Objective:To review the clinicopathological features of TFE3-rearranged renal cell carcino-ma(TFE3-RCC)with venous tumor thrombus(VT)(TFE3-VT),to explore treatment strategies and to prognostic characteristics,and to provide diagnostic and therapeutic references for TFE3-VT patients.Methods:Patients who underwent surgery at Department of Urology,Peking University Third Hospital from January 2013 to January 2024 were enrolled,including three cohorts:Pathologically confirmed TFE3-VT patients,TFE3-RCC patients without VT(TFE3-non-VT),and non-TFE3-rearranged renal cell carcinoma patients with VT(non-TFE3-VT).Clinical history,imaging data,pathological data,and follow-up records were collected.Primary and secondary endpoints were progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival(OS),respectively.(1)Baseline characteristics were compared between the TFE3-VT and TFE3-non-VT patients.Normally distributed continuous variables were expressed as mean±SD and compared using Student's t-test;non-normally distributed variables were expressed as M(P25,P75)and analyzed with Mann-Whitney U test;categorical variables were described as frequency and percentage[n(％)]and compared by x2 test or Fisher's exact test.(2)Clinical history,radiological presenta-tions,surgical data,and histopathological features of the TFE3-VT patients were comprehensively charac-terized.(3)Survival analysis was performed for the TFE3-VT patients.Follow-up data of the TFE3-VT patients were described in detail,and their survival outcomes were compared with the TFE3-non-VT and non-TFE3-VT patients.When compared with the TFE3-non-VT counterparts,Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate PFS and OS curves among:(1)the TFE3-RCC patients across clinical stages Ⅰ-Ⅳ;(2)TFE3-VT versus TFE3-non-VT cohorts;(3)stage Ⅲ subgroups of the TFE3-VT and TFE3-non-VT patients.Intergroup survival differences were statistically evaluated using Log-rank tests.For comparisons with the non-TFE3-VT patients,a 1∶1 propensity score matching(PSM)was implemented to balance baseline characteristics between the two cohorts.Post-matching Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to compare PFS and OS between the matched groups,with Log-rank tests employed to determine statistical significance of survival disparities.All statistical analyses were conducted with R software(v 4.2.3),and two-tailed P＜0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:The study included 45 TFE3-RCC patients:13 TFE3-VT and 32 TFE3-non-VT cases.Additionally,523 non-TFE3-VT patients were enrolled.Among the 13 TFE3-VT patients,9 were female(69.2％)and 4 male(30.8％),with a mean age of(37.9±14.4)years,mean BMI of(22.2±3.5)kg/m2,median age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index(aCCI)of 1.0(0.0,1.0),and preoperative creatinine level of(75.3±15.9)μmol/L;tumors were located in the left kidney in 7 patients(53.8％)and right kidney in 6(46.2％);preoperative distant metastasis(M1 stage)was present in 6 patients(46.2％),while 7(53.8％)showed no metastasis;VT distribution by Mayo level comprised 7 cases(53.8％)at level 0,1 case each at levels Ⅰ and Ⅳ(7.7％respectively),and 2 cases each at levels Ⅱ and Ⅲ(15.4％respectively);surgical approaches comprised open surgery(n=2,15.4％),laparoscopic surgery(n=6,46.1％),and robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery(n=5,38.5％);mean operative time was(273±79)min,and intraoperative blood loss was(722±570)mL;mean maximum tumor diameter was(10.8±2.4)cm.All the 13 patients underwent TFE3 protein immunohistochemistry(IHC)staining,with 7 confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH).Tumor recurrence or metastasis occurred in 11 patients(84.6％),and 9(69.2％)patients died during follow-up.Median PFS was 4 months(1 year PFS rate:31％),and median OS was 13 months(1 year OS rate:54％).Survival analysis of 45 TFE3-RCC pa-tients revealed statistically significant differences in PFS and OS across all the clinical stages(P＜0.001).The TFE3-VT patients exhibited significantly worse PFS and OS than the TFE3-non-VT patients(P＜0.001),with persistent significance in stage Ⅲ subgroup analysis(P＜0.05).After PSM,TFE3-VT pa-tients showed significantly inferior PFS compared with non-TFE3-VT(P=0.01),though no significant difference was shown between the OS curves(P=0.11).Conclusion:TFE3-VT predominantly occurs in young females with frequent preoperative metastases.Strongly-positive staining of TFE3 protein in IHC stai-ning and red-green split signals in FISH tests are reliable diagnostic markers.TFE3-VT patients exhibit in-ferior survival compared with TFE3-non-VT patients and earlier progression than non-TFE3-VT patients.

Objective To establish a combined model of spectral CT multi-parameters and clinical features to distinguish between gastric poorly cohesive carcinoma and tubular adenocarcinoma.Methods A total of 87 patients with gastric cancer confirmed by postoperative pathology were retrospectively selected,including 26 patients with poorly cohesive carcinoma and 61 patients with tubular adenocarcinoma.Predictors were identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses,and a combined model was established.The area under the curve(AUC)of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the differential diagnostic efficiency of the parameters and the model.The AUC was compared by DeLong method.Results The gender[odds ratio(OR)5.124,P=0.004],normalized iodine density in the arterial phase(nIoDAP)(OR 5.789,P=0.017),arterial enhancement fraction(AEF)(OR 7.007,P=0.002)and ΔIoD(OR 0.025,P=0.021)were identified as independent predictors for poorly cohesive carcinoma by logistic regression analysis.The AUC of combined model established by four variables in distinguishing poorly cohesive carcinoma and tubular adenocarcinoma was 0.837[95％confidence interval(CI)0.716-0.907],which was significantly higher than that of single tumor spectral CT parameters(P＜0.01).Conclusion The combined model based on patients'gender and tumor spectral CT parameters(nIoDAP,AEF and ΔIoD)can effectively distinguish gastric poorly cohesive carcinoma and tubular adenocarcinoma,providing a basis for gastric cancer patients'individualized treatment strategy.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and clinical practicality of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), thinprep cytology test (TCT), urine nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP22) and urine cytology test in the diagnosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 62 patients who underwent surgical treatment (biopsy or partial urothelial resection) for suspected UTUC in the Department of Urology, Peking University Third Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023, and received paraffin pathological diagnosis. Taking the pathological examination results as the diagnostic criteria, the sensitivity, specificity, Youden index, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the four detection methods in the diagnosis of UTUC were calculated, and the cost-effectiveness analysis was performed. Combine the four detection methods in pairs, calculate the sensitivity, specificity and Youden index after the combination, and conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis. The comparison of sensitivity, specificity and Youden index of the four detection methods was conducted using Chi-test or Fisher exact probability method. The comparison between groups after pairwise combinations was also conducted using Chi-test or Fisher exact probability method. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated.Results:The sensitivity (81.1%, 77.4%) and Youden index (0.700, 0.774) of FISH group and TCT group were significantly higher than those of NMP22 group and urine cytology group (39.6%, 43.4%; 0.174, 0.434), and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.008 3). There were no statistically significant in the specificity (88.9%, 100.0%, 77.8%, 100.0%), positive predictive value (97.7%, 100.0%, 91.3%, 100.0%) and negative predictive value (44.4%, 42.9%, 17.9%, 23.1%) of the four groups ( P>0.008 3). The cost-effectiveness of the FISH group (3 256.4) was significantly higher than that of the TCT group (409.4), the NMP22 group (398.2) and the urine cytology group (627.9). After being combined in pairs, the net sensitivity of NMP22+ urine cytology (45.3%) was significantly lower than that of FISH+ TCT(88.7%), TCT+ NMP22(81.1%), FISH+ NMP22(86.8%), FISH + urine cytology (84.9%), TCT+ urine cytology (86.8%), and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.008 3). The net specificities of the above combinations were 77.8%, 88.9%, 77.8%, 88.9%, 100.0%, respectively, and the differences were not statistically significant ( P>0.008 3). The cost-effectiveness was 1 008.0, 3 393.5, 632.8, 3 345.0, 3 513.5, and 737.3, respectively. Conclusions:In the diagnosis of UTUC, TCT has the highest diagnostic efficacy and relatively low cost, and is recommended for widespread promotion and application in clinical practice. If the patients economic conditions permit, it is recommended to combine TCT with urine cytology.

Objective:To establish an arsenic free fully automatic online digestion iodine analyzer detection method for urinary iodine (hereinafter referred to as the method).Methods:Based on the principle of iodine catalyzed antimony cerium redox reaction, a fully automatic online digestion iodine analyzer was used to determine the iodine content in urine. The effectiveness of the method in terms of detection limit, precision, accuracy (determination of urinary iodine primary standard reference materials GBW09108z and GBW09110f and spiked recovery experiment), and interference experiments was validated. The method was compared with the arsenic cerium catalytic spectrophotometry method recommended by the National Reference Laboratory for Iodine Deficiency Disorders.Results:The linear range of the method was 0 - 300 μg/L, with a correlation coefficient │ r│> 0.999 5. The qualitative and quantitative detection limits were 7.41 and 18.01 μg/L, respectively. The relative standard deviation ( RSD) of urine samples with different iodine concentrations ranged from 1.0% to 1.7%. The results of the determination of iodine concentrations in urine using standard substances GBW09108z and GBW09110f were within the given standard range, with RSD < 2.5%. The range of spiked recovery rates for urine samples with different iodine concentrations was 101.3% to 104.8%, with an overall average spiked recovery rate of 103.0%. The average concentration of the baseline iodine standard solution was determined to be 116.21 μg/L, and the relative error of the concentration determination with the addition of interfering substances was less than 5.0%. The comparison results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the measurement results between the two methods ( t = - 0.06, P = 0.952). Conclusions:The method adopts automated detection, which is simple to operate, labor-saving, and does not require the use of arsenic trioxide. It has high precision and accuracy, and is suitable for detection of large quantities of samples.

Objective:To review the clinicopathological features of TFE3-rearranged renal cell carcino-ma(TFE3-RCC)with venous tumor thrombus(VT)(TFE3-VT),to explore treatment strategies and to prognostic characteristics,and to provide diagnostic and therapeutic references for TFE3-VT patients.Methods:Patients who underwent surgery at Department of Urology,Peking University Third Hospital from January 2013 to January 2024 were enrolled,including three cohorts:Pathologically confirmed TFE3-VT patients,TFE3-RCC patients without VT(TFE3-non-VT),and non-TFE3-rearranged renal cell carcinoma patients with VT(non-TFE3-VT).Clinical history,imaging data,pathological data,and follow-up records were collected.Primary and secondary endpoints were progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival(OS),respectively.(1)Baseline characteristics were compared between the TFE3-VT and TFE3-non-VT patients.Normally distributed continuous variables were expressed as mean±SD and compared using Student's t-test;non-normally distributed variables were expressed as M(P25,P75)and analyzed with Mann-Whitney U test;categorical variables were described as frequency and percentage[n(％)]and compared by x2 test or Fisher's exact test.(2)Clinical history,radiological presenta-tions,surgical data,and histopathological features of the TFE3-VT patients were comprehensively charac-terized.(3)Survival analysis was performed for the TFE3-VT patients.Follow-up data of the TFE3-VT patients were described in detail,and their survival outcomes were compared with the TFE3-non-VT and non-TFE3-VT patients.When compared with the TFE3-non-VT counterparts,Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate PFS and OS curves among:(1)the TFE3-RCC patients across clinical stages Ⅰ-Ⅳ;(2)TFE3-VT versus TFE3-non-VT cohorts;(3)stage Ⅲ subgroups of the TFE3-VT and TFE3-non-VT patients.Intergroup survival differences were statistically evaluated using Log-rank tests.For comparisons with the non-TFE3-VT patients,a 1∶1 propensity score matching(PSM)was implemented to balance baseline characteristics between the two cohorts.Post-matching Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to compare PFS and OS between the matched groups,with Log-rank tests employed to determine statistical significance of survival disparities.All statistical analyses were conducted with R software(v 4.2.3),and two-tailed P＜0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:The study included 45 TFE3-RCC patients:13 TFE3-VT and 32 TFE3-non-VT cases.Additionally,523 non-TFE3-VT patients were enrolled.Among the 13 TFE3-VT patients,9 were female(69.2％)and 4 male(30.8％),with a mean age of(37.9±14.4)years,mean BMI of(22.2±3.5)kg/m2,median age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index(aCCI)of 1.0(0.0,1.0),and preoperative creatinine level of(75.3±15.9)μmol/L;tumors were located in the left kidney in 7 patients(53.8％)and right kidney in 6(46.2％);preoperative distant metastasis(M1 stage)was present in 6 patients(46.2％),while 7(53.8％)showed no metastasis;VT distribution by Mayo level comprised 7 cases(53.8％)at level 0,1 case each at levels Ⅰ and Ⅳ(7.7％respectively),and 2 cases each at levels Ⅱ and Ⅲ(15.4％respectively);surgical approaches comprised open surgery(n=2,15.4％),laparoscopic surgery(n=6,46.1％),and robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery(n=5,38.5％);mean operative time was(273±79)min,and intraoperative blood loss was(722±570)mL;mean maximum tumor diameter was(10.8±2.4)cm.All the 13 patients underwent TFE3 protein immunohistochemistry(IHC)staining,with 7 confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH).Tumor recurrence or metastasis occurred in 11 patients(84.6％),and 9(69.2％)patients died during follow-up.Median PFS was 4 months(1 year PFS rate:31％),and median OS was 13 months(1 year OS rate:54％).Survival analysis of 45 TFE3-RCC pa-tients revealed statistically significant differences in PFS and OS across all the clinical stages(P＜0.001).The TFE3-VT patients exhibited significantly worse PFS and OS than the TFE3-non-VT patients(P＜0.001),with persistent significance in stage Ⅲ subgroup analysis(P＜0.05).After PSM,TFE3-VT pa-tients showed significantly inferior PFS compared with non-TFE3-VT(P=0.01),though no significant difference was shown between the OS curves(P=0.11).Conclusion:TFE3-VT predominantly occurs in young females with frequent preoperative metastases.Strongly-positive staining of TFE3 protein in IHC stai-ning and red-green split signals in FISH tests are reliable diagnostic markers.TFE3-VT patients exhibit in-ferior survival compared with TFE3-non-VT patients and earlier progression than non-TFE3-VT patients.

Objective:To establish an arsenic free fully automatic online digestion iodine analyzer detection method for urinary iodine (hereinafter referred to as the method).Methods:Based on the principle of iodine catalyzed antimony cerium redox reaction, a fully automatic online digestion iodine analyzer was used to determine the iodine content in urine. The effectiveness of the method in terms of detection limit, precision, accuracy (determination of urinary iodine primary standard reference materials GBW09108z and GBW09110f and spiked recovery experiment), and interference experiments was validated. The method was compared with the arsenic cerium catalytic spectrophotometry method recommended by the National Reference Laboratory for Iodine Deficiency Disorders.Results:The linear range of the method was 0 - 300 μg/L, with a correlation coefficient │ r│> 0.999 5. The qualitative and quantitative detection limits were 7.41 and 18.01 μg/L, respectively. The relative standard deviation ( RSD) of urine samples with different iodine concentrations ranged from 1.0% to 1.7%. The results of the determination of iodine concentrations in urine using standard substances GBW09108z and GBW09110f were within the given standard range, with RSD < 2.5%. The range of spiked recovery rates for urine samples with different iodine concentrations was 101.3% to 104.8%, with an overall average spiked recovery rate of 103.0%. The average concentration of the baseline iodine standard solution was determined to be 116.21 μg/L, and the relative error of the concentration determination with the addition of interfering substances was less than 5.0%. The comparison results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the measurement results between the two methods ( t = - 0.06, P = 0.952). Conclusions:The method adopts automated detection, which is simple to operate, labor-saving, and does not require the use of arsenic trioxide. It has high precision and accuracy, and is suitable for detection of large quantities of samples.

Objective To establish a combined model of spectral CT multi-parameters and clinical features to distinguish between gastric poorly cohesive carcinoma and tubular adenocarcinoma.Methods A total of 87 patients with gastric cancer confirmed by postoperative pathology were retrospectively selected,including 26 patients with poorly cohesive carcinoma and 61 patients with tubular adenocarcinoma.Predictors were identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses,and a combined model was established.The area under the curve(AUC)of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the differential diagnostic efficiency of the parameters and the model.The AUC was compared by DeLong method.Results The gender[odds ratio(OR)5.124,P=0.004],normalized iodine density in the arterial phase(nIoDAP)(OR 5.789,P=0.017),arterial enhancement fraction(AEF)(OR 7.007,P=0.002)and ΔIoD(OR 0.025,P=0.021)were identified as independent predictors for poorly cohesive carcinoma by logistic regression analysis.The AUC of combined model established by four variables in distinguishing poorly cohesive carcinoma and tubular adenocarcinoma was 0.837[95％confidence interval(CI)0.716-0.907],which was significantly higher than that of single tumor spectral CT parameters(P＜0.01).Conclusion The combined model based on patients'gender and tumor spectral CT parameters(nIoDAP,AEF and ΔIoD)can effectively distinguish gastric poorly cohesive carcinoma and tubular adenocarcinoma,providing a basis for gastric cancer patients'individualized treatment strategy.

[Objective] To review the clinical information, imaging features, pathological manifestations and prognosis of low-grade oncocytic tumor (LOT), so as to improve the clinical understanding of the disease. [Methods] The imaging, clinicopathological and postoperative follow-up data of 3 LOT cases treated in Peking University Third Hospital during Feb.2020 and Sep.2022 were retrospectively collected. [Results] All patients were male, aged 51—70 years.All tumors were single, with the maximum diameter of 14—21 mm. None of the patients had any specific clinical manifestations.The mass showed a circular isodense shadow on CT.All patients underwent nephron-sparing tumor resection.Postoperative pathology showed that the incision surface of the tumors was brownish-yellow or brown, and the tumors were solid or partially cystic.HE staining showed that the cells were uniformly eosinophilic; the nucleus was round or oval, with slight local perinuclear halo.Immunohistochemistry showed positive CK7 but negative CD117.Genetic testing in case 2 showed 1 potentially clinically significant somatic mutation TSC2.During the follow-up of 12-23 months, no recurrence occurred. [Conclusion] There were no obvious clinical symptoms and imaging features of LOT, which morphologically showed heterozygous or borderline characteristics with renal eosinophilia and renal chromophobe cell carcinoma, and the biological behavior was indolent.Nephron-sparing tumor resection promised good prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the treatment efficacy of adjuvant anti-VEGF/VEGFR targeted therapy in patients with non-metastatic (cM 0) non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma and tumor thrombus (nccRCC-VTT). Methods:This retrospective study enrolled 26 patients who underwent radical nephrectomy combined with inferior vena cava tumor thrombectomy at Peking University Third Hospital from January 2014 to July 2021. Patients were divided into adjuvant therapy group (10 cases) and control group (16 cases)based on the use of postoperative targeted therapy. The distribution of baseline clinical characteristics in the adjuvant therapy group and the control group were as follows: gender (6 males and 4 females in the adjuvant therapy group, 12 males and 4 females in the control group, P=0.66), age (56.2±18.5 years old in the adjuvant therapy group; 54.6±14.5 years old in the control group; P=0.80), BMI(24.0±3.5 in the adjuvant therapy group; 24.3±3.3 in the control group; P=0.80), presence of clinical symptoms (8 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 15 cases in the control group; P=0.54), tumor laterality(6 cases on the left and 4 cases on the right in the adjuvant therapy group; 6 cases on the left and 10 cases on the right in the control group; P=0.42), location of tumor thrombus (2 cases with renal vein tumor thrombus and 8 cases with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus in the adjuvant therapy group; 2 cases with renal vein tumor thrombus and 14 cases with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus in the control group; P=0.67), ASA classification (2 cases in ASA class 1 and 8 cases in ASA class 2 in the adjuvant therapy group; 2 cases in ASA class 1 and 14 cases in ASA class 2 in the control group; P=0.63), surgical approach (7 minimally invasive surgeries and 3 open surgeries in the adjuvant therapy group; 9 minimally invasive surgeries and 7 open surgeries in the control group; P=0.68), conversion to open surgery (2 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 2 cases in the control group; P=0.63), operation time [287.5(222.2, 456.0) minutes in the adjuvant therapy group; 344.0(287.8, 482.5) minutes in the control group; P=0.34), blood loss [400.0(250.0, 600.0)ml in the adjuvant therapy group; 575.0(175.0, 800.0)ml in the control group; P=0.63), Clavien-Dindo classification of postoperative complications (8 cases with no postoperative complications, 2 cases with level 1-2 complications, and 0 cases with level ≥3 complications in the adjuvant therapy group; 10 cases with no postoperative complications, 4 cases with level 1-2 complications, and 2 cases with level ≥3 complications in the control group; P=0.68), postoperative hospital stay (8.5 [5.5, 11.5] days in the adjuvant therapy group; 7.5 [6.0, 13.0] days in the control group; P=1.00), maximum tumor diameter[ (9.2±2.7)cm in the adjuvant therapy group; (8.9±3.3)cm in the control group; P=0.81], sarcomatoid differentiation (0 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 1 case in the control group; P=1.00), perinephric fat invasion (2 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 7 cases in the control group; P=0.40), tumor necrosis (6 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 5 cases in the control group; P=0.23), pathological subtype (1 case of PRCC type 1, 6 cases of PRCC type 2, and 3 cases of TFE3 rearrangement RCC in the adjuvant therapy group; 2 cases of PRCC type 1, 10 cases of PRCC type 2, and 1 case each of oncocytic PRCC, TFE3 rearrangement RCC, FH-deficient RCC, and unclassified RCC in the control group; P=0.72), WHO/ISUP nuclear grade (10 cases of grades 3-4 in the adjuvant therapy group; 4 cases of grades 1-2 and 12 cases of grades 3-4 in the control group; P=0.14), invasion of tumor thrombus into the vessel wall (5 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 5 cases in the control group; P=0.43), T stage (1 case of T 3a, 3 cases of T 3b, 5 cases of T 3c, and 1 case of T 4 in the adjuvant therapy group; 1 case of T 3a, 4 cases of T 3b, 10 cases of T 3c, and 1 case of T 4 in the control group; P=1.00), and positive lymph nodes metastasis(3 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 0 cases in the control group; P<0.05). The recommended doses for sunitinib, axitinib, and pazopanib are 50mg qd, 5mg q12h, and 800mg qd, respectively. The primary endpoint of this study was disease-free survival (DFS), and the secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Statistical analyses were performed using R v4.2.2. Confounding factors were adjusted using propensity score weighting. Results:The median follow-up time for DFS was 29 months in the adjuvant therapy group and not reached in the control group, while median follow-up time for OS was 28 and 26 months, respectively. In the univariate Cox regression analysis, there were no statistically significant difference in the impact of all baseline characteristics and exposure factors on DFS and OS between the two groups. In survival analysis, there were no significant difference between DFS and OS curves of patients in the adjuvant therapy group and the control group (DFS, P=0.62; OS, P=0.74). The median DFS of patients in the adjuvant therapy group and the control group were 17 and 19 months, respectively, while the median OS was 43 and 27 months. After adjusting for confounding factors, the median DFS of patients in the adjuvant therapy group and the control group were 26 and 12 months, respectively, and the median OS remained 43 and 27 months, with no significant difference (DFS, P=0.81; OS, P=0.40). Conclusion:There is currently a lack of definitive evidence for survival benefit from adjuvant anti-VEGF/VEGFR targeted therapy in patients with cM0 nccRCC-VTT after surgery.

Objective:To explore the value of nomogram based on arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI perfusion parameters and clinicopathological features in predicting the response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ANPC, stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ).Methods:From June 2018 to January 2021, 70 patients with ANPC confirmed by pathology were prospectively enrolled in Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University. Nasopharyngeal MRI plain scan, ASL and contrast-enhanced scan were performed before CRT, and routine MRI re-examination was performed within 1 week after the end of CRT. The pre-CRT perfusion parameter tumor blood flow (TBF) from ASL and clinicopathological features were recorded, and the maximum diameter (MD) of the tumor on T 1WI images was measured. The patients were divided into CRT effective group (48 cases) and ineffective group (22 cases) according to the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors. The independent sample t test was used to compare the differences of TBF, age and MD between effective group and ineffective group. The χ 2 test was used to compare the differences of gender, clinical stage and pathological type between the 2 groups. Using binary logistic regression analysis, clinicopathological model and TBF combined clinicopathological model were constructed, and the nomogram of combined model was constructed. The diagnostic efficacy of the models was obtained by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the area under the ROC curves (AUC) of the 3 models were compared by DeLong method. The calibration curve for the nomogram was generated, and the concordance index (C index) was acquired. Results:The TBF of the effective group and the ineffective group were (113±9) and (97±14) ml·100 g -1·min -1, with a statistical difference ( t=5.17, P<0.001). The MD value of the effective group was smaller than that of the ineffective group, with a statistical difference ( t=-2.24, P=0.028). There were statistical differences in clinical stage and pathological type between the 2 groups (χ 2 values were 12.21 and 12.95, respectively, both P<0.001). Three independent predictors, including TBF (OR=7.749), clinical stage (OR=0.129) and pathological type (OR=5.228), were included in logistic regression analysis. The AUC, sensitivity and specificity of TBF model in predicting the response to CRT were 0.843, 87.5% and 72.7%, of clinicopathological model were 0.822, 80.2% and 59.1%, of the nomogram model were 0.893, 81.2% and 90.9%. There was no statistical difference of AUC between the nomogram model and TBF model ( Z=1.23, P=0.215). However, the AUC of the nomogram model was greater than that of the clinicopathological model ( Z=2.47, P=0.031). The calibration curve showed that there was a good concordance index (C index=0.892) between the predicted value of nomogram and the actual clinical observation value. Conclusion:TBF, clinical stage and pathological type are independent predictors of the response to CRT in ANPC patients, and the nomogram based on these three factors has a good ability in predicting the response to CRT.