• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10977-10979
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• 2015

Background: This systematic analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cantharidin combined with chemotherapy in treating Chinese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Methods: Clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of cantharidin combined with chemotherapy on response and safety for Chinese patients with colorectal cancer were identified using a predefined search strategy. Pooled response rate (RR) of treatment were calculated.Results: When cantharidin combined with chemotherapy, 4 clinical studies which included 155 patients with advanced colorectal cancer were considered eligible for inclusion. The systematic analysis suggested that, in all patients, pooled RR was 46.5% (72/155) in cantharidin combined regimens. Major adverse effects were neutropenia, leukopenia, fatigue, and anemia with cantharidin combined treatment; no treatment related deaths occurred. Conclusion: This systematic analysis suggests that cantharidin combined regimens are associated with high response rate and accepted toxicity in treating Chinese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer suggesting that randomized clinical trials are now warranted.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.5111-5113
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• 2015

Background: To investigate the diagnostic and treatment methods for Chinese patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Materials and Methods: From January 2004 to June 2014, patients diagnosed with primary GIST and treated by a single medical team in the Department of Digestive Disease of XuYi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were retrospectively recruited. Re-examination and follow-up was conducted regularly and abdominal enhanced CT, blood biochemistry and responses to surgery or imatinib were recorded. Results: A total of 15 patients were enrolled, including 9 male and 6 female patients, with an average age of 54 years (ranging from 32-81 years). The primary symptoms were abdominal uncomfortable in 5 patients, abdominal pain in 6 patients as well as nausea and vomiting in 4 patients. One patient was diagnosed with bowl obstruction at the first visit. All patients were treated with surgery, and tumor site was confirmed 1 esophagus, 6 stomach, 4 small bowel, and 4 colorectal and all patients were pathologically diagnosed with GIST. Immunochemical test positive for CD 117 was found 12 patients, and positive for CD 34 in7 patients. The median follow-up time was 24 months (range of 3-63). Three metastasis were confirmed 1.5, 2 and 2.6 years postoperatively. Three patients were treatment by imatinib postoperatively. Conclusions: Surgery remains the main treatment method for Chinese patients with GIST and imatinib could be feasible and safe for treating Chinese patients with GIST.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.437-442
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• 2023

Emergency pancreaticoduodenectomy (EPD) is a rarely performed operation. It is important to know the indications and outcomes of EPD to have a better understanding of its application in clinical practice. A review of eight consecutive cases of EPD was done. Between January 2003 and December 2021, 8 out of 370 patients (2.2%) in a single center received pancreaticoduodenectomy as emergency. There were six males and two females with a median age of 45.5 years. The indications were trauma in three patients, bleeding tumors in two patients, and one patient each in obstructing duodenal tumor, postoperative complication and post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) complication. The median operative time and blood loss were 427.5 minutes and 1,825 mL, respectively. There was no operative mortality. Seven patients (87.5%) had postoperative complications. Three patients (37.5%) developed postoperative grade B pancreatic fistula. The median postoperative hospital stay was 23.5 days. Five patients were still alive while three patients survived for 13, 31, and 42 months after the operation. The causes of death were recurrent tumors in two patients, and sepsis in one patient. According to this case series, EPD is associated with increased morbidity and pancreatic fistula, but is still deserved in life-threatening situations and long-term survival is possible after EPD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5945-5950
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• 2014

Objectives: To retrospectively review the safety and clinical efficacy of bevacizumab concomitant with chemotherapy in Chinese patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSNSCLC). Methods: Clinical data for 79 patients with NSNSCLC who received bevacizumab concomitant with chemotherapy in Chinese PLA General Hospital from April 28th 2009 to May 5th 2013 were retrospectively reviewed to analyze the clinical efficacy including disease control rate (DCR), overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score and the safety. Results: The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score was 0-2. By the final cutoff date (June 9, 2013), 54 (68.4%) patients had disease progression and 37 (46.8%) died. The ORR was 32.9% and the DCR was 83.5%. The ORR of the first-, second-, and third- or later-line treatments were 51.4%, 25.0% and 12.5%, while the DCR were 94.3%, 80.0% and 70.8%, respectively. The median OS (mOS) and PFS (mPFS) were 13.5 and 5.83 months, respectively. The mOS of patients with the first-, second-, and third- or later- line treatments were 16.2, 10.9 and 8.30 months, while the mPFS were 7.27, 5.90 and 5.17 months, respectively. Chemotherapy-related adverse events included myelosuppression, vomiting, hepatic dysfunction and renal dysfunction, while the common serious bevacizumab-related adverse events were thromboembolic problems, gastrointestinal perforation and reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome, which could be well managed. Conclusions: Bevacizumab concomitant with chemotherapy is effective and the related toxicity can be well tolerated in Chinese patients with NSNSCLC.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.986-997
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• 2022

Objective: Whether metabolic redistribution occurs in patients with white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is unknown. This study aimed 1) to propose a measure of the brain metabolic network for an individual patient and preliminarily apply it to identify impaired metabolic networks in patients with WMHs, and 2) to explore the clinical and imaging features of metabolic redistribution in patients with WMHs. Materials and Methods: This study included 50 patients with WMHs and 70 healthy controls (HCs) who underwent ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/MRI. Various global property parameters according to graph theory and an individual parameter of brain metabolic network called "individual contribution index" were obtained. Parameter values were compared between the WMH and HC groups. The performance of the parameters in discriminating between the two groups was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The correlation between the individual contribution index and Fazekas score was assessed, and the interaction between age and individual contribution index was determined. A generalized linear model was fitted with the individual contribution index as the dependent variable and the mean standardized uptake value (SUV_mean) of nodes in the whole-brain network or seven classic functional networks as independent variables to determine their association. Results: The means ± standard deviations of the individual contribution index were (0.697 ± 10.9) × 10^-3 and (0.0967 ± 0.0545) × 10^-3 in the WMH and HC groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The AUC of the individual contribution index was 0.864 (95% confidence interval, 0.785-0.943). A positive correlation was identified between the individual contribution index and the Fazekas scores in patients with WMHs (r = 0.57, p < 0.001). Age and individual contribution index demonstrated a significant interaction effect on the Fazekas score. A significant direct association was observed between the individual contribution index and the SUV_mean of the limbic network (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The individual contribution index may demonstrate the redistribution of the brain metabolic network in patients with WMHs.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2015

Purpose: To compare the clinicopathological data and long-term survival of gastric cancer patients in China and Korea. Materials and Methods: Patients who had undergone gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 1998 and 2009 in 2 high-volume institutions in both China (n=1,637) and Korea (n=2,231) were retrospectively evaluated. Clinicopathological variables, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and surgery-related complications were assessed for all patients and compared between the 2 institutions. Results: Chinese patients included in the study were significantly older and had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than the Korean patients. Esophagogastric junction tumors were more frequent in Chinese patients. However, the number of patients with stage I gastric cancer, the number of harvested lymph nodes, and the number of total gastrectomies were significantly higher in the Korean population. Korean patients also presented with fewer undifferentiated tumors than Chinese patients. Furthermore, Korean patients had prolonged OS and PFS for stage III cancers only. BMI, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, tumor invasion, number of positive lymph nodes, and distant metastases were all independent factors affecting OS and PFS. Conclusions: Although China and Korea are neighboring Asian countries, the clinicopathological characteristics of Chinese patients are significantly different from those of Korean patients. Korean gastric cancer patients had longer OS and PFS than Chinese patients. Influencing factors included TNM stage, tumor invasion, and lymph node metastasis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4797-4800
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• 2015

Background: This analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of crizotinib based regimens in treating Chinese patients with EML4-ALK positive non-small-cell lung cancer. Materials and Methods: Clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of crizotinib based regimens on response and safety for Chinese patients with EML4-ALK positive non-small-cell lung cancer were identified by using a predefined search strategy. Pooled response rate (RR) of treatment were calculated. Results: In crizotinib based regimens, 3 clinical studies which including 128 Chinese patients with EML4-ALK positive non-small-cell lung cancer and treated with crizotinib based regimen were considered eligible for inclusion. Pooled analysis suggested that, in all patients, the pooled RR was 59.3% (76/128) in crizotinib based regimens. ALT/AST mild visual disturbances, nausea, and vomiting were the main side effects. No treatment related death occurred in these crizotinib based treatments. Conclusions: This pooled analysis suggests that crizotinib based regimens are associated with good response rate and accepted toxicities in treating Chinese patients with EML4-ALK positive non-small-cell lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1665-1669
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• 2015

Background: The optimal surgical strategy for the treatment of synchronous resectable gastric cancer liver metastases remains controversial. The aims of this study were to analyze the outcome and overall survival of patients presenting with gastric cancer and liver metastases treated by simultaneous resection. Materials and Methods: Between January 1990 and June 2009, 35 patients diagnosed with synchronous hepatic metastases from gastric carcinoma received simultaneous resection of both primary gastric cancer and synchronous hepatic metastases. The clinicopathologic features and the surgical results of the 35 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The 5-year overall survival rate after surgery was 14.3%. Five patients survived for more than 5 years after surgery. No mortality has occurred within 30 days after resection, although two patients (5.7%) developed complications during the peri-operative course. Univariate analysis revealed that patients with the presence of lymphovascular invasion of the primary tumor, bilateral liver metastasis and multiple liver metastases suffered poor survival. Lymphovascular invasion by the primary lesion and multiple liver metastases were significant prognostic factors that influenced survival in the multivariate analysis (p=0.02, p=0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The presence of lymphovascular invasion of the primary tumor and multiple liver metastases are significant prognostic determinants of survival. Gastric cancer patients without lymphovascular invasion and with a solitary synchronous liver metastasis may be good candidates for hepatic resection. Simultaneous resection of both primary gastric cancer and synchronous hepatic metastases may effectively prolong survival in strictly selected patients.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.291-301
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• 2023

Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are particularly vulnerable to the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). Currently, no anti-NSCLC/COVID-19 treatment options are available. As ginsenoside Rg3 is beneficial to NSCLC patients and has been identified as an entry inhibitor of the virus, this study aims to explore underlying pharmacological mechanisms of ginsenoside Rg3 for the treatment of NSCLC patients with COVID-19. Methods: Based on a large-scale data mining and systemic biological analysis, this study investigated target genes, biological processes, pharmacological mechanisms, and underlying immune implications of ginsenoside Rg3 for NSCLC patients with COVID-19. Results: An important gene set containing 26 target genes was built. Target genes with significant prognostic value were identified, including baculoviral IAP repeat containing 5 (BIRC5), carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9), endothelin receptor type B (EDNRB), glucagon receptor (GCGR), interleukin 2 (IL2), peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PADI4), and solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 1B1 (SLCO1B1). The expression of target genes was significantly correlated with the infiltration level of macrophages, eosinophils, natural killer cells, and T lymphocytes. Ginsenoside Rg3 may benefit NSCLC patients with COVID-19 by regulating signaling pathways primarily involved in anti-inflammation, immunomodulation, cell cycle, cell fate, carcinogenesis, and hemodynamics. Conclusions: This study provided a comprehensive strategy for drug discovery in NSCLC and COVID-19 based on systemic biology approaches. Ginsenoside Rg3 may be a prospective drug for NSCLC patients with COVID-19. Future studies are needed to determine the value of ginsenoside Rg3 for NSCLC patients with COVID-19.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3877-3880
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• 2013

Objective: To explore the expression and significance of tumor specific growth factor (TSGF), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in cancer tissue and serum of patients with colon cancer. Materials and Methods: Radical surgery for colon cancer was performed on 43 patients with laparoscopu under conditions of general anesthesia. The Elisa method was used to detect the levels of serum TSGF, CEA and AFP before and after radical operation, and cancer tissue underwent TSGF, CEA and AFP immunohistochemistry staining after laparoscopic surgery. The decreased conditions of serum TSGF, CEA and AFP in patients with colon cancer at different levels of differentiation and clinical stagings were analyzed, and the relationships of expression rates between histological types, colon cancer morphology, lymph node metastasis and TSGF, CEA as well as AFP in cancer tissue were assessed. Results: Compared with before radical surgery, the levels of serum TSGF, CEA and AFP decreased notably in patients after operations (p<0.01). The decreased degree of TSGF and CEA was the largest in patients with poorly differentiated cancer tissue (p<0.01), while that of AFP was noted in patients with moderately differentiated cancer tissue (p<0.01). The decreased degree of TSGF and AFP was the largest in patients at phase Dukes A (p<0.01), while that of CEA in patients at phase Dukes C (p<0.01). There were no significant differences among the positive expression rates of TSGF, CEA and AFP with different histological types and colon cancer morphologies (p>0.05). The positive expression rates of TSGF and CEA in patients with lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those without lymph node metastasis (p<0.01). Conclusions: TSGF, CEA and AFP can be used to evaluate the effect of radical operation for colon cancer, and the changed levels of different markers are associated with tumor differentiation, clinical stating and presence or absence of lymph node metastasis.