Long-term survival of more than 3 years among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with chemotherapy

AIM: To evaluate the prognostic factors of long-term survival of more than 3 years in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 474 patients with advanced ⅢB/Ⅳ NSCLC who received chemotherapy as initial treatment between September 2002 and March 2007.RESULTS: The median survival time(MST) was 12.5 mo and the 3 year and 5 year survival rates were 14.6% and 5.3%, respectively. Long-term survival of more than 3 and 5 years was observed in 65 and 16 patients, respectively. The MST for the 65 patients was61.5 mo(range, 60.1-81.0 mo). In the 474 patients, a good performance status(PS), female sex, non-smoking status and adenocarcinoma histology were significantly associated with a favorable outcome. Furthermore, female sex, a good PS, non-smoking status and adenocarcinoma histology were significantly correlated with longterm survival of more than 3 years and most of these patients(89.2%, 58/65) received epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors as any line treatment. Survival analysis of long-term survivors showed that a PS of 0 was an independent prognostic factor for predicting favorable outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that a good PS and adenocarcinoma histology play an important role in long-term survival of more than 3 years. A PS of 0 was an independent prognostic factor for predicting favorable outcomes in patients with advanced NSCLC who survived for more than 3 years.

Current and future of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction techniques

In recent years,anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)reconstruction has generally yielded favorable outcomes.However,ACL reconstruction has not provided satisfactory results in terms of the rate of returning to sports and prevention of osteoarthritis(OA)progression.In this paper,we outline current techniques for ACL reconstruction such as graft materials,double-bundle or single-bundle reconstruction,femoral tunnel drilling,all-inside technique,graft fixation,preservation of remnant,anterolateral ligament reconstruction,ACL repair,revision surgery,treatment for ACL injury with OA and problems,and discuss expected future trends.To enable many more orthopedic surgeons to achieve excellent ACL reconstruction outcomes with less invasive surgery,further studies aimed at improving surgical techniques are warranted.Further development of biological augmentation and robotic surgery technologies for ACL reconstruction is also required.

Is a nasogastric tube necessary after transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy in children with perforated appendicitis?

Background This study assessed the necessity of postoperative nasogastric tube(NGT)use in acute pediatric cases of per-forated appendicitis.Methods All cases of acute pediatric perforated appendicitis managed with transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted appendec-tomy at our hospital from 2011 to 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.Sixty-two cases were selected and divided into two groups based on NGT placement.Results There were no significant differences between the two groups in most parameters of patient demographics,or surgi-cal data.Notably,the mean time to first oral intake and to regular diet was significantly shorter in no-NGT group(1 day vs 3 days,P<0.0001;and 4 days vs 7 days,P=0.003,respectively).Postoperative length of stay was significantly shorter in no-NGT group(7 days vs 9 days,P<0.0001).Conclusion Considering the results of our analysis,we believe that routine NGT placement is not always necessary in these situations.