Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of malignancy-associated hypercalcemia in squamous cell carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and presented malignancy-associated hypercalcemia (MAH).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 36 patients with biopsy-proven SCC and presented MAH who were treated at the our department from January 2001 to December 2010. The survival were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among these 36 patients, the median blood calcium level was 2.94 mmol/L (2.77-4.87 mmol/L), and the median survival time was only 45 days (1-839 d). Log-rank test showed that central nervous system symptoms, bone metastasis, and hypercalcemia occurring over 160 days after cancer diagnosis were predictors for poor survival(p=0.003, P=0.049, P=0.005). In the COX proportional hazard model analysis, central nervous system symptoms and hypercalcemia occurring over 160 days after cancer diagnosis were independent prognostic factors for survival time (RR=5.721, P=0.000; RR=4.624, P=0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and presented MAH have poor prognosis. Central nervous system symptoms and hypercalcemia occurring over 160 days after cancer diagnosis are independent predictors of the prognosis.</p>

Clinical research of 120 cases of primary small intestine malignant tumor / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical and pathological features, diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of primary small intestine malignant tumor.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data from the 120 cases of primary small intestine malignant tumor.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia, abdominal mass and jaundice were the main clinical features. The pathology was confirmed by abdominal X-ray, gastrointestinal barium, CT, MRI, endoscopy and surgical exploration. Most tumors originated in the duodenum (54.1%), and adenocarcinoma (55.8%) was the main pathological type. The median survival time of the patients was 19.2 months and the 1-year survival rate was 55.4%. Chemotherapy did not seem to significantly improve the 1-year survival rate of the patients (P=0.842).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Primary small intestine malignant tumors lack specific clinical manifestations and surgical resection should be performed as early as possible.</p>

Experimental study on the prevention and treatment of radiation lung injury by blood-activating and stasis-dissipating drugs / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the pathological changes and the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in lung tissue of rats with radiation injury for exploring the mechanism of blood-activating and stasis-dissipating drugs in radiation injury prevention and treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and thirty SD female rats were randomly allocated into the simple irradiation group (n=60), the TCM herbs treatment group (n=60) and the blank control group (n=10). The right lung of all rats except those in the blank control group were irradiated by linear accelerator, 3 Gy each time, twice weekly, the maximum accumulated dose being 30 Gy. Ten rats in the two groups were randomly sacrificed at each of the 6 time points (1, 3, 5, 8, 12 and 26 weeks after repeated irradiation), their lung was harvested out, sliced and dyed with HE stain. The histological changes, levels of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta expression in the lung tissue were then observed by immunohistochemical technique.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The most serious acute radiation pneumonia was seen in the 5th week and pulmonary fibrosis was remarkable in the 26th week in the simple irradiation group, with the expressions of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta at different time phases enhanced significantly (P < 0.01). While in the TCM herbs treatment group, the pneumonia was milder, pulmonary fibrosis in late stage was not so obvious, and the expressions of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta significantly lower than those in the simple irradiation group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Blood-activating and stasis-dissipating drugs can inhibit expression of inflammation-inducing factors and fibrosis-inducing factors to lessen the inflammatory reaction of early radiation pneumonia, prolong the progression of radiation lung fibrosis, showing preventive and treating action on radiation lung injury.</p>