Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with malignant melanoma liver metastasis. Methods The clinical data of patients with melanoma liver metastasis before first-line systemic therapy were retrospectively collected. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was conducted to evaluate the association of clinical characteristics with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Prognostic factors associated with PFS and OS were determined through Cox regression analysis. Results A total of 80 patients were included in this study. Six of these patients did not receive systemic or local antitumor therapy after the diagnosis of liver metastasis. Their median survival time after the diagnosis of liver metastasis was 2.3 months. The median OS of the remaining 74 patients was 12.83 months. Cox regression analysis determined that in the patients receiving systemic or local antitumor therapy, age and local treatment were independent prognostic factors for OS; gender and serum NSE levels were independent prognostic factors for systemic PFS and intrahepatic PFS. First-line treatment including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may have survival benefits for patients but the difference was not statistically significant (HR=0.716, P=0.255). Among gene mutations, NRAS mutations had the highest rates (11.25%) and were associated with poor prognosis. In addition, BRAF and CKIT mutations were detected in eight (10%) and four (5%) patients, respectively. Conclusion Patients who are younger and receive local treatment have a relatively better prognosis. The first-line ICI therapy may have survival benefits for patients.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical prognostic value of intratumoral metabolic heterogeneity parameters of baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT in primary cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). Methods:From October 2015 to July 2023, the clinical data of 35 patients (24 males, 11 females, age (66.6±13.1) years) diagnosed with primary CMM who underwent baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School were retrospectively analyzed. Conventional metabolic parameters (SUV max, metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG)) and PET intratumoral metabolic heterogeneity parameters (area under the cumulative SUV histograms curve (AUC-CSH), linear regression slope, SUV max/ SUV mean) were assessed. Using thresholds of 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% SUV max or thresholds of 40%, 60%, and 80% SUV max to delineate MTV, linear regression was performed, with the slopes being heterogeneity index-1 (HI-1) and heterogeneity index-2 (HI-2), respectively. Using SUV thresholds of 2.5, and 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70%SUV max to calculate AUC-CSH and SUV max/SUV mean. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the prognostic value of primary lesion PET metabolic parameters on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results:The median follow-up time of 35 patients was 20 months, with 25 patients (71%) experiencing disease progression and 16 patients (46%) deceased. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that HI-1, HI-2, MTV, SUV max/SUV mean2.5, and SUV max were the independent prognostic factors for PFS (hazard rate ( HR) (95% CI): 0.32(0.13-0.82), 0.32(0.13-0.82), 3.86(1.34-11.12), 4.61(1.33-16.02), 4.06(1.55-10.61), all P<0.05), whereas SUV max and SUV max/SUV mean2.5 were the independent prognostic factors for OS ( HR: 8.04(1.96-32.87), 2.87(1.09-7.51), P values: 0.004, 0.032). Conclusion:HI-1, HI-2, and SUV max/SUV mean2.5 have prognostic value for CMM, while the value of AUC-CSH heterogeneity parameters are not significant.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical prognostic value of intratumoral metabolic heterogeneity parameters of baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT in primary cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). Methods:From October 2015 to July 2023, the clinical data of 35 patients (24 males, 11 females, age (66.6±13.1) years) diagnosed with primary CMM who underwent baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School were retrospectively analyzed. Conventional metabolic parameters (SUV max, metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG)) and PET intratumoral metabolic heterogeneity parameters (area under the cumulative SUV histograms curve (AUC-CSH), linear regression slope, SUV max/ SUV mean) were assessed. Using thresholds of 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% SUV max or thresholds of 40%, 60%, and 80% SUV max to delineate MTV, linear regression was performed, with the slopes being heterogeneity index-1 (HI-1) and heterogeneity index-2 (HI-2), respectively. Using SUV thresholds of 2.5, and 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70%SUV max to calculate AUC-CSH and SUV max/SUV mean. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the prognostic value of primary lesion PET metabolic parameters on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results:The median follow-up time of 35 patients was 20 months, with 25 patients (71%) experiencing disease progression and 16 patients (46%) deceased. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that HI-1, HI-2, MTV, SUV max/SUV mean2.5, and SUV max were the independent prognostic factors for PFS (hazard rate ( HR) (95% CI): 0.32(0.13-0.82), 0.32(0.13-0.82), 3.86(1.34-11.12), 4.61(1.33-16.02), 4.06(1.55-10.61), all P<0.05), whereas SUV max and SUV max/SUV mean2.5 were the independent prognostic factors for OS ( HR: 8.04(1.96-32.87), 2.87(1.09-7.51), P values: 0.004, 0.032). Conclusion:HI-1, HI-2, and SUV max/SUV mean2.5 have prognostic value for CMM, while the value of AUC-CSH heterogeneity parameters are not significant.

Background::Risk assessment and treatment stratification for three-vessel coronary disease (TVD) remain challenging. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of left atrial volume index (LAVI) with the Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score II, and its association with the long-term prognosis after three strategies (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI], coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG], and medical therapy [MT]) in patients with TVD.Methods::This study was a post hoc analysis of a large, prospective cohort of patients with TVD in China, that aimed to determine the long-term outcomes after PCI, CABG, or optimal MT alone. A total of 8943 patients with TVD were consecutively enrolled between 2004 and 2011 at Fuwai Hospital. A total of 7818 patients with available baseline LAVI data were included in the study. Baseline, procedural, and follow-up data were collected. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), which was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke. Secondary endpoints included all-cause death, cardiac death, MI, revascularization, and stroke. Long-term outcomes were evaluated among LAVI quartile groups. Results::During a median follow-up of 6.6 years, a higher LAVI was strongly associated with increased risk of MACCE (Q3: hazard ratio [HR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.37, P = 0.005; Q4: HR 1.85, 95%CI 1.64-2.09, P <0.001), all-cause death (Q3: HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.17-1.69, P <0.001; Q4: HR 2.54, 95%CI 2.16-3.00, P <0.001), and cardiac death (Q3: HR 1.81, 95% CI 1.39-2.37, P <0.001; Q4: HR 3.47, 95%CI 2.71-4.43, P <0.001). Moreover, LAVI significantly improved discrimination and reclassification of the SYNTAX score II. Notably, there was a significant interaction between LAVI quartiles and treatment strategies for MACCE. CABG was associated with lower risk of MACCE than MT alone, regardless of LAVI quartiles. Among patients in the fourth quartile, PCI was associated with significantly increased risk of cardiac death compared with CABG (HR: 5.25, 95% CI: 1.97-14.03, P = 0.001). Conclusions::LAVI is a potential index for risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making in patients with three-vessel coronary disease. CABG is associated with improved long-term outcomes compared with MT alone, regardless of LAVI quartiles. When LAVI is severely elevated, PCI is associated with higher risk of cardiac death than CABG.

Cutaneous melanoma is a malignant skin cancer with a poor prognosis.However,re-cent advances in immune checkpoint blockade and targeted therapy have significantly improved outcomes in advanced-stage resectable melanoma,which have made neoadjuvant therapy a viable option for melanoma patients.Currently,several relevant clinical trials on neoadjuvant therapy have achieved significant results.This paper reviews the recent advances in neoadjuvant therapy for cutaneous melanoma,focusing on the selection of neoadjuvant therapy,subsequent surgical considerations after neoadjuvant therapy,prognostic indicators,and baseline biomarkers.

Uveal melanoma originates from the uveal tract and has a significant tendency to liver metastasis.Once metastasis occurs,the prognosis is poor.The current treatment options for uveal melanoma are liver-directed therapies including liver partial resection,ablation,isolated hepatic perfusion and percutaneous hepatic perfusion,hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy,transcatheter arterial chemoembolization,immune embolization,and radioembolization,and systemic treatment for metastatic uveal melanoma.This review discusses the pathogenesis of liver metastasis in uveal melanoma and reviews the current treatment options for uveal melanoma.

Uveal melanoma originates from the uveal tract and has a significant tendency to liver metastasis.Once metastasis occurs,the prognosis is poor.The current treatment options for uveal melanoma are liver-directed therapies including liver partial resection,ablation,isolated hepatic perfusion and percutaneous hepatic perfusion,hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy,transcatheter arterial chemoembolization,immune embolization,and radioembolization,and systemic treatment for metastatic uveal melanoma.This review discusses the pathogenesis of liver metastasis in uveal melanoma and reviews the current treatment options for uveal melanoma.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between peripheral blood lymphocyte immunophenotyping,cytokine levels before and after immune and anti-angiogenesis combined therapy,and treatment efficacy as well as prognosis in patients with advanced mucosal melanoma.Methods:A total of 28 patients with advanced mucosal melanoma admitted to the Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University School of Medicine from April 2019 to June 2022 were included in this analysis.All patients received combined treatment of camrelizumab(PD-1 inhibitor)and apatinib(anti-angiogenic drug).Peripheral blood samples were collected before treatment and after two cycles of treatment for lymphocyte immunophenotyping and cytokine level testing.The correlation between these immune markers and treatment efficacy as well as patient prognosis was evaluated.Results:After two cycles of treatment with camrelizumab and apatinib in patients with mucosal melanoma,the proportion of PD-1 positive cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CD3+CD8+CD279+cells)in peripheral blood was significantly reduced(P<0.001),while the proportion of NK cells(CD3-CD16+CD56+cells)was significantly increased(P=0.0054).Pre-treatment peripheral blood IFN-γ levels were found to be associated with overall survival(OS)(P=0.013).Patients with low IFN-γ levels had a median OS of 329 days,while the median OS for patients with high IFN-γ levels was not reached.Higher baseline IFN-γ levels were associated with a greater benefit in progression-free survival(PFS).Conclusion:The proportion of PD-1-positive T lymphocytes,NK cells and IFN-γ levels in peripheral blood may have predictive value for the efficacy and prognosis of advanced mucosal melanoma patients undergoing immunotherapy and anti-angiogenesis combined therapy.Future large-sample studies are needed to better characterize the clinical potential of these markers.

Objective:To assess the prognostic value of pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma treated with anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD1) immunotherapy. Methods:A retrospective analysis of 29 patients (15 males, 14 females, age (59.1±13.0) years) with pathologically diagnosed metastatic malignant melanoma in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between June 2017 and October 2020 was conducted. Anti-PD1 immunotherapy were performed in all patients after 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging. 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters including SUV max, bone marrow-to-liver SUV max ratio (BLR), spleen-to-liver SUV max ratio (SLR) were obtained. Total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of primary lesions were measured automatically using the thresholds of 40%SUV max. The median value of each PET parameter was regarded as the threshold value and was used to divide patients into 2 groups (≥ and < the median value, respectively). Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox proportional risk model were used to analyze the overall survival (OS) differences between groups. Results:The median follow-up time was 15.0 months and 13 patients died. The median OS was 26.0(95% CI: 20.4-31.6) months. The median SUV max, TMTV, TLG, BLR and SLR were 6.2, 8.2 cm 3, 38.6 g, 0.82 and 0.84 respectively. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test showed that differences of OS between SUV max≥6.2 and <6.2 groups, TLG≥38.6 g and <38.6 g groups, BLR≥0.82 and <0.82 groups, SLR≥0.84 and <0.84 groups were not significant ( χ2 values: 0.01-0.35, P values: 0.061-0.929), while patients with TMTV≥8.2 cm 3 suffered from poorer OS compared with those with TMTV<8.2 cm 3 ( χ2=5.90, P=0.015). Cox multivariate analysis showed that TMTV (hazard risk ( HR)=6.347, 95% CI: 1.039-38.789) was a significant predictor of OS ( P=0.045). Conclusion:18F-FDG PET/CT parameter TMTV is the independent predictive factor of OS in metastatic melanoma treated with anti-PD1 immunotherapy.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of metabolic parameters measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with primary advanced cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). Methods:A retrospective analysis was comprised of 42 patients with advanced CMM (15 males and 27 females; median age: 60.0 years) from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School between June 2014 and December 2019. All patients were initially diagnosed by pathology, and underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging. 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters including SUV max, SUV mean, total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of metastatic lesions were measured. ROC curve analysis was performed to obtain the optimal cut-off values of those metabolic parameters for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) and over-all survival (OS). Patients were divided into different groups based on their metabolic parameters (≥cut-off values or