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First-line treatments for lymphomas often include high doses of prednisolone, but the risks of new-onset diabetes mellitus (DM) or worsening of preexisting DM following treatment with cyclic high dose corticosteroids is unknown. This cohort study matched non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients treated with steroid-containing immunochemotherapy (ie, R-CHOP[-like] and R-CVP) between 2002 and 2015 to individuals from the Danish population to investigate the risks of new-onset DM. For patients with preexisting DM, the risks of insulin dependency and anthracycline-associated cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) were assessed. In total, 5672 NHL patients and 28 360 matched comparators were included. Time-varying incidence rate ratios (IRRs) showed increased risk of DM in the first year after treatment compared with matched comparators, with the highest IRR being 2.7. The absolute risks were higher among patients in the first 2 years, but the difference was clinically insignificant. NHL patients with preexisting DM had increased risks of insulin prescriptions with 0.5-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative risk differences of insulin treatment of 15.3, 11.8, and 6.0 percentage units as compared with the DM comparators. In a landmark analysis at 1 year, DM patients with lymphoma had decreased risks of insulin dependency compared with comparators. Time-varying IRRs showed a higher CVD risk for NHL patients with DM as compared with comparators in the first year after treatment. NHL patients treated with steroid-containing immunochemotherapy regimens have a clinically insignificant increased risk of DM in the first year following treatment, and patients with preexisting DM have a temporary increased risk of insulin prescriptions and CVD.

Purpose: Many patients diagnosed with lymphoma are of working age. Cancer patients are known to have a higher risk of sick leave and disability pension, but this has only been delineated for certain subtypes of lymphoma. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the overall risk of disability pension for all lymphoma subtypes and at quantifying return to work for patients with lymphoma in work before diagnosis.Patients and methods: Patients aged 18-60 years with lymphoma in complete remission (CR) diagnosed between 2000 and 2019 were included in the study. Using national registers, each patient was matched with five comparators from the general population with same sex, birth year, and level of Charlson Comorbidity Index. Risk of disability pension was calculated from 90 days after CR or end of treatment with competing events (death, retirement pension, early retirement pension, relapse for patients, or lymphoma diagnosis for comparators). Return to work for patients was calculated annually until 5 years after diagnosis for patients employed before diagnosis.Results: In total, 4072 patients and 20,360 comparators were included. There was a significant increased risk of disability pension for patients with all types of lymphoma compared to the general population (5-year risk difference: 5.3 (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.4;6.2)). Patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma were more likely to get disability pension than patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (sex- and age-adjusted 10-year risk difference: 2.9 (95% CI: 0.3;5.5)). One year after diagnosis, 24.5% of the relapse-free patients were on sick leave. Return to work was highest 2 years after diagnosis (82.1%).Conclusion: Patients with lymphoma across all subtypes have a significantly higher risk of disability pension. Return to work peaks at 2 years after diagnosis. Purpose: Many patients diagnosed with lymphoma are of working age. Cancer patients are known to have a higher risk of sick leave and disability pension, but this has only been delineated for certain subtypes of lymphoma. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the overall risk of disability pension for all lymphoma subtypes and at quantifying return to work for patients with lymphoma in work before diagnosis. Patients and Methods: Patients aged 18–60 years with lymphoma in complete remission (CR) diagnosed between 2000 and 2019 were included in the study. Using national registers, each patient was matched with five comparators from the general population with same sex, birth year, and level of Charlson Comorbidity Index. Risk of disability pension was calculated from 90 days after CR or end of treatment with competing events (death, retirement pension, early retirement pension, relapse for patients, or lymphoma diagnosis for comparators). Return to work for patients was calculated annually until 5 years after diagnosis for patients employed before diagnosis. Results: In total, 4072 patients and 20,360 comparators were included. There was a significant increased risk of disability pension for patients with all types of lymphoma compared to the general population (5-year risk difference: 5.3 (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.4;6.2)). Patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma were more likely to get disability pension than patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (sex-and age-adjusted 10-year risk difference: 2.9 (95% CI: 0.3;5.5)). One year after diagnosis, 24.5% of the relapse-free patients were on sick leave. Return to work was highest 2 years after diagnosis (82.1%). Conclusion: Patients with lymphoma across all subtypes have a significantly higher risk of disability pension. Return to work peaks at 2 years after diagnosis.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is an aggressive disease occurring primarily in elderly patients. Despite high curative rates with doxorubicin-containing treatment, some elderly patients receive less intensive treatments, mainly due to advanced age, comorbidities, and concerns of cardiotoxicity from doxorubicin-containing regimens. We analyzed 1009 patients aged 75 years or older and 10,090 age- and sex-matched comparisons. We aimed to evaluate long-term cardiovascular side effects in elderly patients treated with doxorubicin. Approximately, 64% of patients received doxorubicin-containing treatment. These patients had a persistently increased risk of new-onset heart failure with a hazard ratio of 1.5 and 1.7 when conditioning on survival without heart failure to 6 and 24 months, respectively. Moreover, we observed an increased risk of venous thromboembolism during the first six months following the lymphoma diagnosis. On the contrary, no difference in risk of developing ischemic heart disease or stroke following doxorubicin-containing treatment was observed.

Introduction Prednisolone has important potential side-effects, one of which is steroid-induced diabetes mellitus (DM). Due to the exposure to a high cumulative dosage of steroids during first-line treatment, patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) could face increased risk of new onset steroid-induced DM or dysregulation of a pre-existing DM. This nationwide observational cohort study evaluated the risk of new onset DM in lymphoma patients and the impact on pre-existing DM in lymphoma survivors following treatment with steroid-containing regimens. Methods Adult NHL patients (≥18 years) treated with ≥3 cycles of steroid-containing immunochemotherapy, such as R-CHOP(-like) and R-CVP, between 2002 and 2015 were identified in the Danish Lymphoma Register and matched to five random individuals from the general population on birth year, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, baseline DM status (DM or not), and DM duration. NHL patients and matched comparators were followed from start of treatment for the patients until the event of interest (DM, insulin prescription), death, relapse, NHL diagnosis (for matched comparators), or censoring (emigration, missing, or end of study on 31 December 2018), whichever came first. DM was captured by either a diagnosis of any DM (ICD-10 codes: E10-E14) in the Danish National Patient Register or any redeemed anti-diabetic prescription registered in the National Prescription Register (insulin or oral anti-diabetic medicine; ATC A10A or A10B). In the analysis of insulin prescriptions following lymphoma treatment initiation, patients with any redeemed prescription of insulin prior to start of lymphoma treatment were excluded. Time-varying incidence rates (IRs) per 1,000 person years and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using a spline-based Poisson regression approach with two-month time splits and five knots. The Aalen-Johansen estimator was used to compute the cumulative risk of an event treating death, relapse, and NHL diagnosis (in comparators) as competing events. Risk differences at specific time points were calculated using pseudo-observations. Crude and adjusted cause-specific hazard ratios (HR) were obtained using Cox regression. Results A total of 4,703 NHL patients were included in the present study. Median age was 66 years and median follow-up was 8.5 years. Among the NHL patients, 4,325 patients did not have pre-existing DM and were matched to 21,625 comparators without DM. The time-varying IR of DM among comparators was 8-10 cases/1000 person years. The IRR of DM for patients vs comparators was higher for patients in the first year following treatment initiation (maximum IRR: 2.40), lower from 1 to 5 years (minimum IRR: 0.52), and higher from 5 to 10 years (maximum IRR: 1.18) (Fig. 1). The cumulative incidence of DM was higher for NHL patients at six months (0.58 percentage units (%U), p Among the NHL patients, 378 had pre-existing non-insulin dependent DM and were matched to 1,890 comparators. The cumulative incidence difference of any insulin use was higher for patients at 6 months (14.29%U, p Conclusion In conclusion, patients treated with steroid-containing immunochemotherapy did not experience a higher risk of diabetes mellitus compared to matched comparators beyond the first year. Matched comparators had a higher cumulative incidence of diabetes mellitus after 2 years, which was partly explained by the high competing risk of death in the patient group. NHL patients with pre-existing non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus had an increased cumulative incidence of any insulin prescriptions; however, the difference was diminished when assessing the risk of at least five insulin prescriptions, suggesting that the impact of steroids on diabetes regulation is limited in time when taking competing risks into account. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Øvlisen: Abbvie: Other: Travel expenses. Frederiksen: Abbvie: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Alexion: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Janssen Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Vestergaard: Novo Nordisk Foundation: Other: Head of Research at Steno Diabetes Center North Jutland funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Research Funding. Jørgensen: Gilead: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy. Clausen: Gilead: Consultancy, Other: Travel expences 15th ICML ; Abbvie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel expences ASH 2019; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Poulsen: Janssen: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy. Ekstroem Smedby: Janssen Cilag: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy. Eloranta: Janssen Pharmaceutical NV: Other: NV. El-Galaly: ROCHE Ltd: Ended employment in the past 24 months; Abbvie: Other: Speakers fee.

Lymphoma patients often receive high glucocorticoid doses as part of standard therapy. Observational studies have shown a substantial risk of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) with associated fractures. The aim of the SIESTA trial was to determine if oral alendronate (ALN) is a safe and effective prophylaxis against GIO in lymphoma. SIESTA was a single-center, randomized, double-blinded, phase 2 study of lymphoma patients planned for glucocorticoid-containing chemotherapy. After randomization, patients received weekly ALN 70 mg or placebo for a total of 52 weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed at baseline, after completion of chemotherapy (end of treatment [EOT]) (4 to 6 months), and at the end of the study (EOS) (12 months). Vertebral fracture and biomarkers were assessed at baseline and EOS. Patients with baseline BMD assessment and at least 1 follow-up BMD assessment were analyzed for efficacy. The primary endpoint was a change in lumbar spine T-score from baseline to EOS. Of the 59 patients enrolled, 23 of 30 in the ALN arm and 24 of 29 in the placebo arm were analyzed for efficacy. The mean change in T-score from baseline to 12 months at the lumbar spine was +0.15 for ALN and -0.12 for placebo (P = .023). The difference in ΔTEOS between the ALN and placebo groups was larger among females (ALN 0.28; placebo -0.28; P = .01). Biomarker analyses confirmed reduced bone resorption in ALN-treated patients. In conclusion, ALN is a safe and effective primary prophylaxis against loss in BMD following glucocorticoid-containing chemotherapy. Despite reduced BMD loss in the ALN arm, the treatment did not influence fracture risk in this small cohort of patients.

High-dose prednisolone is used in first-line treatment for lymphoma, but the potential adverse impact on bone health is unclear. Danish patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or follicular lymphoma diagnosed between 2000 and 2012 were matched to the background population. Osteoporotic events (osteoporosis treatment or low-energy fracture) were identified using the Danish National Patient Registry and Prescription Registry. In total, 2589 patients and 12,945 controls were included. Lymphoma patients had increased risk of osteoporotic events compared to the matched population (hazard ratio 1.61 [95% confidence interval 1.40;1.84]). The 5- and 10-year cumulative risks of osteoporotic events for lymphoma patients were 10.0% [8.6;11.4] and 16.3% [13.8;18.7], whereas corresponding risks in the background population were 6.8% [6.3;7.3] and 13.5% [12.4;14.6]. Patients without osteoporotic event in the first two years after treatment were not at higher risk of osteoporotic events in subsequent years. Risk factors for osteoporotic events were female sex and age >70 years.

Introduction: Many lymphoma patients receive high doses of glucocorticoids as part of standard therapy, and several recent observational studies have highlighted a possible risk of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) and excess bone fracture risk. As a substantial fraction of lymphoma patients become long-term survivors, studies that focus on mitigating the negative effects of treatment toxicities on survivorship are important. The objective of the SIESTA trial was to determine if primary prophylaxis with oral alendronate (ALN) is safe and effective against (GIO) in lymphoma patients. Methods: SIESTA was a single-center randomized and double-blinded phase 2 study performed at the Department of Hematology, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark, enrolling lymphoma patients that were planned for glucocorticoid-containing chemotherapy regimens such as (R-)CVP and all variants of (R)-CHOP. Patients were randomized to weekly oral ALN 70mg or placebo with a treatment duration of 52 weeks. Study assessments included bone mineral density (BMD) measurements at baseline, after completion of chemotherapy at 4-6 months (EOT), and after 12 months, as well as vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) at baseline and at 12 months. The primary study endpoint was change in lumbar spine T-score from baseline to 12 months. Key secondary endpoints were change in T-score from baseline to 12 months at total hip and femoral neck levels, vertebral compression fractures and early T-score changes. Biomarker analyses were exploratory. The target recruitment was 60 patients in a three-year period. Results: A total of 59 patients (36 Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 15 follicular lymphoma, 8 other) were enrolled with 22 of 30 patients in the ALN arm and 23 of 29 patients in the placebo arm completing the study (efficacy group). Patient characteristics in the two arms were balanced with exception of more advanced stage diseases (Ann Arbor stage III-IV) in the ALN arm (70·0% vs 41·4%), and a lower median baseline T-score at the lumbar spine in the ALN arm (median T-score -0·6 vs 1·0). Patients in the ALN group received a median of 3,291 mg prednisone versus 3,398 mg for the placebo group. Median change in T-score from baseline to 12 months at the lumbar spine level (primary endpoint) was +0·2 for the ALN arm and -0·2 for the placebo arm (P=0·013) (figure 1), with stronger effect for female patients (median change; ALN +0·25; placebo -0·25) (figure 2). ALN had no effect on BMD for total hip (P=0·30) and femoral neck (P=0·58) at 12 months (figure 1). ALN had no significant early effects on BMD for any measured sites (4-6 months). No new fractures were observed. Nine patients experienced AEs related to the upper gastro-intestinal (GI) system (7 grade 1-2, 2 grade 3-4) with 5 AEs being assessed as related to the study treatment (3 in the ALN group and 2 in the placebo group). One patient (placebo group) discontinued study treatment due to upper GI AE (bleeding ulcer). Biomarker analyses (C-terminal telopeptide cross links (CTX) as marker of bone resorption and N-terminal propeptides of collagen type 1 (P1NP) as marker for bone formation) showed reduced bone resorption for ALN treated patients opposed to the placebo treated patients. From baseline to EOT the mean change in CTX was -0.17 in the ALN group and 0.10 in the placebo group respectively (P Interpretation: ALN was a safe and effective primary prophylaxis against GIO in lymphoma patients planned for glucocorticoid-containing chemotherapy regimens. The treatment effects were clinically meaningful across all patient subgroups, but the largest effect size was observed in females. Biomarker analyses supported reduced bone resorption for ALN treated patients. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Vestergaard: Novo Nordisk Foundation: Other: Head of Research at Steno Diabetes Center North Jutland funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Research Funding. El-Galaly: Abbvie: Other: Speakers fee; ROCHE Ltd: Ended employment in the past 24 months.

BACKGROUND: Optimal treatment strategy for the oldest patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains controversial, as this group often is precluded from clinical trials, and population-based studies are limited.METHODS: All Danish DLBCL-patients ≥75 years diagnosed from 2003 to 2012 were identified, using the Danish National Lymphoma Registry (LYFO). Information regarding baseline characteristics, treatment, comorbidities and outcomes was retrieved from LYFO, the Danish National health registries and medical records. Patients were stratified by age (75-79; 80-84 and 85 + years), comorbidity score and treatment modality (standard treatment [R-CHOP/CHOP-like], less intensive regimens or palliative treatment).FINDINGS: A total of 1011 patients were included. Standard treatment was initiated in 64%, ranging from 83% among patients aged 75-79 years to 32% among patient aged 85 + years. With standard treatment, median overall survival (OS) estimates were 4·6, 2·6, and 1·9 years for the age groups 75-79, 80-84 and 85+ years. Among patient aged 75-79 and 80-84 years, OS was superior with standard treatment, although high comorbidity scores attenuated this association. Among patients aged 85+ years, survival was not influenced by treatment intensity. Patients ≥80 years had similar OS regardless of intended (R-)CHOP dosing, whereas patients of 75-79 years scheduled for full dose had higher OS. Standard treatment was not associated with increased hospitalisation.INTERPRETATION: Standard treatment is feasible with good outcomes in a large proportion of elderly DLBCL-patients. Planned dose reduction in patients aged ≥80 years had no negative impact on OS.

Cardiotoxicity is a known risk of anthracycline treatment. However, the relative contribution of anthracyclines to the development of congestive heart failure (CHF), when included in a poly-chemotherapy regimen, is unclear. We examined cardiotoxicity in adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma undergoing first-line immunochemotherapy from 2000-2012. In total, 2440 patients without previous heart disease were identified from the Danish Lymphoma Registry, of which 1994 (81·7%) were treated with anthracycline-containing chemotherapy [R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone) or R-CHOEP (R-CHOP + etoposide)] and 446 (18·3%) were treated without anthracyclines (reference group). Compared to the reference group, the adjusted hazard ratio of CHF after 3-5 cycles of R-CHOP/CHOEP was 5·0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1·4; 18·5], 6 cycles 6·8 (95% CI 2·0; 23·3) and >6 cycles 13·4 (95% CI 4·0; 45·0). The cumulative 5-year risk of CHF with all-cause mortality as competing risk was 4·6% after 3-5 cycles of R-CHOP/CHOEP, 4·5% after 6 and 7·9% after more than 6 cycles. Cumulative 5-year risk for patients treated without anthracyclines was 0·8%. Using anthracyclines in first-line lymphoma treatment increases risk of CHF in patients without previous history of heart disease. In particular, treatment with >6 cycles of R-CHOP/CHOEP is associated with a significant increase in CHF rate.

FDG-PET/CT is the current state-of-the-art imaging in lymphoma and plays a central role in treatment decisions. At diagnosis, accurate staging is crucial for appropriate therapy selection: FDG-PET/CT can identify areas of lymphoma missed by CT alone and avoid under-treatment of patients with advanced disease stage who would have been misclassified as having limited stage disease by CT. Particularly in Hodgkin lymphoma, positive interim FDG-PET/CT scans are adversely prognostic for clinical outcomes and can inform PET-adapted treatment strategies, but such data are less consistent in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The use of quantitative FDG-PET/CT metrics using metabolic tumor volume, possibly in combination with other biomarkers, may better define prognostic subgroups and thus facilitate better treatment selection. After chemotherapy, FDG-PET/CT response is predictive of outcome and may identify a subgroup who benefit from consolidative radiotherapy. Novel therapies, in particular immunotherapies, exhibit different response patterns than conventional chemotherapy, which has led to modified response criteria that take into account the risk of transient pseudo-progression. In relapsed lymphoma, FDG-PET/CT after second-line therapy and prior to high-dose therapy is also strongly associated with outcome and may be used to guide intensity of salvage therapy in relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma. Currently, FDG-PET/CT has no role in the routine follow-up after complete metabolic response to therapy, but it remains a powerful tool for excluding relapse if patients develop clinical features suggestive of disease relapse. In conclusion, FDG-PET/CT plays major roles in the various phases of management of lymphoma and constitutes a step towards the pursuit of personalized treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.