新冠是个"好老师"——记与一位老癌友的对话

这是一位70多岁的老癌友,我们姑且称呼他为"康健"吧.我与康先生10年前相识.那时,他刚刚做完结肠癌手术,在肿瘤内科规规矩矩做完了全部化疗,过了3年还算平稳的日子.第3个年头上,他一直提心吊胆害怕发生的厄运还是降临了——CT报告显示有肝转移.好在发现早,是一个直径仅有2厘米的单独病灶,适合手术.如今,距他肝转移癌切除手术又过去七八年了,他每年都复查,没有复发转移的迹象,是一位癌症幸存者.

个体化预测老年下咽癌术后吞咽障碍的风险列线图模型的建立及验证

目的探究老年下咽癌术后吞咽障碍的危险因素,以便于临床能够针对性制定防治措施。方法收集2013年1月至2020年9月进入我院进行手术治疗的70例老年下咽癌患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析,根据吞咽障碍的发生情况将所选患者分为正常组和吞咽障碍组,发生吞咽障碍的独立危险因素选择Logistic回归进行分析,并建立老年下咽癌术后吞咽障碍的风险列线图模型。结果所选70例老年下咽癌患者有41例患者术后发生吞咽障碍,发生率为58.57%。由单因素分析结果可知,吞咽障碍组与正常组年龄、抽烟史、手术方式、肿瘤T分期及术后放疗情况的差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,年龄、抽烟史、手术方式、肿瘤T分期及术后放疗为老年下咽癌患者接受手术治疗后发生吞咽障碍的独立危险因素(P<0.05),且与老年下咽癌患者接受手术治疗后发生吞咽障碍高度相关。基于年龄、抽烟史、手术方式、肿瘤T分期及术后放疗等5项老年下咽癌患者术后吞咽障碍的独立危险因素,建立预测老年下咽癌患者术后吞咽障碍风险列线图模型,并对该模型进行验证,预测值和实测值基本一致,表明本研究的列线图预测模型的预测能力良好,同时本研究使用Bootstrap内部验证法对老年下咽癌患者术后吞咽障碍的列线图模型进行验证,C-index指数达0.899(95%CI:0.863~0.935),表明本研究列线图模型的精准度和区分度良好。结论年龄、抽烟史、手术方式、肿瘤T分期及术后放疗为老年下咽癌患者接受手术治疗后发生吞咽障碍的独立危险因素,所建立的列线图模型预测能力和区分度良好,临床上可以据此采取针对性的措施对吞咽障碍进行防治。

贝伐单抗联合化疗治疗晚期老年肺腺癌的临床疗效

目的:分析贝伐单抗联合化疗治疗晚期老年肺腺癌的临床疗效。方法:2019年1月-2020年1月收治晚期老年肺腺癌患者84例,随机分为两组,各42例。对照组采用化疗方式治疗;观察组采用贝伐单抗联合化疗治疗。比较两组治疗效果。结果:观察组治疗有效率及治疗1年后存活率均高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。两组毒副作用发生率比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:贝伐单抗联合化疗治疗晚期老年肺腺癌,可有效提高治疗有效率,并且能够提高远期生存率,但毒副作用发生率较高,需酌情使用。

Transdermal Fentanyl for Management of Cancer Pain in Elderly Patients in China

Objective: Objective: To assess the effect and adverse effects of transdermal fentanyl for elderly patients with cancer pain in China. Methods: A total of 1664 elderly patients (aged 65-90 with mean age of 72.6) with cancer pain enrolled in the multicenter study from 136 institutes in China. Of them, 408 (28.8%) patients were 75 years old or older. All patients received transdermal fentanyl for the management of cancer pain. The patients were asked to record the attacks of pain, quality of life, and any side effects of the treatment. Results: Baseline mean of pain intensity was 7.34. On day 1, 3, 6, 9 15, and 30, the pain mean scores were decreased to 3.82, 2.80, 2.43, 2.11, 1.83, 1.64 (P=0.000). The effective rate was 97.18%. The mean doses of fentanyl was 31.34 g/h (25-150 g/h) initially, and 40.59 g/h and 47.50 g/h (25-200 g/h) at day 15 and day 30. At treatment day 15, the dose of fentanyl was ranger from 25 to 50 g/h in 91.8% of patients, 75 to 100 g/h in 7.5% patients, and 125 to 200 g/h only in 0.8% patients. The fine quality of life was in 25.4% patients before treatment, and was 71.15% and 73.04% at day 15 and day 30 respectively (P=0.0000). The common side effects were constipation (10.70%), nausea (11.96%), dizzy (6.85%), vomiting (3.85%), sedation (2.40%), Respiratory depression (0.12%). 86.2% patients preferred continue treated by transdermal fentanyl. Conclusions: Transdermal fentanyl for the elderly with cancer pain is effective, safe, convenient, and can improve the quality of life. Transdermal fentanyl can be recommended as a first-line drug for the treatment of elderly patients with moderate to severe cancer pain, and the initial doses is recommended as 25 g/h.

Treatment of Small Liver Cancer in the Elderly-a Report of 52 Cases

Objective： To investigate the method and efficacy of small liver cancer treatment in the elderly. Methods： Fifty-two cases of elderly small liver cancer patients were treated. Their age ranged from 70 to 82 years with a mean of 74.2. Of all the patients, 90% also had liver cirrhosis and 70% had concomitant chronic disorders of other organs. Fifteen subjects underwent surgery while the remaining 37 cases opted for non-surgical treatment. Results： No deaths occurred as a result of surgery and there were no severe complications after surgery. The 1-, 3- and 5- survival rates after surgery were 93.3%, 80.0% and 66.7%, respectively, and those for non-surgical group were 89.2%, 70.2% and 53.8%, respectively. Conclusion： Surgical resection is still the treatment of choice, but its indication should be strictly followed. Combination with other localized treatment methods may further improve treatment efficacy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in Egypt: A single center study over a decade

AIM： To identify the trend, possible risk factors and any pattern change of hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） in Egypt over a decade. METHODS： All HCC patients attending Cairo Liver Center between January 1993 and December 2002, were enrolled in the study. Diagnosis of HCC was based on histopathological examination and/or detection of hepatic focal lesions by two imaging techniques plus α-fetoprotein level above 200 ng/mL. The duration of the study was divided into two periods of 5 years each; period Ⅰ （1993-1997） and period Ⅱ （1998-2002）. Trend, demographic features of patients （age, gender, and residence）, risk factors （HBsAg, HCV-Ab, schistosomiasis and others） and pattern of the focal lesions were compared between the two periods. Logistic regression model was fitted to calculate the adjusted odds ratios for the potential risk factors. The population attributable risk percentage was calculated to estimate the proportion of HCC attributed to hepatitis B and C viral infections. RESULTS： Over a decade, 1 328 HCC patients out of 22 450 chronic liver disease （CLD） patients were diagnosed with an overall proportion of 5.9%. The annual proportion of HCC showed a significant rising trend from 4.0% in 1993 to 7.2% in 2002 （P = 0.000）. A significant increase in male proportion from 82.5% to 87.6% （P = 0.009）; M/F from 5：1 to 7：1 and a slight increase of the predominant age group （40-59 years） from 62.6% to 66.8% （P = 0.387）in periods Ⅰ and Ⅱ respectively, reflecting a shift to younger age group. In the bivariate analysis, HCC was significantly higher in rural residents, patients with history of schistosomiasis and/or blood transfusion. Yet, after adjustment, these variables did not have a significant risk for development of HCC. There was a significant decline of HBsAg from 38.6% to 20.5% （P = 0.000）, and a slight increase of HCV-Ab from 85.6% to 87.9% in periods I and II respectively. HBV conferred a higher risk to develop HCC more than HCV in period Ⅰ （OR 1.9 vsl.6） and period Ⅱ （OR 2.7 vs 2.0）, but the relative contribution of HBV for development of HCC declined in period Ⅱ compared to period Ⅰ （PAR% 4.2%, 21.32%）. At presentation, diagnostic α-fetoprotein level （≥200 ng/mL） was demonstrated in 15.6% vs28.9% and small HCC （≤3 cm） represented 14,9% vs 22,7% （P = 0,0002） in periods Ⅰ and Ⅱ respectively. CONCLUSION： Over a decade, there was neady a twofold increase of the proportion of HCC among CLD patients in Egypt with a significant decline of HBV and slight increase of HCV as risk factors. α-Fetoprotein played a limited role in diagnosis of HCC, compared to imaging techniques. Increased detection of small lesions at presentation reflects increased awareness of the condition.

Capecitabine and irinotecan with and without bevacizumab for advanced colorectal cancer patients

AIM:To investigate the efficacy and safety of capecitabine plus irinotecan±bevacizumab in advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer patients. METHODS:Forty six patients with previously untreated,locally-advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer(mCRC) were recruited between 2001-2006 in a prospective open-label phaseⅡtrial,in German community-based outpatient clinics.Patients received a standard capecitabine plus irinotecan(CAPIRI) or CAPIRI plus bevacizumab(CAPIRI-BEV) regimen every 3 wk. Dose reductions were mandatory from the first cycle in cases of>grade 2 toxicity.The treatment choice of bevacizumab was at the discretion of the physician.Theprimary endpoints were response and toxicity and secondary endpoints included progression-free survival and overall survival. RESULTS:In the CAPIRI group vs the CAPRI-Bev group there were more female than male patients(47% vs 24%) ,and more patients had colon as the primary tumor site(58.8%vs 48.2%) with fewer patients having sigmoid colon as primary tumor site(5.9%vs 20.7%) .Grade 3/4 toxicity was higher with CAPIRI than CAPIRI-Bev:82%vs 58.6%.Partial response rates were 29.4%and 34.5%,and tumor control rates were 70.6%and 75.9%,respectively.No complete responses were observed.The median progression-free survival was 11.4 mo and 12.8 mo for CAPIRI and CAPIRI-Bev,respectively.The median overall survival for CAPIRI was 15 mo(458 d) and for CAPIRI-Bev 24 mo(733 d) .These differences were not statistically different.In the CAPIRI-Bev,group,two patients underwent a full secondary tumor resection after treatment,whereas in the CAPIRI group no cases underwent this procedure. CONCLUSION:Both regimens were well tolerated and offered effective tumor growth control in this outpatient setting.Severe gastrointestinal toxicities and thromboembolic events were rare and if observed were never fatal.

Actions of human telomerase beyond telomeres

Telomerase has fundamental roles in bypassing cellular aging and in cancer progression by maintaining telomere homeostasis and integrity. However, recent studies have led some investigators to suggest novel biochemical properties of telomerase in several essential cell signaling pathways without apparent involvement of its well established function in telomere maintenance. These observations may further enhance our understanding of the molecular actions of telomerase in aging and cancer. This review will provide an update on the extracurricular activities of telomerase in apoptosis, DNA repair, stern cell function, and in the regulation of gene expression.

Colonoscopic screening and follow-up for coiorectal cancer in the elderly

AIM: To improve the prevention and treatment of senile patients with colorectal cancer by evaluating the importance of colonoscopy in clinical screening and follow-up. METHODS: Clinical screening of colonoscopy was performed for 2196 patients aged 60-90 years old according to the protocol,and 1740 of them (79.2%) were followed-up. RESULTS: Colorectal cancer was found in 52 patients, and the detectable rate was 2.4%. Among them, 19 were diagnosed as early colorectal cancer, accounting for 36.5% of the detected colorectal cancer. Among the followed-up patients, early colorectal cancer was found in 9, accounting for 45.0% of the detected colorectal cancer. The resectable rate and 5 years survival rate of colorectal cancer were 97.7% and 80.9% respectively. The incidence of complication was 0.05%, and the successful rate of cecum intubation was 98.9%. CONCLUSION: Colonoscopic screening and follow-up of the elderly for colorectal cancer and pre-cancerous lesion (adenomatoid polyp) can increase the detectable rate of early colorectal cancer and improve its prevention and treatment.

Esophagectomy for locally advanced esophageal cancer, followed by chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy

AIM： To compare the efficacy and toxicity of a three-step combination therapy with post-operative radiation alone for locally advanced esophageal cancer.METHODS： Patients with T3-4 and N0-1 esophageal carcinoma from a number of institutions were non-randomly, prospectively enrolled in the study. All patients underwent single-stage curative en bloc esophagectomy. The patients were then assigned into one of two treatment groups based on treatment consisting of either post-operative concurrent chemoradiotherapy （CCRT） with weekly cisplatin 30 mg/m^2 followed by systemic adjuvant chemotherapy （four monthly cycles of cisplatin 20 mg/m^2 and 5-fluorouracil 1 000 mg/m^2 for five consecutive days）, or, post-operative radiation alone. The radiotherapy dose was 55-60 Gy for all patients. Primary end-point of this study was to assess the per-protocol patients＇ improvement of overall survival benefit. Secondary end-point was designed to evaluate both the per-protocol and intent-totreat patients＇ outcome of survival. RESULTS： A total of 60 patients （n=30 per group） were enrolled in this study. The two groups were generally comparable for demographic characteristics and hematological and non-hematological toxicities. The CCRT with weekly cisplatin was well tolerated, with significantly better overall survival （30.9 mo vs 20.7 mo; 95% CI, 27.5-36.4 vs 15.2-26.1） and 3-year survival （70.0% vs 33.7%; P=0.003）. Low histological grade of tumor （P〈0.001） was associated with favorable survival in these locally advanced patients. CONCLUSION： For locally advanced esophageal cancer, the combination of esophagectomy, post-operative CCRT with weekly cisplatin and systemic adjuvant chemotherapy is well tolerated and effective. A large-scale, prospective randomized trial of this regimen is in progress.

Aging related methylation influences the gene expression of key control genes in colorectal cancer and adenoma

AIM To analyze colorectal carcinogenesis and age-related DNA methylation alterations of gene sequences associated with epigenetic clock CpG sites. METHODS In silico DNA methylation analysis of 353 epigenetic clock Cp G sites published by Steve Horvath was performed using methylation array data for a set of 123 colonic tissue samples [64 colorectal cancer(CRC), 42 adenoma, 17 normal; GEO accession number: GSE48684]. Among the differentially methylated agerelated genes, secreted frizzled related protein 1(SFRP1) promoter methylation was further investigated in colonic tissue from 8 healthy adults, 19 normal children, 20 adenoma and 8 CRC patients using bisulfite-specific PCR followed by methylation-specific high resolution melting(MS-HRM) analysis. m RNA expression of age-related "epigenetic clock" genes was studied using Affymetrix HGU133 Plus2.0 whole transcriptome data of 153 colonic biopsy samples(49 healthy adult, 49 adenoma, 49 CRC, 6 healthy children)(GEO accession numbers: GSE37364, GSE10714, GSE4183, GSE37267). Whole promoter methylation analysis of genes showing inverse DNA methylationgene expression data was performed on 30 colonic samples using methyl capture sequencing.RESULTS Fifty-seven age-related Cp G sites including hypermethylated PPP1R16 B, SFRP1, SYNE1 and hypomethylated MGP, PIPOX were differentially methylated between CRC and normal tissues(P < 0.05, ?β≥ 10%). In the adenoma vs normal comparison, 70 CpG sites differed significantly, including hypermethylated DKK3, SDC2, SFRP1, SYNE1 and hypomethylated CEMIP, SPATA18(P < 0.05, ?β≥ 10%). In MS-HRM analysis, the SFRP1 promoter region was significantly hypermethylated in CRC(55.0% ± 8.4 %) and adenoma tissue samples(49.9% ± 18.1%) compared to normal adult(5.2% ± 2.7%) and young(2.2% ± 0.7%) colonic tissue(P < 0.0001). DNA methylation of SFRP1 promoter was slightly, but significantly increased in healthy adults compared to normal young samples(P < 0.02). This correlated with significantly increased SFRP1 m RNA levels in children compared to normal adult samples(P < 0.05). In CRC tissue the mR NA expression of 117 agerelated genes were changed, while in adenoma samples 102 genes showed differential expression compared with normal colonic tissue(P < 0.05, logF C > 0.5). The change of expression for several genes including SYNE1, CLEC3 B, LTBP3 and SFRP1, followed the same pattern in aging and carcinogenesis, though not for all genes(e.g., MGP). CONCLUSION Several age-related DNA methylation alterations can be observed during CRC development and progression affecting the m RNA expression of certain CRC- and adenoma-related key control genes.

Anticancer and cytotoxic properties of the latex of Calotropis procera in a transgenic mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM： To evaluate the anticancer property of the dried latex （DL） of Calotropis procera, a tropical medicinal plant, in the X15-myc transgenic mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma and to elucidate its mechanism of action in cell culture. METHODS： The young transgenic mice were orally fed with the aqueous suspension of DL （400 mg/kg for 5 d/wk） for 15 wk and their liver was examined for histopathological changes at 20 wk. Serum levels of vascu- lar endothelial growth factor （VEGF） were also measured in these animals. To characterize the active fraction, DL was extracted with petroleum ether followed by methanol. The methanolic extract was sub-fractionated on a silica gel G column using a combination of non-polar and polar solvents and eleven fractions were obtained. Each fraction was analysed for cytotoxic effect on hepatoma （Huh7） and non-hepatoma （COS-1） cell lines and nontransformed hepatocytes （AML12） using tetrazolium （MTT） assay. Finally, the mechanism of cell death was investigated by measuring the levels of Bcl2, caspase 3 and DNA fragmentation. RESULTS： DL treatment of mice showed a complete protection against hepatocarcinogenesis. No adverse effect was observed in these animals. The serum VEGF level was significantly lowered in the treated mice as compared to control animals. Cell culture studies revealed that the methanolic extract of DL as well as its fraction 8 induced extensive cell death in both Huh-7 and COS-1 cells while AML12 cells were spared. This was accompanied by extensive fragmentation of DNA in Huh-7 and COS-1 cells. No change in the levels of canonical markers of apoptosis such as Bcl2 and caspase 3 was observed. CONCLUSION： DL of C. procera has the potential for anti-cancer therapy due to its differentJable targets and non-interference with regular pathway of apoptosis.

Fumagillin treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in rats: An in vivo study of antiangiogenesis

AIM: To investigate the effect and possible mechanisms of antiangiogenesis therapy for HCC in rats.METHODS: Adult male LEW/SsN rats were divided into 3groups, 25 animals each. Group A was the control group.Groups B and C were given diethylnitrosamine, 5 mg/kg/d.In addition, group C rats received an intraperitoneal injection of fumagillin, 30 mg/(kg.d). Five animals in each group were killed at 6th, 12th, 18th, 20th and 24th wk to evaluate the development of HCC and metastasis. Weight of the rats, liver tumors, and number of organs involved by HCC were measured at each stage. We compared methionine aminopeptidase-2 (MetAP-2) mRNA, Bcl-2mRNA, telomerase mRNA, and telomerase activity at 24th wk in the liver tissue of group A rats and tumor tissue of HCC from group B and C rats.RESULTS: No HCC developed in group A, but tumors were present in group B and C rats by the 18th wk. At wk 20 and 24, the median liver weight in group B was 0.64 g (range:0.58-0.70 g) and 0.79 g (range: 0.70-0.90 g) (P = 0.04),and that in group C was 0.37 g (range: 0.35-0.42 g) and 0.39 g (range: 0.35-0.47 g) (P = 0.67). The liver weight in group C rats was significantly lower than that in group B rats (P = 0.009). At the same time, the median metastasis score (number of organ systems involved) was 3 (range2-3)in group B, and 1 (range 1-2) in group C, a significant difference between the groups (P = 0.007, 0.004). The levels of MetAP-2 mRNA were significantly higher in groups B and C than in group A (P = 0.025), and significantly higher in group C than in group B (P = 0.047). The level of Bcl-2 mRNA was significantly higher in group B than in group A (P = 0.024), but lower in group C than in group B, although not significantly (P = 0.072). Telomerase mRNA was significantly higher in group B than in group A (P = 0.025), but significantly lower in group C than in group B (P = 0.016). The same inter-group relationship was also true for telomerase activity (P = 0.025 and 0.046).CONCLUSION: Fumagillin effectively inhibits both liver tumor growth and metastasis in rats in vivo. A possible mechanism is fumagillin-induced inhibition of MetAP-2,which plays an essential role in endothelial cell proliferation.Inhibition of MetAP-2 also results in inhibition of Bcl-2and telomerase activity.

Surgery for gastric cancer patients of age 85 and older: Multicenter survey

To investigate the surgical therapies for gastric cancer (GC) patients of age 85 or older in a multicenter survey.METHODSTherapeutic opportunities for elderly GC patients have expanded in conjunction with extended life expectancy. However, the number of cases encountered in a single institution is usually very small and surgical therapies for elderly GC patients have not yet been standardized completely. In the present study, a total of 134 GC patients of age 85 or older who underwent surgery in 9 related facilities were retrospectively investigated. The relationships between surgical therapies and clinicopathological or prognostic features were analyzed.RESULTSEighty-nine of the patients (66%) presented with a comorbidity, and 26 (19% overall) presented with more than two comorbidities. Radical lymphadenectomy was performed in 59 patients (44%), and no patient received pre- or post-operative chemotherapy. Forty of the patients (30%) experienced perioperative complications, but no surgical or perioperative mortality occurred. Laparoscopic surgery was performed in only 12 of the patients (9.0%). Univariate and multivariate analyses of the 113 patients who underwent R0 or R1 resection identified the factors of pT3/4 and limited lymphadenectomy as predictive of worse prognosis (HR = 4.68, P = 0.02 and HR =2.19, P = 0.05, respectively). Non-cancer-specific death was more common in cStage I patients than in cStage II or III patients. Limited lymphadenectomy correlated with worse cancer-specific survival (P = 0.01), particularly in cStage II patients (P < 0.01). There were no relationships between limited lymphadenectomy and any comorbidities, except for cerebrovascular disease (P = 0.07).CONCLUSIONNon-cancer-specific death was not negligible, particularly in cStage I, and gastrectomy with radical lymphadenectomy appears to be an effective treatment for cStage II elderly GC patients.

Thermo-chemo-radiotherapy for advanced bile duct carcinoma

AIM： Complete resection of the bile duct carcinoma is sometimes difficult by subepithelial spread in the duct wall or direct invasion of adjacent blood vessels. Nonresected extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma has a dismal prognosis,with a life expectancy of about 6 mo to i year. To improve the treatment results of locally advanced bile duct carcinoma, we have been conducting a clinical trial using regional hyperthermia in combination with chemoradiation therapy.METHODS： Eight patients complaining of obstructive jaundice with advanced extrahepatic bile duct underwent thermo-chemo-radiotherapy （TCRT）. All tumors were located in the upper bile duct and involved hepatic bifurcation, and obstructed the bile duct completely.Radiofrequency capacitive hyperthermia was administered simultaneously with chemotherapeutic agents once weekly immediately following radiotherapy at 2 Gy.We administered heat to the patient for 40 rain after the tumor temperature had risen to 42℃. The chemotherapeutic agents employed were cis-platinum （CDDP,50 mg/m^2） in combination with 5-fluorouracil （5-FU,800 mg/m^2） or methotrexate （MTX, 30 mg/m^2） in combination with 5-FU （800 mg/m^2）. Number of heat treatments ranged from 2 to 8 sessions. The bile duct at autopsy was histologically examined in three patients treated with TCRT.RESULTS： In respect to resolution of the bile duct, there were three complete regression （CR）, two partial regression （PR）, and three no change （NC）. Mean survival was 13.2＋10.8 mo （mean＋SD）. Four patients survived for more than 20 too. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage （PTBD） tube could be removed in placement of self-expandable metallic stent into the patency-restored bile duct after TCRT. No major side effects occurred. At autopsy, marked hyalinization or fibrosis with necrosis replaced extensively bile duct tumor and wall, in which suppressed cohesiveness of carcinoma cells and degenerative cells were sparsely observed.CONCLUSION： Although the number of cases is rather small, TCRT in the treatment of locally advanced bile duct carcinoma is promising in raising local control and thus,long-term survival.

Problems in screening colorectal cancer in the elderly

AIM:To explore the problems in the screening of colorecta carcinoma in the elderly. METHODS:Three models of colorectal cancer prevention were examined:standard screening,active check-up of suspected cases and summons to have endoscopic check- up for previously diagnosed colorectal polyps.The study was performed among three groups of elderly individuals: Group 1 (167 cases),hospitalized asymptomatic individuals without symptoms in large intestines.Group 2 (612 cases): old individuals at home for the aged,out of which 32 showed symptoms of colon disorders;Group 3 (44 cases):elderly people with diagnosed polyps.As a result of 1788 rectosigmoidoscopies,we identified 61 individuals with polyps,out of which 44 patients were over 65 years old. However,only 9 of these 44 individuals agreed to have the endoscopy performed again. RESULTS:One cancer and 13 polyps were detected in Group 1,and two polyps in Group 2.However,it should be noted that only eleven individuals from Group 2 agreed to have the endoscopy.In Group 3,there were no relapses of the polyps among the nine individuals who came back for the endoscopy. CONCLUSION:Poor understanding of the screening procedures is one of the greatest problems in early detection of the cancer in the aged.Paradoxically,the cooperation is better with hospitalized patients,than with 'successfully old' persons.

Role of chemotherapy and novel biological agents in the treatment of elderly patients with colorectal cancer

Patients older than 65 years are the fastest growing segment of the cancer population. It is estimated that within 20 years over 75% of cases and 85% of deaths from colorectal cancer (CRC) will be in this setting. Concerns about cancer treatment in the elderly relate to comorbidities, which increase proportionally with age, physiological changes associated with aging which may influence drug metabolism and toxicity, and diminishing life expectancy, which particularly impacts decisions surrounding the benefits of adjuvant therapies. Over the last 10 years, significant improvements in the treatment of advanced CRC with combination therapy have been made. The randomized trials which have defined these improvements did not exclude elderly patients. However, the median age of patients in these trials has generally been approximately 60 years. Thus, it appears that some degree of selection is involved with younger and presumably fitter patients being the subjects in most of the pivotal trials. The availability of new molecularly targeted agents and newly improved existing agents has expanded the range of treatment options available. This variety gives greater flexibility in dealing with different subsets of patients, such as the elderly. However, some fit elderly patients seem to tolerate combination therapy reasonably well, while studies on unfit elderly subjects are needed.

The expressions of Pin1, β-catenin and cyclin D1 in elderly lung carcinomas and their significance

Objective： To investigate the expressions and correlations of Pin1, β-catenin and cyclin D1 in elderly lung carcinomas. Methods： The expressions of Pin1, β-catenin and cyclin D1 were examined in the specimens of 92 elderly lung carcinomas and 10 normal lung tissues by immunohistochemistry and explored the relationship between the expression levels and clinicopathological factors. Results： （1） The overexpression of Pin1 and cyclin D1 in lung carcinomas was 46 （50%） cases and 60 （65.22%） cases respectively and 56 （60.82%） cases showed positive immunoreactivity for 13-catenin in the nuclear and （or） cytoplasmic fraction in tumor tissues. In normal tissue, the expressions of Pin1 and cyclin D1 were negative, the expression of β-catenin was lied in cell membrane. （2） In lung carcinomas the expressions of Pin1, β-catenin and cyclin D1 correlated with tumor differentiation （P 〈 0.05）. The pesitive expression rate and intensity of Pin1 correlated with tumor stage （P = 0.032） and lymph node positive disease （P = 0.041）. The expression of β-catenin correlated with lymph node positive disease （P = 0.012）. （3） High expression levels of Pin1 correlated with aberrant I]-catenin expression （P = 0.000） but did not show a correlation with cyclin D1 （P = 0.157）. Conclusion： In elderly lung carcinomas, the positive expression of Pin1 causes abnormal accumulation of β-catenin and actives its target gene, however, this target gene was not cyclin DI. The detection of Pin1 expression had some clinical significance in estimating prognosis of elderly patient with lung carcinomas.

Surgical palliation of unresectable pancreatic head cancer in elderly patients

AIM: To determine if surgical biliary bypass would provide improved quality of residual life and safe palliation in elderly patients with unresectable pancreatic head cancer. METHODS: Nineteen patients, 65 years of age or older, were managed with surgical biliary bypass (Group A). These patients were compared with 19 patients under 65 years of age who were managed with surgical biliary bypass (Group B). In addition, the results for group A were compared with those obtained from 17 patients, 65 years of age or older (Group C), who received percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage to evaluate the quality of residual life. RESULTS: Five patients (26.0%) in Group A had complications, including one intraabdominal abscess, one pulmonary atelectasis, and three wound infections. One death (5.3%) occurred on postoperative day 3. With respect to morbidity, mortality, and postoperative hospitalization, no statistically significant difference was noted between Groups A and B. The number of readmissions and the rate of recurrent jaundice were lower in Group A than in Group C, to a statistically significant degree (P = 0.019, P = 0.029, respectively). The median hospital-free survival period and themedian overall survival were also signifi cantly longer in Group A (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Surgical palliation does not increase the morbidity or mortality rates, but it does increase the survival rate and improve the quality of life in elderly patients with unresectable pancreatic head cancer.

Effects of Acute Normovolemic Hemodilution on Perioperative Coagulation and Fibrinolysis in Elderly Patients Undergoing Hepatic Carcinectomy

Objective To observe the effects of acute normovolemic hemodilution （ANH） on coagulation function and fibrinolysis in elderly patients undergoing hepatic carcinectomy. Methods Thirty elderly patients （aged 60-70 years） with liver cancer （American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II） scheduled for hepatic carcinectomy from February 2007 to February 2008 were randomly divided into ANH group （n= 15） and control group （n= 15）. After tracheal intubation, patients in ANH group and control group were infused with 6% hydroxyethyl starch （HES） （130/0.4）, and basic liquid containing 6% HES and routine Ringer＇s solution, respectively. In all the studied patients, blood samples were drawn at five different time points： before anesthesia induction （T1）, 30 minutes after ANH （T2）, 1 hour after start of operation （T3）, immediately after operation （T4）, and 24 hours after operation （Ts）. Then co- agulation function, soluble fibrin monomer complex （SFMC）, prothrombin fragment （F1＋2）, and platelet membrane glycoprotein （activated GPIIb/GPIIIa and P-selectin） were measured. Results The perioperative blood loss was not significantly different between the two groups （P〉 0.05）. The volume of allogeneic blood transfusion in ANH group was significantly smaller than that in control group （350.5±70.7 mL vs. 457.8±181.3 mL, P〈0.01）. Compared with the data ofT1, prothrombin time （PT） and activated partial thromboplastin time in both groups prolonged significantly after T3 （P〈0.05）, but still within normal range. There were no significant changes in thrombin time and D-dimer between the two groups and between different time points in each group （all P〉0.05）. SFMC and F1 ＋2 increased in both groups, but without statistical significance. P-selectin expression on the platelet surface of ANH group was significantly lowered atT2 andT3 compared with the level atT1 （P〈 0.05）. Compared with control group, P-selectin was sig-nificantly lower in ANH group atT2-T3 （all P〈0.05）. Conclusions In elderly patients undergoing resection of liver cancer, ANH may not hamper fibri- nolvsis and coagulation function. It coukt therefore be safe to largely reduce allogeneic blood transfusion.