Predictive value of serum carcinoembryonic antigen level in efficacy and prognosis for patients with rectal cancer following preoperative radiochemotherapy / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the association of preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level with the efficacy of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and postoperative metastasis and relapse in patients with rectal cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between January 2011 and January 2014, 325 patients with local advanced rectal cancer underwent preoperative radiochemotherapy and radical operation in Department of Colorectal Cancer Surgery, Beijing University Cancer Hospital, including 194 males and 131 females. According to preoperative MRI, all the patients suffered from clinical T3-4 tumors or positive lymph nodes. Their Zubrod-ECOG-WHO score was 0-1. These patients received preoperative intensity modulated radiotherapy which consisted of 50.6 Gy in 22 fractions (IMRT GTV 50.6 Gy/CTV 41.8 Gy/22 f) with capecitabine(825 mg/m, twice per day) as radiosensitizer. According to the preoperative serum CEA level, patients were divided into high group (125 cases) and normal group (200 cases). In high group, serum CEA level decreased into normal range in 60 patients (high-normal group) after radiochemotherapy, while it was still in high level in other 65 patients (high-high group). The differences in sensitivity to radiochemotherapy and 3-year disease free survival (DFS) of these patients were both evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In high group and normal group, the complete response rates were 18.4% (23/125) and 17.5% (35/200) (χ=0.319, P=0.660); the percentages of tumor regression grade(TRG) 0-1 patients were 68.0%(85/125) and 67.5%(135/200)(χ=0.009, P=0.925); the T downstage rates were 63.2%(79/125) and 70.0%(140/200)(χ=1.266, P=0.274), respectively, whose differences were all not significant. The 3-year DFS rate in high group was 62.4%, which was significantly lower than 93.5% in normal group (χ=53.147, P=0.000). There were 65 patients in high-high group, accounting for 52% (65/125) of high group. Among these 65 patients, 44(67.7%) presented recurrence and metastasis within 3 years and the 3-year DFS was 32.3%, which was much lower than 95.0% of 60 patients in high-normal group(χ=182.085, P=0.000).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Preoperative serum CEA level may not be used to predict tumor response of rectal cancer patients who receive preoperative radiochemotherapy. However, the prognosis of patients with high CEA level is worse. Recurrence and metastasis are more likely to occur in patients with high CEA level after radiochemotherapy.</p>

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of colon cancer patient with extremely elevated carcinoembryonic antigen level / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of colon cancer patients with extremely elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) level before operation(>50 μg/L).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinicopathological and follow-up data of 1250 patients with colonic adenocarcinoma undergoing primary tumor resection between January 2001 and December 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were divided into three groups according to the preoperative serum CEA levels as normal group (0-5 μg/L, 721 cases), elevated group(5-50 μg/L, 408 cases) and extremely elevated(>50 μg/L, 121 cases). Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the overall survival and disease-free survival. Log-rank test was used to compare the survival between groups. Cox regression was used to screen the independent prognostic factors of colon cancer.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with normal and elevated groups, patients with extremely elevated CEA had more advanced T,N,M stages (P<0.01), more palliative surgery (P<0.01) and more lymphovascular invasion(P<0.01). During the follow-up, patients with extremely elevated CEA demonstrated significantly higher ratio of distant metastases and liver metastases (both P=0.001). After radical surgery, 5-year overall survival rate of patients with normal, elevated and extremely elevated CEA levels was 70.1%, 54.4% and 42%, respectively, with statistically significant difference among three groups (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that tumor differentiation, TNM staging, preoperative CEA levels, lymphovascular invasion and adjuvant chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for colon cancer (all P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Colon cancer patients with extremely elevated preoperative CEA levels are associated with more unfavorable pathological factors, advanced TNM stage and more distant metastases (especially the liver metastases) during the follow-up. The elevated degree of preoperative CEA level is an independent poor prognostic factor of patients with colon cancer.</p>

Comparison of postoperative outcomes between hand-assisted laparoscopic and conventional sigmoidectomy: a prospective non-randomized controlled trial / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the perioperative safety and efficacy between hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery(HALS) and conventional open sigmoidectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 291 patients with sigmoid colon cancer who underwent surgery in our hospital from January 2010 to June 2013 were seperated into (HALS) group (n=200) and conventional open surgery (COS) group (n=91) with a non-randomized method. The perioperative safety and efficacy of two groups and perioperative outcomes were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>These two groups were comparable in operative time, lymph node harvest, and postoperative complications. However, HALS group had less intraoperative bleeding [(57.9±28.3) ml vs. (82.5±47.6) ml, P=0.000], shorter time to flatus [(3.0±1.4) d vs. (3.3±0.9) d, P=0.000], and shorter hospital stay [(7.3±4.2) d vs. (8.9±4.4) d, P=0.004]. There werer no significant differences in overall survival time and disease-free survival time between the two groups during 6 months to 3 years follow-up.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>HALS results in similar outcomes of conventional open surgery for sigmoidectomy with the advantage of minimal invasiveness.</p>

"Design and Application of 5-flavor Tonifying-purging Figure in ""Yellow Emperor's Internal Classics""" / 浙江中医药大学学报

The 5-flavor tonifying-purging theory in Internal Classics is one of key basic theories of TCM, but its content is disperse, lacking orderliness and systematicness, bringing inconvenience to study and research. Inspired by the 5-flavor tonifying-purging figure in Five-organ Pharmacy Methods Edition, starting from the theory of same origin for medicine and Yi, framed basical y with river figure, based on the 5-flavor tonifying-purging theory inInternal Classics, compare the difference between theInternal Classicsand theEdition, design the corelation among the 5-direction, 5-Qi, 5-ele-ment and 5-flavor, as wel as the 5-flavor tonifying-purging rule, offering convenience for studying and researching 5-flavor tonifying-purging theory inInternal Classics.