Risk of Death in Comorbidity Subgroups of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Inferred by Routine Laboratory Markers of Systemic Inflammation on Admission: A Retrospective Study

Our study objective was to construct models using 20 routine laboratory parameters on admission to predict disease severity and mortality risk in a group of 254 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Considering the influence of confounding factors in this single-center study, we also retrospectively assessed the correlations between the risk of death and the routine laboratory parameters within individual comorbidity subgroups. In multivariate regression models and by ROC curve analysis, a model of three routine laboratory parameters (AUC 0.85; 95% CI: 0.79–0.91) and a model of six laboratory factors (AUC 0.86; 95% CI: 0.81–0.91) were able to predict severity and mortality of COVID-19, respectively, compared with any other individual parameter. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed that inflammatory laboratory markers grouped together in three distinct clusters including positive correlations: WBC with NEU, NEU with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), NEU with systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), NLR with SII and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with SII. When analyzing the routine laboratory parameters in the subgroups of comorbidities, the risk of death was associated with a common set of laboratory markers of systemic inflammation. Our results have shown that a panel of several routine laboratory parameters recorded on admission could be helpful for early evaluation of the risk of disease severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Inflammatory markers for mortality risk were similar in the subgroups of comorbidities, suggesting the limited effect of confounding factors in predicting COVID-19 mortality at admission.

Project for the National Program of Early Diagnosis of Endometrial Cancer Part I

RATIONALE

Endometrial cancer recorded a peak incidence in ages 60-64 years in Romania, reaching in 2013 the average value of 8.06/ 100,000 women, and 15.97/ 100,000 women within the highest risk age range, having in recent years an increasing trend, being higher in urban than in rural population. Annually, approximately 800 new cases are registered in our country. The estimated lifetime risk of a woman to develop endometrial cancer is of about 1,03%. Based on an abnormal uterine bleeding, 35% of the endometrial cancers are diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease, with significantly diminished lifetime expectancy.

OBJECTIVE

Drafting a national program for the early diagnosis of endometrial cancer.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We proposed a standardization of the diagnostic steps and focused on 4 key elements for the early diagnosis of endometrial cancer: investigation of abnormal uterine bleeding occurring in pre/ post-menopausal women, investigating features/ anomalies of cervical cytology examination, diagnosis, treatment and proper monitoring of precursor endometrial lesions or cancer associated endometrial lesions and screening high risk populations (Lynch syndrome, Cowden syndrome).

DISCUSSION

Improving medical practice based on diagnostic algorithms addresses the four risk groups, by improving information system reporting and record keeping. Improving addressability cases by increasing the health education of the population will increase the rate of diagnosis of endometrial cancer in the early stages of the disease.

ABBREVIATIONS

ACOG = American Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, ASCCP = American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, PATT = Partial Activated Thromboplastin Time, BRCA = Breast Cancer Gene, CT = Computerized Tomography, IFGO = International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, HLG = Hemoleucogram, HNPCC = Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (Lynch syndrome), IHC = Immunohistochemistry, BMI = Body Mass Index, INR = International Normalized Ratio, MSI = Microsatellites instability, MSI-H/ MSI-L = high (positive test)/ low (negative test) microsatellites instability, WHO = World Health Organization, PCR = Polymerase chain reaction, MRI = Magnetic Resonance Imaging, SGO = Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, SHG = Sonohysterography, SRU = Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound, TQ = Time Quick, BT = Bleeding Time, TVUS = Transvaginal ultrasound, USPIO = Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide.

Project for the National Program of Early Diagnosis of Endometrial Cancer Part II

RATIONALE

Endometrial cancer recorded a peak incidence in ages 60-64 years in Romania. Since 2013, an increased trend of endometrial cancer occurrence has been registered in urban areas as compared with rural ones. Unfortunately, most of the cancer cases are diagnosed too late, in an advanced stage of the disease, resulting into diminished lifetime expectancy. The first part of the article concentrated on issues such as: the description of the study, results, and discussions regarding the study, definitions and terms, risk factors specific for endometrial carcinomas, presentation of the activities of the Program, etc.

OBJECTIVE

Drafting a national program that will serve as an early diagnosis method of endometrial cancer. This second part of the study continues with the presentation of the activities of the Program, analyzes the human resources and materials needed to implement the Program, presents the strategies and the indicators specific for the implementation of the project.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A standardization of the diagnostic steps was proposed and the focus was on 4 key elements for the early diagnosis of endometrial cancer: The first steps were approached in the first part of the study and the second part of the study investigated the proper monitoring of precursor endometrial lesions or cancer associated endometrial lesions and screening high risk populations (Lynch syndrome, Cowden syndrome).

DISCUSSION

Improving medical practice based on diagnostic algorithms and programs improves and increases the lifetime expectancy, due to the fact that endometrial cancer is early diagnosed and treated before it causes serious health problems or even death.

Evaluation of endometrial cancer epidemiology in Romania

Endometrial cancer represents the most frequent gynecological malignant affection in the developed countries, in which the incidence of cervical cancer has significantly decreased due to the rigorous application of screening methods and prophylaxis. According to its frequency, endometrial cancer is situated on the fourth place in the category of women's genital-mammary malignant diseases, after breast, cervical and ovarian cancer in Romania. The incidence and mortality rates due to endometrial cancer have registered an increasing trend worldwide and also in Romania, a significant decrease of the age of appearance for the entire endometrial pathology sphere being noticed. At the national level, the maximum incidence is situated between 60 and 64 years old, the mortality rate of the women under 65 years old being high in Romania. The study evaluates endometrial cancer, from an epidemiologic point of view, at the national level compared to the international statistic data.

Clinical and pathological correlations in endometrial pathology

The incidence and mortality rate of endometrial cancer has been registering an increasing trend both in Romania and in the whole world. The paper's aim is to analyze the diagnostic approach of endometrial pathology in the University Emergency Hospital Bucharest, on a four years period. The medium age of the patients was of 50.51 ± 10.924 years, and the median age was of 48 years. The youngest patient suffering from endometrial cancer was of 30 years. Dilation and uterine curettage represent the main method used in the performance of endometrial biopsy, based on which the certitude etiologic histopathologic diagnosis was established in 68.4% of the patients with endometrial pathology. Hyperplasias represented half of the pathology (54.9%), most of them being without atypias. Endometrial carcinoma was identified in 19% of the patients. The diagnosis of the disease in IA stage represents 5.5% of the total endometrial cases and the diagnosis of the disease in the stage of its limitation to the uterus (stage IA, IB and IC) was of 64.2%. The endometrioid adenocarcinoma represents the most encountered histopathological form and the degree of tumor differentiation established for 68,15% of the cases was predominantly 1 and 2 (88%). The main symptom, which determines the patients' decision to go to the physician, is the abnormal uterine bleeding. 66% of the cases of endometrial cancer in the stage of the disease limited to the uterus are diagnosed in Romania based on the abnormal uterine bleeding. However, 34% of the cases are diagnosed in advanced stages, presenting a significantly low life expectancy.