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Background: The second most common hematologic cancer worldwide is multiple myeloma (MM), with incidence and mortality rates that have more than doubled over the past 30 years. The safety and efficacy of daratumumab regimens in the treatment of newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) is demonstrated in clinical trials. Objective: To assess the financial effects of the adoption of subcutaneous daratumumab (dara-SC) rather than intravenous daratumumab (dara-IV) for the treatment of NDMM in three Gulf countries (Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates; UAE), a cost-minimization model was constructed. Methods: We performed static cost minimization analyses from a societal perspective to evaluate the costs and possible reductions in resource utilization associated with a shift from dara-IV infusion to dara-SC injection for NDMM patients over a 5-year time horizon. The model included 2 scenarios: the current scenario in which 100% of patients with NDMM are treated with dara-IV infusion and a future scenario in which dara-SC injection is gradually adopted over the modeled time horizon. The model differentiated precisely between autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT)-eligible and ASCT-ineligible NDMM patients in terms of their number in each group and the associated therapeutic regimens. One-way sensitivity analyses were also conducted. Results: The model showed that the use of dara-SC in NDMM patients who were eligible or ineligible for ASCT resulted in lower non-drug costs, including premedication drug costs, adverse-effect costs, administration costs, medical staff costs, and indirect costs. The resulting total savings over the 5-year time horizon of the model for Hamad Medical Corporation, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital/Royal Hospital, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), and Tawam Hospital were QAR -2 522 686, OMR -143 214, AED -30 010 627, and AED -5 003 471, respectively. Conclusion: The introduction of dara-SC as a front-line treatment for NDMM patients in Qatar (Hamad Medical Corporation), Oman (Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Royal Hospital-MOH), and the UAE (SSMC and Tawam Hospital) can help save resources and minimize constraints on the healthcare system.

Introduction: Despite recent advances in diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment options, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is still a largely incurable disease. New concepts on diagnosis, staging, treatment, and follow-up on CLL have been incorporated throughout recent years. The lack of regional consensus guidelines has led to varying practices in the management of patients with CLL in the region. This manuscript aims to reach a consensus among expert hematologists regarding the definitions, classifications, and related practices of CLL. The experts developed a set of statements utilizing their personal experience together with the current literature on CLL management. This consensus aims to provide guidance for healthcare professionals involved in the management of CLL and serves as a step in developing regional guidelines., Methods: Eight experts responded to 50 statements regarding the diagnosis, staging, treatment, and prognosis of CLL with three potential answering alternatives ranging between agree, disagree, and abstain. This consensus adopted a modified Delphi consensus methodology. A consensus was reached when at least 75% of the agreement to the answer was reached. This manuscript presents the scientific insights of the participating attendees, panel discussions, and the supporting literature review., Results: Of the 50 statements, a consensus was reached on almost all statements. Statements covered CLL-related topics, including diagnostic evaluation, staging, risk assessment, different patient profiles, prognostic evaluation, treatment decisions, therapy sequences, response evaluation, complications, and CLL during the COVID-19 pandemic., Conclusion: In recent years, CLL management has progressed significantly, with many diagnostic tests and several novel treatments becoming available. This consensus gathers decades of consolidated principles, novel research, and promising prospects for the management of this disease., (© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

High-dose melphalan followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains the standard of care for transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). Achievement of complete response (CR) and minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity are associated with improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). With superior triplet- and quadruplet-based induction regimens, a higher proportion of patients are achieving deep responses of at least a very good partial response (VGPR) or better. The probability of achieving different levels of deeper hematologic responses post-ASCT based on the pre-ASCT depth of response is less clear in the existing literature but would be of value to patients and providers in discussing the added benefit of ASCT. We assessed the rate of deepening the hematologic response with upfront ASCT in patients with NDMM, mainly to MRD-negative CR, based on the response achieved after induction therapy. We retrospectively reviewed 210 patients with NDMM who underwent upfront ASCT at Mayo Clinic Rochester between May 1, 2018, and July 31, 2019. In addition to the availability of next-generation flow cytometry (NGF) testing for MRD status, which yielded a sensitivity of 10 -5 , the more sensitive mass spectrometry-based assessment of peripheral blood (ie, MASS-FIX) for monoclonal proteins was used rather than conventional immunofixation. Pre-ASCT, 23 patients (11%) achieved MRD-negative CR, which increased to 66 patients (31%) post-ASCT. Of 187 patients not in MRD-negative CR pre-ASCT, 45 (24%) converted to MRD-negative CR. Patients with MRD-positive CR before ASCT had the highest rates of conversion to MRD-negative CR. HR cytogenetics did not impact rates of MRD-negative CR achievement post-ASCT irrespective of pre-ASCT IMWG response (P = 1.0). Overall, irrespective of IMWG response, 43 patients (20%) were MRD-negative pre-ASCT (19 in VGPR, 24 in CR or sCR), and 102 patients (49%) were MRD-negative post-ASCT (36 in VGPR, 66 in CR or sCR). Among 85 patients with VGPR post-ASCT, 36 achieved MRD negativity, of whom 8 (22%) progressed, whereas 49 had MRD-positive disease, of whom 24 (49%) progressed (P = .014). Upfront ASCT in patients with NDMM led to deeper responses, with 24% converting to MRD negative CR and more than doubling of the total rate of MRD negativity irrespective of IMWG response depth., (Copyright © 2022 The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In response to encounters involving misconduct, discrimination, and harassment toward healthcare workers, the Experience Training, Education, and Coaching (XTEC) team was tasked with empowering staff members to respond to biased requests and misconduct appropriately and consistently. The aim of this article is to discuss communication strategies for how to respond to patient bias and misconduct. Methods: XTEC developed a training program with two focused communication strategies: (1) SAFER, a stepped approach to respond to patient and visitor misconduct and (2) ASAP, an approach for responding to patient bias which we describe as requests related to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and other personal attributes of staff. Intervention: SAFER ASAP workshops were delivered to 2154 health care professionals through 109 face-to-face training over a 15-month period between January 2019 and March 2020. All trainings were discussion- and scenario-based, ranging in duration from 60 to 90 min. Participants were given pre- and post-training test case scenarios, in which respondents wrote responses to a challenging behavior to assess skill attainment post-training. Results: Seventy-one percent demonstrated higher levels of response ability post-training, and 92% of respondents indicated they would likely recommend this training to others. Conclusions: SAFER ASAP is an effective communication training program for responding to patient and visitor bias and misconduct., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disease characterized by diverse clinical and pathologic features. Due to its rarity, there are limited studies comparing currently available therapies. The role of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in CD has not yet been established. In this paper, we describe the clinical characteristics, treatment choices, and outcomes in 34 Mayo Clinic patients diagnosed with multicentric CD from July 1, 2003 to April 30, 2018. Eighteen patients (53%) also met the criteria for POEMS, including 14 with the osteosclerotic variant. The first-line treatments included: steroid monotherapy (4), cytotoxic chemotherapy (6), rituximab alone (8) or with chemotherapy (2), anti-IL6 treatment (3), and ASCT (10). The median follow-up was 4.8 (range: 0.1-15.2) years. The 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 84% and 71%, respectively. Sixteen patients received high-dose chemotherapy followed by ASCT during their disease course. Among those, 14 had multicentric CD associated with POEMS. There were no transplant-related deaths. All patients had at least a partial response to ASCT, most of whom achieved a complete response. The favorable outcomes seen with ASCT in this cohort suggest that transplantation may have a role in multicentric CD, particularly for patients with multicentric CD associated with POEMS., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Risk stratification in multiple myeloma is important for prognostication, patient selection for clinical trials, and comparison of treatment approaches. We developed and validated a staging system that incorporates additional FISH abnormalities not included in the R-ISS and reflects the additive effects of co-occurring high-risk disease features. We first evaluated the prognostic value of predefined cytogenetic and laboratory abnormalities in 2556 Mayo Clinic patients diagnosed between February 2004 and June 2019. We then used data from 1327 patients to develop a risk stratification model and validated this in 502 patients enrolled in the MMRF CoMMpass study. On multivariate analysis, high-risk IgH translocations [risk ratio (RR): 1.7], 1q gain/amplification (RR: 1.4), chromosome17 abnormalities (RR: 1.6), ISS III (RR: 1.7), and elevated LDH (RR: 1.3) were independently associated with decreased overall survival (OS). Among 1327 evaluable patients, OS was 11.0 (95% CI: 9.2-12.6), 7.0 (95% CI: 6.3-9.2), and 4.5 (95% CI: 3.7-5.2) years in patients with 0 (stage I), 1 (stage II), and ≥2 (stage III) high-risk factors, respectively. In the MMRF cohort, median OS was 7.8 (95% CI: NR-NR), 6.0 (95% CI: 5.7-NR), and 4.3 (95% CI: 2.7-NR) years in the 3 groups, respectively (P < 0.001). This 5-factor, 3-tier system is easy to implement in practice and improves upon the current R-ISS., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Previous studies show that patient complaints can identify gaps in quality of care, but it is difficult to identify trends without categorization. We conducted a review of complaints relating to admissions on hospital internal medicine (HIM) services over a 26-month period. Data were collected on person characteristics and key features of the complaint. The complaints were also categorized into a previously published taxonomy. Seventy-six unsolicited complaints were identified, (3.5 per 1000 hospital admissions). Complaints were more likely on resident services. The mean duration between encounter and complaint was 18 days, and it took an average of 12 days to resolve the complaint. Most patients (59%) had a complaint in the Relationship domain. Thirty-nine percent of complaints mentioned a specific clinician. When a clinician was mentioned, complaints regarding communication and humaneness predominated (68%). The results indicate that the efforts to reduce patient complaints in HIM should focus on the Relationships domain., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Three sets of criteria (International Society of Amyloidosis [ISA], Palladini and Kastritis) were independently developed for staging, progression and response criteria to predict renal survival in patients with AL amyloidosis. We evaluated these criteria using a cohort of 495 newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis patients with renal involvement using time to event competing risk analysis at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment. Only Palladini and Kastritis had a staging system and both predicted a higher risk of end stage renal disease (ESRD) in the stage III vs stage I patients but only the Palladini model was predictive for stage II patients. At 3 months, risk of ESRD was significantly higher for Palladini and ISA renal progression (hazard ratio [HR] 2.8 [95% CI: 1.5-5.3, p = .001] and 2.5 [CI: 1.4-4.6, p = .004, respectively]), but renal response was not significantly protective; conversely, the risk of ESRD was not significantly higher for the Kastritis renal progression, but was significantly protective for the Kastritis renal responders (HR 0.38 [95% CI: 0.17-0.84], p = .017). Both progression and response with ISA, Palladini and Kastritis criteria were predictive of ESRD at 6 months and 12 months. While the Palladini staging criteria at baseline, and the ISA and Palladini criteria for progression at 3 months performed better than the Kastritis criteria at baseline and 3 months post-treatment, the Kastritis criteria performed better for response 3 months after treatment. All three sets of criteria performed well at and after 6 months post-treatment. These differences are important when choosing endpoints for clinical trials., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Despite available therapies, Multiple Myeloma (MM) remains an incurable hematologic malignancy. Over the past three decades, there have been tremendous developments in therapeutic options for MM. In regards to immunotherapy, Daratumumab was the first monoclonal antibody to receive FDA approval for multiple myeloma. Since then, other monoclonal antibodies such as elotuzumab and isatuximab have received FDA approval. Many clinical trials are underway investigating the efficacy of newer immunotherapies. This review summarizes recently presented and/or published data regarding this growing field, specifically regarding monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies, and trispecific antibodies., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

As of May 13, 2020, the number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 (novel corona virus, COVID-19) infections has risen to 4 300 000 worldwide, with over 1 300 000 confirmed cases in the United States. Various prediction models of spread indicate more hospitalization, increased ventilator use, and the shifting of medical resources to most efficiently serve the patient's needs. Additionally, mitigation strategies such as monitoring for symptoms, social distancing, safer at home, and the wearing of masks caused our institution to implement significant operational changes to our usual practice. This included screening patients and staff for symptoms, rescheduling routine medical visits, postponing procedures, converting face-to-face visits to telephone or video visits, and changing visitor visit policies. In this article, we describe the various ways we deployed empathic communication messaging and resources across the institution during the COVID-19 pandemic., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Our prior studies identified the prognostic significance of quantifying cPCs by multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients. We evaluated if a similar quantification of cPCs could add prognostic value to the current R-ISS classification of 556 consecutive NDMM patients seen at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester from 2009 to 2017. Those patients that had ≥5 cPCs/μL and either R-ISS stage I or stage II disease were re-classified as R-ISS IIB stage for the purposes of this study. The median time to next therapy (TTNT) and overall survival (OS) for patients with ≥5 cPCs/μL at diagnosis was as follows: R-ISS I (N = 110) - 40 months and not reached; R-ISS II (N = 69) - 30 and 72 months; R-ISS IIB (N = 96) - 21 and 45 months and R-ISS III (N = 281) - 20 and 47 months respectively. Finally, ≥ 5 cPCs/μL retained its adverse prognostic significance in a multivariable model for TTNT and OS. Hence, quantifying cPCs by MFC can potentially enhance the R-ISS classification of a subset of NDMM patients with stage I and II disease by identifying those patients with a worse than expected survival outcome., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose: To determine if time to antibiotics (TTA) improves outcomes of hospital length of stay, admission to the intensive care unit, and 30-day mortality in adult patients with febrile neutropenia., Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated the impact of time to antibiotic, in the treatment of febrile neutropenia, on hospital length of stay, admission to the intensive care unit, and 30-day mortality. Cases included were patients 18 years or older hospitalized with febrile neutropenia from August 1, 2006 to July 31, 2016. To adjust for other characteristics associated with hospital length of stay, admission to the intensive care unit, and 30-day mortality, a multivariate analysis was performed., Results: A total of 3219 cases of febrile neutropenia were included. The median hospital length of stay was 7.0 days (IQR 4.1-13.3), rate of intensive care unit admission was 13.6%, and 30-day mortality was 6.6%. Multivariate analysis demonstrated time to antibiotics was not associated with hospital length of stay but was associated with admission to the intensive care unit admission and 30-day mortality. Delays in time to antibiotic of up to 3 hours did not impact outcomes., Conclusions: A shorter time to antibiotic is important in treatment of febrile neutropenia; however, moderate delays in antibiotic administration did not impact outcomes. Further investigation is needed in order to determine if other indicators of infection, in addition to fever, or other supportive management, in addition to antibiotics, are indicated in the early identification and management of infection in patients with neutropenia.

Solitary plasmacytomas are uncommon plasma cell disorders, which may present as a single bone lesion (P-bone) or extramedullary plasmacytoma (P-EM). There is a paucity of large studies analyzing prognostic factors and outcomes of plasmacytomas. While the treatment of choice is radiation therapy (RT), there is a lack of data evaluating optimal RT dose. In this study, we sought to answer these questions by utilizing the National Cancer Database plasmacytoma data from 2000 to 2011. A total of 5056 patients were included in the study (median age 62 years; range 52-72). To obtain a pure plasmacytoma cohort, potential multiple myeloma patients were excluded from the study (bone marrow involvement, systemic chemotherapy use). P-bone constituted 70% of the patients. The median overall survival (OS) of P-EM was significantly longer than P-bone (132 vs. 85 months), and for soft/connective tissue it was worse than remainder of P-EM (82 vs. 148 months). On multivariable analysis, factors associated with worse OS included older age (≥65), presence of P-bone, and treatment with a radiation dose <40 Gy.

Little is known about which variables put patients with cancer at risk for 30-day hospital readmission. Comanagement of this often complex patient population by specialists and hospitalists has become increasingly common. This retrospective study examined inpatients with cancer comanaged by hospitalists, hematologists, and oncologists to determine the rate of readmission and factors associated with readmission. Patients in this cohort had a readmission rate of 23%. Patients who were discharged to a skilled nursing facility (odds ratio [OR] = 0.34) or hospice (OR = 0.11) were less likely to have 30-day readmissions, whereas patients who had surgery (OR = 3.16) during their index admission were more likely. Other factors, including patient demographics, cancer types, and hospitalization interventions and events, did not differ between patients who were readmitted and those who were not. These findings contribute to a growing body of literature identifying risk factors for readmission in medical oncology and hematology patients.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) contributes to significant morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic burden. There is a paucity of literature regarding sex-based sociodemographic differences in VTE presentation and short-term outcomes. We aimed to compare clinical outcomes between men and women hospitalized for VTE management. We performed a retrospective analysis using data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2012 to 2013. Inclusion criteria were age 18 years and older and a primary discharge diagnosis of VTE. Sociodemographic features and medical comorbidities were analyzed, as were hospital length of stay and in-hospital mortality rates. A total of 107,896 patients met the inclusion criteria; 53% were female. Median age was 65 years (interquartile range 51-77) and women were older than men (65 vs 62 years, p<0.001). There were significant differences between men and women with respect to race, primary insurance payer and medical comorbidities, and small differences with respect to VTE location. Female sex was associated with a small but significantly longer hospital length of stay (mean ratio 1.04, 95% CI 1.03-1.05, p<0.001) but no significant difference in in-hospital mortality (2.2% vs 2.1%, p=0.15). In a multivariate model, there was no significant difference between women and men with respect to hospital length of stay or in-hospital mortality. In conclusion, we used data from the NIS to study over 100,000 patients hospitalized for VTE, and identified several sex-based disparities in sociodemographic factors and location of VTE. However, in a multivariable analysis correcting for these factors, sex was not associated with significant differences in clinical outcomes.

Objective: To compare medical expenditures of patients receiving old and new colorectal cancer (CRC) regimens., Study Design: Using claims data, we identified 2 cohorts of privately insured patients diagnosed with CRC: first, those diagnosed before new treatment introduction (January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2002), and second, those diagnosed after new treatment introduction (June 1, 2004, to May 31, 2005). CRC diagnosis was identified using International Classification of Diseases-9 codes 153.xx, 154.xx, and 159.0. First- and second-line chemotherapy regimens were identified. Treatments and expenditures were then observed for up to 2 years after initial diagnosis., Methods: We estimated multivariate models to measure changes in cost with changes in treatment regimen. Approval dates of new regimens were used as natural experiments., Results: New regimens, such as fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX), have rapidly replaced the most prevalent preperiod product (ie, fluorouracil/leucovorin). Changes in treatment have caused large increases in total expenditure, primarily through increases in chemotherapy prices. FOLFOX alone has increased total average cost by 14%. New treatments have not substituted for other medical services; rather, they have indirectly raised costs through nonstandard regimen use and increases in second-line treatment use. We found no evidence that expenditure effects were driven by changes in follow-up duration., Conclusion: New CRC treatments have increased both regimen choice and expenditures. New regimens have primarily increased expenditures through direct treatment costs; we observed no offsetting expenditure reductions.

Purpose: To compare medical expenditures of patients receiving old and new colorectal cancer (CRC) regimens., Study Design: USING CLAIMS DATA, WE IDENTIFIED TWO COHORTS OF PRIVATELY INSURED PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH CRC: first, those diagnosed before new treatment introduction (January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2002), and second, those diagnosed after new treatment introduction (June 1, 2004, to May 31, 2005). CRC diagnosis was identified using International Classification of Diseases-9 codes 153.xx, 154.xx, and 159.0. First- and second-line chemotherapy regimens were identified. Treatments and expenditures were then observed for up to 2 years after initial diagnosis., Methods: We estimated multivariate models to measure changes in cost with changes in treatment regimen. Approval dates of new regimens were used as natural experiments., Results: New regimens, such as fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX), have rapidly replaced the most prevalent preperiod product (ie, fluorouracil/leucovorin). Changes in treatment have caused large increases in total expenditure, primarily through increases in chemotherapy prices. FOLFOX alone has increased total average cost by 14%. New treatments have not substituted other medical services; rather, they have indirectly raised costs through nonstandard regimen use and increases in second-line treatment use. We found no evidence that expenditure effects were driven by changes in follow-up duration., Conclusion: New CRC treatments have increased both regimen choice and expenditures. New regimens have primarily increased expenditures through direct treatment costs; we observed no offsetting expenditure reductions.

Primary amyloidosis involving the thyroid gland is rare and limited to case reports. We report the case of a previously healthy 47-year-old female presenting with a 1-month history of nausea, vomiting, and diffuse thyroid enlargement. Over the next 3 months, she simultaneously developed renal insufficiency dysphagia and hoarseness of voice. Biopsies from the gastric antrum, duodenum, bone marrow, and kidney were positive for vascular deposition of amyloid. Ultrasound of the thyroid revealed diffuse enlargement of the thyroid gland, which was 32.8 ML in volume, with diffuse hyperechogenicity. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy was positive for amyloid by Congo red staining, and cytology was negative for malignancy. The patient was treated with dexamethasone 40 mg daily on days 1-4, 9-12, and 17-20 for 3 months. On 3-month follow-up, the patient's nausea and vomiting had resolved and renal insufficiency improved. Ultrasound of the thyroid demonstrated decrease in the size of the goiter to 23.2 ML. Amyloid goiter is seen only in approximately 0.04% of patients with primary systemic amyloidosis. No data is currently available regarding treatment of primary amyloidosis and its effect on the goiter. However, we have evidence demonstrating that successful treatment of amyloidosis decreases thyroid enlargement and improves organ dysfunction.