Edentulism and transplant-associated complications in patients with multiple myeloma undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

PURPOSE: Patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are at risk for oral complications which may cause significant morbidity. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of toxicities and complications in edentulous and dentate patients undergoing autologous HSCT for multiple myeloma. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case-control study to analyze the incidence of bacteremia, fever, and oral mucositis, between edentulous and dentate patients. All patients underwent dental evaluation, received dental treatment if indicated, and were cleared before transplantation. The two groups were matched for age, gender, ethnicity, disease stage, time from diagnosis to transplant, performance status, and conditioning regimen. RESULTS: A total of 45 edentulous and 90 dentate patients were enrolled. All patients were male with a median age of 60 years and a mean performance status by Karnofsky score of 90 %. Two thirds had stage III MM with a median time from diagnosis to transplantation of 12 months, and all received melphalan as part of the conditioning regimen. The incidence of bacteremia (p = 0.553), fever (p = 0.245), severity of oral mucositis (p = 0.465), and other post-transplant toxicities were similar between both groups. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in the incidence of bacteremia, fever, severity of oral mucositis, or other complications between edentulous and dentate patients with multiple myeloma after autologous HSCT.

Hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation toxicities in multiple myeloma patients with bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw: a longitudinal cohort study.

PURPOSE: There is no information regarding the toxicity associated with autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (AHPCT) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who have bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). There is also limited information regarding long-term outcome of these patients. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we compared the toxicity after AHPCT in MM patients with and without ONJ. We also analyzed the response rate and overall survival of this population of patients. RESULTS: During the study period, 176 patients underwent AHPCT at our institution for MM. Ten patients with ONJ prior to AHPCT were matched to 40 control patients without ONJ. The incidence and severity of transplantation-associated toxicities were similar in both groups, including mucositis, 50 % in patients with ONJ vs. 68 % in controls (p = 0.889) and febrile days, median 1 vs. 3 days, respectively (p = 0.524). Myeloid engraftment and hospital length of stay were also similar between patients with ONJ and controls. There were significantly more complete remissions in patients with ONJ than in control patients (45 % vs. 15 %, p = 0.0336), but survival between the groups was not significantly different (log-rank p = 0.0818). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the incidence and severity of transplantation-associated toxicities are similar in MM patients with and without ONJ. Long-term survival was also similar between both groups.

A Case of Acne Fulminans.

Acne fulminans (AF) is a rare form of acne vulgaris. The diagnosis can be mistaken for other skin infections and delay treatment, placing patients at risk for scarring and psychological distress. This case report presents a patient previously treated for COVID-19 and subsequent pneumonia. COVID-19 restrictions in the clinic setting, including mask-wearing and isolation protocols, accounted for the suboptimal assessment of the patient's skin, which ultimately prolonged the diagnosis. This case report reviews AF from a primary care perspective and highlights clinical manifestations, physical examination findings, and management of AF.

The department of veterans affairs nutritional status classification scheme allows for rapid assessment of nutritional status prior to autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation and identifies patients at high risk of transplant-related complications.

The nutritional assessment of patients prior to autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT) is labor intensive. A simple method of nutritional assessment prior to APSCT would be extremely helpful, especially if this method could identify patients at high risk of transplant-related complications. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) developed a Nutritional Status Classification Scheme (NSCS) to identify nutritionally compromised inpatients rapidly and reliably. The objective of this study was to determine if the use of the VA-NSCS could be utilized as a tool for the evaluation of patients prior to APBSCT and to determine if this tool could be used to identify patients at high risk of transplant-related complications. The nutritional status of 128 patients who underwent APBSCT was assessed by a registered dietician, utilizing the VA-NSCS, upon admission to the hospital and prior to conditioning regimen. Patients with moderately compromised nutritional status pretransplantation experienced a higher incidence of infections, longer duration of diarrhea, and longer length of hospital stay when compared to patients with normal or mildly compromised nutritional status. Our study demonstrates that the VA-NSCS, a simple and inexpensive tool to assess nutritional status, was useful in determining the pretransplant nutritional status of patients with lymphogenous malignancies who underwent APBSCT. In addition, this method was able to identify patients at a higher risk of posttransplant complications. Future studies should be undertaken to determine the optimal method for the nutritional assessment of autologous stem cell transplant candidates.