Analysis of the Relationship between Scleritis and T Cell Activation in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with PD-1 Carrelizumab.

In order to explore the function of inhibiting the immune effect, the relationship between programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) carrelizumab in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma-induced scleritis and T cell activation is investigated. A total of 120 patients with primary liver cancer treated in the department of oncology of our hospital from July 2020 to January 2022 are selected and treated with carrelizumab. According to the occurrence of PD-1 carrelizumab treatment, the patients are divided into the scleritis group and nonscleritis group. The levels of T cells, PD-1, PD-L1 proteins, and serum inflammatory factors at different time points are compared. The experimental results show that the occurrence of scleritis after liver cancer treatment with PD-1 carrelizumab is closely associated with Treg cells, the percentage of Th17 cells, the expression of PD-1, PD-L1 proteins, and inflammatory factors. It is clearly evident that PD-1 carrelizumab can increase the risk of scleritis by affecting T cell activation.

Effects of image-guided adaptive radiotherapy combined with hepatic artery chemoembolization in primary liver cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to explore the effects of image-guided adaptive radiotherapy combined with hepatic artery chemoembolization on the immune function of primary liver cancer patients. METHODS: The study included 84 primary liver cancer patients who received treatment at our hospital between April 2018 and January 2020. They were divided into the control group (n=42, hepatic artery chemoembolization) and the study group (n=42, image-guided adaptive radiotherapy combined with hepatic artery chemoembolization) using the random number table method. AFP, ALT, AST, CA724, CA242 and immune function before and after treatment were compared in the two groups and the short-term efficacy and adverse events (AEs) were statistically analyzed. The two groups were followed up. RESULTS: After treatment, the study group had a higher ORR and DCR compared to the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the levels of AFP, ALT, AST, CA724 and CA242 between the two groups before treatment (P > 05). After treatment, the study group had lower levels of AFP, ALT, AST, CA724 and CA242 than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the levels of CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+/CD8+ before treatment in the two groups (P > 05). After treatment, the study group had higher levels of CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ but lower levels of CD8+ compared to the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the study group, 2 patients developed radiation-induced liver disease, and the incidence was 4.76% (2/42), which occurred at 4 and 6 weeks after the end of radiotherapy, respectively. The patients mainly had elevated transaminases, ascites, and liver enlargement and hepatoprotection and nutritional support were provided, and the patients gradually recovered after treatment. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of AEs between the two groups (p > 0.05). All patients in the study completed follow up and the follow up completion rate was 100%. The median duration of follow up was 22.5 months. In the study group, 12 of 42 patients (28.57%) died and 21 cases (50.00%) had recurrence. In the control group, 21 of 42 cases (50.00%) died and 27 cases (64.29%) recurred. At 1 year, there was no statistical difference in ORR and DCR between the two groups (P > 0.05) and at 2 years, the study group had a higher ORR and DCR than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Image-guided adaptive radiotherapy combined with hepatic artery chemoembolization may improve the immune function of primary liver cancer patients and is of important clinical application value.

Effect of camrelizumab plus transarterial chemoembolization on massive hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of camrelizumab plus transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) on massive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. METHODS: A total of 92 cases with massive HCC from October 2019 to January 2021 were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into the study group (n = 46) and the control group (n = 46). The control group received TACE while the study group were treated with camrelizumab plus TACE. The primary end points were clinical efficacy and adverse events. And the secondary end points were liver function, and alpha fetoprotein (AFP), carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) levels before and after treatment. RESULTS: All participants were followed-up for 7 to 24 months, with a median of 12 months. Patients in the study group received TACE for 1-3 times, with an average of (2.01 ± 0.09) times, while patients in the control group receive TACE for 2-4 times, with an average of (3.78 ± 0.12) times, and the control group received significantly more TACEs (χ2 = 5.518, P = 0.019). During the follow-up, the response rate and disease control rate of the study group were significantly higher than those of the control group (χ2 = 5.518, P = 0.019; χ2 = 4.467, P = 0.041). Before treatment, the levels of total bilirubin (TBIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), CEA, and CA19-9 were comparable between the groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, the levels of TBIL, ALT, AST, AFP, CEA, and CA19-9 decreased, and the above indicators in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). All patients showed transient liver damage, vomiting, nausea, fever and abdominal pain after surgery, and their symptoms were relieved after symptomatic treatment. Adverse events occurred in 9 cases in the study group, and 3 cases in the control group (χ2 = 3.419, P = 0.064). CONCLUSION: Compared with TACE alone, camrelizumab plus TACE treatment can significantly improve the liver function of patients with massive HCC and enhance the treatment effect, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Efficacy and safety of taxane-based systemic chemotherapy of advanced gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Taxanes are chemotherapeutic agents commonly used to treat several cancers. However, the effects of taxanes on advanced gastric cancer (AGC) are still not clear, especially when used as a first-line treatment. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of taxanes as a first-line treatment of AGC. The quality of our included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool for RCTs and NOS scale for nRCTs, and the data of the included studies was of satisfactory quality to analyze. The outcomes included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), and toxicity. Taxanes significantly improved OS (HR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.76-0.92, P = 0.0004) and had a slight effect on ORR (RR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.00-1.51, P = 0.05). However, taxanes may also increase the risks of neutropenia and leucopenia, similar to effects observed in other conventional chemotherapeutic treatments such as oxaliplatin and epirubicin. Therefore, patient characteristics including concomitant diseases, physical condition, and prior therapies should be considered before selecting taxane-based treatments for AGC.

Mechanism of immune evasion in breast cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor among women, with high morbidity and mortality. Its onset, development, metastasis, and prognosis vary among individuals due to the interactions between tumors and host immunity. Many diverse mechanisms have been associated with BC, with immune evasion being the most widely studied to date. Tumor cells can escape from the body's immune response, which targets abnormal components and foreign bodies, using different approaches including modification of surface antigens and modulation of the surrounding environment. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms and factors that impact the immunoediting process and analyze their functions in detail.

Intraoperative radiotherapy in gastric and esophageal cancer: meta-analysis of long-term outcomes and complications.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment effects of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for gastric and esophageal cancer remain uncertain. We therefore performed meta-analyses to investigate whether IORT was associated with more favorable oncologic outcomes when compared to non-IORT for patients who have gastric or esophageal cancer. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: PubMed, Embase, and the references of relevant studies were systematically searched up to March 2016. Outcomes were analyzed with fixed-effect or random-effect models, and the meta-analysis was completed with odds ratio (OR), hazards ratio (HR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) as effect values. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Eleven studies were included, nine for gastric cancer and two for esophageal cancer. The studies included 1581 patients, 570 in the IORT group and 1011 in the control group. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the IORT group and control group (HR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.73-1.13; P=0.38). Two subgroups based on cancer type also had the similar results (gastric group: HR=0.98, 95% CI: 0.78-1.24, P=0.87; esophagus group: HR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.37-1.05, P=0.08). Besides, IORT showed favorable effects for patients with cancer in stage II and stage III and had the advantage of loco-regional control. Regarding the complications, the occurrence rate had no significant difference between the IORT group and control group (OR=1.15; 95% CI: 0.77-1.72; P=0.50). CONCLUSIONS: According to our meta-analysis, IORT did not extend the OS in gastric cancer and esophageal cancer patients, but had a favorable effect for specific stage patients to show loco-regional control, and did not increase the risk of complications.

Transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) for rectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of oncological and perioperative outcomes compared with laparoscopic total mesorectal excision.

BACKGROUND: Transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) is an emerging surgical technique for rectal cancer. However, the oncological and perioperative outcomes are controversial when compared with conventional laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (laTME). METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane database. All original studies published in English that compared taTME with laTME were included for critical appraisal and meta-analysis. Data synthesis and statistical analysis were carried out using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of seven studies including 573 patients (taTME group = 270; laTME group = 303) were included in our meta-analysis. Concerning the oncological outcomes, no differences were observed in harvested lymph nodes, distal resection margin (DRM) and positive DRM between the two groups. However, the taTME group showed a higher rate of achievement of complete grading of mesorectal quality (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.02-3.01, P = 0.04), a longer circumferential resection margin (CRM) and less involvement of positive CRM (CRM: WMD = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.60-1.31, P <0.01; positive CRM: OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.17-0.86, P = 0.02). Concerning the perioperative outcomes, the results for hospital stay, intraoperative complications and readmission were comparable between the two groups. However, the taTME group showed shorter operation times (WMD = -23.45, 95% CI = -37.43 to -9.46, P <0.01), a lower rate of conversion (OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.11-0.81, P = 0.02) and a higher rate of mobilization of the splenic flexure (OR = 2.34, 95% CI = 0.99-5.54, P = 0.05). Although the incidence of anastomotic leakage, ileus and urinary morbidity showed no difference between the groups, a significantly lower rate of overall postoperative complications (OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.45-0.95, P = 0.03) was observed in the taTME group. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with laTME, taTME seems to achieve comparable technical success with acceptable oncologic and perioperative outcomes. However, multicenter randomized controlled trials are required to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of taTME.

A dose-response meta-analysis reveals an association between vitamin B12 and colorectal cancer risk.

OBJECTIVE: The current meta-analysis evaluated the association between vitamin B12 intake and blood vitamin B12 level and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. DESIGN: The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched. A dose-response analysis was performed with generalized least squares regression, with the relative risk (RR) and 95 % CI as effect values. SETTING: The meta-analysis included seventeen studies. SUBJECTS: A total of 10 601 patients. RESULTS: The non-linear dose-response relationship between total vitamin B12 intake and CRC risk was insignificant (P=0·690), but the relationship between dietary vitamin B12 intake and CRC risk was significant (P<0·001). Every 4·5 µg/d increment in total and dietary vitamin B12 intake was inversely associated with CRC risk (total intake: RR=0·963; 95 % CI 0·928, 0·999; dietary intake: RR=0·914; 95 % CI 0·856, 0·977). The inverse association between vitamin B12 intake and CRC risk was also significant when vitamin B12 intake was over a dosage threshold, enhancing the non-linear relationship. The non-linear dose-response relationship between blood vitamin B12 level and CRC risk was insignificant (P=0·219). There was an insignificant association between every 150 pmol/l increment in blood vitamin B12 level and CRC risk (RR=1·023; 95 % CI 0·881, 1·187). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicates that evidence supports the use of vitamin B12 for cancer prevention, especially among populations with high-dose vitamin B12 intake, and that the association between CRC risk and total vitamin B12 intake is stronger than between CRC risk and dietary vitamin B12 intake only.