Bibliometric analysis of research trends and active research areas in chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy for hematologic malignancies.

BACKGROUND: In the past decade, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells have successfully treated cancers, especially hematologic malignancies. Although many articles have been published on CAR T-cell therapy for hematologic malignancies, bibliometric analysis remains unexplored. AIM: This study aimed to investigate and analyze existing trends and active research areas on CAR T-cell therapy for hematologic malignancies, providing novel perspectives for clinical decision-making and scientific research. METHOD: From 2000 to 2023, the Web of Science Core Collection was searched for articles published on CAR T-cells for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Comprehensive visual analyses of annual publication, country, institutions, authors, co-cited references, and keywords were performed using CiteSpace software and VOSviewer. RESULTS: A total of 2,451 articles on CAR T-cells were published to treat hematologic malignancies from 01 January 2000 to 31 August 2023. The United States, China, and Germany were the top three nations in publications. In the keyword analysis, "immunotherapy" and "chimeric antigen receptor" were used most frequently. Moreover, the yellow node, which included terms such as "chimeric antigen receptor T cells," "efficacy," "CAR T-cell therapy," "toxicity," "CAR-NK," and "tumor microenvironment" were most active research areas. CONCLUSION: This study provided a comprehensive analysis of publications on CAR T-cell therapy for hematologic malignancies from 2000 to 2023. The findings provide current trends and potential hotspots in CAR T-cell therapy for hematologic malignancies and contribute valuable direction for future studies in this field.

Validation of different staging systems for hepatocellular carcinoma in a cohort of 249 patients undergoing radiotherapy.

There is no consensus on predicting prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing radiotherapy. This study aims to evaluate the validity of different staging systems. Overall, 249 hepatocellular carcinoma patients were evaluated retrospectively. All patients were classified by different staging systems. The cumulative survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Harrell's concordance index (c-index) was calculated. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 58%, 31% and 20%, respectively. Significant differences in overall survival were observed between stages I and II of the Okuda staging system (p=0.004), between scores of 3 and 4 of Cancer of the Liver Italian Program prognostic score (p=0.009), between Chinese University Prognostic Index low-risk and intermediate-risk groups (p=0.01), between 1 and 2 points of the Japan Integrated Staging score (p=0.037), between stages III and IV of American Joint Committee on Cancer 1997 TNM staging system (p=0.011), between stages II and III of American Joint Committee on Cancer 2002 TNM staging system (p=0.026) and between stages I and II of Guangzhou 2001 staging system (p=0.000). In conclusion, the Okuda staging system, Chinese University Prognostic Index, and Chinese Guangzhou 2001 staging system were more discriminative than the other staging systems in the prognostic stratification for hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Efficacy of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy combined with transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus.

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and outcomes of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for treating patients with hepatocellular carcinoma involving portal vein tumor thrombus. METHODS: Between January 2000 and December 2013, a total of 182 hepatocellular carcinoma patients with portal vein tumor thrombus were retrospectively analyzed: 68 patients were treated by 3DCRT alone (group A), 74 by TACE alone (group B), and 40 by a combination of 3DCRT + TACE (group C). The overall survival (OS) of the three groups was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. The independent predictors of survival were identified using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The total effective rate (complete response + partial response) among all patients was 44% (80/182). The objective response rate (complete response + partial response) was higher in group C than in group A or B, but the differences were not significant. OS rates at 1, 2, and 3 years were significantly higher in group C than in group A or B (P<0.05), while OS rates were similar between groups A and B. Multivariate analysis identified serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein <400 ng/mL and the use of 3DCRT + TACE as independent predictors of better OS. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that combining 3DCRT with TACE may provide better OS than either technique alone in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with portal vein tumor thrombus.

A potent bivalent Smac mimetic (SM-1200) achieving rapid, complete, and durable tumor regression in mice.

We have designed, synthesized, and evaluated a series of new compounds based upon our previously reported bivalent Smac mimetics. This led to the identification of compound 12 (SM-1200), which binds to XIAP, cIAP1, and cIAP2 with Ki values of 0.5, 3.7, and 5.4 nM, respectively, inhibits cell growth in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and SK-OV-3 ovarian cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 11.0 and 28.2 nM, respectively. Compound 12 has a much improved pharmacokinetic profile over our previously reported bivalent Smac mimetics and is highly effective in induction of rapid and durable tumor regression in the MDA-MB-231 xenograft model. These data indicate that compound 12 is a promising Smac mimetic and warrants extensive evaluation as a potential candidate for clinical development.