mutations are among the most common recurrent alterations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the relationship to other genomic abnormalities and clinical impact has not been established.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is commonly known to cause hematological, neurological, and gastrointestinal disturbances including anemia, pancytopenia, sub-acute combined degeneration, and glossitis, among others. Hemolytic anemia is a rare but possible presentation of vitamin B12 deficiency. We present a case series of three elderly females with different past medical histories but with similar presentations of severe anemia. Initial investigation revealed pancytopenia and hemolytic anemia. Further evaluation indicated vitamin B12 deficiency and subsequently, pernicious anemia, as confirmed by low serum vitamin B12 levels and positive intrinsic cell antibody respectively. These findings directed the diagnosis toward vitamin B12 deficiency-induced hemolytic anemia, a rare clinical entity. All three patients responded to treatment with intramuscular vitamin B12 injections, showing significant improvement in their pancytopenia and hemolytic anemia. This case series highlight the importance of considering vitamin B12 deficiency as a potential cause of hemolytic anemia in patients presenting with pancytopenia and ineffective hematopoiesis. Further research is necessary to illuminate the therapeutic implications of this rare condition.
This report contains raw data related to article "Immunotherapy in Hepatocellular Cancer Patients with Mild to Severe Liver Dysfunction: Adjunctive Role of the ALBI Grade". Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have shown positive results in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As liver function contributes to prognosis, its precise assessment is necessary for the safe prescribing and clinical development of ICI in HCC. We tested the accuracy of the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade as an alternative prognostic biomarker to the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP). In a prospectively maintained multi-centre dataset of HCC patients, we assessed safety and efficacy of ICI across varying levels of liver dysfunction described by CTP (A to C) and ALBI grade and evaluated uni- and multi-variable predictors of overall (OS) and post-immunotherapy survival (PIOS). We studied 341 patients treated with programmed-death pathway inhibitors (n = 290, 85%). Pre-treatment ALBI independently predicted for OS, with median OS of 22.5, 9.6, and 4.6 months across grades (p < 0.001). ALBI was superior to CTP in predicting 90-days mortality with area under the curve values of 0.65 (95% CI 0.57-0.74) versus 0.63 (95% CI 0.54-0.72). ALBI grade at ICI cessation independently predicted for PIOS (p < 0.001). Following adjustment for ICI regimen, neither ALBI nor CTP predicted for overall response rates or treatment-emerging adverse events (p > 0.05). ALBI grade identifies a subset of patients with prolonged survival prior to and after ICI therapy, lending itself as an optimal stratifying biomarker to optimise sequencing of systemic therapies in advanced HCC.
Background: Antibiotic exposure has been associated with worse outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancer patients, likely due to disruption of the gut microbiome. Other commonly prescribed medications, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine-2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs), are also known to disrupt the microbiome, but data on their association with ICI outcomes are conflicting. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, multicenter, international cohort study including 314 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with ICIs from 2017 to 2019 to assess the association between PPI or H2RA exposure (up to 30 days before ICI) and overall survival. Secondary outcomes included overall response rate (ORR) and development of any treatment-related adverse events (AEs). Results: Baseline PPI/H2RA exposure was not associated with overall survival in univariable (HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.75–1.35) or multivariable analysis (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.71–1.36). Baseline PPI/H2RA exposure was not associated with either ORR (OR 1.32, 95% CI 0.66–2.65) or AEs (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.54–2.12) in multivariable analysis. Conclusions: Our results suggest that exposure to PPI/H2RA prior to ICIs does not adversely affect outcomes in HCC patients.