Postoperative Pathological Stage Research Articles

Evaluating the value of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in the detection and identification of prostate cancer using histopathology as the standard

BackgroundProstate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT is a highly regarded radionuclide imaging modality for prostate cancer (PCa). This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in detecting intraprostatic lesions of PCa using radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens as a reference standard and to establish an optimal maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) cutoff for distinguishing between PCa and non-PCa lesions.MethodsWe retrospectively collected 117 patients who underwent 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT before RP. The uptake of the index tumor and contralateral non-PCa lesion was assessed. Histopathology of RP specimens was used as the gold standard. Kappa test was used to evaluate the consistency of preoperative PSMA PET/CT staging and postoperative pathological staging. Finally, an SUVmax cutoff value was identified by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to distinguish PCa lesions from non-PCa lesions. A prospective cohort including 76 patients was used to validate the results.ResultsThe detection rate of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT for prostate cancer was 96.6% (113/117). 18F-PSMA-1007 had a sensitivity of 91.2% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 89.8% for the identification of intraprostatic lesions. The consistency test (Kappa = 0.305) indicated poor agreement between the pathologic T-stage and PSMA PET/CT T-stage. Based on ROC curve analysis, the appropriate SUVmax to diagnose PCa lesions was 8.3 (sensitivity of 71.3% and specificity 96.8%) with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.93 (P < 0.001). This SUVmax cutoff discriminated PCa lesions from non-PCa lesions with a sensitivity of 74.4%, a specificity of 95.8% in the prospective validation group.Conclusions18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT demonstrated excellent performance in detecting PCa. An optimal SUVmax threshold (8.3) could be utilized to identify lesions of PCa by 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04521894, Registered: August 17, 2020.

Preoperative Systemic Immune-Inflammatory Index as a Predictive Biomarker for Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis after Breast Cancer Surgery: Stratified Nursing Intervention to Reduce Incidence.

BACKGROUND Lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (LEDVT), a common postoperative breast cancer complication, depends on multiple factors, such as systemic inflammation and immune status. We assessed the preoperative systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) as a LEDVT risk predictor and did stratified nursing intervention based on it. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on 552 patients who underwent breast cancer surgery from January 2019 to May 2020. Univariate and multivariate methods were used to screen independent risk factors for postoperative LEDVT, and effects of risk stratification and nursing intervention on the validation cohort were observed. RESULTS A total of 46 patients (8.3%) developed postoperative LEDVT. Compared with the control group, the LEDVT group had older age, higher proportion of menopause, higher preoperative Autar score, SII, and plasma D-dimer level, lower albumin level, and later postoperative pathological stage, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed SII, plasma D-dimer, and menopause were independent predictors of postoperative LEDVT. ROC curve analysis showed SII had the strongest predictive ability, with an AUC of 0.714. Subsequently, 126 patients in the validation set were stratified according to the preoperative SII score, and intensified nursing intervention was implemented for high-risk patients, resulting in a significant reduction in the incidence of LEDVT (3.3% vs 8.3%, P=0.046). CONCLUSIONS Preoperative SII level can be used as an independent risk predictor of postoperative LEDVT in breast cancer patients. Applying it for risk stratification and implementing intensified nursing intervention for high-risk patients can significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative LEDVT.

Occult Lymph Node Metastasis in cN0 Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Prospective Observational Study

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is prone to occult lymph node metastasis, and preoperative evaluation of cervical nodes is critical for determining treatment strategies. There is scarce report of detecting occult lymph node metastasis in TSCC by using multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), spectral computed tomography (spectral CT) or other diagnostic functional imaging. In this study, we aimed to analyze the incidence and risk factors of occult lymph node metastasis in cN0 TSCC by comparing preoperative imaging with postoperative pathology results. This study prospectively enrolled newly-diagnosed cN0 TSCC patients admitted to the Hunan Cancer Hospital between May, 2022 and December, 2022. All patients underwent primary resection and selective dissection of cervical lymph nodes. MpMRI and spectral CT scan of oral cavity and neck were performed prior to surgery. Preoperative evaluation of lymph node metastasis was conducted by two senior radiologists independently. The location of cervical lymph nodes was assigned based on the 2013 consensus guidelines. A total of 26 cN0 TSCC patients (6 cT1 stage, 13 cT2 stage, and 7 cT3 stage) were enrolled. The median age was 53 (range, 36-64), and there were 25 males. Among all patients, 13 patients underwent unilateral cervical lymph node dissection, while 13 patients underwent bilateral cervical lymph node dissection. A total of 208 lymphatic drainage areas were resected, and 1003 lymph nodes were removed. There were 7 of pT1, 12 of pT2, 7 of pT3 based on postoperative pathological stages. Besides, there are 21 cases staged pN0, 2 cases staged pN1, 2 cases staged pN2, and 1 case staged pN3. Among the 26 patients, 5 (19.23%) cases had occult lymph node metastasis. A total of 8 metastatic lymph nodes (4 in ipsilateral Ib level, 1 in contralateral Ib level, 3 in IIa level ipsilateral side) were detected in the whole group. No lymph node metastasis was detected in level IIb, III and IV. The median maximum diameter of metastatic lymph nodes was 12 mm (range 5 to 15 mm), and 1 extra-nodal extension was observed. Moreover, all occult lymph node metastases occurred in patients with a primary invasion depth of ≥ 5 mm (29.41%, 5/17). The incidence of occult lymph node metastasis in cN0 TSCC remains high under functional imaging diagnostic technology. Preventive neck dissection is necessary for patients with cN0 disease, especially those with primary tumor invasion depth exceeding 5 mm.

Predicting the risk of distant metastasis in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer using model based on pre-treatment T2WI-based radiomic features plus postoperative pathological stage.

To assess the prognostic value of a model based on pre-treatment T2WI-based radiomic features and postoperative pathological staging in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Radiomic features were derived from T2WI, and a radiomic signature (RS) was established and validated for the prediction of distant metastases (DM). Subsequently, we designed and validated a nomogram model that combined the radiomic signature and postoperative pathological staging for enhanced DM prediction. Performance measures such as the concordance index (C-index) and area under the curve (AUC) were computed to assess the predictive accuracy of the models. A total of 260 patients participated in this study, of whom 197 (75.8%) were male, and the mean age was 57.2 years with a standard deviation of 11.2 years. 15 radiomic features were selected to define the radiomic signature. Patients with a high-risk radiomic signature demonstrated significantly shorter distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) in both the development and validation cohorts. A nomogram, incorporating the radiomic signature, pathological T stage, and N stage, achieved an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.72 (95% CI, 0.60-0.83) in the development cohort and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.73-0.92) in the validation cohort. A radiomic signature derived from T2WI-based radiomic features can effectively distinguish patients with varying risks of DM. Furthermore, a nomogram integrating the radiomic signature and postoperative pathological stage proves to be a robust predictor of DMFS.

Results of robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy in 111 consecutive patients: an Asia cohort study

BackgroundRobot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) is becoming increasingly popular as a treatment for esophageal cancer. The purpose of this study was to use the da Vinci robotic system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) to perform 111 consecutive cases of radical esophageal cancer and report the perioperative data of surgery and postoperative complications and short-term oncological outcomes.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 111 patients who underwent RAMIE conducted at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from August 2016 to January 2021. Each patient’s characteristics, clinicopathological stage, postoperative pathological stage, surgery outcome, postoperative recovery, and short-term oncological outcomes were analyzed.ResultsOf the 111 patients who underwent RAMIE, 77 were male and 34 were female, and the mean age was 62.1 ± 8.8 years. Twenty-seven patients (24.3%) received preoperative neoadjuvant therapies, the most popular of which was preoperative induction chemotherapy in 16 cases (14.4%), followed by preoperative induction radiotherapy in 8 cases (7.2%) and preoperative induction chemotherapy plus immunization in 3 cases (2.7%). The vast majority of patients (110/111, 99.1%) underwent radical resection, with a mean intraoperative bleeding amount of 99.9 ± 68.4 mL and a mean operative time of 271.9 ± 70.0 min. The mean total number of lymph nodes removed was 40.9 ± 16.7, including 21.8 ± 9.0 thoracic lymph nodes. Fifty-five (49.6%) patients had lymph node metastases, including 17 (15.3%) with lymph node metastases in the left recurrent laryngeal nerve, 24 (21.6%) with lymph node metastases in the right recurrent laryngeal nerve, and 7 (6.3%) with lymph node metastases in the bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve. The positive rate of left recurrent nerve lymph nodes was 4.77%, and he positive rate of right recurrent nerve lymph nodes was 8.38%. The main postoperative complications included pulmonary infection in 24 cases (21.6%), celiac disease in 3 cases (2.7%), tracheoesophageal fistula in 1 case (0.9%), anastomotic fistula in 3 cases (2.7%), postoperative cardiac arrhythmias in 11 cases (9.9%), VTE in 3 cases (2.7%), and pleural effusion (requiring postoperative tube drainage) in 13 cases (11.7%). Additionally, 2 cases of postoperative pneumothorax (1.8%), 1 case of poor incision healing (0.9%), 1 case of incomplete bowel obstruction (0.9%), 1 case of neck hematoma (0.9%), and 1 case of postoperative admission to the intensive care unit (0.9%) occurred. The median length of stay was 10.9 ± 6.1 days, and there were no cases of perioperative death.ConclusionsRobotic esophageal cancer radical surgery is safe and feasible. The surgeon can be proficient in thoracic robotic surgery and mediastinal lymph node dissection and achieve high levels of perioperative safety and short-term efficacy.

Gender and cystectomy for bladder cancer: A high-volume tertiary urologic care center experience

BackgroundDifferences have often been reported in the outcomes of bladder cancer (BC) patients according to gender. ObjectiveThis study aims to provide data on patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) in a high-volume tertiary urologic center and to assess whether gender discrepancies do exist in terms of surgical options and clinical outcomes. Materials and methodsConsecutive BC patients treated between 2016 and 2020 at a single center (Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy) were included in the study. The impact of gender on disease stage at diagnosis, overall survival (OS), and type of surgery was analyzed. ResultsThe study series comprised 447 patients (85 females and 362 males). At a median follow-up of 28.3 months (IQR: 33.5), OS was 52.6% and cancer-specific survival was 67.6%. Significant differences in OS emerged for age, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), pT, and pN. OS rates were higher in patients undergoing robot-assisted surgery and in those receiving open orthotopic neobladder (ONB) (p = 0.0001). No statistically significant differences were found between male and female patients regarding surgical offer in any age group, surgical time, early postoperative complications, pathologic stage, and OS. ConclusionsAfter adjustment for pathologic tumor stage and treatment modalities, female and male patients showed similar oncologic outcomes. Further studies should be undertaken to evaluate functional results in women subjected to RC.

Implication of MRI Risk Stratification System on the Survival Benefits of Adjuvant Chemotherapy After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

To investigate the implication of a Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) risk stratification system on the selection of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) who can benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). This retrospective study included 328 patients with LARC who underwent NCRT and surgery. The median follow-up duration was 79 months (Interquartile range, 66-94 months). Cox logistic regression analysis was used to identify MRI risk factors and develop a risk stratification system to stratify patients into groups with high and low risks. Kaplan-Meier curves of distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) were used to show the benefits of ACT and stratify results based on the MRI risk stratification system and postoperative pathological staging. An MRI risk stratification system was built based on four MRI risk factors, including MRI-identified T3b-T4 stage, N1-N2 stage, extramural venous invasion, and tumor deposits. 74 (22.6%) patients with 3-4 MRI risk factors were classified into the MRI high-risk group. ACT could significantly improve 5-year DMFS (19.2% versus 52.1%; p<0.001) and OS (34.6% versus 75.0%; p<0.001) for patients in the MRI high-risk group, while ACT had no survival benefit for patients in the MRI low-risk group. The benefits of ACT were not observed in patients with any pathological staging subgroups (ypT0-2N0, ypT3-4N0, and ypN+). Patients in the MRI high-risk group could benefit from ACT, regardless of postoperative pathological staging. Baseline MRI should be considered more in ACT decision-making.

The efficacy and safety analysis of cervical and abdominal double single-port minimally invasive esophagectomy

Objective: To summarize the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive esophagectomy through cervical and abdominal double single-port. Methods: A total of 28 patients who underwent cervical and abdominal double single-port minimally invasive radical resection of esophageal cancer from January 2021 to October 2022 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University were retrospectively collected, including 18 males and 10 females, aged 58-80 (72±4) years. All patients were placed in the supine position, the single port was operated through the cervical mediastinum first, then the single port was operated through the abdominal cavity, and finally the neck was anastomosed. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative ambulation time, postoperative drainage tube removal time, postoperative complications, postoperative pathological examination results, postoperative discharge time of patients were recorded and followed. Results: In the included 28 patients, there were twenty-six patients successfully completed the cervical and abdominal double single-port minimally invasive radical resection of esophageal cancer, and two patients were transferred to the right thoracoscopic surgery due to oozing of blood and unclear visual field, without conversion to laparotomy or enlargement of the incision occurred. The operation time was 125 to 215 (152±32) minutes, including 43 to 100 (56±15) minutes in the mediastinum and 35 to 63 (40±5) minutes in the abdominal cavity. Intra-operative blood loss was 55-100 (45±20) ml. There were 8 to 14 (11±3) lymph nodes dissected in the mediastinum and 7 to 15 (9±3) lymph nodes dissected in the abdominal cavity. Twenty-eight patients were active in bed 1 to 2 days after surgery. The left cervical drainage tube was removed 2 days after surgery. There was no anastomotic fistula, anastomotic stenosis, pulmonary infection, chylothorax and stomach emptying disorder in the whole group. Pleural effusion occurred in 4 cases, all of them had pleural damage during the operation, and were cured after postoperative puncture and drainage; two cases had hoarseness and one case had cough after eating, all patients were discharged from hospital after eating liquid. Postoperative hospital median stay was [ M(Q1, Q3)] 7(6, 9) d. The postoperative pathological examination results of all patients were squamous cell carcinoma, and the postoperative pathological stage was pT1-3N0-1M0. The median postoperative follow-up was 25 (5, 35) months, and no patients had complications, recurrence, metastasis or death during the follow-up period. Conclusion: The cervical and abdominal double single-hole minimally invasive radical resection of esophageal cancer is safe and feasible, with good short-term efficacy, which provide an opportunity for radical surgery for patients with advanced age, poor cardiopulmonary function or insufficient thoracic conditions.

Occult lymph node metastasis in cN0 tongue squamous cell carcinoma: A prospective observational study.

e18066 Background: Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is prone to occult lymph node metastasis, and preoperative evaluation of cervical nodes is critical for determining treatment strategies. There is scarce report of detecting occult lymph node metastasis in TSCC by using multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), spectral computed tomography (spectral CT) or other diagnostic functional imaging. In this study, we aimed to analyze the incidence and risk factors of occult lymph node metastasis in cN0 TSCC by comparing preoperative imaging with postoperative pathology results. Methods: This study prospectively enrolled newly-diagnosed cN0 TSCC patients admitted to the Hunan Cancer Hospital between May, 2022 and December, 2022. All patients underwent primary resection and selective dissection of cervical lymph nodes. MpMRI and spectral CT scan of oral cavity and neck were performed prior to surgery. Preoperative evaluation of lymph node metastasis was conducted by two senior radiologist independently. The location of cervical lymph nodes was assigned based on the 2013 consensus guidelines. Results: A total of 26 cN0 TSCC patients (6 cT1 stage, 13 cT2 stage, and 7 cT3 stage) were enrolled. The median age was 53 (range, 36-64), and there were 25 males. Among all patients, 13 patients underwent unilateral cervical lymph node dissection, while 13 patients underwent bilateral cervical lymph node dissection. A total of 208 lymphatic drainage areas were resected, and 1003 lymph nodes were removed. There were 7 of pT1, 12 of pT2, 7 of pT3 based on postoperative pathological stages. Besides, there are 21 cases staged pN0, 2 cases staged pN1, 2 cases staged pN2, and 1 case staged pN3. Among the 26 patients, 5 (19.23%) cases had occult lymph node metastasis. A total of 8 metastatic lymph nodes (4 in ipsilateral Ib level, 1 in contralateral Ib level, 3 in IIa level ipsilateral side) were detected in the whole group. No lymph node metastasis was detected in level IIb, III and IV. The median maximum diameter of metastatic lymph nodes was 12 mm (range 5 to 15 mm), and 1 extra-nodal extension was observed. Moreover, all occult lymph node metastases occurred in patients with a primary invasion depth of ≥ 5 mm (29.41%, 5/17). Conclusions: The incidence of occult lymph node metastasis in cN0 TSCC remains high under functional imaging diagnostic technology. Preventive neck dissection is necessary for patients with cN0 disease, especially those with primary tumor invasion depth exceeding 5 mm.

NSCLC patients with a changing T grade after operation may represent a special subset of tumor staging.

There is consensus that postoperative adjuvant therapy is not recommended in patients with stage 1a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Meanwhile, it is still controversial whether postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended for NSCLC patients with T2aN0M0 (stage 1b). In some patients with stage 1b NSCLC without pleural invasion, tumor diameter was measured between 3 and 4cm by preoperative imaging and less than 3cm by postoperative pathology specimens. TNM staging in such patients is both radiologic stage 1b and pathologic stage 1a. Thoracic surgeons are often confused about whether such patients with NSCLC will require subsequent treatment and how the survival prognosis for this group of patients will be. All data of radiographic TNM stage 1b patients who underwent radical R0 resection at the department of thoracic surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between January 2013 and July 2017 were retrieved, and 208 patients were finally included in the study. Clinical data, including imaging data, pathology data, were obtained by reviewing the patients' electronic medical records. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were obtained by telephone interview. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (SPSS 26.0 for windows, SPSS). A total of 208 patients were included in this study, 61 patients with T-stage migration (observation group) and 147 patients without T-stage migration (control group). There were significant statistical differences between the two groups in terms of preoperative FEV1/FVC and tumor diameter (specimens, CT and 3-dimensional measurements). Logistic regression results showed that lower FEV1/FVC and smaller CT measurements would make the patient's T stage more likely to migrate. Bland-Altman plots showed that tumor length measured by imaging was significantly higher than that measured by pathological specimens. Taking DFS as the outcome, the survival curve of the observation group was significantly better than that of the control group. Similarly, there was a significant difference in OS between the two groups. For NSCLC patients whose preoperative imaging evaluation was stage 1b (tumor diameter more than 3cm, no main bronchus, pleura, no atelectasis), the presence of lung tissue with smaller tumor diameter and/or higher air content may indicate that the postoperative pathological staging may be changed to stage 1a (tumor diameter less than 3cm). These patients had better survival prognosis than those who did not undergo TNM stage change and were diagnosed with stage 1b non-small cell lung cancer before and after surgery.

A novel laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy esophagogastric anastomosis procedure with left placket muscle flap plasty (modified Kamikawa anastomosis): Two cases report and brief literature review

Background: The use of left placket single muscle flap covered anastomosis in proximal gastrectomy has not been reported in the literature. The occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux after proximal gastrectomy is closely related to the mode of digestive tract reconstruction. The currently available digestive tract reconstruction approach affects patient’s postoperative quality of life due to the disadvantages of gastroesophageal reflux and anastomotic stenosis. Therefore, the use of left open flap single muscle flap covered anastomosis in proximal gastrectomy may improve the postoperative quality of life of patients. We present a case report and literature review to illustrate the therapeutic results of left-opening single muscle flap covered anastomosis in proximal gastrectomy. Case presentation: Two male patients with average age of 70.5 years and average BMI of 20.5 underwent laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy with an intraoperative left open flap single muscle flap covered overlap anastomosis. The average duration of surgery was 277.5 min, with average intraoperative bleeding of 100 ml, and no anastomotic stenosis was detected by contrast examination on the sixth postoperative day. The postoperative exhaust time was 3 days in both cases, liquid diet was given for 7 days and discharged from the hospital on the 8th day after operation. On an average 19 lymph nodes were dissected. The postoperative pathological stages were T3N2M0 and T1bN0M0. No gastroesophageal reflux or anastomotic fistula was detected in the recent follow-up. Conclusion: The application of the left flap covering the overlap anastomosis in laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy has achieved good results. Multi center large sample clinical studies are needed to further determine its role in gastroesophageal reflux.

A meta-analysis of the effect of pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection on the prognosis of patients with endometrial cancer

ABSTRACT Endometrial cancer (EC) is the second most common malignant tumor of the female reproductive system, and it occurs in the peri- and post-menopausal periods. The metastasis routes of EC include direct spread, hematogenous metastasis and lymph node metastasis. Symptoms such as vaginal discharge or irregular vaginal bleeding may occur in the early stage. The pathological stage of the patients treated at this time is mostly in the early stage, and comprehensive treatment such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy can improve the prognosis. This article investigates whether endometrial cancer requires pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection. The clinical data of 228 patients with endometrial cancer who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy in our hospital from July 2020 to September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent preoperative clinical staging and postoperative pathological staging. This paper compared lymph node spread rates of endometrial carcinoma in different stages, depth of muscle invasion, and pathological characteristics to analyze lymph node metastasis risk factors. Results showed metastasis rates of 7.5% in 228 cases of endometrial cancer, increasing with deeper myometrial invasion. Different clinicopathological factors had varying lymph node spread rates. Different clinicopathological factors have different pelvic lymph node spread rates in surgical patients. The lymph node spread rate of differentially differentiated carcinoma is higher than that of well-differentiated carcinoma. The lymph node spread rate of serous carcinoma is 100%, but there is no difference between the lymph node metastasis rate of special type carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Statistical significance (P > 0.05).

Comparison of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 and [18F]FDG PET/MRI in the Preoperative Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer.

Our objective was to compare the value of positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) with the new imaging agent [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 and the traditional imaging agent [18F]FDG for the preoperative diagnosis of gastric cancer. Forty patients with gastric cancer diagnosed by gastroscopy in gastrointestinal surgery at our hospital from June 2020 to January 2021 were analyzed. All patients underwent simultaneous [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 and [18F]FDG PET/MRI. The standard uptake value (SUV), fat removal standard uptake value (SUL), and diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for primary and metastatic lesions were compared, and their diagnostic value for different lymph node dissection stages was analyzed. The median age of the patients in this cohort was 68 years. Twenty-nine patients underwent surgery, and 11 patients underwent gastroscopic biopsy. The SUVmax of primary lesions in the FDG group and the FAPI group was 5.74 ± 5.09 and 8.06 ± 4.88, respectively (P < 0.01); SULmax values were 3.52 ± 2.80 and 5.64 ± 3.25, respectively (P < 0.01). The SUVmax of metastases in the two groups was 3.81 ± 3.08 and 5.17 ± 2.80, respectively (P < 0.05). The diagnostic sensitivities for primary lesions in the FDG group and the FAPI group were 0.72 and 0.94, respectively (P < 0.05). Combined with postoperative pathological staging, there was no difference in diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of lymph node staging between the FDG and FAPI groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the traditional imaging agent, [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 has better diagnostic efficiency but no substantial advantage for preoperative lymph node staging.

Establishment and Validation of a Novel Prediction Model for Early Natural Biochemical Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy Based on Post-Operative PSA at Sixth Week.

Based on post-operative PSA at 6th week (PSA6w) after radical prostatectomy to establish an optimal model for predicting natural biochemical recurrence (BCR). A total of 742 patients with post-operative PSA6w from PC-follow database, between January 2003 and October 2022, were included. All the patients had not received any hormone therapy and radiotherapy before operation and BCR. Of these patients, 588 cases operated by one surgeon were enrolled for modelling and another 154 cases operated by other surgeons were for external validation. After screened by Cox regression, the post-operative PSA6w, pathological stage, Gleason Grade and positive surgical margins were adopted for modelling. The R software was used to plot the nomogram of the prediction model for BCR. C-index and calibration curve were calculated to evaluate the new model. Finally, integrated discrimination improvement was adopted to evaluate the prediction performances of the new nomogram model and the classical Kattan nomogram. The C-index of the new model was 0.871 (95% CI: 0.830-0.912). The calibration curve of the new model demonstrated superior consistency between the predicted and actual value. The C-index of the external validation group was 0.850 (95% CI: 0.742-0.958), which demonstrated perfect universality. The integrated discrimination improvement showed a 12.61% improvement in prediction performance over that of the classical Kattan nomogram (P < 0.01). Based on the new nomogram, patients were divided to high and low BCR group with a 3 year BCR-free cutoff probability as 74.72%. Low-risk patients, accounting for 77.89% of the patients, have no need to follow up frequently with a false-negative rate only 5.24%, which will save medical resources to a large extent. Post-operative PSA6w is a sensitive risk biomarker for early natural BCR. The new nomogram model could predict BCR probability with a higher accuracy and will further simplify the clinical follow-up strategies.

Predicting the prognosis of lower rectal cancer using preoperative magnetic resonance imaging with artificial intelligence.

There are various preoperative treatments that are useful for controlling local or distant metastases in lower rectal cancer. For planning perioperative management, preoperative stratification of optimal treatment strategies for each case is required. However, a stratification method has not yet been established. Therefore, we attempted to predict the prognosis of lower rectal cancer using preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with artificial intelligence (AI). This study included 54 patients [male:female ratio was 37:17, median age 70years (range 49-107years)] with lower rectal cancer who could be curatively resected without preoperative treatment at Tokyo Medical University Hospital from January 2010 to February 2017. In total, 878 preoperative T2 MRIs were analyzed. The primary endpoint was the presence or absence of recurrence, which was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. The secondary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS), which was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier curve of the predicted recurrence (AI stage 1) and predicted recurrence-free (AI stage 0) groups. For recurrence prediction, the area under the curve (AUC) values for learning and test cases were 0.748 and 0.757, respectively. For prediction of recurrence in each case, the AUC values were 0.740 and 0.875, respectively. The 5-year RFS rates, according to the postoperative pathologic stage for all patients, were 100%, 64%, and 50% for stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p = 0.107). The 5-year RFS rates for AI stages 0 and 1 were 97% and 10%, respectively (p < 0.001 significant difference). We developed a prognostic model using AI and preoperative MRI images of patients with lower rectal cancer who had not undergone preoperative treatment, and the model could be useful in comparison with pathological classification.

Preliminary comparison of the modified extraperitoneal free-PORT single incision technique and transabdominal multi-incision robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

To compare the clinical efficacy of an innovative modified single-incision technique without special extraperitoneal PORT with that of transperitoneal multi-incision robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and to explore the feasibility and safety of the former. A retrospective analysis was performed on 259 patients who received robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in the Robot Minimally Invasive Center of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital between September 2018 and August 2021. Among them were 147 cases involving extraperitoneal single incision with no special PORT (Group A) and 112 cases involving multiple incisions by the transperitoneal method (Group B). Differences in age, PSA level, Gleason score, prostate volume, body mass index, clinical stage, lower abdominal operation history, and lymph node dissection ratio between the two groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). All operations were performed by the same operator. In this study, all 259 operations were completed successfully, and there was no conversion. There was no significant difference in transperitoneal blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, positive rate of incision margin, indwelling time of urinary catheter, satisfaction rate of immediate urine control, satisfaction rate of urine control 3 months after operation, positive rate of postoperative lymph node pathology or postoperative pathological stage between the two groups (P > 0.05). There were significant differences in operation time, postoperative exhaust time and incision length (P < 0.05). The modified extraperitoneal nonspecial PORT single-incision technique is safe and feasible for robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, and its curative effect is similar to that of transperitoneal multi-incision RARP. It has the advantages of a short operation time, less impact on the gastrointestinal tract and a more beautiful incision. The long-term effect of treatment needs to be further confirmed by prospective studies.

Safety and efficacy of laparoscopic surgery in locally advanced gastric cancer patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic surgery in locally advanced gastric cancer patients with neoadjuvant SOX chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor immunotherapy. Methods: Between November 2020 and April 2021, patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who were admitted to the Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology were prospectively enrolled in this study. Inclusion criteria were: (1) patients who signed the informed consent form voluntarily before participating in the study; (2) age ranging from 18 to 75 years; (3) patients staged preoperatively as cT3-4N+M0 by the TNM staging system; (4) Eastern Collaborative Oncology Group score of 0-1; (5) estimated survival of more than 6 months, with the possibility of performing R0 resection for curative purposes; (6) sufficient organ and bone marrow function within 7 days before enrollment; and (7) complete gastric D2 radical surgery. Exclusion criteria were: (1) history of anti-PD-1 or PD-L1 antibody therapy and chemotherapy; (2) treatment with corticosteroids or other immunosuppre- ssants within 14 days before enrollment; (3) active period of autoimmune disease or interstitial pneumonia; (4) history of other malignant tumors; (5) surgery performed within 28 days before enrollment; and (6) allergy to the drug ingredients of the study. Follow-up was conducted by outpatient and telephone methods. During preoperative SOX chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor immunotherapy, follow-up was conducted every 3 weeks to understand the occurrence of adverse reactions of the patients; follow-up was conducted once after 1 month of surgical treatment to understand the adverse reactions and survival of patients. Observation indicators were: (1) condition of enrolled patients; (2) reassessment after preoperative therapy and operation received (3) postoperative conditions and pathological results. Evaluation criteria were: (1) tumor staged according to the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system; (2) tumor regression grading (TRG) of pathological results were evaluated with reference to AJCC standards; (3) treatment-related adverse reactions were evaluated according to version 5.0 of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events; (4) tumor response was evaluated by CT before and after treatment with RECIST V1.1 criteria; and (5) Clavien-Dindo complication grading system was used for postoperative complications assessment. Results: A total of 30 eligible patients were included. There were 25 males and 5 females with a median age of 60.5 (35-74) years. The primary tumor was located in the gastroesophageal junction in 12 cases, in the upper stomach in 8, in the middle stomach in 7, and in the lower stomach in 3. The preoperative clinical stage of 30 cases was III. Twenty-one patients experienced adverse reactions during neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, including four cases of CTCAE grade 3-4 adverse reactions resulting in bone marrow suppression and thoracic aortic thrombosis. All cases of adverse reactions were alleviated or disappeared after active symptomatic treatment. Among the 30 patients who underwent surgery, the time from chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy to surgery was 28 (23-49) days. All 30 patients underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy, of which 20 patients underwent laparoscopic-assisted radical gastric cancer resection; 10 patients underwent total gastrectomy for gastric cancer, combined with splenectomy in 1 case and cholecystectomy in 1 case. The surgery time was (239.9±67.0) min, intraoperative blood loss was 84 (10-400) ml, and the length of the incision was 7 (3-12) cm. The degree of adenocarcinoma was poorly differentiated in 18 cases, moderately differentiated in 12 cases, nerve invasion in 11 cases, and vascular invasion in 6 cases. The number lymph nodes that underwent dissection was 30 (17-58). The first of gas passage, the first postoperative defecation time, the postoperative liquid diet time, and the postoperative hospitalization time of 30 patients was 3 (2-6) d, 3 (2-13) d, 5 (3-12) d, and 10 (7-27) d, respectively. Postoperative complications occurred in 23 of 30 patients, including 7 cases of complications of Clavien-Dindo grade IIIa or above. Six patients improved after treatment and were discharged from hospital, while 1 patient died 27 days after surgery due to granulocyte deficiency, anemia, bilateral lung infection, and respiratory distress syndrome. The remaining 29 patients had no surgery-related morbidity or mortality within 30 days of discharge. Postoperative pathological examination showed TRG grades 0, 1, 2, and 3 in 8, 9, 4, and 9 cases, respectively, and the number of postoperative pathological TNM stages 0, I, II, and III was 8, 7, 8, and 7 cases, respectively. The pCR rate was 25.0% (8/32). Conclusion: Laparoscopic surgery after neoadjuvant SOX chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor immunotherapy for locally advanced gastric cancer is safe and feasible, with satisfactory short-term efficacy. Early detection and timely treatment of related complications are important.

The survival outcomes of neoadjuvant sintilimab combined with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Neoadjuvant programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitor combined with chemotherapy has been reported to improve the pathological response of locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but the systematic report on survival follow-up is quite few. This study we will report the survival follow-up outcomes after a median follow-up of 21.1 months. This was a real-world retrospective study. Locally advanced ESCC patients treated with neoadjuvant sintilimab combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel and nedaplatin followed by surgery and completed at least 1-year follow-up were reviewed. The primary outcome was disease-free survival (DFS) at 24 months. The secondary outcome was overall survival (OS) at 24 months. Ninety eligible patients were included in the analysis between July 2019 and October 2021. The median number of neoadjuvant cycles was 3 (range 2-4). All patients achieved R0 resection. With a median follow-up of 21.1 months (range 14.0-39.0), the median DFS and median OS had not reached, 2-year DFS rate was 78.3% (95%CI 68.8%-89.1%) and 2-years OS rate was 88.0% (95%CI 80.6%-96.0%). Postoperative pathological stage, pCR, MPR, tumor down-staging were significantly correlated with favorable survival outcome. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis identified cycle number of neoadjuvant treatment as independent predictor of DFS. Our results preliminarily show a survival benefit of neoadjuvant sintilimab combined with chemotherapy in locally advanced ESCC.

Comparative study of imaging staging and postoperative pathological staging of esophageal cancer based on smart medical big data.

Esophageal cancer has become a malignant tumor disease with high mortality worldwide. Many cases of esophageal cancer are not very serious in the beginning but become severe in the late stage, so the best treatment time is missed. Less than 20% of patients with esophageal cancer are in the late stage of the disease for 5 years. The main treatment method is surgery, which is assisted by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Radical resection is the most effective treatment method, but a method for imaging examination of esophageal cancer with good clinical effect has yet to be developed. This study compared imaging staging of esophageal cancer with pathological staging after operation based on the big data of intelligent medical treatment. MRI can be used to evaluate the depth of esophageal cancer invasion and replace CT and EUS for accurate diagnosis of esophageal cancer. Intelligent medical big data, medical document preprocessing, MRI imaging principal component analysis and comparison and esophageal cancer pathological staging experiments were used. Kappa consistency tests were conducted to compare the consistency between MRI staging and pathological staging and between two observers. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were determined to evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness of 3.0T MRI accurate staging. Results showed that 3.0T MR high-resolution imaging could show the histological stratification of the normal esophageal wall. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of high-resolution imaging in staging and diagnosis of isolated esophageal cancer specimens reached 80%. At present, preoperative imaging methods for esophageal cancer have obvious limitations, while CT and EUS have certain limitations. Therefore, non-invasive preoperative imaging examination of esophageal cancer should be further explored.Esophageal cancer has become a malignant tumor disease with high mortality worldwide. Many cases of esophageal cancer are not very serious in the beginning but become severe in the late stage, so the best treatment time is missed. Less than 20% of patients with esophageal cancer are in the late stage of the disease for 5 years. The main treatment method is surgery, which is assisted by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Radical resection is the most effective treatment method, but a method for imaging examination of esophageal cancer with good clinical effect has yet to be developed. This study compared imaging staging of esophageal cancer with pathological staging after operation based on the big data of intelligent medical treatment. MRI can be used to evaluate the depth of esophageal cancer invasion and replace CT and EUS for accurate diagnosis of esophageal cancer. Intelligent medical big data, medical document preprocessing, MRI imaging principal component analysis and comparison and esophageal cancer pathological staging experiments were used. Kappa consistency tests were conducted to compare the consistency between MRI staging and pathological staging and between two observers. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were determined to evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness of 3.0T MRI accurate staging. Results showed that 3.0T MR high-resolution imaging could show the histological stratification of the normal esophageal wall. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of high-resolution imaging in staging and diagnosis of isolated esophageal cancer specimens reached 80%. At present, preoperative imaging methods for esophageal cancer have obvious limitations, while CT and EUS have certain limitations. Therefore, non-invasive preoperative imaging examination of esophageal cancer should be further explored.

Prognostic value of elastic lamina staining in patients with stage III colon cancer

ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to analyze the difference between the preoperative radiological and postoperative pathological stages of colorectal cancer (CRC) and explore the feasibility of elastic lamina invasion (ELI) as a prognostic marker for patients with stage III colon cancer.MethodsA total of 105 consecutive patients underwent radical surgery (R0 resection) for stage III colon cancer at the Cancer Hospital of China Medical University between January 2015 and December 2017. Clinicopathological features, including radiological stage and elastic lamina staining, were analyzed for prognostic significance in stage III colon cancer.ResultsA total of 105 patients with stage III colon cancer who met the criteria and had complete data available were included. The median follow-up period of survivors was 41 months. During the follow-up period, 33 (31.4%) patients experienced recurrence after radical resection, and the 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 64.8%. The consistency between preoperative radiological and postoperative pathological staging was poor (κ = 0.232, P < 0.001). The accuracy of ≤ T2 stage diagnoses was 97.1% (102/105), that of T3 stage was 60.9% (64/105), that of T4a stage was 68.6% (72/105) and that of T4b stage was 91.4% (96/105). The DFS rate of T3 ELI (+) patients was significantly lower than that of both T3 ELI (−) patients (P = 0.000) and pT4a patients (P = 0.013). The DFS rate of T3 ELI (−) patients was significantly higher than that of pT4b patients (P=0.018). T3 ELI (+) (HR (Hazard ratio), 8.444 [95% CI, 1.736–41.067]; P = 0.008), T4b (HR, 57.727[95% CI, 5.547-600.754]; P = 0.001), N2 stage (HR, 10.629 [95% CI, 3.858–29.286]; P < 0.001), stage III (HR, 0.136 [95% CI, 0.31–0.589]; P = 0.008) and perineural invasion (PNI) (HR, 8.393 [95% CI, 2.094–33.637]; P = 0.003) were independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence of stage III colon cancer.ConclusionsThe consistency between preoperative radiological and postoperative pathological staging was poor, especially for tumors located in the ascending colon and descending colon. Elastic lamina staining is expected to become a stratified indicator of recurrence risk for patients with stage III colon cancer and a guide for individualized adjuvant chemotherapy, thus improving patient prognosis.