Comparison of clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 community-acquired pneumonia in a prospective observational cohort study.

PURPOSE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and non-COVID-19 community-acquired pneumonia (NC-CAP) often result in hospitalization with considerable risks of mortality, ICU treatment, and long-term morbidity. A comparative analysis of clinical outcomes in COVID-19 CAP (C-CAP) and NC-CAP may improve clinical management. METHODS: Using prospectively collected CAPNETZ study data (January 2017 to June 2021, 35 study centers), we conducted a comprehensive analysis of clinical outcomes including in-hospital death, ICU treatment, length of hospital stay (LOHS), 180-day survival, and post-discharge re-hospitalization rate. Logistic regression models were used to examine group differences between C-CAP and NC-CAP patients and associations with patient demography, recruitment period, comorbidity, and treatment. RESULTS: Among 1368 patients (C-CAP: n = 344; NC-CAP: n = 1024), C-CAP showed elevated adjusted probabilities for in-hospital death (aOR 4.48 [95% CI 2.38-8.53]) and ICU treatment (aOR 8.08 [95% CI 5.31-12.52]) compared to NC-CAP. C-CAP patients were at increased risk of LOHS over seven days (aOR 1.88 [95% CI 1.47-2.42]). Although ICU patients had similar in-hospital mortality risk, C-CAP was associated with length of ICU stay over seven days (aOR 3.59 [95% CI 1.65-8.38]). Recruitment period influenced outcomes in C-CAP but not in NC-CAP. During follow-up, C-CAP was linked to a reduced risk of re-hospitalization and mortality post-discharge (aOR 0.43 [95% CI 0.27-0.70]). CONCLUSION: Distinct clinical trajectories of C-CAP and NC-CAP underscore the need for adapted management to avoid acute and long-term morbidity and mortality amid the evolving landscape of CAP pathogens.

Prediction of nodal disease in oral squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: histopathological risk assessment with the focus on depth of invasion.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) is one of the most relevant influencing factors for the oncological outcome of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Several studies showed that the tumors depth of invasion (DOI) influences the risk for CLNM, however varying across the oral subsites. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of DOI and other risk factors in OSCC of the tongue in relation to the occurrence of occult CLNM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, n = 139 patients with primary OSCC of the tongue, treated by complete surgical resection (R0) with curative intention between 2013 and 2021, were included. For data analysis, epidemiologic data as well as preoperative tumor staging, surgical therapy including neck management, histopathological tumor data and follow-up were considered. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine association between histopathological risk factors and the occurrence of occult CLNM. RESULTS: The rate of occult cervical metastasis was 19.4%. T-staging, cervical nodal disease (pN+) and lymphatic invasion were significantly associated with reduced OS and RFS. While DOI had no relevant influence on the OS and RFS (p = 0.88 and p = 0.91 respectively), there was significant correlation between DOI and the occurrence of occult CLNM (OR: 1.17, 95%CI: 1.05-1.30; p < 0.01). The optimal cutoff in predicting occult CLNM was 6 mm (Sensitivity: 84.2%, Specificity: 73.5%, AUC: 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: The DOI is a helpful risk parameter to predict the occurrence of occult nodal disease in OSCC of the tongue. Given the critical decision cutoff between 2 and 4 mm DOI for performing elective neck dissection in the current guidelines, our data suggests that in these cases, surgical de-escalation could be feasible with close follow-up. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study highlights the relevance of DOI as a risk parameter in the prediction of CLNM with the aim to specify the individual patient risk and to deescalate surgical therapy in order to decrease comorbidities while improving the oncological prognosis.

Multifrequency Magnetic Resonance Elastography Detects Small Abdominal Lymph Node Metastasis by High Stiffness.

OBJECTIVES: Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 is a clinical and research standard for evaluating malignant tumors and lymph node metastasis. However, quantitative analysis of nodal status is limited to measurement of short axis diameter (SAD), and metastatic lymph nodes below 10 mm in SAD are often not detected. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of multifrequency magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) when added to RECIST 1.1 for detection of lymph node metastasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five benign and 82 metastatic lymph nodes were prospectively examined by multifrequency MRE at 1.5 T using tomoelastography postprocessing at 30, 40, 50, and 60 Hz (total scan time of 4 minutes). Shear wave speed as a surrogate of soft tissue stiffness was provided in m/s. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography was used as reference standard for identification of abdominal lymph node metastasis from histologically confirmed primary tumors. The diagnostic performance of MRE was compared with that of SAD according to RECIST 1.1 and evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis using generalized linear mixed models and binary logistic mixed models. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated for different cutoffs. RESULTS: Metastatic lymph nodes (1.90 ± 0.57 m/s) were stiffer than benign lymph nodes (0.98 ± 0.20 m/s, P < 0.001). An area under the curve of 0.95 for a cutoff of 1.32 m/s was calculated. Using a conservative approach with 1.0 specificity, we found sensitivity (SAD/MRE/MRE + SAD, 0.56/0.84/0.88), negative predictive values (0.41/0.66/0.71), and overall accuracy (0.66/0.88/0.91) to be improved using MRE and even higher for combined MRE and SAD. CONCLUSIONS: Multifrequency MRE improves metastatic abdominal lymph node detection by 25% based on higher tissue stiffness-even for lymph nodes with an SAD ≤10 mm. Stiffness information is quick to obtain and would be a promising supplement to RECIST.

Follow-Up of Men Who Have Undergone Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer with HIFU-A Real-World Experience.

PURPOSE: To determine oncological and functional outcomes and side effects after focal therapy of prostate cancer (PCa) with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). METHODS: This retrospective single-center study included 57 consecutive patients with localised PCa. Aged 18-80 with ≤2 suspicious lesions on mpMRI (PIRADS ≥ 3), PSA of ≤15 ng/mL, and an ISUP GG of ≤2. HIFU was performed between November 2014 and September 2018. All men had an MRI/US fusion-guided targeted biopsy (TB) combined with a TRUS-guided 10-core systematic biopsy (SB) prior to focal therapy. HIFU treatment was performed as focal, partial, or hemiablative, depending on the prior histopathology. Follow-up included Questionnaires (IIEF-5, ICIQ, and IPSS), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement, follow-up mpMRI, and follow-up biopsies. RESULTS: The median age of the cohort was 72 years (IQR 64-76), and the median PSA value before HIFU was 7.3 ng/mL (IQR 5.75-10.39 ng/mL). The median follow-up was 27.5 (IQR 23-41) months. At the time of the follow-up, the median PSA value was 2.5 ng/mL (IQR 0.94-4.96 ng/mL), which shows a significant decrease (p < 0.001). In 17 (29.8%) men, mpMRI revealed a suspicious lesion, and 19 (33.3%) men had a positive biopsy result. Only IIEF values significantly decreased from 16 (IQR 10.75-20.25) to 11.5 (IQR 4.5-17) (p < 0.001). The rate of post-HIFU complications was low, at 19.3% (11 patients). The limitation of this study is the lack of long-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: HIFU as a therapy option for nonmetastatic, significant prostate cancer is effective in the short term for carefully selected patients and shows a low risk of adverse events and side effects.

Long-term symptom severity and clinical biomarkers in post-COVID-19/chronic fatigue syndrome: results from a prospective observational cohort.

Background: Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is characterised by a wide range of symptoms, primarily fatigue and exertion intolerance. While disease courses in the early months post-infection have been well-described, the long-term health consequences for patients with PCS with disabling fatigue remain unclear. Methods: In this prospective observational cohort study, we evaluated symptom severity and various biomarkers, including hand grip strength (HGS), cardiovascular function, and laboratory parameters, in 106 patients with PCS with moderate to severe fatigue and exertion intolerance at three time points after infection (3-8, 9-16, and 17-20 months). The study was conducted at the Charité's Fatigue Centre and the Charité's outpatient clinic for neuroimmunology at Berlin, Germany from July 16, 2020, to February 18, 2022. A subset of patients (PCS-ME/CFS) met the diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome according to the Canadian Consensus Criteria (CCC). The aim was to determine differences in the disease course between the two patient groups (i.e., PCS vs PCS-ME/CFS) and identify correlating biomarkers. Findings: Patients with PCS-ME/CFS reported persistently high severity of most symptoms up to 20 months after infection, while patients with PCS showed overall health improvement. Although fatigue and post-exertional malaise (PEM), hallmarks of post-infectious fatigue syndromes, were still evident in both groups, they remained more pronounced in PCS-ME/CFS. Inflammatory biomarkers decreased in both groups, but not antinuclear antibodies. Lower HGS at onset correlated with symptom persistence, particularly in patients with PCS-ME/CFS. Interpretation: Our findings suggest that PCS can persist beyond 20 months post-infection and encompass the full scope of post-infectious ME/CFS as defined by the CCC. Sub-classifying patients with PCS based on the CCC can assist in the management and monitoring of patients with PCS-ME/CFS due to their persistently higher symptom severity. Funding: C. S. was supported by a grant from the Weidenhammer-Zoebele Foundation. F. K. was supported by the Volkswagen Foundation.