Survival outcomes of patients with cervical esophageal cancer who received definitive radiotherapy:a retrospective study conducted in a single institution

Objective Cervical esophageal cancer(CEC)is a relatively rare condition,with limited treatment options.The current study aimed to assess the survival outcomes of patients with CEC who received definitive radiotherapy.Methods In total,63 consecutive patients with CEC who received definitive radiotherapy between 2010 and 2018 were included in this study.The survival outcomes were analyzed based on statistics.Results The median progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival(OS)of the patients were 12 and 19 months,respectively.There were no significant differences in terms of survival outcomes between the groups who received radiation doses≥60 and<60 Gy.Interestingly,in the proximal CEC subgroup,the PFS(P=0.039),OS(P=0.031),and loco-regional failure-free survival(LRFFS)(P=0.005)improved significantly in patients who received a radiation dose≥60 Gy compared with those who received a radiation dose<60 Gy.However,in the distal CEC subgroup,the PFS,OS,and LRFFS did not significantly improve between patients who received radiation doses≥60 and<60 Gy.Definitive radiotherapy was well tolerated,and no significant differences were observed in terms of treatment-related toxicities between the groups who received radiation doses≥60 and<60 Gy.Conclusion The survival outcomes of patients with CEC should be improved.In proximal CEC,a radiation dose≥60 Gy is significantly correlated with better PFS,OS,and LRFFS.However,further research must be performed to validate this finding.

Outcomes of palliative local treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy plus bevacizumab

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the value of palliative local treatment of incurable metastatic lesions in colorectal cancer(CRC) patients receiving chemotherapy plus bevacizumab.Methods Data of 105 patients with histologically confirmed synchronous or metachronous metastatic CRC who received bevacizumab treatment from January 1, 2011 to January 31, 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Sixteen(15%) patients who were treated with bevacizumab for less than 4 cycles were excluded, and finally, 89(85%) patients were enrolled. Among them, 33(37%) patients who received palliative local treatment were categorized into the palliative local treatment group, and the remaining 56(63%) patients were categorized into the chemotherapy plus bevacizumab group. The primary endpoint was overall survival(OS), which was calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Factors possibly influencing survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Adverse events(AEs) were graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0. Grades 1–2 and 3–4 AEs of the two groups were compared and analyzed using the Fisher's exact test and χ~2 analysis.Results The median follow-up period was 20.4 months, ranging from 1 to 60 months. The median OS in the palliative local treatment group was 36.3 months(95% CI, 33.5–39.2), and that in the chemotherapy plus bevacizumab group was 20.5 months(95% CI, 17.6–23.4). Both the univariate(HR 0.13, 95% CI, 0.05–0.30, P < 0.001) and multivariate(HR 0.16, 95% CI, 0.07–0.39, P < 0.001) analyses showed that the addition of palliative local treatment could prolong survival compared with chemotherapy plus bevacizumab alone. There were no significant differences in the rates of common chemotherapy-or bevacizumab-related AEs between the two groups.Conclusion These findings suggest palliative local treatment is an effective and safe method for treating patients with incurable metastatic CRC receiving chemotherapy plus bevacizumab.

Seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)in patients with cancer and the impact of anti-tumor treatment on antibodies

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)among patients with cancer and followed up changes in SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies to explore the impact of anti-tumor treatment in patients.Methods Patients with cancer who visited the Outpatient Clinic of Oncology,Tongji Hospital,Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology,Wuhan,China between March 9 and April 30,2020 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study.SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin(Ig)G,IgM,and viral load at various time points during the disease course were determined.Results We examined the serological results of 779 patients with cancer.The overall seroprevalence(IgG-positive or IgM-positive)rate of SARS-CoV-2 was 3.4%.The probability of seropositivity was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer than in those without gastric cancer(odds ratio:6.349,95%confidence interval:2.191–18.396).Follow-up data showed that SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG levels decreased and the polymerase chain reaction test result remained negative in seropositive patients with cancer.Conclusion This study investigated the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in coronavirus disease(COVID-19)-positive patients with cancer in Wuhan,China.The seropositivity in patients with cancer was lower than or similar to that in the general population.Irrespective of anti-tumor therapy,the levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies decreased in these patients.More studies are needed to better understand the impact of anti-tumor therapy on change in the levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Effects of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha siRNA on theinvasion of human Hela cells and expression of relatedproteins

The effects of hypoxia on the invasion and the related protein expression of Hela cells and the role of hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α)were investigated.The Hela cells were divided into three groups,namely,H0(non-transfected Hela cells),H1(pGenesil-1 empty plasmid-transfected Hela cells),and H2(HIF-1α-shRNA plasmid-transfected Hela cells),and were cultured under hypoxia(1%O2)and normoxia for 48 h.The expression of HIF-1α,E-cadherin,β-catenin,and actin was detected using Western blot.The scratch test and the invasion assay were applied to examine the invasion in each group.The expression of HIF-1α,E-cadherin,andβ-catenin in tumor grafts was assayed immunohistochemically.Western blot results revealed that the bands of HIF-1α,E-cadherin,β-catenin,and actin proteins were detected in the H0 and H1 groups under hypoxia for 48 h.The expression of E-cadherin,β-catenin,and actin was detected in the H2 group under hypoxia for 48 h,and normoxia.In the H0,H1,and H2 groups under normoxia,and the H2 group under hypoxia for 48 h,no expression of HIF-1αwas detectable.The scratch test showed that the invasive ability in the H2 group was significantly alleviated.Immunohistochemi-cally,it was found that there was a significant difference in the expression of HIF-1α,E-cadherin,andβ-catenin between the H1 and H2 groups(P<0.05),but the difference was not significant between the H0 and H1 groups.It was concluded that the effects of hypoxia on the invasion of human cervical cancer Hela cells and the expression of related proteins(E-cadherin,β-catenin,and actin)depend on HIF-1α.

Targeting polarized phenotype of microglia via IL6/JAK2/ STAT3 signaling to reduce NSCLC brain metastasis

Tumor-associated macrophages have emerged as crucial factors for metastases.Microglia are indispensable components of the brain microenvironment and play vital roles in brain metastasis(BM).However,the underlying mechanism of how activated microglia promote brain metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)remains elusive.

银行业涉诉资产评估案例

随着经济的发展,现阶段经济下行压力加剧,企业间的债务纠纷增多,以涉诉资产的处置拍卖为评估目的的评估项目逐渐增多。本案例研究描述了评估机构在银行业小股权涉诉评估的实务操作,列示了在实际的评估业务中,对于银行业企业价值评估可能遇到的困难和限制。同时,展现了在面对这些评估局限时,资产评估机构如何根据资产评估准则和指南指引的规范和要求以及自身评估的经验,采用合理的评估方法,选取合适的评估参数,克服评估业务中存在的问题,评估出较为准确的银行业涉诉股权的价值。