ObjectiveTo detect level of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral venous blood of fasting patients with gastric cancer (GC) and to analyze relationships between CTCs and clinicopathologic features and prognosis of patients with GC.MethodsOne hundred patients with GC were selected (GC group), who underwent the surgery and confirmed by the histopathology in the 940 Hospital of Joint Service of PLA, from August 2015 to December 2016. Thirty-eight patients with gastric benign lesions who were treated in this hospital at the same time were selected as the control group. The 7 mL peripheral venous blood of the elbow in the morning was taken from the fasting patients and the CTCs were detected by the immunomagnetic microparticle negative enrichment combined with immunofluorescence in situ hybridization within 24 h. The positive rate of CTCs was calculated and its relationships with the clinicopathologic features (tumor location, tumor invasion depth, degree of differentiation, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, and vascular tumor thrombus) and the progression-free survival of the patients with GC were analyzed.ResultsThe positive rate of peripheral venous blood CTCs in the GC group was 89.0% (89/100), which was higher than that in the control group (10.5%, 4/38), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The levels of CTCs in the patients with GC were significantly correlated with the tumor invasion depth (P=0.017), lymph node metastasis (P=0.038), and TNM stage (P=0.016), which were not associated with the age, gender, tumor location, degree of differentiation, and vascular tumor thrombus (P>0.050). The predictive value of CTCs for the diagnosis of GC was significantly superior to that of the tumor markers CEA, CA19-9, or CA125. The progression-free survival of patients with low CTCs expression was significantly longer than that in the patients with high CTCs expression (χ2=5.172, P=0.023).ConclusionsDetecting CTCs of patients with GC by immunomagnetic particle negative enrichment combined with immunofluorescence in situ hybridization has a high sensitivity. And it can improve early diagnosis of patients with GC. Preoperative CTCs detection has a certain value in guiding staging of GC and predicting prognosis of patients with GC.
ObjectiveTo summarize the advantages and disadvantages of different surgical approaches in thyroidectomy using the da Vinci robotic surgical system. MethodThe relevant to articles about da Vinci robotic thyroidectomy via different surgical approaches at home and abroad were retrieved and reviewed. ResultsThe robot-assisted transaxillary thyroidectomy had a definite curative effect and was a mature technology. The bilateral axillary-breast approach thyroidectomy had a wide range of applications and was suitable for beginners. The robotic retroauricular approach thyroidectomy had great advantages in the dissection of lateral cervical lymph nodes. The transoral robotic thyroidectomy was a surgical approach that conformed to the minimally invasive concept. Conclusions Da Vinci robotic thyroidectomy via different surgical approaches has its corresponding application scope and advantages. Clinical surgeons should choose an optimal surgical approach according to the tumor location, size and number of patients and the advantages of the operator, so as to achieve the therapeutic effect of radical cure of tumors and reduction of injury.