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.

Experimental Design of Observational Studies in Real-World Study

Objective To introduce the design of observational trials under real-world study(RWS),and to provide guidance for clinical development of new research trials and reference for real-world researchers.Methods Relevant literature of RWS and observational experiments at home and abroad were reviewed and analyzed,and then the design of observational studies was summarized under RWS.Results and Conclusion The data and information provided in observational studies not only help to further verify the clinical study results obtained by randomized controlled trial(RCT)in clinical practice,but also objectively reflect the real situation in the process of clinical research and application.

Research on Retrospective Studies of Real-World Study and Its Selection Bias

Objective To provide references for improving the authenticity and reliability of the retrospective study results,thus improving the quality of evidence in the real world and strengthening drug supervision and decision-making.Methods Literature review was used to study the data sources,the characteristics of retrospective research,the sources and the corrections of selective bias in the real world.Results and Conclusion The biases in retrospective study mainly come from admission rate bias,patient rate bias,survivors bias,health user bias and symptom bias.

Efficacy and safety of lenvatinib for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A retrospective, real-world study conducted in China

BACKGROUND Lenvatinib has become an indispensable part of treatment regimens for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(aHCC).Several recent real-world studies appear to have confirmed this;however,there are etiological differences.This necessitates further real-world studies of lenvatinib across diverse populations,such as in China.AIM To investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in a Chinese HCC patient population under real-world conditions.METHODS This is a retrospective and multiregional study involving patients with aHCC receiving lenvatinib monotherapy.Efficacy was assessed using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1.Baseline characteristics and adverse events(AEs)were recorded throughout the entire study.RESULTS In total,54 HCC patients treated with lenvatinib monotherapy were included for final analysis.The objective response rate was 22%(n=12)with a progressionfree survival(PFS)of 168 d;however,AEs occurred in 92.8%of patients.Multivariate analysis showed that the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage[hazard ratio(HR)0.465;95%CI:0.23-0.93;P=0.031],portal vein tumor thrombus(HR 0.38;95%CI:0.15-0.94;P=0.037)and Child-Pugh classifications(HR 0.468;95%CI:and specificity(83.3%)of decreasing serum biomarkers including alphafetoprotein were calculated in order to predict tumor size reduction.Gene sequencing also provided insights into potential gene mutation signatures related to the effect of lenvatinib.CONCLUSION Our findings confirm previous evidence from the phase III REFLECT study.The majority of patients in this Chinese sample were suffering from concomitant hepatitis B virus-related HCC.However,further analysis suggested that baseline characteristics,changes in serum biomarkers and gene sequencing may hold the key for predicting lenvatinib responses.Further large-scale prospective studies that incorporate more basic medical science measures should be conducted.

Clinical outcomes of atezolizumab in combination with etoposide/platinum for treatment of extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer:A real-world,multicenter,retrospective,controlled study in China

Objective:Atezolizumab along with chemotherapy has prolonged the survival of patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer(ES-SCLC)worldwide,although real-world(RW)data are lacking in China.This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and clinical outcomes of atezolizumab plus etoposide/platinum(EP).Methods:Data obtained in this retrospective study were captured from six oncology units of five medical facilities from January 2019 to April 2022.For first-line treatments,atezolizumab combined with EP vs.EP alone,we primarily evaluated progression-free survival(PFS);other efficacy indicators,including overall survival(OS),objective response rate(ORR),and patterns of SCLC progression and adverse events(AEs)were assessed.Results:The primary analysis included data from 225 patients,of whom 133 received EP along with atezolizumab(atezolizumab group)and 92 received EP alone(EP group).The PFS duration of the atezolizumab group[7.10 months;95%confidence interval(95%CI),6.53-9.00]exceeded that of the EP group(6.50 months;95%CI,4.83-7.53).Overall,the hazard ratio(HR)was 0.69(95%CI,0.49-0.97)(P=0.029);particularly,the HR was 0.54(95%CI,0.36-0.80)among patients undergoing≥4 chemotherapy cycles and 0.33(95%CI,0.20-0.56)among individuals with atezolizumab maintenance.The ORR and disease-control rate(DCR)were similar between the two groups.Because of incomplete OS data,the median OS was not determined for either group.Bone marrow suppression was the most common AE detected(58.6%)in the atezolizumab group.Immune-related AEs occurred in 19 patients in the atezolizumab group(14.3%),with only one case of grade 3 encephalitis.Conclusions:This RW study in China demonstrated improved clinical outcomes of atezolizumab along with EP for ES-SCLC,particularly in the chemosensitive population.These results align with the results of the IMpower133 study,although the impact of this treatment modality on OS warrants additional follow-up studies.

Effectiveness of second-line anti-HER2 treatment in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients previously treated with trastuzumab:A real-world study

Objective:Several studies have demonstrated different benefits for patients whose disease progressed despite previous trastuzumab treatment.Due to limited real-world data,we evaluate the effectiveness of anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)therapy(lapatinib or trastuzumab)plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone in patients who were previously treated with trastuzumab-containing regimens and investigate factors associated with effectiveness.And we further show the effectiveness of the two anti-HER2 therapy groups.Methods:A total of 342 HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer(MBC)patients whose disease progressed during prior anti-HER2(trastuzumab)and standard chemotherapy therapy from Department of Breast Oncology,the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital,from August 2010 to December 2016 were included.Seventy-eight patients received standard chemotherapy only,148 patients continued to receive trastuzumab and switched to other chemotherapy drugs,and 116 patients received tyrosine-kinase inhibitors(TKIs;lapatinib)and chemotherapy.The main outcome measures were progression-free survival(PFS),overall response rate(ORR),and clinical benefit rate(CBR).Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify patient characteristics associated with the greatest clinical benefit.Results:After a median follow-up of 26.2(range,2.0-56.0)months,PFS significantly improved with anti-HER2 therapy compared with chemotherapy alone:median 6.0 months with lapatinib[95%confidence interval(95%CI),4.53-7.47],4.5 months with trastuzumab(95%CI,3.99-5.01)vs.3.0 months with chemotherapy alone(95%CI,2.42-3.58);stratified hazard ratio(HR)=0.70,95%CI,0.60-0.81;P<0.0001.The ORR values were 33.6%,25.0%and 12.8%,respectively,the CBR values were 60.3%,48.6%and 26.9%,respectively.The effectiveness of lapatinib group and trastuzumab group were further analyzed.In multivariate analysis,lapatinib group was associated with a longer PFS,after controlling other potential confounders(HR=0.68,95%CI,0.52-0.90;P=0.006).Conclusions:The combination of TKIs and chemotherapy was effective in this cohort previously treated with trastuzumab treatment.Therefore,TKIs combined with chemotherapy is an option for Chinese HER2-positive MBC patients previously treated with trastuzumab treatment.

Real-world 10-year retrospective study of the guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of primary liver cancer in China

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) is a common malignant tumor worldwide. Many regions across the world have issued various HCC diagnosis and treatment protocols to improve the diagnosis and targeted treatment of patients with HCC. However, real-world studies analysing the practice, application value, and existing problems of the China Liver Cancer(CNLC) staging system are scarce.AIM To analyze the current situation and problems associated with the Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer in China.METHODS We collected the medical records of all patients with HCC admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2019, and recorded the hospitalization information of those patients until December 31, 2020. All information on the diagnosis and treatment of the target patients was recorded, and their demographic and sociological characteristics, CNLC stages, screening situations, and treatment methods and effects were analyzed. The survival status of the patients was obtained from follow-up data.RESULTS This study included the medical records of 3022 patients with HCC. Among these cases, 304 patients were screened before HCC diagnosis;their early-stage diagnosis rate was 69.08%, which was significantly higher than that of patients with HCC who were diagnosed without screening and early detection(33.74%). Herein, patients with no clinical outcome at discharge were followed up, and the survival information of 1128 patients was obtained. A Cox model was used to analyse independent risk factors affecting overall survival, which were revealed as age > 50 years, no screening, alpha-fetoprotein > 400 ng/mL, Child–Pugh grade B, and middle and late CNLC stages. Based on the Cox model survival analysis, in our study, patients with HCC identified via screening had significant advantages in overall and tumorfree survival after hepatectomy.CONCLUSION Early diagnosis and treatment can be achieved by screening groups at high risk for HCC based on the guidelines;however, real-world compliance is poor.

The applications of Bayesian models in real-world studies of traditional Chinese medicine:a primer

Real-world study is valuable for traditional Chinese medicine.However,there are no gold standards of statistical approaches for analyzing data from real-world study of traditional Chinese medicine.With the development of computer technology,researchers have increasingly paid attention to Bayesian statistics in the biomedical field.In present study,real-world study and Bayesian statistics were introduced.It was discussed that why and when to use Bayesian analysis and the challenge in the real-world study of traditional Chinese medicine.

Effectiveness of an amino acid beverage formulation in diarrheapredominant irritable bowel syndrome:A pragmatic real-world study

BACKGROUND Amino-acid based medical foods have shown promise in alleviating symptoms of drug induced gastrointestinal side effects;particularly,diarrhea-predominant symptoms.Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)is a gastrointestinal disorder that affects up to 9% of people globally,with diarrhea predominant IBS(IBS-D)being the most prevalent subtype.Further trials are needed to explore potential added benefits when integrated into standard care for IBS-D.AIM To assess the effectiveness of an amino acid-based medical food as an adjunct to standard of care for adults with IBS-D.METHODS This is a pragmatic,real world,open label,single arm study comparing a 2-week baseline assessment to a 2-week intervention period.One hundred adults,aged 18 to 65 years,with IBS-D,according to Rome IV criteria,were enrolled after completing a 2-week baseline assessment period and received a 2-week supply of an amino acid based medical food which was consumed at home twice daily on top of their standard of care.The primary outcome was an assessment of tolerability after 2-weeks of consumption,while secondary outcomes included changes in stool consistency(Bristol Stool Form Scale),severity of abdominal pain&discomfort,symptoms of urgency,Global Improvement Survey(GIS),and the IBS severity scoring system(IBS-SSS).RESULTS The test product was well-tolerated as each participant successfully completed the full 14-day trial,and there were no instances of dropouts or discontinuation of the study product reported.Forty percent of participants achieved a 50% or more reduction in the number of days with type 6-7 bowel movements(IBS-D stool consistency responders).Fifty-three percent of participants achieved a clinically meaningful reduction of 30% in mean weekly pain scores,and 55%experienced the same for mean weekly discomfort scores(IBS-D pain and discomfort responders).Participants experienced a mean-109.4(95% confidence interval:-130.1,-88.8)point reduction on the IBS-SSS and 52% experienced a minimally clinically important difference of>95 points.An IBS-SSS category shift from severe to moderate or mild occurred in 69% of participants.For functional symptoms,76% of participants reported symptom relief on the GIS.CONCLUSION The amino acid-based medical food was well-tolerated,when added to the standard of care,and demonstrated improvements in both overall IBS symptom severity and IBS-D symptoms within just 2 wk.

Real-World Study on the Treatment of Macular Edema in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion Using Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)and Its Medication Guidelines

Object:The aim is to evaluate how effective Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)is in treating patients who have central retinal vein occlusion with macular edema(CRVO-ME)in a real-world study.Furthermore,the objective of the research was to examine the TCM prescription trends in the management of CRVO-ME.Method:A single-center real-world study(RWS)was carried out over a span of 19 years,following the established design.The study encompassed 113 patients diagnosed with CRVO-ME.Out of these,74 patients received TCM treatment,while the remaining individuals underwent a combined therapy involving TCM and anti-VEGF drugs through intravitreal injection.The patients were matched using propensity score matching(PSM).The result measured in the RWS was BCVA.The oral prescriptions for CRVO-ME that led to observable and effective outcomes were collected.Excel and the TCM Inheritance Auxiliary Platform V2.5 were utilized to optimize mutual information,hierarchical clustering based on entropy,and other techniques to extract medication regulations and features.Result:After applying PSM,each group comprised 29 cases.Both groups exhibited improved BCVA following treatment;however,there was no statistically significant distinction in BCVA or effectiveness between the two groups(all P>0.05).Apart from the analysis of oral prescriptions for CRVO-ME,the investigation pinpointed the most frequently used TCMs,namely Flos Carthami,Semen Persicae,Radix Angelica sinensis,Radix Rehmanniae,and Radix et Rhizoma Notoginseng.Frequently utilized medications tended to possess cold,warm,or mild attributes and exhibited a taste profile that was either bitter or sweet.The primary meridians associated with the medicines employed in treating CRVO-ME were liver,spleen,stomach,heart,and lung.Through the application of association rule analysis,it was discerned that there were 195 commonly employed combinations of medicines.Additionally,a complex system entropy cluster analysis unveiled 13 key combinations of medicines.By employing an unsupervised entropy hierarchical clustering analysis,a novel prescription was formulated.Conclusion:Within a real-world population of CRVO-ME patients,TCM exhibited its effectiveness.The treatment approach for CRVO-ME predominantly involved the regulation of qi(Qi is an exceedingly subtle substance within the human body,brimming with vitality and ceaseless motion.It constitutes the fundamental element that shapes and sustains the various processes of human life.)and blood as well as the resolution of dampness.The oral prescriptions frequently targeted the meridians of liver,spleen,stomach,heart,and lungs.

Acupuncture for stroke cohort construction:a protocol describing a multicenter,prospective,real-world cohort construction study

Background:Acupuncture for stroke has been endorsed by the World Health Organization,and the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke 2018 lists acupuncture for stroke as a Level II recommendation with Level B evidence.The efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke needs to be approved by more high-quality studies.However,there are currently no real-world studies of acupuncture for stroke.Methods:Stroke patients who meet the study criteria and are hospitalized from February 2021 to March 2022 in 23 medical institutions across China,including the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Chinese Medicine.The number of patients planned to be recruited is 3,000.Due to the impact of COVID-19,we have applied to the competent authorities for an extension(recruit patients until December 2022).Basic patient information and treatment information will be registered at admission,at discharge,and on the following dates after the onset of the disease:90±7 days,180±7 days,and 360±7 days after the onset of the disease.Establish a database for statistical analysis.Discussion:This study proposes to conduct a prospective cohort study of acupuncture intervention for stroke in a real-world medical setting.Analysis of the effect pattern of acupuncture intervention on the recovery of neurological function system and swallowing disorder in stroke patients.Evaluate the long-term effects of acupuncture intervention for stroke and recurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.

Discussion on the Application of Real-World Study in the Inheritance and Development of Empirical Prescriptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Objective To study the research on real-world data and to provide new ideas and methods for the inheritance and development of empirical prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).Methods The disadvantages of using randomized controlled trials for empirical prescriptions of TCM and the advantages of using real-world study(RWS)were analyzed by summarizing the previous RWS and the empirical prescriptions.Meanwhile,the methods for marketing of new TCMs derived from empirical prescriptions of TCM,the data source and trial design of the RWS were discussed.Results and Conclusion RWS can provide new ideas for the listing of new TCMs.With the improvement of relevant laws and regulations,RWS will promote the development of TCM greatly.To promote the application of RWS in the inheritance and development of empirical prescriptions of TCM,the government should improve laws and regulations as soon as possible,and enterprises and research institutions should strengthen patient privacy protection and clarify the responsible parties.

Real-world clinical efficacy of tofacitinib in moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis

Tofacitinib is an oral small-molecule Janus kinase(JAK)inhibitor that preferentially inhibits JAK1 and JAK3.Its efficacy in inducing and maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis(UC)as well as its safety profile has been demonstrated in multicenter,randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled trials.Additionally,real-world studies evaluating the effectiveness and adverse effects of tofacitinib have been conducted,affirming its clinical efficacy in moderate-to-severe UC.

Pyrotinib in HER2 heterogeneously mutated or amplified advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients:a retrospective real-world study(PEARL)

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)amplification or activating mutations are found in 1.6%–4%of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Pyrotinib has been reported to have better potency in NSCLC patients with HER2 exon 20 insertion(ex20ins)mutations;however,more clinical evidence is urgently needed to guide pyrotinib-based therapy in NSCLC with HER2 amplification or heterogeneous mutations.We retrospectively analyzed advanced NSCLC patients with HER2 amplification or mutations who were treated with pyrotinib-based therapy between September 25,2018 and October 30,2020 in our hospital.Molecular dynamics simulation was used to explore the bioactive conformation and binding mechanisms of pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs)including pyrotinib for different HER2 ex20ins variants.In this study,79 eligible patients were included with 70 ex20ins variants,6 missense mutations and 3 primary HER2 amplifications identified.A775_G776insYVMA insertion was the most common observed subtype.The median progression-free survival(mPFS)was 5.8(95%CI:4.1–7.4)months.Use of pyrotinib-based therapy in first-/second-line settings showed a significantly better prognosis than that observed in third-line settings or above(mPFS:9.1 vs.4.4 months;P=0.0003).Compared with HER2 amplification and exon 20 non-YVMA insertion variants,patients with HER2 missense mutations had a visible mPFS benefit(12.2 vs.6.8 vs.5.2 months).Computational docking simulations revealed that pyrotinib failed to interact with the specific insertion variant P780_Y781insGSP.These results indicated that pyrotinib-based therapy exhibited good anti-tumor activity and acceptable safety profile in HER2-altered advanced NSCLC.

Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes and Treatment Laws of Diabetic Kidney Disease and the Action Mechanism of High-Frequency Chinese Herbs in the Treatment of Diabetic Kidney Disease Based on Real-World Study

Objective Our objective was to analyze the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome and treatment laws of diabetic kidney disease(DKD)and the action mechanism of high-frequency Chinese herbs in the treatment of DKD based on realworldstudy.MethodsThe data of patients with DKD who had been treated in the First Hospital Affiliated to Henan Universityof ChineseMedicine from January1,2014to December 31,2021 were retrospectively analyzed through the hospital information management system.The contents of the cases were statistically analyzed using IBM SPsS Statistics 25 software,and the laws of DKDtreatment were summarized.Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to analyze the action mechanism of high-frequency Chinese herbs in the treatment of DKD.ResultsThe data of a total of 1,201 patients with DKD were included,involving 72 kinds of TCM syndromes.Nine disease nature elements and six disease location elements were extracted,involving 405 Chinese herbs.The top five high-frequency Chinese herbs were Baizhu(Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma),Fuling(Poria),Huangqi(Astragali Radix),Chuanxiong(Chuanxiong Rhizoma),and Danshen(Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma).Thirty kinds of Chinese herbs with the frequency of≥100 were mainly deficiency-tonifying herbs and blood-activating and stasis-eliminating herbs.The medicinal properties were mainly warm and mild,and the medicinal flavors were sweet and bitter mostly.For the meridian tropism,the main meridian tropism of these herbs is spleen meridian and lung meridian.The clustering method.

Impact of crizotinib on long-term survival of ALK-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A Chinese multicenter cohort study

Objective: Crizotinib has demonstrated promising efficacy in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase(ALK)-positive non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC) in clinical trials. We conducted this retrospective multicenter study to assess the outcomes of crizotinib therapy in, to our knowledge, a large sample cohort of patients with ALKpositive advanced NSCLC.Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 484 unselected ALK-positive NSCLC patients treated with crizotinib at 5 cancer centers in China from January 2013 to November 2017. Clinical data were collected from the initiation of crizotinib therapy to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors(RECIST)-defined progressive disease(PD).Results: A total of 428 eligible ALK-positive NSCLC patients were enrolled, 273(63.8%) of whom received crizotinib as first-line treatment. The median progression-free survival(PFS) and overall survival(OS) from the initiation of crizotinib treatment were 14.4 [95% confidence interval(95% CI), 12.4-16.4] months and 53.4(95%CI, 33.7-73.1) months, respectively. In subgroup analyses, patients who received crizotinib as first-line treatment showed a higher disease control rate(DCR) and a longer median OS compared with second-/later-line crizotinib treatment(94.8% and OS not reached vs. 89.0% and 40.5 months, respectively). For 261 patients with RECISTdefined PD, multivariate Cox analysis revealed that in patients who received first-line crizotinib therapy, continued crizotinib beyond progressive disease(CBPD) and next-generation ALK inhibitors after crizotinib failure were associated with improved survival.Conclusions: This study has demonstrated the clinically meaningful benefit of crizotinib treatment in a large cohort of Chinese ALK-positive NSCLC patients. CBPD and next-generation ALK inhibitor treatment may provide improved survival after RECIST-defined progression on crizotinib.

Current Situation and Prospect of the Application of Real-World Evidence in Health Care

Objective To summarize the application of real-world evidence(RWE)in the medical and healthcare field of various countries,including relevant policies,application scenarios and application methods.Methods Relevant policies and application scenarios were obtained by consulting the official websites and public documents of various countries’healthcare institutions.Systematic literature retrieval was adopted to search PubMed,EMBASE,Cochrane Library,CNKI,CBM and Wanfang databases,and all papers related to real-world study and application were included.Then,these papers were classified and analyzed by country and application method.Results and Conclusion The RWE was mainly applied to supporting the preliminary approval of a new drug,expanding drug indications,accelerating approval or supporting conditional marketing authorizations and drug safety evaluation,etc.The United Kingdom,the United States,Germany,the Netherlands,Italy,Sweden,and France admitted RWE,but they treated the data obtained from RWE with caution.After systematic literature retrieval,a total of 701 articles were obtained,including relevant studies from 36 countries,among which the United States published 264 in total.The most common study was about using real-world data(RWD)to calculate treatment-related costs,which had a total of 259 studies.Secondly,158 articles were used for epidemiological analysis.Then,138 articles were about establishing risk models to analyze disease risk factors.A total of 70 articles were real-world efficacy evaluation of the drug treatment schemes,54 articles were about pharmacoeconomic evaluation with RWD as parameters.A total of 29 articles used RWD to build predictive models,and 15 articles used RWD to evaluate the health-related quality of life in patients.The application of RWE has been used widely in the medical and healthcare field of various countries.The application scenarios are gradually diversified,the application methods of RWD become mature,and the evidence quality of RWE is also improved greatly.

Adrenocorticotropic hormone combined with magnesium sulfate therapy for infantile epileptic spasms syndrome:a real-world study

Background Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome(IESS)is a serious disease in infants,and it usually evolves to other epilepsy types or syndromes,especially refractory or super-refractory focal epilepsies.Although adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH)is one of the first-line and effective treatment plans for IESS,it has serious side effects and is not sufficiently effective.Methods A retrospective study of the clinical outcomes of ACTH combined with magnesium sulfate(MgSO_(4))therapy for IESS in two hospital centers was conducted.The major outcome of the single and combined treatment was evaluated by changes in seizure frequency and improvements in hypsarrhythmia electroencephalography(EEG).To reduce the confounding bias between the two groups,we used SPSS for the propensity score matching(PSM)analysis.Results We initially recruited 1205 IESS patients from two Chinese hospitals and treated them with ACTH combined with MgSO_(4) and ACTH alone.Only 1005 patients were enrolled in the treatment(ACTH combined with MgSO_(4):744,ACTH:261),and both treatment plans had a more than 55% response rate.However,compared to patients treated with ACTH alone,those patients treated with ACTH combined with MgSO_(4) had better performance in terms of the seizure frequency and hypsarrhythmia EEG.After PSM,the two groups also showed significant differences in responder rate[70.8%(95% confidence interval,CI)=66.7%–74.8%)vs.53.8%(95%CI=47.4%–60.2%),P<0.001],seizure frequency(P<0.001)and hypsarrhythmia EEG resolution(P<0.001).Notably,multivariate analysis revealed that the lead time to treatment and the number of antiseizure medications taken before treatment were two factors that may affect the clinical outcome.Patients with less than 3 months of lead time responded to the treatment much better than those with>3 months(P<0.05).In addition,the overall incidence of adverse reactions in the ACTH combined with MgSO_(4) group was much lower than that in the ACTH group(31.4%vs.63.1%,P<0.001).During the treatment,only infection(P=0.045)and hypertension(P=0.025)were significantly different between the two groups,and no baby died.Conclusion Our findings support that ACTH combined with MgSO_(4) is a more effective short-term treatment protocol for patients with IESS than ACTH alone,especially for those patients with short lead times to treatment.

The real-world study of the clinical characteristics,diagnosis,and treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer in China

Objective:Real-world diagnostic and treatment data for pancreatic cancer in China are lacking.As such,the present study investigated the clinical characteristics,diagnosis,and treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer(including locally advanced and metastatic disease)in the Hospital-based Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Cohort in China of the China Pancreas Data Center database.Methods:A total of 5349 Chinese patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were identified from a database.The entire course of real-world pancreatic cancer management was analyzed.Results:The proportion of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer was higher among males than females(62.4%vs 37.6%,respectively).Patients typically had a history of hypertension(30.8%),diabetes(21.6%),and cholangitis(20.2%).Abdominal pain(51.6%),abdominal distension(27.1%),jaundice(20.1%),and weight loss(16.3%)were the main symptoms observed in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer in this cohort.Serum carbohydrate antigen(CA)19-9 is one of the most common tumor markers.In the present study,2562 patients underwent first-line therapy.The median progression-free survival(PFS)for patients undergoing first-line therapy was 4.1 months.The major options for first-line therapy included gemcitabine(GEM)plus S-1(GS/X)(23.4%),nab-paclitaxel plus GEM(AG)(18.1%),oxaliplatin,irinotecan,and leucovorin-modulated fluorouracil(FOLFIRINOX;11.9%),nab-paclitaxel plus S-1(AS)(8.9%),and GEM combined with oxaliplatin/cisplatin(GEMOX/GP)(7.6%).The AS and GS/X regimens were associated with the highest PFS rates.Conclusion:This is the first study to report multicenter,real-world data regarding advanced pancreatic cancer in China.Results revealed that real-world treatment options differed from guideline recommendations,and PFS was shorter than that in previously reported data.Improving intelligent follow-up systems and standardizing diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer is recommended.

Effectiveness of Acupoint Application in Patients with Pharyngeal Pain: Evidence from CHUNBO, A Prospective Real-World Study

Objective: To assess the outcomes after acupoint application in patients with pharyngeal pain in a real-world settings, and analyze the characteristics of effective population and prescription characteristics of acupoint application. Methods: Based on CHUNBO platform, patients with pharyngeal pain who were candidates for acupoint application on the basis of physician-evaluation, were enrolled in a nationwide, prospective, 69-week multicenter observational study from August 2020 to February 2022. Propensity score matching(PSM) was used to match the confounding factors and the association rules were used to analyze the characteristics of effective population and prescription characteristics of acupoint application. Outcome assessments included the disappearance rate of pharyngeal pain(within 3, 7, and 14 days), disappearance time of pharyngeal pain, as well as adverse events. Results: Of 7,699 enrolled participants, 6,693(86.9%) received acupoint application and 1,450(21.7%) with non-acupoint application. After PSM, there were 1,004 patients each in the application group(AG) and non-application group(NAG). The disappearance rate of pharyngeal pain in the AG at 3, 7, and 14 days were all higher than those in the NAG(P<0.05). The disappearance time of pharyngeal pain in the AG were shorter than that in the NAG(logrank P<0.001, hazard ratio=1.51, 95% confidence interval: 1.41–1.63). The median age of effective cases was 4 years, mainly 3–6 years old(40.21%). The disappearance rate of pharyngeal pain in the application group with tonsil diseases was 2.19 times higher than that in the NAG(P<0.05). The commonly used acupoints for the effective cases were Tiantu(RN 22), Shenque(RN 8) and Dazhui(DU 14). The commonly used herbs for the effective cases were Natrii sulfas, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, and Herba Ephedrae. Among them, Natrii sulfas was applied to RN 8 most frequently(support 84.39%). A total of 1,324(17.2%) patients experienced AEs, and mainly occurred in the AG, with significant difference in the incidence of AEs between goups(P<0.05). All AEs reported were the first grade, and the average regression time of AEs was 2.8 days. Conclusions: Acupoint application in patients with pharyngeal pain resulted in improved effective rate and shortened duration, especially children aged 3–6 years old, and those with tonsil diseases. Acupoint of RN 22, RN 8 and DU 14, herbs of Natrii sulfas, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, and Herba Ephedrae were the most commonly used in the treatment of pharyngeal pain.