Objective To assess the value of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in the prognosis of esophageal cancer. Methods PubMed and EMbase were searched for collecting retrospective cohort studies on the correlation between VEGF expression and prognosis of esophageal cancer, and relevant articles were also retrieved from inception to June, 2012. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated the quality. Then the meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan5.0 software, and the publication bias of literature was evaluated by means of Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s method. Results Finally 10 cohort studies involving 811 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that, patients with high level of VEGF had poor overall survival (HR=1.55, 95%CI 1.25 to 1.91). The results of subgroup analyses including VEGF subtype, critical value of VEGF and source of patient showed that: a) there was no correlation between patient’s prognosis and high level of VEGF-C; b) The high level of VEGF subtype in cancer tissue indicated a higher risk of death when the critical value was 10%, while it was not related to the prognosis when the critical value was 30%; and c) The high level of VEGF in cancer tissue was more valuable to predict the prognosis of esophageal cancer for Chinese patients rather than non-Chinese patients. Conclusion The level of VEGF’s expression in cancer tissue is valuable to predict the prognosis of esophageal cancer.
Objective Application of auditory brainstem response (ABR) in the study on the relationship of neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and the children with hearing loss and auxiliary determine the prognosis of encephalopathy. Methods We prospectively selected neonates diagnosed as HIE in the department of neonatology of the Chengdu Women and Children Central Hospital from January, 2006 to June, 2008. Neonatal ABR was tested and the prognosis of neonates were observed through 3-year followed up in order to analyze the relationship between HIE severity and the severity of hearing handicap and the relationship between the severity of hearing handicap and prognosis. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18.0. χ2 test was used to compare the rate between groups. Results 40 cases involving 80 ears were included, of which 33 cases accomplished the 3-year follow-up for prognosis. The results showed that, 86.3% HIE neonates had hearing handicap (mainly mild hearing loss, 40.0%). Medium-severe HIE groups had more serious hearing handicap than Mild HIE group with a statistical significance (continuity correction χ2=7.383, P=0.007). ABR results showed that, mild HIE is mainly manifested as I wave PL prolonged or poorly differentiated, accounting for 78.1%; medium - severe HIE are mainly manifested as III and V wave PL prolonged central segment abnormalities, accounting for 95.8%; the hearing threshold no more than 60 dB group had better prognosis than the hearing threshold more than 60 dB group prognosis (Fisher exact probability P=0.001). Conclusion ABR reflects that HIE severity and was positively related to the severity of hearing handicap. The more serious hearing loss in neonates is, the worse prognosis the neonates have. ABR can be used to assist the assessment of the prognosis of neonatal HIE.
Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of the level of serum neurone specific enolase (NSE) in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMbase, CBMdisc, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1950 to December 2007). Studies meeting the eligibility criteria were retrieved and their bibliographies were checked for other relevant publications. The quality of included studies was evaluated by 2 reviewers independently. Meta-analyses were performed for the results of homogeneous studies using STATA 7.0 software. Results Nine studies involving 2 021 SCLC patients were included. About 66.0% of patients had high serum levels of NSE, according to the cut-off value defined by the authors. The hazard ratio (HR) of high levels of NSE for overall survival (OS) was 1.27 times of that of low levels of NSE for OS in SCLC patients (95% CI 1.19 to 1.35, P=0.281). Conclusion Patients with high levels of NSE appear to have a poorer OS compared with those with low levels of NSE, thus the level of NSE has a prognostic value in SCLC patients. Due to the potential publication bias, selection bias, and measurement bias among these studies, the conclusion should be interpreted carefully. More high-quality homogeneous studies are required to accurately evaluate the prognostic value of NSE.
Objective To study the incidence，clinicopathological characteristics,diagnosis，treatment， and prognosis of synchronous or metachronous primary cancers in patients with gastric cancer． Methods The clinical data of 103 gastric cancer patients with synchronous or metachronous primary cancers from January 1983 to December 2010 were collected and reviewed．Results The incidence of synchronous or metachronous primary cancer in addition to gastric cancer was 2.26％（103/4 552）.The age of these patients was （63.98±11.93） years （30～84 years） when gastric cancer was diagnosed.There were 29 cases of synchronous primary cancer and 74 cases of metachronous primary cancer,in which there were 46 pre-metachronous cancer patients and 28 post-metachronous cancer patients.All the patients had 113 primary tumors of other organs.Colorectal cancer was the most common type of primary cancer in other organs （27.43%, 31/113）,followed by lung cancer （15.04%, 17/113）.The time interval between gastric cancer and metachronous primary cancer was （87.95±92.98） months （7～506 months）,and 65.49% （74/113） of other primary tumors were diagnosed within 5 years before or after gastric cancer. The overall 5-year survival rate was 48.43%. The 5-year survival rate of post-metachronous group （69.52%） was significantly better than synchronous cancer group （36.40%, P=0.009） or pre-metachronous group （42.31%, P=0.023）.In 33 patients who had definite cause of death, 20 patients died of gastric cancer.Conclusions Primary cancer of other organs should be considered in treatment of gastric cancer.Gastric cancer may be the most important factor impacting the prognosis of these patients.
Objective To analyze surgical treatment and clinicopathologic features of remnant gastric cancer,and to recognize the strategies of treatment. Methods The clinical data of 26 cases patients with remnant gastric cancer diagnosed by endoscopy and pathological examination and underwent surgical treatment were retrospectively analyzed in our hospital between January 2004 and March 2011.In this study,14 cases of remnant gastric cancer from benign disease （RGCB） and 12 cases of remnant gastric cancer after stomach cancer operation （RGCC） were included.The clinical findings,Helicobacter pylori （HP） infection,surgical methods, histopathological features,and prognosis were analyzed.Results The patients developed a carcinoma in the gastric remnant about 15-44 years after operation for benign disease （median 26.3 years） and about 1-10.5 years after gastric cancer operation （median 4 years）,and there was significant differences of the two groups（P＜0.05）.HP infection of the gastric remnant was found in 73.1%（19/26） patients,and infection rate of patients was 71.4%（10/14） in RGCB and 75.0%（9/12） in RGCC, but there was no statistical different in two groups （P＞0.05）.All 26 patients underwent surgical procedure,and the rate of radical resection was 46.2% （12/26）, which was 57.1% （8/14） in RGCB and 33.3% （4/12） in RGCC respectively,there was no statistical different （P＞0.05）.Among the 12 cases underwent radical resection, the highest lymphatic metastasis rate was in No.3 group （83.3%， 10/12）,which came in second in lymph node of mesojejunum or splenic hilum （33.3%， 4/12）.Postoperative pathological staging was as follows：stageⅠin 3 cases, stageⅡ in 2 cases, stage Ⅲ in 14 cases and stage Ⅳ in 7 cases. In 18 patients underwent tumor excision,the metastasis of lymph node occurred in 13 cases （72.2%）,and the pancreas,transverse colon,or spleen were invaded in 13 cases according to histopathological results. Meanwhile,peritoneal metastasis were founded in 8 cases patients,and the peritoneal metastasis rate of patients with RGCB （14.3%；2/14） was significantly lower than that with RGCC （50.0%， 6/12）, P＜0.05.The overall one-year survival rate and three-year survival rate was 54.5% and 38.5%,respectively, and the survival time was 2-61 months （median 12 months）.Survival analysis indicated that pathological stage and radical resection were significant prognostic factors for patients with remnant gastric cancer（P＜0.01）,and radical resection was an independent prognostic factor （P＜0.05）,while age,gender,disease of first operation, degree of differentiation and HP infection were not （P＞0.05）. Conclusions Early detection and standard radical resection are the key factor to improve the prognosis of patients with remnant gastric cancer and laparoscopic exploration may minimize unnecessary injures of surgery.Because of the different clinical characteristics,strategy of treatment for RGCC and RGCB shall be discriminatory.
Objective To investigate the pathological features， diagnosis， treatment， and prognosis of multiple primary colorectal cancer （MPCC）. Methods Clinical data of 41 patients with MPCC treated in The Fourth Affiliated Hospital and The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University from Aug. 1993 to Mar. 2009 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Forty one patients with MPCC， including 29 patients with synchronous colorectal cancer （SCC） and 12 patients with metachronous colorectal cancer （MCC）， accounted for 1.8% （41/2 340） of colorectal cancer during the same period of time， and with adenomatous polyps in 19 cases and polyps canceration in 10 cases. Among 29 patients with SCC， 15 cases （51.7%） were diagnosed by preoperative fiberoptic colonoscopy， 9 cases （31.0%） were diagnosed by preoperative fiberoptic colonoscopy， abdomen CT， and barium enema， 5 cases （17.2%） were diagnosed by intraoperative exploration and intraoperative fiberoptic colonoscopy， respectively. All of the 12 patients with MCC were diagnosed by preoperative fiberoptic colonoscopy and abdomen CT. For 29 patients with SCC， tumor locations were from proximal appendix to distal rectum， but 12 patients with MCC were adverse. Sixty-five （77.4%） tumors were tubular or papillary adenocarcinoma， and 56 （66.7%） tumors were well and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. The TNM stage of most tumors （72） was stageⅡ or Ⅲ phase， account for 85.7%. Radical surgeries were performed in 37 patients and palliative surgeries in 4 patients， and there were no complications after operation. During the follow-up for 3-5 years （mear 3.6 years）， the overall survival rate of 3- and 5-year were 48.8% （20/41） and 34.1% （14/41）， respectively. In detail， 3-year survival rate of SCC group and MCC group were 48.3% （14/29） and 50.0% （6/12）， respectively；5-year survival rate were 31.0% （9/29） and 41.7% （5/12）， respectively. Conclusions Cause of MPCC has not been clear， but it has possible relationship with adenomatous polyps. Preoperative fiberoptic colonoscopy， abdomen CT， and barium enema are very important for patients with SCC， and intraoperative fiberoptic colonoscopy is also necessary. Patients with MCC should enhance postoperative follow-up with fiberoptic colonoscopy. Further more， radical resection should be performed as early as possible.
Objective To summarize and analyze the treatment options and prognostic factors of gastric stump carcinoma （GSC）. Methods The clinical data of 114 patients with GSC treated in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Northern Sichuan Medical College and The General Hospital of Chinese People’s Liberation Army from Mar. 2000 to May.2008 were reviewed， and influencing factors of surgical resection and prognosis were analyzed. Results For all patients，the ratios of surgical resection and curative resection（R0 resection） were 57.0%（65/114） and 54.4% （62/114）， respec-tively. The ratios of total gastrectomy， distal gastrectomy， proximal gastrectomy， endoscopic mucosal resection （EMR），and endoscopic submucosal dissection （ESD） were 73.8%（48/65）， 16.9%（11/65）， 3.1%（2/65）， 4.6%（3/65）， and 1.5%（1/65）in resection cases， and were 75.8%（47/62）， 16.1%（10/62）， 3.2%（2/62）， 4.8%（3/62）， and 0 in R0 resection cases， respectively. Seventy-five patients were followed-up for 0.3-79 months （median 12 months）， the mediansurvival time was 19.5 months， and 1-， 3-， and 5-year overall survival rates were 61.8%， 42.3%， and 30.1%， respectively. The results of multivariate analysis showed that resection rate was higher in patients with initial distalgastrectomy （P=0.002）， kps score≥80 （P=0.016）,lower macroscopic type （P=0.013）， and cM0 （P=0.000）. R0 resection （P=0.000）， macroscopic type （P=0.005）， and cT stage （P=0.006） were the independent prognostic factors. There were both no significant difference on survival between the patients with previous benign disease and those with original malignant disease when analyzed with univariate or multivariate method （P＞0.05）. There were no significant difference on overall survival curve among patients treated with palliative resection， palliative chemotherapy， simple laparotomy， and best supportive care （P＞0.05）. Conclusions The treatment options and prognosis of GSC were not influenced by the primary benign diseases or malignant diseases， and R0 resection is the most important prognostic factor. Removal of total remnant stomach is the best surgical procedure for GSC， and palliative laparotomy should be avoided.
Objective To investigate the relationship between the expressions of P-gp, GST-π and C-erbB-2 and clinicopathologic characteristics as well as prognosis in breast cancer. Methods The expressions of P-gp， GST-π and C-erbB-2 were detected by immunohistochemistry in 48 cases of breast cancer, and histopathologic characteristics as well as 5-year survival rate of these cases were analyzed. Results There was no significant difference in the expressions of P-gp and GST-π with age, histologic grade, number of lymph node metastasis and TNM stage of breast cancer ( P ＞ 0.05). There was significant difference in expression of C-erbB-2 with histologic grade, number of lymph node metastasis and TNM stage of breast cancer （ P ＜ 0.05）. Positive rate of P-gp expression in breast cancer with positive C-erbB-2 expression was remarkably higher than that in breast cancer with negative C-erbB-2 expression ( P ＜ 0.05) . Positive rate of GST-π and C-erbB-2 expression in survivals within 5 years was remarkably lower than that in deaths within 5 years ( P ＜ 0.01). Conclusion P-gp participates primary drug-resistance mechanism of breast cancer. The possibility of primary drug-resistance is higher in breast cancer with positive C-erbB-2 expression. The expression of C-erbB-2 helps to evaluate prognosis and the result of treatment in breast cancer.
Objective To determine the relationships between the preoperative and postoperative Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) and short-term prognosis in colorectal cancer. Methods Patients pathologically verified colorectal cancer were prospectively enrolled at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from April 2009 to June 2009. C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin (Alb) were examined on the third day before operation and the first day after operation. We calculated the value of GPS and analyzed the relationships between GPS and short-term prognosis. Results This study enrolled 38 patients. Preoperative GPS was significantly related with pathological M stage (P=0.007) and TNM stage (P=0.013), and was not related with T stage and N stage (Pgt;0.05). Postoperative GPS was not related with pathological T, M, N and TNM stages (Pgt;0.05). Moreover, there was no relationship between GPS and postoperative quality of life or complications (Pgt;0.05). Conclusions Preoperative GPS correlates with pathologically M stages and TNM stages. Systematic inflammatory response maybe not the determinant factor for the short-term prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer.
Objective To explore the diagnosis and relapse factors of thyroid cancer. Methods Two hundreds fifty-six cases of thyroid cancer approved by surgery and pathology from 1999 to 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. Results Two hundred and thirty-five cases were approved papillary thyroid carcinoma (91.8%)，11 cases were follicular thyroid carcinoma (4.3%)， 7 cases were medullary thyroid carcinoma (2.7%)， 3 cases were anaplastic thyroid cancer (1.2%). All patients underwent surgery. The operation procedures included thyroidectomy and lymph nodes dissection in central zone of affecting side and subtotal thyroidectomy of contralateral side. Total or subtotal thyroidectomy of both sides and the dissection in unilateral or bilateral Ⅵ region lymph nodes or functional cervical lymph nodes dessection plus contralateral side Ⅵ region lymph nodes dissection in multi-focal cancer and double leaf gland cancer. Functional cervical lymph nodes dessection if existing lymph nodes metastasis or thyroid cancer invading anterior cervical muscle. Two hundreds twentyeight cases were followed up with complete clinical information about (6.5±1.3) years (3-9 years). Six cases died during follow-up because of relapse or metastasis.Conclusions Imaging evaluation is the main method for diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Needle biopsy is reliable and accurate for diagnosis of thyroid tumor. Diameter of tumor is related with cervical lymph node metastasis. Patho-type and stage of tumor, local invasion extent, lymph node metastasis and operation procedure are related with the relapse closely.