Social alienation of survivors of nasopharyngeal cancer and its influencing factors / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To explore the status of social alienation among survivors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and analyze its influencing factors.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. From October 2021 to January 2022, 200 survivors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma reviewed in the radiotherapy department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University were investigated by General Data Questionnaire, General Alienation Scale (GAS), Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) and Self-Perceived Burden Scale (SPBS).Results:The total score of GAS in survivors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma was (37.47 ± 2.88) points. The total scores of GAS were positively correlated with the total score and each dimension score of CFS and SPBS ( r values were 0.312-0.524, all P<0.01). Multivariable linear regression showed that the duration of diagnosis, whether or not having hearing loss, the number of symptoms, cancer fatigue and self-perceived burden were the main influencing factors of social alienation in survivors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma( t values were -3.99-4.86, all P<0.05), which could explain 49% of the total variation. Conclusions:Clinical medical staff should attach importance to social alienation of surviors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. More attention should be paid to patients with less than one year of diagnosis, a large number of symptoms and hearing loss, and targeted intervention should be conducted to reduce the degree of social alienation of patients and promote their integration into society.

Clinical research progress of immunotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Immunotherapy mainly uses the effector units of the body's immune system to overcome the immune escape or adaptive immune resistance of tumors, accurately identify and remove tumor cells, and normalize or enhance the function of the immune system, which mainly includes cytokine therapy, immune checkpoint inhibition therapy, adoptive cell immunotherapy, tumor vaccine and antibody targeted therapy. The immune characteristics of nasopharyngeal carcinoma make the patients potentially suitable for immunotherapy or combined therapy with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In recent years, PD-1 inhibitors alone and in combination with chemotherapy have shown good anti-tumor activity and safety in the treatment of recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The incorporation of immune checkpoint inhibitors into the treatment paradigms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma has become a clinical research hot spot.

Radiomics in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: current progress and challenges / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the head and neck. In clinical practice, imaging examination plays an important role in the diagnosis, staging and risk assessment of NPC. However, it is difficult to distinguish the heterogeneity within the tumor, so the ability to classify and predict NPC is limited. Radiomics can extract a large amount of data from medical images for quantitative analysis, which further improves the ability of imaging features to diagnose and predict tumors. The purpose of this review is to introduce the application value of radiomics of different imaging modality such as CT, MRI and PET in differential diagnosis, predictions of treatment response, prognosis and radiotherapy complications of NPC.

Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters in locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving chemoradiotherapy and their relationships with peripheral blood inflammation markers / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) receiving chemoradiotherapy, and relationships between different metabolic parameters and peripheral blood inflammation markers. Methods:From January 2013 to June 2016, the data of 56 patients (40 males, 16 females, age 27-81 years) with locally recurrent NPC receiving chemoradiotherapy in the First People′s Hospital of Foshan were retrospectively analyzed. The SUV max, metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were determined by 18F-FDG PET/CT and peripheral blood inflammation markers within 1 week before treatment were measured. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to estimate the correlations between metabolic parameters and inflammation markers. According to the ROC curve, the best cut-off values of the SUV max, MTV and TLG were obtained and used to group patients. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used to conduct univariate analysis and multivariate analysis of 3-year locoregional failure-free survival (LRFFS) and 3-year overall survival (OS) in patients with locally recurrent NPC. The prognostic value of metabolic parameters in patients with early and advanced recurrent T(rT) stages were compared. Results:MTV was positively correlated with neutrophils, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) before treatment in patients with locally recurrent NPC ( rs values: 0.30, 0.30, 0.28, 0.27, all P<0.05); TLG was positively correlated with neutrophils, monocytes, NLR and PLR ( rs values: 0.30, 0.28, 0.32, 0.30, all P<0.05). But there were no correlations between SUV max and peripheral blood inflammation markers ( rs values: from -0.18 to 0.24, all P>0.05). SUV max was an factor affecting 3-year LRFFS of patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy (hazard ratio ( HR)=3.815(95% CI: 1.278-11.388), P=0.016), while rT stage and MTV were prognostic factors for 3-year OS ( HR values: 4.492(95% CI: 1.474-13.688), 7.238(95% CI: 1.653-31.688), P values: 0.008, 0.009). For patients with advanced rT (rT3-4), the 3-year OS of the MTV≥6.84 cm 3 group was significantly lower than that of MTV<6.84 cm 3 group ( χ2=6.99, P=0.008). Conclusions:SUV max of tumor and MTV before treatment have important prognostic values in patients with locally recurrent NPC receiving chemoradiotherapy, but their predictive effects on prognosis are not the same. The varying effects of local inflammation on metabolic parameters may be one of the important reasons lead to that difference.

MRI-based neck imaging reporting and data systems in diagnosis of extracavity local recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma and posttreatment changes / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of neck imaging reporting and data systems (NI-RADS) based on MRI in extracavity local recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ELRNPC) and posttreatment changes (PTC).Methods:From April 2015 to September 2020, 33 cases of ELRNPC and 37 cases of PTC confirmed by pathology or follow-up were retrospectively enrolled at Zhongshan City People′s Hospital. Two radiologists independently evaluated the conventional MRI findings using NI-RADS criteria in the first step, then evaluated with conventional MRI and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) sequences in the second step. All images were re-evaluated by one senior radiologist in the same steps after three months. Inter- and intra-reader agreements were assessed with Cohen′s Kappa test. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to assess the diagnostic values of NI-RADS categories between ELRNPC and PTC. The area under the curve (AUC) was compared by Delong test.Results:Inter- and intra-reader agreements of Kappa value were 0.742 and 0.909 for conventional MRI and 0.807 and 0.934 for conventional MRI with DWI. In the differential diagnosis of ELRNPC and PTC, the AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of NI-RADS categories based on conventional MRI were 0.932 (95%CI 0.846-0.978), 87.9% (95%CI 71.8%-96.6%), 94.6% (95%CI 81.8%-99.3%), and of NI-RADS based on conventional MRI with DWI were 0.991 (95%CI 0.933-1.000), 93.9% (95%CI 79.8%-99.3%), 97.3% (95%CI 85.8%-99.9%), respectively. There was a statistical difference between the AUCs of the two categories ( Z=2.20, P=0.028). Conclusions:For both the NI-RADS based on MRI with or without DWI, the differential diagnostic value of ELRNPC and PTC is excellent, while the consistency and diagnostic performance are more substantial when combined with DWI.

Value of conventional MRI and high resolution diffusion weighted imaging in differentiation nasopharynx and skull base osteomyelitis from locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of conventional MRI and high resolution diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) for preoperative discrimination between nasopharyngeal-skull base osteomyelitis (NP-SBO) and locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC).Methods:From January 2017 to October 2021, 27 patients of NP-SBO and 32 patients of LA-NPC were retrospectively analyzed at the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University. The clinical characteristics and conventional MRI features were collected, and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of polygonal (ADC polygonal) and small circle were measured from readout segmentation of long variable echo-trains (RESOLVE) DWI. MRI features included laterality, margin, signal intensity of T 1WI and T 2WI, enhancement degree, component, abscess, deep mucosal white line, bone invasion, lymph nodes involvement and other accompany symphtoms. The independent sample t test, χ 2 test or Fisher exact test were used to compare the features and ADC values of the NP-SBO and LA-NPC groups. The logistic regression was applied to select independent predictors in the distinguishing LA-NPC from NP-SBO. Then, the conventional MRI model, ADC model and conventional MRI in combination with ADC model were built. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of models were compared using DeLong test. Results:The age, diabetic status, cranial nerve deficits, inner component, abscess, deep mucosal white line, lymph nodes involvement and ADC polygonal were significantly different between NP-SBO and LA-NPC groups ( P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that ADC polygonal (OR=0.972, 95%CI 0.951-0.993, P=0.011) and abscess (OR=0.101, 95%CI 0.013-0.774, P=0.027) were the independent predictors in the discrimination of NP-SBO and LA-NPC. The AUC (95%CI) of conventional MRI model (abscess), ADC model (ADC polygonal) and combination model were 0.634 (0.499-0.756), 0.870 (0.757-0.943), and 0.925(0.829-0.979), respectively. The AUC of combination model was higher than that of conventional MRI model ( Z=4.77, P<0.001), while there was no difference between combination model and ADC model ( Z=1.87, P=0.062). The AUC of conventional MRI model was lower than that of ADC model ( Z=2.84, P=0.005). Conclusion:Conventional MRI in combination with RESOLVE DWI shows good performance in differentiating between NP-SBO and LA-NPC, especially for abscess in combination with ADC polygonal value.

Value of plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA detection in the screening of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its clinical application in non-high-risk areas / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA detection in the screening of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its clinical application in non-high-risk areas.Methods:Plasma EBV DNA results in 1 153 newly diagnosed nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who were treated in Sichuan Cancer Hospital from 2015 to 2020 and 244 healthy control cases with matched sex and age were retrospectively analyzed. EBV DNA were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Positive rate of EBV DNA was determined by the cutoff value of 400 (≥400 copies/ml as positive) and optimization threshold method (presence of S amplification curve as positive). Further analyses were conducted to compare EBV DNA load in different clinical stage, TNM stage and regions distribution characteristics. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the cutoff value of 400 and optimization threshold method for NPC.Results:Compared with healthy controls, EBV DNA increased significantly in newly diagnosed NPC patients ( P<0.001). Both evaluation methods revealed that the EBV DNA positive percentage increased with TNM and clinical stage ( P<0.001). With 400 copies/ml as cutoff value, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 40.85% and 100%, respectively. The area under the curve was 0.704 (95% CI 0.676-0.733, P<0.001). Evaluated by the optimization threshold method, the sensitivity and specificity could improve to 82.0% and 99.2%, respectively, and the area under the curve reached 0.910 (95% CI 0.894-0.924, P<0.001). Conclusions:In the low prevalence area of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the sensitivity for diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is only 40.9% by the 400 copies/ml cutoff value method. The optimization threshold method is a better choice to improve the diagnostic sensitivity without lowering the diagnostic specificity.

Quantitative evaluation of sternocleidomastoid muscle fibrosis after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on mapping technique of MRI / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the feasibility and clinical value of MRI quantitative evaluation technique in detecting sternocleidomastoid muscle fibrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy.Methods:From August 2019 to March 2021, 45 patients with clinically confirmed NPC after radiotherapy and 30 healthy controls who underwent physical examination in Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University were enrolled in our study. According to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (RTOG/EORTC) classification criteria of late radiation reactions respectively, the sternocleidomastoid muscle injury in the NPC group was divided into grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ, which included 8, 32 and 5 patients respectively. All patients underwent T 1 mapping and T 2 mapping imaging of the neck. Firstly, the mapping images of sternocleidomastoid muscle between the two groups were analyzed and compared. Using NUMARIS/4 software of Siemens image post-processing workstation, the region of interest was manually drawn along the edge of sternocleidomastoid muscle at the level of laryngeal chamber in axial mapping diagram. Then, T 1 and T 2 values and the long and short diameters of sternocleidomastoid muscle were measured respectively. Finally, the differences of the parameters between the two groups were compared by independent sample t-test, Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the average T 1 and T 2 values of bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles and the grade of late radiation injury. Results:Compared with the control group, the shape of sternocleidomastoid muscle in the NPC group was smaller in shape, with irregular edge and uneven increase of T 1 mapping color scale. There was no significant difference in muscle signal in T 2 mapping. The T 1 values of left and right sternocleidomastoid muscles in the NPC group were (1 524.7±97.6) and (1 496.5±93.2) ms respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the normal control group [(1 231.5±85.3) and (1 275.9±90.9) ms] ( P<0.05), and the T 2 values of left and right sternocleidomastoid muscles in the NPC group were (28.4±4.8) and (28.4±3.6) ms respectively, which were lower than those in the normal control group [(30.4±3.5) and (30.4±3.5) ms] ( P<0.05). The long and short diameters of bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles in the NPC group were shorter than those in the control group ( P<0.05). The average T 1 and T 2 values of bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles in NPC patients after radiotherapy were (1 510.6±95.4) and (28.4±4.2) ms respectively, The T 1 value was positively correlated with the classification of advanced radiation injury ( r=0.78, P<0.001), and T 2 value was negatively correlated with the level of advanced radiation injury ( r=-0.87, P<0.001). Conclusion:Mapping quantitative evaluation technique can noninvasively and objectively detect and evaluate sternocleidomastoid muscle fibrosis after NPC radiotherapy, which has potential clinical application value.

Nomogram for predicting the response to chemoradiotherapy in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on arterial spin-labeled perfusion parameters and clinicopathological features / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To explore the value of nomogram based on arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI perfusion parameters and clinicopathological features in predicting the response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ANPC, stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ).Methods:From June 2018 to January 2021, 70 patients with ANPC confirmed by pathology were prospectively enrolled in Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University. Nasopharyngeal MRI plain scan, ASL and contrast-enhanced scan were performed before CRT, and routine MRI re-examination was performed within 1 week after the end of CRT. The pre-CRT perfusion parameter tumor blood flow (TBF) from ASL and clinicopathological features were recorded, and the maximum diameter (MD) of the tumor on T 1WI images was measured. The patients were divided into CRT effective group (48 cases) and ineffective group (22 cases) according to the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors. The independent sample t test was used to compare the differences of TBF, age and MD between effective group and ineffective group. The χ 2 test was used to compare the differences of gender, clinical stage and pathological type between the 2 groups. Using binary logistic regression analysis, clinicopathological model and TBF combined clinicopathological model were constructed, and the nomogram of combined model was constructed. The diagnostic efficacy of the models was obtained by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the area under the ROC curves (AUC) of the 3 models were compared by DeLong method. The calibration curve for the nomogram was generated, and the concordance index (C index) was acquired. Results:The TBF of the effective group and the ineffective group were (113±9) and (97±14) ml·100 g -1·min -1, with a statistical difference ( t=5.17, P<0.001). The MD value of the effective group was smaller than that of the ineffective group, with a statistical difference ( t=-2.24, P=0.028). There were statistical differences in clinical stage and pathological type between the 2 groups (χ 2 values were 12.21 and 12.95, respectively, both P<0.001). Three independent predictors, including TBF (OR=7.749), clinical stage (OR=0.129) and pathological type (OR=5.228), were included in logistic regression analysis. The AUC, sensitivity and specificity of TBF model in predicting the response to CRT were 0.843, 87.5% and 72.7%, of clinicopathological model were 0.822, 80.2% and 59.1%, of the nomogram model were 0.893, 81.2% and 90.9%. There was no statistical difference of AUC between the nomogram model and TBF model ( Z=1.23, P=0.215). However, the AUC of the nomogram model was greater than that of the clinicopathological model ( Z=2.47, P=0.031). The calibration curve showed that there was a good concordance index (C index=0.892) between the predicted value of nomogram and the actual clinical observation value. Conclusion:TBF, clinical stage and pathological type are independent predictors of the response to CRT in ANPC patients, and the nomogram based on these three factors has a good ability in predicting the response to CRT.

Clinical significance and expression of inhibin βB in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the expression of inhibin β B (INHBB) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and its relationship with clinicopathological features.Methods:Paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of 39 patients with NPC and 16 patients with chronic nasopharyngitis diagnosed by biopsy, and 30 patients with LUAD after surgical resection collected in Brain Hospital of Hunan Province (the Second People′s Hospital of Hunan Province) were analyzed retrospectively. The expression of INHBB in NPC and LUAD was detected by immunohistochemical streptavidin-perosidase (SP) method and the relationship of INHBB expression level with clinicopathological indicators was analyzed.Results:The expression of INHBB in NPC was lower than that in chronic nasopharyngitis (51.28% vs 81.25%, P=0.039), and the expression of INHBB was related to lymph node metastasis ( P=0.026) and clinical stage ( P=0.039); On the contrary, the expression level of INHBB in LUAD was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues (86.67% vs 23.33%, P<0.001). The expression level of INHBB in patients with LUAD was only related to clinical stage ( P=0.048). Conclusions:The expression of INHBB might play an important role in the development and progression of NPC and LUAD, and it was expected to be a novel diagnostic biomarker.

Effects of miR-363-5p on proliferation and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and the possible mechanism / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the effects of miR-363-5p on the proliferation and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and the possible mechanism.Methods:miR-363-5p expression in human normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells NP-69 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells 5-8F was detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Proliferation and apoptosis of 5-8F cells overexpresing miR-365-5p were determined. At the same time, Caspase3 and BRD4 protein expression in 5-8F cells were also detected.Results:miR-365-5p expression in 5-8F cells (0.71 ± 0.45) was significantly lower than that in NP-69 cells ( t = 2.68, P < 0.05). After overexpressing miR-363-5p, the proliferation of 5-8F cells was significantly decreased ( F = 22.68, P < 0.05). The apoptotic rate in the 5-8F cells was significantly higher than that in the control group [(24.45 ± 5.38)% vs. (18.23 ± 2.41)%, t = 4.13, P < 0.05]. Bax and Caspase3 protein levels in the 5-8F cells were (1.35 ± 0.24) and (1.44 ± 0.34) respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the NP-69 cells [(1.00 ± 0.08), (1.00 ± 0.23), t = 3.12, 5.12, P < 0.05]. BRD4 protein level in the 5-8F cells was significantly lower than that in the control group [(0.42 ± 0.24) vs. (1.00 ± 0.37), t = 2.98, P <0.05]. Conclusion:miR-365-5p can inhibit proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and promote their apoptosis. The negative regulatory effects of miR-363-5p on tumor cells are achieved possibly through inhibiting BRD4 protein expression.

Progress of efficacy evaluation model for nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 肿瘤研究与临床

Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Single conventional MRI can only evaluate the change of tumor size and cannot accurately predict the curative effect of tumors. Functional imaging technology can further supplement the information of curative effect prediction. However, single imaging evaluation has some limitations in the evaluation of tumor efficacy. The combination of functional imaging and biomarkers for the evaluation and prediction of curative effect may provide a new choice for the evaluation model of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This paper reviews the progress of current status of therapeutic evaluation models for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, functional imaging technology and single or joint evaluation model of biomarkers, so as to provide ideas for the efficacy evaluation model for nasopharyngeal carcinoma which is accurate and easy to be promoted and applied.

A comparative study on the delineation of gross tumor volume and lymph nodes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients using CT/MRI/and PET-CT / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To compare the differences in the delineation of the gross tumor volume (GTV) and lymph nodes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients using computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( 18F-FDG PET/CT), and to investigate the optimal standard uptake value (SUV; relative to the MRI-based delineation) for the automatic delineation of GTV using PET. Methods:A total of 53 NPC patients proposing to receive radiotherapy were selected for this study. The CT, MRI, and PET images of each patient were obtained before radiotherapy. Then GTV and positive lymph nodes were delineated on these three types of images. They were individually named GTV MRI, GTV CT, GTV PET2.5 (SUV=2.5), Lymph MRI, Lymph CT, and Lymph PET2.5 and compared. The GTV ∩2.5 (overlapped GTV) was obtained through the alignment of MRI and PET/CT images. Meanwhile, GTV was delineated on PET images using thresholds of SUV=4.0, 4.5, 5.0, and 5.6, obtaining GTV PET4.0, GTV PET4.5, GTV PET5.0, and GTV PET5.6. Then their volume and Dice similarity coefficients (DSCs) were compared. Results:Compared to GTV MRI, GTV CT decreased by 1.73% ( P>0.05) and GTV PET2.5 increased by 21.34% ( t=-3.52, P < 0.05) in the three types of images. The volume of Lymph PET2.5 was 1.61 and 1.87 times the volume of Lymph MRI and Lymph CT, respectively ( t=-4.12, -5.18; P< 0.05). The volume of high-SUV lymph nodes was 4.07 times the volume of lymph nodes with low SUVs or SUV=0 ( t=5.50, P< 0.05) on PET images. The DSC between GTV PET4.0and GTV MRI was 0.78 ± 0.27, which was lower than that between GTV PET2.5 and GTV MRI (0.84 ± 0.18). However, GTV PET4.0 approximated to GTV ∩2.5 ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared to CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT, MRI shows more accurate boundaries of GTV and lymph nodes. When 18F-FDG PET/CT was adopted to automatically delineate GTV, the GTV delineated using SUV=4.0 was closer to GTV MRI.

Study of plasma matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 level during concurrent chemoradiotherapy and clinicopathologic significance in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the changes of the plasma matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 levels and their clinical significances during the course of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.Methods:From January 2018 to June 2019, 46 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated in the department of oncology, Changsha Central Hospital Affiliated to Nanhua University. All patients were confirmed by pathology. They were divided into early NPC group ( n=32) and invasive NPC group ( n=16) according to the degree of invasion. The early NPC group was treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone, and the invasive NPC group was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Blood samples were collected at four stages of the treatment, and the concentrations of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results:The longer the treatment time, the lower the concentration of MMP-9 ( P=0.007) in early NPC group; There was no significant difference in MMP-9 level before treatment, after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, after concurrent chemoradiotherapy, at the end of treatment and the first follow-up ( P>0.05) in invasive NPC group. There was no significant difference in the content of MMP-2 between the two groups before and after treatment ( P>0.05). There was no correlation between serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels and tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor invasion and response rate ( P>0.05) in invasive NPC patients, while the level of MMP-9 was positively correlated with white blood count (WBC) and neutrophil count ( r=0.85, P=0.004, r=0.82, P=0.003); The ratio of MMP-9/MMP-2 was positively correlated with WBC and neutrophil count ( r=0.86, P=0.003, r=0.83, P=0.001). Conclusions:Synchronous radiotherapy and chemotherapy can reduce the serum MMP-9 level in early stage NPC patients, but it has no effect on the serum MMP-9 level in patients with invasive NPC, which suggests that synchronous radiotherapy and chemotherapy can not prevent the proliferation and distant metastasis of cancer cells in patients with invasive NPC.

Prognostic differences of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with intensity-modulated radiothe-rapy with different T staging of the seventh and eighth edition of the UICC staging system / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To compare the differences in population distribution and prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in T staging of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) 7th edition and UICC 8th edition, and to analyze the prognostic factors in patients with NPC.Methods:The clinicopathologic date of 184 patients with newly diagnosed NPC treated with IMRT at the Department of Radiation Oncology of Weifang People′s Hospital of Shandong Province from June 1, 2005 to December 31, 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were restaged according to the 7th and 8th edition of the UICC staging system. The distribution of T staging of patients in the two staging systems was analyzed, and the consistency of the two staging systems was compared using the Kappa consistency test. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and log-rank test was used to compare the prognostic differences among T stages. Cox regression model was used to analyze the prognostic factors of patients with NPC.Results:Of all 184 patients with NPC, stage T 1, T 2, T 3 and T 4 respectively accounted for 18.5% (34/184), 16.8% (31/184), 15.2% (28/184) and 49.5% (91/184) according to the 7th edition UICC staging system. However, stage T 1, T 2, T 3 and T 4 respectively accounted for 18.5% (34/184), 34.2% (63/184), 30.4% (56/184) and 16.8% (31/184) according to the 8th edition UICC staging system. The T staging population distribution of the two staging systems showed moderate consistency (Kappa=0.58). There was a statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) among patients with stage T 1, T 2, T 3, T 4 according to the 7th edition UICC staging system ( χ2=10.606, P=0.014). There were statistically significant differences in OS between stage T 1 and stage T 2, T 3, T 4 ( χ2=4.866, P=0.027; χ2=11.965, P=0.001; χ2=4.351, P=0.037). The OS curves of stage T 2 and T 4 could not be separated. Moreover, the OS curves of stage T 3 and T 4 were distributed in reverse order. There was a statistically significant difference in OS among patients with stage T 1, T 2, T 3, T 4 according to the 8th edition staging system ( χ2=8.663, P=0.034). There were statistically significant differences in OS between stage T 1 and stage T 3, T 4( χ2=8.746, P=0.003; χ2=7.580, P=0.006). The OS curves of stage T 1 to T 4 were distributed in order, but the curves of stage T 3 and T 4 could not be separated. There was a statistically significant difference in progression-free survival (PFS) among patients with stage T 1, T 2, T 3, T 4 according to the 7th edition UICC staging system ( χ2=11.289, P=0.010). There were statistically significant differences in PFS between stage T 1 and stage T 2, T 3, T 4 ( χ2=8.209, P=0.004; χ2=13.302, P<0.001; χ2=6.550, P=0.010). The PFS curves of stage T 2 and T 4 could not be separated. Moreover, the PFS curves of stage T 3 and T 4 were distributed in reverse order. There was a statistically significant difference in PFS among patients with stage T 1, T 2, T 3, T 4 according to the 8th edition staging system ( χ2=12.074, P=0.007). There were statistically significant differences in PFS between stage T 1 and stage T 2, T 3, T 4( χ2=5.182, P=0.023; χ2=11.217, P=0.001; χ2=10.174, P=0.001). The PFS curves of stage T 1 to T 4 were distributed in order, but the curves of stage T 3 and T 4 could not be separated. The results of Cox multivariate analysis showed that T staging of both staging systems were the independent prognostic factors of the OS ( P=0.013; P=0.026) and PFS ( P=0.031; P=0.012). However, T staging of the two editions were not the independent prognostic factors of the local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) ( P=0.351; P=0.167) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) ( P=0.059; P=0.052). The age was the independent prognostic factor of the OS ( HR=2.70, 95% CI: 1.53-4.76, P=0.001; HR=2.74, 95% CI: 1.55-4.84, P=0.001), PFS ( HR=2.72, 95% CI: 1.46-5.08, P=0.002; HR=2.94, 95% CI: 1.57-5.52, P=0.001), LRFS ( HR=5.87, 95% CI: 1.62-21.27, P=0.007; HR=6.02, 95% CI: 1.61-22.49, P=0.008) and DMFS ( HR=2.40, 95% CI: 1.22-4.72, P=0.011; HR=2.63, 95% CI: 1.34-5.18, P=0.005). N staging was the independent prognostic factor of the OS ( P=0.031; P=0.028). Conclusion:The T staging population distribution of the 7th and 8th edition UICC staging system had moderate consistency, and the T staging of the 8th edition is more advantageous in predicting the prognosis of OS and PFS. In both editions, T staging is an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS.

Effect of intensity-modulated radiotherapy guided by CT/MRI image fusion technology in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the application effect of intensity-modulated radiotherapy guided by computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MRI) fusion technology in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods:The case data of 112 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 904 Hospital from June 2013 to January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into control group (three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy guided by CT/MRI image fusion technology) and observation group (intensity-modulated radiotherapy guided by CT/MRI image fusion technology), with 56 cases in each group. The average target volume, short-term efficacy, incidence of toxic and side effects of radiotherapy, 1, 2 and 3-year survival rate and recurrence rate were compared between the two groups.Results:The target volume in the observation group was larger than that in the control group ( P<0.05), and the total effective rate (78.57%) was higher than that in the control group (60.71%, P<0.05); There was no significant difference in the incidence of dry mouth, temporomandibular joint injury, hearing loss and skin injury between the two groups ( P>0.05), but there was significant difference in the total incidence of toxic and side effects ( P<0.05); There was no significant difference in 1-year and 2-year survival rate and recurrence rate between the two groups ( P>0.05); The 3-year survival rate (82.14%) in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (64.29%), and the recurrence rate (8.93%) was lower than that in the control group (23.21%, P<0.05). Conclusions:CT/MRI image fusion technology can guide the intensity-modulated radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which can improve the accuracy of radiotherapy target volume delineation and the total effective rate of treatment and 3-year survival rate, and reduce the 3-year recurrence rate. It is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Prognostic values of immune efficacy biomarkers in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Immunotherapy has achieved objective response rates of 20%-30% in patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but fewer people are benefiting. Studies have shown that patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma carrying high expression of programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 and/or high tumor mutation burden have a significant response to immunotherapy. Biomarkers of the tumor microenvironment, especially tumor infiltrating lymphocyte, are abundant in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, varying from different Epstein-Barr virus states, which can also play a predictive role of immunotherapy efficacy. Other biomarkers, such as mismatch repair-deficient, have a low incidence in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and limited predictive power. Combined detection of different types of immunotherapeutic biomarkers is more helpful to identify suitable populations for immunotherapy.

Recommendation for an oral mucosal contouring method in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving tomotherapy / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To evaluate the value of two oral mucosal contouring methods for predicting acute radiation-induced oral mucositis (A-ROM) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.Methods A total of 150 AJCC 7th stage Ⅱ-ⅣB NPCs receiving radical tomotherapy (TOMO) in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from 2017 to 2019 were included in this prospective observational study.Oral cavity contour (OCC) and mucosal surface contour (MSC) were applied to delineate the oral mucosal structure.A-ROM grade was prospectively assessed and recorded weekly according to RTOG scoring criteria.The prediction value of two methods for A-ROM was statistically compared.Results The incidence rate of ≥ 3 grade A-ROM was 33.3％.In univariate analysis,V5,V10,V15,V45,V50,V55,V60,V65 and V70 of OCC and V5,V10,V50,V55,V60,V65,V70 and Dmean of MSC were significantly correlated with the risk of ≥3 grade A-ROM (all P＜0.05).In binary logistic regression analysis,gender and smoking were significantly associated with the incidence of ≥3 grade A-ROM by using OCC (male vs.female:OR=0.141,95％CI=0.037-0.538,P=0.004;smoking vs.non-smoking:OR=5.109,95％CI=1.413-18.470,P=0.013).For MSC,gender,smoking,N stage and MSC-V55 were the independent predictors (male vs.female:OR=0.129,95％CI=0.032-0.519,P=0.004;smoking vs.non-smoking:OR=4.448,95％CI=1.224-16.164,P=0.023;N stage:OR=2.291,95％CI=1.268-4.137,P=0.006;MSC-V55:OR=1.432,95％CI=1.008-2.033,P=0.045).The cutoff value of MSC-V55 was 7.70％,the area under ROC curve was 0.754,the sensitivity and specificity were 0.680 and 0.740,retrospectively (all P＜0.001).Conclusions Compared with OCC,MSC yields a higher prediction accuracy for the severity of A-ROM in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving TOMO treatment.

Comparison of GP and TP regimens in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma and their effects on the serum epithelial cadherin and platelet-derived growth factor levels / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP) regimen and paclitaxel plus cisplatin (TP) regimen in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods One hundred and thirty patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma of Qinhuangdao Harbor Hospital,Hebei Province between September 2012 and December 2017 were chosen,and were divided into GP group (68 cases) and TP group (62 cases)according to the selection of treatment.GP group was treated with GP regimen,and TP group was treated with TP regimen.The clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of the two groups were observed,and the serum epithelial cadherin (SE-CAD) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) were measured before and after chemotherapy.Results There was no significant difference in short-term efficacy between GP group and TP group (P＞0.05),and the total effective rates were 88.24％ (60/68) and 79.03％ (49/62) respectively;1 month after treatment,SE-CAD in GP group and TP group were (2.57 ± 0.81) and (2.50 ± 0.96) g/L,PDGF-BB were (102.22 ± 31.18) and (110.15 ± 37.21) ng/L,and the difference was not statistically significant (P＞0.05);progression-free survival (PFS) in GP group and TP group were 13 and 12 months,and overall survival (OS) were 17 and 16 months,and the difference was not statistically significant (P＞0.05);there were no significant difference in leucopenia,hemoglobin,thrombocytopenia and abnormal liver and kidney function between GP group and TP group (P＞0.05);the incidence of gastrointestinal reactions in GP group was 16.18％ (11/68),which was significantly lower than that in TP group was 38.71％(24/62),and the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.01).Conclusions GP and TP regimens are effective in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.There is no significant difference in SE-CAD and PDGF-BB levels between the two regimens after treatment,but GP regimen has a lower incidence of gastrointestinal reactions.

Research progress of functional MRI in early brain injury after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 中国介入影像与治疗学

Radiation brain injury in the temporal lobe is the most common and severe neurological complication after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Early detection and treatment are the key to control the progress of radiation brain injury. However, when abnormal changes were found in conventional MRI, brain injury had developed to irreversible middle and late stage frequently. Functional MRI, including magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging, perfusion-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, diffusion-tensor imaging, and diffusion-kurtosis imaging, can quantitatively reflect the microstructure changes of tissues through many parameters. Some of the parameters could be considered as image markers for diagnosis of radiation brain injury in the early stage. Research advances of functional MRI in early brain injury after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma were reviewed in this article.