Objective This study aimed to adapt the data-driven Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration(PCOC)model to the local context and evaluate its feasibility and preliminary effectiveness in a palliative care unit in China,with the goal of informing its broader integration into national palliative care practice.Methods Based on international experience,a localized implementation protocol for the PCOC model was developed through expert con-sultations and a pilot study.The protocol incorporated key elements including organizational and managerial sup-port,team training and capacity building,information system integration,supervision and feedback mechanisms,pro-cess optimization,and data-driven decision-making.From June to December 2023,the protocol was piloted in the palliative care unit of a tertiary cancer hospital in Changsha,China.Implementation outcomes were assessed by comparing patients' urgent care response rates,symptom stability rates,and symptom improvement rates between the first 1～3 months and 4～6 months after implementation.Results During the study period,a total of 355 inpatients were enrolled,with the PCOC assessment achieving full coverage(100％)and a completion rate of 97.78％.There was no statistically significant difference in the urgent needs response rate between the first 1～3 months and the 4～6 months after the implementation of the PCOC model(P=0.533).However,compared to the first 1～3 months af-ter implementation,patients in the 4～6 months period showed significantly higher symptom stability rates for pain,psychological/spiritual issues,and family/caregiver problems,as well as a higher improvement rate for pain(P＜0.05).Conclusion The localized PCOC implementation protocol facilitates standardized assessment and symptom manage-ment,and its application can enhance the quality of palliative care.

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study assessed the methodological quality of systematic reviews (SRs) of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) published in Chinese between Jan 2021 and Sep 2022. METHODS: Chinese language CHM SRs were identified through literature searches across 3 international and 4 Chinese databases. Methodological quality was appraised using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2. Logistic regressions were used to explore associations between bibliographical characteristics and quality. RESULTS: Analyses of methodological quality found that among the 213 sampled SRs, 69.5% were of critically low quality, 30.5% were of low quality, and none achieved high or moderate quality. Common shortcomings included the failure to identify the studies excluded from the analysis, failure to disclose funding sources, and limited evaluation of the potential impact of bias on conclusions. Logistic regressions revealed that SRs led by corresponding authors affiliated with universities or academic institutions tended to be of lower quality than SRs led by authors affiliated with hospitals or clinical facilities. CONCLUSION Recent Chinese language CHM SRs exhibited limited methodological quality, making them unlikely to support the development of clinical practice guidelines. Urgent initiatives are needed to enhance training for researchers, peer-reviewers and editors involved in the preparation and publication of SRs. Adoption of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines in Chinese language journals is crucial to improve the relevance of SRs for Chinese medicine development. Addressing deficiencies in methodology and reporting is essential for promoting evidence-based practices and informed clinical decisions in Chinese medicine. Please cite this article as: Jiang Y, Zhong CC, Wang BH, Xu SS, Ho FF, Kwong MH, Ho L, Zhou JHS, Lam KC, Liu JP, Zhang BT, Chung VCH. Methodological quality of systematic reviews on orally administered Chinese herbal medicine published in Chinese between 2021 and 2022: A cross-sectional study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):492-501.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Systematic Reviews as Topic/standards* ; Humans ; China ; Administration, Oral ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Objective This study aimed to adapt the data-driven Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration(PCOC)model to the local context and evaluate its feasibility and preliminary effectiveness in a palliative care unit in China,with the goal of informing its broader integration into national palliative care practice.Methods Based on international experience,a localized implementation protocol for the PCOC model was developed through expert con-sultations and a pilot study.The protocol incorporated key elements including organizational and managerial sup-port,team training and capacity building,information system integration,supervision and feedback mechanisms,pro-cess optimization,and data-driven decision-making.From June to December 2023,the protocol was piloted in the palliative care unit of a tertiary cancer hospital in Changsha,China.Implementation outcomes were assessed by comparing patients' urgent care response rates,symptom stability rates,and symptom improvement rates between the first 1～3 months and 4～6 months after implementation.Results During the study period,a total of 355 inpatients were enrolled,with the PCOC assessment achieving full coverage(100％)and a completion rate of 97.78％.There was no statistically significant difference in the urgent needs response rate between the first 1～3 months and the 4～6 months after the implementation of the PCOC model(P=0.533).However,compared to the first 1～3 months af-ter implementation,patients in the 4～6 months period showed significantly higher symptom stability rates for pain,psychological/spiritual issues,and family/caregiver problems,as well as a higher improvement rate for pain(P＜0.05).Conclusion The localized PCOC implementation protocol facilitates standardized assessment and symptom manage-ment,and its application can enhance the quality of palliative care.

Palliative care (PC) is increasingly recognized as an essential component of high-quality cancer care, with evidence from randomized trials and meta-analyses demonstrating that it improves quality of life, mood, and goal-concordant end-of-life care. Despite these benefits, PC integration has been inconsistent, with many patients still receiving PC later in their disease course. Current models of integration include outpatient co-located PC clinics, inpatient consultation services, community- and home-based programs, and more recent innovations, such as telehealth and stepped approaches. These models have shown clear benefits; however, they are frequently organized by care settings rather than patient-specific needs, resulting in both underuse and inefficiency. Emerging evidence has begun to clarify the mechanisms through which PC provides patient benefits. Symptom control, coping support, longitudinal communication, and existential or spiritual interventions are among the active ingredients that are most consistently associated with improvements in patient outcomes. Recognition of these mechanistic drivers highlights the potential for precision PC, in which care is tailored to the unique drivers of each patient’s needs. Implementation of precision PC requires embedding validated patient-reported outcomes and structured referral algorithms into oncology workflows, enabling real-time triage of targeted interventions.Interoperable technology, workforce expansion through the training of non-specialists, and policy reforms that support scalable delivery models, such as telehealth and nurse-led programs, will be essential for closing gaps in terms of access and equity. Precision PC offers a pragmatic framework for aligning limited resources with the diverse and evolving needs of patients with cancer, ensuring timely, individualized, and sustainable integration into modern oncology.

PURPOSE: To examine the association between phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor use and melanoma by 1) conducting a systematic review of observational studies; and 2) determining if low PDE5A gene expression in human melanoma correlated with decreased overall survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of observational studies examining the association between PDE5 inhibitor use and melanoma was performed through ClinicalTrials.gov, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases, and seven eligible studies were identified. PDE5A gene expression was analyzed with RNA sequencing data from 471 human melanoma samples obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. RESULTS: Four studies reported a positive association between PDE5 inhibitor use and melanoma, and three studies found no correlation. RNA sequencing data analysis revealed that under-expression of the PDE5A gene did not impact clinical outcomes in melanoma. CONCLUSIONS: There is currently no evidence to suggest that PDE5 inhibition in patients causes increased risk for melanoma. The few observational studies that demonstrated a positive association between PDE5 inhibitor use and melanoma often failed to account for major confounders. Nonetheless, the substantial evidence implicating PDE5 inhibition in the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-mediated melanoma pathway warrants further investigation in the clinical setting.
Gene Expression ; Genome ; Guanosine Monophosphate ; Humans ; Melanoma ; Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Sildenafil Citrate ; Statistics as Topic ; Tadalafil ; Vardenafil Dihydrochloride

BACKGROUNDRecent studies have suggested that the presence of a pathological fracture does not impact on oncologic outcomes and the feasibility of limb salvage surgery (LSS) in appropriately selected patients when combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. These have largely been single institutional studies with limited numbers. The Eastern Asian Musculoskeletal Oncology Group reviewed the data from three large volume Asian orthopedic oncology centers to determine whether the presence of a pathologic fracture affected outcomes in osteosarcoma patients.

METHODSA retrospective review of the data was conducted. Ninety-five cases of nonmetastatic extremity osteosarcoma with a pathological fracture and 887 cases without fracture treated during the same period were compared.

RESULTSIn the fracture group, the LSS rate was 62.1%, and the rate of amputation was 37.9%. In the nonfracture group, the LSS rate was 74.7%, and the amputation was 25.3%. In patients with a pathologic fracture, the rate of local recurrence for LSS and amputation groups was 8.5% and 2.8%, respectively. In this group, the 5-year survival in the LSS group was 66% as against. 46.8% in the amputation group.

CONCLUSIONSOur study suggests that surgically treated patients with pathologic fractures in osteosarcoma have adequate local control and do not have a poorer outcome compared to patients without a fracture. Though osteosarcoma with a pathologic fracture is not a contraindication for limb salvage, appropriate case selection is important when deciding local control options to ensure adequate oncologic clearance.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Bone Neoplasms ; complications ; surgery ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Extremities ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; etiology ; surgery ; Humans ; Limb Salvage ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; complications ; surgery ; Osteosarcoma ; complications ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Pathologic fracture in osteosarcoma has traditionally been associated with a poor prognosis and is an immediate indication for amputation of the affected extremity. This concept has been questioned and remains an area of debate, especially because advances in osteosarcoma treatment have today resulted in better survival and limb salvage rates.

It is the objectives of this paper to analyze the survival and limb salvage rate of osteosarcoma patients presenting with pathologic fractures and compare these with the population of osteosarcoma patients without pathologic fractures.

Over a 15-year period (1993-2008), these were 84 patients presenting with non-metastatic high-grade classic osteosarcoma of the extremities (Enneking Stage IIB) who received complete treatment from the University of the Philippines-Musculoskeletal Tumor (UP-MuST) Unit and who had a follow up of at least 2 years. Ten of these 84 patients had pathologic fractures prior to surgery. Their overall survival was 50%, similar to the 50.38% overall survival of the entire group of 84 osteosarcoma patients. Limb salvage rate was 60%, similar to the 59% rate of patients without pathologic fractures.

This study shows that contrary to traditional teaching, overall survival for this subset of osteosarcoma patients with pathologic fractures is acceptable at 50% and is equal to that of the entire group of osteosarcoma patients. At the same time, successful limb salvage surgery is possible despite the presence of a pathologic fracture, especially in patients with good response to chemotherapy.

Human ; Animal ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Child ; Humans ; Limb Salvage ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Follow-up Studies ; Philippines ; Osteosarcoma ; Amputation ; Salvage Therapy ; Extremities ; Prognosis ; Bone Neoplasms