The effect of radiotherapy on patients with pathological stage IIB breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, and treatment options include surgery, systemic therapies, and radiotherapy (RT). While postoperative RT plays an important role in reducing local recurrence rates and improving survival outcomes, its exact impact on patients with pathological stage IIB breast cancers remains unidentified. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, patients with newly diagnosed pathological stage IIB breast cancer who underwent surgery and postoperative RT were included. The data were collected from medical records, and survival outcomes were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank tests, and Cox regression models. RESULTS: In total, 350 patients participated in this study. Overall survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, event-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival rates did not significantly differ between those who received RT and those who did not. Multivariate analyses revealed that patients who received anthracycline or taxane chemotherapy had better survival outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that postoperative RT had no significant effect on overall survival, locoregional recurrence, event-free survival, or distant metastasis rates in patients with pathological stage IIB breast cancer. However, anthracycline- and taxane-based chemotherapies were associated with improved outcomes. These findings demonstrated the complexities of treating such patient populations with multimodal therapies. Further research is needed to ensure optimal postoperative RT in patients with pathological stage IIB breast cancer. Clinicians must consider individual patient characteristics and incorporate comprehensive treatment approaches to ensure successful outcomes in this population.

Treatment outcomes of cetuximab-containing regimen in locoregional recurrent and distant metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent/ metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (R/M SCCNH) is still a difficult-to-treat disease with poor clinical outcomes and limited treatment choices. In view of locoregional recurrent versus distant metastatic SCCHN, the therapeutic efficacy of cetuximab-containing regimen and relevant prognostic factors for these two groups may be different. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the treatment outcomes of cetuximab-containing regimen in locoregional recurrent and distant metastatic SCCHN groups, and to identify clinical factors correlated with better survival outcomes. METHODS: From 2016 to 2020, patients with R/M SCCHN who received cetuximab-containing regimen in our institute were enrolled in this study. Clinical outcomes including overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were evaluated in both locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis groups. Exploratory analysis were conducted to investigate major clinical features associated with better outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 107 patients with locoregional recurrent SCCHN (N = 66) and distant metastatic SCCNH (N = 41) who received cetuximab-containing regimen were enrolled in this retrospective study. Patients with oral cavity cancer and patients with disease recurrence within 6 months after radiation therapy were significantly increased in locoregional recurrence group. The median OS (15.6 vs. 9.7 months, P = 0.004) and PFS (5.8 months vs. 4.2 months, P = 0.008) were longer in locoregional recurrence group than in distant metastasis group. In multivariate analysis of clinical features, locoregional recurrence was still an important risk factor associated with better OS (Hazzard ratio (HR) 0.64, p = 0.06) and PFS (HR 0.67, p = 0.075). In addition, a trend of favorable disease control rate (DCR; 62.5% vs. 45.0%, p = 0.056) was noted in locoregional recurrence group. In locoregional recurrence group, prior salvage surgery was associated with longer OS (HR = 0.24, P = 0.008) and PFS (HR = 0.30, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: SCCHN with locoregional recurrence is associated with better disease control and survival outcomes comparing to distant metastatic SCCHN when treated with cetuximab-containing regimen. Salvage surgery for locoregional recurrence may further improves clinical outcome.

Impact of Frailty on Survivals of Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Frailty has been linked to an increased risk of adverse outcomes among older men with prostate cancer (PCa), which in turn impacts survival. We evaluated the associations between frailty and risks of all-cause mortality and cancer-specific mortality in PCa patients treated with radiotherapy (RT). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database and National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients aged ≥65 years with newly-diagnosed PCa, and receiving RT as initial treatment between 2011 and 2015 were identified in the study. Frailty was measured using the multimorbidity frailty index (mFI), categorized as fit, mild frailty, moderate frailty, and severe frailty. Cox regression models were used to examine the association between frailty and mortality. RESULTS: Among 4,291 men with a median age of 75 years at PCa diagnosis, 21.87% were categorized as fit, 44.72% were mild frailty, 23.02% were moderate frailty, and 10.42% were severe frailty. With the mean follow-up duration of 4.8 years, patients in the severe frailty group had a significantly higher all-cause mortality risk (HR 1.86; 95% CI, 1.48-2.32) and cancer-specific mortality risk (HR 1.44; 95% CI, 1.05-1.98) than patients in the fit group, whereas no such association was found in the mild frailty group after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first population-based cohort study to evaluate the feasibility of mFI on mortality of PCa patients treated with RT. We found that severe frailty was associated with a higher risk of both all-cause mortality and cancer-specific mortality.

Isolation of thermo-tolerant and high lipid content green microalgae: oil accumulation is predominantly controlled by photosystem efficiency during stress treatments in Desmodesmus.

Discoveries of new microalgae with thermo-tolerance, high growth rate, and high lipid content are crucial to algal biodiesel production in tropical and subtropical zones. Four new green microalgae were isolated in southern Taiwan. All four species are members of the genus Desmodesmus under the family Scenedesmaceae based on molecular and morphological analyses. Two of the four species survived at 45 °C for 24 h, with 5-13% of mortality rates caused by the heat. Total lipid contents of the two species reached over 50% in dry biomass under nitrogen starvation, and their triacylglycerols constituted around 75% of the total lipids. Thus the two species are good potential feedstocks for biodiesel production. Oil accumulation in the four species positively correlates with their photosystem II efficiencies during stress treatments (R2=0.90). This finding further supports that photosynthesis is essential for oil body formation under nitrogen starvation in green microalgae.