NCMP-19. SIDE EFFECTS FROM CHEMOTHERAPY VERSUS SYMPTOMS FROM COVID-19 INFECTION

INTRODUCTION Adverse effects from chemotherapy such as high dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) are seen during and after chemotherapy. During this coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic period, COVID-19 infection symptoms following chemotherapy due to immune compromise could mimic chemotherapy associated side effects. Differentiation on time is needed for correct management. CASE REPORT A 50-year old male with clinical history of ocular lymphoma underwent HD-MTX therapy. Before admission, his routine COVID-19 test was negative. After receiving HD-MTX, he developed fatigue, nausea and vomiting. The symptoms resolved before discharge. Next day after discharge, he developed diarrhea, fatigue, subjective fever and feeling cold. His temperature was normal. His symptoms have been persistent for 4-5 days and have resolved gradually and spontaneously. Family members have had no symptoms. The patient denies COVID-19 contact history. The above symptoms were considered adverse effects from chemotherapy. The patient did not seek medical attention. Prior to admission for next cycle of HD-MTX, COVID-19 test was found positive. Chemotherapy was on hold. The patient started home quarantine. The patient has been doing well and practiced COVID-19 infection precaution at home. DISCUSSION The fatigue, nausea and vomiting during HD-MTX treatment are adverse effects from chemotherapy while the diarrhea, fatigue, subjective fever and chills developed after discharge are symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Our case highlights the importance of keeping in mind and differentiating between side effects from chemotherapy and symptoms of COVID-19 viral infection in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy.

Epidemiology and clinical features of intraocular lymphoma in Singapore

Introduction: Intraocular lymphoma is rare. There are very few studies on intraocular lymphoma published from Asian countries. Objective: To report our case series of intraocular lymphoma patients from a tertiary eye centre in Singapore. Subjects and methods: Nine patients with intraocular lymphoma managed between January 2005 and December 2014 were identified from Ocular Autoimmune Systemic Inflammatory Infectious Study (OASIS) database. Demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, investigations performed and outcomes recorded. Results: There were almost equal distribution between males (four patients) and females (five patients) with mean age of presentation was 60.3 years. Five patients had bilateral involvement and vitreo-retina was the most common site of infiltration. All of our patients had central nervous system involvement although four of them had presented with ocular manifestations initially. Anterior chamber fluid cytology, as a less invasive alternative to vitreous analysis was proven to be useful. The time from ocular presentation to diagnosis of ocular lymphoma was variable; from one day to 18 months. Mortality in our study group was 55% with death occurring 1 month to 8 years from diagnosis of intraocular lymphoma. Conclusion: Intraocular lymphoma is a masquerade syndrome that mimics chronicuveitis and poses a diagnostic challenge. The diagnosis is often delayed and despite the eventual diagnosis, the disease prognosis is poor even with aggressive treatment.

Primary Ocular Lymphoma: A SEER Database Analysis of Patterns of Involvement and Outcomes

BACKGROUND: Malignant lymphomatous involvement of the eye and its surrounding structures is a rare phenomenon. Due to the unique location, non-specific symptomatology, limitations for invasive procedures, physician experience, and significant effect on the quality of life related to vision, it poses many challenges in the diagnosis and management. Ocular involvement can be primary or secondary in lymphoma. Primary ocular lymphoma, based on its clinical and pathological characteristics, has been divided into 2 main groups: those involving the orbit and adnexal tissues including lacrimal gland, conjunctiva and cornea and, those affecting intra-ocular structures mainly vitreous and retina. We aim to evaluate the SEER database to assess patterns and outcomes in patients with primary ocular involvement with lymphoma. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify patients (≥18 years) diagnosed with primary ocular lymphomas between 1975 and 2016. B-cell and T-cell lymphomas with stage I disease and primary site labeled as ocular (orbital, retina, conjunctiva, cornea, choroid, ciliary, lacrimal gland) were included. Treatment effect (surgery, radiation, systemic therapy) was analyzed when available.Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the Log-Rank test. Cox proportional hazards models were used for adjusted survival analyses. RESULTS: We identified 3610 patients with primary lymphoma of the eye and adnexa. The median age was 66 years (18-103). 70% of the patients were Caucasians, followed by Hispanic (10%). Slight female preponderance was noted (55%). Most common site of involvement was orbit (n = 2063; 57%) followed by conjunctiva (n = 986; 27.3%). 8% (n = 292) of the patients were noted to have bilateral involvement. MALT (n = 2208; 61.2%) was the most common histology followed by DLBCL (n = 576; 16%) and follicular lymphoma (n = 519; 14.4%). Other histologies were rare (see Table 1). Most common treatment modality was radiation (n = 2117; 58.6%). Systemic therapy was utilized in only about 25% of the patients. Radiation treatment was associated with improved survival HR = 0.44 (0.23-0.83 95%CI, p = 0.01). Interestingly, patients that received systemic therapy had worse survival in univariate analysis (p<0.05) but was not significant in multivariate analysis. Site-specific survival suggested conjunctiva had the best median OS (19 years [16.3 - 21.7 95% CI]), followed by orbital and lacrimal gland involvement (median OS 12 years [10.92-13.23 95% CI]) - Figure 1. Retina (median OS 1.9 years) and choroid/ ciliary body (median OS 6.3 years) involvement were associated with shorter survival (p<0.05). DISCUSSION: Ocular lymphoma is a rare occurrence. Overall MALT was the most common subtype followed by DLBCL and FL. Very few instances of Burkitt's lymphoma, T-cell, and CLL were identified. Site-specific data in our subset, albeit with low numbers, suggest worse survival in the ciliary body and choroid similar to what is seen within vitreoretinal involvement. Due to small numbers in our subset, this requires confirmation in a larger dataset to identify potential change in management similar to primary vitreoretinal lymphoma, which is now recognized and managed as primary CNS lymphoma. Patients receiving systemic therapy showed a trend towards worse survival, which may be explained by a selection bias for more aggressive disease. Our study highlights the small but relevant prevalence of primary ocular lymphomas and reports the interesting observation of different survival patterns based on the site of involvement. Disclosures Yazbeck: Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead Sciences: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Diagnostic dilemma of ocular lymphoma

We report a very unusual presentation of primary intraocular lymphoma masquerading as anterior uveitis with atypical symptoms. A 68-year-old man, initially presented with a 4-day history of painless, left blurred vision. Examination revealed 2 or more anterior chamber cells, mutton-fat keratic precipitates and posterior synechiae. Treatment was initiated, the eye settled, and the patient was discharged. He re-presented 7 months later with hypopyon, a hazy cornea, fibrin deposits and a narrowed anterior chamber angle. Over the coming weeks, it became apparent that the temporal iris was thickened, involving the angle, and his intraocular pressure increased despite topical dorzolamide. Following advice from a tertiary centre and referral to a regional ocular oncology centre, a transscleral biopsy was performed and suggested a ciliary body melanoma. Enucleation was advised and performed, with histological examination revealing features consistent with an ocular diffuse large B-cell lymphoma not involving the optic nerve, sclera or cornea. This is the first ever published report of a case of ocular lymphoma masquerading in this way.

Survival in B-cell primary ocular lymphoma 1997–2014: a population-based study

This study sought to explore the prognostic factors in a large retrospective cohort of patients with B-cell primary ocular lymphoma (POL) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. There were 2778 patients with B-cell POL whose complete clinical information was listed in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 1997 and 2014. The epidemiology, therapeutic measures, and clinical characteristics were listed as descriptive statistics. Survival analysis was conducted by univariate and multivariable Cox regression models. Multivariate analysis identified age, lymphoma subtype, primary lesion, and radiation status as independent prognostic factors. For indolent lymphoma, radical treatment, especially intravenous chemotherapy, should be avoided. For invasive lymphoma, chemotherapy combined with full orbital irradiation is recommended. Radiotherapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy is superior to chemotherapy alone. These differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). Radiation brings benefits, with tolerable neurotoxicity, to patients with invasive B-cell POL. Radical tumor treatment may not be needed for patients with indolent B-cell POL.