Survival Outcomes In Patients Research Articles

Association between CONUT scores and survival outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: meta-analysis from 4973 Asian cases

Association between CONUT scores and survival outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: meta-analysis from 4973 Asian cases

Ruxolitinib combined with dexamethasone for adult patients with newly diagnosed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in China.

Ruxolitinib combined with dexamethasone for adult patients with newly diagnosed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in China.

MR Imaging Features Predictive of Pathologic Complete Response and Survival Outcomes for Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

This study aims to evaluate the predictive value of MRI features for pathologic complete response (pCR) and survival outcomes in patients with breast cancer (BC) undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). A retrospective analysis was conducted on 168 BC patients treated with NAC between 2018 and 2022. Pre-NAC breast MRI scans were evaluated for enhancement patterns, time-intensity curve (TIC), peritumoral edema, and background enhancement. Both pre- and post-NAC MRIs were assessed for Epeak %, mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value, and ADC ratio (mean ADC of lesion/contralateral normal breast parenchyma). Survival outcomes were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models. pCR was achieved in 34% of patients. MRI demonstrated a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 86% in predicting pCR, with an overall accuracy of 82%. The post-NAC percentage of initial peak enhancement (Epeak) was significantly lower in the pCR group (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified a pre-NAC Epeak ≤ 96 (hazard ratio [HR]: 6.26, P < 0.001) and a post-NAC Epeak > 188 (HR: 18.40, P < 0.001) as independent risk factors for disease-free survival. Additionally, a lower pre-NAC ADC ratio (≤0.65) was associated with poorer overall survival (HR: 2.8, P: 0.041). Pre-NAC peritumoral edema, background enhancement, and TIC were not significant predictors of survival outcomes. MRI features, including Epeak % and ADC ratio, are important predictors of pCR and survival outcomes in BC patients undergoing NAC. Incorporating these biomarkers into clinical practice may improve treatment planning and optimize patient outcomes.

The association of different body weight classes and survival outcomes in patients with cervical cancer.

The association of different body weight classes and survival outcomes in patients with cervical cancer.

Intracranial meningioma with intratumoral hemorrhage: A systematic review of associated features and outcomes.

Intracranial meningioma with intratumoral hemorrhage: A systematic review of associated features and outcomes.

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index as a prognostic marker for predicting survival outcomes in patients with UTUC after radical nephroureterectomy

The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic value of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after radical nephrectomy (RNU). A retrospective study of UTUC patients was conducted at West China Hospital between May 2016 and June 2019. The optimal cut-off point for GNRI was determined using the X-Tile procedure. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors, and two- and four-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) prediction nomograms were created based on the results of the multivariate analyses. Furthermore, time-dependent ROC curve, calibration curve and decision curve analyses were conducted. A total of 219 patients with UTUC following RNU were identified and subsequently divided into three groups based on the critical values of GNRI (91.2, 98.8). GNRI was identified as a significant risk factor for CSS, with patients exhibiting higher GNRI demonstrating elevated CSS (hazard ratio = 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.32–0.92; P = 0.037). Furthermore, the GNRI-based nomogram demonstrated high predictive capacity for CSS, with areas under the curve of 0.810 and 0.842 for 2- and 4-year CSS, respectively. Preoperative GNRI is an independent predictor for CSS in UTUC patients who underwent RNU and should be considered as a promising personalized tool for clinical decision-making.

Locoregional Radiotherapy Candidates in de Novo Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Real-World Insights in the Immunotherapy Era.

Chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy (CT-IO) has become the first-line treatment for de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (dmNPC). Locoregional radiotherapy (LRRT) following chemotherapy has been shown to significantly improve survival outcomes in patients with dmNPC. However, it remains unclear whether LRRT provides additional benefits in the context of CT-IO. Furthermore, there is no consensus on how to identify the optimal patient population for LRRT after first-line CT-IO. This study included patients with dmNPC who received platinum-based palliative chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, with or without LRRT. Progression-free survival (PFS) was assessed in LRRT and non-LRRT groups using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to mitigate selection bias. Median PFS (mPFS) at the 6-month landmark was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analyses. A novel prognostic nomogram was developed and validated to predict PFS and stratify patients by risk. Using prognostic scores from the nomogram, a model-based tree approach was employed to assess stratified treatment outcomes and identify the ideal candidates for LRRT. A total of 500 patients were included, with 367 receiving LRRT and 133 not receiving it. At the 6-month conditional landmark, IPTW-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated significantly improved survival in the LRRT group compared with the non-LRRT group (mPFS, not reached vs 21.5 months; P<.001). Patients were randomized into training and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio. A prognostic model integrating serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, posttreatment Epstein-Barr virus DNA level, number of metastatic lesions, and liver metastases status was developed from the training cohort and graphically represented as a nomogram. The model demonstrated favorable discrimination (C-index, 0.721; 95% CI, 0.681-0.761) and predictive accuracy (1-year time-dependent area under the curve [tAUC]), 0.788), and its performance was validated in the internal cohort (C-index, 0.752; 95% CI, 0.698-0.806; 1-year tAUC, 0.778). A tree-based risk stratification derived from the model classified patients into 2 prognostic subgroups. Low-risk patients benefited from additional LRRT (mPFS, not reached vs 23.6 months; P<.001), whereas high-risk patients did not (mPFS, 18.3 vs 16.5 months; P=.210). In patients with dmNPC, additional LRRT following first-line CT-IO was associated with improved PFS, particularly among low-risk patients identified using a novel prognostic model.

Male Breast Cancer in Portugal: A Descriptive Analysis of a 20-Year Cohort.

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare malignancy, representing less than 1% of all breast cancer cases. Despite the rising incidence, MBC research remains limited, with most data extrapolated from female breast cancer (FBC). This study evaluated the clinicopathological features, treatment strategies, and survival outcomes of MBC patients in Portugal over two decades. A retrospective analysis of MBC cases from the Portuguese National Oncology registry (2001-2021) was conducted. Clinicopathological features, therapeutic strategies, and overall survival (OS) were assessed across three disease categories: localized, locally advanced, and metastatic. Hormone receptor status, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression, and Ki-67 index were recorded, and survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. A total of 620 MBC cases were included with median age at diagnosis 68 years (interquartile range: 60-77). Localized disease accounted for 60.3% of the cases, locally advanced for 24.5%, and metastatic 15.2%. Most tumours were invasive carcinoma of no special type (86%), and hormone receptor-positive (estrogen receptor: 96.6%; progesterone receptor: 85.6%). HER2 -disease was noted in 11.6% of cases and triple-negative in 1.6%. Mastectomy was the primary surgical intervention while tamoxifen was the most widely used adjuvant endocrine therapy-exemestane therapy (A-ET). ET was the most prescribed first-line therapy. Median OS was 86 months for localized, 70 months for locally advanced, and 41 months for metastatic disease. This study highlights the unique challenges of MBC, including late-stage diagnoses and reliance on FBC-derived protocols. Findings suggest an urgent need for male-specific clinical trials and molecular research to optimise treatment and outcome. In Portugal increased awareness and early detection initiatives will be important to advance MBC care.

POD24-Based prognostic signature enables personalized risk stratification in mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) exhibits significant biological and clinical heterogeneity, necessitating a refined prognostic model. According to the drawbacks of existing models which do not truly define the complexity of the disease, we used the clinical and molecular data from nine medical centers of China to validate the predictive utility of progression of disease within 24 months (POD24), and also established a novel prognostic risk model to predict the survival outcome of MCL patients. POD24 occurred in 37.7% of evaluable patients, with the median over survival being 21 months (vs. 122 months for those without POD24, P < 0.0001). The POD24-based risk model had the highest sensitivity to predict survival with the most satisfying AUC value for risk score (AUC = 0.869). In conclusion, we confirm the obviously predictive performance of POD24 and established a novel risk model combined POD24 and clinical factors. Our new prognostic model might be helpful in effectively classify MCL patients with high-risk groups in terms of survival rate, which may help in selecting high-risk MCL patients for more intensive treatment at time of relapse.

Effect of Helicobacter pylori infection on survival outcomes of patients undergoing radical gastrectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a multicenter study in China

BackgroundNeoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has been confirmed to improve the prognosis of patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). However, no study has investigated whether Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection affects the postoperative survival of patients who receive NAC.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included 307 patients with AGC who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy after NAC at three hospitals in China between January 1, 2016, and April 31, 2020. Cox regression was used to assess prognostic factors for survival. Kaplan–Meier was used for survival analysis.ResultsThe HP + and the HP- group included 141 and 166 cases. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of the HP + group were significantly better than the HP- group (3-year OS: 75.9% vs. 60.2%, 3-year DFS: 70.2% vs. 52.3%; All P < 0.001). For the HP + group, ypTNM Stage III (HR, 4.00; 95% CI, 1.11–14.39; P = 0.034), NAC ≥ 4 cycles (HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.20–0.90; P = 0.026), and adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) ≥ 4 cycles (HR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.09–0.48; P < 0.001) are independent prognostic factors for OS. In the cohort of HP + patients who received ≥ 4 cycles of NAC, the prognosis of patients who received ≥ 4 cycles of AC after surgery was better than that of patients who received < 4 cycles of AC (3-year OS: 92.5% vs 71.4%; P = 0.042).ConclusionsFollowing NAC, HP + patients with AGC exhibit better prognosis than that of HP- counterparts. For potentially resectable HP + AGC patients, radical surgery following ≥ 4 cycles of NAC with ≥ 4 cycles of sequential AC might be recommended to improve survival.

Prognostic Impact of Fluorescent Lymphography on Gastric Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Indocyanine green (ICG)-guided lymphadenectomy has been increasingly used to treat gastric cancer. However, its oncologic impact remains unclear. To investigate the effect of ICG tracing on long-term outcomes in patients diagnosed with locally advanced gastric cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by laparoscopic radical gastrectomy. This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with cT2-4N0/+M0 gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent NAC and laparoscopic radical gastrectomy at 3 teaching hospitals in China between January 2015 and June 2021, with follow-up data examined until June 2024. Overlap weighting (OW) was used to compare outcomes between the ICG and non-ICG groups. Results were tested for robustness using propensity score matching (PSM) and instrumental variable analysis. ICG-guided lymphadenectomy during laparoscopic gastrectomy. The primary end points were 3-year survival outcomes, including overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Data from 459 patients (338 men [73.6%] and 121 women [26.4%]; mean [SD] age, 60.8 [9.9] years), of whom 119 underwent ICG-guided lymphadenectomy, were included. After OW adjustment, the ICG group exhibited a higher number of lymph nodes harvested (47.4 vs 38.3; P < .001) and better 3-year OS (78.6% vs 66.6%; P = .04) and RFS (74.0% vs 57.0%; P = .03) compared with the non-ICG group. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that ICG tracing was an independent prognostic factor for both OS (hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.39-0.90; P = .02) and RFS (hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.40-0.87; P = .01), with the results remaining significant in both doubly robust and instrumental variable-adjusted models. Furthermore, in the OW-adjusted population, the OS benefit of ICG tracing was more pronounced in subgroups with ypN2/3 gastric adenocarcinoma (70.3% vs 36.2%; P = .01) and those achieving major pathological response (97.7% vs 77.6%; P = .04) (both P for interaction = .04). Similar results were obtained after adjusting for PSM. In this study, ICG tracing was associated with enhanced lymphadenectomy and improved survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer after NAC. A prospective randomized clinical trial is needed to verify these findings.

Effect of Early Tumor Shrinkage and Depth of Response on the Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization and Lenvatinib Plus PD-1 Inhibitors.

Systematic therapies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have now been approved as the mainstay treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). However, only a minority of the patients are expected to respond to TKIs and ICIs. Because early tumor shrinkage (ETS) and depth of response (DoR) might have the potential to predict survival outcomes, this study aimed to identify the optimal cutoffs for ETS and DoR to predict patients' clinical outcomes in their early treatment stage. This retrospective study enrolled patients with uHCC treated with triple combination therapy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and lenvatinib plus toripalimab between November 2017 and March 2022. The clinical characteristics, ETS, DoR, and overall efficacy were collected to analyze the optimal cutoffs for ETS and DoR and predict patient survival outcomes. A total of 157 patients were included. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were observed in 94 (59.87%) and 130 (82.8%) patients, respectively, with a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 8 months and a median overall survival (mOS) of 23 months. Patients with ETS ≥10% had significantly longer mPFS (11 months) and mOS (24 months), and patients with DoR ≥27% had significantly prolonged mPFS (10 months) and mOS (23 months). ETS of 10% and DoR of 27% were identified as the optimal cutoffs for predicting the clinical outcomes of patients with uHCC treated with TACE and lenvatinib plus a programmed death-1 inhibitor.

Abstract A037: CTNNB1 mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma: Prognostic significance and superior survival outcomes in patients treated with immunotherapy

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is a fatal malignancy which carries variable responses to standard treatments. Recent advances in genetic research have provided a clearer image of some mutations driving HCC development, which gave an opportunity for targeted therapies like (Wnt/B-catenin) pathway inhibitors to intervene. CTNNB1 (B-catenin) gene mutation, which is present in 20-40% of HCC cases, was found to affect behavior of the tumor and its response to treatment and was linked with a better overall prognosis and may be a therapeutic target for HCC treatment. We aim to further investigate the impact of CTNNB1 mutations on treatment response and overall survival (OS) in patients with HCC. Methods: We used cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics server to gather data of 2453 samples from 5 studies conducted between 2018 and 2024. The data were used to analyze the prevalence of CTNNB1 mutation in HCC patients, its impact on survival rates, and how it compares to other common mutations like TP53. Survival outcomes for HCC patients who received immunotherapy as part of their treatment regimen were compared between CTNNB1 and TP53 mutations. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated for median OS analysis and compared by using log-rank test. All statistical comparisons were considered significant if p &amp;lt; 0.05. Results: Our study cohort included patients with HCC who received immunotherapy as part of their treatment. Males constituted 64.2% of the study population, while the remainder were females. More than half of our study subjects were white constituting about 55.7% of our cohort. The prevalence of TP53 and CCTNNB1 mutations was 540 and 174, respectively. Patients with TP53 mutation had a median OS of 25.15 months (95% CI: 22.61 - 28.15) compared to 39.78 months (95% CI: 32.56 - 53.33) among CTNNB1 patients. The difference was statistically significant (p=0.00314). Conclusion: Our study suggests that CTNNB1 mutations in HCC are linked to a better median OS compared to TP53 mutations, which aligns with current literature data. This also suggests that therapies targeting the Wnt/B-catenin pathway may represent promising therapeutic outcomes for HCC patients. However, further research is crucial to validate these findings and assess the clinical implications of CTNNB1 mutation status to provide personalized treatment plans and ultimately improve patient care. Citation Format: Bayan Khasawneh, Saifudeen Abdelrahim, Abdullah Esamil, Ebtesam Al-Najjar, Maen Abdelrahim. CTNNB1 mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma: Prognostic significance and superior survival outcomes in patients treated with immunotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Functional and Genomic Precision Medicine in Cancer: Different Perspectives, Common Goals; 2025 Mar 11-13; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(5 Suppl):Abstract nr A037.

Proton pump inhibitors reduce survival outcomes in patients treated with capecitabine: meta-analysis

Proton pump inhibitors reduce survival outcomes in patients treated with capecitabine: meta-analysis

CGREF1 facilitates the cell proliferation, migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via regulation of EIF3H/ Wnt/β-Catenin signaling axis

BackgroundAlthough Cell growth regulator with EF-hand domain 1 (CGREF1) has been predicted to be upregulated in multiple cancer types, its definitive function role in carcinogenesis, particularly in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), remains poorly characterized.MethodsComprehensive bioinformatics analysis was initially conducted using the University of ALabama at Birmingham CANcer data analysis Portal (UALCAN) and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) databases to investigate CGREF1 mRNA expression patterns in HCC tissues and their clinical correlation with patient survival outcomes. Experimental validation was subsequently performed through real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and Western blot techniques. Functional characterization studies employing genetic knockdown and overexpression models in HCC cell lines demonstrated CGREF1’s regulatory effects on malignant phenotypes, as evidenced by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, colony formation assay and Transwell migration and invasion assays. were adopted to investigate the role of CGREF1 in the proliferation, invasion, and migration of HCC cells. Mechanistic investigations integrating bioinformatics predictions with Western blot analysis revealed CGREF1 mediated-modulation of the Wnt/β-Catenin signaling axis, elucidating its molecular underpinnings in HCC progression.ResultsThe results demonstrated that CGREF1 is highly expressed in HCC tissues, and HCC patients with elevated CGREF1 expression exhibited significantly shorter survival times. Upregulation of CGREF1 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, whereas inhibition of CGREF1 expression suppressed these phenotypes. Mechanistically, CGREF1 activates the Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway through the upregulation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 H subunit (EIF3H). Furthermore, partial inhibition of EIF3H attenuated the effects of CGREF1 overexpression on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells.ConclusionCGREF1 is upregulated in HCC and acted as an oncogene through the CGREF1/EIF3H/Wnt/β-Catenin signaling axis. These findings suggest that CGREF1 may emerge as a potential therapeutic target for HCC.

Is the Addition of Chemotherapy to Adjuvant Radiation in Merkel Cell Cancer Beneficial? Real-World Data with Long-Term Follow-Up

Background: The role of adding chemotherapy to adjuvant radiation therapy in resectable Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) remains controversial. Previous studies have shown conflicting results, and long-term outcome data are limited. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the long-term survival outcomes of patients with resectable MCC treated with surgery followed by either radiation alone or combined chemoradiation. Methods: This retrospective multicenter cohort study analyzed 105 patients with resectable MCC treated between 1985 and 2023. Patients received either adjuvant radiation alone (n = 53) or chemoradiation (n = 52) following surgery. The primary endpoints were overall survival and disease-free survival. The secondary endpoints included an analysis of prognostic factors and treatment-related characteristics. The median follow-up was 12 years. Results: The 20-year overall survival rates were 53.4% for chemoradiation versus 30.7% for radiation alone (p = 0.324). Median survival in the chemoradiation groups was not reached during the follow-up period; in the radiation group, it was 8.8 years. Likewise, the twenty-year disease-free survival rates were not significantly different between the chemoradiation and radiation groups: 47% vs. 29.3%, respectively, p = 0.495. The chemoradiation group had significantly more advanced disease (88% vs. 28.3% stage III) but was younger (median 65.9 vs. 77.3 years, p = 0.002) and received higher radiation doses (median 50 Gy vs. 45 Gy, p = 0.002). After controlling for age, stage, and tumor location in a multivariable analysis, the survival differences were still not significantly different (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.36, 95% CI 0.61–3.00, p = 0.450). Conclusions: While the multivariate analysis did not indicate a survival advantage to adding chemotherapy to radiation, the comparable survival outcomes despite significantly more advanced disease in the chemoradiation group suggest a possible benefit in high-risk patients. Our results indicate the need for prospective studies with larger, stage-matched cohorts to definitively establish the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk resectable MCC.

Targeting the Immune Microenvironment in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: An Evolving Therapeutic Strategy.

Although small molecule inhibitors that target the aberrant signaling pathways and molecular defects of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) result in improved survival benefits vs. traditional chemoimmunotherapy or chemotherapy, treatment resistance may result later, reflecting the intrinsic tumor heterogeneity, persistence of the leukemic clone, and presence of the tumor microenvironment, which supports the survival of the disease clone. Patients with CLL have immune-related abnormalities in T lymphocyte subset composition, immune synapse formation, and other immune dysregulations. Cellular interactions between the disease clone and its microenvironment provide therapeutic opportunities to target these tumor pathogenesis pathways, potentially improving the patient's immune functions and clinical outcomes of targeted therapies. At present, despite the lack of response of immune checkpoint inhibitors in CLL, they showed promising efficacy in patients with Richter transformation. Together with CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cell (CAR-T) therapy, novel bispecific antibodies and other immunotherapies are being investigated to improve survival outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) CLL, as exemplified by epcoritamab, a bispecific antibody that recently demonstrated initial efficacy in R/R CLL and in patients in high-risk CLL subgroups, including those with TP53 aberrations and unmutated genes that encode immunoglobulin variable heavy chain region (IGHV). Furthermore, to address the immune escape of cancer cells and issues that impact the durability of single-targeted T cell-redirected therapies, novel strategies such as trispecific antibodies and combination therapies are being investigated to increase tumor specificity or immune cell activation. In summary, there is emerging evidence that immunotherapies may counteract the immunosuppressive microenvironment of CLL, improve clinical responses, decrease the risk of infection, and overcome treatment resistance.

Fabrication of Folic Acid-Derived Carbon Dot-Conjugated Chitosan Nanospheres as Theragnostic Agents for pH-Responsive Anticancer Drug Delivery.

The favorable success rate in cancer treatment predominantly depends on precise diagnosis with target-specific drug delivery, which can regulate the patient survival outcome rate. Moreover, proper tracking of the system's pH is very much crucial as most of the therapeutic's action and release rate depend on it. Therefore, this work has been intended to fabricate a folic acid-derived carbon dot (FACD) decorated with chitosan (Cs) in order to form nanospheres (FACD-Cs-Ns) for anticancer doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox.HCl) drug delivery through imaging in cancer therapeutic treatment. The engineered FACD-Cs-Ns demonstrated a spherical shape with an extensive surface area, rich in carboxyl and hydroxyl groups that play a key role in its pH-responsive characteristics through protonation and deprotonation interactions. Thanks to their impressive fluorescence traits and excellent stability, FACD-Cs-Ns are particularly well suited for imaging-guided cancer therapy. Their remarkable cytocompatibility with normal cells and significant toxicity toward cancer cells, along with pH-responsive properties, render them as ideal candidates for targeted drug delivery to cancer cells. The G2/M and S phases' arrest in the cell cycle analysis study once more validated excellent in vitro experimental conditions. The impressive selectivity and cytotoxicity of Dox-loaded FACD-Cs-Ns toward cancer cells can be attributed to enhanced cellular uptake via folate-receptor-mediated endocytosis, which is overexpressed in these cells. These findings elucidate that the FACD-Cs-Ns nanoprobe is an excellent material for pH-responsive anticancer drug delivery and image-guided cancer therapy.

Tumor Prognostic Risk Model Related to Monocytes/Macrophages in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Machine Learning and Multi-Omics

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are crucial in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and invasion. This study explores monocyte/ macrophage-associated gene expression profiles in HCC, constructs a prognostic model based on these genes, and examines its relationship with drug resistance and immune therapy responses. Single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq) data from 10 HCC tissue biopsy samples, totaling 24,597 cells, were obtained from the GEO database to identify monocyte/macrophage-associated genes. A prognostic model was constructed and validated using external datasets and Western blot. Relationships between the model, clinical correlates, drug sensitivity, and immune therapy responses were investigated. From scRNA-seq data, 2,799 monocyte/macrophage marker genes were identified. Using the TCGA dataset, a prognostic model based on the single-gene UQCRH was constructed, stratifying patients into high-risk and low-risk groups based on overall survival rates. High-risk group patients showed reduced survival rates and higher UQCRH expression in tumor tissues. Western blot analysis further confirmed the elevated expression of UQCRH in HCC cell lines. Spatial transcriptomics analysis revealed that high UQCRH expression co-localized with malignant cells in the tumor tissue. Drug sensitivity analysis revealed that the high-risk group had lower sensitivity to sorafenib and axitinib. Immune therapy response analysis indicated poorer outcomes in the high-risk group, with more pronounced APC inhibition and a weaker IFN-II response. Clinical indicator analysis showed a positive correlation between high UQCRH expression and tumor invasion. Enrichment analysis of UQCRH and associated molecules indicated involvement in oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial electron transport. This study introduces a prognostic model for HCC patients based on monocyte/macrophage marker genes. The single-gene model predicts HCC patient survival and treatment outcomes, identifying high-risk individuals with varying drug sensitivities and immune suppression states.

Prognostic Value of Very Early Interim FDG PET/CT After Single Cycle of Chemotherapy for 10-Year Survival in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Background/Objectives This study aimed to evaluate whether very early interim 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) after a single cycle of first-line chemotherapy predicts long-term survival outcome in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Methods A total of 51 patients (31 males and 20 females; mean age 55 years) had four FDG PET/CT studies, at baseline and after one, three, and six cycles of chemotherapy (PET0, PET1, PET3, and PET6). Visually and quantitatively assessed PET parameters were analyzed for associations with long-term survival. Results The estimated 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was 48% and 61%, respectively. During a median follow-up of 63 months (range 9–134), 17 patients (33%) exhibited disease progression and 15 (29%) died. On PET1, all but one showed decreased FDG uptake, and all showed decreased metabolic tumor volume. None of the PET1 or PET3 parameters were associated with survival. The PET6 parameters retained independent predictive value for OS after adjustment for the International Prognostic Index. Negative PET6 was associated with longer PFS (mean 99 vs. 50 mo, p = 0.04) and OS (mean 107 vs. 57 mo, p = 0.02). Con-clusions The FDG PET/CT parameters obtained after a single cycle of chemotherapy were not associated with long-term survival in DLBCL, while negative end-of-therapy FDG PET/CT was associated with longer PFS and OS. Tumor regression very early into first-line chemotherapy was not as clinically relevant as the presence of viable tumor on FDG PET/CT at the end of therapy for predicting long-term outcomes.