Clinical outcomes and the impact of prior oral anticoagulant use in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 admitted to hospitals in the UK - a multicentre observational study.

Coagulation dysfunction and thrombosis are major complications in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients on oral anticoagulants (OAC) prior to diagnosis of COVID-19 may therefore have better outcomes. In this multicentre observational study of 5 883 patients (≥18 years) admitted to 26 UK hospitals between 1 April 2020 and 31 July 2020, overall mortality was 29·2%. Incidences of thrombosis, major bleeding (MB) and multiorgan failure (MOF) were 5·4%, 1·7% and 3·3% respectively. The presence of thrombosis, MB, or MOF was associated with a 1·8, 4·5 or 5·9-fold increased risk of dying, respectively. Of the 5 883 patients studied, 83·6% (n = 4 920) were not on OAC and 16·4% (n = 963) were taking OAC at the time of admission. There was no difference in mortality between patients on OAC vs no OAC prior to admission when compared in an adjusted multivariate analysis [hazard ratio (HR) 1·05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·93-1·19; P = 0·15] or in an adjusted propensity score analysis (HR 0·92 95% CI 0·58-1·450; P = 0·18). In multivariate and adjusted propensity score analyses, the only significant association of no anticoagulation prior to diagnosis of COVID-19 was admission to the Intensive-Care Unit (ICU) (HR 1·98, 95% CI 1·37-2·85). Thrombosis, MB, and MOF were associated with higher mortality. Our results indicate that patients may have benefit from prior OAC use, especially reduced admission to ICU, without any increase in bleeding.

The clinical course of COVID-19 in pregnant versus non-pregnant women requiring hospitalisation: results from the multicentre UK CA-COVID-19 study.

The impact of COVID-19 infection on pregnant women remains relatively unknown but the physiological changes of pregnancy and hypercoagulability of COVID-19 may further increase thrombotic risk. In this retrospective multicentre observational study, we report clinical characteristics and outcomes in 36 pregnant women requiring hospitalisation for COVID-19 compared to a propensity-matched cohort of non-pregnant women. Pregnant women had a lower haemoglobin and higher lymphocyte counts but no differences in other haematological or biochemical parameters on admission compared to non-pregnant women. There was no significant difference in the duration of hospitalisation; median two days (1-77) for pregnant versus eight days (1-49) for non-pregnant women. A higher proportion of non-pregnant women required mechanical ventilation [11/36 (31%) vs 3/36 (8%), P = 0·03] and received thromboprophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) within 24 h of admission [25/36 (69%) vs 15 /36(42%), P = 0·03] compared to pregnant women. One pregnant woman required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The rate of thrombosis was similar in both groups (one in each group). No women developed major bleeding or died. Data suggest that although non-pregnant women had a severe clinical course, overall outcomes were not different between women with or without pregnancy. The use of thromboprophylaxis was inconsistent, demonstrating a need for establishing evidence-based guidance for COVID-19 during pregnancy.

Evaluation of enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma comparing standard therapies with a novel regimen including autologous stem cell transplantation.

Enteropathy associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL) is a rare type of peripheral T-cell lymphoma. At present, there are no standardized diagnostic or treatment protocols for EATL. We describe EATL in a population-based setting and evaluate a new treatment with aggressive chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). From 1979 onward the Scotland and Newcastle Lymphoma Group prospectively collected data on all patients newly diagnosed with lymphoma in the Northern Region of England and Scotland. Between 1994 and 1998, records of all patients diagnosed with EATL were reviewed, and 54 patients had features of EATL. Overall incidence was 0.14/100 000 per year. Treatment was systemic chemotherapy (mostly anthracycline-based chemotherapy) with or without surgery in 35 patients and surgery alone in 19 patients. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.4 months and overall survival (OS) was 7.1 months. The novel regimen IVE/MTX (ifosfamide, etoposide, epirubicin/methotrexate)-ASCT [corrected] was piloted from 1998 for patients eligible for intensive treatment, and 26 patients were included. Five-years PFS and OS were 52% and 60%, respectively, and were significantly improved compared with the historical group treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy (P = .01 and P = .003, respectively). EATL is a rare lymphoma with an unfavorable prognosis when treated with conventional therapies. The IVE/MTX-ASCT regimen is feasible with acceptable toxicity and significantly improved outcome.

Incidence and outcomes for adults diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in the north of England: a real world study.

We conducted a retrospective population-based study of patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in northern England (population 3.1 million) in order to assess the impact of age and genetics on outcome. Four hundred and sixteen patients were diagnosed with AML, between 2007 and 2011. In those aged ≤60 years (n = 20) with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) overall survival (OS) was 100%. For non-APL patients aged ≤60 years, OS for those with favorable, intermediate and adverse cytogenetics was not reached, 17 and 9.8 months, respectively (p = 0.0001). Of particular note, intensively treated patients aged >60 years with intermediate cytogenetics and FLT3-/NPM1+ status had a five-year survival of 60% versus median OS of 11 months for other subsets (p = 0.04). Population-based studies reduce selection bias and have utility in studying rarer diseases, particularly in populations that recruit poorly to trials. The highly favorable outcome in our subgroup of intensively-treated FLT3-/NPM1+ older patients merits further study.

Survival in young patients (less than 40 years) with follicular lymphoma: a population based study by the Scotland and Newcastle Lymphoma Group.

We have examined in a population-based observational study the survival of young patients (less than 40 years) with follicular lymphoma (FL) treated conventionally and followed for up to 17 years (minimum 10, median 13 years). Data were derived from the Scotland and Newcastle Lymphoma Group (SNLG) database from 1986. Histology of all available cases was reviewed to ensure that patients met the modern criteria for diagnosis of FL. Of 55 patients identified from the database, 46 were confirmed to have follicular lymphoma. There were 25 males and 21 females, median age 34 years (range 16-39). Thirty-four patients presented with advanced stage disease (Stages III and IV). The majority of patients received initial treatment with chemotherapy, though 7 had surgery (biopsy or splenectomy) alone and 7 radiotherapy alone. All 12 patients with early stage disease showed a complete response (CR) with initial therapy; 6 relapsed and 2 have died (1 of transformation to high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). Overall survival of patients presenting with stage IIIA disease was 68% at 10 years, and 69% for patients in stages IIIB and IV. The SNLG prognostic index for low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was predictive for overall survival. The 71% overall survival in this patient cohort at 10 years provides a baseline for comparison with the results of a more aggressive approach to treatment.

High-dose chlorambucil for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Chlorambucil has been used for many years for the treatment of low-grade B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders, including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There is evidence in the literature that increasing the dose of chlorambucil produces better results than 'standard' doses in terms of response rates and overall survival. There is also evidence that this approach may be at least as effective as the use of fludarabine, as well as being very much less expensive. We describe a high-dose chlorambucil (HDC) regimen, which involves a sustained but intermittent dose of chlorambucil, i.e. 30 mg/d for 4 d per week for 4 weeks, followed by a further four courses at fortnightly intervals for 8 weeks (a total of eight 4-d courses) given as a single drug over an initial 12-week period. The outcome of treatment in previously treated and untreated patients was excellent, with a median time to treatment failure of 33 months for the patient cohort overall and for previously treated and chemotherapy-naive patients of 13 and 104 months respectively. In patients previously treated with fludarabine, 78% had a response. Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia was reversed in one patient. Toxicity, both haematological and other, was minimal. We propose that escalated-dose chlorambucil regimens should be compared with fludarabine in randomized controlled trials, rather than 'standard' lower dose protocols.