Patients with Cancer Appear More Vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2: A Multicenter Study during the COVID-19 Outbreak.

The novel COVID-19 outbreak has affected more than 200 countries and territories as of March 2020. Given that patients with cancer are generally more vulnerable to infections, systematic analysis of diverse cohorts of patients with cancer affected by COVID-19 is needed. We performed a multicenter study including 105 patients with cancer and 536 age-matched noncancer patients confirmed with COVID-19. Our results showed COVID-19 patients with cancer had higher risks in all severe outcomes. Patients with hematologic cancer, lung cancer, or with metastatic cancer (stage IV) had the highest frequency of severe events. Patients with nonmetastatic cancer experienced similar frequencies of severe conditions to those observed in patients without cancer. Patients who received surgery had higher risks of having severe events, whereas patients who underwent only radiotherapy did not demonstrate significant differences in severe events when compared with patients without cancer. These findings indicate that patients with cancer appear more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. SIGNIFICANCE: Because this is the first large cohort study on this topic, our report will provide much-needed information that will benefit patients with cancer globally. As such, we believe it is extremely important that our study be disseminated widely to alert clinicians and patients.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 747.

Ultrasonography-Based Dynamic Assessment on an Adult for Postoperative Effects of Double Kidney Transplant From a 6-Month-Old Donor.

To allow improved quality of life, renal transplant has been regarded as the best therapeutic option for patients with end-stage renal disease. However, due to shortages of renal sources, annually, only a few patients with renal failure can receive transplants, with most patients requiring hemodialysis to maintain their life. With increasing imbalance of demands and supplies for donor organs, infant organ donors have become an important part of domestic and foreign transplant sources. It is of great importance to guarantee successful kidney transplant outcomes. Examination of the size and blood perfusion of the transplanted kidneys in an accurate and timely manner and early detection of postoperative complications can improve survival rates and quality of life. Here, we report a rare double kidney transplant with the kidney of a 6-month-old infant and the great technical difficulties. Color Doppler ultrasonography played an important role in dynamic observations of the size of the kidney, blood perfusion, spectral index, and detection of complications after transplant.

Case report: Real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for the diagnosis of typical 'bull's eye' sign of hepatic abscess caused by Acinetobacter baumannii in a tumor patient.

The present case report details a unique case of a 51-year-old male patient who underwent a radical operation for carcinoma of the stomach and pancreaticoduodenectomy. Conventional ultrasonography examination exhibited a characteristic 'bull's eye' sign in the liver; whereas real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) demonstrated the patient was suffering from a hepatic abscess, corroborated by cytologic examination, which confirmed the presence of Acinetobacter baumannii. The hepatic localization of A. baumannii is rare in tumor patients presenting with a typical 'bull's eye' sign; and such a case could easily be misdiagnosed as hepatic metastasis. The findings presented in this case report demonstrate that real-time CEUS may offer important diagnostic elements, albeit not specific, which should, together with a positive cytologic test, confirm the diagnosis of a hepatic abscess.

Sonographic features of placenta accreta after first-trimester abortion.

We assessed 5 patients with histologically/clinically confirmed placenta accreta after first-trimester abortion. In 4 patients, sonography showed an unclear endometrium, absence of an endometrium-myometrium interface, a well-vascularized hyperechoic lesion in the uterine body with a low resistive index, and myometrial thinning near the lesion. In 2 patients, contrast-enhanced sonography showed rapid irregular lesion enhancement. Chemotherapy reduced the lesions in 3 patients, and a decreased blood supply increased the resistive index in all lesions. Two patients each underwent hysterectomy and uterine curettage. The fifth patient had a cervical pregnancy; sonography showed a well-vascularized hyperechoic lesion in an enlarged cervix. Methotrexate gradually reduced this lesion. Sonography, especially contrast-enhanced sonography, can detect placenta accreta and guide treatment.