The purpose of the present experiment was to observe the morphological characteristics and invasiveness of a transplantable cancer NO 27 (U 27) after serial passages about 20 years. The results were as follows: The morphological characteristics of this tumor strain was low-differentiated carcinoma which were demonstrated by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In the cytoplasm the single irregular distribution of the tensile fibrils and some semi-desmosome between adjacent cells were discovered by transmission electron microscopy. Two types of cancer cells were observed on the surface of the cancer nest by scanning electron microcopy:Ⅰ), There were many microvilli on the surface of the first type cancer cells; 2). The surface of the cancer cells of the second type were more flat sometimes with single small blebs. Many cancer cells had been released from cancer cell clump after 3 days of intramuscular implantation. Later they actively invaded into the spaces between muscle fibers in the form of amebae. Some cancer cells stretched out their filopodia directly in contact with target cells. The degenerative and atrophic changes of muscle tissue appeared in the invasive area of cancer cells. Finally these changes were leading to the disappearance of the entire structure of the muscle with the replacement by cancer tissues.

CNE cells were cultured on cover glasses placed in the culture flasks, and were examined under scanning electron microscope 6,24, 48,72, and 96 hours after cultivation. The results were as following: The surface structures of tumor cells changed in different intervals of cultivation. Evenly distributed zeiotic blebs were found on the surface of tumor cell after 24 hours of cultivation and most of these blebs were seen at marginal areas of tumor cells after 2 days of cultivation, and finally disappeared after 3 days of cultivation. In addition to the blebs some microvilli which had increased since the second day of cultivation were seen over the margin of tumor cells. On the third day of cultivation a large number of microvilli were seen distributed over the entire surface of tumor cells. Besides microvilli and zeiotie blebs, lamellipodia and ruffles were also observed after 24 hours, but vanished after 48 hours of cultivation. The filopodia were seen over the whole process of cultivation. They usually divided into 2、3 branches and the expanded ends looked like suckers. All these data indicated that the surface structure of tumor cells were variable in different periods of cultivation.

Objective:To investigate the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with esophageal cancer (EC).Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 8 458 EC patients who were admitted to Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were collected. There were 6 923 males and 1 535 females, aged (64±9)years. There were 3 187 patients undergoing surgical treatment, and 5 271 cases undergoing non-surgical treatment. Observation indicators: (1) incidence of VTE in EC patients; (2) treatment and outcomes of patients with VTE. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was analyzed using the nonparameter rank sum test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data was analyzed using the nonparameter rank sum test. Results:(1) Incidence of VTE in EC patients. Of 8 458 EC patients, 175 cases developed VTE, with an incidence rate of 2.069%(175/8 458). Among 175 VTE patients, there were 164 cases of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), 4 cases of pulmonary embolism (PE), 7 cases of DVT and PE. There were 59 surgical patients and 116 non-surgical patients. There was no significant difference in thrombus type between surgical and non-surgical EC patients with VTE ( χ2=1.95, P>0.05). Of 3 187 surgical patients, the incidence of VTE was 1.851%(59/3 187), including an incidence of 0.157%(5/3 187) of PE. PE accounted for 8.475%(5/59) of surgical patients with VTE. Of 5 271 non-surgical patients, the incidence of VTE was 2.201%(116/5 271), including an incidence of 0.114%(6/5 271) of PE. PE accounted for 5.172%(6/116) of non-surgical patients with VTE. There was no significant difference in the incidence of VTE or PE between surgical patients and non-surgical patients ( χ2=1.20, 0.05, P>0.05). (2) Treatment and outcomes of patients with VTE. Among 175 EC patients with VTE, 163 cases underwent drug treatment, and 12 cases did not receive treatment. Among 163 cases with drug therapy, 158 cases underwent anticoagulant therapy, 5 cases were treated with thrombolysis. All the 163 patients were improved and discharged from hospital. Conclusions:The incidence of VTE in patients with EC is relatively low, as 2.069%. There is no significant difference in the incidence of VTE or thrombus type between surgical EC patients and non-surgical EC patients.

Objective To compare the long-term survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with surgical versus non-surgical treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of elderly patients aged ≥70 years with ESCC who underwent esophagectomy or radiotherapy/chemotherapy at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2009 to September 2017. Patients were divided into a surgical group (S group) and a non-surgical group (NS group) according to the treatment method. The propensity score matching method was used to match the two groups of patients at a ratio of 1∶1, and the survival of the two groups before and after matching was analyzed. Results A total of 726 elderly patients with ESCC were included, including 552 males and 174 females, with 651 patients aged ≥70-80 years and 75 patients aged ≥80-90 years. There were 515 patients in the S group and 211 patients in the NS group. The median follow-up time was 60.8 months, and the median overall survival of the S group was 41.9 months [95%CI (35.2, 48.5)], while that of the NS group was only 24.0 months [95%CI (19.8, 28.3)]. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of the S group were 84%, 54%, and 40%, respectively, while those of the NS group were 72%, 40%, and 30%, respectively [HR=0.689, 95%CI (0.559, 0.849), P<0.001]. After matching, 138 patients were included in each group, and there was no statistical difference in the overall survival between the two groups [HR=0.871, 95%CI (0.649, 1.167), P=0.352]. Conclusion Compared with conservative treatment, there is no significant difference in the long-term survival of elderly patients aged ≥70 years who undergo esophagectomy for ESCC. Neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery is still an important choice to potentially improve the survival of elderly patients with ESCC.