Effects of CIK Cell Therapy Combined with Camrelizumab on the Quality of Life in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Analysis of Prognostic Factors.

Objective: To investigate the effects of CIK (cytokine-induced killer) cell therapy combined with camrelizumab on the quality of life in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and prognostic factors. Methods: In this retrospective study, the materials of 80 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated in our hospital (February 2017-February 2019) were retrospectively analyzed, and they were equalized into experimental group (n = 40) and control group (n = 40) according to the order of admission. Both groups received 200 mg of camrelizumab on day 1 combined with 10 mg of anrotinib from day 2 to day 4. The patients received the above program every 3 weeks and 4 treatment cycles. The experimental group also received CIK cell therapy simultaneously. The patients' quality of life, immune indexes, local control, metastasis, and survival rate were compared between the two groups, and the prognostic factors were analyzed by logistic analysis. Results: Compared with the control group, the experimental group achieved much higher scores of physical well-being (18.38 ± 2.31), social/family well-being (16.40 ± 2.24), emotional well-being (15.35 ± 2.30), functional well-being (17.30 ± 2.20), and head and neck cancer subscale (15.40 ± 2.01, P < 0.001) and eminently better immune indexes (P < 0.001) after treatment. During the 24-month follow-up, there were 2 recurrent cases (5.0%) and 2 cases (5.0%) with distant metastasis among the 40 patients in the experimental group; there were 8 recurrent cases (20.0%) and 7 cases (17.5%) with distant metastasis among the 40 patients in the control group. In the experimental group, the median survival period was 18 months and the 2-year survival rate was 97.5% (39/40). In the control group, the median survival period was 14 months and the 2-year survival rate was 85.0% (34/40). Among the 80 patients, 7 cases (8.75%) died and 73 cases (91.25%) survived. After conducting the single-factor analysis, remarkable differences in the cases of IV stage, quality of life after treatment, and immune indexes after treatment between the survival group and the death group were observed (P < 0.05). According to the multiple-factor analysis, the clinical stage and immune indexes were identified as the prognostic factors. Conclusion: CIK cell therapy combined with camrelizumab can enhance the life quality and immune function of the patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, thus improving their prognoses.

LncRNA MALAT1 Promote Cell Proliferation and Invasion by Sponging miR-125b to Modulate HMGA1 Expression in Laryngocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Laryngocarcinoma is the most frequent head and neck malignant tumor. MALAT1 have a role in promoting cell proliferation and metastasis in several tumors. This research aimed to investigate the great roles of MALAT1in laryngocarcinoma. METHODS: Overall, 54 cases of laryngocarcinoma tissues pathological specimens and paracancerous tissues were collected by surgical resection from the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, China from Jan 2012 to Oct 2015. The microRNA and protein levels of genes were evaluated by RT-qPCR and western blot. The proliferative and invasive ability were calculated usingCCK8 and transwell assays. Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess the survival of laryngocarcinoma patients. RESULTS: In laryngocarcinoma tissues and cells, lncRNA MALAT1 expression was significantly increased compared to normal tissues and cells. LncRNA MALAT1 promotes proliferation and migration of laryngocarcinoma cells. LncRNA MALAT1 upregulates HMGA1 expression by acting as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-125b. Rescue experiments showed that microRNA-125b inhibitor reversed the change in cell viability and invasion induced by sh-MALAT1. Down regulation of lncRNA MALAT1 inhibits laryngocarcinoma proliferation and invasion by modulating miR-125b/HMGA1. CONCLUSION: LncRNA MALAT1 promotes the development of laryngocarcinoma by regulating the expression level of HMGA1 by acting as a miR-125b ceRNA and may be considered as a new strategy for the development of laryngocarcinoma.

County-based demographics, patterns of treatment seeking, and disease burden for malignant tumor patients in China.

BACKGROUND: The mortality of malignant tumors in rural areas of China in 2015 was significantly higher than that in city areas (213.6 per 100,000 vs. 191.5 per 100,000), bringing huge economic pressure to individuals and the local community. The comprehensive reform of county-level public hospitals in Yun County has helped patients with critical disease receive appropriate treatment. Therefore, an analysis focused on the epidemiology and disease burden of malignant tumors in Yun County could provide guidance for administrators and health practitioners in other counties. METHODS: This retrospective database study extracted data from the Yun County medical community (including two higher level hospitals: Yun County People's Hospital and Yun County Chinese Medicine Hospital, and 13 township central hospitals) from 1st Jul 2017 to 30th Aug 2020. Patients diagnosed as having a malignant tumor were enrolled and those with abnormal key baseline information were excluded. The epidemiology and disease burden for malignant tumor patients were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 3,792 patients were enrolled, and the most prevalent cancer in 2018 was thyroid (35.4 patients/100,000) and in 2019 this was lung cancer (30.6 patients/100,000). The mean outpatient visits per person for all-cause and tumor-specific visits were 9.99 and 3.94 visits across 2018 and 2019, respectively, and the mean inpatient visits per person in both years were the same at 2.56 visits. Total costs were 14.471 and 20.29 million in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and 71.7% and 73.0% of the total cost were covered by medical insurance over the 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: The medical environment has improved since medical system reform commenced in 2019 in Yun County, and medical insurance has decreased the disease burden for patients and their families significantly.