Hospitalization costs of treating colorectal cancer in China: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to explore the influence factors of hospitalization costs of treating colorectal cancer in China. And the study provides new estimates on hospitalization costs and length of hospital stay for patients with colorectal cancer in China. METHODS: Data for inpatient hospitalization associated with colorectal cancer were obtained from a 3-tier hospital in Guangdong Province and were analyzed post hoc. We conducted descriptive statistical methods, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests (for 2 groups) and the Kruskal-Wallis test (for more than 2 groups) to analyze the hospitalization costs of treating colorectal cancer. RESULTS: The analysis included 8021 patients (female: 40.54%; mean age; 61.80 ±â€Š13.28 years; male: 59.46%; mean age: 61.80 ±â€Š13.28 years). The overall mean length of hospital stay was 11.35 days. Over the 5 years, the mean length of hospital stay showed a small decrease from 12.22 days in 2012 to 10.69 days in 2016, while per-day costs showed a trend of increase between 2012 and 2015 (increase from < 1190.94 to < 1382.50). The mean length of hospital stay was statistically significant difference was found for sexes (P = .039) and insurance status (P < .001). The mean hospitalization costs were < 16,279.58. Mean hospitalization costs were different among the UEBMI, the URBMI and the Unspecified (< 17,114.58, < 15,555.05, and < 17,735.30, respectively; P < .001). CONCLUSION: The study showed that hospitalization costs increase were associated with a small decreasing length of hospital stay and increasing per-day hospitalization costs. Moreover, the proportion of the hospitalization costs reimbursed by insurances increased. For inpatients with UEBMI, it possibly lead to over treatment and the medical expense rise which result in medical resources waste and significant society costs. The rising hospitalization costs may lead to a remarkably increased financial burden in the future in China.

Breast cancer laterality and molecular subtype likely share a common risk factor.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the epidemiological features of breast cancer laterality and molecular subtypes in southern China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2,049 cases who were diagnosed with unilateral breast cancer in the past 5 years were classified based on laterality and molecular subtypes. Molecular subtypes were defined in accordance with the 2013 St. Gallen recommendations. RESULTS: Breast cancer was more likely to be diagnosed in the left breast than in the right at a rate of around 5%. In the case of invasive carcinomas, the right breast was more commonly affected than the left in young (<40 years old) patients (left-to-right [L:R] ratio 0.80, 95% CI 0.65, 0.98), whereas the opposite trend was found in old (≥40 years old) patients (L:R ratio 1.06, 95% CI 1.02, 1.73). Except for invasive mucinous and invasive medullary breast cancers, the other histological types occurred more frequently on the left side than on the right. In situ cancer with a defined subtype was likely to be diagnosed as luminal B(HER-2+). Except for invasive medullary and invasive nonspecific cancers, other invasive carcinomas with a defined subtype were most likely to be diagnosed as luminal B(HER-2-). The age of ≥40 years was a risk factor for luminal B(HER-2+), and a significant correlation was present between the right breast and luminal B(HER-2+). CONCLUSION: We explored the risk factors of breast cancer laterality and various molecular subtypes and found that age may be a predictor of breast cancer laterality. We found that age and laterality are the probable risk factors of the luminal B(HER-2+) type of breast cancer. These results provide a basis for the epidemiological characterization of breast cancer.

Bilateral thoracic kidneys combined with inferior vena cava located behind the anterior abdominal wall: A case report and review of literature.

Ectopic thoracic kidneys are the rarest form of renal ectopia. Moreover, congenital abnormality of a primary anterior inferior vena cava (IVC) located behind the anterior abdominal wall is extremely rare. To date, only one such case has been reported. Herein, we report a rare case of a 55-year-old Chinese male with bilateral thoracic kidneys combined with an anterior IVC, a malformed liver, and a large-round-folds navel. The classification, clinical characteristics, and management options of a thoracic kidney was also summarized by literature review. To our best knowledge, the simultaneous detection of such multiple complex abnormalities has not been reported.

Construction of a recombinant eukaryotic expression vector containing DNM3 gene and its expression in colon cancer cells.

INTRODUCTION: Dynamin 3 (DNM3) is a large GTPase that possesses mechanochemical properties and has been shown to be involved in malignancies. However, most studies about DNM3 are observational, and knowledge of the precise molecular mechanism of DNM3 remains limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We constructed a PCDH-CMV-MCS-EF1a-GFP-Puro-DNM3 recombinant eukaryotic expression vector, which was then transfected into SW620 and LoVo cells. One cell line was divided into three groups. DNM3 mRNA and protein expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot assay. To investigate DNM3 biological activity in colon cancer SW620 and LoVo cell line, we performed cell proliferation, transwell migration, and invasion assay. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 protein expressions were detected by Western blot. RESULT: We successfully constructed a PCDH-CMV-MCS-EF1a-GFP-Puro-DNM3 recombinant eukaryotic expression vector, and stable DNM3 expression was observed in SW620 and LoVo cell lines. The vector overexpressing DNM3 inhibited the proliferation, weak invasion, and migration ability of colon cancer SW620 and LoVo cells relative to those in the control group (all P<0.001). DNM3 downregulated the protein expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9. CONCLUSION: DNM3 may weaken the malignant behavior of colon cancer and may have promoted the invasion and migration of colon cancer by regulating the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9.

Addition of bevacizumab to systemic therapy for locally advanced and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Radiotherapy is a vital treatment option for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Concurrent cisplatin-based radiochemotherapy with or without adjuvant chemotherapy had acquired good clinical effects with good local control rates. However, a number of patients present with metastasis following systemic regimens or initial diagnosis of locally advanced NPC, which cause difficulty for subsequent therapy. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to discover novel targeted therapies. The present report describes one case of a patient with NPC and multiple metastases. The patient was treated with systemic therapy in combination with bevacizumab, palliative radiotherapy and chemotherapy following treatment with cetuximab and concurrent chemoradiotherapy in 2015. Following the addition of bevacizumab, metastases were reduced or disappeared after >2 months, and the duration of progression-free survival was 7 months. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets VEGF, and it is associated with angiogenesis, which causes the growth, invasion and progression of tumors. In previous studies, bevacizumab has been approved for the treatment of several types of malignant cancer and it has been able to effectively improve prognosis. In the present review, the effect of adding bevacizumab to systemic therapy for the treatment of NPC was analyzed, with a particular focus on advanced and metastatic diseases. A growing number of phase I/II clinical trials involving bevacizumab for NPC have been conducted with clinical outcomes showing improved rates of overall survival and progression-free survival as well as improvements in the quality of life of patients. However, severe or deadly toxicities can also result from combination treatment with bevacizumab. In the future, bevacizumab may become a common addition to systemic therapy for the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic NPC.

Association of PHD3 and HIF2α gene expression with clinicopathological characteristics in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Egl-9 family hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)3/prolyl hydroxylase 3 (EGLN3/PHD3) serves a role in the progression and prognosis of cancer. PHD3 is able to induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells. In the present study, the protein levels of PHD3 and HIF2α were analyzed by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry in 84 paired hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and adjacent non-tumor liver tissues. The mRNA levels of PHD3 and HIF2α were analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. PHD3 was overexpressed in HCC tissues compared with adjacent liver tissues (mRNA expression: P<0.001; protein expression: P=0.003; immunohistochemistry positive rate: P=0.001). The high level of expression of PHD3 in HCC tissues was associated with good differentiation (mRNA expression: P=0.002; protein expression: P<0.001) and small tumor size (mRNA expression: P<0.001; protein expression: P=0.002). In addition, HIF2α expression was lower in HCC tissues compared with adjacent liver tissues (mRNA expression: P<0.001; protein expression: P=0.002; immunohistochemistry positive rate: P=0.002). No statistically significant associations were identified between HIF2α expression and clinicopathological characteristics. Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients revealed no correlation between HIF2α and PHD3 expression in HCC. In conclusion, PHD3 expression acts as a favorable prognostic marker for patients with HCC. There is no correlation between PHD3 and HIF2α expression in HCC.

The prognostic value of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in retinopathy of prematurity.

AIM: To evaluate the associations between development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and serum lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed, involving infants who were screened for ROP from January 2015 to December 2015. Preterm newborns of ≤32 gestational weeks with ROP were enrolled as the observation group, and non-ROP infants were enrolled as the control group, whose complete blood cell were measured within the first 24h of life. The levels of NLR, LMR and PLR were determined in all groups. The data obtained were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In this study, 40 cases of ROP were enrolled and 40 cases of non-ROP as controls. The LMR levels were significantly higher (P<0.001) in ROP group (3.96±1.16) compared to non-ROP group (2.85±0.79). The NLR levels were significantly lower (P=0.035) in ROP group {median [interquartile range (IQR)], 0.88 (0.67-1.46)} compared to non-ROP group [median (IQR), 1.20 (0.85-1.89)]. The median PLR values were 61.99 (IQR, 50.23-75.98) in ROP group and 69.24 (IQR, 55.52-88.12) in non-ROP group (P=0.104). Logistic regression analysis suggested that LMR was an independent risk factor for ROP (OR: 0.275; 95% CI: 0.134-0.564; P=0.001). CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate that higher LMR is independently and significantly associated with the development of ROP, and the LMR may be invoked as a predictive tool for identifying risk for ROP.

Positive expression of Y-box binding protein 1 and prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) belongs to the cold shock domain protein family involved in transcription and translation. We conducted a meta-analysis of the association between YB-1 expression and the survival and clinicopathological features in NSCLC. METHODS: PubMed and Embase were searched to identify studies that evaluated the YB-1 expression (by immunohistochemistry) and overall survival (OS) in NSCLC. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of OS were pooled. Odds ratios (ORs) of clinicopathological features were computed. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0 software. RESULTS: Data on 692 NSCLC patients were collected from six eligible studies. Meta-analysis revealed that YB-1 was associated with worse OS (HR = 1.59, 95% CI [1.27, 2.00], P < 0.001, fixed effect), tumor stage (OR = 0.43, 95% CI [0.22-0.82], P = 0.01, random effect), and depth of invasion (OR = 0.37, 95%CI [0.22-0.63], P < 0.001, fixed effect). A subgroup was analyzed by IHC staining to determine the location of YB-1 positive expression. Poor OS was observed in nucleus staining (pooled HR = 1.86, 95% CI [1.41, 2.45], P < 0.001). However, no statistical significance was observed in combined cytoplasmic and nuclear staining (pooled HR = 1.14, 95% CI [0.76, 1.72], P = 0.536). CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analysis indicated that YB-1 overexpression is correlated with worse OS and clinicopathological features in NSCLC. Subgroup analysis revealed that the nucleus expression of YB-1 may be more closely associated with NSCLC prognosis than cytoplasmic expression.

Primary Pulmonary Paraganglioma: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Primary pulmonary paraganglioma is a rare disease. We report a case of a 37-year old female patient with space-occupying lesions in the right lower pulmonary lobe during a routine examination without any symptoms. The patient underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) resection of the right middle lobe and dissection of hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes under general anesthesia. She recovered without recrudescence. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult. Accurate diagnosis requires pathological examination, and immunohistochemical test is particularly important. Complete resection is the first treatment option for solitary primary pulmonary paraganglioma; however, VATS is a better technique. Given the high local control rates and few complications of radiotherapy, it is considered as a standard treatment.