Aim of the study
Patients with cancer might have an increased risk for severe outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To identify risk factors associated with a worse outcome of COVID-19, a nationwide registry was developed for patients with cancer and COVID-19.
Methods
This observational cohort study has been designed as a quality of care registry and is executed by the Dutch Oncology COVID-19 Consortium (DOCC), a nationwide collaboration of oncology physicians in the Netherlands. A questionnaire has been developed to collect pseudonymised patient data on patients’ characteristics, cancer diagnosis, and treatment. All patients with COVID-19 and a cancer diagnosis or treatment in the past 5 years are eligible.
Results
Between March 27
th
and May 4
th
, 442 patients were registered. For this first analysis, 351 patients were included of whom 114 patients died. In multivariable analyses, age ≥65 years (
p
<0.001), male gender (
p
=0.035), prior or other malignancy (
p
=0.045), and active diagnosis of haematological malignancy (
p
=0.046) or lung cancer (
p
=0.003) were independent risk factors for a fatal outcome of COVID-19. In a subgroup analysis of patients with active malignancy, the risk for a fatal outcome was mainly determined by tumour type (haematological malignancy or lung cancer) and age (≥65 years).
Conclusion
The findings in this registry indicate that patients with a haematological malignancy or lung cancer have an increased risk of a worse outcome of COVID-19. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these vulnerable patients should avoid exposure to SARS-CoV-2, whereas treatment adjustments and prioritizing vaccination, when available, should also be considered.
In conclusion, we believe the intermittent function of the Nellcor N-100 pulse oximeter noted during positive pressure ventilation associated with hypovolaemia in neonates and small children represents an important clinical observation which can help guide intraoperative fluid management. Anaesthetists should use this and other clinical signs to provide appropriate fluid administration, since these patients tolerate intravascular volume excesses and deficits poorly.
Summary:Activation of donor T cells is required for the development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a major complication of bone marrow transplantation. We investigated a murine model of GVHD across major and minor histocompatibility barriers. BALB/c recipients were lethally irradiated and transplanted with 10 7 bone marrow and 5 ؋ 10 6 spleen cells from C57BL/6 donors. There were two separate phases of clinical disease. The first phase was most severe on day 7 after transplant. Weight and condition improved until day 12 and then a second phase of clinical GVHD commenced, which persisted until euthanasia. IL-2 mRNA expression, as a measure of T cell activation, was determined by quantitative PCR. The two phases of clinical GVHD were preceded by two separate peaks of IL-2 mRNA in the spleen. Host MHC class II + cells became undetectable by flow cytometry 7 days after transplantation, whereas donor MHC class II + cells increased during the first 9 days after transplantation. Removal of donor MHC class II + cells from the graft had no effect on the first phase. Possible roles for host and donor antigenpresenting cells (APC) in the two phases of the disease are discussed. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2002) 29, 151-158. DOI: 10.1038/sj/bmt/1703328 Keywords: graft-versus-host; MHC; antigen presentation; transplantation; cytokines Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains the most significant obstacle to successful allogeneic BMT or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for leukemia and other conditions. In MHC-matched unrelated donor transplants, acute GVHD of grade II or above occurs in up to twothirds of cases. 1 Acute GVHD has a complex pathophysiology which can involve wasting, diarrhea, skin and gut lesions and liver damage. 2 T cell activation in response to
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.