Effects of Fuzheng Quxie Prescription Combined with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy on Tumor Recurrence,Serum Thymidine Kinase 1 Level and Immune Function in Patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer / 广州中医药大学学报

Objective To investigate the effects of Fuzheng Quxie Prescription(mainly with the actions of supporting healthy qi and dispelling pathogens)combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy on tumor recurrence,serum thymidine kinase 1(TK1)level and immune function in patients with triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC).Methods Eighty patients with TNBC of qi and yin deficiency type were randomly divided into a combination group and a control group,with 40 patients in each group.The control group was treated with AC-T sequential chemotherapy(Doxorubicin combined with Cyclophosphamide plus sequential Docetaxel),and the combination group was treated with Fuzheng Quxie Prescription on the basis of treatment for the control group.One course of treatment covered 21 days,and the two groups were treated for 4 consecutive courses.The changes of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores,Karnofsky Performance Status(KPS)score,levels of tumor markers of carbohydrate antigen 125(CA125),carbohydrate antigen 153(CA153)and TK1,and T lymphocyte subset levels in the two groups were observed before and after the treatment.Moreover,the clinical efficacy and tumor metastasis and recurrence in the two groups were compared.Results(1)After 4 courses of treatment,the total effective rate of the combination group was 87.50%(35/40),and that of the control group was 67.50%(27/40),and the intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the efficacy of the combination group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores in the two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the KPS scores were significantly increased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of TCM syndrome scores and the increase of KPS scores in the combination group were significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the serum CA125,CA153 and TK1 levels of patients in the two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of serum CA125,CA153 and TK1 levels in the combination group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01).(4)After treatment,the T lymphocyte subset CD3+,CD4+ levels and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the two groups were significantly increased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the CD8+ level was significantly decreased compared with that before treatment(P＜0.05).The post-treatment intergroup comparison showed that the increase of the T lymphocyte subset CD3+,CD4+ levels and CD4+/CD8+ ratio as well as the decrease of the CD8+ level in the combination group was all significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(5)The one-year follow-up showed that the tumor recurrence rate and tumor metastasis rate in the combination group were 7.50%(3/40)and 12.50%(5/40)respectively,significantly lower than 25.00%(10/40)and 35.00%(14/40)in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant when comparing between the two groups(P＜0.05).Conclusion The combination of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with Fuzheng Quxie Prescription has a better therapeutic effect on TNBC patients with qi and yin deficiency syndrome,which can effectively improve the immune function of the patients,decrease the level of serum tumor markers,improve the quality of life of the patients,and reduce the incidence of tumor recurrence and metastasis.

Efficacy of XELOX regimen neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of stage Ⅱ(T4)and Ⅲ colon cancer / 临床外科杂志

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of XELOX regimen as neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ colon cancer.Methods The clinical data of 50 patients with clinical stage Ⅱ(T4)Ⅲ colon cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical resection at general surgery department of our hospital from January 1,2012 to January 1,2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Patients were divided into neoadjuvant chemotherapy group(NACT)and adjuvant chemotherapy group(ACT)according to whether they received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with XELOX regimen.The general clinical data,adverse reactions of chemotherapy,surgical complications,operation time,intraoperative blood loss,hospitalization time,hospitalization cost,negative conversion rate of tumor markers,tumor remission rate,tumor downstaging rate,tumor response grade after chemotherapy,postoperative disease-free survival curve,and overall survival curve were retrospectively analyzed and compared among the groups.Results There were no significant differences in operative complications,postoperative exhaust time and hospital stay between NACT group and ACT group(P＞0.05).The adverse reactions of chemotherapy,the negative conversion rate of postoperative CEA and CA19-9,the duration of operation,the amount of bleeding,and the hospitalization cost in NACT group were significantly better than those in ACT group(P＜0.05).In terms of DFS and OS survival curves,with the extension of time,the decline of the NACT survival curve was smaller than that of the ACT group,and there was a significant difference in DFS survival curve(P＜0.05),but no significant difference in OS survival curve(P＞0.05).Conclusion XELOX neoadjuvant chemotherapy is safe and effective in the treatment of stage Ⅱ(T4)and stage Ⅲcolon cancer.

Evaluation of early efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patient with breast cancer based on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI via comparing with 18F-FDG PET/CT / 实用放射学杂志

Objective To investigate the predictive value of early efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)in patient with breast cancer via full quantitative parameters of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(DCE-MRI).Methods Forty patients with breast cancer were selected.The 18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography(18F-FDG PET/CT)and DCE-MRI were performed before and after two cycles of NAC.According to the decrease rate of maximum standardized uptake value(ΔSUVmax)of PET/CT before and after two cycles of NAC,all patients were divided into two groups,including good response group(24 cases)(ΔSUVmax>40%)and general response group(16 cases)(ΔSUVmax≤40%).The changes of full quantitative parameters of DCE-MRI between the two groups were observed and analyzed.Results There were statistically significant differences in changes of Ktrans and Kep between the two groups(P<0.05),however,there was no significant difference in the change of Ve between the two groups(P>0.05).There was a significant positive correlation between ΔKtrans and ΔSUVmax(r=0.850,P<0.001).There was a high positive correlation between ΔKtrans and ΔKep(r=0.727,P<0.001).Conclusion The full quantitative parameters of DCE-MRI are helpful to evaluate the early efficacy of NAC in breast cancer,which can reflect the changes of microcirculation in the lesion,further reflect the therapeutic effect of NAC,guide the clinical optimization of treatment plan in time,and achieve accurate evaluation and individualized treatment.

Thevalue of naples scores in predicting prognosis in breast cancer patients / 现代医院

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women,but there is currently a lack of accurate prognos-tic assessment systems.The Naples Prognostic Score(NPS)is a prognostic prediction system that incorporates inflammatory and nutritional indicators.It has been proven to have important clinical utility in predicting the prognosis of patients with malignancies such as colon cancer,gallbladder cancer,endometrial cancer,and lung cancer.In recent years,research has found that NPS may be superior to TNMstaging in predicting the prognosis of breast cancer patients.It is an independent predictor of overall sur-vival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS)in breast cancer patients.This suggests that NPS has great potential for applica-tion in predicting the prognosis of breast cancer.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with or without nimotuzumab in the treatment of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a clinical study / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and side effects of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with or without nimotuzumab in the treatment of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:In the prospective study, 100 patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳa locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (except T 3N 0M 0 stage) who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into the experimental and control groups using the random number table method. Patients in both groups were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy using TPF (paclitaxel liposome, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil) regimen for 2 cycles. At 2 weeks after chemotherapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy plus nimotuzumab targeted therapy was given in the experimental group, and concurrent chemoradiotherapy was delivered in the control group. The main observation index was the distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rate. Log-rank test and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used. Results:The objective remission rate and complete remission rate in the experimental and control groups were 100% vs. 98% ( P=1.000) and 92.0% vs. 80% ( P=0.084). The 3-year DMFS in the experimental and control groups were 91.4 % vs. 76.1 % ( P=0.043). The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS), locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS) in two groups were 87.3 % vs. 74.1 % ( P=0.097), 94.5 % vs. 85.6 % ( P=0.227) and 90.5% vs. 85.2% ( P=0.444). Subgroup analysis showed that patients with age<60 years ( HR=0.34, 95% CI=0.12-0.94, P=0.037), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)≤4 ( HR=0.34, 95% CI=0.13-0.89, P=0.028) received concurrent chemoradiotherapy plus nimotuzumab obtained better PFS. Multivariate analysis showed that NLR was an independent risk factor for disease progression ( HR=5.94, 95% CI=1.18-29.81, P=0.030) and distant metastasis ( HR=13.76, 95% CI=1.52-124.36, P=0.020). Conclusions:Compared with concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone, concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab after neoadjuvant chemotherapy can significantly increase DMFS rate for patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The incidence of side effects is similar in two groups. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy plus nimotuzumab after neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be a preferred treatment strategy for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The value of NLR in predicting the efficacy of preoperative nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for local advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To investigate the value of the peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) before nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in predicting the short-term efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy for advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).@*Methods@#With the approval of the Ethics Committee and the informed consent of the patients, 59 patients with stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ OSCC who were admitted to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from September 2020 to June 2023 were enrolled. All the patients had complete clinical data, were pathologically diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, and received preoperative and received preoperative nimotuzumab + TP (docetaxel + cisplatin) neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The clinical data were analyzed, and the neutrophil and lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood were collected before and after nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The NLR was calculated, and the threshold value was calculated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Patients were divided into a high NLR group and a low NLR group according to the NLR threshold before nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP. The clinical efficacy after nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP was evaluated according to the evaluation criteria for solid tumor efficacy, and the correlation between the NLR and recent neoadjuvant therapy efficacy was analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in OSCC tissues before and after nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP and to analyze whether the expression of EGFR differed among the different NLR groups.@*Results@#A total of 59 patients with advanced OSCC were included. According to the ROC curve, the NLR threshold was 2.377, and the patients were divided into a <2.377 group (low NLR group), with 24 patients, and a>2.377 group (high NLR group), with 35 patients. The short-term neoadjuvant therapy effect was significantly greater in the lower NLR group than in the higher NLR group (P<0.05); EGFR expression in both the low NLR group and the high NLR group decreased after nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP, and the decrease in the low NLR group was significantly greater than that in the high NLR group (P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#A low NLR before nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP is associated with better neoadjuvant therapy outcomes, and such patients are more likely to benefit from preoperative nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Predictors and prognostic analysis of pathological complete response of axillary metastatic lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer / 中国现代医生

@#Objective To investigate the clinicopathological factors associated with pathological complete response(pCR)of axillary metastatic lymph nodes in breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC),and to analyze the postoperative survival.Methods A total of 116 patients with breast cancer with axillary lymph node metastasis were collected from Jiaxing Hospital of TCM,Jiaxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital and The First Hospital of Jiaxing.Univariate analysis was used to analyze the relationship between clinicopathological factors and the pCR of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer after NAC.Binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the independent predictors of the pCR of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer after NAC.Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the disease-free survival rate and overall survival rate of patients with and non-pCR of axillary metastatic lymph nodes.Results Among 116 patients,52 cases of axillary metastatic lymph nodes achieved pCR after NAC,accounting for 44.83%.Univariate analysis showed that age,vascular invasion,pCR of primary breast tumor,the difference of Ki67 before and after NAC,NAC regimen,and the efficacy of NAC were statistically significant between breast cancer patients with pCR and those non-pCR(P<0.05).Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that age,vascular invasion and pCR of primary breast tumor were independent predictors of pCR of axillary metastatic lymph nodes(P<0.05).The 5-year disease-free survival rate(80.40%vs.54.60%)and overall survival rate(90.4%vs.70.10%)of patients with pCR and non-pCR of axillary metastatic lymph nodes were compared.Conclusion Some breast cancer patients with axillary lymph node metastasis can reach pCR in lymph nodes after NAC.Analyzing the correlation between clinical pathological factors and pCR of axillary metastatic lymph nodes after NAC,it was found that pCR of axillary metastatic lymph nodes after NAC is related to age≤50 years old,no vascular infiltration,and primary breast tumor pCR.At the same time,it was found that patients with axillary metastatic lymph node pCR had a better prognosis than those with non-pCR.

Assessment of pathological response of breast cancer in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a refferal hospital in Amazonas State

Introduction: The therapeutic options for breast cancer are diverse. Increasingly, treatments are established on an individual basis, depending on a series of variables ranging from age to the molecular profile of the tumor. When neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is necessary, adequate clinical evaluation (CE) and control examinations, such as breast ultrasound (US) and mammography (MMG), are of fundamental importance, as it is necessary to reevaluate the tumor lesion to determine an individualized surgical treatment, with the aim of performing breast-conserving surgery within the available techniques. This study sought to evaluate the pathological response of patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy, analyzing the presence or absence of tumor reduction by relating the physical examination with imaging methods (MMG and US), taking the anatomopathological examination measurements as the gold standard, thus intending to identify the best method for evaluating the pathological response. Methods: This was a prospective, observational, analytical cohort study. The study included 41 patients diagnosed with breast cancer detected by mammography and ultrasound (MMG and US) followed by biopsy, who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and surgery. The measurements of the malignant breast lesions obtained by CE, MMG and US were compared with the anatomopathological measurements on biopsy as the gold standard. Results: Pearson's correlation coefficient was the statistical method used for evaluation, finding a value of 0.49 between the anatomopathological examination and CE, 0.47 between the anatomopathological examination and MMG and 0.48 between the anatomopathological examination and US (p<0.05). Conclusions: CE, MMG and US showed a moderate correlation with anatomopathological measurement, in addition to a moderate correlation between them, demonstrating equivalence in the pre-surgical definition of the size of the breast tumor after NAC, being complementary to each other to define a measure of greater accuracy of the tumor in breast cancer. (AU)

Predictors of recurrence in breast cancer patients with pathological partial response

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Patients with residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy have a relative risk of developing recurrence. This study investigates the risk factors for recurrence in locally advanced breast cancer patients with residual disease and evaluates survival analysis. METHODS: This is a retrospective, single-center study. Breast cancer patients who failed to achieve a pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were included. Demographic, clinicopathological, and treatment characteristics were evaluated to identify predictive factors of recurrence and survival analysis. RESULTS: We included 205 patients in this study. After a median of 31 months of follow-up, 10 patients died, and 20 developed distant metastasis. Disease-free survival and disease-specific survival were 73.8% and 83.1%, respectively. Lymphovascular invasion and non-luminal subtype were independent predictors of locoregional recurrence. In situ carcinoma, lymphovascular invasion, ypTIII stage, and non-luminal molecular subtypes were independent predictors of disease-free survival. The only independent factor affecting disease-specific survival was cNII-III. The number of involved lymph nodes was an independent predictor of disease-free survival in patients without complete axillary response. CONCLUSION: Factors affecting disease-specific survival and disease-free survival were cNII-III and the number of involved lymph nodes, respectively. Patients with non-luminal, large residual tumors with in situ carcinoma, lymphovascular invasion, clinically positive axilla, and residual nodal involvement have a high relative risk for recurrence and may benefit from additional treatments.

The relationship of C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio and interval debulking surgery outcome after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in ovarian cancer patients

Abstract Objective: To investigate the relationship between the changes of C-reactive protein to Albumin Ratio (CAR) levels and Interval Debulking Surgery (IDS) outcome after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (NAC) in ovarian cancer patients. Methods: A nested case-control study for 209 patients with ovarian cancer who received NAC-IDS therapy from the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College between 2015‒2021 was conducted. Demographic data, laboratory indicators, and imaging examinations were collected. The outcome was regarded as optimal IDS in this study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship of CAR before NAC, CAR after NAC and ΔCAR with optimal IDS. The authors also performed the subgroup analysis based on menopausal state. Results: The end time of follow-up was January 24, 2022. A total of 156 patients had been treated with optimal IDS, and 53 with suboptimal IDS. After adjusting age, body mass index, menopausal state, NAC drug, peritoneal perfusion and CAR before NAC, the result showed that CAR after NAC (Odds Ratio [OR = 3.48], 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI 1.28‒9.48], p = 0.015) and ΔCAR (OR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.11‒0.78, p = 0.015) were associated with optimal IDS, respectively. Additionally, the authors found a significant correlation between CAR after NAC and optimal IDS (OR = 3.16, 95% CI 1.07‒9.35, p = 0.038), and ΔCAR and optimal IDS (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.11‒0.94, p = 0.038) among ovarian cancer patients with menopause. Conclusion: CAR after NAC and ΔCAR were independent prognostic markers of optimal interval debulking surgery for ovarian cancer patients.

Low Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma in an 18-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report

Background: The rare epithelial ovarian cancer subtype known as Low-Grade Serous Carcinoma (LGSC) of the ovary has different clinical characteristics and a unique molecular profile. Compared to high-grade serous carcinoma, this tumor develops early, advances more slowly, and is associated with a longer survival period. Primary surgical cytoreduction to no discernible residual disease is a key prognostic factor. It is characterized by a very high level of chemotherapeutic resistance. Case Presentation: An 18-year-old nulligravida lady, presented with right flank pain of 4 days duration that worsened a day before her presentation. On examination, she had stable vital signs, mild tenderness in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen, but no guarding or rigidity. With an initial assessment of bilateral ovarian tumor + query perforated appendicitis assisted by imaging study; emergency laparotomy was done and biopsy was taken from both ovarian masses, and omentum and diagnosed as Low-grade serous carcinoma of both ovaries with secondary omental deposit. After she took four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a relaparotomy was done to do surgical staging/ cytoreductive surgery, and she is currently on follow up. Conclusion: A rare histological subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer, Low-Grade Serous Carcinoma (LGSC) of the ovary, accounts for just 2%-5% of serous carcinomas. Even though the median age upon diagnosis is 46.9 years old, adolescents are still rarely affected. The mainstay of treatment is surgery, and as this cancer is not particularly sensitive to chemotherapy, it is strongly advised to perform a primary maximal cytoreduction.

Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy on Locally Advanced Gastric Adenocarcinoma in Terms of Downstaging and Resectability in a Tertiary Cancer Hospital

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in carcinoma stomach was introduced in an effort to eliminate micro-metastasis and to improve resectablity before surgery which improves R0 resection rates. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on downstaging and resectability rate in locally advanced gastric cancer. Material & Methods: This was a single-center quasi-experimental study conducted in the Department of Surgical Oncology in collaboration with the Departments of Medical Oncology, Radiation oncology, and Pathology at the National Institute of Cancer Research and hospital, Dhaka, which is a tertiary care cancer hospital in Bangladesh, between January 2021 and June 2022.Patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma stomach staged by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) were randomly included in this study by purposive sampling. Patients in Group I underwent upfront surgery Patients in Group II were started on neoadjuvant chemotherapy, either XELOX or FLOT regimen. Surgery was done following the response assessment CECT. We assessed R0 resection rate, age, sex, comorbidities, tumour size, TNM stage and complications were compared between the two groups. Response to NACT was assessed in Group II. Results: The mean age of patients in groups 1 & 2 was 56 ± 11.06 and 55.70 ± 10.46 years of age respectively (p > 0.05). Majority of the respondents (55/74) were male and 19 patients (26%) were female. Male to female ratio was (24/37 &31/37) in group 1 and (31/37 & 6/37) groups respectively (p > 0.05). Out of 37 patients who received NACT, in 9 patients (24.32%) complete response was noted. Partial response was found in 20 cases (54.05%), p-value (<.0001) while a stable disease was reported in three (8.1%) cases. 5 patients (13.51%) had progressive disease. In the upfront surgery group, R0 resection was feasible in 16 (43.2%) cases, and in the NACT plus surgery group, R0 resection was done in 29 (78.4%) cases. In group 1, R1 resection was done in considerable numbers (19/37) compared to group 2 (5/37), P=0.001. Three patients (8.1%) in group 2 and one (2.7) in group 1 had irresectable lesions. Conclusion: In this study it can be concluded that neoadjuvant chemotherapy could downstage tumour and increase tumor resectability rate in patients with locally-advanced gastric adenocarcinoma. However, further studies are necessary to confirm the effect of this modality on patients’ overall survival. We await survival analysis to further validate the role of NACT.

Lymph node metastasis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Neoadjuvant therapy refers to the systemic treatment of breast cancer prior to definitive surgical from size reduction before conservation therapy. Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is evaluated by the change in tumor size from pretreatment clinical and or radiologic measurement to post-treatment status. The spectrum of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy varies from complete response, partial response, to non-response. This concept is the same in breast tumors as well as axillary lymph nodes. The presented case is a known case of Triple Negative Invasive Ductal carcinoma with Axillary involvement Right Breast since November 2020 and had undergone NeoadjuvantChemotherapy till February 2021,followed by surgical intervention in October 2022.

Effects of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 and mucin 1 expressions on treatment response in breast cancer

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. In the treatment of these patients, pathological complete response is defined as the absence of invasive cancer in breast or lymph node tissue after the completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 and mucin 1 expressions with pathological complete response in patients with breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 151 patients were included in the study. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 and mucin 1 expressions were evaluated in the biopsy materials pre-neoadjuvant chemotherapy and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy surgical material, and their relationship with pathological complete response was investigated. RESULTS: The pathological complete response rates were significantly higher among the hormone receptor-negative patients, those with a high Ki-67 score, and patients with HER2-positive. Higher pathological complete response rates were obtained from patients with enhancer of zeste homolog 2 expression positivity pre-neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In addition, after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, enhancer of zeste homolog 2 expression was found to be completely negative in materials with pathological complete response; that is, in breast tissues considered to be tumor-free. While there was no significant relationship between mucin 1 expression and pathological complete response pre-neoadjuvant chemotherapy, mucin 1 expression was determined to significantly differ between the tissues with and without pathological complete response among the surgical materials examined. CONCLUSION: In our study investigating the relationship between enhancer of zeste homolog 2 and mucin 1 expression and pathological complete response in patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, we found that enhancer of zeste homolog 2 expression could be used as a predictive marker for pathological complete response. However, mucin 1 expression was not associated with pathological complete response.

Research Progress in Preoperative Evaluation of Lymph Node Metastasis of Bladder Cancer / 中国医学科学院学报

Bladder cancer is a common malignant tumor of the urinary system.The prognosis of patients with positive lymph nodes is worse than that of patients with negative lymph nodes.An accurate assessment of preoperative lymph node statushelps to make treatmentdecisions,such as the extent of pelvic lymphadenectomy and the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Imaging examination and pathological examination are the primary methods used to assess the lymph node status of bladder cancer patients before surgery.However,these methods have low sensitivity and may lead to inaccuate staging of patients.We reviewed the research progress and made an outlook on the application of clinical diagnosis,imaging techniques,radiomics,and genomics in the preoperative evaluation of lymph node metastasis in bladder cancer patients at different stages.

Correlation between methylation and expression of RUNX2 gene in peripheral blood and sensitivity to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the correlation between the methylation and expression of Runt associated transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) gene in peripheral blood and sensitivity to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.Methods:90 female breast cancer patients who received full-course neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgical resection for the first time in our hospital from Jan. 2021 to Jun. 2022 were included as the study objects, and 90 healthy women who underwent physical examination in our hospital during the same period were included as the control group. The methylation level of RUNX2 gene in peripheral blood of all subjects was detected by sulfite conversion method, and the mRNA expression level of RUNX2 gene in peripheral blood was detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR. The effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients were divided into sensitive and insensitive groups.Results:The positive rate of RUNX2 gene methylation in peripheral blood of breast cancer patients was 41.11% (37/90) , significantly lower than that of the control group (64.44% (58/90) , the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=9.830, P=0.002) . The mRNA expression level of RUNX2 gene in peripheral blood of breast cancer patients was 1.73±0.24, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (1.19±0.18) , and the difference was statistically significant ( t=5.221, P<0.001) . The mRNA expression level of RUNX2 methylation-positive patients in peripheral blood of breast cancer patients was 1.26±0.20, significantly lower than that of RUNX2 methylation-negative patients (1.84±0.26) , and the difference was statistically significant ( t=4.981, P<0.001) . The positive rate of RUNX2 gene methylation was 49.28% (34/69) in patients with sensitivity to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, significantly higher than 14.29% (3/21) in patients with insensitive chemotherapy, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=8.142, P=0.004) . The mRNA expression level of RUNX2 gene in peripheral blood of neoadjuvant chemotherapy sensitive patients was 1.62±0.17, which was significantly lower than that of insensitive patients (2.09±0.22) , and the difference was statistically significant ( t=5.283, P<0.001) . The ROC curve showed that the sensitivity and specificity of RUNX2 mRNA expression in peripheral blood to predict the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were 85.7% and 85.5%, respectively. Conclusion:The methylation and expression level of RUNX2 gene in peripheral blood are related to the sensitivity of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer, and can be used as a marker to predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.

The value of preoperative MRI in predicting the pathological response of breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy / 实用放射学杂志

Objective To evaluate the performance of MRI in predicting pathological response of different breast cancer subtypes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC).Methods The MRI images and postoperative pathological results of 91 patients with breast cancer after NAC were analyzed retrospectively.The correlation between the imaging features of different molecular subtypes of breast cancer and postoperative pathological results was studied,and the diagnostic performance of MRI in predicting pathological response after NAC was evaluated,with postoperative pathological results referred as the diagnostic standard.Results Of 91 patients,27(29.7％)and 35(38.5％)cases were diagnosed as imaging complete response(iCR)and pathological complete response(pCR),respectively.The accuracy of MRI in predicting pathological response after NAC was 84.62％,with 94.64％sensitivity,68.57％specificity,and positive predictive value(PPV)and negative predictive value(NPV)of 82.81％and 88.89％,respectively.Conclusion MRI can accurately predict the pathological response of the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(HER-2)+and triple-negative breast cancer after NAC.

Gurrent status and progress of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and conversion therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Gastric cancer is one of the common malignant tumors in China. Among all gastric cancer patients, locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) accounts for a high proportion. For this group of patients, the efficacy of surgery alone is limited, and the risk of postoperative recur-rence is high. With the continuous development of therapy mode, various clinical trials and new treatment concepts have emerged, leading to a shift in treatment approaches of LAGC from the previous single chemotherapy to various combination therapies and other novel treatment moda-lities, with the aim to improve efficacy and extend survival of patients. The authors review the current status and progress of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and conversion therapy for LAGC.

Influence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on safety and prognosis of patients undergoing multi-visceral resection for gastric cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the influence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on safety and prognosis of patients undergoing multivisceral resection for gastric cancer.Methods:The pro-pensity score matching (PSM) and retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 144 patients with gastric cancer who underwent multivisceral resection in the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from December 2011 to December 2020 were collected. There were 95 males and 49 females, aged (56±13)years. Of 144 patients, 27 cases undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were divided into the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group, and 117 cases undergoing postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were divided into the adjuvant chemotherapy group. Observation indicators: (1) PSM and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching; (2) surgical and postoperative conditions; (3) prognosis. PSM was done by the 1∶1 nearest neighbor matching method, with the caliper setting as 0.02. Measurement data with normal distribution were expressed as Mean± SD. Measurement data with skewed distribution were expressed as M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the rank sum test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers, comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the non-parameter test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves and calculate survival rate, and the Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. Results:(1) PSM and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching. Of 144 patients, 46 cases were successfully matched, including 23 cases in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and 23 cases in the adjuvant chemotherapy group, respectively. The elimination of preoperative hemoglobin, clinical TNM staging confounding bias ensured comparability between the two groups after PSM. (2) Surgical and postoperative conditions. Of 46 patients, 26 cases underwent gastrectomy with one organ resection, 16 cases underwent gastrectomy with two organs resection, and 4 cases underwent gastrectomy with three organs resection. Of the patients with multivisceral resection, the proportion of patients undergoing combined splenectomy, pancreatectomy, colon resection, liver resection, and small intes-tinal resection was 69.6%(32/46), 39.1%(18/46), 32.6%(15/46), 8.7%(4/46), 2.2%(1/46), respectively. Cases with D 1 lymph node dissection, cases with D 2 lymph node dissection, cases with R 0 resection, cases with R 1 resection in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and the adjuvant chemotherapy group were 1, 22, 23, 0 and 0, 23, 23, 0, respectively, showing no significant difference in the above indicators between the two groups ( P>0.05). The number of lymph node dissected, the volume of intraoperative blood loss, duration of postoperative hospital stay in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and the adjuvant chemotherapy group were 28(range, 22-37), 150 (range, 100-200)mL, 11(range, 8-16)days and 25(range, 18-32), 150(range, 100-200)mL, 11(range, 9-18)days, respec-tively, showing no significant difference in the above indicators between the two groups ( Z=-1.13, -0.32, -0.50, P>0.05). Cases with complications ≥grade Ⅱ of Clavien-Dindo classification during the postoperative 30 days were 2 in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group, including 1 case of abdominal abscess and 1 case of pneumonia. Cases with complications ≥grade Ⅱ of Clavien-Dindo classification during the postoperative 30 days were 8 in the adjuvant chemotherapy group, including 3 cases of abdominal abscess, 2 cases of anastomotic fistula, 1 case of pneumonia, 1 case of pancreatic fistula, 1 case of gastric emptying disability. There were significant differences in the complications ≥grade Ⅱ of Clavien-Dindo classification between the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and the adjuvant chemotherapy group ( χ2=4.60, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the abdominal abscess, anastomotic fistula, pneumonia, pancreatic fistula, gastric emptying disability between the two groups ( P>0.05). None of patient died in either of the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and the adjuvant chemotherapy group. (3) Prognosis. Of 46 patients, 43 cases were followed up for 15.4(range, 3.0-84.0)months. The overall survival time of patients in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and the adjuvant chemotherapy group were (14±10)months and (24±22)months, showing no significant difference between them ( hazard ratio=0.82, 95% confidence interval as 0.28-2.40, P>0.05). Conclusion:Compared with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, neoadjuvant chemotherapy does not increase the surgical risk of locally advanced gastric cancer patients undergoing multivisceral and radical resection, and can reduce the incidence of complications ≥grade Ⅱ of Clavien-Dindo classification during the postoperative 30 days, but does not improve patient survival.

Automated quantified tumor-stroma ratio predicts neoadjuvant chemotherapy re-sponse in gastric cancer / 中国肿瘤临床

Objective:The tumor-stroma ratio(TSR)is considered an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer.Traditionally,TSR as-sessments have relied on the visual evaluation of surgical specimens,which is a method that lacks objectivity.This study was conducted to investigate whether the TSR in preoperative biopsy specimens can be automatically quantified using deep learning methods and whether the TSR value can be used to predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:In total,148 preoperative biopsy slides and 43 surgical resection slides from patients with gastric cancer who underwent NAC treatment at Yunnan Can-cer Hospital between March 2013 and March 2020 were used in the study.Tumor region segmentation and epithelial-stromal segmentation models were developed.The surgical resection slides were used to trained and evaluate the model,and the biopsy slides were used to test their predictive abilities.The TSR values were determined on the basis of the intersection of predictions from both models.The postoperat-ive pathological tumor regression grade(TRG)was used to categorize patients into good responders(TRG 0-1)and poor responders(TRG 2-3).Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the correlation between the TSR value and the ef-ficacy of NAC in gastric cancer.Results:The intersection over union(IOU)value was 0.94 for the tumor tissue segmentation model and 0.88 for the epithelial-stromal segmentation model.Using cutoff values of 44.93％and 70.22％,patients were classified into low,intermediate,and high TSR groups.The proportion of good responders was significantly different among these groups(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic re-gression analysis indicated that the TSR was an independent predictor of NAC response in gastric cancer(OR=0.10,95％CI:0.03-0.32).When the TSR three-category classification was added as a predictor of treatment response alongside conventional clinical information,the area under curve(AUC)increased from 0.71 to 0.85.Conclusions:This deep learning model is capable of automatically segmenting tumor,epi-thelial,and stromal regions based on pathological slides,accurately calculating TSR value,and predicting the efficacy of NAC on the basis of the automatically computed TSR values.