Objective:To explore the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis (PM) receiving programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody therapy, and investigate the biomarkers that affect the prognosis of anti-PD-1 therapy.Methods:This restrospecific study collected the clinic-pathological data of 56 patients with peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer who received first-line treatment in the Nanjing Drum Town Hospital from March 2020 to September 2023, among which 41 had received anti-PD-1 immunotherapy and 15 hadn't. The relationship between overall survival (OS) and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The relationship between baseline peripheral blood indicators and treatment response of patients with anti-PD-1 treatment was analyzed using unpaired t-test. Subsequently, the Cox proportional risk regression model was used to explore the clinical prognostic factors that may affect anti-PD-1 immunotherapy by univariate and multivariate analysis. The clinical prognostic factors included baseline data and baseline peripheral blood indexes such as anti-PD-1 treatment lines, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS), combined positive score (CPS), expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2), EBER status, pathological types, other metastatic lesions, ascites content before immunotherapy, with or without abdominal drainage during anti-PD-1 treatment, blood lipid indicators, inflammatory indicators, and tumor indicators. Results:Kaplan-Meier survival statistics showed similar OS (15.9 vs. 15.2 months, P=0.600) in patients with anti-PD-1 therapy compared to those without anti-PD-1 therapy. Patients with baseline high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ≥0.97 mmol/L ( n=22) demonstrated a significantly longer median OS compared to those with HDL＜0.97 mmol/L (15.2 vs. 13.5 months; P=0.018). Similarly, the cohort with apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) levels ≥0.86 g/L ( n=21) showed superior survival outcomes, with a median OS of 17.7 months versus 12.3 months in the ApoA1＜0.86 g/L group ( n=20; P=0.006). In contrast, elevated baseline alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels ( n=2) were associated with markedly reduced survival (median OS: 5.7 vs. 15.2 months in normal AFP group, n=37; P=0.005). Notably, elevated pretreatment ApoA1 levels correlated with enhanced immunotherapy response ( P=0.017). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that ApoA1 deficiency (≥0.86 g/L) independently predicted better OS following PD-1 antibody therapy ( HR=0.35, 95% CI: 0.12-0.98, P=0.046) in gastric cancer patients with PM. Conclusions:In our study, it is first proposed that ApoA1 could be a significant predictor of the survival advantages of immunotherapy in gastric cancer patients with PM.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of radiotherapy as a combined mode with in-situ vaccine for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma(STS).Methods:The clinical data of 12 patients with advanced STS who received combination therapy mode at the Cancer Center of Gulou Hospital Affiliated to the School of Medicine of Nanjing University between December 2020 and September 2024 were retrospectively analyzed.All 12 patients received combined therapy.The main radiotherapeutic approach was hypofractionated radiotherapy.The targeted therapy mainly involved Anlotinib(in 10 cases)or Apatinib(in 2 cases).Immunotherapy mainly involved PD-1 antibodies.The primary endpoint was disease control rate(DCR),and the secondary endpoints were objective response rate(ORR)and safety.Results:Among the 12 STS patients who received combined treatment,0 cases achieved CR,4 cases achieved PR;7 cases had SD,and 1 case had PD.The ORR was 33%,and the DCR was 91.7%,among which the DCR of the target lesions was 100%.Among the 12 patients,9 patients experienced grade Ⅰ to grade Ⅱ adverse reactions.The most frequently occurring hematological adverse reactions were anemia(6 cases)and abnormal results of liver function tests(3 cases).The most frequently occurring non-hematological adverse reactions were proteinuria(5 cases),hypertension(4 cases),abnormal thyroid function(3 cases),anorexia(3 cases),and nausea and vomiting(2 cases).Only 2 cases had grade Ⅲ hematological toxicity,and 1 case had grade Ⅲpneumothorax.Conclusion:Radiotherapy as a combined therapy mode with in situ vaccine can achieve a higher DCR in advanced soft tissue sarcomas without serious adverse reactions.This combined treatment modality demonstrates good efficacy and safety.

Objective:To explore the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis (PM) receiving programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody therapy, and investigate the biomarkers that affect the prognosis of anti-PD-1 therapy.Methods:This restrospecific study collected the clinic-pathological data of 56 patients with peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer who received first-line treatment in the Nanjing Drum Town Hospital from March 2020 to September 2023, among which 41 had received anti-PD-1 immunotherapy and 15 hadn't. The relationship between overall survival (OS) and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The relationship between baseline peripheral blood indicators and treatment response of patients with anti-PD-1 treatment was analyzed using unpaired t-test. Subsequently, the Cox proportional risk regression model was used to explore the clinical prognostic factors that may affect anti-PD-1 immunotherapy by univariate and multivariate analysis. The clinical prognostic factors included baseline data and baseline peripheral blood indexes such as anti-PD-1 treatment lines, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS), combined positive score (CPS), expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2), EBER status, pathological types, other metastatic lesions, ascites content before immunotherapy, with or without abdominal drainage during anti-PD-1 treatment, blood lipid indicators, inflammatory indicators, and tumor indicators. Results:Kaplan-Meier survival statistics showed similar OS (15.9 vs. 15.2 months, P=0.600) in patients with anti-PD-1 therapy compared to those without anti-PD-1 therapy. Patients with baseline high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ≥0.97 mmol/L ( n=22) demonstrated a significantly longer median OS compared to those with HDL＜0.97 mmol/L (15.2 vs. 13.5 months; P=0.018). Similarly, the cohort with apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) levels ≥0.86 g/L ( n=21) showed superior survival outcomes, with a median OS of 17.7 months versus 12.3 months in the ApoA1＜0.86 g/L group ( n=20; P=0.006). In contrast, elevated baseline alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels ( n=2) were associated with markedly reduced survival (median OS: 5.7 vs. 15.2 months in normal AFP group, n=37; P=0.005). Notably, elevated pretreatment ApoA1 levels correlated with enhanced immunotherapy response ( P=0.017). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that ApoA1 deficiency (≥0.86 g/L) independently predicted better OS following PD-1 antibody therapy ( HR=0.35, 95% CI: 0.12-0.98, P=0.046) in gastric cancer patients with PM. Conclusions:In our study, it is first proposed that ApoA1 could be a significant predictor of the survival advantages of immunotherapy in gastric cancer patients with PM.

Objective:To investigate the surgical efficacy and prognosis influencing factors of hilar cholangiocarcinoma based on multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 91 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma who underwent surgery in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from April 2004 to April 2021 were collected. There were 59 males and 32 females, aged (61±10)years. Patients who were admitted from April 2004 to March 2014 underwent traditional surgical diagnosis and treatment, and patients who were admitted from April 2014 to April 2021 underwent multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment. Observation indica-tors: (1) surgical situations; (2) postoperative situations; (3) postoperative pathological examina-tions; (4) postoperative prognosis analysis; (5) influencing factors of postoperative prognosis. Follow-up was conducted using telephone interview and outpatient examination. Patients were followed up once every 6 months after surgery to detect survival. The follow-up was up to April 2023. Measure-ment data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the rank sum test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curve and calculate survival rate. The Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the COX proportional hazard model. Results:(1) Surgical situations. Of the 91 patients, there were 65 cases receiving hemi- or expanded hemi-hepatectomy, 13 cases receiving tri-hepatectomy, 9 cases receiving partial hepatectomy, 4 cases receiving extrahepatic bile duct resection. There were 24 cases receiving combined vein resection and reconstruction, 8 cases receiving combined pancreaticoduodenectomy, 6 cases receiving com-bined hepatic artery resection and reconstruction, including 24 cases receiving extended radical surgery (tri-hepatectomy, hepatic artery resection and reconstruction, hepatopancreaticoduodenec-tomy). The operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss and intraoperative blood transfusion rate of 91 patients was (590±124)minutes, 800(range, 500?1 200)mL and 75.8%(69/91), respectively. Of the 91 patients, cases receiving extended radical surgery, the volume of intraoperative blood loss were 4, 650(range, 300?1 000)mL in the 31 patients who were admitted from April 2004 to March 2014, versus 20, 875 (range, 500?1 375)mL in the 60 patients who were admitted from April 2014 to April 2021, showing significant differences between them ( χ2=4.39, Z=0.31, P<0.05). (2) Post-operative situations. The postoperative duration of hospital stay and cases with postoperative infectious complications were (27±17)days and 50 in the 91 patients. Cases with abdominal infection, cases with infection of incision, cases with bacteremia and cases with pulmonary infection were 43, 7, 5, 8 in the 91 patients. One patient might have multiple infectious complications. Cases with bile leakage, cases with delayed gastric emptying, cases with chylous leakage, cases with liver failure, cases with pancreatic fistula, cases with intraperitoneal hemorrhage, cases with reoperation, cases dead during the postoperative 90 days were 30, 9, 9, 6, 5, 3, 6, 3 in the 91 patients. Cases with abdominal infection was 10 in the 31 patients who were admitted from April 2004 to March 2014, versus 33 in the 60 patients who were admitted from April 2014 to April 2021, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=4.24, P<0.05). Cases dead during the postoperative 90 days was 3 in the 31 patients who were admitted from April 2004 to March 2014, versus 0 in the 60 patients who were admitted from April 2014 to April 2021, showing a significant difference between them ( P<0.05). (3) Post-operative pathological examinations. Of the 91 patients, cases with Bismuth type as type Ⅰ?Ⅱ, type Ⅲ, type Ⅳ, cases with T staging as Tis stage, T1 stage, T2a?2b stage, T3 stage, T4 stage, cases with N staging as N0 stage, N1 stage, N2 stage, cases with M staging as M0 stage, M1 stage, cases with TNM staging as 0 stage, Ⅰ stage, Ⅱ stage, Ⅲ stage, ⅣA stage, ⅣB stage, cases with R 0 radical resection, cases with R 1 or R 2 resection were 15, 46, 30, 1, 9, 25, 30, 26, 49, 36, 6, 85, 6, 1, 7, 13, 58, 6, 6, 63, 28. Cases with R 0 radical resection, cases with R 1 or R 2 resection were 15, 16 in the 31 patients who were admitted from April 2004 to March 2014, versus 48, 12 in the 60 patients who were admitted from April 2014 to April 2021, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=9.59, P<0.05). (4) Postoperative prognosis analysis. Of the 91 patients, 3 cases who died within 90 days after surgery were excluded, and the 5-year overall survival rate and median overall survival time of the rest of 88 cases were 44.7% and 55 months. The 5-year overall survival rate was 33.5% in the 28 patients who were admitted from April 2004 to March 2014, versus 50.4% in the 60 patients who were admitted from April 2014 to April 2021, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=5.31, P<0.05). Results of further analysis showed that the corresponding 5-year overall survival rate of cases without lymph node metastasis was 43.8% in the 16 patients who were admitted from April 2004 to March 2014, versus 61.6% in the 31 patients who were admitted from April 2014 to April 2021. There was a significant difference in the 5-year overall survival rate between these patients without lymph node metastasis ( χ2=3.98, P<0.05). The corresponding 5-year overall survival rate of cases with lymph node metastasis was 18.5% in the 12 patients who were admitted from April 2004 to March 2014, versus 37.7% in the 29 patients who were admitted from April 2014 to April 2021. There was no significant difference in the 5-year overall survival rate between these patients with lymph node metastasis ( χ2=2.25, P>0.05). (5) Influencing factors of postoperative prognosis. Results of multivariate analysis showed that poorly differentiated tumor and R 1 or R 2 resection were inde-pendent risk factors influencing prognosis after surgical treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma ( hazard ratio=2.62, 2.71, 95% confidence interval as 1.30?5.29, 1.30?5.69, P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with traditional surgical diagnosis and treatment, treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma based on multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment can expand surgical indications, reduce proportion of dead patients within 90 days after surgery, improve proportation of radical resection and long-term survival rate. Poorly differentiated tumor and R 1 or R 2 resection are independent risk factors influencing prognosis after surgical treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Objective:To discuss the efficacy of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) on the patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC).Methods:The clinicopathological data of bladder cancer patients who did not receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy and underwent RC in our center from November 2013 to December 2019 were collected. The average age of the patients was (67.4±10.9) years, including 284 males and 55 females. Postoperative pathology showed that 171 cases of MIBC and 168 cases of NMIBC. In the MIBC group, 124 patients received PLND. In the NMIBC group, 118 patients received PLND. There was no statistical difference of the PLND ratio between the two groups(72.5% vs. 65.5%, P=0.643). The average number of lymph nodes(LNs)in patients receiving PLND was(13.7±7.1). Explore the prognostic factors in NMIBC and MIBC respectively. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the effect of PLND on the prognosis of patients in MIBC and NMIBC group. Results:In MIBC group, 26 patients showed positive LNs, while 98 had negative LNs. 144 cases were high-grade urothelial carcinoma, and 47 cases received adjuvant treatment. In NMIBC group, 4 patients exhibited positive LNs, while 114 had negative LNs. 99 cases were high-grade urothelial carcinoma, and 15 cases received adjuvant treatment. After a median follow-up of 24(13, 43)months, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the 5-year overall survival(OS)of 395 patients was 63.6%. MIBC had a 5-year OS rate of 47.5%, while NMIBC had a rate of 79.1%. Univariate Cox regression showed that age≥65 years( HR=2.07, 95% CI 1.21-3.54, P=0.009), high tumor grade( HR=9.76, 95% CI 2.39-39.90, P<0.01), and positive lymph nodes( HR=2.47, 95% CI 1.27-4.78, P=0.008)were risk factors for the prognosis of MIBC.PLND ( HR=0.37, 95% CI 0.23-0.60, P<0.01) and adjuvant therapy ( HR=0.21, 95% CI 0.10-0.46, P<0.01) were protective factors of MIBC. However, the only risk factor of NMIBC was high tumor grade ( HR=6.66, 95% CI1.51-29.50, P=0.012). PLND had no effect on the prognosis of NMIBC patients following RC( HR=1.32, 95% CI 0.37-4.75, P=0.667). Multivariate COX regression analysis revealed that high tumor grade( HR=6.38, 95% CI 1.54-26.50, P=0.011) was independent risk factor of MIBC, PLND( HR=0.59, 95% CI 0.35-0.99, P=0.047), as well as adjuvant therapy ( HR=0.30, 95% CI 0.13-0.68, P=0.004) were independent protective factors of MIBC. Further analysis discovered that MIBC patients with negative LNs had a better prognosis than those with no PLND (62.4% vs. 16.1%, P<0.01)and positive LNs(62.4% vs.32.3%, P=0.005). However, there was no difference in prognosis between the negative LNs and no PLND group in NMIBC patients (81.3% vs. 66.6%, P=0.764). Conclusions:This study found that PLND was an independent predictive factor for MIBC patients receiving radical cystectomy.

Objective:To investigate the value of the vesical imaging reporting and data system score (VI-RADS) in the prognostic assessment of patients with bladder cancer.Methods:The data of 294 patients with pathologically confirmed bladder cancer in our department from February 2012 to September 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Divide the patients into two groups based on the surgical method. In the transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) group, there were 121 cases, 102 males and 19 females; The average age of the patients was (66.7±12.3) years old, 52 cases <65 years old, 69 cases ≥65 years old, with VI-RADS <3 in 84 cases, VI-RADS ≥3 in 37 cases. In the radical cystectomy (RC) group, there were 173 cases, including 154 males and 19 females; The average age of the patients was (65.7±10.8) years, 77 cases <65 years old, 96 cases ≥65 years old, with VI-RADS <3 in 51 cases and VI-RADS ≥3 in 122 cases. The prognostic factors of TURBT group and RC group were analyzed, and the predictive value of VI-RADS score on overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) of bladder cancer patients after surgery was analyzed.Results:In this study, there were 294 cases with postoperative pathological diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma. The pathological staging was Ta stage in 104 cases (35.4%), T 1stage in 82 cases (27.9%), T 2 stage in 58 cases (19.7%), T 3 stage in 34 cases (11.6%), and T 4stage in 16 cases (5.4%). Pathological grading: 11 cases (3.7%) were low malignant potential, 77 cases (26.2%) were low grade, and 206 cases (70.1%) were high grade. There were 186 cases (63.3%) in the NMIBC group and 108 cases (36.7%) in the MIBC group. In the TURBT group, there were 114 cases (94.2%) in the NMIBC group and 7 cases (5.8%) in the MIBC group; In the RC group, there were 72 cases (41.6%) in the NMIBC group and 101 cases (58.4%) in the MIBC group. In the NMIBC group, the VI-RADS<3 and ≥3 were 128 cases (68.8%) and 58 cases (31.2%), respectively ( P<0.01); In the MIBC group, 101 cases (93.5%) had a VI-RADS <3 and 7 cases (6.5%) had a VI-RADS ≥ 3, respectively ( P<0.01). In the high grade of postoperative pathological group, 62 cases (30.1%) had a VI-RADS <3 and 144 cases (69.9%) had a VI-RADS ≥ 3, respectively ( P<0.01); In the non-high grade of postoperative pathological group, the VI-RADS <3 and ≥ 3 were 73 cases (83.0%) and 15 cases (17.0%), respectively ( P<0.01). The median OS survival for all patients in this study was 27.4 (16.6, 38.1)months and the median PFS survival was 24.7(14.0, 36.8) months. The results of univariate analysis showed that age ≥ 65 years old (OS: HR=6.09, P=0.001; PFS: HR=1.71, P=0.035), postoperative pathological diagnosis of tumor muscle infiltration (OS: HR=4.66, P<0.01; PFS: HR=2.24, P=0.001), postoperative high-grade tumor (OS: HR=4.26, P=0.008; PFS: HR=1.92, P=0.023), and VI-RADS score ≥ 3 (OS: HR=4.24, P=0.001; PFS: HR=2.21, P=0.002) were associated with poorer OS and PFS in patients. Multifactorial Cox model analysis revealed that a score of VI-RADS ≥3 was an independent risk factor for OS ( HR=3.41, P=0.012) and PFS ( HR=2.23, P=0.016). In the TURBT group, univariate analysis found that VI-RADS ≥3 ( HR=2.05, P=0.053) and high grade of postoperative pathology ( HR=2.77, P=0.005) were associated with poor PFS in patients, multifactorial Cox model analysis found only high grade of postoperative pathology ( HR=2.54, P=0.013) to be an independent risk factor for PFS. In the RC group, VI-RADS ≥3 ( HR=3.29, P=0.032) and age ≥65 years ( HR=5.37, P=0.001) were found to be independent risk factors for OS. The survival curve showed that the 5-year OS rates for groups with a VI-RADS ≥ 3 and <3 were 93.9% and 73.1%, respectively ( P<0.01), and the 5-year PFS rates for groups with a VI-RADS ≥ 3 and <3 were 76.5% and 53.0%, respectively ( P<0.01), with statistically significant differences. Conclusions:This study showed that VI-RADS ≥3 was an independent risk factor for prognosis in patients with bladder cancer and was more significant in patients receiving RC, but was not a significant predictor of prognosis in patients receiving TURBT.

Objective:To compare the prognosis and complications of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) followed by ileal neobladder.Methods:The clinical data of 103 patients who underwent orthotopic ileal neobladder in Jiangsu Province Hospital from April 2010 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 51 MIBC patients and 52 NMIBC patients. In the MIBC group, there were 49 males and 2 females, aged (58.1 ± 8.9) years, with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 1-2 in 48 cases and 3 in 3 cases. Open radical cystectomy (ORC) was performed in 2 cases, laparoscopic (LRC) in 34 cases and robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) in 15 cases. In the NMIBC group, there were 49 males and 3 females, aged (55.7 ± 9.9) years, ASA score of 1-2 in 51 cases and ASA score of 3 in 1 case. LRC was performed in 41 cases, and RARC in 11 cases. There were no statistically differences between the two groups in above indicators ( P>0.05). The Clavien-Dindo grading system (CCS) was used to assess the complications, defining CCS Ⅰ-Ⅱ as mild complications and CCS Ⅲ-Ⅴ as severe complications. According to their relationship to the neobladder, complications were be classified as neobladder-related and non-neobladder-related complications. The occurrence of complications and the prognosis of neobladder between MIBC and NMIBC were compared. Results:The average operation time of the MIBC group and NMIBC group were (421.2 ± 119.7) min vs. (439.8 ± 106.2) min. The blood loss were 400 (300, 700) ml vs. 400 (300, 625) ml. The frequency of lymph nodes removed were (14.9 ± 8.3) vs. (14.8 ± 8.5). The postoperative defecation time were 5 (4, 6) d vs. 5 (3, 6) d. And the postoperative hospital stay were 20 (15, 28) d vs. 22 (19, 28) d. There were no statistically differences between the two groups in above indicators ( P>0.05). The MIBC group had a significantly lower rate of pelvic lymph node metastasis [17.6% (9/51) vs. 0(0/52), P=0.001] and tumor thrombosis [23.5% (12/51) vs. 5.8% (3/51), P=0.011] than the MIBC group. Moreover, the NMIBC group had a considerably superior 5-year overall survival (OS) (97.6% vs. 70.2%, P=0.035). The proportion of pads needed in the daytime of the MIBC group and NMIBC group were 14.6% (7/46) vs. 6.7% (3/45). The frequency of urination were (2.0 ± 0.7) h vs. (2.4 ± 0.7) h. Furthermore, The proportion of pads needed at night were 47.9% (23/48) vs. 53.3% (24/45). The frequency of nocturnal urination were 3.1±1.5 vs. 2.3 ± 1.7. And the number of pads needed at night were all 1 (0, 1) pad. The daytime and nighttime incontinence rate were 25.0% (12/48) and 62.5% (30/48) respectively in MIBC, compared to 11.1% (5/45) and 62.2% (28/45) respectively in NMIBC. And the proportion of erectile function retention were 15.8% (6/38) vs. 25.0% (10/40). There were no statistically significant differences in the prognosis of neobladder function between the two groups ( P>0.05). Furthermore, the proportions of mild complications in the MIBC group and NMIBC group were [41.2% (21/51) vs. 51.9 (27/52)]. The proportions of severe complications were [21.6% (11/51) vs. 19.2% (27/52)]. The proportions of neobladder-related complications were [27.5% (14/51) vs. 25.0% (13/52)]. And the proportions of non-neobladder-related complications were [39.2% (20/51) vs. 25.0% (13/52)]. There were no statistically significant differences in the complications between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:There was no statistically significant difference in functional prognosis and complications of neobladder between MIBC group and NMIBC group, and NMIBC had a better oncologic prognosis.

[Abstract] Objective: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of CEAmRNAin peritoneal lavage fluid for patients with gastric cancer after radical surgery. Methods: The clinical data of 139 gastric cancer patients, who underwent peritoneal lavage CEA mRNA detection after radical resection in the Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Drum Tower Hospital from January 2013 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Routine post-operative follow-up was conducted in all patients. The expression of CEA mRNA in peritoneal lavage fluid after radical resection of 139 gastric cancer patients was detected by RT-PCR. Chi-square test analysis was used to study the relationship between the expression of CEA mRNA in peritoneal lavage fluid and basic clinical features, histopathological data, hematological indicators and the recurrence pattern of GC patients. Logistic univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to screen the influential factors affecting CEA mRNA expression. Results: CEA mRNA was positive in 44 (31.7%) of 139 patients. Analysis showed that there was no significant correlation between CEA mRNA expression and sex, age, pathological grade, Lauren type, HER2, EGFR, VEGFR and Ki67 (all P>0.05), but there was significant correlation between CEA mRNA expression and pathological type, vascular invasion, local invasion depth, lymph node metastasis and clinical AJCC stage (all P<0.05). The peritoneal recurrence rate of patients with positive CEA mRNA expression was significantly higher than that of patients with negative expression (P=0.012). Logistic univariate regression analysis showed that signet ring cell carcinoma (P=0.04, HR=2.810， 95% CI: 1.050-7.520), T stage (P=0.016，HR=6.329, 95% CI: 1.417-28.264), N stage (P=0.022，HR=3.068，95% CI: 1.172-8.027), AJCC stage (P=0.016，HR= 3.971, 95% CI: 1.295-12.173), nerve invasion (P=0.002, HR=6.738, 95% CI: 1.995-22.757) and vascular invasion (P<0.001, HR= 16.36, 95% CI: 3.85-69.512) were risk factors for positive CEA mRNA expression in peritoneal lavage fluid of patients with gastric cancer. Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that vascular invasion (P<0.001, HR=21.314，95% CI: 4.21-107.907) was an independent risk factor for positive CEAexpression in peritoneal lavage fluid of gastric cancer patients. Conclusion: Gastric cancer patients with positive CEA mRNA in peritoneal lavage fluid have higher risk of peritoneal recurrence or metastasis and poorer prognosis. So, more aggressive anti-tumor treatments including local abdominal cavity treatment should be considered.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of helical tomotherapy using simultaneously integrated boost and simultaneous integrated protection technique in the treatment of unresectable biliary tract cancers. Methods: The data of 23 patients with unresectable biliary tract cancer who received tomotherapy-based hypofractionated radiotherapy at Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Drum Tower Hospital,the Affiliated Drum Tower Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University between February 2015 and October 2017 were analyzed. There were 10 males and 13 females, aged from 40 to 85 years(median:58 years). Pathological type included intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas(n=11), gallbladder cancers(n=6),extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas(n=6). The irradiated sites covered primary tumors and areas of local invasion,including metastatic lymph nodes which were confined to the abdominal or retroperitoneal space. Dose escalation was achieved using simultaneously integrated boost(SIB) technique, and simultaneous integrated protection(SIP)technique was used to protect gastrointestinal tracts and other adjacent organs. Cox regression modal and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to analyze the associations between patients′ characteristics and overall survival(OS). Results: The median total radiation dose was 54 Gy(range: 28-72 Gy)and median biologically effective dose(BED)was 74.4 Gy(range: 37.8-115.2 Gy).The median planning target volume(PTV)was 445.79 cm³(range:126.02-950.12 cm³). Based on the various PTV,patients received 2.4-6.0 Gy/fraction with 8-28 fractions. The local control rate was 65.2% and the median OS was 11.3 months(range:2.1-31.9 months).The most common cause of death was out-field failure and only 3 patients died of in-field failures. The longest survival was 31.9 months. BED≥70 Gy significantly improved OS,compared to BED<70 Gy(16.8 months vs.5.1 months)(HR=0.146, 95%CI:0.028-0.762, P=0.022). No patients developed grade ≥4 toxicities. Conclusions Helical tomotherapy-based hypofractionated radiotherapy is effective and well tolerated for patients with unresectable biliary tract cancer. The dose escalation with higher BED could improve the survival for such patients.

Objective: To prepare human peripheral blood T lymphocytes with TIM3 (T cell immunologlobulin and mucin-3) gene knockout by using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique and plasmid electrotransfection system, and to discuss whether the knockout of TIM3 gene could enhance the immune response and anti-tumor efficacy of T cells. Methods: Double plasmids hTIM3 sgRNA/Cas9 were transfected into human peripheral blood T lymphocytes of EBV positive gastric cancer patients by using electrotransfection system. The transfection efficiency was examined 24 h later by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscope. The proliferation activity of the T cells after gene knockout was observed during in vitro culture, and the knockout efficiency and phenotypes of the modified T cells were evaluated by flow cytometry. Furthermore, tumor antigen peptide was used to activate T cells, and the level of modified T cells secreting cytokines and its cytotoxicity against gastric cancer AGS-EBV cells were evaluated. Results: Electrotransfection system could successfully transfect hTIM3 sgRNA/Cas9 double plasmids into human peripheral blood T lymphocytes with an average transfection efficiency of (41.5±3.6)%, and the gene knockout efficiency fluctuated between 40.0% and 50.0% (all P<0.01). The proliferation of the modified T cells was not significantly changed in the TIM3 gene knockout group even after the prolonged co-culturing with tumor antigenic peptide;and for the activated molecules, only HLA-DR exhibited significant elevation as compared with control group (P<0.05). Remarkably, T cells with TIM3 gene knockout showed significantly elevated secretion of TNF-α and IFN-γ (P<0.01 or P<0.05), as well as obviously enhanced in vitro cytotoxicity against gastric cancer AGS-EBV cells (P<0.05). Conclusion: It’s simple and feasible of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique and plasmid electrotransfection system to prepare T lymphocytes with engineered TIM3 gene knockout. The expression level of TIM3 was down-regulated in in vitro culture. More importantly, the modified T cells performed superior immune response and cytotoxicity, which may provide a new idea for gene engineering cell immunotherapy.