BACKGROUND Consolidative autologous stem‐cell transplantation (ASCT) is a valuable option in high‐risk or disease recurrence large‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma patients (NHL); however, its long‐term toxicity must still be assessed. METHODS Among the 439 lymphoma patients transplanted at our institution from January 1, 1993, to January 1, 2002, 158 exhibited aggressive NHL. The median age of the patients was 46 years (range, 18–69), 98 males and 60 females. Ninety (57%) patients received first‐line ASCT. The median number of prior chemotherapy regimens was 2 (range, 1–10). Thirty‐eight (24%) patients received total body irradiation conditioning. Here we report the adverse events which occurred at least 30 days after ASCT and before disease recurrence. RESULTS After a median follow‐up of 3 years, the overall and disease‐free survival rates were 61% and 55%, respectively. Sixty‐eight late adverse events affected 43 (27%) patients, leading to a cumulative incidence of 34% at 3 years. Infections were the most frequent adverse events (n = 13), followed by neurologic (n = 12), pulmonary (n = 6), or cardiovascular (n = 4). Eight malignancies were diagnosed (six solid, two hematologic), leading to a cumulative incidence of 3.7% at 3 years. Taking into account the competing risks, multivariate analysis revealed that the number of progressions (relative risk [RR] = 2.68) and a mitoxantrone‐containing conditioning regimen (RR = 2.98) significantly increased the incidence of late toxicity. CONCLUSION ASCT is effective in patients with aggressive NHL with a poor prognosis. However, careful long‐term follow‐up of survivors is recommended because of the increase in malignant and nonmalignant toxicities. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.

Purpose Epidemiologic studies have documented lower rates of active smokers compared to former or non-smokers in symptomatic patients affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We assessed the efficacy and safety of nicotine administered by a transdermal patch in critically ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods In this multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in 18 intensive care units in France, we randomly assigned adult patients (non-smokers, non-vapers or who had quit smoking/vaping for at least 12 months) with proven COVID-19 pneumonia receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for up to 72 h to receive transdermal patches containing either nicotine at a daily dose of 14 mg or placebo until 48 h following successful weaning from mechanical ventilation or for a maximum of 30 days, followed by 3-week dose tapering by 3.5 mg per week. Randomization was stratified by centre, non- or former smoker status and Sequential Organ Function Assessment score (< or ≥ 7). The primary outcome was day-28 mortality. Main prespecified secondary outcomes included 60-day mortality, time to successful extubation, days alive and free from mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, vasopressor support or organ failure at day 28. Results Between November 6th 2020, and April 2nd 2021, 220 patients were randomized from 18 active recruiting centers. After excluding 2 patients who withdrew consent, 218 patients (152 [70%] men) were included in the analysis: 106 patients to the nicotine group and 112 to the placebo group. Day-28 mortality did not differ between the two groups (30 [28%] of 106 patients in the nicotine group vs 31 [28%] of 112 patients in the placebo group; odds ratio 1.03 [95% confidence interval, CI 0.57–1.87]; p = 0.46). The median number of day-28 ventilator-free days was 0 (IQR 0–14) in the nicotine group and 0 (0–13) in the placebo group (with a difference estimate between the medians of 0 [95% CI -3–7]). Adverse events likely related to nicotine were rare (3%) and similar between the two groups. Conclusion In patients having developed severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, transdermal nicotine did not significantly reduce day-28 mortality. There is no indication to use nicotine in this situation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00134-022-06721-1.

Background: There is a growing need for real-world data on cancer treatments usage, especially to assess compliance with recommendations. We developed a French project using hospital data to analyse evolution in the therapeutic strategies implemented in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)eoverexpressed (HER2þ) breast

Fig. 1. We propose a novel approach to increase the connection with a self-avatar in virtual reality (A), by displaying its physiological state and physical exertion. It is based on a multi-sensory setup (B) involving visual, auditory and haptic displays. It includes visual effects such as a periphery overlay (C) simulating heart beating ; or haptic stimulation delivered with a piezoelectric actuator (D) and a novel compression belt (E) which exerts pressure on the abdomen to simulate a virtual breathing.