scholarly journals Unresectable Hepatic Metastasis of Uveal Melanoma: Hepatic Chemosaturation with High-Dose Melphalan—Long-Term Overall Survival Negatively Correlates with Tumor Burden

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
R. Brüning ◽  
M. Tiede ◽  
M. Schneider ◽  
P. Wohlmuth ◽  
H. Weilert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Uveal Melanoma ◽  
Hepatic Metastasis ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Tumor Burden ◽  
Hepatic Tumor ◽  
High Dose

Introduction. Percutaneous hepatic perfusion with melphalan (PHP-M) for hepatic metastasis of uveal melanoma (LMUM) achieves high local response rates, but the individual clinical benefit is poorly defined. We aimed to determine cofactors of response and clinical outcomes including the probability of long-term (5-years) overall survival (OS) in PHP-M-treated patients with LMUM. Patients and Methods. We retrospectively reviewed clinicopathological, radiological, and outcome data of 19 patients with unresectable LMUM treated with 43 PHP-M (median 2 PHP-M) between 2014 and 2019. Tumor response and adverse events were evaluated using RECIST 1.1 and the Clavien–Dindo classification. Kaplan–Meier methods and Cox regression hazard proportional models were used. Results. Of 19 patients, 10 (53%) achieved a partial response (PR) and 9 (47%) had stable disease (SD). There was no progressive disease (PD) and no adverse events exceeding Clavien–Dindo grade IV. Median OS was 16.7 months after the first PHP-M treatment and 26.4 months after initial diagnosis. Low hepatic tumor volume (median of 10 mL vs. 150 mL) was an independent predictor of favorable OS (hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.190 (0.041, 0.893); p<0.05), and female patients were at a lower risk compared with males (0.146 (0.017, 1.240)). Estimates of the overall survival were 0.213 (0.0449, 1) from first imaging (95% confidence interval) to 5 years and 0.793 (0.609, 1) and 0.604 (0.380, 0.960) for 1 and 2 years after chemosaturation, respectively. Discussion. PHP-M for nonresectable LMUV provides a safe and locally efficient liver-directed procedure that offers patients a chance for long-term OS, especially for patients with a low hepatic tumor burden.

scholarly journals Percutaneous isolated hepatic perfusion (chemosaturation) with melphalan following right hemihepatectomy in patients with cholangiocarcinoma and metastatic uveal melanoma: peri- and post-interventional adverse events and therapy response compared to a matched group without prior liver surgery

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 683-692
Author(s):  
C. L. A. Dewald ◽  
L. S. Becker ◽  
S. K. Maschke ◽  
T. C. Meine ◽  
T. A. Alten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Uveal Melanoma ◽  
Liver Surgery ◽  
Therapy Response ◽  
Tumor Burden ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Hepatic Perfusion ◽  
Matched Group ◽  
Prior Surgery

AbstractTo evaluate feasibility, frequency and severity of peri-procedural complications and post-procedural adverse events (AEs) in patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma or liver metastasis of uveal melanoma and prior hemihepatectomy undergoing chemosaturation percutaneous hepatic perfusion (CS-PHP) and to analyze therapy response and overall survival compared to a matched group without prior surgery. CS-PHP performed between 10/2014 and 02/2018 were retrospectively assessed. To determine peri-procedural safety and post-procedural adverse events, hospital records and hematological, hepatic and biliary function were categorized using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0 (1–5; mild-death). Significance was tested using Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann–Whitney U test. Kaplan–Meier estimation and log-rank test assessed survival. Overall 21 CS-PHP in seven patients (4/7 males; 52 ± 10 years) with hemihepatectomy (grouphemihep) and 22 CS-PHP in seven patients (3/7 males; 63 ± 12 years) without prior surgery (groupnoresection) were included. No complications occurred during the CS-PHP procedures. Transient changes (CTCAE grade 1–2) of liver enzymes and blood cells followed all procedures. In comparison, grouphemihep presented slightly more AEs grade 3–4 (e.g. thrombocytopenia in 57% (12/21) vs. 41% (9/22; p = 0.37)) 5–7 days after CS-PHP. These AEs were self-limiting or responsive to treatment (insignificant difference of pre-interventional to 21–45 days post-interventional values (p > 0.05)). One patient in grouphemihep with high tumor burden died eight days following CS-PHP. No deaths occurred in groupnoresection. In comparison, overall survival after first diagnosis was insignificantly shorter in groupnoresection (44.7(32–56.1) months) than in grouphemihep (48.3(34.6–72.8) months; p = 0.48). The severity of adverse events following CS-PHP in patients after hemihepatectomy was comparable to a matched group without prior liver surgery. Thus, the performance of CS-PHP is not substantially compromised by a prior hemihepatectomy.

scholarly journals Poor Response to Checkpoint Immunotherapy in Uveal Melanoma Highlights the Persistent Need for Innovative Regional Therapy Approaches to Manage Liver Metastases

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3426
Author(s):  
Brett M. Szeligo ◽  
Abby D. Ivey ◽  
Brian A. Boone
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Liver Metastasis ◽  
Liver Metastases ◽  
Uveal Melanoma ◽  
Median Overall Survival ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Surgical Approaches ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Regional Therapy

Uveal melanoma is a cancer that develops from melanocytes in the posterior uveal tract. Metastatic uveal melanoma is an extremely rare disease that has a poor long-term prognosis, limited treatment options and a strong predilection for liver metastasis. Median overall survival has been reported to be 6 months and 1 year mortality of 80%. Traditional chemotherapy used in cutaneous melanoma is ineffective in uveal cases. Surgical resection and ablation is the preferred therapy for liver metastasis but is often not feasible due to extent of disease. In this review, we will explore treatment options for liver metastases from uveal melanoma, with a focus on isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP). IHP offers an aggressive regional therapy approach that can be used in bulky unresectable disease and allows high-dose chemotherapy with melphalan to be delivered directly to the liver without systemic effects. Long-term median overall survival has been reported to be as high as 27 months. We will also highlight the poor responses associated with checkpoint inhibitors, including an overview of the biological rationale driving this lack of immunotherapy effect for this disease. The persistent failure of traditional treatments and immunotherapy suggest an ongoing need for regional surgical approaches such as IHP in this disease.

IPILIMUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH DISSEMINATED MELANOMA: THE N.N. PETROV NATIONAL MEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER OF ONCOLOGY EXPANDED ACCESS PROGRAM EXPERIENCE

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 388-393
Author(s):  
Yekaterina Anokhina ◽  
V. Rubinchik ◽  
Yekaterina Yaremenko ◽  
Gulfiya Teletaeva ◽  
Dilorom Latipova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Medical Research ◽  
Research Center ◽  
Expanded Access ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
National Medical ◽  
Expanded Access Program ◽  
Access Program

Ipilimumab (IPI) provides a ten-year overall survival in almost 20 % of selected patients participated in several phase II-III trials. However, the expanded access program (EAP) looks more like routine practice than like clinical trials& This is why the results of such application could be different. Here we present the long-term follow-up data of single center EAP. Ninety-six patients with disseminated melanoma progressing after at least one lines of drug therapy were included at the N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology. Sixty-seven (70 %) patients had stage IV M1c, 35 patients (36 %) had elevated LDH before initiating IPI therapy. All patients received IPI 3 mg / kg IV every 3 weeks for a maximum of 4 cycles. Totally, 320 cycles (mean - 3.3 per patient) were conducted. Grade 3-4 immuno-mediated adverse events (imAE) observed in 18 (19 %) patients. Three patients died of adverse events, possibly associated with ongoing therapy. The median time to progression was 3 (95 % CI, 2.4 to 3.5) mo., the median overall survival was 13 (95 % CI, 8.3 to17.6) mo. Previous immunotherapy with dendritic cell vaccines decreased the risk of death by 48 % (Log-rank p = 0.049). The wild type BRAF status increased three-year overall survival from 29 to 68 % (p = 0.042). Our data confirms long-term safety and efficacy of IPI in patients with pretreated disseminated melanoma in the close to real practice setting.

scholarly journals 312 Female sex independently predicts adjuvant immunotherapeutic benefit from CTLA4 immune checkpoint inhibition

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A339-A339
Author(s):  
Ahmad Tarhini ◽  
Ni Kang ◽  
Sandra Lee ◽  
F Stephen Hodi ◽  
Gary Cohen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Treatment Efficacy ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
High Dose ◽  
List Type ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
Interaction Term

BackgroundSex differences in tumor immunity and response to immunotherapy were shown in murine models and descriptive analyses from recent clinical trials. Female sex hormones have been implicated in melanoma development and response to systemic therapy. We hypothesized a gender difference in response to adjuvant immunotherapy with ipilimumab (3 or 10 mg/kg; ipi3 or ipi10) versus high dose IFNα (HDI) as tested in the E1609 trial.MethodsE1609 demonstrated significant overall survival (OS) benefit with ipi3 versus HDI.1 We investigated treatment efficacy between ipi and HDI in the subgroups by sex (female, male), age (< 55 or ≥55), stage at study entry (IIIB, IIIC, M1a/1b), ECOG performance status (PS 0, 1), ulceration (yes, no), primary tumor (known, unknown), number of lymph nodes involved (0, 1, 2–3, 4+). Forest plots were created to compare OS and RFS with ipi3 vs. HDI and ipi10 vs. HDI using the concurrently randomized ITT populations. For the estimated HRs, 95% confidence intervals were created for all subgroups.ResultsThe subgroups of female, stage IIIC, PS=1, ulcerated, in-transit without lymph node involvement demonstrated significant improvement in overall survival (OS) and/or relapse free survival (RFS) with ipi3 versus HDI as summarized in table 1. Female sex was significant for both OS and RFS and was further explored. In investigating RFS with ipi3 versus HDI, a multivariate Cox regression model including sex, treatment and interaction term of sex*treatment, indicated a significant interaction between sex and treatment (P = 0.026). Including sex, PS (0 vs. 1), age (<55 vs. 55+), ulceration (yes vs. no), stage (IIIB, IIIC, M1a, M1b), treatment and interaction term of sex*treatment, indicated a significant interaction between sex and treatment (P = 0.024). While similar trends were seen, no significant interactions between sex and treatment effect were found in the OS multivariate analysis or in the comparison of ipi10 versus HDI. When exploring age, in the univariate analyses in the ipi3 versus HDI comparison older women appeared to drive most of the difference (age ≥55: OS, P=0.02 and RFS, P=0.08; differences non-significant for women <55). Table 1.Abstract 312 Table 1Treatment efficacy between ipi3 and HDI by subgroupConclusionsFemale sex was independently associated with RFS adjuvant immunotherapeutic benefit from ipi3, supporting a potentially important role for female related factors in the immune response against melanoma, and these warrant further investigation.Trial RegistrationNCT01274338Ethics ApprovalThe study protocol was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of each participating institution and conducted in accordance with Good Clinical Practice guidelines as defined by the International Conference on Harmonisation. This study was monitored by the ECOG-ACRIN DataSafety Monitoring Committee and the NCI.ConsentAll patients provided IRB-approved written informed consent.ReferenceTarhini AA, Lee SJ, Hodi FS, Rao UNM, Cohen GI, Hamid O, Hutchins LF, Sosman JA, Kluger HM, Eroglu Z, Koon HB, Lawrence DP, Kendra KL, Minor DR, Lee CB, Albertini MR, Flaherty LE, Petrella TM, Streicher H, Sondak VK, Kirkwood JM. Phase III Study of Adjuvant Ipilimumab (3 or 10 mg/kg) Versus High-Dose Interferon Alfa-2b for Resected High-Risk Melanoma: North American Intergroup E1609. J Clin Oncol. 2020 Feb 20;38(6):567–575. PMID: 31880964.

scholarly journals Long-term follow-up results of medial opening wedge high tibia osteotomy with a pre-countered non-locking steel plate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simo S. A. Miettinen ◽  
Hannu J. A. Miettinen ◽  
Jussi Jalkanen ◽  
Antti Joukainen ◽  
Heikki Kröger
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Mechanical Axis ◽  
Steel Plate ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Opening Wedge ◽  
Cumulative Survival ◽  
Long Term Follow Up

Abstract Introduction This retrospective study investigated the long-term follow-up results of medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO) with a pre-countered non-locking steel plate implant (Puddu plate = PP) used for medial knee osteoarthrosis (OA) treatment. Materials and methods Consecutive 70 MOWHTOs (66 patients) were performed between 01.01.2004 and 31.12.2008 with the mean follow-up time of 11.4 (SD 4.5; range 1.2–16.1) years. The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate the cumulative survival of the implant in terms of age (< 50 years old and ≥ 50 years old) and gender. Adverse events were studied and Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate risk factors [age, gender, body mass index (BMI), preoperative mechanical axis, severity of OA, use of bone grafting or substitution and undercorrection of mechanical axis from varus to valgus] for revisions. Results The estimates for the cumulative survival with no need for TKA after MOWHTO were 86% at 5 years, 67% at 10 years and 58% at 16.1 years (SE 0.6, CI 95% 11.1–13.5). A total of 33/70 (47%) adverse events occurred and 38/70 (54%) knees required some revision surgery during the follow-up. Cox regression did not show any statistically significant risk factors for revision. Conclusions The PP has feasible MOWHTO results with a cumulative survival of 67% at 10 years with no need for conversion to TKA. Many adverse events occurred and revision rate due to any reason was high. Age or gender did not have statistically significant differences in terms of survival.

A Phase 2, Randomized, Open-Label Study of Irosustat Versus Megestrol Acetate in Advanced Endometrial Cancer

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Pautier ◽  
Ignace Vergote ◽  
Florence Joly ◽  
Bohuslav Melichar ◽  
Elzbieta Kutarska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Endometrial Cancer ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Megestrol Acetate ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Free Survival ◽  
Recurrent Endometrial Cancer

ObjectiveAdvanced/metastatic or recurrent endometrial cancer has a poor prognosis. Malignant endometrial tissue has high steroid sulphatase (STS) activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate STS as a therapeutic target in patients with endometrial cancer.MethodsThis was a phase 2, multicenter, international, open-label, randomized (1:1), 2-arm study of the STS inhibitor oral irosustat 40 mg/d versus oral megestrol acetate 160 mg/d in women with advanced/metastatic or recurrent estrogen receptor–positive endometrial cancer. The primary end point was the proportion of patients without progression or death 6 months after start of treatment. Secondary end points included progression-free survival, time to progression, overall survival, and safety.ResultsSeventy-one patients were treated (36 with irosustat, 35 with megestrol acetate). The study was prematurely stopped after futility analysis. Overall, 36.1% and 54.1% of patients receiving irosustat or megestrol acetate had not progressed or died at 6 months, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between irosustat and megestrol acetate in response and overall survival rates. Irosustat patients had a median progression-free survival of 16 weeks (90% confidence interval, 9.0–31.4) versus 40 weeks (90% confidence interval, 16.3–64.0) in megestrol acetate patients. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 20 (55.6%) and 13 (37.1%) patients receiving irosustat or megestrol, respectively. Most adverse events in both groups were grade 1 or 2.ConclusionsAlthough irosustat monotherapy did not attain a level of activity sufficient for further development in patients with advanced/recurrent endometrial cancer, this study confirms the activity of hormonal treatment (megestrol acetate) for this indication.

scholarly journals Opposite roles of BAP1 in overall survival of uveal melanoma and cutaneous melanoma

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Liu-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Uveal Melanoma ◽  
Cutaneous Melanoma ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Survival Function ◽  
Poor Overall Survival ◽  
Cox Regression Analysis ◽  
Oncogenic Pathways ◽  
Cellular Context ◽  
Age Of Diagnosis

Abstract Background: BAP1 germline mutations predispose individuals to a number of cancer types including uveal melanoma (UM) and cutaneous melanoma (CM) which are distinctively different in the oncogenic pathways. BAP1 loss was common in UM and was associated with a worse prognosis. BAP1 loss was rare in CM and the outcome was unclear. Methods: This study used TCGA UM and CM databases for survival analysis for patients with different BAP1 status and mRNA expression levels. Cox regression model was used for adjusting to known prognosis factors. Results: BAP1- (loss or low expression) predicted a poor overall survival in UM (Cox HR = 0.062, logrank p =0.007) but a contrasting better overall survival in CM (HR = 1.69, p =0.009). Multi-covariate Cox regression analysis indicated BAP1 was a significant predictor for overall survival after adjusting for age of diagnosis, presence of ulceration, Breslow depth and CM stages in patients older than 50 years but not in younger patients. Co-expression analysis revealed no shared genes in BAP1 altered UM and CM tumors, further supporting a completely distinctive role of BAP1 in CM and UM. Conclusions: low BAP1 mRNA was significantly associated with a better overall survival in CM patients, in sharp contrast to its tumor suppressor role in UM where low or loss of BAP1 indicated a worse overall survival. Function of BAP1 may be dependent on cellular context.

Final overall survival in the phase 3 NETTER-1 study of lutetium-177-DOTATATE in patients with midgut neuroendocrine tumors.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4112-4112
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Strosberg ◽  
Martyn E Caplin ◽  
Pamela L. Kunz ◽  
Philippe B Ruszniewski ◽  
Lisa Bodei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Neuroendocrine Tumors ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Radioligand Therapy ◽  
Phase 3 ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Long Acting ◽  
Safety Signals

4112 Background: As demonstrated in the primary analysis of the phase 3 NETTER-1 trial, 177Lu-DOTATATE significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) versus high-dose long-acting octreotide, with a HR of 0.18 (95% CI: 0.11, 0.29; p < 0.0001), in patients with advanced, progressive, well-differentiated, somatostatin receptor-positive midgut neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Here we report final overall survival (OS) for NETTER-1. Methods: In this international open-label trial, eligible patients were randomized to receive either four cycles of 177Lu-DOTATATE 7.4 GBq (200 mCi) every 8 ± 1 weeks plus long-acting octreotide 30 mg or high-dose long-acting octreotide 60 mg every 4 weeks (control arm), both on top of best supportive care. After disease progression on randomized treatment or completion of an 18-month treatment period, patients in both arms entered long-term follow-up and could receive further anti-cancer treatment as recommended by their physicians. The primary endpoint was PFS per RECIST 1.1 and OS was a key secondary endpoint. Primary intention-to-treat analysis of OS was prespecified to take place after 158 deaths or 5 years after the last patient was randomized, whichever occurred first. Results: Of 231 randomized patients, 101/117 (86.3%) in the 177Lu-DOTATATE arm and 99/114 (86.8%) in the control arm entered long-term follow-up. Final analysis occurred 5 years after the last patient was randomized, following 142 deaths, with a median follow-up of more than 76 months. During long-term follow-up, 41/114 (36%) of patients in the control arm received subsequent radioligand therapy (“cross-over”), the majority (22.8%) within 24 months. Median OS was 48.0 months (95% CI: 37.4, 55.2) in the 177Lu-DOTATATE arm and 36.3 months (95% CI: 25.9, 51.7) in the control arm. HR was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.60, 1.17) with p = 0.30 (unstratified 2-sided log-rank test). A total of 2/112 (1.8%) 177Lu-DOTATATE treated patients in the study developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). No new cases of MDS or acute leukemia were reported in the long-term follow-up. Overall, no new safety signals emerged during long-term follow-up. Conclusions: Median OS was 48.0 months in the 177Lu-DOTATATE arm of the NETTER-1 trial and 36.3 months in the control arm. This difference was not statistically significant, potentially impacted by a high rate (36%) of cross-over of patients in the control arm to radioligand therapy after progression. In overall conclusion, the NETTER-1 study demonstrated that 177Lu-DOTATATE yielded a clinically and statistically significant improvement in PFS as a primary endpoint (HR: 0.18, p < 0.0001) as well as a clinically meaningful trend towards improvement in median OS of 11.7 months. No new safety signals emerged during the 5-year long-term follow-up. Clinical trial information: NCT01578239.

scholarly journals Opposite Roles of BAP1 in Overall Survival of Uveal Melanoma and Cutaneous Melanoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Liu-Smith ◽  
Yunxia Lu
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Uveal Melanoma ◽  
Cutaneous Melanoma ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Copy Number Variations ◽  
The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Cancer Genome Atlas

Background: BRCA1-Associated Protein 1 (BAP1) germline mutations predispose individuals to cancers, including uveal melanoma (UM) and cutaneous melanoma (CM). BAP1 loss is common in UM and is associated with a worse prognosis. BAP1 loss is rare in CM and the outcome is unclear. Methods: UM and CM data was retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Cox regression model was performed to examine whether BAP1 mRNA levels or copy number variations were associated with overall survival (OS). Results: BAP1-low mRNA predicted a poor OS in UM (HR = 9.57, 95% CI: 2.82, 32.5) but a contrasting better OS in CM (HR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.95). These results remained unchanged after adjusting for sex, age, and stage in UM and CM, or after adjusting for ulceration or Breslow depth in CM. Additionally, low BAP1 mRNA predicted a better OS in CM patients older than 50 years but not in younger patients. Co-expression and enrichment analysis revealed differential genes and mutations that were correlated with BAP1 expression levels in UM and CM tumors. Conclusions: Low BAP1 mRNA was significantly associated with a better OS in CM patients, in sharp contrast to UM. High BAP1 expression in CM was significantly associated with over-expressed CDK1, BCL2, and KIT at the protein level which may explain the poor OS in this sub-group of patients. Function of BAP1 was largely different in CM and UM despite of a small subset of shared co-expressed genes.

scholarly journals Adverse effects of Z-drugs for sleep disturbance in people living with dementia: a population-based cohort study

BMC Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Richardson ◽  
Yoon K. Loke ◽  
Chris Fox ◽  
Ian Maidment ◽  
Robert Howard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Venous Thromboembolism ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Ischaemic Stroke ◽  
Sleep Disturbance ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Clinical Practice Research Datalink ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Background Sleep disturbance is common in dementia and often treated with Z-drugs (zopiclone, zaleplon, and zolpidem). While some observational studies suggest that Z-drugs are associated with adverse events such as falls and fracture risks in older people, this has not been studied in dementia. Methods We used data from 27,090 patients diagnosed with dementia between January 2000 and March 2016 from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink linked to Hospital Episodes Statistics data in England. We compared adverse events for 3532 patients newly prescribed Z-drugs by time-varying dosage to (1) 1833 non-sedative-users with sleep disturbance; (2) 10,214 non-sedative-users with proximal GP consultation matched on age, sex, and antipsychotic use; and (3) 5172 patients newly prescribed benzodiazepines. We defined higher dose Z-drugs and benzodiazepines as prescriptions equivalent to ≥ 7.5 mg zopiclone or > 5 mg diazepam daily. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for incident fracture, hip fracture, fall, mortality, acute bacterial infection, ischaemic stroke/transient ischaemic attack, and venous thromboembolism over a 2-year follow-up, adjusted for demographic- and health-related covariates. Results The mean (SD) age of patients was 83 (7.7) years, and 16,802 (62%) were women. Of 3532 patients prescribed Z-drugs, 584 (17%) were initiated at higher doses. For patients prescribed higher dose Z-drugs relative to non-users with sleep disturbance, the HRs (95% confidence interval) for fractures, hip fractures, falls, and ischaemic stroke were 1.67 (1.13–2.46), 1.96 (1.16–3.31), 1.33 (1.06–1.66), and 1.88 (1.14–3.10), respectively. We observed similar associations when compared to non-sedative-users with proximal GP consultation. Minimal or inconsistent excess risks were observed at ≤ 3.75 mg zopiclone or equivalent daily, and for mortality, infection, and venous thromboembolism. We observed no differences in adverse events for Z-drugs compared to benzodiazepines, except lower mortality rates with Z-drugs (HR [95% confidence interval] of 0.73 [0.64–0.83]). Conclusions Higher dose Z-drug use in dementia is associated with increased fracture and stroke risks, similar or greater to that for higher dose benzodiazepines. Higher dose Z-drugs should be avoided, if possible, in people living with dementia, and non-pharmacological alternatives preferentially considered. Prescriptions for higher dose Z-drugs in dementia should be regularly reviewed. Trial registration ENCePP e-register of studies, EUPAS18006

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