Background Previous studies suggested that the prevalence of chronic respiratory disease in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 was lower than its prevalence in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess whether chronic lung disease or use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) affects the risk of contracting severe COVID-19. MethodsIn this population cohort study, records from 1205 general practices in England that contribute to the QResearch database were linked to Public Health England's database of SARS-CoV-2 testing and English hospital admissions, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and deaths for COVID-19. All patients aged 20 years and older who were registered with one of the 1205 general practices on Jan 24, 2020, were included in this study. With Cox regression, we examined the risks of COVID-19-related hospitalisation, admission to ICU, and death in relation to respiratory disease and use of ICS, adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic status and comorbidities associated with severe COVID-19. Findings Between Jan 24 and April 30, 2020, 8 256 161 people were included in the cohort and observed, of whom 14 479 (0•2%) were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, 1542 (<0•1%) were admitted to ICU, and 5956 (0•1%) died. People with some respiratory diseases were at an increased risk of hospitalisation (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] hazard ratio [HR] 1•54 [95% CI 1•45-1•63], asthma 1•18 [1•13-1•24], severe asthma 1•29 [1•22-1•37; people on three or more current asthma medications], bronchiectasis 1•34 [1•20-1•50], sarcoidosis 1•36 [1•10-1•68], extrinsic allergic alveolitis 1•35 [0•82-2•21], idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis 1•59 [1•30-1•95], other interstitial lung disease 1•66 [1•30-2•12], and lung cancer 2•24 [1•89-2•65]) and death (COPD 1•54 [1•42-1•67], asthma 0•99 [0•91-1•07], severe asthma 1•08 [0•98-1•19], bronchiectasis 1•12 [0•94-1•33], sarcoidosis 1•41 [0•99-1•99), extrinsic allergic alveolitis 1•56 [0•78-3•13], idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis 1•47 [1•12-1•92], other interstitial lung disease 2•05 [1•49-2•81], and lung cancer 1•77 [1•37-2•29]) due to COVID-19 compared with those without these diseases. Admission to ICU was rare, but the HR for people with asthma was 1•08 (0•93-1•25) and severe asthma was 1•30 (1•08-1•58). In a post-hoc analysis, relative risks of severe COVID-19 in people with respiratory disease were similar before and after shielding was introduced on March 23, 2020. In another post-hoc analysis, people with two or more prescriptions for ICS in the 150 days before study start were at a slightly higher risk of severe COVID-19 compared with all other individuals (ie, no or one ICS prescription): HR 1•13 (1•03-1•23) for hospitalisation, 1•63 (1•18-2•24) for ICU admission, and 1•15 (1•01-1•31) for death.Interpretation The risk of severe COVID-19 in people with asthma is relatively small. People with COPD and interstitial lung disease appear to have a modestly increased risk of severe disease, but their risk of death from COVID-19 at the height of the epidemic w...

Background: At the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many national health organizations emphasized nonpharmacologic interventions, such as quarantining or physical distancing. In the United Kingdom, strict self-isolation ("shielding") was advised for those deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable on the basis of the presence of selected medical conditions or at the discretion of their general practitioners. Down syndrome features on neither the U.K. shielding list nor the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list of groups at "increased risk." However, it is associated with immune dysfunction, congenital heart disease, and pulmonary pathology and, given its prevalence, may be a relevant albeit unconfirmed risk factor for severe .Objective: To evaluate Down syndrome as a risk factor for death from COVID-19 through a comprehensive analysis of individual-level data in a cohort study of 8.26 million adults (aged >19 years), as part of a wider COVID-19 risk prediction project commissioned by the U.K. government (2).Methods and Findings: We used QResearch, a populationlevel primary care database that has collected data for more This article was published at Annals.org on

Patients who have neuroendocrine tumors frequently present with liver metastases. A wide panel of treatment options exists for these patients. Liver resection with curative intent achieves the best long-term results. Highly selected patients may be considered for liver transplantation. Substantial recurrence rates reported after surgical approaches call for neoadjuvant and adjuvant concepts. Liver-directed, locally ablative procedures are recommended for patients with limited, nonresectable tumor burden. Angiographic liver-directed techniques, such as transarterial embolization, transarterial chemoembolization, and selective internal radiotherapy, offer excellent palliation for patients with liver-predominant disease. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy is a promising palliative procedure for patients with hepatic and/or extrahepatic metastases. The efficacy of these treatment options needs to be evaluated in randomized trials. Somatostatin analogues have demonstrated effectiveness not only for symptomatic relief in patients with secreting tumors but also for the control of proliferation in small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors and most recently also in those originating from the pancreas. Chemotherapy is an option mainly for those with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and high-grade tumors irrespective of the origin. Novel drugs targeting specific pathways within the tumor cell have produced improved progression-free survival compared with placebo in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Despite such a diverse armamentarium, there is uncertainty with regard to the optimal treatment regimens. Newly introduced molecular-based markers, along with the conduction of clinical trials comparing the efficacy of treatment modalities, offer a chance to move the treatment of neuroendocrine tumor disease toward personalized patient care. In this report, the authors review the approaches for treatment of neuroendocrine liver metastases, identify shortcomings, and anticipate future perspectives. Furthermore, clinical practice recommendations are provided for currently available treatment options. Although multiple modalities are available for the treatment of neuroendocrine liver metastases, optimal management is unclear. The current knowledge pertaining to these treatment options is analyzed. Cancer 2015;121:1172-86. V C 2014 American Cancer Society.KEYWORDS: neuroendocrine tumors, liver, metastases, treatment. INTRODUCTIONNeuroendocrine (NE) tumors (NETs) of the gastroenteropancreatic system comprise a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that commonly present with metastases at initial diagnosis. Although the precise quantification of the incidence and prevalence of NETs is problematic because of discordance between cancer registries, data collected since 2000 suggest an incidence from 1.3 to 5.7 per 100,000 population per year, 1,2 with a prevalence estimate by the third National Cancer Survey and the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of 35 per 100,000. 3 The prevalence of NE liver met...

Background: Appendiceal neuroendocrine neoplasms (ANEN) are mostly indolent tumours treated effectively with simple appendectomy. However, controversy exists regarding the necessity of oncologic right hemicolectomy (RH) in patients with histologic features suggestive of more aggressive disease. We assess the effects of current guidelines in selecting the surgical strategy (appendectomy or RH) for the management of ANEN. Methods/Aims: This is a retrospective review of all ANEN cases treated over a 14-year period at 3 referral centres and their management according to consensus guidelines of the European and the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Societies (ENETS and NANETS, respectively). The operation performed, the tumour stage and grade, the extent of residual disease, and the follow-up outcomes were evaluated. Results: Of 14,850 patients who had appendectomies, 215 (1.45%) had histologically confirmed ANEN. Four patients had synchronous non-ANEN malignancies. One hundred and ninety-three patients had index appendectomy. Seventeen patients (7.9%) had lymph node metastases within the mesoappendix. Forty-nine patients underwent RH after appendectomy. The percentages of 30-day morbidity and mortality after RH were 2 and 0%, respectively. Twelve patients (24.5%) receiving completion RH were found to have lymph node metastases. Two patients had liver metastases, both of them synchronous. The median follow-up was 38.5 months (range 1-143). No patient developed disease recurrence. Five- and 10-year overall survival for all patients with ANEN as the only malignancy was both 99.05%. Conclusions: The current guidelines appear effective in identifying ANEN patients at risk of harbouring nodal disease, but they question the oncological relevance of ANEN lymph node metastases. RH might present an overtreatment for a number of patients with ANEN.

BackgroundConflicting evidence has emerged regarding the relevance of smoking on risk of COVID-19 and its severity.MethodsWe undertook large-scale observational and Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses using UK Biobank. Most recent smoking status was determined from primary care records (70.8%) and UK Biobank questionnaire data (29.2%). COVID-19 outcomes were derived from Public Health England SARS-CoV-2 testing data, hospital admissions data, and death certificates (until 18 August 2020). Logistic regression was used to estimate associations between smoking status and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19-related hospitalisation, and COVID-19-related death. Inverse variance-weighted MR analyses using established genetic instruments for smoking initiation and smoking heaviness were undertaken (reported per SD increase).ResultsThere were 421 469 eligible participants, 1649 confirmed infections, 968 COVID-19-related hospitalisations and 444 COVID-19-related deaths. Compared with never-smokers, current smokers had higher risks of hospitalisation (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.29) and mortality (smoking 1–9/day: OR 2.14, 95% CI 0.87 to 5.24; 10–19/day: OR 5.91, 95% CI 3.66 to 9.54; 20+/day: OR 6.11, 95% CI 3.59 to 10.42). In MR analyses of 281 105 White British participants, genetically predicted propensity to initiate smoking was associated with higher risks of infection (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.91) and hospitalisation (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.27). Genetically predicted higher number of cigarettes smoked per day was associated with higher risks of all outcomes (infection OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.20 to 5.24; hospitalisation OR 5.08, 95% CI 2.04 to 12.66; and death OR 10.02, 95% CI 2.53 to 39.72).InterpretationCongruent results from two analytical approaches support a causal effect of smoking on risk of severe COVID-19.

The traditionally promulgated perspectives of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) as rare, indolent tumours are blunt and have been outdated for the last 2 decades. Clear increments in their incidence over the past decades render them increasingly clinically relevant, and at initial diagnosis many present with nodal and/or distant metastases (notably hepatic). The molecular pathogenesis of these tumours is increasingly yet incompletely understood. Those arising from the small bowel (SB) or pancreas typically occur sporadically; the latter may occur within the context of hereditary tumour predisposition syndromes. NENs can also be associated with endocrinopathy of hormonal hypersecretion. Tangible advances in the development of novel biomarkers, functional imaging modalities and therapy are especially applicable to this sub-set of tumours. The management of SB and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (NET) may be challenging, and often comprises a multidisciplinary approach wherein surgical, medical, interventional radiological and radiotherapeu-tic modalities are implemented. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of SB and pancreatic NETs. Moreover, we provide an outlook of the future in these tumour types which will include the development of precision oncology frameworks for individualised therapy, multi-analyte predictive biomarkers, artificial intelligence-derived clinical decision support tools and elucidation of the role of the microbiome in NEN development and clinical behaviour.According to SEER version 18, SBNEN and PanNEN incidences are currently estimated at 1.2 and 0.7 per 100,000, respectively [5]. The overall 20-year duration prevalence of all NEN is estimated at 171,321; SBNEN constituting 32,122 patients with 3-fold fewer PanNEN (10,707) [5]. Possible attributable factors for this increase evolving epidemiology include increased use of endoscopy and also improvements in the sensitivity of widely used imaging modalities, leading to increased detection of early-stage, asymptomatic disease [5].The median overall survival (OS) for NEN (irrespective of site and grade) is 9.3 years [5]. For SB (median OS: 14 years), this ranges from 70 months (advanced disease with distant metastases) to 170 months (localised disease) and from 30 months (Grade 3) to 160 months (Grade 1). For pancreas (median OS: 3.6 years): 21 months (advanced) to 235 months (localised disease) and from 15 months (Grade 3) to 140 months (Grade 1) [5].Multivariable analyses have identified that ethnicity, age, differentiation, stage and site all have statistically significant correlations with survival. In general, Caucasian ethnicity, age (< 50 years) and localised, well-differentiated NEN exhibit the best survival. SB tumour patients are approximately 1.5 times more likely to survive longer than those with PanNEN [19]. Many of these correlations are self-evident since they pertain to degree of malignancy, disease duration and patient performance status.OS (median 5-year) app...

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Background: An association between neuroendocrine tumours (NET) and increased risk of developing second primary malignancies (SPM) has been recognised. Methods: This was a retrospective review of our institutional prospectively maintained database of NET patients. We identified patients who had been diagnosed with both neuroendocrine and any additional malignancies via examination of patient notes. Results: Clinical data for 169 patients were analysed. After exclusion of patients known to have hereditary tumour predisposition syndromes, 29 SPM were identified in 26 patients (15.38%), the commonest being colorectal (n = 6), breast and renal carcinomas (both n = 5). SPM were classified as previous, synchronous or subsequent relative to NET diagnosis. Rates of SPM in pancreatic and small-bowel NET patients were comparable (15.7 vs. 19.6%, p = 0.78). A person-year methodology was used to compare observed numbers of SPM against expected values generated from age- and sex-specific incidence tables, with standardised incidence ratios (SIR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) calculated. SPM incidence was significantly elevated in the synchronous subset (SIR 2.732, CI 1.177-5.382) whilst significantly fewer NET patients had a cancer history compared to the general population (SIR 0.4, CI 0.241-0.624). No overall differences were evident between observed and expected incidences of subsequent SPM (SIR 0.36, CI 0.044-1.051). The incidence of synchronous colorectal cancers was markedly elevated (SIR 13.079, CI 4.238-30.474). Conclusions: Our data support the use of colonoscopy in the diagnostic work-up of NET patients in anticipation of a colorectal SPM. The mechanistic underpinnings of this clinical phenomenon require further genetic investigation, and consideration of this knowledge in patient management pathways is warranted.