Efficacy of Upfront Docetaxel With Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Castration-Sensitive Metastatic Prostate Cancer Among Minority Patients.

BACKGROUND: Upfront docetaxel (UD) with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been demonstrated to improve survival outcomes in metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). However, existing studies have included predominantly Caucasian patients. STUDY QUESTION: To compare the efficacy of addition of UD to ADT in mCSPC to ADT alone among minority patients. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of mCSPC patients. MEASURES AND OUTCOMES: Patients treated with UD and ADT between January 2014 and December 2017 (UD + ADT, n = 44) were compared with those treated with ADT alone between January 2008 and January 2017 (ADT, n = 38); patients of Caucasian ethnicity were excluded. The outcome of interest was progression-free survival (PFS), which was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 63 (76.8%) patients were African American and 16 (19.5%) were Hispanic. Fifty-five (67%) patients had high-volume mCSPC. The median follow-up was 14 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 10.4-16.5] for UD + ADT and 42 months (95% CI: 17-66.9) for ADT. Median PFS did not differ between groups: UD + ADT: 16 versus ADT: 18 months [hazard ratio (HR) for UD + ADT = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.48-1.62; P = 0.70]. In patients with high-volume disease, median PFS remained similar (UD + ADT: 16 vs. ADT: 14 months (HR for UD + ADT = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.33-1.25; P = 0.19). On multivariable analysis, prolonged time to nadir PSA, HR = 0.83 (95% CI: 0.76-0.90), was independently associated with PFS. The most common toxicities in UD + ADT were anemia and fatigue. Major limitations include small sample size and potential for selection bias due to the retrospective study design. CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective review of a minority mCSPC cohort, UD + ADT was not associated with improved PFS compared with ADT alone. Although further study with larger sample size is needed, these results underscore the importance of ensuring accrual of minorities in clinical trials, reflective of the real-world setting.

Tumor Lysis Syndrome in Multiple Myeloma: An Increasingly Recognized Risk-A Report of Seven Cases.

Tumor lysis syndrome is a constellation of metabolic disturbances commonly seen during therapy of bulky, rapidly proliferative tumors. Multiple myeloma is a low proliferation tumor with rare incidence of tumor lysis syndrome in the pre-Bortezomib era. Post Bortezomib use, a rise in the incidence of tumor lysis has been noted. We present seven cases of tumor lysis syndrome with three patients in spontaneous tumor lysis and four developing the same after chemotherapy. In the previous studies, elevated LDH and deletion of chromosome 13 has been associated with risk of TLS. In our study, we noted several abnormal karyotpes including del 9p13, del 17 and monosomy 13 were more frequently found but larger studies are needed to explore the causative nature of these associations. Prognosis in these patients is relatively poor reflecting the higher tumor burden. However, further studies are needed to learn about other poor prognostic markers.

Outcomes of West Nile encephalitis patients after 1 year of West Nile encephalitis outbreak in Kerala, India: A follow-up study.

We reported an acute encephalitis syndrome outbreak in Alappuzha district in Kerala, India during the year 2011. The etiology was confirmed to be West Nile virus lineage 1. Many encephalitis patients from this outbreak exhibited neurological sequelae post recovery. This study was aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of West Nile encephalitis confirmed case-patients after 1 year of acute illness. Forty West Nile virus confirmed encephalitis patients were selected from the 2011 outbreak was included in this study. Out of 40 cases, only 30 survived after 12 months. Among these 30 recovered case-patients, 27 (90%) consented for clinical follow-up and 23 (73.67%) of them consented for assessment of cognitive impairment and deposition of blood sample for antibody testing. The most common symptom observed in these patients was fatigue (25.93%). Other symptoms included dizziness (7.4%), decreased sense of hearing (7.4%) and decreased sense of smell (7.4%). Reduced power in limbs was found in 33.33% of the cases. Most of the patients (23.1%) were dependent on others for normal daily living activities. The patients also had probable risk of poor cognition (29.41%) and dementia (57.14%). None of the patients were positive for WNV specific IgM at 12 months post onset of disease. The study concluded that the long-term sequelae were noticed in WNV positive patients. Prevention effort should be focused on the elderly (≥60 years old) people who have a higher risk of severe sequelae. The state health authorities should create awareness among people in order to prevent the transmission of disease. J. Med. Virol. 88:1856-1861, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Disability with Persistent Pain Following an Epidemic of Chikungunya in Rural South India.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of chronic rheumatic and musculoskeletal symptoms on the functional status of people affected by the chikungunya (CKG) epidemic in the Calicut District, Kerala, South India in 2009. METHODS: A cross-sectional house-to-house survey was conducted 18 months after the CKG epidemic to assess functional status of individuals with post-epidemic persistent pain. All respondents over age 15 years with persistent pain fitting the epidemiological case definition were included. Participants' functional status was assessed using the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI). Factors affecting severity of HAQ-DI were analyzed by ordinal regression. RESULTS: Of 3869 subjects interviewed, 1195 (34.3%) had a positive history of CHIKV virus infection (epidemiological or confirmed); 36.28% (624/1720) of CKG-affected individuals had persistent pain 18 months post epidemic. Mean age of those affected was 48.22 ± 15.6 years; 23.2% had no disability, while 16.2% had moderate to severe disability on the HAQ-DI. Significant factors affecting severity of disability on HAQ-DI included previous rheumatic musculoskeletal disease (OR 2.27), joint and soft-tissue involvement (OR 3.74), only joint involvement (OR 2.14), female sex (OR 1.44), diet (OR 4.73), and history of joint swelling (OR 1.72). CONCLUSION: Persistence of pain noted in post-CKG disease resulted in significantly deteriorated functional status of those affected.

Prevalence and factors related to rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders in rural south India: WHO-ILAR-COPCORD-BJD India Calicut study.

AIMS: To assess the prevalence and factors related to rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders (RMSD) in a rural population of south India. METHODS: The cross-sectional study included all individuals, 15 years and above, in a rural unit of Calicut District in North Kerala. Data were collected using the validated World Health Organization - International League of Associations for Rheumatology - Community Oriented Program for the Control of Rheumatic Diseases - Bhigwan model questionnaire by trained volunteers. In Phase 1 details of demographic characteristics, major co-morbidities and perceived musculoskeletal aches and pains were elicited. Phases 2 and 3 further evaluated and diagnosed the subjects. Predictors for RMSD were assessed using binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: There were 4999 individuals in the study. The prevalence of RMSD was 24.9% (95% CI 23.73; 26.12%). Females constituted 50.7% of the population; 5.1% of the respondents were illiterate; 80.9% belonged to low-income groups. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension affected 4.1% and 5.4% of the subjects respectively. The predictors for RMSD in the population were female sex, age, illiteracy, married status, low-income group, vegetarian diet, current alcohol consumption, current tobacco use, history of injury or accidents, diabetes and hypertension. Symptom-related ill-defined rheumatism (10.39%) followed by osteoarthritis (3.85%) were the most prevalent in the Phase 3 rheumatological evaluation. CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need to introduce lifestyle modifications in high-risk groups and start rehabilitation for those affected. Community rheumatology in primary health care settings in rural areas needs to be strengthened by introducing national programs addressing RMSD at the grassroots level.