Assessment of conbercept therapy for high myopia macular neovascularization by optical coherence tomography angiography.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the intravitreal injection of conbercept in the treatment of macular neovascularization (MNV) secondary to high myopia and to observe the application of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in the treatment follow-up. We reviewed the medical records of 20 patients (21 eyes) with MNV secondary to high myopia who were enrolled in the Department of Ophthalmology of the First Hospital of China Medical University between May 2018 and January 2020. Each patient received one or more intravitreal injections of conbercept (0.5 mg/0.05 mL). The treatment was conducted according to a 1 + PRN (pro re nata) regimen. The changes of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and selected MNV and flow areas measured by OCTA were observed over a 6-month follow-up period. The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) BCVA was 1.03 ± 0.61 before treatment and improved to 0.83 ± 0.59 (P = 0.007), 0.78 ± 0.62 (P = 0.001), 0.81 ± 0.73 (P = 0.027), and 0.79 ± 0.72 (P = 0.023) at 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment, respectively. The mean CMT was 358.16 ± 206.11 µm before treatment and decreased to 295.38 ± 178.70 µm (P = 0.003), 288.34 ± 165.60 µm (P = 0.004), 284.36 ± 163.07 µm (P = 0.005), and 283.00 ± 160.32 µm (P = 0.004) at 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment, respectively. Nineteen eyes (90.5%) had stable or improved vision at 6 months of follow-up. One month after conbercept injection, in OCTA images, the small-diameter blood vessels of the MNV decreased, the intertwined small blood vessels decreased or even disappeared, and the main or larger-diameter blood vessels were still present. The mean selected MNV and blood flow areas were 0.62 ± 0.81 and 0.22 ± 0.27 mm2, respectively, before treatment and decreased to 0.23 ± 0.33 and 0.07 ± 0.08 mm2 (P = 0.04 for both), respectively, 1 month after treatment. No drug-related systemic or ocular adverse effects were observed. Our results suggest that conbercept can effectively and safely improve BCVA and reduce CMT in patients with myopic MVN (mMNV). OCTA can be used to observe MNV area, blood flow area, and MNV morphological changes after treatment with conbercept, thus providing a reference for treatment follow-up.

Comparison of pediatric and adult medullary thyroid carcinoma based on SEER program.

To compare the clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes of children and adult diagnosed with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). MTC patients were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database from 1998 to 2016, followed by stratification into pediatric (< 20 years) or adult (≥ 20 years) groups. In total, 2,197 patients (110 pediatric and 2087 adult) with MTC were identified. Pediatric patients were more likely to have localized stage (70.0% vs. 51.6%), negative regional nodes (48.2% vs. 30.8%) and receive total/subtotal thyroidectomy surgery (97.3% vs. 85.3%). Moreover, CSS and OS rates were significantly higher in pediatric patients (both P < 0.001). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that adult patients were significantly correlated with worse CSS and OS rates [(CSS: HR 11.60, 95% CI 1.62-83.02, P = 0.015); (OS: HR 5.63, 95% CI 2.08-15.25, P = 0.001)]. Further stratified analysis indicated that pediatric group might have significant better CSS and OS for patients with more advanced stage. Patients in the pediatric group were more likely to have earlier stage. Moreover, the prognosis of pediatric MTC patients was significantly better than that in adult patients.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma aged ≥65 years.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to better characterize the clinicopathological features and prognosis in patients aged ≥65 years with pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC). METHODS: Eligible patients with pulmonary LCNEC were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between January 2004 and December 2013. The primary endpoints included cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Data of 1,619 eligible patients with pulmonary LCNEC were collected. These patients were subsequently categorized into two groups: 890 patients in the older group (age ≥65 years), and 729 in the younger group (age <65 years). More patients were of white ethnicity, stage I, married, and with tumor size <5 cm in the older group in comparison to the younger group. However, there were a significantly lower proportion of patients undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in the older group. The 5-year CSS rates of the younger group and older group were 23.94% and 17.94% (P = 0.00031), respectively, and the 5-year OS rates were 20.51% and 13.47% (P < 0.0001), respectively. Multivariate analyses indicated that older age (CSS: HR 1.20, 95% CI [1.07-1.36], P = 0.0024; OS: HR 1.26, 95% CI [1.12-1.41], P < 0.0001) was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis. The mortality risk of the elderly increased in almost every subgroup, especially in OS. Finally, significant predictors for better OS and CSS in patients over age 65 included tumor size <5 cm, lower stage, and receiving surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of patients aged ≥65 years with pulmonary LCNEC was worse than that of younger patients. However, active and effective therapy could significantly improve the survival of older patients with pulmonary LCNEC.

Correction: Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing zoledronic acid administered at 12-week and 4-week intervals in patients with bone metastasis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.19856.].

Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing zoledronic acid administered at 12-week and 4-week intervals in patients with bone metastasis.

Zoledronic acid is used to treat patients with bone metastasis, but the optimal dosing interval remains controversial. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of a 12-week interval of zoledronic acid with the standard 4-week interval. Three randomized controlled trials comprising 2650 patients were analyzed. Using a random-effects model, pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. No differences in the occurrence of skeletal-related events (SREs: RR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.86-1.12; P = 0.80) or grade 3/4 adverse events (RR = 0.91; 95% CI = 0.69-1.20; P = 0.52) were observed between the 12-week and 4-week groups. The 12-week group tended to have lower incidences of osteonecrosis of the jaw [13 (0.98%) vs. 23 (1.73%)] and kidney dysfunction [21 (1.68%) vs. 31 (2.45%)] than the 4-week group, though the difference did not reach statistical significance (RR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.30-1.12; P = 0.11); (RR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.39-1.15, P = 0.15). These data show that zoledronic acid administered at 12-week intervals instead of 4-week intervals does not increase the risk of SREs, and may reduce the incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw and kidney dysfunction. This suggests the 12-week interval with zoledronic acid may be an acceptable treatment option.