ABSTRACT
Objective:To assess the impact of preoperative short-course radiotherapy combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy on elderly patients with locally advanced rectal cancer after a 2-year follow-up.Methods:In this retrospective cohort study, we included 446 consecutive cases of elderly patients diagnosed and treated for locally advanced rectal cancer(stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ with T3-T4 and/or positive regional lymph nodes)at the First People's Hospital of Shangqiu city from January 2012 to December 2019.The patients were divided into two groups based on the treatment method: an observation group(107 cases)and a control group(339 cases).The patients in the observation group underwent preoperative short-course radiotherapy combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.The regimen included short-term radiotherapy(25 Gy over 1 week in 5 fractions)followed by 4 courses of chemotherapy(CAPOX regimen).On the other hand, the control group received concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy.The regimen involved 50 Gy over 5 weeks in 25 fractions and concurrent capecitabine chemotherapy.Afterward, total rectal mesentery resection was performed, and postoperatively, 2 and 6 courses of CAPOX chemotherapy were continued.Follow-up was conducted until 31 December 2021, with the primary observation being the disease-free survival(DFS)of patients in both groups.Secondary observations included overall survival(OS)time, lesion progression-free survival(PFS)time, local recurrence rate, and the rate of acute toxicity events.Cox regression analyses were conducted to compare the factors influencing DFS.Results:Among the 446 patients, 303(67.9%)were male and 143(32.1%)were female.The patients in the observation group were found to be younger and had a higher proportion of Eastern Collaborative Oncology Group(ECOG)physical status score 0 compared to the control group(both P<0.05).Additionally, the two groups differed significantly in terms of MRI T stage, N stage, distance from the external anal verge, rectal mesorectal fascial infiltration, pathological stage, and chemotherapy-to-surgery time interval(all P<0.05).Throughout a mean follow-up period of(20.7±3.5)months, there were 76 deaths, 89 distant metastases, and 32 local recurrences.The results of Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the observation group had a higher disease-free survival(DFS)rate at 2 years of follow-up compared to the control group[73.8%(79/107) vs.68.1%(231/339), Log-rank χ2=2.676, P=0.041].Additionally, the median DFS time was longer in the observation group[19(12, 22)months]compared to the control group[16(11, 19)months]( Z=2.774, P=0.038).Furthermore, the observation group exhibited a significantly longer OS time[26(21, 33)months]compared to the control group[22(18, 14)months]( Z=2.879, P=0.032).However, the median PFS time was similar in both groups[20(14, 25)months vs.16(12, 21)months]( Z=1.545, P=0.123).The incidence of distant metastasis was 18.7%(20/107)in the observation group and 20.4%(69/339)in the control group(Log-rank χ2=0.341, P=0.708), indicating no significant difference.Similarly, there was no significant difference in the risk of local recurrence between the observation group[9.3%(10/107)]and the control group[6.5%(22/339)](Log-rank χ2=0.996, P=0.318).In terms of adverse reactions, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of grade≥3 acute toxic reactions between the two groups[19.6%(21/107) vs.12.1%(41/339), Log-rank χ2=1.661, P=0.148].A multifactorial Cox regression analysis revealed that age( HR=0.586, P=0.005), ECOG score( HR=0.721, P=0.028), MRI T-stage( HR=0.605, P=0.008), rectal mesenteric fascial infiltration( HR=1.649, P=0.012), and distance from the external anal verge( HR=0.638, P=0.041)were associated with DFS. Conclusions:The findings indicate that the combination of preoperative short-course radiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with locally advanced rectal cancer demonstrates favorable short-term effectiveness and safety.This approach shows promise in improving outcomes for elderly patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To examine the predictive value of the intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation-shock Ⅱ(IABP-SHOCK Ⅱ)score for 30-day mortality of acute myocardial infarction(AMI)complicated by cardiogenic shock(CS)in elderly patients.Methods:Clinical data of 138 elderly patients with AMI complicated by CS admitted to our hospital and undergone IABP from January 2010 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the IABP-SHOCK Ⅱ score, they were divided into a low-risk group(scoring 0 to 2 points, 72 cases), a middle-risk group(scoring 3 to 4 points, 39 cases)and a high-risk group(scoring 5 to 9 points, 27 cases). Baseline data, drug therapy, interventional therapy, and IABP were used in the three groups.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of IABP-SHOCK Ⅱ for 30-day mortality.Results:Of the 138 patients, 71(51.4%)were male.There were significant differences in age, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, left ventricular ejection fraction, levels of troponin, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, B-type natriuretic peptide and lactic acid, Gensini score, rate of thrombolysis in myocardia infarction(TIMI)no-reflow, and rates of IABP insertion, invasive ventilation and bedside hemofiltration between the intermediate-risk group and the low-risk group and between the high-risk group and the low-risk group(each P<0.05). During hospitalization, proportions of patients receiving vasoactive drugs such as norepinephrine and dopamine in the three groups were similar(each P>0.05). After 30 days of follow-up, 25 patients(34.7%), 20 patients(51.3%), and 23 patients(85.2%)died in the low-risk group, the intermediate-risk group, and the high-risk group, respectively, with the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and the log-rank test showing statistically significant differences between the death rates(χ2=20.09, P<0.01). The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve was 0.883(95% CI: 0.702~0.942, P<0.01). Conclusions:The IABP-SHOCK Ⅱ score may be used for short-term risk stratification after IABP implantation in elderly patients with AMI and CS.
ABSTRACT
To investigate the effect of serine/threonine-protein kinase B-Raf (BRAF)-activated long-chain non-coding RNA (lncRNA-BANCR) on apoptosis and autophagy in thyroid carcinoma cells and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of lncRNA-BANCR in thyroid carcinoma and normal thyroid tissues. The association between lncRNA-BANCR and clinicopathological data was analyzed in patients with thyroid cancer. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the effect of lncRNA-BANCR on the proliferation of thyroid cancer cells. The effect of lncRNA-BANCR on the apoptosis of thyroid carcinoma cells was detected by flow cytometry. Transwell invasion assay was used to detect the effect of lncRNA-BANCR on the invasive ability of thyroid cancer cells. Western blot was used to detect the changes of autophagy proteins LC3-I and LC3-II after the lncRNA-BANCR expression was suppressed. Results: Compared with normal thyroid tissues, the expression level of lncRNA-BANCR in thyroid carcinoma tissues was elevated (P<0.05). The expression of lncRNA-BANCR was positively related to the pathological stage of thyroid carcinoma and the lymph node metastasis. Inhibition of lncRNA-BANCR expression attenuated the proliferation and invasion ability of thyroid cancer cells (both P<0.05); but the apoptosis was enhanced (P<0.05); the expression levels of autophagy protein LC3-I and LC3-II were also increased (P<0.05). Conclusion: The expression level of lncRNA-BANCR affects the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells through modulation of autophagy behavior.