Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of single-stranded non-coding RNAs that form circular conformations through non-canonical splicing or reverse splicing events. Recently, aberrant expression of circRNA has been observed in several cancers. An increasing number of studies suggested that circRNA is involved in tumor suppression or tumor promotion to varying degrees through diverse molecular mechanisms, highlighting its key role in the occurrence and development of tumors. In this review, we systematically summarize the latest research progress on the function and molecular mechanism of circRNA in malignant tumors of the digestive system. circRNA is expected to be further explored as a target molecule in the treatment of digestive system cancers in the future.

Objectives:To analyze the long-term prognosis of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer in the stage of ypT0~2N0M0 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:The clinical data of 78 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical resection at ypT0~2N0M0 stage from January 2012 to December 2019 in the Department of Abdominal Surgery/Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery of the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival and disease-free survival, and the survival difference between patients with postoperative ypT0N0M0 and ypT1~2N0M0 was compared. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed on clinical, pathologic and treatment measures that may affect survival.Results:Among the 78 patients, there were 18 cases (23.1%) with ypT0N0M0, 14 cases (17.9%) with ypT1aN0M0, 17 cases (21.8%) with ypT1bN0M0, and 29 cases (37.2%) with ypT2N0M0. Median follow-up time was 74.1 (19.8~132.5) months. Fourteen patients (17.9%) had tumor recurrence and metastasis, and 9 patients died from tumor recurrence and metastasis. The 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 84.4% and 87.8%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in 5-year overall survival (86.9% vs 87.8%) or 5-year disease-free survival (88.9% vs 83.2%) between patients with ypT0N0M0 and ypT1~2N0M0. Analysis of factors that may affect prognosis revealed that signet ring cell carcinoma, nerve invasion, and lymph node dissection of fewer than 16 were significantly associated with prognosis ( P＜0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis including these three factors showed that only lymph node dissection of fewer than 16 was an independent risk factor affecting prognosis (OS: HR=10.44 ,95% CI: 2.15-50.72, P=0.004; DFS: HR=11.47, 95% CI: 2.85-46.20, P=0.001). Conclusions:The long-term prognosis of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer at ypT0~2N0M0 stage after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is relatively good, and the long-term survival time of patients with ypT1~2N0M0 and ypT0N0M0 is similar. Lymph node dissection of less than 16 nodes may be an independent risk factor affecting prognosis. During surgery, efforts should be made to increase the number of lymph node dissections. For patients with less than 16 nodes dissected, postoperative treatment and follow-up should be strengthened.

Objectives:To analyze the long-term prognosis of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer in the stage of ypT0~2N0M0 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:The clinical data of 78 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical resection at ypT0~2N0M0 stage from January 2012 to December 2019 in the Department of Abdominal Surgery/Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery of the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival and disease-free survival, and the survival difference between patients with postoperative ypT0N0M0 and ypT1~2N0M0 was compared. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed on clinical, pathologic and treatment measures that may affect survival.Results:Among the 78 patients, there were 18 cases (23.1%) with ypT0N0M0, 14 cases (17.9%) with ypT1aN0M0, 17 cases (21.8%) with ypT1bN0M0, and 29 cases (37.2%) with ypT2N0M0. Median follow-up time was 74.1 (19.8~132.5) months. Fourteen patients (17.9%) had tumor recurrence and metastasis, and 9 patients died from tumor recurrence and metastasis. The 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 84.4% and 87.8%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in 5-year overall survival (86.9% vs 87.8%) or 5-year disease-free survival (88.9% vs 83.2%) between patients with ypT0N0M0 and ypT1~2N0M0. Analysis of factors that may affect prognosis revealed that signet ring cell carcinoma, nerve invasion, and lymph node dissection of fewer than 16 were significantly associated with prognosis ( P＜0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis including these three factors showed that only lymph node dissection of fewer than 16 was an independent risk factor affecting prognosis (OS: HR=10.44 ,95% CI: 2.15-50.72, P=0.004; DFS: HR=11.47, 95% CI: 2.85-46.20, P=0.001). Conclusions:The long-term prognosis of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer at ypT0~2N0M0 stage after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is relatively good, and the long-term survival time of patients with ypT1~2N0M0 and ypT0N0M0 is similar. Lymph node dissection of less than 16 nodes may be an independent risk factor affecting prognosis. During surgery, efforts should be made to increase the number of lymph node dissections. For patients with less than 16 nodes dissected, postoperative treatment and follow-up should be strengthened.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become an important treatment strategy for locally advanced gastric cancer.Targeted therapy and immunotherapy are playing an increasingly important role in the neoadjuvant therapy of gastric cancer.Herein, the development of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer will be reviewed systematically, and the application of targeted drugs on gastric cancer and immune drugs in neoadjuvant drug therapy will be elaborated, intending to provide more references to support the clinical practice.

Recently, sponsored by the Science Popularization Department of the China Anti Cancer Association, jointly organized by the Rehabilitation Branch of the China Anti Cancer Association and the Mijian Digital Cancer Patient Course Management Platform, and co-organized by the Science Popularization Special Committee of the China Anti Cancer Association, The "2022 White Paper on the Quality of Life of Chinese Lung Cancer Patients" has been officially released (herein after referred to as the "White Paper"), which mainly elaborates on the basic situation of Chinese lung cancer patients and the medical, social, and economic impacts caused by the disease. This article interprets the White Paper in order to help the public understand the real situation of lung cancer patients and provide important empirical evidence and valuable insights for the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of lung cancer in China.

Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Gastrectomy ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Neoplasm Staging

Objective:To investigate the risk factors and clinical significance of lymph nodes metastasis between sternocleidomastoid and sternohyoid muscle lymph node (LNSS) metastasis in thyroid cancer patients, so as to guide the reasonable dissection of LNSS region and lateral cervical lymph node in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) .Methods:We selected 111 PTC patients with lateral cervical lymph node metastasis who underwent radical thyroidectomy and lateral cervical lymph node dissection from Nov. 2018 to Dec. 2021 in China-Japan Union Hospital of jilin university. All patients were treated with low collar arc incision. Radical thyroidectomy and lateral cervical lymph node dissection were performed according to the guidelines, and lymph nodes in each district were grouped for pathological examination. According to whether LNSS metastasis occurred, they were divided into two groups: LNSS positive group (LNSS metastasis occurred) and LNSS negative group (LNSS metastasis did not happen). We collected the basic information of all 111 PTC patients with lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM), preoperative color Doppler ultrasound examination and paraffin-embedded pathology and other related clinical case data. Then we described the clinicopathological features of cervical lymph node metastasis. Independent sample t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for continuous variables, and Fisher exact test was used for data analysis for classified variables. Correlation analysis adopted binary logistics regression model, and analyzed the regularity and risk factors of LNSS metastasis. Results:In this study, the detection rate of LNSS was 64.9% (72/111), the overall LNSS metastasis rate was 7.2% (8/111), and the number of lymph node metastasis was 0-5. Univariate analysis showed that the location of LNSS metastasis was related with the cancer focus ( P<0.001), the preoperative serum thyroglobulin (Tg) level ( P=0.002), the number of lymph node metastasis in lateral cervical level Ⅳ ( P=0.001), the longest diameter of the cancer focus ( P=0.003) and the longest diameter of metastatic lymph nodes ( P=0.001) However, age, sex, whether there is lymph node metastasis in the central region (central lymph node metastasis ,CLNM), and whether there is multifocal cancer were not related to LNSS metastasis ( P≥0.05). Further multivariate analysis and work curve analysis of subjects showed that the tumor located in the lower pole ( P=0.014) and the number of lymph node metastasis in level Ⅳ more than 3 ( P=0.027) were independent risk factors for LNSS metastasis. It was found that the risk of LNSS metastasis increased when the cancer focus was located at the lower pole relative to the upper pole or middle part of the cancer focus ( OR=74.508, 95% CI: 2.373-2339.544). The number of lymph node metastasis in level Ⅳ had a positive effect on LNSS metastasis. The more lymph node metastasis in level Ⅳ, the higher the risk of LNSS metastasis ( OR=1.556; 95% CI=1.051-2.303) . Conclusions:In PTC patients with LLNM, the LNSS metastasis rate was 7.2%, and the advantages of LNSS cleaning outweigh the disadvantages. When the cancer focus is located at the lower pole and the number of lymph node metastasis in region Ⅳ is more than 3, it is necessary to pay attention to the dissection of this group of lymph nodes.

Objective:To evaluate salvage surgery in patients with early gastric cancer after noncurative endoscopic resection .Method:A total of 56 cases with early gastric cancer receiving salvage surgery after noncurative endoscopic resection were enrolled and the clinicopathological and follow-up information were analyzed to evaluate the necessity and safety of salvage surgery.Results:Among the 44(79%)patients with submucosal invasion, 38 (68%) were with SM2 (invasion submucosal invasion≥500 μm) according to the pathological results after endoscopic resection. 33 (59%)cases had positive margin. The rate of lymph node metastasis and positive residual tumor as found by salvage gastrectomy were 11% (6/56) and 25% (14/56) . In the multivariate analysis, deeper submucosal invasion resulted as independent risk factor for residual tumor( OR=1.001, 95% CI=1.000-1.002, P=0.036). Among the 12(21%)cases with postoperative complications, 3 (5%)underwent unplanned reoperations because of anastomotic or intra-abdominal bleeding. There was no difference in the number of retrieved lymph nodes and rate of postoperative complications between laparoscopic and open surgery(all P>0.05). Conclusion:For patients with the risk factors of lymph node metastasis after noncurative endoscopic resection, salvage surgery was necessary and laparoscopic approach was safe and feasible.

Objective:To investigate the value of the size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) on dose estimations of children's head CT scans.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on plain head CT scans of 252 patients with the 64-row detector CT device of Discovery 750HD in the Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January to September in 2019. The volume CT dose index (CTDI vol)values were recorded. The head circumference (HC), area, and CT value were measured using a self-developed computer program, and the water equivalent diameter (WED), size-specific conversion factors ( f293 and f220), and absorbed dose (SSDE 293 and SSDE 220) were calculated according to the AAPM reports 293 and 220.The patients were divided into three groups by the quartering meth odaccording to their HC(<47.8 cm, 47.8-52.7 cm, >52.7 cm)and four groups based on their ages(0-2, 3-6, 7-10 and 11-14 years old). The difference between parameters ( f220 and f293, SSDE 220 and SSDE 293、SSDE 293 and CTDI vol) were compared for different groups, and the correlation of HC with f293 and SSDE 293 was analyzed. Results:There was an overestimation of f220 by 11.11% ( t=252.61, P<0.05) compared with f293. SSDE 220 was overestimated by 10.31% ( t=228.21, P<0.05) compared with SSDE 293, and SSDE 293 was underestimated by 9.60% ( t=-31.34, P<0.05)compared with CTDI vol. For the three HC groups, SSDE 220 was overestimated by 8.54%, 10.37%, and 11.57% ( t=73.73, 438.58, 275.52, P<0.05)compared with SSDE 293, and SSDE 293 was underestimated by 1.30%, 9.79%, and 14.61% ( t=-1.91, -60.95, -47.64, P<0.05)compared with CTDI vol. For the four age groups SSDE 220 was overestimated by 8.45%, 10.00%, 10.57%, and 11.36% ( t=63.58, 232.29, 247.84, 302.95, P< 0.05)compared with SSDE 293, and SSDE 293 was underestimated by 1.49%, 8.27%, 10.63%, and 13.78% ( t=-1.83, -28.27, -37.30, -49.80, P< 0.05)compared with CTDI vol. Furthermore, HC was highly correlated with f293 and SSDE 293 ( r2=0.88 and 0.76, respectively, P< 0.05). Conclusions:The radiation dose in children′s head CT scanning can be more accurately estimated according to the AAPM Report 293, while it can be overestimated by CTDI vol. Meanwhile, the CT radiation dose can be patently overestimated with the AAPM Report 220 compared with Report 293.HC is closely correlated with f293 and SSDE 293 and it can be used to estimatee more accurately for SSDE and the radiation dose received by children during head CT scanning.

Objective:To explore the application value of soluble tumor suppressor 2 (SST2), galectin-3 combined with magnetic resonance multimodality in the diagnosis of myocardial fibrosis.Methods:The clinical data of 88 patients with cardiomyopathy from January 2017 to December 2019 in Handan Central Hospital of Hebei Province were retrospectively analyzed as the experimental group, and 100 healthy people in the same period were selected as the control group. According to the results of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI)-late gadolinium enhanced (LGE), the patients with cardiomyopathy were divided into LGE positive and LGE negative. The arrhythmia rate was evaluated by ambulatory electrocardiogram. The New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function grade was recorded. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) were detected by echocardiography. The SST2, galectin-3 and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the efficacy of SST2 and Galectin-3 in predicting myocardial fibrosis in patients with cardiomyopathy.Results:CMRI-LGE results of 88 patients with cardiomyopathy showed that LGE was positive in 42 cases and negative in 46 cases. The arrhythmia rate, LVEDD, SST2 and galectin-3 in experimental group were significantly higher than those in control group: 67.05% (59/88) vs. 2.00% (2/100), (46.55 ± 5.99) mm vs. (27.92 ± 2.05) mm, (61.83 ± 10.57) μg/L vs. (24.99 ± 7.69) μg/L and (18.65 ± 3.39) μg/L vs. (7.12 ± 1.33) μg/L, the LVEF was significantly lower than that in control group: (55.11 ± 8.36)% vs. (68.83 ± 9.45)%, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). The arrhythmia rate, NYHA cardiac function grade, LVEDD, SST2 and galectin-3 in patients with LGE positive were significantly higher than those in patients with LGE negative: 88.10% (37/42) vs. 47.83% (22/46), (3.10 ± 0.53) grade vs. (2.11 ± 0.61) grade, (48.88 ± 5.95) mm vs. (44.41 ± 5.24) mm, (65.58 ± 11.73) μg/L vs. (58.40 ± 8.10) μg/L and (21.00 ± 2.72) μg/L vs. (16.51 ± 2.39) μg/L, the LVEF was significantly lower than that in patients with LGE negative: (52.15 ± 8.23)% vs. (57.82 ± 7.60)%, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). ROC curve analysis result showed that the optimal critical values of serum SST2 and galectin-3 for predicting myocardial fibrosis in patients with cardiomyopathy were 65.07 μg/L and 18.46 μg/L, the area under the curve was 0.714 (95% CI 0.604 to 0.825, P = 0.001) and 0.894 (95% CI 0.828 to 0.960, P = 0.001), the sensitivity was 61.9% and 85.7%, and the specificity was 80.4% and 82.6%. Conclusions:Magnetic resonance multimodality has a good ability in detecting myocardial fibrosis, and serum SST2 and galectin-3 have good predictive value for myocardial fibrosis. SST2 and galectin-3 combined with magnetic resonance multimodality has important clinical significance in the diagnosis of myocardial fibrosis.