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Objective:To analyze the value of alpha-fetoprotein(AFP) in predicting survival of patients who underwent salvage surgery after tumor downstaging therapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:The data of 50 patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging (BCLC) C hepatocellular carcinoma treated at the Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital from December 2018 to December 2021 were collected. There were 45 males and 5 females, with the age of (53.0±10.5) years. The patients were divided into two groups based on the serum AFP level after tumor downstaging therapy, AFP normal group ( n=27, AFP≤20 μg/L) and the control group ( n=23, AFP>20 μg/L). Patient survival and tumor recurrence were followed up by outpatient review or telephone follow-up. The survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. The efficacy of combined immunotargeted therapy were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were carried to analyse the factors influcing prognosis. Results:The median survival time was not reached in both groups. The 1-year and 2-year cumulative survival rates were 95.0% and 88.2% in the normal group and 73.4% and 54.1% in the control group, respectively. The median relapse-free survival time of the normal group was not reached, and the median relapse-free survival time of the control group was 11 months. The 1-year recurrence-free survival rate was 78.1% in the normal group and 39.5% in the control group. The cumulative survival rate and relapse-free survival rate in the normal group were significantly higher than those in the control group (χ 2=7.60, 8.83, P=0.006, 0.003). The complete response, partial response and pathological complete response of tumors in the normal group were significant better than those in the control group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that patients with serum AFP >20 μg/L ( HR=2.952, 95% CI: 1.023-8.517, P=0.045) after immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy had an increased risk of postoperative recurrence. Conclusion:The reduction of serum AFP to normal after downstaging therapy could be used as a prognostic indicator of salvage surgical in patients with BCLC C hepatocellular carcinoma, and AFP was related to the efficacy of downstaging therapy in patients.
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Objective:To assess the clinical efficacy of sequential radical surgery after immune and targeted therapy in downstaging patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:Data were prospectively collected from December 2018 to July 2022 on patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma which were downstaged to undergo sequential surgery after treatment with immune and targeted therapy at the Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital. There were 79 patients, with 69 men and 10 women, aged (53.0±10.9) years, being enrolled into this study. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate, and the log-rank test was used for survival rate comparison. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression were used to analyze factors influencing patient prognosis.Results:There were 7 patients (8.9%) with China Liver Cancer Staging (CNLC) Ⅰb, Ⅱa, Ⅱb who had insufficient residual liver volume or tumor rupture before the downstaging therapy, and 38 patients (48.1%) with CNLC Ⅲa and 34 patients (43.0%) with CNLC Ⅲb. These 79 patients underwent R 0 resection after 3-20 cycles (median 5 cycles) of immune and targeted therapy. Based on the modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumor, the results of preoperative imaging assessment were: complete remission in 12 patients (15.2%), partial remission in 50 patients (63.3%), stable disease in 15 patients (19.0%), and disease progression in 2 patients (2.5%). The overall survival rates of patients at 1, 2, and 3 years after diagnosis were 96.1%, 83.5%, and 76.6%; and the recurrence-free survival rates at 1, 2, and 3 years after surgery were 62.1%, 52.9%, and 34.7%, respectively. On multivariate Cox regression analysis, patients with a preoperative alpha-fetoprotein >20 μg/L ( HR=2.816, 95% CI: 1.232-6.432, P=0.014) and a high proportion of pathological residual tumors ( HR=1.015, 95% CI: 1.004-1.026, P=0.006) had a higher risk of postoperative recurrence; and patients with a high proportion of pathological residual tumors ( HR=1.028, 95% CI: 1.007-1.049, P=0.007) and preoperative alpha-fetoprotein >400 μg/L ( HR=4.099, 95% CI: 1.193-14.076, P=0.025) had a higher risk of death. Conclusion:Immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy and sequential surgery for patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma provided long-term survival benefits. Elevated preoperative alpha-fetoprotein and a high proportion of pathological residual tumor were independent risk factors for recurrence-free survival and overall survival in this group of patients.
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Globally, the incidence of pancreatic cancer is on a rise. Pancreatic cancer is characterized by difficulty in early diagnosis, frequent distant metastasis, low surgical resection rate, and high risk of postoperative recurrence. Better treatments need to be developed to prolong the prognosis. Studies have confirmed that inflammation is closely correlated with tumorigenesis, and inflammatory mediators play important roles on tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer and lead to poor prognosis. This article reviewed the progress on the correlation between peripheral blood inflammatory index and the prognosis of pancreatic cancer.
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Objective:To determine the risk factors of drainage time longer than 1 day in patients with selective abdominal drainage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Methods:The clinical data related to patients with selective abdominal drainage undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy from November 2009 to November 2019 at Chinese PLA General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Of 233 patients enrolled into this study, there were 147 males and 86 females, with a median aged 59.0 (47.5, 65.5) years old. The patients were divided into drainage time 1 day group of 65 patients and longer than 1 day group of 168 patients according to postoperative drainage time. The baseline data and perioperative data were collected, the risk factors correlated with drainage time longer than 1 day were analyzed.Results:The drainage time was 1 in the 1 day group and 2~8 in another group. Among the 233 patients, there was one with biliary leakage and 14 patients had abdominal bleeding, all of them healed after 2~3 days. All of the 233 patients were recovered when discharged. Independent risk factors related to drainage time longer than 1 day include BMI≥28 kg/m 2 ( OR=3.443, 95% CI: 1.411-8.405, P=0.007), operation time ≥65 min ( OR=2.570, 95% CI: 1.310-5.045, P=0.006), thickness of gallbladder wall ≥0.5 cm ( OR=12.720, 95% CI: 1.350-5.478, P=0.005), postoperative stomachache ( OR=13.537, 95% CI: 1.685-108.748, P=0.014) and postoperative fever ( OR=8.156, 95% CI: 1.035-64.249, P=0.046). Conclusion:For patients undergoing selective abdominal drainage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy with BMI ≥28 kg/m 2, operation time ≥65 min, gallbladder wall thickness ≥0.5 cm, postoperative abdominal pain and fever, clinicians should appropriately prolong the drainage time to ensure medical safety.
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Objective:To study the safety and efficacy of a treatment protocol using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and antiangiogenic targeted drugs (AATDs) in converting 41 patients with initially unresectable to resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The data of 41 patients with initially unresectable HCC treated with immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy from December 2018 to April 2021 in Chinese PLA General Hospital were analysed. There were 34 males and 7 females, aged (51.8±10.7) years. The clinical characteristics, conversion to resectable HCC, adverse drug reactions, surgical data and postoperative complications were analysed. Patients were followed-up by outpatients clinics or telephone calls.Results:There were 5 patients with Chinese Liver Cancer Staging (CNLC)-Ⅰb, 4 with CNLC-Ⅱ, 28 with CNLC-Ⅲa and 4 with CNLC-Ⅲb before the treatment protocol. Among them, 28 patients had portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) and 4 had retroperitoneal lymph node metastases. All patients had a mean tumor diameter of (9.16±4.43) cm before and (6.49±4.69) cm after the treatment protocol. The latter was based on the last assessment before hepatectomy. The efficacy of the treatment protocol in converting unresectable to resectable HCC was assessed by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors after 3-15 cycles (median dose cycles, 5) of protocal therapy: 15 patients achieved a complete response; 15 patients achieved a partial response; 6 patients had a stable disease, and 5 patients had a progressive disease. 21 patients (51.2%) experienced adverse reactions associated with drug treatment, which resolved with symptomatic treatment or brief discontinuation of the therapy. All patients underwent successful hepatectomy. Postoperative complications of grade Ⅱ or higher occurred in 9 patients (22.0%). The cumulative overall survival rates at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years from diagnosis were 100.0%, 92.6% and 64.7% respectively. The cumulative overall survival rates at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after surgery were 95.1%, 74.7% and 60.8%, and the recurrence-free survival rates at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after surgery were 87.8%, 56.7% and 48.6%, respectively.Conclusions:This study provided preliminary evidences that surgical resection after immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy in patients with initially unresectable HCC was safe and efficacious.
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Objective:To study the use of perfluorobutane contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in preoperative detection of microvascular invasion (MVI), and postoperative short-term recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:Patients who underwent hepatectomy with curative intent at the Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2021 to April 2021 were prospectively enrolled into this study. Of 42 patients in this study, there were 36 males and 6 females, with age of (56.51±11.95) years old. All patients underwent preoperative perfluorobutane CEUS, and the characteristics of ultrasound, the vascular phase and Kupffer phase of perfluorobutane CEUS were recorded. Based on the pathological results, these patients were divided into the MVI and non-MVI groups. These patients underwent liver MRI once every 3 months postoperatively to diagnose tumor recurrence. According to the recurrence of HCC 6 months after operation, these patients were divided into the non-recurrence and the recurrence groups. Independent risk factors for MVI and short-term recurrence were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses.Results:Two patients had two lesions, and the remaining 40 patients had a single lesion. The pathological diagnosis of all the lesions were HCC (14 patients in the MVI group and 28 patients in the non-MVI group). The median follow-up was 6 (3, 6) months, and there were 8 patients in the recurrence group and 34 patients in the non-recurrence group. On logistic analysis, independent risk factors for MVI included the number of vessels detected on color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) ( OR=5.762, 95% CI: 1.597-20.785, P=0.007), increased tumor size by more than 10% after CEUS arterial enhancement ( OR=10.186, 95% CI: 3.647-28.447, P=0.037), and thickness of corona enhancement at Kupffer phase of greater than 5 mm ( OR=17.340, 95% CI: 6.124-49.095, P=0.040). Cox regression showed the independent risk factors for short-term recurrence to include the number of vessels in CDFI ( RR=7.519, 95% CI: 1.086-52.051, P=0.041) and thickness of corona enhancement at Kupffer phase of greater than 5 mm ( RR=10.623, 95% CI: 1.265-89.218, P=0.030). Conclusion:Preoperative perfluorobutane CEUS had potential values in detecting MVI and in predicting postoperative short-term recurrence of HCC.