Journal of cancer research and therapeutics最新文献

Objective: To evaluate diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for the prenatal differentiation of fetal adrenal neuroblastoma (NB) from benign masses.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed prenatal magnetic resonance imaging/DWI data from 54 pregnant women (59 adrenal masses) with a suspected solid adrenal mass on ultrasound. Cases with severe malformations or poor image quality were excluded. The minimum ADC (ADC min ), mean ADC (ADC mean ), and relative ADC (rADC) values within the tumor solid components were measured. Group comparisons and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed to assess the diagnostic performance.

Results: Eighteen masses (30.5%) were classified as NB, while the remaining 41 (69.5%) were benign, including sequestration, hematoma, and teratoma. The NB group showed significantly greater gestational age at detection (mean age, 35 weeks), higher right adrenal prevalence (66.7%), and larger maximum diameters (3.6 cm vs. 2.4 cm; P < 0.01) compared to the non-NB group. The ADC min , ADC mean , and rADC were significantly lower in the NB group ( P < 0.001). ROC analysis identified ADC min as the optimal diagnostic parameter (area under the curve = 0.981). An ADC min threshold of 1382 μm 2 /s yielded 97.56% sensitivity and 100% specificity.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that the quantitative DWI parameter ADC min can reliably differentiate fetal adrenal NB from benign lesions prenatally. Its high sensitivity and specificity may provide an objective basis for clinical decisions and optimized perinatal management.

Background: Gut microorganisms are involved in the occurrence and progression of various types of cancer, including colorectal cancer. Previous studies have shown that the disruption of commensal homeostasis can promote tumor metastasis. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of gut commensal dysbiosis on the risk of colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) and its mechanisms.

Materials and methods: A mouse model of CRLM with the commensal dysbiosis background was established. This model was used to investigate the impact of commensal dysbiosis on CRLM.

Results: Commensal dysbiosis promoted CRLM development via the C-C chemokine ligand 6 (CCL6) and C-C chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1) axis. Moreover, it altered the liver tumor microenvironment (TME) by recruiting tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), notably M2-like TAMs, and promoted liver metastasis growth. Liver metastasis was promoted via the upregulation of CCL6 expression levels, which resulted in CCR1+TAM infiltration into the TME. Notably, inhibiting CCR1 expression could reduce CRLM.

Conclusion: Commensal dysbiosis could promote CRLM development via CCL6/CCR1 signaling. Targeting this signaling axis could be an effective method to inhibit CRLM by regulating the TME.

Objective: This study examined the effect of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) plus programmed death 1 inhibitors (HAICPs) in patients with unresected colorectal cancer liver metastases (UCRLM) with and without KRAS mutations.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively collected data from patients with UCRLM, who received HAIC with HAICP or HAIC alone (oxaliplatin plus fluorouracil), including information on KRAS status (mutated, MUT; wild-type, WT) from a multicenter institutional database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed. The associations of KRAS status, treatment, and clinicopathological features with outcomes were determined. Confounding factors were adjusted using the Cox proportional hazard model.

Results: A total of 668 patients (414 KRAS-WT, 254 MUT) were followed for a median of 4.6 years post-HAIC. Fifty-five percent received HAICP. Before PSM, patients in the HAICP group exhibited a significantly higher CEA level (P = 0.014), more tumor nodules (P = 0.012), lower clinical risk score (P = 0.009), and fewer extrahepatic metastases (P = 0.017). After PSM analysis, 260 pairs of patients were established. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) for patients treated with HAICP versus HAIC was 36% and 31%, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.85; P = 0.008). The 5-year overall survival (OS) for patients treated with HAICP versus HAIC was 72% and 64%, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.32-0.63; P < 0.001). In KRAS-WT tumors, the 5-year survival was 79% and 61% for patients treated with HAICP versus HAIC (P < 0.001), respectively. In KRAS-MUT tumors, the 5-year survival was 68% and 52% for patients treated with HAICP versus HAIC (P < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusion: The combined application of HAICP is an effective regimen for treating patients with UCRLM. HAICP shows superior survival independent of KRAS mutation. In addition, HAICP ameliorates the poor survival observed among KRAS-MUT UCRLM cases.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of computed tomography (CT)-guided co-ablation in patients with hepatic metastases from malignant melanoma.

Methods: Clinical data of 79 patients with hepatic metastases from malignant melanoma who underwent co-ablation (integration of cryoablation and thermal ablation) and programmed death 1 (PD-1) treatment between October 2019 and January 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into group A (n = 50), patients who received co-ablation, and group B (n = 29), patients who received PD-1 treatment. In group A, treatment efficacy and safety, changes in lymphocyte subsets, Th1/Th2 cell cytokines before and 3 weeks after treatment, and adverse events (AEs) during co-ablation were evaluated.

Results: Co-ablation exhibited favorable clinical efficacy in the treatment of hepatic metastases from malignant melanoma. The rates of complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), progressive disease (PD), stable disease (SD), and disease control rate (DCR) were 56.0%, 24.0%, 8.0%, 12.0%, and 92.0%, respectively. In group B, the CR, PR, PD, SD, and DCR rates were 10.3%, 24.1%, 31.0%, 34.5%, and 68.9%, respectively. Three weeks after treatment, the levels of Th2-related cytokine interleukin-10, CD3-CD16 + CD56+, and CD8 + CD25 + significantly decreased compared with baseline, with group A demonstrating lower levels than group B. At the end of the follow-up, 16 patients (32%) in group A and 16 (55.2%) in group B had died. The median progression-free survival was 20.2 months in group A, which was significantly longer than the 7.93 months in group B (P = 0.005). The median overall survival in group A was 20.2 months, which was significantly longer than the 13.5 months in group B (P = 0.025). The intraoperative AEs during co-ablation included mild pain (4.0%), hepatic arterial bleeding (2.0%), minor subcapsular bleeding (4.0%), minor pneumothorax (4.0%), and vomiting (2.0%).

Conclusion: The CT-guided co-ablation system exhibited favorable clinical efficacy and was associated with a low incidence of AEs in the treatment of hepatic metastases from malignant melanoma, indicating its potential clinical value.

Introduction: In the past decade, the treatment methods for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) have undergone advances and diversification. This study aimed to explore the treatment patterns of patients with SCLC and evaluate the efficacy of SCLC treatments in a real clinical setting.

Materials and methods: This retrospective study included patients with limited-stage (LS) and extensive-stage (ES) SCLC who received treatment at Qingdao Central Hospital (Qingdao, China) from August 1, 2016, to April 30, 2023. The progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated for all enrolled patients and participant subgroups via Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

Results: A total of 83 and 117 patients with LS-SCLC and ES-SCLC, respectively, were enrolled. The median PFS and OS were 14.5 and 33.4 months for the LS-SCLC group and 9.8 and 20.1 months for the ES-SCLC group, respectively. First-line thoracic consolidative radiotherapy (TRT) and immune checkpoint inhibitors markedly prolonged the PFS in the ES-SCLC group (P = .023 and P = .045, respectively), whereas TRT alone significantly prolonged the OS (P = .036). PFS and OS were significantly prolonged in the LS-SCLC group in whom TRT was initiated during or before the second cycle of first-line chemotherapy (P = .031 and P = .041, respectively). Moreover, patients with at least three areas of lymph node metastasis had significantly poorer prognosis than those with fewer areas.

Conclusion: The patients in this study exhibited better prognosis than those in previous ones. TRT remains an important treatment that can improve the prognosis of patients with SCLC. However, new strategies are warranted for a more effective treatment.

Abstract: Radiotherapy is a conventional method that plays an important role in the comprehensive treatment of tumors. However, it has inevitable side effects that may affect prognosis. Therefore, increasing attention has been paid to radiotherapy-related side effects and prognosis after radiotherapy. With the development of artificial intelligence, high-throughput extraction of quantitative features and correlation analysis of medical images have rapidly developed to improve tumor diagnosis, staging, grading, and personalized treatment. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of machine learning models to predict the effects of radiotherapy based on three-dimensional dose distribution maps generated by optimizing radiotherapy plans, which contain dose features or dosiomics that reveal the dose-response relationship of organs and treatment. The use of machine learning modeling to describe the advantages and accuracy of dosiomics in predicting the toxicity and prognosis of radiotherapy has laid a foundation for personalized radiotherapy. This paper aimed to review the achievements of past dosiomics research, introduce the latest advancements in clinical radiotherapy, and discuss the value and future direction of dosiomics in personalized radiotherapy.

Background: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of esketamine plus dexmedetomidine for sedation and analgesia during computed tomography (CT)-guided lung tumor percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA).

Methods: Patients undergoing CT-guided percutaneous MWA of lung tumors were randomly divided into two groups: esketamine plus dexmedetomidine (Group E) and sufentanil plus dexmedetomidine (Group S). The patients' general information, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), peripheral oxygen saturation, respiratory rate (RR), partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide, bispectral index, and Ramsay sedation score were recorded before anesthesia administration (T0), after dexmedetomidine loading dose (T1), during percutaneous puncture (T2), during ablation (T3), at the end of surgery (T4), and during recovery of consciousness (T5). The postoperative Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores, dexmedetomidine dosage, vasoactive drug usage, instances of sedation failure, and adverse events were also recorded.

Results: Group E showed higher MAP at T5 (P = 0.048) and HR at T3 (P = 0.044) compared to Group S. The RR was significantly higher in Group E than in Group S from T1 to T5 (P < 0.001). The incidence of respiratory depression, bradycardia, and postoperative nausea and vomiting in Group E was lower in Group E than in Group S. No significant differences in Ramsay sedation scores, postoperative VAS scores, dexmedetomidine dosage, vasoactive drug usage, number of sedation failure cases, or occurrence of adverse events were observed between the two groups.

Conclusion: Esketamine plus dexmedetomidine demonstrated potential advantages for lung tumor MWA compared to sufentanil plus dexmedetomidine.

Background: The advent of anti-HER2 agents, such as trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), has significantly improved survival in metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer (BC). Multiple anti-HER2 combination regimens are recommended as first-line treatments, but the optimal choice remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the optimal first-line regimen for metastatic HER2-positive BC through a network meta-analysis of clinical trial data.

Method: The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases and abstracts from ASCO, ESMO, and WCLC were searched up to March 16, 2023. Eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected to analyze the progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and grade 3 or higher adverse events (≥3AEs). Fourteen treatment regimens were ranked using the network meta-analysis and the surface under the cumulative ranking curve.

Results: Nineteen RCTs with 3,887 participants were analyzed. The taxane or paclitaxel or docetaxel + trastuzumab + pyrotinib (THPyr) regimen demonstrated the most significant PFS benefit, followed by the taxane or paclitaxel or docetaxel + trastuzumab + pertuzumab (THP) regimen. Regarding the ORR, THPyr ranked the highest, followed by THP and trastuzumab emtansin + pertuzumab (TdmP). THP offered the most favorable OS benefit. THPyr was effective in patients with HER2 3 + and hormone receptor-negative and positive status. No significant differences in safety and ≥3AEs were observed between the THPyr and other regimens.

Conclusion: The THPyr regimen might be optimal as initial treatment for patients with advanced HER2-positive BC and is likely to be approved as a new first-line treatment option.

Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) versus radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of pulmonary metastasis. A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases from their inception through October 2023. Studies comparing MWA and RFA for pulmonary metastasis were included. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4, incorporating a total of six articles comprising 1407 ablations.The complete ablation rate was significantly higher in the MWA group compared to the RFA group (OR: 2.41; 95% CI: 1.33-4.37; P = 0.004), and recurrence was markedly lower with MWA (OR: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.08-0.94; P = 0.04). However, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of overall survival or major complications.MWA demonstrates superior efficacy to RFA in achieving complete ablation and reducing recurrence in the treatment of pulmonary metastasis, with comparable safety profiles between the two techniques.

Background: The optimal radiation dose for the treatment of small cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SCEC) has not been established. This study aimed to investigate the treatment outcomes and toxicities in patients with limited-stage SCEC (LS-SCEC) treated by radiotherapy.

Methods: Patients with LS-SCEC from 14 institutions were retrospectively identified between December 2000 and October 2021. The primary endpoints of the study included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and local regional control (LRC), and the secondary endpoints were treatment-related toxicity parameters. Patients were categorized into a high-dose (HD, ≥ 60 Gy) group and low-dose (LD, <60 Gy) group based on the radiation dose. Additionally, they were classified into two groups based on the treatment sequence: concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and sequential chemoradiotherapy (SCRT). A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) approach was applied to balance the observable potential confounding factors between the groups.

Results: Of the 150 patients included in the study, 56 received LD, and 94 received HD radiotherapy. After 1:1 PSM, the OS, PFS, and LRC in the HD group were higher than those in the LD group; however, the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). No significant differences in survival and the occurrence of treatment-related toxicity were observed between the CCRT and SCRT groups.

Conclusions: Neither CCRT nor SCRT was significantly associated with longer survival in LS-SCEC when a higher radiation dose was selected. A lower radiation dose might be a preferable time-dose fraction scheme; however, additional studies are required to validate these findings.