Radioimmunotherapy for first-line and relapse treatment of aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: an analysis of 215 patients registered in the international RIT-Network.

PURPOSE: Very few reliable clinical data about the use of radioimmunotherapy in aggressive B-cell lymphoma exist. METHODS: Patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma registered in the international RIT-Network were analysed with regard to prior treatment, response and side effects. The RIT-Network is a web-based registry that collects observational data from radioimmunotherapy-treated patients with malignant lymphoma across 13 countries. RESULTS: This analysis included 215 with aggressive B-cell lymphoma out of 232 patients registered in the RIT-Network. Histological subtypes were as follows: 190 diffuse large B-cell, 15 primary mediastinal, 9 anaplastic large cell, and 1 intravascular lymphoma. The median age of the patients was 62 years (range 17 - 88), with 27% above the age of 70 years. Radioimmunotherapy was mainly used as consolidation after first-line or second-line chemotherapy (56.1%), as part of third-line to eighth-line therapy for relapse (16.4%), and in refractory disease (12.2%). Grade IV neutropenia and thrombopenia and grade III anaemia were observed. The median time to recovery of blood count was 81 days (range 0 - 600 days). The overall response rate was 63.3%. The complete response rate was 76.4 % in patients treated as part of first-line therapy, and 44.3% in patients with relapse. Mean overall survival in first-line therapy patients was 32.7 months and 14.0 months in patients with relapse or refractory disease, respectively. CONCLUSION: Most patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma in the RIT-Network received radioimmunotherapy as consolidation after first-line therapy with excellent complete remission and overall survival rates compared to published data. In relapsed aggressive B-cell lymphoma, radioimmunotherapy is a safe and feasible treatment leading to satisfactory response rates with acceptable toxicity.

[Information on medical history in the emergency department : Influence on therapy and diagnostic decisions]. / Informationen zur medizinischen Vorgeschichte in der Notaufnahme : Einfluss auf Therapie- und Diagnostikentscheidungen.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of an electronic health record (EHR) or an emergency care data set (ECDS), as well as reforms in emergency medical care, is currently part of political debate in Germany. Currently, no data are available of how emergency departments could benefit from an ePA or NFD in Germany. The aim of this study was to determine if a patient's medical history has an influence on diagnostic and therapeutic decisions in the emergency department. METHODOLOGY: To answer this question, a descriptive observational study was conducted in an interdisciplinary emergency department with a study population of n = 96. RESULTS: For 55 patients (59%) neither a doctor's letter nor a drug list was found. However, in 48% of the patients who were admitted to the hospital via the emergency department, additions to the anamnesis record could be identified. Eight (9%) patients showed that therapy and/or diagnostic decisions should have been discussed or changed if the supplemented anamnestic information had been available in the emergency room. In addition, the study revealed that the duration of the anamnesis was prolonged in case of missing medical history (mean: 10-15 min, standard deviation: ±<5 min). In contrast to the patients with a medical history (mean: 5-10 min, standard deviation: ±<5 min). CONCLUSION: Based on the data stored in EHR and ECDS, therapy and diagnostic decisions could be made more reliably. In the absence of a medical history, the time required for medical history taking in emergency departments is significantly longer, which could be reduced by introducing EHR or ECDS.