Circulating tumor cell levels and carcinoembryonic antigen: An improved diagnostic method for lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine a correlation between benign and malignant lung solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN), and analyze the association between circulating tumor cell (CTC) levels and different subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: A total of 200 patients (80 with SPNs and 120 diagnosed with lung cancer) were included in the study. The CTC levels were quantified by identifying the folate receptor on the surface of tumor cells; clinical tumor specific markers were detected by biochemical immunization. The content of peripheral blood CTCs in benign and malignant lung SPN patients was detected and the differences in preoperative CTC levels in different pathological subtypes were analyzed. Based on the collected data, receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated and the rate of lung cancer was predicted. RESULTS: The peripheral blood CTC levels in patients with malignant lung SPNs were higher than in patients with benign SPNs. The maximum nodule diameter, carcinoembryonic antigen, and CTC levels were independent risk factors for malignant lung SPNs. The peripheral blood CTC levels in patients with stage III-IV lung adenocarcinoma were higher than in stage I-II patients. The peripheral blood CTC levels in patients with microinvasive and invasive adenocarcinoma were higher than in adenocarcinoma in situ patients. The CTC levels in the peripheral blood of patients with maximum tumor diameter > 2 cm were higher than in patients with tumors < 2 cm. CONCLUSION: The detection of CTCs can be used as a biomarker for screening SPNs and diagnosing early-stage lung cancer. Using the combination of CTC levels and CEA significantly improves the efficacy of lung adenocarcinoma diagnosis.

Management of undescended testis may be improved with educational updates and new transferring model.

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether management of undescended testis (UDT) may be improved with educational updates and new transferring model among referring providers (RPs). METHODS: The age of orchidopexies performed in Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were reviewed. We then proposed educational updates and new transferring model among RPs. The age of orchidopexies performed after our intervention were collected. Data were represented graphically and statistical analysis Chi-square for trend were used. RESULTS: A total of 1543 orchidopexies were performed. The median age of orchidopexy did not matched the target age of 6-12 months in any subsequent year. Survey of the RPs showed that 48.85% of their recommended age was below 12 months. However, only 25.50% of them would directly make a surgical referral to pediatric surgery specifically at this point. After we proposed educational updates, tracking the age of orchidopexy revealed a statistically significant trend downward. CONCLUSIONS: The management of undescended testis may be improved with educational updates and new transferring model among primary healthcare practitioners.