Irreversible electroporation for metastatic pancreatic carcinoma with liver metastasis:What does the evidence say

Irreversible electroporation is a promising non-thermal ablation method that has been shown to increase overall survival in locally advanced pancreatic cancer in some studies.However,higher quality studies with proper controls and randomization are required to establish its superiority when added with neoadjuvant chemotherapy over the current management of choice,which is chemotherapy alone.Further studies are required before establishment of any survival benefit in metastatic pancreatic carcinoma,and such evidence is lacking at present.

The burden of upper motor neuron involvement is correlated with the bilateral limb involvement interval in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:a retrospective observational study

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rare neurodegenerative disease characterized by the involvement of both upper and lower motor neurons.Early bilateral limb involvement significantly affects patients'daily lives and may lead them to be confined to bed.However,the effect of upper and lower motor neuron impairment and other risk factors on bilateral limb involvement is unclear.To address this issue,we retrospectively collected data from 586 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with limb onset diagnosed at Peking University Third Hospital between January 2020 and May 2022.A univariate analysis revealed no significant differences in the time intervals of spread in different directions between individuals with upper motor neuron-dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and those with classic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.We used causal directed acyclic graphs for risk factor determination and Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the association between the duration of bilateral limb involvement and clinical baseline characteristics in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.Multiple factor analyses revealed that higher upper motor neuron scores(hazard ratio[HR]=1.05,95%confidence interval[CI]=1.01–1.09,P=0.018),onset in the left limb(HR=0.72,95%CI=0.58–0.89,P=0.002),and a horizontal pattern of progression(HR=0.46,95%CI=0.37–0.58,P<0.001)were risk factors for a shorter interval until bilateral limb involvement.The results demonstrated that a greater degree of upper motor neuron involvement might cause contralateral limb involvement to progress more quickly in limb-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.These findings may improve the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with limb onset and the prediction of patient prognosis.

Clinical outcomes of second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma:a real-world study

Objective:Little progress has been made in recent years using first-line chemotherapy,including gemcitabine combined with nab-paclitaxel,FOLFIRINOX,and NALIRIFOX,for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma(APC).In addition,the optimal second-line chemotherapy regimen has not been determined.This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of different types of second-line chemotherapy for APC.Methods:Patients with APC who received first-line treatment from January 2008 to January 2021 were considered eligible for this retrospective analysis.The primary and secondary endpoints were overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS),respectively.Results:Four hundred and thirty-seven and 617 patients were treated with 5-fluorouracil-and gemcitabine-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment,respectively.Demographic and clinical features,except age and liver metastasis,were comparable between the two groups(P<0.05).The median OS was 8.8 and 7.8 months in patients who received a 5-fluorouracil-and gemcitabine-based combined regimen for first-line therapy,respectively(HR=1.244,95%CI=1.090–1.419;P<0.001).The median OS was 5.6 and 1.9 months in patients who received second-line chemotherapy and supportive care,respectively(HR=0.766,95%CI=0.677–0.867;P<0.001).The median PFS was not significantly differently between gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil monotherapy and combination therapy.Conclusions:A 5-fluorouracil-or gemcitabine-based combined regimen was shown to be as effective as a single 5-fluorouracil or gemcitabine regimen as second-line therapy for patients with APC.

Clinical efficacy and safety of erlotinib combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer:A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Advanced pancreatic cancer is resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs,resulting in limited treatment efficacy and poor prognosis.Combined administration of the chemotherapeutic gemcitabine and erlotinib is considered a potential first-line treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer.However,their comparative benefits and potential risks remain unclear.AIM To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of erlotinib combined with other chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.METHODS Literature on the clinical efficacy and safety of erlotinib combined with chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer was retrieved through an online search.The retrieved literature was subjected to a methodological qualitative assessment and was analyzed using the RevMan 5.3 software.Ten randomized controlled trials involving 2444 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were included in the meta-analysis.RESULTS Compared with chemotherapeutic treatment,erlotinib combined with chemotherapy significantly prolonged the progression-free survival time of pancreatic cancer patients[hazard ratio(HR)=0.78,95%CI:0.66-0.92,P=0.003].Meanwhile,the overall survival(HR=0.99,95%CI:0.72-1.37,and P=0.95)and disease control rate(OR=0.93,95%CI:0.45-0.91,P=0.84)were not significantly favorable.In terms of safety,the erlotinib and chemotherapy combination was associated with a significantly higher risk of diarrhea(OR=3.59,95%CI:1.63-7.90,P<0.05)and rash(OR=3.63,95%CI:1.64-8.01,P<0.05)compared with single-agent chemotherapy.Moreover,the risk of vomiting(OR=1.27,95%CI:0.62-2.59,P=0.51),regurgitation/anorexia(OR=1.61,95%CI:0.25-10.31,P=0.62),and infection(OR=0.72,95%CI:0.28-1.87,P=0.50)were not significant in either group.CONCLUSION Compared with a single chemotherapeutic modality,erlotinib combined with gemcitabine can prolong progression-free survival in pancreatic cancer,but does not improve survival benefit or disease control rate,and can increase the risk of diarrhea and rash.

Pang Fuwan Uses Yao Medicine to Observe the Therapeutic Effects on the Physical and Mental Symptoms of Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective: Investigate the efficacy and safety of Yao Medicine in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma, and explore the best therapeutic measure for clinical benefit. Methods: From July 2020 to July 2022, 84 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma were selected and randomly divided into the Observation Group and control group, and the control group was treated with routine Western medicine, with 42 cases in each group. The activity of daily living (ADL) was assessed before and after treatment, meanwhile, the self-rating depression scale (SDS) and self-rating anxiety SAS (SAS) were used to assess the improvement of a bad mood, and quality of life SF-36 was used to assess the quality of life, to judge the efficacy and safety. Results: The effective rate of observation group was 91.67%. The effective rate of the control group was 76.19%. The effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P 0.05). There were no significant differences in the scores of SDS, SAS and quality of life between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05), and after treatment, the scores of SDS, SAS and quality of life in the two groups were compared with those in the control group (P > 0.05), the scores of VAS, SDS and SAS decreased significantly, while ESCV, angle of straight leg elevation, ADL, physiological score, emotional score, social score and health status score increased significantly, the difference was statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion: Yao Medicine can improve the psychosomatic symptoms of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma better, with better efficacy and higher safety.

Development of a clinical nomogram for prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND The efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)in advanced gastric cancer(GC)is still a controversial issue.AIM To find factors associated with chemosensitivity to NAC treatment and to provide the optimal therapeutic strategies for GC patients receiving NAC.METHODS The clinical information was collected from 230 GC patients who received NAC treatment at the Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine Affiliated Haikou Hospital from January 2016 to December 2020.Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression analysis was used to find the possible predictors.A nomogram model was employed to predict the response to NAC.RESULTS In total 230 patients were finally included in this study,including 154 males(67.0%)and 76 females(33.0%).The mean age was(59.37±10.60)years,ranging from 24 years to 80 years.According to the tumor regression grade standard,there were 95 cases in the obvious response group(grade 0 or grade 1)and 135 cases in the poor response group(grade 2 or grade 3).The obvious response rate was 41.3%.Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis showed that four risk factors significantly related to the efficacy of NAC were tumor location(P<0.001),histological differentiation(P=0.001),clinical T stage(P=0.008),and carbohydrate antigen 724(P=0.008).The C-index for the prediction nomogram was 0.806.The calibration curve revealed that the predicted value exhibited good agreement with the actual value.Decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram had a good value in clinical application.CONCLUSION A nomogram combining tumor location,histological differentiation,clinical T stage,and carbohydrate antigen 724 showed satisfactory predictive power to the response of NAC and can be used by gastrointestinal surgeons to determine the optimal treatment strategies for advanced GC patients.

Tumor recurrence and survival prognosis in patients with advanced gastric cancer after radical resection with radiotherapy and chemotherapy

BACKGROUND Advanced gastric cancer is a common malignancy that is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and is still at risk of recurrence after radical surgical treatment.Chemoradiotherapy,as one of the important treatment methods for gastric cancer,is of great significance for improving the survival rate of patients.However,the tumor recurrence and survival prognosis of gastric cancer patients after radio-therapy and chemotherapy are still uncertain.AIM To analyze the tumor recurrence after radical radiotherapy and chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer and provide more in-depth guidance for clinicians.METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on 171 patients with gastric cancer who received postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy in our hospital from 2021 to 2023.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the recurrence rate and survival rate;the log-rank method was used to analyze the single-factor prognosis;and the Cox model was used to analyze the prognosis associated with multiple factors.RESULTS The median follow-up time of the whole group was 63 months,and the follow-up rate was 93.6%.Stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ patients accounted for 31.0%and 66.7%,respec-tively.The incidences of Grade 3 and above acute gastrointestinal reactions and hematological adverse reactions were 8.8%and 9.9%,respectively.A total of 166 patients completed the entire chemoradiotherapy regimen,during which no adverse reaction-related deaths occurred.In terms of the recurrence pattern,17 patients had local recurrence,29 patients had distant metastasis,and 12 patients had peritoneal implantation metastasis.The 1-year,3-year,and 5-year overall survival(OS)rates were 83.7%,66.3%,and 60.0%,respectively.The 1-year,3-year,and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 75.5%,62.7%,and 56.5%,respectively.Multivariate analysis revealed that T stage,peripheral nerve invasion,and the lymph node metastasis rate(LNR)were independent prognostic factors for OS.CONCLUSION Postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy for gastric cancer treatment is well tolerated and has acceptable adverse effects,which is beneficial for local tumor control and can improve the long-term survival of patients.The LNR was an independent prognostic factor for OS.For patients with a high risk of local recurrence,postoperative adjuvant chemoradiation should be considered.

Characterization of Hydroxyapatite Extracted from Crab Shell Using the Hydrothermal Method with Varying Holding Times

Hydroxyapatite(HA)is a bio ceramic commonly utilized in bone tissue engineering due to its bioactive and osteoconductive properties.Crab shells are usually disregarded as waste material despite their significant CaCO_(3) content,and have not been widely utilized in the synthesis of HA.This study aims to synthesize and analyze HA derived from crab shells using the hydrothermal method with different durations of holding time.This study utilized precipitated calcium carbonate(PCC)derived from crab shells.With a hydrothermal reactor set at 160℃ and varying holding times of 14(HA_14),16(HA_16),and 18(HA_18)h,a PCC and(NH4)2HPO4 mixture was used to synthesize HA.The synthesis results were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),and X-ray diffraction(XRD)tests.This study has accomplished the synthesis of HA from crab shells.Nonetheless,the final product of synthesis still contained CaCO_(3) as an impurity.The prolonged hydrothermal holding time of 14 to 18 h resulted in a reduction of impurities while increasing the percentage of crystal weight and crystallite size of HA.Specimen CH_18 is the best-quality product generated in this study.This specimen produced HA with the highest percentage of crystal weight and crystallite size compared to the other specimens.Furthermore,specimen CH_18 exhibited the lowest concentration of impurities.The Ca/P ratio in this specimen was also the closest to 1.67.The Ca/P ratio,crystallite size,and crystal weight percentage of this specimen are 1.54,19.06 nm,and 99.1%,respectively.

Achieving Common Development in Step with the Times

As long as China and the EU adhere to strategic consensuses,keep in step with the times,and maintain mutual trust,they will be able to ensure the prosperity and stability of both sides.

Efficacy evaluation and survival analysis of the combination of oxaliplatin plus Teysuno (SOX) with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the conversion therapy of locally advanced gastric cancer

Background:The efficacy of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)with chemotherapy in neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer has been explored.However,limited research exists on its effectiveness in conversion therapy,and its superiority over standalone chemotherapy remains to be elucidated.This study aims to investigate the efficacy and survival outcomes of patients treated with ICIs in combination with conversion therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer.Methods:Retrospective data from patients with locally advanced gastric cancer treated with either oxaliplatin+S-1(SOX)alone or in combination with ICIs in conversion therapywere collected.Clinical andpathological characteristics,disease-free survival,andefficacy assessments in nonoperable patients were compared between the 2 treatment groups.Efficacy was further evaluated through dynamic changes in serum markers,and patients’quality of life was assessed using the QLQ-STO22(Gastric Cancer–Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire)quality-of-life measurement scale.Results:A total of 140 patients underwent conversion therapy:80 in the SOX alone group and 60 in the SOX combined with the ICIs group.There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the 2 groups.Compared with the SOX alone group,the SOX combined with ICIs group exhibited a higher conversion rate(83.3%vs 75%,P=0.23),R0 resection rate(90.0%vs 83.3%,P=0.31),pathological complete response(pCR)rate(18%vs 5%,P=0.02),median disease-free survival(21.4 vs 16.9 months,P=0.007),the objective response rate in nonoperable patients(60%vs 40%,P=0.301),and median progression-free survival time(7.9 vs 5.7 months,P=0.009).The QLQ-STO22 quality-of-life assessment revealed statistically significant improvements in pain,swallowing difficulties,and dietary restrictions in the combination therapy group compared with those in the monotherapy group.The enhanced efficacy of immune combination with SOX is evident,as demonstrated by the significantly prolonged surgical duration in operated patients(206.6±26.6 min vs 197.8±19.8 min,P=0.35)and intraoperative blood loss(158.9±21.2 mL vs 148.9±25.1 mL,P=0.59).No significant differences were observed in postoperative complications.Conclusions:Compared with the SOX conversion therapy regimen,SOX combined with ICIs demonstrated higher conversion rates,R0 resection rates,pathological response rates,and disease-free survival without increasing surgical difficulty or complications.Nonoperable patients also experienced longer progression-free survival and objective response rates.

Carry out an Independent Policy and Advance with the Times

The topic of "China’s foreign policy under new circumstances" for discussion raised by Experts Forum of Contemporary International Relations is very important, because situation determines tasks, tasks produce policies and foreign policy is the continuation of domestic policy.

Changing the balance of the MTO reaction dual-cycle mechanism: Reactions over ZSM-5 with varying contact times

The methanol to olefins （MTO） reaction was performed over ZSM‐5 zeolite at 300℃ under various methanol weight hourly space velocity （WHSV） values. During these trials, the catalytic perfor‐mance was assessed, in addition to the formation and function of organic compounds retained in the zeolite. Analysis of reaction effluents and confined organics demonstrated a dual‐cycle reaction mechanism when employing ZSM‐5. The extent of the hydrogen transfer reaction, a secondary reac‐tion in the MTO process, varied as the catalyst‐methanol contact time was changed. In addition, 12C/13C‐methanol switch experiments indicated a relationship between the dual‐cycle mechanism and the extent of the hydrogen transfer reaction. Reactions employing a low methanol WHSV in conjunction with a long contact time favored the hydrogen transfer reaction to give alkene products and promoted the generation and accumulation of retained organic species, such as aromatics and methylcyclopentadienes, which enhance the aromatic cycle. When using higher WHSV values, the reduced contact times lessened the extent of the hydrogen transfer reaction and limited the genera‐tion of methylcyclopentadienes and aromatic species. This suppressed the aromatic cycle, such that the alkene cycle became the dominant route during the MTO reaction.

Syllabus in the Light of Keeping Pace with the Times

Drawing up of syllabus plays a very important role in directing college English teaching. With the fast developing pace of the situation and the increasing requirements for undergraduates＇ English level, the available Syllabus is obviously far from satisfaction. This paper, from six perspectives, expounds the inadequacies and drawbacks of the Syllabus. It points out that college English teaching and the Syllabus need reform and should keep pace with the times.

Present situation and prospect of immunotherapy for unresectable locally advanced esophageal cancer during peri-radiotherapy

Four major studies(Checkmate577,Keynote-590,Checkmate649 and Attraction-4)of locally advanced esophageal cancer published in 2020 have established the importance of immunotherapy,represented by anti-programmed death protein(PD)-1 in postoperative adjuvant treatment and advanced first-line treatment of locally advanced or advanced esophageal cancer and esophagogastric junction cancer,from the aspects of proof of concept,long-term survival,overall survival rate and progression-free survival.For unresectable or inoperable nonmetastatic esophageal cancer,concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy is the standard treatment recommended by various guidelines.Because its curative effect is still not ideal,it is necessary to explore radical radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the future,and it is considered to be promising to combine them with immunotherapeutic drugs such as anti-PD-1.This paper mainly discusses how to combine radical concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy with immunotherapy for unresectable local advanced esophageal cancer.

Clinical significance of MET gene amplification in metastatic or locally advanced gastric cancer treated with first-line fluoropyrimidine and platinum combination chemotherapy

Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of MET gene amplification in patients with gastric cancer in the palliative setting.Methods: MET amplification was assessed using fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH) in 50 patients and quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR) in 326 patients;259 patients treated with first-line fluoropyrimidine and platinum were included for survival analysis.Results: The results of FISH and qPCR indicated that the c-MET/CEP7 ratio was correlated with gene copy number. The optimal cutoff value for the copy number using qPCR to detect MET gene amplification with FISH was 5(κ=0.778, P<0.001). Twenty-one out of 326 patients(6.4%) were identified as MET amplification with a copy number of >5 detected by qPCR. MET-amplified gastric cancer was associated with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group(ECOG) performance status(PS) score of ≥2(33.3% vs. 10.5% P=0.007), peritoneal metastasis(76.2% vs. 46.2%, P=0.008), and elevated bilirubin levels(28.6% vs. 7.3%, P=0.006). The median overall survival(OS) and progression-free survival(PFS) were 11.9 and 5.6 months, respectively. MET-amplified gastric cancer was not associated with survival outcomes [hazard ratio(HR)=0.68, 95% confidence interval(95% CI): 0.35-1.32,P=0.254 for PFS;HR=0.68, 95% CI: 0.35-1.32, P=0.251 for OS].Conclusions: qPCR can be used to detect MET gene amplification. MET amplification was not a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with metastatic or unresectable gastric cancer.

Efficacy and safety of trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy for first-line treatment and beyond progression of HER2-overexpressing advanced breast cancer

Objective： To observe the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 （HER2）-overexpressing advanced breast cancer. Methods： A total of 90 patients with HER2-overexpressing advanced breast cancer were enrolled in this study. All patients were diagnosed with ductal invasive breast cancer by pathological analysis, and were aged between 31-73 years with a median of 51 years. HER2-positivity was defined as 3（＋） staining in immunochemistry or amplification of fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH, ratio ≥2.0）. Trastuzumab was administered in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment and beyond progression as a second- line, third-line, and above treatment in 90, 34, 14, and 6 patients, respectively. The chemotherapy regimen was given according to normal clinical practice. The response rate was evaluated every two cycles, and the primary endpoints were progression-free survival （PFS） and overall survival （OS）. Survival curves were estimated by using Kaplan-Meier graphs and were compared by using log-rank test statistics. Multivariate analysis was done using Cox＇s proportional hazards regression model, and the level of significance was P〈0.05. Results： All 90 patients received at least one dose of trastuzumab, and efficacy could be evaluated in 85 patients. The median follow-up was 50 months. In total, 72 （80.00%） patients had visceral metastasis, and 43 （47.78%） patients had progressed after one or more extensive chemotherapy regimens for metastatic diseases. The median PFS for first-line trastuzumab was 10 months （range, 2-59 months）, and the median OS after metastasis or initially local advanced disease was 22 months （range, 2-1 16 months）. Conclusions： Trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy was active and well-tolerated as a first-line treatment and even beyond progression in HER2-overexpressing advanced breast cancer as a second-line or third-line treatment. However, its efficacy is certainly less beyond this point.

Nab-paclitaxel(abraxane)-based chemotherapy to treat elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer:a single center,randomized and open-label clinical trial

Background： The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of abraxane-based chemotherapy with/without nedaplatin in elderly patients with non-small-cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Materials and methods： From October 2009 to January 2013, 48 elderly patients （≥65 years） with NSCLC were investigated in this clinical trial. The patients were randomized and equally allocated into arms A and AP- （A） abraxane （130 mg/m2, days 1, 8）; （B） abraxane ＋ nedaplatin （20 mg/m2 days 1-3, q3w）. The parameters of objective response rate （ORR）, disease control rate （DCR）, progression-free survival （PFS）, overall survival （OS） and side effects were evaluated between two arms. Results： Over 80% of the patients completed four cycles of chemotherapy. The total ORR was 21.3 %, DCR was 55.3%, PFS 4.5 months and OS 12.6 months. No significant difference was found between arms A and AP in terms of ORR （16.7% vs. 26.1%, P=0.665） or DCR （55.3% vs. 56.5%, P=0.871）. The median PFS in arm A was 3.3 months [25-75% confidence interval （CI）： 3.1-7.2] and 5.5 months （25-75% CI： 3.2-7.0） in arm AP with no statistical significance （P=0.640）. The median OS in arm A was 12.6 months （25-75% CI： 5.7-26.2） and 15.1 months （25-75% CI： 6.4-35.3） in arm AP with no statistical significance （P=0.770）. The side effects were mainly grade 1-2. The incidence of grade 3-4 toxicities was 29.1% in arm A and 62.5% in arm AP with a statistical significance （P=0.020）. Conclusions： Compared with combined therapy, abraxane alone chemotherapy was beneficial for elderly NSCLC patients with better tolerability and less adverse events, whereas did not significantly differ in terms of ORR, DCR, PFS or OS.

Weekly albumin-bound paclitaxel/cisplatin versus gemcitabine/cisplatin as first-line therapy for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer:A phase II open-label clinical study

Objective: The aim of this trial was to compare both the efficacy and the safety of a weekly nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel(nab-paclitaxel) plus cisplatin vs. gemcitabine plus cisplatin in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods: A total of 84 participants received either 100 mg/m^2 nab-paclitaxel each week on d 1, 8 and 15 of a 28 day cycle, as well as cisplatin 75 mg/m^2 on d 1 every three weeks(nab-TP arm); or gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m^2 on d 1 and 8, plus cisplatin 75 mg/m^2 on d 1 every three weeks(GP arm). The primary end point was progression-free survival(PFS). The secondary end points were overall response rate(ORR) and overall survival(OS).Results: According to our analysis, the median PFS was 4.8 months for the nab-TP arm vs. 5.2 months for the GP arm(P=0.55). Analysis showed the median OS was 14.6 months for participants who were in the nab-TP arm vs. 15.1 months for those in the GP arm(P=0.94). Besides, nab-TP showed OS advantages over GP in patients harboring epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) mutation(26.7 vs. 15.3 months, P=0.046) and patients with a performance status of 0(23.5 vs. 14.7 months, P=0.020). It was found that incidences of drug-related grade 3 or 4 toxicities were comparable between the two treatment arms.Conclusions: Therefore, it can be seen that weekly nab-TP treatment has a similar efficacy and tolerability to GP treatment for patients who are undergoing their first-line treatment for NSCLC. It could be that survival differences among platinum doublets in the context of both EGFR mutation and performance status have the potential to be the basis for our further clinical trials.

Role of radiation therapy in neoadjuvant era in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer

Surgery remains the primary determinant of cure in patients with localized rectal cancer, and total mesorectal excision is now widely accepted as standard of care. The widespread implementation of neoadjuvant shortcourse radiotherapy (RT) or long-course chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has reduced local recurrence rates from 25% to 40% to less than 10%; Preoperative RT in resectable rectal cancer has a number of potential advantages, most importantly reducing local recurrence, and down-staging effect. In this article making a comprehensive literature review searching the reliable medical data bases of PubMed and Cochrane we present all available information on the role of radiation therapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy in preoperative setting of rectal cancer. Data reported show that in locally advanced rectal cancer the addition of radiation therapy or CRT pre surgically has significantly improved sphincter prevention surgery. Moreover, the addition of chemotherapy to radiation therapy in preoperative setting has significantly improved pathologic complete response rate and loco-regional control rate without improvement in sphincter preserving surgery. Finally, the results of recently published randomized trials have shown a significant improvement of prevs postoperative CRT on local control; however, there was no effect on overall survival.

Combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel,cisplatin and fluorouracil for patients with advanced and metastatic gastric or esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma:a multicenter prospective study

Objective： To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the combination regimen of paclitaxel, cisplatin and 5-FU （PCF） as first-line or second-line therapy in patients with advanced gastric and esophagogastric junction （EGJ） adenocarcinoma in China. Methods： The patients were treated with paclitaxel 150 mg/m2 on dl; fractionated cisplatin 15 mg/m2 and continuous infusion 5-FU 600 mg/（mLd） intravenously on d 1-d5 of a 21-d cycle until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. Results： Seventy-five patients have been enrolled, among which, 41 received PCF regimen as the first-line therapy （group A） and 34 received the regimen as the second-line therapy （group B） with the median age of 59 years old and Karnofsky performance status （KPS） score 〉80. Toxicities were analyzed in all 75 patients. Seventy-one patients were evaluable for efficacy. The median overall survival （mOS） was 12.0 months （95% CI： 7.9-16.2 months） in group A and 7.3 months （95% CI： 4.3-10.3 months） in group B, respectively. The median progression-free survival （mPFS） was 5.7 months （95% CI： 4.1-7.2 months） and 5.0 months （95% CI： 3.1-6.9 months）, respectively. The response rate （CR^PR） was 40% （16/40; 95% CI： 24.9-56.7%） in group A and 22.6% （7/31; 95% CI： 9.6-41.1%） in group B. Major grade 3 or 4 adverse events include neutropenia （41.3 %）, febrile neutropenia （9.3 %）, nausea/anorexia （10.7%）, and vomiting （5.3 %）. There was no treatment-related death. Conclusions： The combination chemotherapy with PCF is active and tolerable as first-line and second- line therapy in Chinese patients with advanced gastric and EGJ adenocarcinoma. The response and survival of PCF are same as those of DCF, but the tolerance is much better.