Comparison of Colonoscopy, Fecal Immunochemical Test, and Risk-Adapted Approach in a Colorectal Cancer Screening Trial (TARGET-C).

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The screening yield and related cost of a risk-adapted screening approach compared with established screening strategies in population-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening are not clear. METHODS: We randomly allocated 19,373 participants into 1 of the 3 screening arms in a 1:2:2 ratio: (1) one-time colonoscopy (n = 3883); (2) annual fecal immunochemical test (FIT) (n = 7793); (3) annual risk-adapted screening (n = 7697), in which, based on the risk-stratification score, high-risk participants were referred for colonoscopy and low-risk ones were referred for FIT. Three consecutive screening rounds were conducted for both the FIT and the risk-adapted screening arms. Follow-up to trace the health outcome for all the participants was conducted over the 3-year study period. The detection rate of advanced colorectal neoplasia (CRC and advanced precancerous lesions) was the main outcome. The trial was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (number: ChiCTR1800015506). RESULTS: In the colonoscopy, FIT, and risk-adapted screening arms over 3 screening rounds, the participation rates were 42.4%, 99.3%, and 89.2%, respectively; the detection rates for advanced neoplasm (intention-to-treat analysis) were 2.76%, 2.17%, and 2.35%, respectively, with an odds ratio (OR)colonoscopy vs FIT of 1.27 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99-1.63; P = .056), an ORcolonoscopy vsrisk-adapted screening of 1.17 (95% CI, 0.91-1.49; P = .218), and an ORrisk-adapted screeningvs FIT of 1.09 (95% CI, 0.88-1.35; P = .438); the numbers of colonoscopies needed to detect 1 advanced neoplasm were 15.4, 7.8, and 10.2, respectively; the costs for detecting 1 advanced neoplasm from a government perspective using package payment format were 6928 Chinese Yuan (CNY) ($1004), 5821 CNY ($844), and 6694 CNY ($970), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The risk-adapted approach is a feasible and cost-favorable strategy for population-based CRC screening and therefore could complement the well-established one-time colonoscopy and annual repeated FIT screening strategies. (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; ChiCTR1800015506).

Clinical characteristics, medical service utilization, and expenditure for colorectal cancer in China, 2005 to 2014: Overall design and results from a multicenter retrospective epidemiologic survey.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in China, however, publicly available, descriptive information on the clinical epidemiology of CRC is limited. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with primary CRC during 2005 through 2014 were sampled from 13 tertiary hospitals in 9 provinces across China. Data related to sociodemographic characteristics, the use of diagnostic technology, treatment adoption, and expenditure were extracted from individual medical records. RESULTS: In the full cohort of 8465 patients, the mean ± SD age at diagnosis was 59.3 ± 12.8 years, 57.2% were men, and 58.7% had rectal cancer. On average, 14.4% of patients were diagnosed with stage IV disease, and this proportion increased from 13.5% in 2005 to 20.5% in 2014 (P value for trend < .05). For diagnostic techniques, along with less use of x-rays (average, 81.6%; decreased from 90.0% to 65.7%), there were increases in the use of computed tomography (average, 70.4%; increased from 4.5% to 90.5%) and magnetic resonance imaging (average, 8.8%; increased from 0.1% to 20.4%) over the study period from 2005 to 2014. With regard to treatment, surgery alone was the most common (average, 50.1%), but its use decreased from 51.3% to 39.8% during 2005 through 2014; and the use of other treatments increased simultaneously, such as chemotherapy alone (average, 4.1%; increased from 4.1% to 11.9%). The average medical expenditure per patient was 66,291 Chinese Yuan (2014 value) and increased from 47,259 to 86,709 Chinese Yuan. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing proportion of late-stage diagnoses presents a challenge for CRC control in China. Changes in diagnostic and treatment options and increased expenditures are clearly illustrated in this study. Coupled with the recent introduction of screening initiatives, these data provide an understanding of changes over time and may form a benchmark for future related evaluations of CRC interventions in China.

Comparative Evaluation of Participation and Diagnostic Yield of Colonoscopy vs Fecal Immunochemical Test vs Risk-Adapted Screening in Colorectal Cancer Screening: Interim Analysis of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (TARGET-C).

INTRODUCTION: In colorectal cancer screening, implementing risk-adapted screening might be more effective than traditional screening strategies. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of a risk-adapted screening strategy with colonoscopy and fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in colorectal cancer screening. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 6 centers in China since May 2018. Nineteen thousand five hundred forty-six eligible participants aged 50-74 years were recruited and randomly allocated into 1 of the 3 screening groups in a 1:2:2 ratio: (i) one-time colonoscopy (n = 3,916), (ii) annual FIT (n = 7,854), and (iii) annual risk-adapted screening (n = 7,776). Based on the risk-stratification score, high-risk subjects were referred for colonoscopy and low-risk ones were referred for FIT. All subjects with positive FIT were referred for diagnostic colonoscopy. The detection rate of advanced neoplasm was the primary outcome. The study is registered with the China Clinical Trial Registry (www.chictr.org.cn Identifier: ChiCTR1800015506). RESULTS: For baseline screening, the participation rates of the colonoscopy, FIT, and risk-adapted screening groups were 42.5% (1,665/3,916), 94.0% (7,386/7,854), and 85.2% (6,628/7,776), respectively. For the intention-to-screen analysis, the detection rates of advanced neoplasm were 2.40% (94/3,916), 1.13% (89/7,854), and 1.66% (129/7,776), with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 2.16 (1.61-2.90; P < 0.001) for colonoscopy vs FIT, 1.45 (1.10-1.90; P < 0.001) for colonoscopy vs risk-adapted screening, and 1.49 (1.13-1.97; P < 0.001) for risk-adapted screening vs FIT, respectively. The numbers of subjects who required a colonoscopic examination to detect 1 advanced neoplasm were 18 in the colonoscopy group, 10 in the FIT group, and 11 in the risk-adapted screening group. DISCUSSION: For baseline screening, the risk-adapted screening approach showed a high participation rate, and its diagnostic yield was superior to that of FIT at a similarly low load of colonoscopy.

The relationship between demands for lung cancer screening and the constructs of health belief model: a cross-sectional survey in Hefei, China.

The aim of investigation is to explore the relationship between demands for lung cancer screening (LCS) and the constructs derived from the health belief model (HBM) in Hefei. The study collected data about socio-demographics, health beliefs in and demands for LCS during early June to later July 2015. By constructing a LCS demands HBM constructs, it calculated indices of demands for LCS (DSI) and HBM constructs, which include perceived risk (PR) and seriousness (PS) of the cancers; and perceived effectiveness (PE), benefits (PB) and difficulties (PD) of the screening. It also performed descriptive and multivariate regression analysis of the demands and the HBM constructs. The amount of 823 respondents participated and completed the survey. 6.4% of them had ever undertaken LCS, whereas 60.1% of them expressed willingness to accept the service of LCS if it is free. In multiple regression analysis which used weights in calculating the HBM construct indices, education displayed significant positive associations with DSI (p = .044), and most of HBM constructs indices (PSI, PRI, PBI, and PDI) were statistically significant with DSI (p < .05). HBM-based constructs regarding LCS have important effects on demands for the service, and may provide effective paths to cancer screening promotion.

The Antitumor Constituents from Hedyotis Diffusa Willd.

As a TCM, Hedyotis diffusa Willd. has been using to treat malignant tumors, and many studies also showed that the extracts from Hedyotis diffusa Willd. possessed evident antitumor activities. Therefore, we carried out chemical study on Hedyotis diffusa Willd. and investigated the cytotoxicity of the obtained compounds on a panel of eight tumor cell lines. As a result, four new compounds were isolated from Hedyotis diffusa Willd., including three iridoid glycosides of Shecaoiridoidside A-C (1-3) and a cerebroside of shecaocerenoside A (4). Also, six known iridoid compounds (5-10) were also obtained. The cytotoxicity of all compounds against human tumor cell lines of HL-60, HeLa, HCT15, A459, HepG2, PC-3, CNE-2, and BCG-823 were also evaluated in vitro. New compound 3 exhibited evident cytotoxicity to all tumor cell lines except the Hela, and the IC50 values are from 9.6 µM to 62.2 µM, while new compound 4 showed moderate cytotoxicity to all the cell lines, and the IC50 values are from 33.6 µM to 89.3 µM. By contrast, new compound 1 and known compound 9 showed moderate cytotoxicity to HCT15, A459, and HepG2 selectively. Known compound 7 also exhibited moderate cytotoxicity to HCT15 and A459 selectively.

Paeonol inhibits hepatic fibrogenesis via disrupting nuclear factor-κB pathway in activated stellate cells: in vivo and in vitro studies.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatic fibrosis represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The present study was to evaluate the antifibrogenesis effect of paeonol and involved mechanisms. METHODS: The degree of liver injury was evaluated biochemically by measuring serum and fibrotic markers and pathological examination. Cell viability was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and trypan blue staining. Cytotoxic effects were determined using lactate dehydrogenase release assay. Cell cycle was determined using single dyeing methods of propidium iodide (PI) by flow cytometry. Apoptosis was confirmed using double-staining of annexin V/PI and Hoechst. Western blot, immunofluorescence and real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to explore the molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: Treatment with paeonol significantly protected the liver from injury by reducing the activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, improving the histological architecture of the liver, and by inhibiting activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in vivo. Interestingly, paeonol had no apparent cytotoxic effects but could markedly inhibit primary HSC proliferation and induced HSC cell cycle arrest at the G2/M checkpoint. These effects were caused by paeonol suppression of phosphorylation of cycle protein cdc2 and of CDK2. Moreover, that paeonol triggered mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and led to activation of caspase cascades in HSCs was found. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway inhibition resulted in the earlier events. Furthermore, paeonol altered the expression of some marker proteins relevant to HSCs activation. CONCLUSION: Paeonol could inhibit HSC proliferation and induce mitochondrial apoptosis via disrupting NF-κB pathway, which might be the mechanisms of paeonol reduction of liver fibrosis.

Chemical constituents from the fruits of Piper longum L. and their vascular relaxation effect on rat mesenteric arteries.

Eight compounds were obtained from the dry fruits of Piper longum L., and their potential vascular relaxant activities were explored. The present study first revealed the access of Rosin (7) and Piperchabaoside (8) in the medicinal plant Piper longum L. The vessel tension studies showed that Piperine (2), (2E,4E,14Z)-N-isobutyleicosa-2,4,14-trienamide (3), and Piperlonguminine (6) exerted significant inhibitory effects on PE-induced mesenteric artery vasoconstriction. Furthermore, Calcium Imaging studies were applied to observe the effect of Piperine on the intracellular calcium in mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells (MASMCs). Piperine (2) was observed to promote the influx of extracellular calcium in MASMCs, and via an endothelium-independent mechanism involving Ca2+ entry. Piper longum L. might have a great potential to be further studied as a vascular relaxant, even to be a drug candidate of anti-hypertension.

One-off low-dose CT for lung cancer screening in China: a multicentre, population-based, prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Data on the effectiveness of one-off low-dose CT (LDCT) in reducing lung cancer mortality and all-cause mortality are needed to inform screening programmes in countries with limited medical resources. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of one-off LDCT screening in the early detection of lung cancer in China. METHODS: A multicentre, population-based, prospective cohort study was done in 12 cities of eight provinces across China, recruiting individuals aged 40-74 years who were asymptomatic for lung cancer with no lung cancer history. Participants were classified as at high risk or low risk of lung cancer using a sex-specific risk score that incorporated cigarette smoking, level of physical activity, occupational exposures, history of chronic respiratory diseases, family history of lung cancer, diet, and passive smoking (women only). Participants at high risk were invited for a one-off LDCT scan and were classified into screened and non-screened groups on the basis of whether or not they had the scan. Lung cancer incidence density, lung cancer mortality, and all-cause mortality were calculated for the screened and non-screened groups. The effectiveness of a one-off LDCT scan was evaluated by a comparison of the screened and non-screened groups in terms of lung cancer mortality and all-cause mortality in the period from cohort entry until administrative censoring (June 20, 2020). Inverse probability weighting was adopted to account for potential imbalanced factors between the two groups and Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the weighted associations between mortality and one-off LDCT scans. FINDINGS: Between Feb 19, 2013, and Oct 31, 2018, 1 032 639 individuals were assessed for eligibility. 1 016 740 participants were enrolled in the study, of whom 3581 had a lung cancer diagnosis after a median follow-up of 3·6 years (IQR 2·8-5·1). Among the 223 302 participants at high risk, 79 581 (35·6%) had an LDCT scan (screened group) and 143 721 (64·4%) did not (non-screened group). After inverse probability weighting, lung cancer incidence density was 47·0% higher (hazard ratio 1·47 [95% CI 1·27-1·70]; p<0·0001), lung cancer mortality was 31·0% lower (0·69 [95% CI 0·53-0·92]; p=0·010) and all-cause mortality was 32·0% lower (0·68 [0·57-0·82]; p<0·0001) for participants in the screened group compared with those in the non-screened group. INTERPRETATION: One-off LDCT screening was associated with significantly lower lung cancer mortality and all-cause mortality in a large population in China. Our results point to the promise of one-off LDCT screening in countries with limited medical resources. Further studies are needed to explore interactions by subgroup-including sex, age, smoking status, and economic status-to develop population-specific screening strategies. FUNDING: Ministry of Finance and National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Uptake of lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography in China: A multi-centre population-based study.

Background: Optimal uptake rates of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans are essential for lung cancer screening (LCS) to confer mortality benefits. We aimed to outline the process model of the LCS programme in China, identify the high-risk individuals with low uptake based on a prospective multi-centre population-based cohort, and further explore associated structural characteristics. Methods: A total of 221,955 individuals at high-risk for lung cancer from the National Lung Cancer Screening cohort were included. The logistic regression model was performed to identify the individual characteristics associated with the uptake of LCS, defined as whether the high-risk individual undertook LDCT scans in designated hospitals within six months following the initial risk assessment. The linear regression model was adopted to explore the structural characteristics associated with the uptake rates in 186 communities. Findings: The overall uptake rate was 33·0%. The uptake rate was negatively correlated with the incidence of advanced-stage lung cancer (Pearson's coefficient -0·88, p-value 0·0007). Multivariable regression models found that lower uptake rates were associated with males (OR 0·88, 95%CI 0·85-0·91), current smokers (OR 0·93, 95%CI 0·90-0·96), individuals with depressive symptoms (OR 0·92, 95%CI 0·90-0·94), and the structural characteristics, including longer structural delays in initiating LDCT scans (30-90 days vs. ≤14 days: ß -7·17, 95%CI -12·76∼ -1·57; >90 days vs. ≤14 days: ß -13·69, 95%CI -24·61∼ -2·76), no media-assisted publicity (ß -6·43, 95%CI -11·26∼ -1·60), and no navigation assistance (ß -5·48, 95%CI -10·52∼ -0·44). Interpretation: Multifaceted interventions are recommended, which focus on poor-uptake individuals and integrate the 'assessment-to-timely-screening' approach to minimise structural delays, media publicity, and a navigation assistance along the centralised screening pathway. Funding: Ministry of Finance and National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China.

Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography at a tertiary hospital in Anhui, China and secondary analysis of trial data.

OBJECTIVE: Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) partly reduces cancer-specific mortality. However, few data have described this specific population for screening in mainland China. Here, we conducted a population-based screening program in Anhui, China. METHODS: 9084 individuals were participating in the screening program for lung cancer in Anhui province from 1 June 2014 to 31 May 2017. LDCT was offered to all participants who joined the program. RESULTS: Of 9084 individuals undergoing LDCT, we detected 54 lung cancers (0.594%). The age with the highest rate was 61-65 years (up to 1.016%), followed by 56-60 (0.784%). Most patients (98.1%, 53/54) were in stage I-II (early stage), and only one was in stage III (advanced stage). Adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and small cell lung cancer accounted for 57.4% (31/54), 37% (20/54) and 5.6% (3/54) of the individuals, respectively. Notably, There were 4,102 never smokers in our study. The median age was 63 years. Males and females accounted for 53.4 and 46.6%, respectively. Among the 4102 never smokers, 96 participants had a positive family cancer history. Additionally, we detected 20 lung cancers (0.488%), slightly lower than the whole rate 0.594%. Finally, our data showed that age, smoking, family cancer history and features of nodules were risk factors for lung cancer. CONCLUSION: Our study qualified the efficiency of LDCT to detect early-stage lung cancers in Anhui, China. Further establishment of appropriate lung cancer screening methods specifically for individuals in China is warranted. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: We evaluated the performance of lung cancer screening for asymptomatic populations using LDCT in Anhui, an eastern inland province of China. Our study qualified the efficiency of LDCT to detect early-stage lung cancers in Anhui, China.

Optimizing Positivity Thresholds for a Risk-Adapted Screening Strategy in Colorectal Cancer Screening.

INTRODUCTION: Risk-adapted screening combining the Asia-Pacific Colorectal Screening score, fecal immunochemical test (FIT), and colonoscopy improved the yield of colorectal cancer screening than FIT. However, the optimal positivity thresholds of risk scoring and FIT of such a strategy warrant further investigation. METHODS: We included 3,407 participants aged 50-74 years undergoing colonoscopy from a colorectal cancer screening trial. For the risk-adapted screening strategy, subjects were referred for subsequent colonoscopy or FIT according to their risk scores. Diagnostic performance was evaluated for FIT and the risk-adapted screening method with various positivity thresholds. Furthermore, a modeled screening cohort was established to compare the yield and cost using colonoscopy, FIT, and the risk-adapted screening method in a single round of screening. RESULTS: Risk-adapted screening method had higher sensitivity for advanced neoplasm (AN) (27.6%-76.3% vs 13.8%-17.3%) but lower specificity (46.6%-90.8% vs 97.4%-98.8%) than FIT did. In a modeled screening cohort, FIT-based screening would be slightly affected because the threshold varied with a reduction of 76.0%-80.9% in AN detection and 82.0%-84.4% in cost when compared with colonoscopy. By contrast, adjusting the threshold of Asia-Pacific Colorectal Screening score from 3 to 5 points for risk-adapted screening varied from an increase of 12.6%-14.1% to a decrease of 55.6%-60.1% in AN detection, with the reduction of cost from 4.2%-5.3% rising to 66.4%-68.5%. DISCUSSION: With an appropriate positivity threshold tailored to clinical practice, the risk-adapted screening could save colonoscopy resources and cost compared with the colonoscopy-only and FIT-only strategies.

Menstrual factors, reproductive history, and risk of lung cancer: a multi-center population-based cohort study in Chinese females.

BACKGROUND: Female menstrual and reproductive factors, as remarkable indicators of hormone effect, were hypothesized to be associated with lung cancer risk, whereas the existed epidemiological evidence was inconsistent. Our study aims to investigate the association between menstrual and reproductive factors and lung cancer risk based on the Chinese Lung Cancer Screening Program. METHODS: This study was based on a large-scale multi-center population cohort across China recruiting individuals aged 40-74 years old between 2013-2018. Cox regression model was applied to estimate the HRs and 95% CIs. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis was used to estimate dose-response relationships and test for nonlinear associations. RESULTS: Among 553,434 female participants, 1,529 incident lung cancer cases were identified with a median follow-up of 3.61 years. With adjustment for multiple covariates and all significant hormonal factors, elevated lung cancer risk was associated with later age (15, or ≥16 years) at menarche (HR =1.27, 95% CI: 1.04-1.56; HR =1.45, 95% CI: 1.19-1.76), later age (25-29, or ≥30 years) at first live birth (HR =1.27, 95% CI: 1.13-1.43; HR =1.23, 95% CI: 1.00-1.51), and benign breast disease history (HR =1.25, 95% CI: 1.10-1.41). For postmenopausal females specifically, surgical menopause (HR =1.62; 95% CI: 1.29-2.05) and other surgeries on the reproductive system (HR =1.19; 95% CI: 1.01-1.40) both appeared to be predictive of elevated lung cancer risk. Concerning age at menopause, a nonlinear association was observed (P-nonlinear =0.0126). Increased lung cancer risk was observed among females with age at menopause especially above 50. Although we observed no significant associations between longer time (≥13 months) of breastfeeding and lung cancer risk among all participants (HR =0.86; 95% CI: 0.71-1.04), significant decreased adenocarcinoma risk (HR =0.65; 95% CI: 0.53-0.81) was noted among nonsmoking females. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add some support for the role of menstrual and reproductive factors in lung carcinogenesis. However, these relationships were complex, and required further investigations addressing the biological mechanisms.

The role of JAK/STAT signaling pathway and its inhibitors in diseases.

The JAK/STAT signaling pathway is an universally expressed intracellular signal transduction pathway and involved in many crucial biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and immune regulation. It provides a direct mechanism for extracellular factors-regulated gene expression. Current researches on this pathway have been focusing on the inflammatory and neoplastic diseases and related drug. The mechanism of JAK/STAT signaling is relatively simple. However, the biological consequences of the pathway are complicated due to its crosstalk with other signaling pathways. In addition, there is increasing evidence indicates that the persistent activation of JAK/STAT signaling pathway is closely related to many immune and inflammatory diseases, yet the specific mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to study the detailed mechanisms of JAK/STAT signaling in disease formation to provide critical reference for clinical treatments of the diseases. In this review, we focus on the structure of JAKs and STATs, the JAK/STAT signaling pathway and its negative regulators, the associated diseases, and the JAK inhibitors for the clinical therapy.

Trends of Postoperative Radiotherapy for Completely Resected Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in China: A Hospital-Based Multicenter 10-Year (2005-2014) Retrospective Clinical Epidemiological Study.

Objectives: The role of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in the treatment of patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not clear. Few study explored the trends of the PORT use. In this study, we examine the status of PORT use of completely resected NSCLC in mainland China. Methods: From 2005 to 2014, patients with primary lung cancer from eight hospitals across seven geographic regions of mainland China were selected. Then patients with staged I-IIIA NSCLC receiving radical surgery were enrolled in this study. The chi-square test was used to compare differences in the use of PORT among the groups of different age, regions and stages. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to identify the trend in the PORT use from 2005 to 2014. Results: Totally, 2,253 out of 7,184 patients were with staged I-IIIA NSCLC receiving completely resection. Only 122 patients (5.42%) received PORT. During this decade, the use of PORT declined significantly (p = 0.0002). In high socio-economic areas, the percentage of PORT use was 7.43%, which was significantly higher than 1.34% in the low socio-economic areas (p < 0.0001). Age was also associated with PORT use (p = 0.0747). For N0-1 and N2 NSCLC, the proportions of PORT use were 4.01 and 10.22%, respectively (p < 0.0001). And in N0-1 or N2 NSCLC, the proportions both decreased significantly during this decade (p = 0.009 and 0.026, respectively). For stage I, IIA, IIB and IIIA, the proportions who received PORT were 2.59, 4.65, 5.49, and 10.29%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Modern radiation techniques were widely used, but the volumes and doses varied widely. The proportions of using IMRT and EPID/IGRT increased after 2012. Conclusions: In China, the use of PORT was less than developed countries and had a declined trend. The use of PORT was related to disease stages, patients' age and geographic location. Both in N0-1 and N2 diseases, the use of PORT declined. Proper education of radiation doctors was urgently needed.

Lung cancer imaging methods in China from 2005 to 2014: A national, multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The study was conducted to examine changes in diagnostic and staging imaging methods for lung cancer in China over a 10-year period and to determine the relationships between such changes and socioeconomic development. METHODS: This was a hospital-based, nationwide, multicenter retrospective study of primary lung cancer cases. The data were extracted from the 10-year primary lung cancer databases at eight tertiary hospitals from various geographic areas in China. The chi-squared test was used to assess the differences and the Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to estimate the trends of changes. RESULTS: A total of 7184 lung cancer cases were analyzed. Over the 10-year period, the utilization ratio of diagnostic imaging methods, such as chest computed tomography (CT) and chest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), increased from 65.79% to 81.42% and from 0.73% to 1.96%, respectively, while the utilization ratio of chest X-ray declined from 50.15% to 30.93%. Staging imaging methods, such as positron emission tomography-CT, neck ultrasound, brain MRI, bone scintigraphy, and bone MRI increased from 0.73% to 9.29%, 22.95% to 47.92%, 8.77% to 40.71%, 42.40% to 62.22%, and 0.88% to 4.65%, respectively; abdominal ultrasound declined from 83.33% to 59.9%. These trends were more notable in less developed areas than in areas with substantial economic development. CONCLUSION: Overall, chest CT was the most common radiological diagnostic method for lung cancer in China. Imaging methods for lung cancer tend to be used in a diverse, rational, and regionally balanced manner.

What are the clinical symptoms and physical signs for non-small cell lung cancer before diagnosis is made? A nation-wide multicenter 10-year retrospective study in China.

BACKGROUND: Most lung cancer patients are diagnosed after the onset of symptoms. However, whether the symptoms of lung cancer were independently associated with the diagnosis of lung cancer is unknown, especially in the Chinese population. METHODS: We conducted a 10 years (2005-2014) nationwide multicenter retrospective clinical epidemiology study of lung cancer patients diagnosed in China. As such, this study focused on nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We calculated the odds ratios (ORs) for variables associated with the symptoms and physical signs using multivariate unconditional logistic regressions. RESULTS: A total of 7184 lung cancer patients were surveyed; finally, 6398 NSCLC patients with available information about their symptoms and physical signs were included in this analysis. The most common initial symptom and physical sign was chronic cough (4156, 65.0%), followed by sputum with blood (2110, 33.0%), chest pain (1146, 17.9%), shortness of breath (1090, 17.0%), neck and supraclavicular lymphadenectasis (629, 9.8%), weight loss (529, 8.3%), metastases pain (378, 5.9%), fatigue (307, 4.8%), fever (272, 4.3%), and dyspnea (270, 4.2%). Patients with squamous carcinoma and stage III disease were more likely to present with chronic cough (P < 0.0001) and sputum with blood (P < 0.0001) than patients with other pathological types and clinical stages, respectively. Metastases pain (P < 0.0001) and neck and supraclavicular lymphadenectasis (P = 0.0006) were more likely to occur in patients with nonsquamous carcinoma than in patients with other carcinomas. Additionally, patients with stage IV disease had a higher percentage of chest pain, shortness of breath, dyspnea, weight loss, and fatigue than patients with other stages of disease. In multivariable logistic analyses, compared with patients with adenocarcinoma, patients with squamous carcinoma were more likely to experience symptoms (OR = 2.885, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.477-3.359) but were less likely to present physical signs (OR = 0.844, 95% CI 0.721-0.989). The odds of having both symptoms and physical signs were higher in patients with late-stage disease than in those with early-stage disease (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The symptoms and physical signs of lung cancer were associated with the stage and pathological diagnosis of NSCLC. Patients with squamous carcinoma were more likely to develop symptoms, but not signs, than patients with adenocarcinoma. The more advanced the stage at diagnosis, the more likely that symptoms or physical signs are to develop. Further prospective cohort studies are needed to explore these results.

Psychological factors and demands for breast and cervical cancer screening.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to investigate relationships between demands for breast and cervical cancer screening (BCS/CCS) and related health beliefs. METHODS: The study used cluster-randomized sampling and collected data about demands for BCS/CCS and constructs of health beliefs model (HBM). It calculated indices of perceived risk and seriousness of the cancers and perceived effectiveness, benefits and difficulties of the screening; and performed descriptive and multivariate regression analysis of the demands and the HBM constructs. RESULTS: Less than 23.7% of respondents (N = 805) had ever undertaken BCS/CCS but 62.7% reported willingness to receive the service. Demands for BCS/CCS illustrated negative associations (Beta = -0.11 and -0.10) with age but positive (Beta = 0.15 and 0.11) links with education. The absolute values of standardized regression coefficients between the demand and the HBM constructs added up to 0.69 for BCS and 0.64 for CCS respectively, being 4-40 times that of age and education. CONCLUSIONS: Models incorporating all HBM constructs have substantially greater power than commonly researched single factors in explaining BCS/CCS demands. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Comprehensive BCS/CCS promotion addressing all HBM constructs in a synergetic way may prove to be more effective.

Iridoids and sfingolipids from Hedyotis diffusa.

Seven new compounds were isolated from the aerial part of Hedyotis diffusa, including three iridoid glycosides, hedyoiridoidside A - C (1-3), two cerebrosides, hedyocerenoside F (4) and G (5), and two new ceramides, hedyoceramide A (6) and B (7). And six known iridoid glycosides (8-13) were also obtained. Their structures were established by their physico-chemical constants and spectroscopic analysis. The cytotoxicity of all compounds against tumor cell lines of human cervical cancer HeLa, human leukemia HL-60, human lung cancer A459, human hepatoma HepG2, human gastric gland carcinoma BCG-823, human nasopharyngeal cancer CNE-2, human colon cancer HCT15, and human prostate cancer PC-3 were also evaluated in vitro. As a result, new compound 1 exhibited evident cytotoxicity to all tumor cell lines, and the IC50 values are from 9.5µM to 28.2µM, while new compound 2 exhibited evident cytotoxicity to Hela, HL-60, A459, HepG2, BGC-823, CNE-2, and HCT15, and the IC50 values are from 15.8µM to 26.2µM. Known compound 11 also exhibited evident cytotoxicity to HL-60, A459, HepG2, BGC-823, CNE-2, and HCT15, and the IC50 values are from 16.5µM to 40.4µM. New compounds 4-7 and known compounds 12 and 13 showed moderate cytotoxicity to some tumor cell lines.