Prednisolone should be first line replacement therapy for adrenal insufficiency

AbstractGreat heterogeneity seems to exist regarding diagnosis, therapy, and teaching of patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency (SAI) across Germany resulting in different diagnosis and treatment strategies. The aim of the work was to present the first national audit on diagnosis, treatment, and patient teaching of SAI reflecting common clinical practice in Germany. A self-designed questionnaire was sent via e-mail to all members of the German Endocrine Society (approx. 120 centers). Returned questionnaires (response rate 38.3%) were checked for duplicity of institutions and analyzed. Diagnostic testing focuses on those patients with relevant risk for adrenal insufficiency. Basal serum cortisol is mostly used as screening test. Short synacthen and CRH tests are the preferred confirmatory tests, however, cut-off values vary due to different assays used. Patients with radiation, second surgery, progressive disease or new symptoms are followed by serial re-testing. Perioperative management and frequency of postoperative re-evaluations differ among centers. Hydrocortisone is the preferred glucocorticoid for replacement therapy, but daily doses vary considerably (10–30 mg/day). Some centers perform hormone measurements for dose adjustment of glucocorticoid replacement therapy whereas others rely on clinical judgement. Patients’ teaching is done in 84% of centers, but only half of the centers include patients’ relatives. Homogeneity exists in patients’ teaching regarding intercurrent illnesses (fever, diarrhoea). Recommendations regarding dose adaptations in situations such as sport-activities, dental-procedures, or coughing are highly variable. This first national audit reveals great heterogeneity among German centers and could improve patients’ care in SAI, for example, by initiating new trials and developing clinical practice guidelines.

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Efficiency of lenalidomide, bortezomib and prednisone (RVP) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

Oncohematology ◽

10.17650/1818-8346-2019-14-1-14-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 14-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K. A. Belousov ◽

T. A. Mitina ◽

Yu. Yu. Chuksina ◽

A. K. Golenkov ◽

E. V. Kataeva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Myeloma ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Renal Replacement Therapy ◽

Replacement Therapy ◽

Objective Response ◽

Hematological Toxicity ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

First Line ◽

First Line Therapy ◽

Line Therapy

Objective: to study the efficacy and safety of the antitumor RVP program (lenalidomide, bortezomib, prednisone) as a first-line therapy in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Materials and methods. A prospective study involved 39 patients with MM (15 women, 24 men), median age 61 years (30–76 years). All patients had Durie–Salmon stage III disease. According to the paraprotein isotype variant, 19 patients (48.7 %) had Gk myeloma, 8 (20.5 %) had Gλ, 4 (10.2 %) – Ak, 1 – Aλ, 1 – Dk, 1 – paraproteinemia Bens-Jones k and 1 – Bens-Jones λ, 2 – Dλ, and 2 patients – nonsecreting MM. The average level of plasma cells in the bone marrow was 31.7 % (0.8–80.0 %). In 14 (35.8 %) patients there were plasmacytomas of various localization (spine, cranial bones, clavicle, pleura). Nine (23.0 %) patients had renal failure, requiring the start of renal replacement therapy. The average Karnovsky index in the study group was 50 %. All patients received RVP therapy (lenalidomide 25 mg in 1–14 days, bortezomib 1.3 mg subcutaneously in 1, 4, 8, 11 days, prednisolone 60 mg/m2; the interval between courses was 42 days) as the first line therapy. Evaluation of therapy efficacy, characterized by overall survival, objective response rates (the number of complete, very good partial and partial remissions) was performed after 6 treatment courses. Results. The median follow-up was 15 months; the median of overall survival was not achieved. Objective antitumor response achieved in 29 (74.3 %) patients, including complete remissions in 3 (7.6 %), very good partial remissions – in 7 (17.9 %), partial remissions – in 19 (48.7 %) patients. In 2 out of 9 patients who received renal replacement therapy, independence from dialysis therapy was achieved. Cases of III–IV stage hematological and non-hematological toxicity in the study were not noted. Conclusion. The antitumor RVP program showed high efficacy and safety as a first-line therapy in a non-selective group of patients, including those with a complicated MM course.

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