Gastric cancer and esophageal cancer are the top ranked malignant tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract in China, and the incidence of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG) has been on the rise in recent years. Currently, surgery is the main treatment strategy for AEG, but the surgical approach and the path of digestive tract reconstruction are still contro-versial. The digestive tract reconstruction after AEG surgery include traditional total gastrectomy + Roux-en-Y reconstruction or proximal gastrectomy + esophageal gastric-tube reconstruction/double-tract reconstruction/double-flap technique reconstruction. With the development of surgery, esophageal gastric-tube reconstruction has become a common digestive tract reconstruction modality after AEG compared with traditional esophagojejunal reconstruction of total gastrectomy, which can reduce the incidence of postoperative complications such as anastomotic leakage, reflux esophagitis, anasto-motic stricture, and patients' malnutrition in the long term. In order to further reduce postoperative complications, the application of new techniques and improvement of surgical methods have become the focus of research in recent years. The authors review the history of the development of esopha-geal gastric-tube reconstruction and provides an overview of the current status of esophageal gastric-tube reconstruction, reconstruction pathway, anastomotic position and modality, and research on the reduction of postoperative complications.

Objective:To explore the prognosis after radical resection for stage Ⅰ gastric cancer and the application value of adjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 3 353 patients with stage Ⅰ gastric cancer who were admitted to Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from January 2000 to December 2022 were collected. There were 2 369 males and 984 females, aged 60(range, 21-91) years. All patients underwent radical R 0 resection. Observation indicators: (1) clinicopathological characteristics of patients; (2) influencing factors for postoperative prognosis of patients; (3) prognostic analysis of patients; (4) construction and validation of a predictive model for the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Comparison of count data between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rates and draw survival curves, and the Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. Based on the multivariate analysis result, a nomogram prediction model was constructed to predict survival benefit. Results:(1) Clinicopatho-logical characteristics of patients. The highly, moderately, and poorly differentiated tumors were observed in 16, 234, 396 cases of 646 patients aged <50 years and 279, 1 617, 811 cases of 2 707 pati-ents aged ≥50 years, respectively, showing a significant difference in degree of tumor differentiation between them ( P<0.05). For 297 patients in stage T1N1M0, cases aged <50 years and ≥50 years were 71 and 226, cases of males and females were 184 and 113, cases with negative and positive vascular invasion were 37 and 260, cases with negative and positive nerve invasion were 275 and 22, cases without and with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were 222 and 75, respectively. The above indicators for 678 patients in stage T2N0M0 105, 573, 533, 145, 517, 161, 526, 152, 563, 115, respectively. There were significant differences in the above indicators between the two groups ( P<0.05). (2) Influencing factors for postoperative prognosis of patients. Results of multivariate analysis showed that age ≥50 years, stage T2, moderately differentiated tumor, the number of lymph nodes dissected <16, positive vascular invasion, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) ≥5 μg/L, and CA19-9 ≥37 U/mL were independent risk factors for disease-free survival (DFS) after surgery for stage Ⅰ gastric cancer ( hazard ratio=4.600, 1.555, 1.835, 1.362, 1.451, 1.571, 2.134, 95% confidence interval as 2.806-7.541, 1.205-2.006, 1.016-3.314, 1.059-1.753, 1.057-1.993, 1.100-2.243, 1.257-3.625, P<0.05). Age ≥50 years, stage T2, the number of lymph nodes dissected <16, positive vascular invasion, CEA ≥5 μg/L, and CA19-9 ≥37 U/mL were independent risk factors for overall survival (OS) after surgery for stage Ⅰ gastric cancer ( hazard ratio=5.208, 1.597, 1.373, 1.520, 1.464, 2.356, 95% confidence interval as 3.028-8.955, 1.231-2.072, 1.060-1.777, 1.099-2.104, 1.004-2.134, 1.385-4.009, P<0.05). Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was an independent protective factor for both DFS and OS after surgery for stage I gastric cancer ( hazard ratio=0.361 0.297, 95% confidence interval as 0.177-0.736, 0.131-0.674, P<0.05). (3) Prognostic analysis of patients. According to the results of multi-variate analysis, among 3 353 patients, there were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients aged <50 years and ≥50 years ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate among patients in TNM stage ⅠA and ⅠB ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate among patients in stage T1N0M0, T1N1M0, T2N0M0 ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate among patients with the highly, moderately, and poorly differentiated tumors ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate among patients with the number of lymph lodes dissected <16 and ≥16 ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with negative and positive vascular invasion ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05), among patients in stage T1N0M0, T1N1M0, T2N0M0 who received no postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05). For patients in stage T1N1M0, there was no significant difference in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P>0.05).Results of stratified analysis showed that for patients aged ≥ 50 years, there were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05). For patients in stage T2N0M0, there were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05). For patients with positive vascular invasion, there were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05). (4) Construction and validation of a predictive model for the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy. A nomogram predictive model was constructed based on the multivariate analysis results of OS and used for calculating net benefits and distribution. Among the 3 096 patients without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, 1 009 cases had a predicted net benefit of >5%-10%, and 250 patients had a predicted net benefit >10%. The predicted survival analysis further verified that the predicted benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy was consistent with the prognosis of patients. Conclusions:Patients with age ≥50 years, stage T2 tumors, moderately differentiated tumor, the number of lymph nodes dissected <16, positive vascular invasion have worse survival prognosis postoperative. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy provides better prognosis in high-risk patients. Patients in stage T1N1M0 have lower recurrence and survival risks, of whom with 1 metastatic lymph node is more suitable for follow-up rather than postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

Gastric cancer and esophageal cancer are the top ranked malignant tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract in China, and the incidence of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG) has been on the rise in recent years. Currently, surgery is the main treatment strategy for AEG, but the surgical approach and the path of digestive tract reconstruction are still contro-versial. The digestive tract reconstruction after AEG surgery include traditional total gastrectomy + Roux-en-Y reconstruction or proximal gastrectomy + esophageal gastric-tube reconstruction/double-tract reconstruction/double-flap technique reconstruction. With the development of surgery, esophageal gastric-tube reconstruction has become a common digestive tract reconstruction modality after AEG compared with traditional esophagojejunal reconstruction of total gastrectomy, which can reduce the incidence of postoperative complications such as anastomotic leakage, reflux esophagitis, anasto-motic stricture, and patients' malnutrition in the long term. In order to further reduce postoperative complications, the application of new techniques and improvement of surgical methods have become the focus of research in recent years. The authors review the history of the development of esopha-geal gastric-tube reconstruction and provides an overview of the current status of esophageal gastric-tube reconstruction, reconstruction pathway, anastomotic position and modality, and research on the reduction of postoperative complications.

Objective:To explore the prognosis after radical resection for stage Ⅰ gastric cancer and the application value of adjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 3 353 patients with stage Ⅰ gastric cancer who were admitted to Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from January 2000 to December 2022 were collected. There were 2 369 males and 984 females, aged 60(range, 21-91) years. All patients underwent radical R 0 resection. Observation indicators: (1) clinicopathological characteristics of patients; (2) influencing factors for postoperative prognosis of patients; (3) prognostic analysis of patients; (4) construction and validation of a predictive model for the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Comparison of count data between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rates and draw survival curves, and the Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. Based on the multivariate analysis result, a nomogram prediction model was constructed to predict survival benefit. Results:(1) Clinicopatho-logical characteristics of patients. The highly, moderately, and poorly differentiated tumors were observed in 16, 234, 396 cases of 646 patients aged <50 years and 279, 1 617, 811 cases of 2 707 pati-ents aged ≥50 years, respectively, showing a significant difference in degree of tumor differentiation between them ( P<0.05). For 297 patients in stage T1N1M0, cases aged <50 years and ≥50 years were 71 and 226, cases of males and females were 184 and 113, cases with negative and positive vascular invasion were 37 and 260, cases with negative and positive nerve invasion were 275 and 22, cases without and with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were 222 and 75, respectively. The above indicators for 678 patients in stage T2N0M0 105, 573, 533, 145, 517, 161, 526, 152, 563, 115, respectively. There were significant differences in the above indicators between the two groups ( P<0.05). (2) Influencing factors for postoperative prognosis of patients. Results of multivariate analysis showed that age ≥50 years, stage T2, moderately differentiated tumor, the number of lymph nodes dissected <16, positive vascular invasion, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) ≥5 μg/L, and CA19-9 ≥37 U/mL were independent risk factors for disease-free survival (DFS) after surgery for stage Ⅰ gastric cancer ( hazard ratio=4.600, 1.555, 1.835, 1.362, 1.451, 1.571, 2.134, 95% confidence interval as 2.806-7.541, 1.205-2.006, 1.016-3.314, 1.059-1.753, 1.057-1.993, 1.100-2.243, 1.257-3.625, P<0.05). Age ≥50 years, stage T2, the number of lymph nodes dissected <16, positive vascular invasion, CEA ≥5 μg/L, and CA19-9 ≥37 U/mL were independent risk factors for overall survival (OS) after surgery for stage Ⅰ gastric cancer ( hazard ratio=5.208, 1.597, 1.373, 1.520, 1.464, 2.356, 95% confidence interval as 3.028-8.955, 1.231-2.072, 1.060-1.777, 1.099-2.104, 1.004-2.134, 1.385-4.009, P<0.05). Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was an independent protective factor for both DFS and OS after surgery for stage I gastric cancer ( hazard ratio=0.361 0.297, 95% confidence interval as 0.177-0.736, 0.131-0.674, P<0.05). (3) Prognostic analysis of patients. According to the results of multi-variate analysis, among 3 353 patients, there were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients aged <50 years and ≥50 years ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate among patients in TNM stage ⅠA and ⅠB ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate among patients in stage T1N0M0, T1N1M0, T2N0M0 ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate among patients with the highly, moderately, and poorly differentiated tumors ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate among patients with the number of lymph lodes dissected <16 and ≥16 ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with negative and positive vascular invasion ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05), among patients in stage T1N0M0, T1N1M0, T2N0M0 who received no postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05). For patients in stage T1N1M0, there was no significant difference in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P>0.05).Results of stratified analysis showed that for patients aged ≥ 50 years, there were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05). For patients in stage T2N0M0, there were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05). For patients with positive vascular invasion, there were significant differences in 5-year DFS rate and 10-year OS rate between patients with and without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P<0.05). (4) Construction and validation of a predictive model for the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy. A nomogram predictive model was constructed based on the multivariate analysis results of OS and used for calculating net benefits and distribution. Among the 3 096 patients without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, 1 009 cases had a predicted net benefit of >5%-10%, and 250 patients had a predicted net benefit >10%. The predicted survival analysis further verified that the predicted benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy was consistent with the prognosis of patients. Conclusions:Patients with age ≥50 years, stage T2 tumors, moderately differentiated tumor, the number of lymph nodes dissected <16, positive vascular invasion have worse survival prognosis postoperative. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy provides better prognosis in high-risk patients. Patients in stage T1N1M0 have lower recurrence and survival risks, of whom with 1 metastatic lymph node is more suitable for follow-up rather than postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

Objective A targeted nanopeptides(VEGF/TIE-2 targeted nanopeptides,VTN)that simultaneously inhibits vascu-lar endothelial growth factor(VEGF)/tyrosine kinase with immunoglobulin-like and EGF-like domains-2(TIE-2)signaling pathways were designed and synthesized,and explore its inhibitory effect on angiogenesis in renal clear cell carcinoma(ccRCC).Methods VTN and non-self-assembling control VTN-C were prepared by solid-phase peptide synthesis technology,and the molecular structures of VTN and VTN-C were analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(ESI-MS).The CCK-8 method was used to evaluate the effect of VTN on the cell viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC).The cell scratch assay,Transwell invasion assay and angiogenesis assay were used to detect the inhibitory effects of VTN on migration,invasion and angiogenesis of HUVEC.Western blot was used to detect the effect of VTN on the phosphorylation of downstream proteins of VEGF and TIE-2 signaling pathways.A 786-O cell mouse model was established,and the effects of VTN on tumor angiogenesis and tumor progression were observed through animal ex-periments.Results ESI-MS showed that the main charge state peaks of both synthesized VTN and VVTN-C pointed to the same molec-ular weight,which was highly consistent with the corresponding theoretical molecular mass.Immunofluorescence showed that VTN co-lo-calized with VEGF and TIE-2.VTN combined with MMP-2 could significantly inhibit the activity of HUVEC(P<0.001).The cell inva-sion rate and scratch closure rate in the VTN group were reduced by(78.30±1.35)%and(37.09±3.49)%compared those in the PBS group,respectively(P<0.001).Angiogenesis experiments showed that VTN could significantly inhibit the angiogenesis of HUVEC(P<0.001).Western blot showed that VTN significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK(P<0.001).The results from animal experimentsshowed that tumor volume in the VTN group was decreased by(87.16±1.30)%compared with the control group,and the CD31-positive area was reduced(P<0.001).Conclusion VTN significantly blocks ccRCC angiogenesis and delays tumor progression by inhibiting VEGF and TIE-2 signaling pathways and downregulating Akt and ERK phosphorylation.

Objective A targeted nanopeptides(VEGF/TIE-2 targeted nanopeptides,VTN)that simultaneously inhibits vascu-lar endothelial growth factor(VEGF)/tyrosine kinase with immunoglobulin-like and EGF-like domains-2(TIE-2)signaling pathways were designed and synthesized,and explore its inhibitory effect on angiogenesis in renal clear cell carcinoma(ccRCC).Methods VTN and non-self-assembling control VTN-C were prepared by solid-phase peptide synthesis technology,and the molecular structures of VTN and VTN-C were analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(ESI-MS).The CCK-8 method was used to evaluate the effect of VTN on the cell viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC).The cell scratch assay,Transwell invasion assay and angiogenesis assay were used to detect the inhibitory effects of VTN on migration,invasion and angiogenesis of HUVEC.Western blot was used to detect the effect of VTN on the phosphorylation of downstream proteins of VEGF and TIE-2 signaling pathways.A 786-O cell mouse model was established,and the effects of VTN on tumor angiogenesis and tumor progression were observed through animal ex-periments.Results ESI-MS showed that the main charge state peaks of both synthesized VTN and VVTN-C pointed to the same molec-ular weight,which was highly consistent with the corresponding theoretical molecular mass.Immunofluorescence showed that VTN co-lo-calized with VEGF and TIE-2.VTN combined with MMP-2 could significantly inhibit the activity of HUVEC(P<0.001).The cell inva-sion rate and scratch closure rate in the VTN group were reduced by(78.30±1.35)%and(37.09±3.49)%compared those in the PBS group,respectively(P<0.001).Angiogenesis experiments showed that VTN could significantly inhibit the angiogenesis of HUVEC(P<0.001).Western blot showed that VTN significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK(P<0.001).The results from animal experimentsshowed that tumor volume in the VTN group was decreased by(87.16±1.30)%compared with the control group,and the CD31-positive area was reduced(P<0.001).Conclusion VTN significantly blocks ccRCC angiogenesis and delays tumor progression by inhibiting VEGF and TIE-2 signaling pathways and downregulating Akt and ERK phosphorylation.

Objective:To establish the minimum number of negative lymph nodes (nLN) required for patients undergoing gastrectomy.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study with inclusion criteria as follows: (1) radical gastrectomy; (2) histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma; (3) complete tumor staging information; and (4) known number of lymph nodes harvested. The exclusion criteria were: (1) other concurrent malignant tumors; (2) metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer; (3) initial surgery performed at another hospital; (4) preoperative neoadjuvant therapy; (5) distant metastasis; and (6) incomplete clinical data or follow-up information. Based on the above criteria, a total of 11 167 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent radical subtotal gastrectomy (RSG) or radical total gastrectomy (RTG) in the Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2022, were included in the study. Among them, there were 7 596 cases in the RSG group and 3 571 cases in the RTG group. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis was used to determine the ideal threshold for nLN for RSG and RTG patients. Survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves and log-rank tests, and propensity score matching (PSM) was utilized to balance parameters between two groups. Furthermore, subgroup analysis was conducted for RSG patients based on tumor location (upper, middle and lower) to determine the minimum number of nLN in each subgroup.Results:For patients who underwent RSG, the mean number of nLN was 21.9, with a median of 21. RCS analysis showed that more than 21 nLN was associated with better survival. Moreover, both pre- and post-PSM analysis confirmed that patients with nLN ≥21 had better survival benefits compared to those with nLN <21 (overall survival [OS]: P<0.001 before PSM, P=0.013 after PSM; disease-free survival [DFS]: P<0.001 before PSM, P=0.013 after PSM). For patients who underwent RTG, the mean number of nLN was 23.5, with a median of 22. Here RCS analysis indicated that more than 22 nLN was associated with better postoperative survival in RTG patients, and both pre- and post-PSM analysis confirmed that patients with nLN ≥22 had better survival benefits compared to those with nLN<22 (OS: P<0.001 both before and after PSM; DFS: P<0.001 both before and after PSM). Subgroup analysis showed that for RSG patients with tumor located in the upper part, having ≥17 nLN (OS: both P<0.001), and for RSG patients with tumor located in the middle and lower part, having ≥22 nLN (OS: both P<0.001), were associated with better prognoses. Conclusions:For patients who receive RSG, the minimal number of nLN is ideally ≥21 (upper ≥17, middle and lower ≥22). Similarly, for patients who receive RTG, the minimum number of nLN ideally is 22.

Currently, the performance of D2 lymphadenectomy for locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) has become an established therapeutic consensus. The accumulating evidence supporting the application of laparoscopic techniques in such procedures signifies the transition of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy from an exploratory phase into mature clinical practice, with the surgical volume showing a yearly increasing trend. Alongside advancements in imaging equipment, innovations in surgical instrument, and updates in therapeutic concepts, surgeons are placing increasing emphasis on the radicality of the operation, the quality of lymph node dissection, and perioperative safety. Lymph node dissection in the supra-pancreatic area along the celiac arterial system constitutes a critical step in radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Supra-pancreatic area serves not only as a major lymphatic drainage hub for the stomach but also presents significant surgical challenges due to its complex anatomy, difficult exposure, high risk of bleeding, and injury to vital structures traversing the area. Therefore, how to effectively reduce the difficulty for the assistant to expose, optimize the surgeon's control over the anatomical planes in this region, achieve more refined maneuvers, and consequently reduce bleeding, lower complication rates, and shorten operative time are core issues currently concerning surgeons. This article, based on author's clinical experience, aims to provide an in-depth discussion on the strategies for supra-pancreatic lymph node dissection in laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery.

Currently, the performance of D2 lymphadenectomy for locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) has become an established therapeutic consensus. The accumulating evidence supporting the application of laparoscopic techniques in such procedures signifies the transition of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy from an exploratory phase into mature clinical practice, with the surgical volume showing a yearly increasing trend. Alongside advancements in imaging equipment, innovations in surgical instrument, and updates in therapeutic concepts, surgeons are placing increasing emphasis on the radicality of the operation, the quality of lymph node dissection, and perioperative safety. Lymph node dissection in the supra-pancreatic area along the celiac arterial system constitutes a critical step in radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Supra-pancreatic area serves not only as a major lymphatic drainage hub for the stomach but also presents significant surgical challenges due to its complex anatomy, difficult exposure, high risk of bleeding, and injury to vital structures traversing the area. Therefore, how to effectively reduce the difficulty for the assistant to expose, optimize the surgeon's control over the anatomical planes in this region, achieve more refined maneuvers, and consequently reduce bleeding, lower complication rates, and shorten operative time are core issues currently concerning surgeons. This article, based on author's clinical experience, aims to provide an in-depth discussion on the strategies for supra-pancreatic lymph node dissection in laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery has been a common practice for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, but the response rate varies among patients. This study aimed to develop a ResNet-Vision Transformer based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-endoscopy fusion model to precisely predict treatment response and provide personalized treatment. METHODS: In this multicenter study, 366 eligible patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery at eight Chinese tertiary hospitals between January 2017 and June 2024 were recruited, with 2928 pretreatment colonic endoscopic images and 366 pelvic MRI images. An MRI-endoscopy fusion model was constructed based on the ResNet backbone and Transformer network using pretreatment MRI and endoscopic images. Treatment response was defined as good response or non-good response based on the tumor regression grade. The Delong test and the Hanley-McNeil test were utilized to compare prediction performance among different models and different subgroups, respectively. The predictive performance of the MRI-endoscopy fusion model was comprehensively validated in the test sets and was further compared to that of the single-modal MRI model and single-modal endoscopy model. RESULTS: The MRI-endoscopy fusion model demonstrated favorable prediction performance. In the internal validation set, the area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy were 0.852 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.744-0.940) and 0.737 (95% CI: 0.712-0.844), respectively. Moreover, the AUC and accuracy reached 0.769 (95% CI: 0.678-0.861) and 0.729 (95% CI: 0.628-0.821), respectively, in the external test set. In addition, the MRI-endoscopy fusion model outperformed the single-modal MRI model (AUC: 0.692 [95% CI: 0.609-0.783], accuracy: 0.659 [95% CI: 0.565-0.775]) and the single-modal endoscopy model (AUC: 0.720 [95% CI: 0.617-0.823], accuracy: 0.713 [95% CI: 0.612-0.809]) in the external test set. CONCLUSION The MRI-endoscopy fusion model based on ResNet-Vision Transformer achieved favorable performance in predicting treatment response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and holds tremendous potential for enabling personalized treatment regimens for locally advanced rectal cancer patients.
Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Aged ; Adult ; Chemoradiotherapy/methods* ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome