CT-Guided Percutaneous Cryoablation in Patients with Lung Nodules Mainly Composed of Ground-Glass Opacities.

PURPOSE: To assess the safety and efficacy of cryoablation in patients with lung nodules mainly composed of ground-glass opacities (GGOs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 50 patients (mean age, 65.0 years ± 12.3; 28 women) with a diagnosis of lung GGO nodules who underwent cryoablation were included (from June 2016 to June 2021). The local recurrence rate, incidence of regional metastases to lymph nodes, incidence of distant metastases, adverse events, and lung function condition were analyzed. RESULTS: Follow-up computed tomography (CT) was performed at a mean of 33 months (range, 3-60 months) after the cryoablation procedure. Outcomes were only evaluated in 30 patients. A total of 20 patients were excluded. Of these 20 patients, 10 patients had no cancer detected by histopathological analysis and a diagnosis was made using CT or positron emission tomography (PET)-CT, The other 10 patients had nodules with a diameter of <10 mm and a consolidation-to-tumor ratio of >0.25; thus, histopathological analysis was not performed because of the small nodule size, and patients were diagnosed using CT or PET-CT. The local recurrence rate was 0% (0 of 30). Evidence of regional metastases of lymph nodes was not found in any patients (0%; 0 of 30), and the incidence of distant metastases was 0% (0 of 30). No major adverse events were noted. Lung function recovered to normal within 1 month after cryoablation in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Cryoablation may serve as a safe and feasible option for the treatment of lung nodules mainly composed of GGOs.

Cryotherapy for local recurrent dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: experience in 19 patients.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a locally aggressive, cutaneous, malignant tumor characterized by a high propensity for local relapse. Wide and deep local excision with reconstructive surgery is the current standard therapy for DFSP, with a local recurrence rate (LRR) of nearly 40%. In this study, we cured 19 patients with local recurrence of DFSP with 39 sessions of percutaneous cryoablation performed between July 2004 and August 2008. The LRRs after one, two and three cryosurgery sessions per patient were 68%, 54% and 0%, respectively. Moreover, the LRR did not differ with tumor location or size. Furthermore, all patients had a progression-free survival of >5 years. Only minor complications such as fever, local edema, mild nerve injury and local pain occurred, and were resolved within 1 week with symptomatic treatment. In our experience, percutaneous cryoablation is a relatively safe and efficient technique for the treatment of local recurrence of DFSPs.

Irreversible electroporation combined with chemotherapy for unresectable pancreatic carcinoma: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of irreversible electroporation (IRE) combined with chemotherapy for unresectable pancreatic carcinoma (stage III/IV). METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 54 patients (30 men; median age 61.0 years; range 41-73 years) undergoing IRE with or without chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer between July 2015 and August 2016. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to analyze progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Safety was assessed based on the occurrence of adverse events. RESULTS: All patients successfully underwent IRE. Major IRE-related complications were observed in four patients (7.4%). Gastrointestinal hemorrhage only developed in cases undergoing IRE via the open method, and was successfully managed with interventional embolization and/or vascular ligation. Any minor complications in the cases were alleviated within 14 days after symptomatic treatment. Overall, the performance status score decreased from 1.06 to 0.89 at 3 months after IRE (P<0.05). Among those with stage III disease, after a median follow-up of 18.8 months (range 9.6-28.7 months), the median OS from diagnosis was 16.2 and 20.3 months in the IRE and IRE + Chemo groups, respectively. Among those with stage IV disease, after a median follow-up of 13.3 months (range 3.7-23.1 months), the median OS from diagnosis was 11.6 and 13.56 months in the IRE and IRE + Chemo groups, respectively. The OS was significantly poorer in the IRE group than in the IRE + Chemo group (log-rank test, P=0.0398). CONCLUSION: Patients with pancreatic carcinoma could benefit from IRE, which improved the OS in certain patients who had also undergone chemotherapy. Although some severe complications were noted, IRE was generally well tolerated.

Computed tomography-guided percutaneous cryoablation for lung ground-glass opacity: A pilot study.

CONTEXT: Ground-glass opacity (GGO) is a nonspecific imaging parameter for early-stage pulmonary cancer. In these cases, a definite diagnosis and prompt surgery usually yield satisfactory outcomes. AIMS: This study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of cryoablation treatment for lung GGO. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data of 14 patients (19 lung tumors) with lung GGO and evaluated the adverse events, lung function, and treatment efficacy after cryoablation. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (version 13.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: None of the patients exhibited serious complications, and lung function recovered to >95% after 1 month. During a follow-up, computed tomography scan at 24 months, the GGO appeared to have been successfully ablated in all patients. CONCLUSION: Cryoablation may serve as a safe and feasible option for the treatment of GGO.

2003-2013, a valuable study: Autologous tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cell immunotherapy with cytokine-induced killer cells improves survival in stage IV breast cancer.

Dendritic cells (DCs) and cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells have both shown activity as immunotherapy in some malignancies. Our aim was to prospective assess the effect of this immunotherapy in patients with stage IV breast cancer. Between Aug 2003 and Dec 2013, we collected 368 patients who met inclusion criteria and divided into immunotherapy group (treatment group: 188 patients) and chemotherapy group (control group: 180 patients). DCs were prepared from the mononuclear cells isolated from patients in the treatment group using IL-2/GM-CSF and were loaded with tumour antigens; CIK cells were prepared by incubating peripheral blood lymphocytes with IL-2, IFN-γ, and CD3 antibodies. After the patients had received low-dose chemotherapy, those in the treatment group also received the DC-CIK therapy, which was repeated four times in a fortnight to form one cycle. At least three cycles of DC-CIK therapy were given. Immune function was measured in treatment group patients' sera. Disease-free survival (DFS) and Overall survival (OS) after the diagnosis of stage IV breast cancer was assessed after a 10-year follow-up. The result demonstrated that immune function is obviously enhanced after DC-CIK therapy. By Cox regression analysis, DC-CIK therapy reduced the risk of disease progression (p<0.01) with an increased OS (p<0.01). After low-dose chemotherapy, active immunization with DC-CIK immunotherapy is a potentially effective approach for the control of tumour growth in stage IV breast cancer patients.