Objective To introduce the research status of the immunomodulatory role of various immune cells and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Method The related basic and clinical research literatures on the correlation between various immune cells and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment and the occurrence, development and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma were reviewed and summarized. Results Immune cells and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment have obvious complexity and diversity. Inhibitory immune cells in various immunosuppressive environments and stimulating immune cells that exert anti-tumor effects jointly promote or inhibit the occurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusions The exact role of various immune cells in the tumor microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma remains to be further studied. With the continuous accumulation of relevant research results, more patients with hepatocellular carcinoma will benefit from immunotherapy.
ObjectiveTo summarize the advantages of double-layer detector spectral CT (DLCT) as compared with conventional CT in disease diagnosis and its research status in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. MethodThe literature relevant research was summarized, including the clinical application of DLCT and its clinical research in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. ResultsThe image quality of DLCT was better than that of conventional CT examination. Its virtual non-contrast could display gastric cancer lesions and evaluate lymph node metastasis. The number of CT scans of patient was reduced by DLCT, correspondingly the radiation dose received by patients was reduced, and the examination time of patient was shortened. The iodine uptake in the tissues could visually be observed by the iodine concentration map in the DLCT and be quantitatively analyzed, which could provide a new option for noninvasive evaluation of angiogenesis in the gastric cancer. The DLCT scanning provided a material decomposition image, the different iodine absorption of normal gastric mucosa and gastric cancer could be reflected by the material decomposition image. The enhancement degree and blood supply of lesions could be effectively reflected by quantitative measurement of iodine concentration and thus the benign and malignant changes of the gastric diseases were effectively identified. The DLCT could distinguish the structure of the gastric wall, which could show the depth of invasion of malignant gastric lesions to the gastric wall and whether the adjacent tissues and organs were involved or not. Through the homology analysis of abnormal lymph nodes and suspicious metastases in the abdominal cavity through the related parameters of the DLCT could more accurately determine the clinical TNM stage of the gastric cancer before surgery. ConclusionsIn recent years, DLCT has shown a better morphological diagnostic efficiency than conventional CT in clinical application. Its virtual non-contrast, iodine concentration, effective atomic number, and other parameters characteristics make it show obvious advantages in gastric cancer, such as evaluation of angiogenesis of gastric cancer, differentiation of benign and malignant gastric diseases, clinical staging of gastric cancer, and other applications. In future, with more usable parameters research and continuous accumulation of clinical application about DLCT in clinic, which can better serve clinical work.
ObjectiveTo explore the safety and practicality of intestinal autotransplantation (IATx) combined with radical tumor resection in the treatment of intraperitoneal tumors involving vital blood vessels. MethodThe research progress on indications, preoperative evaluation, ex vivo organ preservation techniques, and mesenteric vascular reconstruction techniques for IATx from January 1996 to August 2023 both domestically and internationally was reviewed. ResultsThe IATx had become a feasible surgical option for the patients with intraperitoneal tumors involving vital blood vessels (more than 180° involving the root of the superior mesenteric artery). The related studies had identified that the intraperitoneal tumors involving vital blood vessels mainly originated from the pancreas, mesentery, and retroperitoneum. Establishing a multidisciplinary team for preoperative assessment of IATx could aid to establish a valuable diagnostic and treatment system. The keypoints of IATx mainly included IATx preparation (cutting and ligating mesenteric blood vessels), in vivo tumor resection, cryopreservation of intestine in vitro, vascular and gastrointestinal reconstruction after IATx, which was different viewpoints in the different literature, such as the selection of in vivo/in vitro tumor resection, mesenteric vascular reconstruction, and portal or vena cava drainage. However, there was a consensus that the optimal solution for ex vivo organ preservation technology was improved solutions relevant to UW. At present, the hot ischemia time of intestine graft was shortened, the incidence of postoperative intestinal graft loss was reduced, and the postoperative survival of patients was gradually extended. But there were still some unresolved complications, such as early graft loss, pancreatic leakage, delayed gastric emptying, postoperative bleeding, etc. ConclusionsIATx combined with tumor resection for intraperitoneal tumors involving vital blood vessels is feasible through carefully preoperative evaluation and surgical planning, which could provide a good clinical and prognostic result. But this operation requires higher technical requirements and might only be performed in centers with rich experience in intestinal transplantation.
ObjectiveTo conduct a systematical evaluation and meta-analysis of the relation between serum total cholesterol (TC) level and the risk of gastric cancer. MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to March 5, 2023. Two independent reviewers performed the literature search, identification, and screening, as well as performed the quality assessment and data extraction. ResultsA total of 12 studies with 5 143 671 participants and 40 551 patients with gastric cancer were included in the meta-analysis. The results of meta analysis showed that 9 studies reported that the elevated serum TC level decreased the risk of gastric cancer [OR (95%CI) was 0.91 (0.85, 0.98)], and 5 studies reported that the decreased serum TC level increased the risk of gastric cancer [OR (95%CI) was 1.93 (1.17, 3.18)]. Also the results of the subgroup analyses showed that the decreased serum TC level increased the risk of gastric cancer in the studies with cohort study, larger overall sample sizes and gastric cancer sample sizes, with longer duration of follow-up, and in those with habits of alcohol and smoking [0.89 (0.87, 0.92), 0.90 (0.87, 0.94), 0.90 (0.87, 0.93), 0.86 (0.82, 0.90), 0.90 (0.87, 0.93), and 0.90 (0.87, 0.93), respectively] , which was consistent with the overall results. In contrast, there was no statistical difference in the relation between the elevated serum TC level decreased the risk of gastric cancer between male and female patients in the gender subgroup. ConclusionsThe results of this systematical evaluation and meta-analysis suggest that serum TC level [135–294 mg/dL (3.49–7.62 mmol/L)] may be a protective factor for gastric carcinogenesis. The risk of gastric carcinogenesis may be increased when serum TC level decreases, and this change is a long-term and insidious process.
ObjectiveTo onstructe a prognostic model for gastric cancer based on disulfidoptosis-related genes. MethodsFirstly, transcriptome data and clinical data were obtained from the TCGA and GEO databases to explore the expression of disulfidoptosis-related genes in gastric cancer tissues and normal tissues, as well as their impact on the overall survival (OS) of gastric cancer patients. Subsequently, two clusters of disulfidoptosis-related gene were determined by consensus clustering, key genes were further selected by using LASSO regression, and a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was constructed to predict OS. ResultsAmong the 24 kinds of disulfidoptosis-associated genes, 16 exhibited statistically significant differences in expression between gastric cancer tissues and normal tissues (P<0.05), and results of univariate Cox proportional hazards regression model showed that 9 kinds of disulfidoptosis-associated genes were associated with OS (P<0.05). The 24 kinds of disulfidoptosis-associated genes were grouped into 2 clusters by using the consensus clustering algorithm, with 299 differentially expressed genes between the two clusters. In the training set, 14 genes were determined by using LASSO regression to construct the OS prediction model, and risk scores were calculated. The OS of the high-risk group was significantly worse than that of the low-risk group (P<0.05), and this prediction model also had a high area under the curve value in the validation set. ConclusionsThe OS prediction model based on disulfidoptosis-associated genes can predict the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.
ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation between different RAS/BRAF mutation sites and the clinicopathological characteristics, metastatic sites, and prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinicopathological data of 415 patients with stage Ⅰ –Ⅲ microsatellite stability (MSS) colorectal cancer who underwent radical surgery at the Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, and the Department of General Surgery, Gansu Provincial People’s Hospital, from March 1, 2017, to October 1, 2022, and had next-generation sequencing data. According to the presence and sites of RAS/BRAF mutations, patients were divided into five groups: RAS/BRAF wild-type group, KRAS G12 codon mutation group, KRAS G13 codon mutation group, BRAFV600E mutation group, and other RAS codon mutation group. The clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic differences between the four groups of RAS/BRAF mutant colorectal cancer patients and the RAS/BRAF wild-type colorectal cancer patients were compared. ResultsAmong stage Ⅰ –Ⅲ MSS colorectal cancer patients, there were 166 cases (40.0%) of wild-type RAS/BRAF without mutation, 124 cases (29.9%) of KRAS G12 mutation, 55 cases (13.3%) of KRAS G13 mutation, 23 cases (5.5%) of BRAFV600E mutation, and 47 cases (11.3%) of other RAS codon mutations. Clinicopathological characteristics analysis revealed that BRAFV600E mutation was associated with mucinous adenocarcinoma (P=0.033). Compared with the wild-type group, KRAS G12 mutation could increase the probability of metachronous lung metastasis (P=0.003) and reduce the probability of metachronous liver metastasis (P=0.013); the KRAS G13 mutation and other RAS mutations could increase the probability of metachronous lung metastasis (P=0.004, P=0.006). Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that among the RAS/BRAF codon mutations, only KRAS G13 mutation was an independent prognostic factor for poor prognosis in stage Ⅰ –Ⅲ colorectal cancer. ConclusionsDifferent RAS/BRAF gene codon mutations are associated with distinct clinicopathological characteristics and organ metastatic sites in colorectal cancer. KRAS G13 codon mutation is an independent prognostic factor for poor prognosis in stage Ⅰ –Ⅲ colorectal cancer. It is recommended that routine detection of RAS/BRAF gene site mutations should be performed in stage Ⅰ –Ⅲ colorectal cancer patients to guide the follow-up management and help clinicians make rational clinical decisions after tumor recurrence.