Objective:To investigate the risk factors of brain metastases in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) undergoing preventive brain radiotherapy after remission and to construct prediction model.Methods:A total of 231 patients with limited-stage SCLC who received chemoradiotherapy and achieved remission in 3201 Hospital from January 2015 to January 2023 were selected as the study objects. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors on the occurrence of brain metastases after remission in patients with limited-stage SCLC who received preventive brain radiotherapy. Binary logistic regression was used to construct a prediction model. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of each indicator and the prediction model on the occurrence of brain metastases in patients.Results:The median follow-up time of the whole group was 73 months, and 42 cases of brain metastases occurred, with an incidence rate of 18.18%. There were statistically significant differences in the incidence of brain metastases among patients with different T stage ( Z=-4.97, P<0.001), clinical stage ( Z=-8.17, P<0.001), and time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy ( χ2=21.38, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that T stage (stage T 3: OR=6.29, 95% CI: 1.58-25.06, P=0.009; stage T 4: OR=12.91, 95% CI: 3.74-44.57, P<0.001), clinical stage (stageⅡ, OR=8.75, 95% CI: 2.89-26.51, P<0.001; stage Ⅲ, OR=18.43, 95% CI: 7.24-46.92, P<0.001), and time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy ( OR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.11-0.56, P=0.001) were independent influencing factors on the occurrence of brain metastases after remission in patients with limited-stage SCLC who received preventive brain radiotherapy. The diagnostic prediction model based on the above indicators was logit ( P) =-19.91+1.84× stage T 3 +2.56× stage T 4+2.17× stage Ⅱ+2.91× stage Ⅲ-1.38× time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of T stage, clinical stage, time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy, and the diagnostic prediction model for predicting the occurrence of brain metastasis after remission in patients with limited-stage SCLC who received preventive brain radiotherapy were 0.728, 0.660, 0.687, and 0.846, respectively, and the area under the curve of the diagnostic prediction model was significantly larger than those of the other indicators (all P<0.05) . Conclusion:T stage, clinical stage and the time from initial treatment to thoracic radiotherapy are all influential factors for the occurrence of brain metastases after remission in patients with limited-stage SCLC who received preventive brain radiotherapy. The diagnostic prediction model based on the above indicators can help to guide clinicians to accurately screen patients at high risk of brain metastases in the early stage.

Objective:To compare the effects of drug-loaded microsphere TACE (D-TACE) and iodinated oil emulsion TACE (cTACE) on liver fibrosis in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:Clinical data of 113 patients with HCC treated with D-TACE or cTACE at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from October 2019 to September 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including 96 males and 17 females, aged (56.8±9.8) years old. According to treatment protocol, patients were divided into two groups: the D-TACE group ( n=57) and the cTACE group ( n=56). Liver fibrosis panel, fibrosis index (FIB-4), aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) were compared between the groups at four timepoints: pre-treatment, one month after the first TACE, one month after the second TACE, and 12 months after the first TACE. Follow-ups were conducted through outpatient visits or telephone reviews to assess patient survivals. Data including the progression-free survival (PFS) and number of TACE sessions were compared between the two groups. Results:The D-TACE group received 2.84±1.12 sessions of treatment during the observation period, compared to 4.05±1.44 sessions of cTACE group ( t=4.94, P<0.001). The median PFS in D-TACE and cTACE groups were 10.0 and 5.0 months, respectively ( P<0.001). At one month after the second TACE and at 12 months after the first TACE, patients in cTACE group had a higher serum levels of fibrosis markers including hyaluronic acid, type IV collagen, type III procollagen N peptide and laminin than those in D-TACE group (all P<0.05). At the same timepoints, patients in cTACE group also had higher APRI, FIB-4 and LSM than those in D-TACE group (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared to cTACE, patients in D-TACE group received fewer sessions of treatment during the first year after initial TACE, and the degree of liver fibrosis was also lower in D-TACE group.

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of camrelizumab added to second-line therapy after drug- eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DTACE) combined with apatinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 89 HCC patients with camrelizumab added to second-line therapy who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from December 2019 to December 2020. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) after the application of camrelizumab, and the secondary endpoints were objective remission rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, the Log-rank test was used for stratified analysis of subgroups based on baseline characteristics, and the influencing factors for prognosis were analyzed. Results A total of 89 patients were screened and followed up in this study. The patients were followed up to December 2021, with a median follow-up time of 16 months, a median OS time of 17.0 (95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 15.3-18.7) months, and a median PFS time of 7.0 (95% CI : 6.2-7.8) months. There were significant differences in OS and PFS between the patients with different ECOG-PS scores, liver function Child-Pugh classes, portal vein invasion, patterns of progression, times of DTACE treatment, durations of oral administration of apatinib, and durations of application of camrelizumab (all P < 0.05). At 3 and 6 months after the application of camrelizumab, ORR was 39.3% and 22.4%, respectively, and DCR was 80.9% and 54.1%, respectively. The univariate analysis using the Log-rank test showed that compared with the patients receiving 0 time of DTACE treatment, the patients receiving 3-4 or 1-2 times of DTACE treatment had significant improvements in median OS [22.0 (95% CI : 21.1-22.9) months and 17.0 (95% CI : 15.8-18.2) months vs 10.0 (95% CI : 7.0-13.0) months, χ 2 =31.423, P < 0.001] and PFS [10.0 (95% CI : 7.0-13.0) months and 7.0 (95% CI : 6.2-7.8) months vs 3.0 (95% CI : 1.9-4.1) months, χ 2 =20.741, P < 0.001]; compared with the patients using apatinib for ≤4 months, the patients using apatinib for > 4 months had significant improvements in median OS [21.0 (95% CI : 19.1-22.9) months vs 14.0 (95% CI : 10.4-17.6) months, χ 2 =19.399, P < 0.001] and PFS [9.0 (95% CI : 7.3-10.7) months vs 5.0 (95% CI : 4.0-6.0) months, χ 2 =27.733, P < 0.001]; compared with the patients using camrelizumab for ≤5 months, the patients using camrelizumab for > 5 months had significant improvements in median OS [22.0 (95% CI : 20.2-23.8) months vs 13.0 (95% CI : 9.3-16.7) months, χ 2 =22.336, P < 0.001] and PFS [9.0 (95% CI : 7.0-11.0) months vs 5.0 (95% CI : 4.1-5.9) months, χ 2 =26.141, P < 0.001]. Post-embolization syndrome was the adverse event after DTACE and resolved after symptomatic treatment. Adverse reactions related to targeted drugs and immunotherapy all resolved after symptomatic supportive treatment, with no grade ≥4 adverse reactions, and no patients withdrew from target-free therapy due to TRAEs. Conclusion As for DTACE combined with apatinib in the treatment of unresectable HCC, camrelizumab added after progression has a marked therapeutic efficacy with safe and controllable TRAEs.

Methods:From Jan 2019 to Nov 2021, 20 patients underwent 3D printed template assisted pre-fenestration of stent graft with reducing-diameter tie technique and branched stents for the EVAR at the three hospitals. The clinical data patients were collected and analyzed.Results:All the 20 cases underwent 3D printed template assisted pre-fenestration of stent graft according to the data of pre-operative the computed tomographic angiography (CTA). EVAR was successfully performed in all patients(included 2 cases with one fenestration,5 cases with 2 fenestration,10 cases with 3 fenestration and 3 cases with 4 fenestration). Fifty-four reinforced fenestrations (20 in right renal artery, 18 in left renal artery, 13 in superior mesenteric artery and 3 in celiac artery) were performed. During the follow-up period (mean 14.6 months), 1 case died, and the one-stage patency rate of splanchnic artery branch stent was 98.1%. Four patients had endoleak, 1 patient died of intracranial hemorrhage during postoperative period. None of patients had postoperative paraplegia or organ ischemia.Conclusions:3D printed template assisted pre-fenestration of stent graft with reducing-diameter tie technique is feasible for EVAR in the treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms and dissections. The technique is capable to reinforce the blood supply of visceral arteries with satisfied short-term effectiveness.Ojective:To evaluate 3D printed template assisted pre-fenestration of stent graft with reducing-diameter tie technique and branched stents for the endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Objective:To explore the medium-long term efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients with idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (INCPH).Methods:From March 2013 to July 2018, clinical data of 13 INCPH patients, including 5 males, 8 females,with gastrointestinal hemorrhage were retrospectively analyzed, who were diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Anyang Fifth People′ s Hospital and Yuncheng Central Hospital. All patients received TIPS treatment. The general information, postoperative survival rate, the incidence of rebleeding, shunt dysfunction rate, and incidence of hepatic encephalopathy were analyzed.Results:All 13 patients with INCPH completed TIPS successfully with an average age of 45±8 (33 to 59) years. The hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) decreased from 20.0-26.0 (22.6±1.9) mmHg before procedure to 8.0-14.0 (9.4±3.2) mmHg after. The median follow-up time was 44±7 (31 to 53) months. One patient died of liver failure 27 months after TIPS. Hepatic encephalopathy occurred cumulatively in 1 case (1/13), 1 case (1/13) and 1 case (1/13) in 12, 24 and 36 months after TIPS. Stent restenosis occurred cumulatively in 2 cases (2/13), 3 cases (3/13) and 3 cases (3/13) in 12, 24 and 36 months after TIPS. Portal vein thrombosis occurred cumulatively in 2 cases (2/13), and no primary liver cancer developed.Conclusions:TIPS is safe and effective in the treatment of INCPH with gastrointestinal bleeding with favorable medium-long term outcome.

Objective To investigate the cost-effect of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with CalliSpheres beads loaded with arsenic trioxide (ATO) (CBATO) versus ATO iodized oil emulsion (conventional TACE, cTACE) in the treatment of unresectable liver cancer. Methods A total of 100 patients with advanced liver cancer who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from May 2017 to December 2018 were enrolled and divided into CBATO group( n =45) and cTACE group( n =55) according to the treatment regimen. Progression-free survival (PFS) was used to evaluate the efficacy of quality-adjusted life year (QALY), and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) index was used to evaluate quality of life. The t -test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups; the number of surgeries, length of hospital stay, treatment cost, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were calculated for the two groups, and then a cost-effect analysis was performed. Results Within the PFS time, the per capita hospital cost was 96 446 yuan in the CBATO group and 91 230.43 yuan in the cTACE group. There were significant differences between the two groups in the mean number of surgeries (2.5±0.7 vs 3.4±0.8, t =16.911, P < 0.01) and mean hospital stay (5.8±1.2 days vs 7.5±1.8 days, t =12.459, P < 0.01). The CBATO group had a significantly higher QALY than the cTACE group (0.804 vs 0.512). Compared with the cTACE group, the CBATO group had an ICER of 17 861.53 yuan/QALY for unresectable liver cancer. Conclusion Although CBATO has a higher surgery cost than cTACE, CBATO has a better clinical effect than cTACE and can reduce the number of surgeries and length of hospital stay, with a better postoperative quality of life than cTACE, suggesting that CBATO has marked cost-effect advantages.

Objective:To observe the short-term efficacy and safety of bronchial arterial chemoembolization (BACE) combined with anlotinib for treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:The clinical data of 14 patients with advanced NSCLC in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2018 to March 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The short-term efficacy and adverse reactions of BACE combined with anlotinib hydrochloride were evaluated.Results:All patients successfully received BACE treatment twice. The median follow-up time was 19 months (8-26 months). The objective response rate (ORR) of patients at 1, 3 and 6 months after the first treatment was 100.0% (14/14), 71.4% (10/14) and 57.1% (8/14), and the disease control rate (DCR) was 100.0% (14/14), 92.8% (13/14) and 78.6% (11/14), respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) time was 9.5 months (95% CI 9.0-17.3 months), and the 6-month and 12-month PFS rates were 78.6% and 28.6%, respectively. The median overall survival (OS) time was 19.0 months (95% CI 18.4-23.1 months), and the 6-month and 12-month OS rates were 100.0% and 85.7%, respectively. Anlotinib hydrochloride-related adverse reactions included hand-foot syndrome [42.9% (6/14)], fatigue [35.7% (5/14)], hypertension [35.7% (5/14)], oral mucositis [28.6% (4/14)], hemoptysis [28.6% (4/14)], elevated aminotransferases [21.4% (3/14)] and diarrhea [14.3% (2/14)]. There were no grade ≥3 adverse reactions. Conclusion:BACE combined with anlotinib is safe and effective for treatment of advanced NSCLC, and the short-term clinical efficacy is satisfactory.

To evaluate the clinical value of emergency endovascular embolization in the interventional treatment for oral hemorrhage caused by carcinoma, 32 patients with oral hemorrhage caused by carcinoma, who received emergency endovascular embolization due to unsatisfactory hemostatic effect of conventional conservative treatment in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2014 to December 2019, were included in this study and their clinical data, laboratory data and imaging information were retrospectively analyzed. There were 16 males and 16 females, aged (60.6±13.6) years (34-88 years). Technical successful rate of emergency endovascular embolization, immediate successful rate of controlling hemorrhage, blood pressure before and after operation, hemoglobin before and after operation, postoperative complications and recurrence rate of oral hemorrhage were statistically analyzed. Results showed that technical successful rate of operation and immediate successful rate of controlling oral hemorrhage are both 100% (32/32). Recurrent oral hemorrhage occurred in 4 patients (13%). The hemorrhagic shock symptoms of all patients were significantly improved after interventional therapy. After operation, local swelling happened in 34% (11/32) patients and intermittent local pain happened in 22% (7/32) within 24 hours; the swelling and the pain gradually disappeared from 2nd to 5th days. Mild complications of transient fever happened in 9% (3/32) patients and disappeared spontaneously in the short term. No serious complications such as blindness, cerebrovascular accident or central nervous system disturbance occurred in all patients after operations. During the whole follow-up period (1 to 12 months), a total of 8 patients died. The causes of death were progression and metastasis of carcinoma ( n=4), heart failure ( n=2), severe pneumonia ( n=1) and respiratory failure caused by recurrent oral hemorrhage ( n=1). Owing to the remarkable short-term curative effect, repeatable operation, low recurrence rate of oral hemorrhage and low incidence of complications, emergency endovascular embolization can be used in the clinical therapy and application of oral hemorrhage caused by carcinoma.

Objective:To investigate the morphological feature and clinical significance of MRI around tumor after drug-eluting bead transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:We reviewed and analyzed the data of hepatocellular carcinoma patients admitted from January 2017 to December 2018 in the Department of Radiological Intervention of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. A total of 42 patients were enrolled, including 35 males and 7 females, aged (57.0±11.9) years. For the first time after operation, MRI enhancement showed peri-tumor margin enhancement as the starting point of follow-up. Follow-up and measure enhanced edge thickness, delayed enhancement, progression or remission data.Results:A total of 49 tumors and 84 peritumoral enhancement margins were included in 42 patients, with 30 sharp type , 40 rough type and 14 nodular type. The thickness of sharp type is less than that of rough type and nsodular type, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The sharp type is the majority of the tumors with maximum diameter <5 cm, rough type and nodule type are the majority of tumors with maximum diameter ≥5 cm. Most of the sharp type are continuously enhanced, while the rough type and nodular type are not. Most sharp type relief (93.3%, 28/30), while rough type (80.0%, 32/40) and nodular type ( n=12) are mostly of deterioration, the differences are statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with the rough type and nodular type, the sharp type usually occurs in smaller tumors and more prone to local mitigation in the enhanced morphology around MRI after DEB-TACE in primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of arsenic trioxide-loaded CalliSpheres beads (CBATO) in transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of rabbits with VX2 liver tumor. MethodsA total of 120 tumor-bearing rabbits were divided into control group, CalliSpheres beads (CB) group (blank beads for TACE), CBATO group, and conventional TACE (cTACE) group (arsenic trioxide lipiodol for TACE) using a random number table, with 30 rabbits in each group. Five rabbits in each group were sacrificed at 12 hours and on days 3, 7, and 14 after TACE, and immunohistochemistry was used to measure the proliferation index and apoptosis percentage of tumor cells in the residual tumor area. The tumor necrotic volume was measure on day 7 after TACE, and the growth rate and necrosis rate of tumor cells were calculated. Ten rabbits were randomly selected from each group for the observation of survival time. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups; the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate survival time, and the log-rank test was used for comparison. ResultsOn day 7 after TACE, the CBATO group had a significantly lower growth rate and a significantly higher necrosis rate of tumor cells than the cTACE group, the CB group, and the control group (all P＜0.05). At each time point after TACE, there were significant differences in the proliferation index and apoptosis percentage of tumor cells between the CBATO group and the other three groups (all P＜0.05). The median survival time was 26 days in the CBATO group, 18.5 days in the CB group, 22 days in the cTACE group, and 15.5 days in the control group, and the CBATO group had a significantly longer survival time than the other three groups (χ2=3.95, 8.99, and 13.47, P=0.049, P=0.003, and P＜0.01). ConclusionCBATO has a better effect than cTACE and CB in the treatment of rabbits with VX2 liver tumor and can significantly improve tumor necrosis rate, promote the apoptosis of tumor cells, and prolong the survival time of experimental animals.