Impact of guideline adherence on the prognosis of Barcelona clinic liver cancer stage B hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Patients with Barcelona clinic liver cancer(BCLC)stage B hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)are considerably heterogeneous in terms of tumor burden,liver function,and performance status.To improve the poor survival outcomes of these patients,treatment approaches other than transarterial chemoembolization(TACE),which is recommended by HCC guidelines,have been adopted in realworld clinical practice.We hypothesize that this non-adherence to treatment guidelines,particularly with respect to the use of liver resection,improves survival in patients with stage B HCC.AIM To assess guideline adherence in South Korean patients with stage B HCC and study its impact on survival.METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from 2008 to 2016 obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry.Patients with stage B HCC were categorized into three treatment groups,guideline-adherent,upward,and downward,based on HCC guidelines recommended by the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver(APASL),the European Association for the Study of the Liver(EASL),and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases(AASLD).The primary outcome was HCC-related deaths;tumor recurrence served as the secondary outcome.Survival among the groups was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test.Predictors of survival outcomes were identified using multivariable Cox regression analysis.RESULTS In South Korea, over the study period from 2008 to 2016, a notable trend was observed in adherence to HCCguidelines. Adherence to the EASL guidelines started relatively high, ranging from 77% to 80% between 2008 and2012, but it gradually declined to 58.8% to 71.6% from 2013 to 2016. Adherence to the AASLD guidelines began at71.7% to 75.9% from 2008 to 2010, and then it fluctuated between 49.2% and 73.8% from 2011 to 2016. In contrast,adherence to the APASL guidelines remained consistently high, staying within the range of 90.14% to 94.5%throughout the entire study period. Upward treatment, for example with liver resection, liver transplantation, orradiofrequency ablation, significantly improved the survival of patients with BCLC stage B HCC compared to thatof patients treated in adherence to the guidelines (for patients analyzed according to the 2000 EASL guidelines, the5-year survival rates were 63.4% vs 27.2%, P < 0.001), although results varied depending on the guidelines.Progression-free survival rates were also significantly improved upon the use of upward treatments in certaingroups. Patients receiving upward treatments were typically < 70 years old, had platelet counts > 105/μL, andserum albumin levels ≥ 3.5 g/dL.CONCLUSIONAdherence to guidelines significantly influences survival in South Korean stage B HCC patients. Curativetreatments outperform TACE, but liver resection should be selected with caution due to disease heterogeneity.

Rectal Cancer Stages T2 and T3 Identification Based on Asymptotic Hybrid Feature Maps

Many existing intelligent recognition technologies require huge datasets for model learning.However,it is not easy to collect rectal cancer images,so the performance is usually low with limited training samples.In addition,traditional rectal cancer staging is time-consuming,error-prone,and susceptible to physicians’subjective awareness as well as professional expertise.To settle these deficiencies,we propose a novel deep-learning model to classify the rectal cancer stages of T2 and T3.First,a novel deep learning model(RectalNet)is constructed based on residual learning,which combines the squeeze-excitation with the asymptotic output layer and new cross-convolution layer links in the residual block group.Furthermore,a two-stage data augmentation is designed to increase the number of images and reduce deep learning’s dependence on the volume of data.The experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to many existing ones,with an overall accuracy of 0.8583.Oppositely,other traditional techniques,such as VGG16,DenseNet121,EL,and DERNet,have an average accuracy of 0.6981,0.7032,0.7500,and 0.7685,respectively.

Reverse time-dependent effect of alphafetoprotein and disease control on survival of patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM To characterize the survival of cirrhotic patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer(BCLC) stage C hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and to ascertain the factors predicting the achievement of disease control(DC).METHODS The cirrhotic patients with BCLC stage C HCC evaluated by the Hepatocatt multidisciplinary group were subjected to the investigation. Demographic, clinical and tumor features, along with the best tumor response and overall survival were recorded. RESULTS One hundred and ten BCLC stage C patients were included in the analysis; the median overall survival was 13.4 mo(95%CI: 10.6-17.0). Only alphafetoprotein(AFP) serum level > 200 ng/m L and DC could independently predict survival but in a time dependent manner, the former was significantly associated with increased risk of mortality within the first 6 mo of follow-up(HR = 5.073, 95%CI: 2.159-11.916, P = 0.0002), whereas the latter showed a protective effect against death after one year(HR = 0.110, 95%CI: 0.038-0.314, P < 0.0001). Only patients showing microvascular invasion and/or extrahepatic spread recorded lower chances of achieving DC(OR = 0.263, 95%CI: 0.111-0.622, P = 0.002).CONCLUSION The BCLC stage C HCC includes a wide heterogeneous group of cirrhotic patients suitable for potentially curative treatments. The reverse and time dependent effect of AFP serum level and DC on patients' survival confers them as useful predictive tools for treatment management and clinical decisions.

The famous Chinese medicine doctor Xue Jing-Dong Taohong Siwu Decoction cured 1 case of primary liver cancer stage Ⅲa

Primary liver cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the liver.Surgery,intervention,radiotherapy,and chemotherapy are the main treatment methods in the early stage,and the basic principles of post-treatment are palliative treatment and symptomatic treatment.Xue Jing-Dong,a famous Chinese doctor,started from the etiology and pathogenesis of liver cancer,used the methods of promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis,nourishing blood and replenishing liver,and applied Taohong Siwu Decoction based on long-term clinical experience to cure 1 case of primary liver cancer stage Ⅲa in two years.The patient’s survival period can be prolonged and the quality of life can be improved.The author begins with the diagnosis of stage Ⅲa liver cancer,western medicine treatment methods,and previous treatment experience of traditional Chinese medicine,and briefly describes the diagnosis and treatment of this patient.

Recent advances in conversion therapy schemes for stage Ⅳ gastric cancer

“Conversion therapy”is a treatment modality that involves the use of radiotherapy,chemotherapy,targeted therapy,immunotherapy,and other therapeutic methods to transform initially late-stage tumors that cannot be cured into treatments that can achieve an R0 curative effect.However,selecting an appropriate conversion therapy scheme remains a challenge,and there are currently few relevant studies on this topic.This article reviews successful cases of conversion therapy and clinical studies on treatment schemes,at domestic and international levels,over the past few years to offer a broad range of treatment options for patients.

Comparison of 50 Cases of the Anti-Cancer Effects of NaCl with KCl as a Potent Graphene Exfoliator, Prehydrated Patients to NaCl-Only Prehydrated Patients on the Terminal Stage Cancer Patients

Background: A subset of cancer is particularly vulnerable to hydration prior to chemotherapy protocols;however, real-world outcomes-based data on pre-hydration elements of patients with tumor is sparse. Case Presentations: This retrospective case series describes a cohort of adult patients with terminal stage cancer who were seen between July 1, 2023, and September 25, 2023 and underwent various chemotherapy protocols, which, to our knowledge, represents comprehensive analysis of this patient population. We performed a retrospective search of patients identifying 50 cases of the chemotherapies of patients with cancer and extracted the clinical data via individual chart reviews. At the time of diagnosis, 24 patients were prehydrated with NaCl with KCl prior to the chemotherapy against the tumor, and 26 patients were taking normal saline only before undergoing cancer-specific treatment. Hydration and, prior chemotherapeutic agents use were the most common predepositse. Carcinomatosis peritoneii were the most common signs of the terminal stage of cancer within patients. Twenty-four patients were admitted to the hospital and two received NaCl with KCl hydaration prior to the platinum based chemotherapeutic agent treatment. Twenty-six patients received only normal saline hydration. Conclusion: Our data suggest that NaCl with KCl prehydaration results in better prognosis, including reduced tumor burden or decreased lymph node invasion, when compared to other vulnerable patients populations that receive only normal saline hydration. The graphene exfoliation effect of NaCl with KCl may have contributed to these results.

Computed tomography-based radiomics diagnostic approach for differential diagnosis between early-and late-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND One of the primary reasons for the dismal survival rates in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)is that most patients are usually diagnosed at late stages.There is an urgent unmet clinical need to identify and develop diagnostic methods that could precisely detect PDAC at its earliest stages.METHODS A total of 71 patients with pathologically proved PDAC based on surgical resection who underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography(CT)within 30 d prior to surgery were included in the study.Tumor staging was performed in accordance with the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system.Radiomics features were extracted from the region of interest(ROI)for each patient using Analysis Kit software.The most important and predictive radiomics features were selected using Mann-Whitney U test,univar-iate logistic regression analysis,and minimum redundancy maximum relevance(MRMR)method.Random forest(RF)method was used to construct the radiomics model,and 10-times leave group out cross-validation(LGOCV)method was used to validate the robustness and reproducibility of the model.RESULTS A total of 792 radiomics features(396 from late arterial phase and 396 from portal venous phase)were extracted from the ROI for each patient using Analysis Kit software.Nine most important and predictive features were selected using Mann-Whitney U test,univariate logistic regression analysis,and MRMR method.RF method was used to construct the radiomics model with the nine most predictive radiomics features,which showed a high discriminative ability with 97.7%accuracy,97.6%sensitivity,97.8%specificity,98.4%positive predictive value,and 96.8%negative predictive value.The radiomics model was proved to be robust and reproducible using 10-times LGOCV method with an average area under the curve of 0.75 by the average performance of the 10 newly built models.CONCLUSION The radiomics model based on CT could serve as a promising non-invasive method in differential diagnosis between early and late stage PDAC.

Provision of Fertility Preservation for Young Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, constituting 25% of all cancer diagnoses. Even though it is only affecting 4% - 6% of women under the age of 40, it remains the most common malignancy among younger patients. Advancement in the treatment and earlier detection gives excellent 5 years of survival. However, the standard treatment that comprises surgical-chemo radiation therapy or hormonal treatment often results in an increased incidence of treatment-induced infertility. Therefore, adding fertility preservation to primary cancer treatment may offer the best opportunity for future fertility. However, despite advancements in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), the uptake of fertility services in this group remains low. In this review, we highlighted the effect of all breast cancer treatments on women’s fertility, the effectiveness and safety of ART in breast cancer patients as well as the safety of pregnancy in breast cancer survivors. Our aim is to improve awareness of fertility preservation for breast cancer to ensure all women diagnosed with breast cancer have multidisciplinary approaches with early referral to fertility specialists to discuss regarding potential risks and benefits of fertility preservation to improve the uptake of fertility preservation among this group of patients.

Envita’s Precision Cancer Care: 35-Fold Improvement in Response Rates

New clinical approaches are imperative beyond the widely adopted National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, utilized by prominent cancer institutions. Cancer is the leading cause of death among individuals younger than 85 years within the United States. Despite significant technological advances, including the expenditure of hundreds of billions, treatment outcomes and overall survival have not notably improved for most types of advanced cancer over the last several decades. Over the past 24 years, Envita Medical Centers has pioneered a unique form of personalized treatment approach for late-stage and refractory cancer patients, introducing groundbreaking innovations in the field. Our integrated algorithm utilizes advanced genomics, transcriptomics, and highly tailored immunotherapy, resulting in remarkable outcome improvements. This study presents Envita’s innovative personalized treatment algorithms and examines the response outcomes of 199 late-stage cancer patients treated at Envita Medical Centers over a two-year period. Compared to standard of care and palliative chemotherapy, Envita’s treatment demonstrated a remarkable 35-fold improvement in overall response rates (Figure 1). Moreover, 88% of the patients, the majority presenting with Stage 3 or 4 cancer, experienced a 43-fold improvement in quality of life with minimal side effects, as compared to standard of care chemotherapy and palliative care. This revolutionary success is attributed to Envita’s personalized therapeutic algorithms, which incorporate customized immunotherapy. Envita’s precision care approach has also achieved a 100% better response rate compared to over 65 global chemotherapy clinical trials with more than 2700 patients. The results from this study suggest that a wider utilization of Envita’s personalized approach can significantly benefit patients with late-stage and refractory cancer.

The influence of stage at diagnosis and molecular subtype on breast cancer patient survival: a hospital.based multi.center study

Background: Stage at diagnosis and molecular subtype are important clinical factors associated with breast cancer patient survival. However, subgroup survival data from a large study sample are limited in China.To estimate the survival differences among patients with different stages and various subtypes of breast cancer, we conducted a hospital-based multi-center study on breast cancer in Beijing, China.Methods: All resident patients diagnosed with primary, invasive breast cancer between January 1,2006 and December 31,2010 from four selected hospitals in Beijing were included and followed up until December 31,2015. Hospitalbased data of stage at diagnosis, hormone receptor status, and selected clinical characteristics, including body mass index(BMI), menopausal status, histological grade, and histological type, were collected from the medical records of the study subjects. Overall survival(OS) and cancer-specific survival(CSS) were estimated. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to evaluate the associations of stage at diagnosis and molecular subtype with patient survival.Results: The 5-year OS and CSS rates for all patients were 89.4% and 90.3%. Survival varied by stage and molecular subtype. The 5-year OS rates for patients with stage I, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, and IV diseases were 96.5%, 91.6%, 74.8%, and 40.7%,respectively, and the corresponding estimates of 5-year CSS rates were 97.1%, 92.6%, 75.6%, and 42.7%, respectively.The 5-year OS rates for patients with luminal A, luminal B, HER2, and triple-negative subtypes of breast cancer were92.6%, 88.4%, 83.6%, and 82.9%, respectively, and the corresponding estimates of 5-year CSS rates were 93.2%, 89.1 %,85.4%, and 83.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that stage at diagnosis and molecular subtype were important prognostic factors for breast cancer.Conclusions: Survival of breast cancer patients varied significantly by stage and molecular subtype. Cancer screening is encouraged for the early detection and early diagnosis of breast cancer. More advanced therapies and health care policies are needed on HER2 and triple-negative subtypes.

Early stage colon cancer

Evidence has now accumulated that colonoscopy and removal of polyps,especially during screening and surveillance programs,is effective in overall risk reduction for colon cancer.After resection of malignant pedunculated colon polyps or early stage colon cancers,long-term repeated surveillance programs can also lead to detection and removal of asymptomatic high risk advanced adenomas and new early stage metachronous cancers.Early stage colon cancer can be defined as disease that appears to have been completely resected with no subsequent evidence of involvement of adjacent organs,lymph nodes or distant sites.This differs from the clinical setting of an apparent"curative"resection later pathologically upstaged following detection of malignant cells extending into adjacent organs,peritoneum,lymph nodes or other distant sites,including liver.This highly selected early stage colon cancer group remains at high risk for subsequent colon polyps and metachronous colon cancer.Precise staging is important,not only for assessing the need for adjuvant chemotherapy,but also for patient selection for continued surveillance.With advanced stages of colon cancer and a more guarded outlook,repeated surveillance should be limited.In future,novel imaging technologies(e.g.,confocal endomicroscopy),coupled with increased pathological recognition of high risk markers for lymph node involvement(e.g.,"tumor budding")should lead to improved staging and clinical care.

Assessment of quality of life for the patients with cervical cancer at different clinical stages

With improved overall survival of cervical cancer patients, the importance of the quality of life (QOL) is increasingly recognized. This study was conducted to compare the QOL of women with different stage cervical cancer before and after treatment to facilitate improved cervical cancer prevention and treatment. We used the generic Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36) to collect QOL information. Based on SF-36, we interviewed cervical cancer patients at West China Second Affiliated Hospital and Sichuan Cancer Hospital between May 2010 and January 2011. A total of 92 patients with precancerous lesions, 93 with early cancer, and 35 with advanced cancer responded to our survey. Average physical component summary (PCS) scores were significantly different between the three groups at every time point (P < 0.05). Average mental component summary (MCS) scores were significantly different between the three groups after treatment (P < 0.05). Average PCS and MCS scores increased gradually from the pretreatment to posttreatment period for patients with precancerous lesions. However, they reached the lowest at 1 month after treatment for patients with early and advanced cancers and rebounded between 1 and 6 months after treatment. Our results indicate that patients with precancerous lesions and early cervical cancer show better overall QOL than do those with advanced cervical cancer. Additionally, patients with early cancer recover more quickly than do those with advanced cancer in terms of both physical and mental functions. Thus, early detection and treatment initiatives may improve the QOL for patients with precancerous lesions and cervical cancer.

Radiomics approach for preoperative identification of stages Ⅰ-Ⅱand Ⅲ-Ⅳ of esophageal cancer

Objective： To predict preoperative staging using a radiomics approach based on computed tomography （CT）images of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）.Methods： This retrospective study included 154 patients （primary cohort： n： t 14; validation cohort： n：40） withpathologically confirmed ESCC. All patients underwent a preoperative CT scan from the neck to abdomen. Highthroughput and quantitative radiomics features were extracted from the CT images for each patient. A radiomicssignature was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator （Lasso）. Associations betweenradiomics signature, tumor volume and ESCC staging were explored. Diagnostic performance of radiomicsapproach and tumor volume for discriminating between stages Ⅰ-Ⅱand Ⅲ-Ⅳ was evaluated and compared usingthe receiver operating characteristics （ROC） curves and net reclassification improvement （NRI）.Results= A total of 9,790 radiomics features were extracted. Ten features were selected to build a radiomicssignature after feature dimension reduction. The radiomics signature was significantly associated with ESCCstaging （P〈0.001）, and yielded a better performance for discrimination of early and advanced stage ESCC comparedto tumor volume in both the primary [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve （AUC）： 0.795 vs. 0.694,P=0.003; NRI=0.424）] and validation cohorts （AUC： 0.762 vs. 0.624, P=0.035; NRI=0.834）.Conclusions： The quantitative approach has the potential to identify stage Ⅰ-Ⅱand Ⅲ-Ⅳ ESCC beforetreatment.

Prognostic factors in stage IB gastric cancer

AIM:To identify the subset of patients with stage IB gastric cancer with an unfavorable prognosis.METHODS:Overall survival(OS)rates were examined in 103 patients with stage IB(T1N1M0 and T2N0M0)gastric cancer between January 2000 and December2011.Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors using a Cox proportional hazards model.RESULTS:The OS rates of patients with T1N1 and T2N0 cancer were 89.2%and 94.1%at 5-years,re-spectively.Both univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that tumor location was the only significant prognostic factor.The OS rate was 81.8%at5-years when the tumor was located in the upper third of the stomach and was 95.5%at 5-years when the tumor was located in the middle or lower third of the stomach(P=0.0093).CONCLUSION:These data may suggest that tumor location is associated with survival in patients with stage IB gastric cancer.

TNM staging of colorectal cancer should be reconsidered by T stage weighting

AIM:To verify that the T stage has greater weight than the N stage in the staging of colorectal cancer.METHODS:Open data from the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results program were reviewed and analyzed according to the T stage,N stage,and patients’observed survival(OS).The relative weights of the T and N stages were calculated by multiple linear regressions based on their impact on survival.Risk scores for25 TN categories were then calculated from the T and N stage relative weights,and a rearranged tumor node metastasis(TNM)staging system was proposed via a cluster analysis of the TN scores.RESULTS:Both T and N stages significantly affect the OS of patients with colorectal cancer.Moreover,the T stage has greater weight than the N stage in the TNM staging system of colorectal cancer.For colon cancer,the relative T and N stage weights were 0.58 and 0.42,respectively,and for rectal cancer,the relative T and N stage weights were 0.61 and 0.39,respectively.On the basis of cluster analysis of the TN scores,T1N1a was classified to stageⅠ,and T2N1a-1b and T1N1b-2a were classified to stageⅡin our revised TNM staging system for both colon and rectal cancer.For colon cancer,T4bN0 was classified to stageⅢa,but for rectal cancer,it was classified to stageⅢb.CONCLUSION:As the T stage affects colorectal cancer survival more significantly than the N stage,the TNM staging should be revised by relative T stage weight.

Prognostic Factors for Survival of Stage IB Upper Lobe Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Study in Shanghai, China

Objective: To identify clinical and pathologic factors that were associated with the survival of stage IB upper lobe non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: A retrospective study of 147 subjects who had undergone curative resection for stage IB upper lobe NSCLC was performed. Patients who had received any adjuvant or neo-adjuvant chemotherapy were excluded. Survival function curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier procedure. Crude and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of potential prognostic factors were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Five factors, including age, tumor size, histologic grade of differentiation, number of removed superior mediastinal lymph node stations and presence of visceral pleura invasion, were significantly and independently associated with mortality risk. Adjusted HRs were 2.6 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.1?6.5] and 4.6 (95% CI: 1.9?11) for those aged 58?68 years and those >68 years, respectively, relative to those aged <58 years. HRs for those with poorly and moderately differentiated tumors were 6.4 (95% CI: 2.3?18) and 1.4 (95% CI: 0.7?2.8), respectively. HRs for those with tumor size 3.1?5 cm and >5 cm (vs ?3.0 cm) were 2.3 (95% CI: 1.1?4.9) and 4.3 (95% CI: 1.9?10), respectively. The presence of visceral pleura invasion also increased the risk of mortality (HR=4.0, 95% CI: 1.3?12). Conclusion: Advanced age, larger tumor size, poorly differentiated histology, smaller number of removed superior mediastinal lymph node stations, and presence of visceral pleura invasion were associated with poor survival of surgically treated stage IB upper lobe NSCLC patients.

Impact of lymphatic and/or blood vessel invasion in stage Ⅱ gastric cancer

AIM:To determine the prognostic value of lymphatic and/or blood vessel invasion (LBVI) in patients with stage Ⅱ gastric cancer.METHODS:From January 2001 to December 2006,487 patients with histologically confirmed primary gastric adenocarcinoma were diagnosed with stage Ⅱ gastric cancer according to the new 7th edition American Joint Committee on Cancer stage classification at the Department of Gastric Cancer and Soft Tissue Surgery,Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center.All patients underwent curative gastrectomy with standard lymph node (LN) dissection.Fifty-one patients who died in the postoperative period,due to various complications or other conditions,were excluded.Clinicopathological findings and clinical outcomes were analyzed.Patients were subdivided into four groups according to the status of LBVI and LN metastases.These four patient groups were characterized with regard to age,sex,tumor site,pT category,tumor grading and surgical procedure (subtotal resection vs total resection),and compared for 5-year overall survival by univariate and multivariate analysis.RESULTS:The study was composed of 320 men and 116 women aged 58.9 ± 11.5 years (range:23-88 years).The 5-year overall survival rates were 50.7% and the median survival time was 62 mo.Stage Ⅱ a cancer was observed in 334 patients,including 268 T3N0,63 T2N1,and three T1N2,and stage Ⅱb was observed in 102 patients,including 49 patients T3N1,51 T2N2,one T1N3,and one T4aN0.The incidence of LBVI was 28.0% in stage Ⅱ gastric cancer with 19.0% (51/269) and 42.5% (71/167) in LN-negative and LNpositive patients,respectively.In 218 patients (50.0%),there was neither a histopathologically detectable LBVI nor LN metastases (LBVI /LN ,group Ⅰ);in 51 patients (11.7%),LBVI with no evidence of LN metastases was detected (LBVI+/LN ,group Ⅱ).In 167 patients (38.3%),LN metastases were found.Among those patients,LBVI was not determined in 96 patients (22.0%) (LBVI /LN+,group Ⅲ),and was determined in 71 patients (16.3%) (LBVI+/LN+,group Ⅳ).Correlation analysis showed that N category and the number of positive LNs were significantly associated with the presence of LBVI (P < 0.001).The overall 5-year survival was significantly longer in LN-negative patients compared with LN-positive patients (56.1% vs 42.3%,P = 0.015).There was a significant difference in the overall 5-year survival between LBVI-positive and LBVInegative tumors (39.6% vs 54.8%,P = 0.006).Overall 5-year survival rates in each group were 58.8% (Ⅰ),45.8% (Ⅱ),45.7% (Ⅲ) and 36.9% (Ⅳ),and there was a significant difference in overall survival between the four groups (P = 0.009).Multivariate analysis in stage Ⅱ gastric cancer patients revealed that LBVI independently affected patient prognosis in LN-negative patients (P = 0.018) but not in LN-positive patients (P = 0.508).CONCLUSION:In LN-negative stage Ⅱ gastric cancer patients,LBVI is an additional independent prognostic marker,and may provide useful information to identify patients with poorer prognosis.

Treatment patterns for adjuvant docetaxel-based chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer in China：A pooled retrospective analysis of four observational studies

Objective：Adjuvant docetaxel-based chemotherapy is frequently used for operable early breast cancer（EBC）.This study investigated patterns of use of docetaxel（T）in real-life clinical practice in China.Methods：This was a retrospective pooled analysis of the Asia-Pacific Breast Initiatives（APBI）Ⅰ（2006–2008）and Ⅱ（2009–2011）registries,and two Chinese observational studies;BC STATE（2011–2014）and BC Local Registry（2007–2010）.Female Chinese adults（≥18 years）with operable breast cancer treated with docetaxel-based adjuvant chemotherapy were included in the analysis.Patients with metastatic disease were excluded.The primary endpoint was assessment of treatment patterns and patient profiles.A logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with choice of adjuvant chemotherapy regimen.Results：Data from 3,020 patients were included.The most frequently used adjuvant regimen was docetaxel/anthracycline combination[n=1,421（47.1%）;of whom 52.0%received T/epirubicin（E）/cyclophosphamide（C）],followed by docetaxel/other[n=705（23.3%）;of whom 72.8%received TC],docetaxel/anthracycline sequential[n=447（14.8%）;of whom 40.9%and 39.6%received 5-Fu/EC-T and EC-T,respectively],and＂other＂[n=447（14.8%）;of whom 91.5%received T].A significant association was found between adjuvant therapy with docetaxel/anthracycline combination and patient weight,menopausal status and estrogen receptor status.Conclusions：Real-world data revealed that docetaxel/anthracycline combination is the most commonly used category of docetaxel-based adjuvant therapy for patients with operable breast cancer in China;of which TEC is the most frequently used regimen.

Radical treatment of stage Ⅳ pancreatic cancer by the combination of cryosurgery and iodine-125 seed implantation

AIM:To investigate the therapeutic effect of radical treatment and palliative treatment in stage Ⅳ pancreatic cancer patients.METHODS:81 patients were enrolled in the study.Radical treatment was performed on 51 patients,while 30 patients were put under palliative treatment.The procedural safety and interval survival for stage Ⅳ pancreatic cancer(IS-Ⅳ) was assessed by almost 2.5 years of follow-ups.The IS-Ⅳ of patients under the two kinds of treatment,and the effects of treatment timing and frequency on IS-Ⅳ,were compared.RESULTS:The IS-Ⅳ of patients who received radical treatment was significantly longer than those who received palliative treatment(P < 0.001).The IS-Ⅳ of patients who received delayed radical or palliative treatment was longer than those who received accordingly timely treatment(P = 0.0034 and 0.0415,respectively).Multiple treatments can play an important role in improving the IS-Ⅳ of patients who received radical treatment(P = 0.0389),but not for those who received palliative treatment(P = 0.99).CONCLUSION:The effect of radical treatment was significantly more obvious than that of palliative treatment,and multiple radical treatments may contribute more to patients than a single radical treatment.

Isolated vaginal metastasis from stage Ⅰ colon cancer: A case report

BACKGROUND Distant metastasis occasionally occurs in patients who have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer(CRC), but it occurs in a few patients with stage I CRC. The vagina as a metastasis site has also been reported, albeit rarely. Most reported cases of vaginal metastasis(VM) report their origin from advanced CRC. We encountered a patient who was diagnosed with isolated VM originating from stage I colon cancer(T2N0) and herein present the case of this patient.CASE SUMMARY A 63-year-old woman visited the outpatient clinic because of a positive result from a stool occult blood test. She underwent laparoscopic anterior resection and was pathologically diagnosed with stage I(T2N0) sigmoid colon cancer. Neither lymphovascular invasion nor perineural invasion was observed. Ten months following the surgery, isolated vaginal metastases were detected on gynecologic examination. The examination was performed due to vaginal spotting. A transvaginal wide excision was performed, and no other adjuvant treatment was provided after discussion with a multidisciplinary team and the patient.Subsequently, a new VM was discovered after 33 mo. An additional transvaginal excision was performed. To date, there has been no evidence of further disease progression. From the time of diagnosis of VM, the patient’s overall survival has been 54 mo.CONCLUSION VM can occur as a result of early-stage colorectal cancer. Surgeons should consider the possibility of VM following complaints of gynecologic symptoms following surgery.