1.Efficacy and tolerance of methotrexate in maintenance of remission in 49 patients with Crohn′s disease
Tianyu ZHANG ; Jie ZHONG ; Zhengting WANG ; Shurong HU ; Mengmeng CHENG ; Maochen ZHANG ; Yun LIN ; Jie ZHOU ; Lei WANG ; Rong FAN
Chinese Journal of Digestion 2016;36(7):466-470
Objective To analyze the efficacy and tolerance of methotrexate(MTX)in remission maintenance of Crohn′s disease (CD).Methods From June 2012 to August 2015 ,49 CD patients who received MTX as mainly treatment medication to maintain remission were enrolled.The pre-medication history,efficacy,dosage and side effects of MTX were analyzed.The effects of inducing strategy on disease recurrence were analyzed.Chi-square test and t test were used for statistical analysis.Results Among the 49 patients,34 (69.4%)received steroids for remission inducing,nine (18.4%)received infliximab for remission inducing and six (12.2%)achieved remission after operation.In the 44 patients treated with azathioprine (AZA)before,the median treatment time was one month and the dosage for withdrawal of AZA was (42.0 ± 14.8)mg/d.The most common reason was leucopenia (81 .8%, 36/44).Till the time point of follow-up,46 of the 49 CD patients still took MTX orally with a median treatment time of 16 months,and the weekly dosage was (12.7 ±2.0)mg.Thirty-one cases (67.4%) achieved clinical stability,while 15 cases (32.6%)underwent clinical recurrence.The median Crohn′s disease activity index (CDAI)was 123.5 ± 66.6.The weekly dosage of clinical stability group was (12.5 ±2.1)mg,and that of clinical recurrence group was (13.0 ±1 .7 )mg,there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (t =0.802,P =0.426 ).The recurrence rate of steroids-induced remission group was 41 .2% (14/34 ),which was higher than that of infliximab and surgery-induced remission group (1/15),and the differnce was statistically significant (χ2 =5 .177,P =0.023 ). The common side effects were gastrointestinal reaction (26.5 %, 13/49 ), impaired liver function (20.4%,10/49)and leukopenia (12.2%,6/49).Only three cases could not tolerate the side effects and underwent medication withdrawal.Conclusions As a second-line immunosuppressant for maintanence remission in CD,MTX is effective and well-tolerated in patients.So it can be an important option during the long course of CD.
2.Progress in immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Zongyi SHEN ; Maochen LI ; Suhang BAI ; Qingkun YANG ; Fuhan ZHANG ; Mao TANG ; Jiangyu GUO ; Zhao YANG
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2019;35(12):2326-2338
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the malignant tumors with the highest morbidity and mortality in the world. The morbidity and mortality of HCC are increasing every year. Liver cancer is a serious threat to public health in China and the death rate of patients with liver cancer in China is the highest in the world. Beyond surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, immunotherapy is an emerging treatment for cancer, which could control and kill tumor cells by relieving the inhibitory status of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and activating the immune function of the body. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive immunotherapy and tumor vaccine are the major treatments of immunotherapy. Compared with traditional therapy methods, immunotherapy could enhance immune function, delay tumor progression, prolong the survival time of patients, and becomes a hotspot in the basic and clinical cancer research. This article reviews the research progress of immunotherapy for liver cancer.
Cancer Vaccines
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Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
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therapy
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China
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Humans
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Immunotherapy
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Liver Neoplasms
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therapy
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Tumor Microenvironment