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Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy and toxicity of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) in radical radiotherapy for cervical cancer.Methods:Clinical data of 1002 patients with cervical cancer treated with radical radiotherapy at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from September 2013 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were divided into the IMRT group and 3D-CRT group according to the technology of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). After 1∶1 propensity score matching (PSM), clinical prognosis of patients receiving IMRT or 3D-CRT was compared. Continuous data were expressed as Mean ± SD or median . Categorical data were described by case number (percentage). Quantitative data were compared by t-test. Qualitative data were compared by chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Survival rates in two groups were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Results:The percentage of patients who received pelvic and para-aortic radiotherapy in the IMRT group was significantly higher than that in the 3D-CRT group (14.9% vs. 1.2%, P<0.001). The percentage of patients whose positive lymph nodes dose reached 55 Gy or more in the IMRT group was significantly higher than that in the 3D-CRT group (26.6% vs. 15.5%, P=0.002). In the IMRT group, the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate (74.6% vs. 68.9%, P=0.084) and overall survival (OS) rate (79.4% vs. 74.9%, P=0.270) were slightly higher than those in the 3D-CRT group, but there were no significant differences between two groups. In the IMRT group, the local recurrence (3.0% vs. 6.9%, P=0.020) and distant lymph node metastasis rates (4.2% vs. 9.0%, P=0.013) were significantly lower compared with those in the 3D-CRT group. In terms of acute radiotherapy toxicities, grade 3-4 leukopenia (46.3% vs. 37.9%, P=0.028) and anemia (18.8% vs. 14.0%, P<0.001) occurred significantly more frequently in the IMRT group than in the 3D-CRT group. Conclusions:Both IMRT and 3D-CRT could achieve good therapeutic outcomes in radical radiotherapy of cervical cancer. IMRT can boost the radiation dose of metastatic lymph nodes and has significant advantages in reducing local recurrence and distant lymph node metastasis.
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Objective:To establish an accurate C57BL6/J mouse model of acute radiation-induced enteritis based on small animal radiation research platform (SARRP).Methods:Forty-eight female mice were randomly divided into the following four groups: blank control group, 6 Gy irradiation group, 9 Gy irradiation group and 12 Gy irradiation group. Based on the SARRP, the mice in the irradiation groups were exposed to a single fraction dose of 6 Gy, 9 Gy and 12 Gy at a dose rate of 4Gy/min, respectively. The general condition, body weight and pathological changes of the small intestine of mice were observed.Results:After CT scanning, the target area and normal tissues were delineated. According to the dose distribution of the target area and the protection of spinal cord, the AP-PA field irradiation scheme at the isocentric level was adopted. The average irradiation time in the 6, 9 and 12 Gy groups was 163, 252 and 328 seconds, respectively. The survival rates of mice in the 6, 9 and 12 Gy groups were 100%, 100% and 50% 15 days after irradiation.The body weight of mice in the 6 Gy ( P=0.035), 9 Gy ( P=0.002) and 12 Gy groups ( P<0.001) was decreased significantly on the 5 th day after irradiation, and gradually increased on the 10 th day. With the increase of irradiation dose, the villus and gland injury was aggravated. Compared with the blank control group, the villus length in the 9 and 12 Gy groups was significantly shorter (both P<0.001), and the intestinal wall thickness in the irradiation groups was significantly thinner (all P<0.001). Conclusion:SARRP can provide accurate target location, planned screening and accurate dose delivery in the establishment of C57BL6/J mouse model of acute radiation-induced enteritis. The C57BL6/J mouse model of acute radiation-induced enteritis can be successfully established by a single fraction total-abdominal irradiation of 6-9 Gy.
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Objective:To determine whether postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) improves the survival outcomes of cervical cancer patients with pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node metastasis after radical surgery.Methods:Clinical data of 188 cervical cancer patients presenting with pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node metastasis after radical surgery between February 2008 and November 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. The incidence of pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node metastasis was confirmed by postoperative pathology. The clinical efficacy of CCRT was evaluated.Results:Recurrence/metastasis occurred in 46 patients. In the radiotherapy alone group, 4(57.1%) patients had recurrence/metastasis in the posterior peritoneum subgroup, 5(55.6%) in the iliac subgroup and 11(28.2%) in the pelvic non-iliac subgroup, respectively. In the CCRT group, there were 5(62.5%) cases of recurrence/metastasis in the posterior peritoneum subgroup, 5(25%) in the iliac subgroup and 16(15.2%) in the pelvic non-iliac subgroup, respectively. Compared with the radiotherapy alone, CCRT could significantly improve the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of patients with pelvic without iliac lymph node metastasis or iliac lymph node metastasis (pelvic without iliac: 88.6% vs.76.9%, P=0.003; iliac: 80.0% vs.44.4%, P=0.041), whereas failed to improve the 5-year OS of patients with para-aortic lymph node metastasis (50.0% vs.42.9%, P=0.973). The location of lymph node metastasis and CCRT were the independent prognostic factors for OS (para-aortic vs. pelvic without iliac: hazard ratio[HR]=4.259, 95% CI=1.700-10.671, P=0.002; iliac vs. pelvic without iliac: HR=2.985, 95% CI=1.290-6.907, P=0.011; concurrent chemotherapy vs. radiotherapy alone: HR=0.439, 95% CI=0.218-0.885, P=0.021). Conclusions:CCRT can improve the survival of patients with pelvic lymph node metastasis, but it fails to enhance the survival rate of patients with para-aortic lymph node metastasis.
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Stereotactic body radiation therapy(SBRT) is a new technology developed in recent years.The advantage of the technique resides in its ability to provide a high dose to tumor but spare normal tissues to an extent.The use of SBRT in gynecological cancers mainly concentrated in local treatment of pelvic recurrence,para-aortic lymph node metastasis and oligometastatic disease.SBRT boosts to macroscopic recurrences and oligometastatic disease can provide local control and a possibility of long-term disease-free survival in carefully selected patients.However,patients who received SBRT following prior irradiation,despite its tight conformality,were still confronted with significant morbidity.SBRT can be used as an alternative treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer after external-beam radiation therapy in patients who are unsuitable for brachytherapy.
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Objective@#To compare the curative effect of postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and radiation therapy (RT) alone on early-stage cervical cancer patients with intermediate-risk factors.@*Methods@#Clinical data of patients with early stage (ⅠB-ⅡA) cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital between January 2008 and December 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. Cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients with more than two intermediate-risk factors, including lymphatic vascular infiltration, depth of cervical stromal infiltration >1/2 cm or tumor size >4 cm, were screened. Among them, 80 patients were divided into the RT group, 137 patients were divided into the CCRT group. The survivals of these patients were analyzed.@*Results@#At the end of the follow-up period, a total of 22 patients were dead, one patient was alive with neoplasm. There were 23 patients who occurred recurrence/ metastasis, 14 of them were in the RT group and 9 were in the CCRT group. The 5-year progression free survival (PFS) and 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of the entire cohort were 89.9% and 89.8%, respectively. The 5-year PFS rate of RT group was 82.4%, the 5-year PFS rate of CCRT group was 94.1%, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P=0.013). The 5-year OS rate of RT group was 85.1%, the 5-year OS rate of CCRT group was 92.7%, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P=0.049). Univariate analysis showed that therapeutic modality was associated with the 5-year DFS and OS of early-stage cervical cancer patients with intermediate-risk factors (P<0.05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that therapeutic modality was an independent prognostic factor of favorable PFS (RR=3.741, 95% CI: 1.506-9.289, P=0.004) and OS (RR=2.754, 95%CI=1.143-6.637, P=0.024). Neither of the two groups occurred severe anemia. However, the incidence of mild and moderate anemia in the CCRT group was higher than that of RT group (P<0.001). The incidence of leukocytopenia severer than grade Ⅲ in the CCRT group was significantly higher than that of RT group (P<0.001). However, the patients could recover quickly with the treatment of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.@*Conclusion@#Postoperative CCRT improves the survival of early stage cervical cancer patients with two or more intermediate-risk factors.
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At present,reports at home and abroad suggest a low probability of successful preservation of ovarian endocrine function after ovarian shift radiotherapy.After radiotherapy for cervical carcinoma,the ovarian function is associated with various factors,such as radiotherapy dose and method,patient's age,shift position,and concurrent chemotherapy drugs.Therefore,as for each patient,the dose to the ovarian tissue should be controlled within the individual dose limit to effectively preserve the ovarian function.
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Objective To study the pro-invasive effect of irradiation on human glioblastoma cell line U87 and its possible mechanism.Methods Cultured U87 cells received different doses of irradiation (0,2,and 4 Gy).The change in cellular invasiveness was measured using the real-time cell analyzer system.The activities of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) in U87 ceils were measured by gelatin zymography before and after irradiation.The content and distribution of intracellular β-catenin after irradiation were determined by immunohistochemistry.The mRNA levels of Wnt/β-catenin target genes were measured by real-time quantitative PCR.Results After irradiation,the invasiveness of U87 cells increased significantly (P ＜ 0.01),which was dose-dependent within a certain dose range; the activities of MMP2 and MMP9 in U87 cells increased significantly (P =0.031 for MMP2 ; P =0.004 for MMP9) ;the content of β-catenin in U87 cells increased significantly (P ＜ 0.01),with translocation from the cell membrane and adherens junctions to the nucleus; the mRNA levels of Wnt/β-catenin-related genes (FZD7 and TCF1) increased significantly (P ＜ 0.01),and the transcription of Wnt/β-catenin target genes,especially those related to migration and invasion such as MMP2,MMP7,MMP9,and CD44,was significantly enhanced (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Irradiation can promote the invasion of glioblastoma U87 cells,possibly by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and enhancing the transcription of migration-and invasion-related genes.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To understand the situation of biomass fuel use in rural Guangdong, and how it affecting the prevalence of hypertension in adult women.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Inhabitants aged 18 and above were chosen, using multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method from 13 rural countries in Guangdong province in 2010. Questionnaire survey and blood pressure measurement were conducted. Multilevel logistic regression model was used to study the relationship between biomass fuel use and the prevalence of hypertension at both country and individual levels.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 5794 rural families, 2 569 (44.3%) cooked with biomass fuel in the kitchen. 1233 (46.2%) and 1 436 (53.8%) out of the 2669 adult women used biomass fuel and clean energy, respectively. Results from χ² study showed that biomass users presented higher prevalence of hypertension (RR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.04-1.52), but in multilevel model analysis, the difference was not significant. In addition, using an extractor fan when cooking seemed to have protected factor in decreasing the risk of hypertension among biomass users (RR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39-0.98).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Proportion of the use of biomass fuel was still high among rural families in Guangdong province. Although there was not enough evidence to verify the relationship between the use of biomass fuel and hypertension in adult women. However, concerns about the use of biomass fuel which causing the indoor air pollution, should be raised.</p>