Abstract: We aimed to compare longitudinal brain atrophy in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) with healthy controls (HCs). The atrophy rate in patients with anti-aquaporin-4 antibody-positive NMOSD (AQP4 + NMOSD) was compared with age-sex-matched HCs recruited from the Japanese Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study and another study performed at Chiba University. Twenty-nine patients with AQP4 + NMOSD and 29 HCs were enrolled in the study. The time between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans was longer in the AQP4 + NMOSD group compared with the HCs (median; 3.2 vs. 2.9 years, P  = 0.009). The annualized normalized white matter volume (NWV) atrophy rate was higher in the AQP4 + NMOSD group compared with the HCs (median; 0.37 vs. − 0.14, P  = 0.018). The maximum spinal cord lesion length negatively correlated with NWV at baseline MRI in patients with AQP4 + NMOSD (Spearman’s rho =  − 0.41, P  = 0.027). The annualized NWV atrophy rate negatively correlated with the time between initiation of persistent prednisolone usage and baseline MRI in patients with AQP4 + NMOSD (Spearman’s rho =  − 0.43, P  = 0.019). Patients with AQP4 + NMOSD had a greater annualized NWV atrophy rate than HCs. Suppressing disease activity may prevent brain atrophy in patients with AQP4 + NMOSD.

Abstract: Tadalafil is a phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor with a long half-life, high selectivity, and rapid onset of action. Because the safety of using PDE5 inhibitors as therapeutic agents for fetal growth restriction (FGR) has been a problem worldwide, this paper primarily focuses on the safety assessments performed in the Tadalafil Treatment for Fetuses with Early-Onset Growth Restriction (TADAFER) II population. Neonatal and maternal adverse events were analyzed, in addition to fetal, neonatal, and infant death cases, six months after stopping the trial. Eighty-nine pregnant women with FGR were studied between September 2016 and March 2018 (45 and 44 in the tadalafil and conventional treatment groups, respectively). Seven (16%) deaths (four fetal, one neonatal, and two infant) in the control group, whereas only one neonatal death occurred in the tadalafil group. Although headache, facial flushing, and nasal hemorrhage occurred more frequently in the tadalafil group, these symptoms were Grade 1 and transient. In conclusion, this trial showed that tadalafil decreased the fetal and infant deaths associated with FGR. This is thought to be primarily due to pregnancy prolongation. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the efficacy of tadalafil in treating early-onset FGR.

Abstract: 7551 Background: CD5+ DLBCL is characterized by a poor prognosis and frequent central nervous system (CNS) relapse after standard immunochemotherapy. In the primary analysis of our multicenter phase II study of DA-EPOCH-R/HD-MTX for newly diagnosed stage II-IV CD5+ DLBCL, the 2-year (yr) progression-free survival (PFS) was 79% and the 2-yr CNS relapse rate was 9% at a median follow-up of 3.1 yrs (Miyazaki, et al. 2020). The aim of this preplanned 5-yr follow-up was to assess PFS, overall survival (OS), the CNS relapse rate, and late toxicity. Methods: A total of 47 patients (pts) with newly diagnosed stage II-IV CD5+ DLBCL between 20-75 yrs old and ECOG PS of 0-3 were enrolled. The treatment included 4 cycles of DA-EPOCH-R followed by 2 cycles of HD-MTX (3.5 g/m 2 ) and 4 additional cycles of DA-EPOCH-R. Intrathecal administration of MTX and/or cytarabine was not allowed. 45 (96%) pts completed the protocol treatment. The data were updated as of December 1, 2020. Results: The median follow-up of alive pts was 6.0 yrs (range, 5.0-7.7). The pts’ characteristics were as follows: age, 37-74 yrs (median, 62); male, 38%; ECOG PS 〉 1, 4%; stage III/IV, 57%; IPI HI/H, 47%; CNS-IPI high, 21%; and ABC/GCB/unclassified (n = 46), 85%/9%/7%. The 5-yr PFS and OS were 72% (95% CI, 57-83%) and 79% (95% CI, 64-88%), respectively. The 5-yr PFS and OS of pts with CD5+ ABC DLBCL (n = 39) were 72% and 74%, respectively. The 5-yr CNS relapse rate in all 47 pts was 9% (95% CI, 3-22%). There were no CNS relapse events after the primary analysis. Neither grade 3/4 late adverse events nor cardiac events of any grade were observed. Possible second malignancies were recorded in 6 (13%) pts. Among them, one pt who received R-ICE as salvage therapy experienced acute myeloid leukemia. The other 2 pts had colon cancers treated with endoscopic polypectomy/mucosal resection. Conclusions: Both the survival benefit and safety of DA-EPOCH-R/HD-MTX were maintained during a 5-yr follow-up, indicating the excellent efficacy, and safety of this approach as a first-line therapy for CD5+ DLBCL. Clinical trial information: UMIN000008507.

Abstract: Background and study aims Female sex has been identified as a factor increasing patients’ pain during colonoscopy. The aim of this randomized controlled study was to investigate the efficacy of a small-caliber colonoscope, PCF-PQ260 L, for limiting pain in women during unsedated colonoscopy. Patients and methods Women who underwent unsedated colonoscopy were randomly allocated to either the small-caliber or standard colonoscope group. The primary outcome was overall pain and secondary outcomes were maximum pain and procedural measures. In addition, the effects of colonoscope type were analysed using analysis of covariance and logistic regression with adjustment for stratification factors, age and prior abdomino-pelvic surgery. Results A total of 220 women were randomly assigned to the small-caliber (n = 110) or standard (n = 110) colonoscope groups. Overall and maximum pain scores were significantly lower in the small-caliber colonoscope group than the standard colonoscope group (overall pain, 20.0 vs. 32.4, P  〈  0.0001; maximum pain, 28.9 vs. 47.2, P  〈  0.0001). The small-caliber colonoscope group achieved a superior cecal intubation rate (99 % vs. 93 %, P = 0.035). The rate of patient acceptance of unsedated colonoscopy in the future was higher in the small-caliber colonoscope group than in the standard colonoscope group (98 % vs. 87 %, P = 0.003). In addition, the small-caliber colonoscope was superior with respect to reducing pain and improving the rate of patient acceptance of unsedated colonoscopy with adjustment. Conclusions This study demonstrates the efficacy of the small-caliber colonoscope for reducing pain in women and improving their rate of acceptance of unsedated colonoscopy.

Abstract: Withdrawal time of the colonoscope is associated with adenoma detection. However, the association between cecal intubation time and adenoma detection remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between cecal intubation time and adenoma detection. Methods This retrospective study analyzed prospectively collected data from a randomized controlled trial on female patients who underwent colonoscopy in an academic hospital. The primary outcome was the mean number of all adenomas detected per patient. Secondary outcomes included the mean number of advanced, diminutive, small/large, right‐sided colonic, and left‐sided colonic adenomas detected per patient. Furthermore, the detection rates of all categories of adenoma were evaluated. Results The analysis included 216 female patients aged ≥20 years. The correlation analysis did not reveal a significant relationship ( P  = 0.473) between cecal intubation and withdrawal times. The mean number of all adenomas detected per patient declined by approximately 30% (1.05–0.70) from the fastest to the slowest insertion time quartile. Adjusted regression analysis showed a significant decrease in the mean number of all adenomas detected per patient with increased intubation time (relative risk, RR = 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.76–0.99, P  = 0.045), whereas the mean number of other categories of adenomas detected per patient and the detection rates of all categories of adenoma were not associated with the cecal intubation time. Conclusions This study showed a significant association between prolonged cecal intubation time and decreased adenoma detection. The cecal intubation time may be a significant quality indicator for colonoscopy.

Abstract: Introduction: CD5+ DLBCL comprises 5-10% of DLBCL and is an immunohistochemical subgroup of DLBCL, not otherwise specified. CD5+ DLBCL shows a significantly worse survival than CD5-negative DLBCL with rituximab (R)-CHOP. Of note, central nervous system (CNS) relapse, particularly brain parenchymal relapse, frequently occurs even in the R-era (Miyazaki K, et al. Ann Oncol 2011). Most CD5+ DLBCL is classified as non-germinal center B-cell-like (non-GCB)/activated B-cell-like DLBCL. DA-EPOCH-R is reported to show promising outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-GCB DLBCL (Wilson WH, et al. J Clin Oncol 2008). High-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) therapy has a greater potential than intrathecal administration of MTX to prevent brain parenchymal relapse. To explore a more effective treatment for newly diagnosed CD5+ DLBCL, we conducted a multicenter phase II study of DA-EPOCH-R combined with HD-MTX (PEARL5 study; UMIN000008507). Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed stage II-IV disease from 20 to 75 years of age with ECOG performance status (PS) of 0 to 3 were eligible for enrollment. CD5 expression in tumor cells was examined by immunohistochemistry and/or flow cytometry in participating institutes. Four cycles of DA-EPOCH-R followed by 2 cycles of HD-MTX (3.5 g/m2) and additional 4 cycles of DA-EPOCH-R were planned as the protocol treatment. The primary endpoint was 2-year progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints were complete response (CR) rate, overall response rate, 2-year overall survival, 2-year CNS recurrence, and toxicity. Response was assessed at each participating institute using the revised International Workshop Criteria. Toxicity was graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.0. This planned interim analysis included response and toxicity by the protocol treatment. Results: Forty-seven patients were enrolled between Aug 2012 and Nov 2015. The diagnosis of CD5+ DLBCL in all patients was confirmed by the central pathology review. Cyclin D1 and EBER were negative in all cases examined (n = 47 and n = 46, respectively). According to the Hans' criteria, 72% (33/46) of the patients had non-GCB DLBCL and 28% (13/46) had germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL. The median age was 62 years (range: 37-74 years), and 60% were 〉 60 years. The baseline clinical features were as follows: female sex, 62%; ECOG PS 〉 1, 4%; stage III/IV, 53%; elevated LDH, 66%; extranodal involvement 〉 1 site, 34%; bone marrow involvement, 11%; and high-intermediate-risk or high-risk groups of the International Prognostic Index, 47%. Skin/subcutaneous tissue was the most frequent site of extranodal involvement (15%). One patient had primary testicular DLBCL. Forty-six (99%) patients completed the protocol treatment. In the remaining patient, the protocol treatment was discontinued due to grade 3 stomatitis during the sixth cycle of DA-EPOCH-R. The median dose level of DA-EPOCH-R was 2 (range: 1-4). There was no deviation or violation in determining the dose levels of DA-EPOCH-R. At the time of this interim analysis, 46 patients were assessed for response. The CR rate was 91% (42/46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 79 - 98%) and the ORR was 93% (43/46; 95% CI, 82 - 99%). Two patients experienced disease progression during the treatment. Toxicity was assessed in 357 cycles of DA-EPOCH-R/HD-MTX in all 47 patients. There was no treatment-related death. Grade 4 non-hematologic toxicity was observed in only one patient who experienced tumor lysis syndrome with hyperkalemia soon after the first administration of R. The most common grade 3 non-hematologic toxicity was elevated alanine transaminase, which occurred in 6% of cycles. Two patients experienced grade 3 infection (cellulitis and endocarditis). Grade 3 neuropathy occurred in only 1% of cycles. There was no grade 3 cardiac toxicity. The targeted absolute neutrophil count ( 〉 500/mm3) occurred in 77% of cycles. Thrombocytopenia of 〈 25,000/mm3 occurred in 8% of cycles. Febrile neutropenia (FN), which occurred in 23% of cycles, was manageable. Conclusion: These interim results demonstrate that DA-EPOCH-R/HD-MTX provides a high CR rate in patients with newly diagnosed stage II-IV CD5+ DLBCL. This therapeutic approach was feasible, although most patients experienced FN during the protocol treatment. Disclosures Miyazaki: Eisai: Honoraria; Kyowa Kirin: Honoraria; Chugai: Honoraria. Asano:Jannsen: Honoraria; Chugai: Honoraria. Nishikori:Janssen Pharmaceutical: Honoraria; Eisai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin: Honoraria. Sunami:Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K.: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical: Research Funding. Yoshida:Kyowa Kirin: Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Mundipharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Tamaru:Kyowa Kirin: Honoraria. Izutsu:Abbvie: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.: Honoraria; Eisai: Honoraria; Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Honoraria; Chugai Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical: Honoraria; Mundipharma KK: Research Funding. Kinoshita:Kyowa Kirin: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Solasia: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Ono: Research Funding; Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Zenyaku: Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai: Honoraria, Research Funding. Suzumiya:Toyama Chemical: Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria; Eisai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko kirin: Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding. Nishikawa:Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sanofi: Honoraria. Katayama:Takeda: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb Japan: Honoraria; Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas: Honoraria, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria; Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Honoraria, Research Funding; Taisho Toyama Pharma: Honoraria; Shire: Honoraria; Nippon Shinyaku: Honoraria; Eisai: Honoraria; Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma: Honoraria; Shionogi: Honoraria. Yamaguchi:Zenyaku: Honoraria; Chugai: Honoraria; Kyowa Kirin: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Eisai: Honoraria.