1.Safety of COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Lactation: A VigiBase Analysis
Dayeon KANG ; Ahhyung CHOI ; Suneun PARK ; Seung-Ah CHOE ; Ju-Young SHIN
Journal of Korean Medical Science 2024;39(1):e3-
Background:
There is limited evidence on the safety of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination during pregnancy and lactation. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the association between COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and lactation and reporting risk of adverse pregnancy or lactation outcomes.
Methods:
Using VigiBase, we performed a disproportionality analysis with caseon case design. Cases were defined based on the Standardized MedDRA Queries (SMQs) of “pregnancy and neonatal topics” and non-cases were defined as all other adverse events. We included all reports with COVID-19 vaccines as the suspected cause. Using the full database as the comparators, reporting odds ratios (RORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression while adjusting for maternal age. Infants’ age and sex were additionally adjusted in analyzing the risk of COVID-19 vaccination during lactation.
Results:
We identified 10,266 and 6,474 reports with the SMQ of “pregnancy and neonatal topics” associated with COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy and lactation, respectively. No significant RORs of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy were observed; however, “functional lactation disorders” showed significant disproportionality during lactation with adjusted ROR of 1.48 (95% CI, 1.21–1.79). Further analysis that analyzed “functional lactation disorders” at a preferred term level, showed higher ROR in mastitis (2.76 [95% CI, 1.45–5.27]).
Conclusion
Overall, we did not observe a positive association between COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and risk of reporting adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, we found a significant disproportionate reporting association between COVID-19 vaccination during lactation and “functional lactation disorders”, specifically mastitis. Continuous surveillance is warranted to confirm the safety of COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy and lactation.
2.Incidence Patterns and Outcomes of Ewing Sarcoma in South Korea (1999-2017): A Retrospective Analysis Using Korea Central Cancer Registry Data
Jun Ah LEE ; Jiwon LIM ; Dayeon PARK ; Hye Young JIN ; Meerim PARK ; Hyeon Jin PARK ; Jong Woong PARK ; June Hyuk KIM ; Hyun Guy KANG ; Young-Joo WON
Cancer Research and Treatment 2022;54(2):590-596
Purpose:
Due to low incidence, epidemiologic data of Ewing sarcoma in the Asian population are scarce. We aimed to examine the incidence pattern and outcome of patients with Ewing sarcoma in the Republic of Korea.
Materials and Methods:
Data of patients with Ewing sarcoma diagnosed between 1999 and 2017 were obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR). Incidence, clinical characteristics, and survival rates were analyzed and compared between different age groups.
Results:
There were 788 cases (459 males, 329 females), with a median age at diagnosis of 20 years. The age-standardized rate of Ewing sarcoma was 1.01. The number of cases and incidence rates in each age group were as follows: children, 1.6; adolescents and young adults (AYA), 0.93; adults, 0.44; and elderly, 0.53. There were more male cases in children and the AYA group (p < 0.001). Extraskeletal tumors (p < 0.001), primary sites other than extremity (p=0.007), and presence of metastasis at diagnosis (p=0.031) were more frequent in the adults and elderly group. With a median survival time of 78 months, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of the entire cohort was 52%. Children fared best (5-year OS, 75%), and the 5-year OS of AYA patients (51%) approximated the OS of the entire cohort. A two-fold difference of 5-year OS was observed between adults and elderly patients (42% vs. 19%). On univariate and multivariate analyses, age ≥ 15 years and presence of metastasis were adverse prognostic factors.
Conclusion
This was the first epidemiologic study of Ewing sarcoma using the KCCR data. With a similar incidence to other Asian countries, the survival rate was slightly lower than that of Euro-American cases. Collaborative clinical studies are necessary to improve the outcome of Ewing sarcoma in low-incidence populations.