ABO blood type correlates with survival in hepatocellular carcinoma following hepatectomy.

ABO blood types are associated with the prognosis of several malignancies. However, the role of the ABO blood type in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. Here, we evaluated the prognostic role of the ABO blood group in 691 HCC patients after hepatectomy by Cox regression analysis. A prognostic nomogram was generated to predict the 3 and 5-year overall survival (OS). A total of 262 HCC patients (37.9%) had blood group O, 199 (28.8%) had blood group A, 165 (23.9%) had blood group B, and 65 (9.4%) had blood group AB. The median OS was 55 months in patients with blood group O, 39 months for blood group A, 34 months for blood group B, and 34 months for blood group AB patients (P = 0.001, log-rank test). There were significant differences in OS between patients with blood groups O and A [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.416; 95% CI, 1.101-1.820; P = 0.007], blood group B (HR = 1.736; 95% CI, 1.333-2.262; P < 0.001), blood group AB (HR = 1.739; 95% CI, 1.210-2.499; P = 0.003) and non-O blood groups (HR = 1.485; 95% CI, 1.204-1.830; P < 0.001). Our constructed nomogram (c-index = 0.687) predicted the prognosis more accurately than the TNM stage alone(c-index = 0.601). In conclusion, non-O blood groups are poor prognostic indicators for HCC following hepatectomy. Our findings justify further external validation in larger cohorts.

Angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC): A meta-analysis of 7 randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) via meta-analysis. METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched to look for eligible studies through February 1, 2016. RCTs comprising angiogenesis inhibitors and nonangiogenesis inhibitors for SCLC patients were investigated. The extracted data including overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR) were summarized. In addition, the common adverse events (AEs) were also explored. RESULTS: There were 7 phase II/III RCTs, encompassing 1322 SCLC patients eligible for meta-analysis. In comparison to nonangiogenesis inhibitors, angiogenesis inhibitors treatment was not associated with improvement of PFS [HR = 0.87, 95% CI (0.74-1.02), P = 0.09), OS [HR = 0.99, 95% CI (0.88-1.12), P = 0.91], or ORR [OR = 1.12, 95% CI (0.85-1.47), P = 0.41). Also, there was no improvement in 1-year survival rate [OR = 0.96, 95% CI (0.74-1.19), P = 0.63)], 2-year survival rate [OR = 1.00, 95% CI (0.66-1.51), P = 1.00)] or 1-year progression-free survival rates [OR = 0.95, 95% CI (0.69-1.31), P = 0.76)]. However, from subgroup analyses, it was observed that angiogenesis inhibitors improved ORR [HR = 1.66 (95% CI 1.02-2.71), P = 0.04] in phase II studies and bevacizumab improved PFS [HR = 0.73 (95% CI 0.42-0.97), P = 0.04]. It is important to note that angiogenesis inhibitors reduced emesis [OR = 0.38, 95% CI (0.17-0.85), P = 0.02], but increased incidence of constipation [OR = 4.02, 95% CI (2.14-7.55), P < 0.0001) and embolism [OR = 2.24, 95% CI (1.45-3.47), P = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: Adding angiogenesis inhibitors to chemotherapy did not improve PFS, OS, ORR, 1-year survival rate, 2-year survival rate or 1-year progression-free survival rate for SCLC. However, subgroup analysis revealed that bevacizumab enhanced PFS. Angiogenesis inhibitors also had a high incidence of constipation and embolism.