immunosuppression with ciclosporin A, chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) and vaccination type, with vector-based protocols favoring a response. Cellular response failure correlated with a higher CD8+ count and activated/HLA-DR+ T cells one year after transplantation. Our data provide the basis to assess both humoral and cellular responses after SARS-CoV2 vaccination in daily practice, thereby opening up the possibility to identify patients at risk.

Thiotepa-fludarabine-treosulfan conditioning for 2nd allogeneic HCT from an alternative unrelated donor for patients with AML: a prospective multicenter phase II trial.

Therapeutic options for patients with AML relapsing after allogeneic HCT range from chemotherapy or hypomethylating agents with or without donor lymphocyte infusions to a 2nd allogeneic HCT. Available data are based on retrospective single center or registry studies. The aim of this multicenter trial was to investigate prospectively intensive conditioning with Thiotepa, Fludarabine and Treosulfan (TFT) for 2nd allogeneic HCT from an alternative unrelated donor in patients with AML relapse > 6 months after a 1st allogeneic HCT. Primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS) at one year after 2nd HCT. 50 patients median age 53.5 years, in CR/PR (34%) or active relapse (66%) were included. 33 of 38 patients (86.8%) with available data achieved CR 100 days post transplant. 23 patients were alive and free of relapse at primary endpoint one year after 2nd HCT (DFS rate 0.46, 95%-CI (0.32-0.61). Three-year rates of DFS, relapse, non-relapse mortality, and overall survival were 0.24, 95%-CI (0.13-0.36); 0.36 (0.25-0.52); 0.40 (0.29-0.57); and 0.24 (0.13-0.37). Second HCT with TFT conditioning is feasible and has high anti-leukemic efficacy in chemosensitive or refractory AML relapse after prior allogeneic HCT. Still, relapse rates and NRM after 2nd allogeneic HCT remain a challenge. The trial is registered in the German Clinical Trials Registry (number DRKS00005126).

Monitoring of Measurable Residual Disease Using Circulating DNA after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Relapse of the underlying disease is a frequent complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). In this study, we describe the clinical utility of measurable residual disease (MRD) and mixed chimerism (MC) assessment in circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis to detect earlier relapse in patients with hematological malignancies after allo-HSCT. A total of 326 plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMCs) samples obtained from 62 patients with myeloid malignancies were analyzed by droplet-digital PCR (median follow-up: 827 days). Comparison of MC in patients at relapse and in complete remission identified an optimal discriminating threshold of 18% of recipient-derived cfDNA. After performing a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel, 136 mutations in 58 patients were detected. In a total of 119 paired samples, the putative mutations were detected in both cfDNA and PBMCs in 73 samples (61.3%). In 45 samples (37.8%) they were detected only in cfDNA, and in only one patient (0.9%) were they detected solely in DNA from PBMCs. Hence, in 6 out of 23 patients (26%) with relapse after allo-HSCT, MRD positivity was detected earlier in cfDNA (mean 397 days) than in DNA derived from PBMCs (mean 451 days). In summary, monitoring of MRD and MC in cfDNA might be useful for earlier relapse detection in patients with myeloid malignancies after allo-HSCT.

Therapy response of glucocorticoid-refractory acute GVHD of the lower intestinal tract.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a major life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. While most studies report therapy-response of aGVHD including a cumulative grade of skin, liver and intestinal tract manifestations, there is a lack of information specifically on lower gastrointestinal tract aGVHD (GI-GVHD) therapy-response, which is highly relevant in light of novel therapies that target intestinal regeneration such as IL-22, R-spondin or GLP-2. Here we retrospectively analyzed patients who developed GI-GVHD over a 6-year period. A total of 144 patients developed GI-GVHD and 82 (57%) were resistant to glucocorticoid-therapy (SR). The most commonly used second-line therapy was ruxolitinib (74%). Overall and complete response (CR) to ruxolitinib on day 28 were 44.5% and 13%, respectively. SR-GVHD patients experienced a lower 5-year overall survival (OS) (34.8 vs 53.3%, p = 0.0014) and higher incidence of 12-months non-relapse-mortality (39.2 vs 14.3%, p = 0.016) compared to glucocorticoid-sensitive patients. SR-GI-GVHD patients, that achieved a CR on day 28 after ruxolitinib start, experienced a higher OS compared to non-CR patients (p = 0.04). These findings indicate that therapy response of SR-GI-GVHD to different immunosuppressive approaches is still low, and that novel therapies specifically aiming at enhanced intestinal regeneration should be tested in clinical trials.

Interprofessional evidence-based counselling programme for complementary and integrative healthcare in patients with cancer: study protocol for the controlled implementation study CCC-Integrativ.

INTRODUCTION: According to international literature, patients with cancer wish to have information on complementary and integrative healthcare (CIH). Medical guidelines recommend actively approaching patients with cancer discussing potential benefits and risks of individual CIH methods. While some CIH methods, for example, acupuncture and yoga, have been proven effective in high-quality studies, other CIH methods lack studies or bear the risk of interactions with chemotherapeutics, for example, herbal drugs. Therefore, an evidence-based interprofessional counselling programme on CIH will be implemented at four Comprehensive Cancer Centres in the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A complex intervention consisting of elements on patient, provider and system levels will be developed and evaluated within a multilayer evaluation design with confirmatory evaluation on patient level. Patients with a cancer diagnosis within the last 6 months will receive three individual counselling sessions on CIH within 3 months (=intervention on patient level). The counselling will be provided by an interprofessional team of medical and nursing staff. For this purpose, an intensive online training programme, a CIH knowledge database and an interprofessional team-building process were developed and implemented (=intervention on provider level). Moreover, training events on the basics of CIH are offered in the outpatient setting (=intervention on system level). Primary outcome of the evaluation at the patient level is patient activation measured (PAM) with the PAM-13 after 3 months. Secondary outcomes, for example, quality of life, self-efficacy and clinical parameters, will be assessed at baseline, after 3 months and at 6 months follow-up. The intervention group (n=1000) will be compared with a control group (n=500, treatment as usual, no CIH counselling. The outcomes and follow-up times in the control group are the same as in the intervention group. Moreover, the use of health services will be analysed in both groups using routine data. A qualitative-quantitative process evaluation as well as a health economic evaluation will identify relevant barriers and enabling factors for later roll-out. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the appropriate Institutional Ethical Committee of the University of Tuebingen, No. 658/2019BO1. The results of these studies will be disseminated to academic audiences and in the community. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00021779; Pre-results.

Impact of single-room contact precautions on acquisition and transmission of vancomycin-resistant enterococci on haematological and oncological wards, multicentre cohort-study, Germany, January-December 2016.

BackgroundEvidence supporting the effectiveness of single-room contact precautions (SCP) in preventing in-hospital acquisition of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (haVRE) is limited.AimWe assessed the impact of SCP on haVRE and their transmission.MethodsWe conducted a prospective, multicentre cohort study in German haematological/oncological departments during 2016. Two sites performed SCP for VRE patients and two did not (NCP). We defined a 5% haVRE-risk difference as non-inferiority margin, screened patients for VRE, and characterised isolates by whole genome sequencing and core genome MLST (cgMLST). Potential confounders were assessed by competing risk regression analysis.ResultsWe included 1,397 patients at NCP and 1,531 patients at SCP sites. Not performing SCP was associated with a significantly higher proportion of haVRE; 12.2% (170/1,397) patients at NCP and 7.4% (113/1,531) patients at SCP sites (relative risk (RR) 1.74; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.35-2.23). The difference (4.8%) was below the non-inferiority margin. Competing risk regression analysis indicated a stronger impact of antimicrobial exposure (subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) 7.46; 95% CI: 4.59-12.12) and underlying disease (SHR for acute leukaemia 2.34; 95% CI: 1.46-3.75) on haVRE than NCP (SHR 1.60; 95% CI: 1.14-2.25). Based on cgMLST and patient movement data, we observed 131 patient-to-patient VRE transmissions at NCP and 85 at SCP sites (RR 1.76; 95% CI: 1.33-2.34).ConclusionsWe show a positive impact of SCP on haVRE in a high-risk population, although the observed difference was below the pre-specified non-inferiority margin. Importantly, other factors including antimicrobial exposure seem to be more influential.

Rehabilitation after Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Special Challenge.

The general population is getting older and suffer more haematological malignancies despite being physically fit. These malignancies are mainly only curable via an alloHCT, and they are now carried out more frequently. Patients benefit from intensive rehabilitation earlier and may need it repeatedly in cases of severe side effects (e.g., graft-versus-host disease). They can suffer many problems that other cancer patients do not experience, such as severe infections, continued immunosuppression, nutritional restrictions, acute or chronic GvHD, or organ impairments (e.g., lung, eyes). They may also encounter various associated psychological problems, e.g., feeling like a chimera. Rehabilitation centres willing to care for patients after alloHCT should have an experienced multidisciplinary team and should work in close co-operation with the primary transplant centre.

Effects of a Non-Energy-Restricted Ketogenic Diet on Clinical Oral Parameters. An Exploratory Pilot Trial.

Ketogenic diets (KDs) may be a helpful complement in the prevention of and therapy for several diseases. Apart from their non-cariogenic properties, it is still unclear how KDs affect oral parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of a KD on clinical periodontal parameters. Twenty generally healthy volunteers with an average age of 36.6 years underwent a KD for 6 weeks. Their compliance was monitored by measuring their urinary ketones daily and by keeping 7-day food records. Clinical oral parameters included plaque (PI), gingival inflammation (GI), a complete periodontal status (probing depths, bleeding on probing), and general physical and serologic parameters at baseline and after 6 weeks. The results showed a trend towards lower plaque values, but with no significant changes from baseline to the end of the study with regard to the clinical periodontal parameters. However, their body weight and BMI measurements showed a significant decrease. The regression analyses showed that the fat mass and the BMI were significantly positively correlated to periodontal inflammation, while HDL, fiber, and protein intake were negatively correlated to periodontal inflammation. The KD change did not lead to clinical changes in periodontal parameters in healthy participants under continued oral hygiene, but it did lead to a significant weight loss.

The impact of pulmonary function in patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation.

High-dose chemotherapy, followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT), is an established therapy for patients with hematological malignancies. The age of patients undergoing auto-HSCT and, therefore, the comorbidities, has increased over the last decades. However, the assessment of organ dysfunction prior to auto-HSCT has not been well studied. Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed the association of clinical factors and lung and cardiac function with outcome and complications after conditioning with BEAM (BCNU/carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan) or high-dose melphalan in patients undergoing auto-HSCT. This study included 629 patients treated at our institution between 2007 and 2017; 334 and 295 were conditioned with BEAM or high-dose melphalan, respectively. The median follow-up was 52 months (range, 0.2-152) and 50 months (range, 0.5-149), respectively. In the multivariate analysis, we identified that progressive disease, CO-diffusion capacity corrected for hemoglobin (DLCOcSB) ≤ 60% of predicted, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ≤ 80%, Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Comorbidity Index (HCT-CI) score ≥ 4, and age > 70 years were associated with decreased overall survival (OS) in patients treated with BEAM. Similarly, DLCOcSB ≤ 60% of predicted, HCT-CI score ≥ 4, and age > 60 years were identified in patients treated with high-dose melphalan. Abnormalities in DLCOcSB ≤ 60% of predicted were associated with chemotherapy with lung-toxic substances, mediastinal radiotherapy, KPS ≤ 80%, current/previous smoking, and treatment in the intensive care unit. More often, patients with DLCOcSB ≤ 60% of predicted experienced nonrelapse mortality, including pulmonary causes of death. In summary, we identified DLCOcSB ≤ 60% of predicted as an independent risk factor for decreased OS in patients conditioned with BEAM or high-dose melphalan prior to auto-HSCT.

Type of exercise may influence postural adaptations in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

OBJECTIVE: Traditional posturography measurements characterize postural instability in patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), while underlying postural control mechanisms remain unclear. Taking a model-based approach can yield insights into these mechanisms. This study's aim was to characterize the modifications in postural control of CIPN patients associated with exercise in relation to the postural behavior of healthy control participants (hCON) via an exploratory approach. METHODS: Thirty-one CIPN patients were randomly assigned to two interventions (balance plus moderate endurance training vs. moderate endurance training only) and exercised twice per week over 12 weeks. Baseline data were compared to 36 matched hCONs. We recorded spontaneous sway and postural reactions to platform tilts using Optotrak and a Kistler force platform pre- and post-intervention. Data interpretation relied on a model-based parameter identification procedure. RESULTS: Spontaneous sway amplitudes were larger and postural reactions smaller, with a relative phase advance, in our pre-intervention patients than the hCONs. Post-intervention, spontaneous sway, and postural reactions were reduced and the sensory-motor ratio larger in both groups, while the postural reaction timing differed between groups. INTERPRETATION: The abnormally small postural reactions in CIPN patients before the intervention can be interpreted as the consequence of abnormally strong velocity control-a strategy modification that may serve as a prediction mechanism to compensate for the lack of timely and accurate proprioceptive signals. While both groups reduced postural sway and showed an adapted sensory-motor ratio post-intervention, the interventions seemed to trigger different velocity control strategies. This study emphasizes the need for taking a more differentiated perspective on intervention effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) number: DRKS00005419, prospectively registered on November 19, 2013.

ESPEN practical guideline: Clinical Nutrition in cancer.

BACKGROUND: This practical guideline is based on the current scientific ESPEN guidelines on nutrition in cancer patients. METHODS: ESPEN guidelines have been shortened and transformed into flow charts for easier use in clinical practice. The practical guideline is dedicated to all professionals including physicians, dieticians, nutritionists and nurses working with patients with cancer. RESULTS: A total of 43 recommendations are presented with short commentaries for the nutritional and metabolic management of patients with neoplastic diseases. The disease-related recommendations are preceded by general recommendations on the diagnostics of nutritional status in cancer patients. CONCLUSION: This practical guideline gives guidance to health care providers involved in the management of cancer patients to offer optimal nutritional care.