Humans ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Lymph Node Excision ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Dissection

Objective To establish a nomogram for predicting the risk of cervical lymph node metastasis in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Methods The patients with complete clinical data of DTC and cervical lymph node ultrasound and diagnosed based on pathological evidence from January 2019 to December 2021 were assigned into a training group (n=444) and a validation group (n=125).Lasso regression was performed to screen the data with differences between groups,and multivariate Logistic regression to establish a prediction model with the factors screened out by Lasso regression.C-index and calibration chart were employed to evaluate the prediction performance of the established model. Results The predictive factors for establishing the model were lymph node short diameter≥0.5 cm,long-to-short-axis ratio<2,disappearance of lymph node hilum,cystic transformation,hyperechogenicity,calcification,and abnormal blood flow (all P<0.001).The established model demonstrated a good discriminative ability,with the C index of 0.938 (95%CI=0.926-0.961) in the training group. Conclusion The nomogram established based on the ultrasound image features of cervical lymph nodes in DTC can accurately predict the risk of cervical lymph node metastasis in DTC.
Humans ; Nomograms ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Neck/pathology* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/pathology* ; Adenocarcinoma/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies

Bladder cancer is a common malignant tumor of the urinary system.The prognosis of patients with positive lymph nodes is worse than that of patients with negative lymph nodes.An accurate assessment of preoperative lymph node statushelps to make treatmentdecisions,such as the extent of pelvic lymphadenectomy and the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Imaging examination and pathological examination are the primary methods used to assess the lymph node status of bladder cancer patients before surgery.However,these methods have low sensitivity and may lead to inaccuate staging of patients.We reviewed the research progress and made an outlook on the application of clinical diagnosis,imaging techniques,radiomics,and genomics in the preoperative evaluation of lymph node metastasis in bladder cancer patients at different stages.
Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Cystectomy/methods* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/pathology* ; Lymph Node Excision/methods* ; Lymph Nodes/pathology*

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of superior mediastinal lymph node metastases (sMLNM) in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Methods: This retrospective analysis enrolled the patients who were treated for sMLNM of MTC in our hospital from May 2012 to January 2021. All patients were suspected of sMLNM due to preoperative imaging. According to the pathological results, the patients were divided into two groups named sMLNM group and the negative superior-mediastinal-lymph-node group. We collected and analyzed the clinical features, pathological features, pre- and post-operative calcitonin (Ctn), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels of the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze risk factors, and receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to determine the optimal cut-off values of preoperative Ctn and preoperative CEA for predicting sMLNM. Results: Among the 94 patients, 69 cases were in the sMLNM group and 25 cases were in the non-SMLNM group. Preoperative Ctn level (P=0.003), preoperative CEA level (P=0.010), distant metastasis (P=0.022), extracapsular lymph node invasion (P=0.013), the number of central lymph node metastases (P=0.002) were related to sMLNM, but the multivariate analysis did not find any independent risk factors. The optimal threshold for predicting sMLNM by pre-operative Ctn is 1500 pg/ml and AUC is 0.759 (95% CI: 0.646, 0.872). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of diagnosis are 61.2%, 77.3%, 89.1%, 39.5%, respectively. In patients who underwent mediastinal lymph node dissection through transsternal approach, the metastatic possibility of different levels from high to low were level 2R (82.3%, 28/34), level 2L (58.8%, 20/34), level 4R (58.8%, 20/34), level 3 (23.5%, 8/34), level 4L (11.8%, 4/34). Postoperative complications occurred in 41 cases (43.6%), and there was no perioperative death in all cases. 14.8% (12/81) of the patients achieved biochemical complete response (Ctn≤12 pg/ml) one month after surgery, 5 of these patients were in sMLNM group. Conclusions: For patients who have highly suspicious sMLNM through imaging, combining with preoperative Ctn diagnosis can improve the accuracy of diagnosis, especially for patients with preoperative Ctn over 1 500 pg/ml. The superior mediastinal lymph node dissection for the primary sternotomy should include at least the superior mediastinal levels 2-4 to avoid residual lesions. The strategy of surgery needs to be cautiously performed. Although the probability of biochemical cure in sMLNM cases is low, nearly 40% of patients can still benefit from the operation at the biochemical level.
Humans ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/pathology* ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/pathology* ; Lymph Node Excision/methods*

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of digestive system with poor prognosis,and surgical resection is still the only hope for a radical cure. Although the current consensus and guidelines describe in detail the standard and extended range of lymph node dissection,the selection of specific range of lymph node dissection and its impact on prognosis are still controversial. Current studies have not only proposed some improved extent of lymph node dissection, such as total mesopancreas excision and Heidelberg triangle dissection, but also suggested different extent of lymph node dissection for ventral and dorsal pancreatic head cancer. In addition, the prognosis of pancreatic head cancer in uncinate process and non-uncinate process is different after para-aortic lymph node dissection, which is worthy of further study. Neoadjuvant therapy or conversion therapy provides more surgical opportunities for patients with pancreatic cancer. For these patients, Heidelberg triangle dissection has potential value in improving prognosis. This paper summarizes the exploration and latest progress of standard and extended lymph node dissection, lymph node dissection of specific site of pancreatic head cancer and the extent of lymph node dissection after neoadjuvant/transformation therapy in recent years.
Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/pathology* ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Pancreas/pathology* ; Prognosis

Objective To observe the effect of calcified lymph nodes on video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with lung cancer. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the COPD patients with lung cancer who underwent VATS lobectomy in the Department of Thoracic Surgery in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from May 2014 to May 2018.The patients were assigned into a calcified lymph node group and a control group according to the presence or absence of calcified lymph nodes in CT,and the size,morphology,and calcification degree of the lymph nodes were recorded.The operation duration,intraoperative blood loss,chest tube retention time,hospitalization days,and overall complication rate were compared between the two groups. Results The 30 patients in the calcified lymph node group included 17 patients with one calcified lymph node and 13 patients with two or more calcified lymph nodes,and a total of 65 calcified lymph nodes were recorded.The calcified lymph nodes with the size ≤5 mm were the most common (53.8%),and complete calcification was the most common form (55.4%) in lymph node calcification.The mean operation duration had no significant difference between the calcified lymph node group and the control group (t=-1.357,P=0.180).The intraoperative blood loss (t=-2.646,P=0.010),chest tube retention time (t=-2.302,P=0.025),and hospitalization days (t=-2.274,P=0.027) in the calcified lymph node group were higher than those in the control group. Conclusion Calcified lymph nodes increase the difficulty and risk of VATS lobectomy in the COPD patients with lung cancer.The findings of this study are conducive to predicting the perioperative process of VATS lobectomy.
Humans ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Retrospective Studies ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Calcinosis ; Lymph Nodes

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be detected with enlarged lymph nodes on imaging, but their benignity and malignancy are difficult to determine directly, making it difficult to stage the tumor and design radiotherapy target volumes. The clinical diagnosis of malignant lymph nodes is often based on the short diameter of lymph nodes ≥1 cm or the maximum standard uptake value ≥2.5, but the sensitivity and specificity of these criteria are too low to meet the clinical needs. In recent years, many advances have been made in diagnosing benign and malignant lymph nodes using other imaging parameters, and with the development of radiomics, deep learning and other technologies, models of mining the image information of enlarged lymph node regions further improve the diagnostic accuracy. The purpose of this paper is to review recent advances in imaging-based diagnosis of benign and malignant enlarged lymph nodes in NSCLC for more accurate and noninvasive assessment of lymph node status in clinical practice.
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Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology* ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that lymph node metastasis only occurs in some mixed ground-glass nodules (mGGNs) which the pathological results were invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC). However, the presence of lymph node metastasis leads to the upgrading of tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and worse prognosis of the patients, so it is important to perform the necessary evaluation before surgery to guide the operation method of lymph node. The aim of this study was to find suitable clinical and radiological indicators to distinguish whether mGGNs with pathology as IAC is accompanied by lymph node metastasis, and to construct a prediction model for lymph node metastasis. METHODS: From January 2014 to October 2019, the patients with resected IAC appearing as mGGNs in computed tomography (CT) scan were reviewed. All the lesions were divided into two groups (with lymph node metastasis or not) according to their lymph node status. Lasso regression model analysis by applying R software was used to evaluate the relationship between clinical and radiological parameters and lymph node metastasis of mGGNs. RESULTS: A total of 883 mGGNs patients were enroled in this study, among which, 12 (1.36%) showed lymph node metastasis. Lasso regression model analysis of clinical imaging information in mGGNs with lymph node metastasis showed that previous history of malignancy, mean density, mean density of solid components, burr sign and percentage of solid components were informative. Prediction model for lymph node metastasis in mGGNs was developed based on the results of Lasso regression model with area under curve=0.899. CONCLUSIONS Clinical information combined with CT imaging information can predict lymph node metastasis in mGGNs.
Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Lung Neoplasms ; Adenocarcinoma ; Lymph Nodes ; Social Group

Radical gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy has been widely performed as the standard surgery for patients with gastric cancer in major medical centers in China and abroad. However, the exact extent of lymph node dissection is still controversial. In the latest version of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Treatment Guidelines, No. 14v lymph nodes (along the root of the superior mesenteric vein) are again defined as loco-regional lymph nodes, and it is clarified that distal gastric cancer presenting with infra-pyloric regional lymph node (No.6) metastasis is recommended for D2+ superior mesenteric vein (No. 14v) lymph node dissection. To explore the relevance and clinical significance of No.6 and No.14v lymphadenectomy in radical gastric cancer surgery, a review of the national and international literature revealed that No.6 lymph node metastasis was associated with No.14v lymph node metastasis, that No.6 lymph node status was a valid predictor of No.14v lymph node negative status and false negative rate, and that for gastric cancer patients with No. 14v lymph node negative and No.6 lymph node positive, the dissection of No.14v lymph node may also have some significance. The addition of No. 14v lymph node dissection in radical gastrectomy is safe, but it is more important to distinguish the patients who can benefit from it. Professor Liang Han of Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital is currently leading a multicenter, large-sample, prospective clinical trial (NCT02272894) in China, which is expected to provide higher level evidence for the clinical significance of lymph node dissection in No.14v.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology* ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Lymph Node Excision ; Gastrectomy ; Multicenter Studies as Topic

After the implementation of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and total mesorectal excision, lateral local recurrence becomes the major type of local recurrence after surgery in rectal cancer. Most lateral recurrence develops from enlarged lateral lymph nodes on an initial imaging study. Evidence is accumulating to support the combined use of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and lateral lymph node dissection. The accuracy of diagnosing lateral lymph node metastasis remains poor. The size of lateral lymph nodes is still the most commonly used variable with the most consistent accuracy and the cut-off value ranging from 5 to 8 mm on short axis. The morphological features, differentiation of the primary tumor, circumferential margin, extramural venous invasion, and response to chemoradiotherapy are among other risk factors to predict lateral lymph node metastasis. Planning multiple disciplinary treatment strategies for patients with suspected nodes must consider both the risk of local recurrence and distant metastasis. Total neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is the most promising regimen for patients with a high risk of recurrence. Simultaneous Integrated Boost Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy seemingly improves the local control of positive lateral nodes. However, its impact on the safety of surgery in patients with no response to the treatment or regrowth of lateral nodes remains unclear. For patients with smaller nodes below the cut-off value or shrunken nodes after treatment, a close follow-up strategy must be performed to detect the recurrence early and perform a salvage surgery. For patients with stratified lateral lymph node metastasis risks, plans containing different multiple disciplinary treatments must be carefully designed for long-term survival and better quality of life.
Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology* ; Quality of Life ; Neoplasm Staging ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Rectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Lymph Node Excision/methods* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/surgery*