Incidence of second malignancies in patients with thymic carcinoma and thymic neuroendocrine tumor.

OBJECTIVES: Thymic carcinoma and thymic neuroendocrine tumor (NET) are rare and are more likely to develop second malignancies. The purpose of this study was to explore the incidence and lifetime risk of second malignancies in thymic carcinoma and thymic NET. METHODS: The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and the age-adjusted cancer incidence of the thymic carcinoma and thymic NET patients with second malignancies were retrospectively calculated by using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Prognosis results were also determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression. RESULTS: 1130 patients with thymic carcinoma (73 patients had second malignancies) and 263 patients with thymic NET (19 patients had second malignancies) from 2000 to 2018 are included. Patients with thymic carcinoma (SIR: 1.36, 95% CI 1.08-1.69) and with thymic NET (SIR: 1.73, 95% CI 1.13-2.54) demonstrate an increased overall risk of developing second malignancies in various organ systems. The age-adjusted cancer incidence of second malignancies in patients with thymic carcinoma is 3058.48 per 100,000 persons (4178.46 per 100,000 persons in patients with thymic NET). Age at diagnosis is a significant risk factor for the development of second malignancies. CONCLUSION: The incidence of second malignancies in patients with thymic carcinoma and thymic NET is significantly higher than the patients in the normal population. The occurrence of second malignancies is not related to the use of different treatments. It is important to extend the follow-up period and add other screening methods.

Safety and feasibility of a modularized procedure for trans-subxiphoid robotic extended thymectomy.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to introduce an "eight-step modularized procedure (M-RET)" for trans-subxiphoid robotic extended thymectomy for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). Its safety and feasibility were further verified in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 87 consecutive MG patients who underwent trans-subxiphoid robotic extended thymectomy at our institution between September 2016 and August 2021. According to different resection models, patients were divided into two groups: traditional trans-subxiphoid robotic extended thymectomy group (T-RET group) and eight-step modularized technique group (M-RET group). Baseline demographic characteristics and operation-related parameters were collected and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were 41 (47.1%) patients in the M-RET group and 46 (52.9%) patients in the T-RET group. The M-RET group resected a greater amount of mediastinal adipose tissues and required more dissection time (median and interquartile range: 135.0, 125.0 to 164.0 v. 120.0, 105.0 to 153.8, P = 0.006) compared with the T-RET group. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of the intraoperative blood loss, duration of chest drainage, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications between the two groups. There was no mortality or conversion in each of the two groups and all patients recovered well upon discharge. CONCLUSION: The eight-step modularized technique of trans-subxiphoid robotic extended thymectomy was verified to be a safe, effective, radical procedure, which offers unique superiority over ectopic thymic tissue resection.

Double purse-string suture technique for circular-stapled anastomosis during robotic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy.

Background: With the advantage of the robotic suturing capacity, the purse-string suture is technically simple and convenient. This study aimed to present our technical aspects and initial results of robotic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy using two purse-string sutures for circular-stapled anastomosis. Methods: After stomach mobilization, gastric conduit formation, esophagus mobilization and two-field lymphadenectomy, the first robotic hand-sewn purse-string suture was applied to the esophageal muscular layer with an adequate margin above the tumor. A longitudinal incision in the anterior wall of the esophagus was made and the circular stapler anvil was inserted. The esophagus was transected by scissors 1 cm caudal to the first purse-string suture and the purse-string tied to secure the anvil. Then the second robotic hand-sewn purse-string suture was applied to the whole-layer of the proximal end of the esophagus and tied. Finally, the anvil was connected to the body of the stapler and fired. Results: The clinical data of ten patients who underwent robotic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy with an intrathoracic circular-stapled end-to-side anastomosis from February 2022 to April 2022 were collected. There were seven male and three female patients and had a mean age of 63.2 ± 7.6 years. Tissue donuts were complete in all cases and all operations were successfully performed without conversions. The mean overall operative time was 358.2 ± 40.3 min. The mean estimated blood loss was 83.2 ± 15.6 ml. The median length of hospital stay was 11.5 ± 4.1 days. All the patients had an uneventful postoperative period. Conclusion: Two purse-string sutures are necessary to obtain a tight seal of the esophageal tissue around the anvil to avoid potential anastomotic leak and are an essential process for the safety of circular-stapled anastomosis during robotic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy.

Perioperative Clinical Features of Mediastinal Parathyroid Adenoma: A Case Series.

Rare ectopic mediastinal parathyroid adenoma can result in persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism. In this article, we summarized the perioperative outcomes of six patients with mediastinal parathyroid adenoma. All patients underwent minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Abnormal accumulation of sestamibi was observed in four of five patients for preoperative localization of adenoma. Postoperatively, the blood calcium dropped quickly. In addition, we found adenoma function was negatively related to adenoma volume in these patients. In conclusion, although MIS is feasible for parathyroid adenoma, blood calcium should be monitored in a timely manner to avoid hypocalcemia postoperatively. In addition, sestamibi might be a potential pitfall when locating parathyroid adenoma.

The LINC00452/miR-204/CHST4 Axis Regulating Thymic Tregs Might Be Involved in the Progression of Thymoma-Associated Myasthenia Gravis.

Background: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease that mainly affects neuromuscular junctions and is usually associated with immune disorders in the thymoma. The competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) hypothesis has been demonstrated to be an intrinsic mechanism regulating the development of several autoimmune diseases; however, the mechanism where the ceRNA network regulates immune cells in patients with thymoma-associated MG (TAMG) has rarely been explored. Methods: RNA-seq data and clinical information of 124 patients with thymoma were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether they were diagnosed with MG. We applied the propensity score matching method to reduce the incidence of baseline confounders. We then constructed a ceRNA network with differentially expressed RNAs between the groups based on four public databases. The expression of genes of interest was validated by qPCR. Moreover, we predicted the immune cells that infiltrated the thymoma and then analyzed the association between immune cells and RNA in the ceRNA network. To further determine the function of the mRNAs associated with immune cells in patients with TAMG, we performed gene set enrichment analysis in thymoma patients with MG. Results: After matching, 94 patients were included in the following analysis. A total of 847 mRNAs, 409 lncRNAs, and 45 miRNAs were differentially expressed between the groups. The ceRNA network, including 18 lncRNAs, four miRNAs, and 13 mRNAs, was then constructed. We then confirmed that CHST4 and LINC00452, miR-204-3p and miR-204-5p were differentially expressed between patients with TAMG and thymoma patients without MG (NMG) by qPCR. Moreover, we found that the percentage of predicted regulatory T (Treg) cells was significantly decreased in patients with TAMG. Further analysis indicated that the LINC00452/miR-204/CHST4 axis might regulate thymic regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the progression of MG. Conclusions: In this research, we constructed a ceRNA network involved in the progression of TAMG, discovered that thymic Tregs were significantly decreased in patients with TAMG, and assumed that the LINC00452/miR-204/CHST4 axis may regulate thymic Tregs in the development of TAMG. These findings may deepen our understanding of the roles of the ceRNA network in regulating TAMG and highlight the function of CHST4 in recruiting peripheral T cells in the progression of TAMG.

Double-Docking Technique, an Optimized Process for Intrathoracic Esophagogastrostomy in Robot-Assisted Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy.

Background: Though robotic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy has been increasingly applied, intrathoracic esophagogastrostomy is still a technical barrier. In this retrospective study, we introduced a double-docking technique for intrathoracic esophagogastrostomy to optimize surgical exposure and facilitate intrathoracic anastomosis. Moreover, we compared the clinical outcomes between the double-docking technique and anastomosis with a single-docking procedure in robotic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy. Methods: From March 2017 to September 2020, the clinical data of 68 patients who underwent robotic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy were reviewed, including 23 patients who underwent the double-docking technique (double-docking group) and 45 patients who underwent single-docking robotic esophagectomy (single-docking group). All patients were diagnosed with esophageal cancer or gastro-esophageal junction by biopsy before surgery. The technical details of the double-docking technique are described in this article. Results: There was no difference in the patient demographics data between the two groups. The median surgical time in the double-docking group was slightly shorter than in the classic group without statistical difference (380 vs. 395 min, p = 0.368). In the double-docking group, the median blood loss was 90 mL, the median number of lymph nodes harvested was 17, and the R0 resection rates were 100% (23/23). There were no differences in the surgical outcomes between the two groups. Conclusions: Based on our experience, the double-docking technique provides good surgical exposure when fashioning anastomosis, and such a technique does not increase the surgical time. Therefore, we believe that the double-docking technique is a safe and effective method for intrathoracic esophagogastrostomy while providing good exposure and ensuring the convenience and reliability of intrathoracic anastomosis.

Surgical Tips to Improve Completeness of Transsubxiphoid Robotic Extended Thymectomy.

Removal of adipose tissues located behind the left innominate vein and at the aortocaval groove is technically complex for minimally invasive extended thymectomy. The study describes the technical tips of the subxiphoid robotic procedure to remove these adipose tissues. Extended thymectomy by the presented procedure was performed in 39 patients, and 6 patients were diagnosed with ectopic thymic tissues behind the left innominate vein. Satisfactory short-term surgical outcomes demonstrated that dissection of adipose tissues located between mediastinal major vessels is technically feasible and safe by this novel procedure.

Rare location and drainage pattern of right pulmonary veins and aberrant right upper lobe bronchial branch: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Complex aberration in lung is rare, which may increase risk of vascular injury and cause ligation of wrong pulmonary vein or bronchus by mistake during lung surgery, and result in sever complication like pulmonary congestion or atelectasis. CASE SUMMARY: A 44-year-old female was admitted for a ground glass nodule (24 mm in diameter) in her right upper lobe. Video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) right upper lobectomy with lymph nodes dissection was performed. During operation, we simultaneously identified extremely rare aberrations of right preeparterial bronchus, right upper lobe vein behind pulmonary artery and right middle lobe vein drained into left atrium in this patient. The patient was well recovered and discharged at the postoperative-day 4. CONCLUSION: Preoperatively, three-dimensional reconstruction can help to identify inconspicuous variation of pulmonary vessels and bronchus effectively. During lung surgery, if anatomic aberration is suspected, careful dissection of vessels and bronchus will help to confirm whether there is an aberration or not.

Fabrication of More Oxygen Vacancies and Depression of Encapsulation for Superior Catalysis in the Water-Gas Shift Reaction.

Fabrication of sufficient oxygen vacancies and exposure of active sites to reactants are two key factors to obtain high catalytic activity in the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. However, these two factors are hard to satisfy spontaneously, since the formation of oxygen vacancies and encapsulation of metal nanoparticles are two inherent properties in reducible metal oxide supported catalysts due to the strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) effect. In this work, we find that addition of alkali to an anatase supported Ni catalyst (Ni/TiO2(A)) could well regulate the SMSI to achieve both more oxygen vacancies and depression of encapsulation; therefore, more than 20-fold enhancement in activity is obtained. It is found that the in situ formed titanate species on the catalyst surface is crucial to the formation of oxygen vacancies and depression of encapsulation. Furthermore, the methanation, a common side reaction of the WGS reaction, is successfully suppressed in the whole catalytic process.

Regulation of Strong Metal-Support Interaction by Alkaline Earth Metal Salts.

Classical strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) is of significant importance to heterogeneous catalysis, where electronic promotion and encapsulation of noble metal by reducible support are two main intrinsic properties of SMSI. However, the excessive encapsulation will inevitably hamper the contact between active sites and reactant, leading to reduced activity in catalysis. Herein, alkaline earth metal salts are employed to depress the encapsulation of Ru nanoparticles in Ru/TiO2 catalyst in the present study. Thermodynamic calculation, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and chemisorption results show that the alkaline earth metal salts could successfully prevent the migration of TiO2-x overlayer to Ru nanoparticles in Ru/TiO2 catalyst via in situ formation of titanates, resulting in high exposure of active metal. Meanwhile, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H2 -TPR) results reveal that an even stronger electron donation from the reduced support to Ru nanoparticles is achieved. As a result, the alkaline earth metal salts-doped Ru/TiO2 catalysts exhibit superior activity in catalytic hydrogenation of aromatics, which is in contrast to the pristine Ru/TiO2 catalyst that shows negligible activity under the same conditions due to the excess encapsulation of Ru nanoparticles in Ru/TiO2 catalyst.

Metastasis Patterns and Prognosis of Elderly Patients With Esophageal Adenocarcinoma in Stage IVB: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is the most common kind of esophageal cancer. Age at diagnosis of advanced EAC is greater. Studies about practice patterns for elderly EAC patients with distant metastasis (DM) in stage IVB are limited. This retrospective, population-based study was conducted using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) to evaluate 855 elderly EAC patients with DM in stage IVB from 2010 to 2015. METHODS: 855 elderly EAC patients with DM in stage IVB between 2010 and 2015 were included in this study. Univariate and multivariate Cox-regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to assess prognosis. These patients were classified to bone-only, brain-only, lung-only, liver-only, and multiple (patients with two or more organs in metastasis)-site group according to the site of metastasis. Overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), median survival time (MST), and survival rate (SR) were evaluated to analyze the survival outcomes. RESULTS: The most common metastasis site was the liver among the single-organ metastasis population, followed by lung, bone, and brain. Compared with the bone-only group, the multiple-site group was associated with worst OS (HR: 1.037, 95% CI: 0.811-1.327, p = 0.770) and CSS (HR: 1.052, 95% CI: 0.816-1.357, p = 0.695). The multiple-site group also had the lowest MST in the population (MST: 2 months in OS and 3 months in CSS) and SR (6-month SR: 27.1% in OS, 29.9% in CSS, 1-year SR: 10.7% in OS, 12.0% in CSS, 3-year SR: 2.5% in OS, 2.8% in CSS). Compared to untreated patients (N) in the total population, other patients who were treated with surgery (S), radiotherapy (R), and chemotherapy (C) are beneficial for the prognosis (OS and CSS: p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This population-based study was conducted to ascertain metastasis patterns and survival outcomes of EAC patients with DM in stage IVB. Elderly patients with multiple-site metastasis exhibited the worst OS and CSS among all the populations, and patients with bone-only metastasis had the worst OS and CSS among single-organ metastasis populations. Active treatment is beneficial for elderly EAC patients with DM in stage IVB, especially chemotherapy. This study also shows that more than one third of the patients had not received any therapy.

Patterns of metastasis and prognosis of elderly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients in stage IVB: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has been listed among the most common esophageal cancers (ECs). Patients are generally relatively old in terms of their age at diagnosis of ESCC. A retrospective, population-based study appraising 537 elderly ESCC patients who suffered distant metastasis (DM) in stage IVB from 2010 to 2016 was performed. To this end, data pertaining to Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) were adopted. METHODS: A total of 537 elderly patients with IVB-stage ESCC suffering DM treated from 2010 to 2016 were taken as subjects. Prognosis was determined by using Kaplan-Meier analysis, as well as univariate and multivariate Cox regression. In accordance with sites of metastasis, these patients were classified into five groups: bone-, lung-, brain-, liver-only, and multiple-site (metastases to two or more organs) groups. In order to assess the prognosis, the cancer-specific survival (CSS), median survival time (MST), overall survival (OS), and survival rate (SR) were examined. RESULTS: The lung was found to be the organ most vulnerable to metastasis in the population with single-organ metastasis, and liver, bone and brain followed in descending rank order. Relative to the group only having bone metastasis, the multiple-site group had the lowest CSS (HR: 1.067; 95% CI: 0.767-1.485; P=0.700) and OS (HR: 1.051; 95% CI: 0.759-1.454; P=0.766). The MST (MST: both 2 months in CSS and OS) and SR (6-month SR: 28.2% in CSS, 27.7% in OS; 1-year SR: 7.5% in CSS, 6.7% in OS; 3-year SR: 2.5% in CSS, 1.5% in OS) were also found to be the lowest for the multiple-site group among the total population. These patients benefited from treatment with chemotherapy (C), radiotherapy (R), and surgery (S), as evinced by the prognosis (CSS and OS: P<0.001), in comparisons with untreated patients (N) in the total population. The S or/and R + C resulted in no statistically significant differences to C alone (CSS: P=0.593; OS: P=0.510) in terms of the prognostic results, which indicated that C alone can have almost the same prognostic effect as multimodal therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Population-based research was used to determine patterns of metastasis and survival outcomes of elderly patients with IVB-stage ESCC suffering DM. The worst CSS and OS were found in patients with multiple-site metastasis across all groups. The treatment is an independent prognostic factor affecting prognosis. Chemotherapy plays a vital role in prognosis. Active therapies are beneficial to elderly patients with IVB-stage ESCC suffering DM, particularly chemotherapy.

The 100 most cited papers on thymic epithelial tumours: a bibliometric analysis.

Bibliometric analysis can help us analyse the most influential papers, authors, research institutions in a discipline or topic and analyse the impact of these papers on a specific field. Our purpose is to identify the 100 most cited papers about thymic epithelial tumours (TETs) and analyse their key characteristics. We use certain search terms in the Web of Science database to identify the 100 most cited papers, and analysed the first author, country of the first author, institution, journal, type of paper, number of citations, and citation rate. The search returned 26,497 results. The top 100 papers received 17,674 citations. The most cited paper was by Masaoka et al. (n=1,190 citations), in which, clinical staging criteria are proposed for thymoma with special emphasis on the therapy and prognosis. The paper with the highest citation rate was also by Masaoka et al. (citations rate =30.51). Osaka University published the most papers (n=6) and accrued the highest number of citations (n=2,122 citations). The United States was the country with the most published papers (n=45) and the highest number of citations (n=7,991 citations). Cancer is the journal with the most published papers (n=19) and the highest number of citations (n=5,017 citations). Through the analysis of the most influential papers, this study provides a reference for researchers trying to understand TETs, thus providing guidance for future research.