Sex and smoking differences in the association between gastroesophageal reflux and risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a high-incidence area: Golestan Cohort Study

Prior studies have conflicting findings regarding the association between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We examined this relationship in a prospective cohort in a region of high ESCC incidence. Baseline exposure data were collected from 50 045 individuals using in-person interviews at the time of cohort entry. Participants were followed until they developed cancer, died, or were lost to follow up. Participants with GERD symptoms were categorized into any GERD (heartburn or regurgitation), mixed symptoms, or heartburn alone. Multivariable Cox regression was used to assess the relationship between GERD symptom group and histologically confirmed ESCC. The model was adjusted for known risk factors for GERD and ESCC. 49 559 individuals were included in this study, of which 9005 had GERD symptoms. Over 13.0 years of median follow up, 290 individuals were diagnosed with ESCC. We found no association between any GERD and risk of ESCC (aHR 0.90, 95% CI: 0.66-1.24, P = .54). Similar findings were observed for the GERD symptom subtypes. Significant interactions between any GERD and sex (P = .013) as well as tobacco smoking (P = .028) were observed. In post-hoc analyses, GERD was associated with a decreased risk of ESCC in men (aHR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27-0.98 P = .04) and in smokers (aHR 0.26, 95% CI: 0.08-0.83 P = .02). While there was little evidence for an overall association between GERD symptoms and ESCC risk, significant interactions with sex and smoking were observed. Men and smokers with GERD symptoms had a lower risk of ESCC development.     

A Pilot First-in-Human Study of Embrace,a Polyethylene Glycol-Based Liquid Embolic Agent,in the Embolization of Malignant and Benign Hypervascular Tumors

PurposeTo investigate the safety and efficacy of an aqueous polyethylene glycol-based liquid embolic agent, Embrace Hydrogel Embolic System (HES), in the treatment of benign and malignant hypervascular tumors.Materials and MethodsA prospective, single-arm, multicenter study included 8 patients, 5 males and 3 females, with a median age of 58.5 years (30–85 years), who underwent embolization in 8 tumors between October 2019 and May 2020. Technical success was defined as successful delivery of HES to the index vessel, with disappearance of >90% of the targeted vascular enhancement or, for portal vein embolization, occlusion of the portal branches to the liver segments for future resection. The volume of HES administered, ease of use (5 point Likert scale), administration time, and adverse events (AEs) were recorded. Evaluation was performed at 7, 30, and 90 days via clinical assessment and blood testing, and follow-up imaging was performed at 30 days.ResultsEight patients were enrolled, and 10 embolizations were performed in 8 lesions. Tumors included hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 4), renal angiomyolipoma (n = 3), and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n = 1). Technical success was 100%, and the average ease of use was 3.3 ± 1.0 SD. The HES delivery time was 1–28 minutes (median, 16.5 minutes), and the HES volume injected was 0.4–4.0 mL (median, 1.3 mL). All patients reached 30-day follow-up with imaging, and 6 patients reached 90-day follow-up. There were 3 serious AEs in 2 patients that were unrelated to the embolic agent.ConclusionHES resulted in a 100% embolization technical success rate. The product ease of use was acceptable, and no target vessel recanalization was noted on follow-up imaging at 30 days.     

Características y resultados oncológicos del carcinoma epidermoide de ano: análisis comparativo entre los pacientes inmunocompetentes y los inmunodeprimidos

ObjectiveMost evidence, including recent randomized controlled trials, analysing anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) do not consider immunocompromise patient population. The aim of this study was to compare clinical and oncological outcomes among immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients with anal squamous cell carcinoma.MethodMulticentric retrospective comparative study including 2 cohorts of consecutive patients, immunocompetent and immunocompromised, diagnosed with anal SCC. This study evaluated clinical characteristics, clinical response to radical chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and long-term oncological results including both local and distant recurrence, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).ResultsA total of 84 patients, 47 (55.6%) female, diagnosed with anal SCC from January 2012 to December 2017 were included, 22 (26%) and 62 (74%) patients in immunocompromised and immunocompetent groups respectively. Patients in immunocompromised group were significantly younger (53 vs. 61 years; P=0.001), with smaller tumoral size (P=0.044) and reported higher rates of substance abuse.including tobacco use (P=0.034) and parenteral drug consumption (P=0.001). No differences were found in administered therapies (P=301) neither in clinical response to chemoradiotherapy (83 vs. 100%). Moreover, similar 5-year OS (60 vs. 64%; P=0.756) and DFS (65 vs. 68%; P=0.338) were observed.ConclusionThe present study shows no significant differences in long-term oncological results among immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients diagnosed with anal SCC, with a similar oncologic treatment. This evidence might be explained due to the close monitoring and adequate therapeutic control of HIV positive patients.     

What is the Potential Interplay between Microbiome and Tumor Microenvironment in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas?

Oral cancer, with an around 50% mortality rate, is one of the most common malignancies world-wide. It is often detected in advanced or terminal stage and has a poor prognosis, although substantial progress in cancer management. Microbiome has become an increasingly recognized factor that may contribute to the cancerous development. Oral microbiological population comprising more than 700 bacterial species, varies since saliva and different habitats of oral cavity. A shift of composition of oral microbiome from usual condition to functional inflammation to pathological state has been discovered amongst patients with premalignant disorders and oral carcinoma, with evidence suggesting the tumor microenvironment (TME) could strongly exacerbate the influence of oral microorganisms. The complex interactions taking place in either cancer formation or progression have been evaluated in several publications, however given their results’ heterogeneity, a review is needed to correctly untangle the potential correlation in this group of pro-carcinogenesis. In this review, we briefly summarize our current knowledge of the role of oral microbiome, focusing on its potential crosstalk with TME in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) more precisely, and pave the way for manipulating oral microbiome to deal with OSCC in the future.     

Preoperative comprehensive malignancy risk estimation for thyroid nodules: Development and verification of a network-based prediction model

BackgroundIn order to avoid excessive treatment of thyroid nodules in the clinic, it is necessary to find a simple and practical analysis method to comprehensively and accurately reflect benign or malignant thyroid nodules. This study aimed to construct and validate a comprehensive and reliable network-based predictive model using a variety of imaging and laboratory criteria for thyroid nodules to stratify the risk of malignancy prior to surgery.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data from patients who underwent surgical treatment for thyroid nodules at the Thyroid and Breast Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Weifang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2018 and December 2020. Binary logical regression analysis was performed to predict whether nodules were malignant or benign. The developmental dataset included 457 patients (January 2018–December 2020). The validation set included separate data points (n = 225, January 2018–December 2020).ResultsIn this study, criteria that showed significant predictive value for malignant nodules included TI-RADS: 4b (p = 0.065); Bethesda IV, Bethesda V, Bethesda VI (P < 0.0001); BRAF^V600E mutation (P < 0.0001); Calcitonin>5 pg/ml (p = 0.0037); and FNA-Tg>30 ng/ml (p = 0.0003). A 10-grade risk scoring system was developed. The risk of malignancy risk ranged from 2.06% to 100% and was positively associated with increasing risk grade. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of the development and validation sets were 0.972 and 0.946, respectively.ConclusionA simple, comprehensive and reliable web-based predictive model was designed using a variety of imaging and laboratory criteria to stratify thyroid nodules by probability of malignancy.     

Giant-cell-rich tumors of bone

Neoplasms of bone with numerous non-neoplastic osteoclast type giant cells are relatively common and exhibit diverse phenotypes of the neoplastic cells. These tumors have a broad spectrum of biological potential which necessitates accurate recognition and diagnosis. Their clinicopathological features are overlapping, therefore, immunohistochemistry and molecular studies may be required for evaluation. Correlation with imaging studies provides additional information that should be incorporated into the pathological interpretation.     

Personal comorbidities and their subsequent risks for liver,gallbladder and bile duct cancers

Many environmental risk factors for hepatobiliary cancers are known but whether they are associated with specific cancer types is unclear. We present here a novel approach of assessing standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of previously diagnosed comorbidities for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gallbladder cancer (GBC), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and ampullary cancer. The 13 comorbidities included alcohol and nonalcohol related liver disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, gallstone disease, viral and other kinds of hepatitis, infection of bile ducts, hepatic and other autoimmune diseases, obesity and diabetes. Patients were identified from the Swedish Inpatient Register from 1987 to 2018, and their cancers were followed from 1997 onwards. SIRs for HCC were 80 to 100 in men and women diagnosed with hepatitis C virus and they were also >10 in patients diagnosed with hepatitis B virus, other kind of hepatitis, hepatic autoimmune disease and nonalcohol related liver disease. Many of these risks, as well as alcohol related liver disease, were either specific to HCC or were shared with intrahepatic CCA. For GBC, CCA and ampullary cancer infection of bile ducts was the main risk factor. Gallstone disease, nonhepatic autoimmune diseases and diabetes were associated with all hepatobiliary cancers. The limitations of the study include inability to cover some rare risk factors and limited follow-up time. Many of the considered comorbidities are characterized by chronic inflammation and/or overt immune disturbance in autoimmune diseases. The results suggest that local chronic inflammation and a related immune disturbance is the carcinogenic trigger for all these cancers.     

术前SCC与CYFRA21-1在肺鳞癌患者表达上调及临床意义

目的 分析术前SCC、CYFRA21-1与肺鳞癌临床病理特征、预后之间的关系。方法 收集2017年3月~2018年4月在云南省肿瘤医院确诊的肺鳞癌患者100例为观察组，确诊为肺良性肿瘤患者90名为肺良性肿瘤组、以及正常人群90名为健康人群组。通过电化学发光法对SCC、CYFRA21-1两种指标进行检测。检测SCC、CYFRA21-1含量，分析在肺鳞癌中表达的临床意义。结果 SCC、CYFRA21-1在肺鳞癌中比在肺良性肿瘤、健康人群中含量要高，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.001），并且敏感性均高于其他两组；男性患者的SCC、CYFRA21-1含量高于女性患者，差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）；SCC、CYFRA21-1含量在年龄≥60岁的含量高于＜60岁患者，差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）；有吸烟史患者的SCC含量高于无吸烟史患者，差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。CYFRA21-1在吸烟史患者中高表达，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）；SCC、CYFRA21-1在有淋巴结转移、远处转移、肿瘤直径≥5 cm、病理分期为晚期时高表达，差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）；SCC、CYFRA21-1阳性患者OS、PFS比阴性患者短；SCC、CYFRA21-1两者之间呈正相关,相关系数（r）为0.630。结论 SCC、CYFRA21-1在肺鳞癌中表达上调；SCC、CYFRA21-1与性别之间存在某种内在联系；SCC、CYFRA21-1与肺鳞癌的TNM分期呈正相关；SCC、CYFRA21-1阳性患者OS、PFS比阴性患者短；SCC、CYFRA21-1两者之间呈正相关,相关系数（r）为0.630。