Significance of 125I radioactive seed implantation on growth differentiation factor and programmed death receptor-1 during treatment of oral cancer

BACKGROUND Oral cancer(OC)is the most common malignant tumor in the oral cavity,and is mainly seen in middle-aged and elderly men.At present,OC is mainly treated clinically by surgery or combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy;but recently,more and more studies have shown that the stress trauma caused by surgery and the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy seriously affect the prognosis of patients.AIM To determine the significance of 125I radioactive seed implantation on growth differentiation factor 11(GDF11)and programmed death receptor-1(PD-1)during treatment of OC.METHODS A total of 184 OC patients admitted to The Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University from May 2015 to May 2017 were selected as the research subjects for prospective analysis.Of these patients,89 who received 125I radioactive seed implantation therapy were regarded as the research group(RG)and 95 patients who received surgical treatment were regarded as the control group(CG).The clinical efficacy,incidence of adverse reactions and changes in GDF11 and PD-1 before treatment(T0),2 wk after treatment(T1),4 wk after treatment(T2)and 6 wk after treatment(T3)were compared between the two groups.RESULTS The efficacy and recurrence rate in the RG were better than those in the CG(P<0.05),while the incidence of adverse reactions and survival rate were not different.There was no difference in GDF11 and PD-1 between the two groups at T0 and T1,but these factors were lower in the RG than in the CG at T2 and T3(P<0.05).Using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis,GDF11 and PD-1 had good predictive value for efficacy and recurrence(P<0.001).CONCLUSION 125I radioactive seed implantation has clinical efficacy and can reduce the recurrence rate in patients with OC.This therapy has marked potential in clinical application.The detection of GDF11 and PD-1 in patients during treatment showed good predictive value for treatment efficacy and recurrence in OC patients,and may be potential targets for future OC treatment.

DTI and pathological changes in a rabbit model of radiation injury to the spinal cord after ^(125)I radioactive seed implantation

Excessive radiation exposure may lead to edema of the spinal cord and deterioration of the nervous system. Magnetic resonance imaging can be used to judge and assess the extent of edema and to evaluate pathological changes and thus may be used for the evaluation of spinal cord injuries caused by radiation therapy. Radioactive ^125I seeds to irradiate 90% of the spinal cord tissue at doses of 40–100 Gy （D90） were implanted in rabbits at T10 to induce radiation injury, and we evaluated their safety for use in the spinal cord. Diffusion tensor imaging showed that with increased D90, the apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy values were increased. Moreover, pathological damage of neurons and microvessels in the gray matter and white matter was aggravated. At 2 months after implantation, obvious pathological injury was visible in the spinal cords of each group. Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging revealed the radiation injury to the spinal cord, and we quantified the degree of spinal cord injury through apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy.

A prospective study:intraoperative ^(125)I radioactive seed implant therapy in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective： To investigated the role of intraoperative iodine-125 （125I） brachytherapy as a treatment option for advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）. Methods： Using preoperative computed tomography （CT）-based staging criteria, between 2000 and 2008, 298 patients with ESCC （stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ） were enrolled in this prospective study. With informed consent, patients were randomized into two groups： intraoperative ^125^I seed implantation and surgery alone （control group）. Twenty to forty 125I seeds （0.5 mCi per seed）, with a total activity in 10-30 mCi, and a matched peripheral dose （MPD） of 60-70 Gy, were implanted under direct visualization. The surgical procedure used in this study was either a radical resection, which involved an esophagectomy through a left thoracotomy with two-field lymphadenectomy, or palliative resection. The postoperative complications were observed and recorded. The location and quality assessment of J25I seeds were assessed using CT scans or X-ray imaging. The short-term efficacy was evaluated according to WHO criteria. The 1, 3, 5 and 7-year survival rates were determined on follow-up. Results： There was no displacement or loss of 125I seeds. The local recurrence rates in the intraoperative 125I seed implantation group and control group were 14.9% and 38.7%, respectively （P 〈 0.05）. An objective response rate of 92% was observed in the seed implant group, which was significantly higher than 0% in the control group （P 〈 0.05）. There was no significant difference between the two groups when comparing of complications （P 〉 0.05）. The 1-year survival rate of the two groups were not significantly different （P 〉 0.05）. However, the 3, 5 and 7-year survival rates in the united 125I group （64%, 55.3% and 8%, respectively） were statistically different from those in the control group （52%, 29.1% and 1.4%,respectively）（P 〈 0.05）. Conclusion： Intraoperative 125I seed implantation is safe and effective for advanced ESCC. Seed implantation may reduce the local recurrence rate and improve survival in patients with ESCC. The MPD of 60-70 Gy, with single 125I seed activity of 0.5 mCi, is reasonable.