结肠癌术后同步放化疗的可行性分析

目的：探讨结肠癌术后行同步放化疗的可行性。方法回顾性分析16例结肠癌术后同步放化疗患者的毒副反应发生情况。结果16例患者中，5例出现Ⅱ度消化道急性放射反应，均未出现其他急性放射反应。结论结肠癌根治术后患者行同步放化疗是可以耐受的。     

A common variant in MTHFR influences response to chemoradiotherapy and recurrence of rectal cancer

An important determinant of the pathogenesis and prognosis of various diseases is inherited genetic variation. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), variations at a single base position, have been identified in both protein-coding and noncoding DNA sequences, but the vast majority of millions of those variants are far from being functionally understood. Here we show that a common variant in the gene MTHFR [rs1801133 (C>T)] not only influences response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer, but it also influences recurrence of the disease itself. More specifically, patients with the homozygous ancestral (wild type) genotype (C/C) were 2.91 times more likely (291% increased benefit) to respond to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy {95% CI: [1.23, 6.89]; P=0.0150} and 3.25 times more likely (325% increased benefit) not to experience recurrence of the disease {95% CI: [1.37, 7.72]; P=0.0079} than patients with either the heterozygous (C/T) or the homozygous mutation (T/T) genotype. These results identify MTHFR as an important genetic marker and open up new, pharmacogenomic strategies in the treatment and management of rectal cancer.     

‘It’s not good to eat a candy in a wrapper’: male students’ perspectives on condom use and concurrent sexual partnerships in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

This paper reports on fieldwork carried out in 2011 with aim to investigate young men’s perspectives about condoms use, concurrent sexual partnerships and sex in the context of HIV/AIDS. This study employed a qualitative approach to collect data from 28 boys aged 16–20 from two urban and two rural high schools in South Kivu province. Four focus group discussions and 20 individual interviews were conducted among them. The findings showed that most students identified condoms as unsafe and untrustworthy. Reasons given for the mistrust of condoms were related to the belief that condoms do not give enough protection from Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV and pregnancies. Most participants believe that condoms have a ‘small hole’ or are unreliable and are therefore not effective in prevention. They also mentioned that condoms encourage inappropriate sexual activity. They prefer flesh-to-flesh sex rather than protected sex using a condom. However, a few participants acknowledged the importance of condom use. Despite the risk of HIV transmission, boys believe that it is appropriate for them to have concurrent sexual partnerships. They justified the concurrent sexual partnerships as a way of ensuring that they cannot miss a girl to satisfy their sexual desire. Given the boys’ failure to use condoms and their strong inclination to concurrent sexual partnerships, there is a need for heath groups and stakeholders within the area to increase awareness about condoms’ effectiveness and improve knowledge dissemination on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and how they are prevented.     

Defining and predicting early recurrence in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy

BackgroundThe definition of “early recurrence (ER)” after rectal cancer surgery is currently unclear.ObjectiveTo determine an evidence-based cut-off to distinguish early and late recurrence (LR) for patients with rectal cancer and compare the clinicopathological factors between the two groups.MethodsPatients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and radical resection for locally advanced rectal cancer were included. A minimum p-value approach was used to evaluate the optimal cut-off value of recurrence-free survival to divide the patients into ER and LR groups based on overall survival. A logistic regression model was used to assess risk factors for ER.ResultsA total of 763 patients were included, of which 167 (21.9%) experienced recurrence. The optimal cut-off value of recurrence-free survival to differentiate between ER (n = 125, 74.9%) and LR (n = 42, 25.1%) was 24 months (P = 0.000001). The median postrecurrence survival of ER and LR was 12 months and 22 months, respectively (p = 0.028). The most common recurrent sites in patients with ER and LR were lung metastases, the incidence of liver metastases, however, differed considerably in ER and LR (27.2% vs 9.5%, P = 0.019). Risk factors including elevated preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), higher ypTNM stage, positive circumferential resection margin (CRM), and perineural invasion were significantly associated with ER.ConclusionA recurrence-free interval of 24 months is the optimal cut-off value for defining ER versus LR. Elevated preoperative CEA, higher ypTNM staging, positive CRM, and perineural invasion were associated with ER of locally advanced rectal cancer.     

晚期肿瘤患者治疗前被告知放化疗意义对后续治疗策略的影响

目的 探讨拟行放化疗的晚期肿瘤患者治疗前被告知放化疗意义对其后续治疗策略的影响.方法纳入成都医学院第一附属医院肿瘤科收治的80例晚期肿瘤患者,随机分为两组.试验组38例,治疗前被告知姑息性放化疗的目的及意义;对照组42例,治疗前以委托人知情模式告知放化疗目的及意义.比较两组治疗初、治疗2周后及整个治疗过程中治疗手段选择情况.结果 治疗初期,试验组选择放化疗者较对照组少(P＜0.001)且放弃治疗者多(P=0.034).治疗2周后,试验组改变主意选择放化疗者多(P=0.043).整个治疗过程中,选择放化疗的患者比率差异无统计学意义(P=0.438)且放弃治疗患者比率差异无统计学意义(P=0.433).结论 对于拟行放化疗的晚期肿瘤患者,治疗前期应选择委托人知情模式介绍治疗目的及意义,避免患者主观认识引起治疗延误;治疗过程中增强与患者沟通,逐步向患者介绍病情并告知放化疗意义,有利于顺利实施放化疗.     

术前同步放化疗在Ⅱ B期宫颈癌患者中的临床研究

目的 探讨Ⅱ B期宫颈癌患者术前同步放化疗的可行性及疗效.方法 回顾性分析56例ⅡB期宫颈癌患者的治疗过程.按照治疗方式的不同分为2组,术前同步放化疗组(26例)和单纯放疗组(30例),比较2组患者不良反应及远期疗效.结果 与单纯放疗组比较,同步放化疗组骨髓抑制发生率、恶心及呕吐发生率高于单纯放疗组(P＜0.05),但经过对症处理,不影响治疗进程.与单纯放疗组比较,术前同步放化疗组3年的局部复发率明显降低,3年生存率提高(P＜0.05),而1年的局部复发率、1年生存率两组无明显差异.结论 Ⅱ B期宫颈癌患者术前行同步放化疗可降低肿瘤复发率,提高3年生存率.     

Pharmacotherapy of head and neck cancer

Introduction: There are over 55,000 new cases of head and neck cancer diagnosed annually in the United States. Historically surgical resection was the standard of care, but due to vital structures in the head and neck region this led to severe morbidity. The integration of pharmacotherapy has rapidly expanded over the years into a multimodality treatment paradigm for locally advanced head and neck cancer, allowing organ-sparing treatment approaches. Here we discuss the various approaches and settings in which chemotherapy can be incorporated into the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Areas covered: Chemotherapy in HNSCC can be administered in several different treatment circumstances: in the metastatic setting for palliation of symptoms and prolongation of survival, before definitive local treatment (induction), as part of definitive treatment simultaneously with radiation (concurrent) or after definitive local therapy (adjuvant).

Expert opinion: The incorporation of chemotherapy into the management of patients with head and neck cancer has allowed organ preservation approaches and improved survival. Because of the toxicities of chemotherapy, it is imperative that chemotherapy is only administered to the appropriate patient population who are more likely to benefit. Cisplatin 100 mg/m² given in combination with radiation in the non-metastatic setting is the most widely tested regimen and remains the reference regimen. Cetuximab is also an alternative, but there is no data to support the use of cetuximab in a laryngeal preservation approach or in the postoperative setting.