1.Reconceptualizing Critical Illness in Cancer Through the Lens of Host Unregulated Response
Yun CHU ; Shiyi GONG ; Xin DING ; Hua ZHAO ; Huan CHEN ; Qing ZHANG ; Xiaoting WANG
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):1-9
Onco-critical care has emerged as an important subspecialty at the intersection of critical care medicine and oncology, attracting increasing attention in recent years. With continuous innovations in cancer therapies, patient survival has improved significantly; however, the incidence of associated critical complications has also increased. The reasons for cancer patients requiring intensive care unit admission are diverse and can be broadly categorized into three groups: progression of the underlying malignancy, treatment-related complications, and coexisting classical critical illnesses. Traditional critical care concepts and practices face limitations in addressing the multidimensional and heterogeneous challenges of onco-critical care. Based on the core mechanism of critical illness development—host/organ unregulated response (HOUR)—this article systematically elaborates on how this framework advances understanding and clinical practice into onco-critical care, with emphasis on its manifestations in neuroendocrine, immune-inflammatory, and coagulation-metabolic pathways. The review summarizes recent advances in clinical assessment and phenotyping systems for onco-critical illness and discusses a multidisciplinary, integrated management strategy centered on the "Disease Control, Host Response Modulation, Organ Support" triad. Finally, major challenges and future directions in this field are outlined. By integrating existing evidence and theoretical insights, this review aims to provide new perspectives and a theoretical foundation for the clinical management of onco-critical illness, thereby promoting its evolution toward precision and standardization.
2.Five Principles for the Development of Oncology Critical Care Medicine
Zhengheng YU ; Zeyu ZHANG ; Yanli YANG
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):10-15
With the deep integration of tumor diagnosis and treatment technologies and critical care medicine, oncology critical care has emerged as an innovative interdisciplinary field, whose standardized development is crucial for improving the prognosis of cancer patients. Based on complex system theory and incorporating cutting-edge clinical practices, this paper systematically elaborates on five core principles for promoting the high-quality development of oncology critical care: complex system thinking, value-based healthcare, interdisciplinary integration, spatiotemporal holism, and humanistic experience. These five principles provide a top-level design framework for the discipline in terms of conceptual understanding, comprehensive management, developmental paradigms, clinical treatment, and service models. They aim to establish a patient-centered oncology critical care system that balances medical quality and efficiency, ultimately maximizing patient survival benefits across their entire life cycle.
3.Severe Intravascular Large B-cell Lymphoma Presenting as Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Case Report
Jianhua LI ; Wei HUANG ; Qing ZHANG ; Weiyuan LUO ; Yanqiong WU ; Xiukai CHEN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):115-119
Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma(IVLBCL) is a rare and aggressive type of lymphoma with diverse and nonspecific clinical manifestations, often leading to misdiagnosis. This article reports a case of IVLBCL in a middle-aged male patient who initially presented with pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH). The patient exhibited progressive hypoxemia and PAH, showing poor response to standard PAH therapy. Laboratory tests indicated a hyperinflammatory state and significantly elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels, while imaging revealed diffuse bilateral lung lesions. Random skin biopsy identified atypical B lymphocytes within subcutaneous capillaries, confirming the diagnosis of IVLBCL. Following treatment with the ZR-CHOP regimen, the patient's symptoms and laboratory parameters improved markedly. By reviewing relevant literature, this article systematically outlines the diagnostic and therapeutic process of this case, aiming to provide insights for the clinical recognition of such rare presentations.
4.Toripalimab-Induced Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in a Patient with Breast Cancer: A Case Report
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):120-124
Immune checkpoint inhibitors can induce a rare but fatal complication known as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis(HLH). However, reports of ICI-related HLH in breast cancer are extremely limited, and no cases induced by the combination of toripalimab with chemotherapy have been documented. This article reports a case of a breast cancer patient who developed persistent high fever 13 days after receiving toripalimab combined with chemotherapy. Diagnostic evaluations met the HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria. Following methylprednisolone pulse therapy, the patient's symptoms improved rapidly, with subsequent consolidation treatment involving low-dose etoposide. Follow-up examinations one month after discharge showed normal results. This case suggests that toripalimab may induce HLH in breast cancer patients and that initial treatment with glucocorticoids alone can be effective. It provides a reference for the early clinical identification and management of such severe immune-related adverse events.
5.Interpretation of the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Pulmonary Embolism 2025
Peiran WANG ; Kai SUN ; Xiqi XU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):140-147
With the advancement of more high-quality research, significant progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of acute pulmonary embolism. Based on the latest evidence in evidence-based medicine, the Chinese Society of Cardiology released the
6.Analysis of HPV Infection Characteristics and Influencing Factors for Lesion Grade in Patients with Cervical Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion and Cervical Cancer
Jingjing HAN ; Lijie ZHANG ; Ruyu CAI ; Haili LI ; He WANG ; Le DANG ; Hongda CHEN ; Ming'e LI ; Lan ZHU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):156-165
To summarize the distribution characteristics of human papillomavirus(HPV) infection types in patients with cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion(SIL) and cervical cancer(CC), and to explore the impact of HPV vaccination, HPV infection types, and general clinical data on different grades of cervical lesions. Clinical data of women attending the gynecological colposcopy clinic of Shenzhen People's Hospital from January 2020 to December 2023 were retrospectively collected. Patients with HPV genotyping records and histopathologically diagnosed SIL or CC were included and divided into three groups based on pathological results: low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion(LSIL) group, high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion(HSIL) group, and CC group. The distribution of high-risk HPV subtypes was analyzed among the three groups, and multivariate Logistic regression was used to identify influencing factors for high-grade cervical lesions. A total of 4162 patients were included, comprising 4057 cervical SIL patients(3317 LSIL and 740 HSIL) and 105 CC patients. The overall mean age was(39.9±11.2) years. The HPV infection rate was 95.1%(3959/4162), and 25.0%(1040/4162) of patients had received HPV vaccination. Among high-risk HPV infections, HPV 52, HPV 16, HPV 58, and HPV 18 were the most common subtypes. HPV 52 had the highest infection rate in the LSIL group(27.6%), while HPV 16 was the most prevalent in the HSIL group(45.3%) and CC group(64.9%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that HPV vaccination( HPV infection is common in patients with SIL and CC, but the distribution of high-risk HPV subtypes varies among different grades of cervical lesions. It is recommended to strengthen cervical cancer screening and monitoring of key high-risk HPV infections in older and multiparous women in Shenzhen, and to continue promoting HPV vaccination.
7.Treatment Strategies for Tumor Immunotherapy-Related Organ Dysfunction Based on Host Unregulated Response
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):16-22
Cancer immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has significantly improved the prognosis of patients with various malignancies. However, the immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and associated organ dysfunction they trigger have become key issues affecting treatment safety and long-term patient survival. Pathophysiologically, irAEs share common features with classical critical illnesses like sepsis, both involving host/organ unregulated response (HOUR). The key distinction lies in irAEs primarily manifesting as overactivation of the immune system. Clinically, differentiating irAEs from infection in ICI-treated patients presenting with new-onset organ dysfunction is often challenging. Building upon the HOUR theoretical framework, this article proposes a PRISM management strategy integrating multi-omics technology, aiming to provide a personalized approach for the diagnosis and treatment of immunotherapy-related organ dysfunction. The PRISM strategy encompasses five key components: Precise etiological differentiation, Regulation of host response, Immunotherapy risk prediction, Support of organ function, and Multidisciplinary collaboration. By integrating multi-omics biomarkers and patient clinical characteristics, the PRISM strategy enables early warning and precise phenotyping of organ dysfunction and offers individualized intervention plans. It holds promise for significantly improving the clinical management of irAEs, enhancing patients' quality of life and long-term prognosis, thereby providing a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the precise prevention and treatment of critical illnesses associated with immunotherapy.
8.From Gene Expression to Transcriptome-wide Association Study: Development and Comparison of Methodology
Kun FANG ; Guozhuang LI ; Linting WANG ; Qing LI ; Kexin XU ; Lina ZHAO ; Zhihong WU ; Jianguo ZHANG ; Nan WU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):223-229
Over the past two decades, genome-wide association study(GWAS) has identified numerous genetic variants and loci associated with heritable diseases. With the gradual maturation and saturation of GWAS methodologies, transcriptome-wide association study(TWAS) offers a novel perspective by linkinggenetic phenotypes to gene expression levels. By integrating TWAS with other multi-omics analyses, researchers can gain a deeper understanding of heritable diseases. This article provides an overview of recent groundbreaking and representative TWAS methods and tools, analyzes their strengths and limitations, and discusses future trends in TWAS development.
9.Mechanism Exploration of Doxorubicin and Sepsis Induced Myocardial Injury: Differences and Convergences
Tao ZHANG ; Zihan NAN ; Lixia LIU ; Jiaqi LIU ; Xiukai CHEN ; Xiaoting WANG ; Suwen SU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):23-32
Doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity and sepsis-induced myocardial injury (SIMI) represent significant clinical challenges in patients undergoing chemotherapy, sharing a common pathological basis of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, has recently been shown to play a critical role in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced SIMI. This article systematically reviews the mechanisms underlying myocardial injury caused by DOX and sepsis, identifying ferroptosis as a central common pathway. DOX triggers a burst of reactive oxygen species within mitochondria and inhibits glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) activity through redox cycling of its quinone group and high-affinity accumulation in mitochondrial cardiolipin. LPS, by activating pattern recognition receptors and related inflammatory signaling pathways, provokes a cytokine storm and mitochondrial dysfunction. Both can disrupt the core regulatory axis of cysteine-glutathione (GSH)-GPX4, synergistically promoting ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes. Moreover, epigenetic regulation plays a key role in DOX- and LPS-induced cardiomyocyte ferroptosis and may serve as a promising therapeutic target. A deeper understanding of the ferroptosis mechanism and its epigenetic regulatory network in the synergistic injury induced by DOX and sepsis is of great importance for developing novel strategies to mitigate chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity and improve outcomes in cancer patients with concurrent infections.
10.Research Progress on Clinical Features of Pancreatic Damage Associated with Systemic Autoimmune Disease
Limeng SUN ; Jiuliang ZHAO ; Huadan XUE
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):238-246
Systemic autoimmune diseases represent a group of disorders characterized by loss of immune tolerance to self-antigens, leading to abnormal immune responses and subsequent tissue damage. Typical examples include systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis. These conditions are marked by multi-system involvement, chronic progression, and recurrent flares. The pancreas, as a vital digestive and endocrine organ rich in glandular tissue and vascular supply, can also be affected by autoimmune processes. Pancreatic injury often indicates active and difficult-to-control disease, posing a serious threat to patient survival. Due to its relative rarity, diverse underlying mechanisms across different autoimmune diseases, and frequently nonspecific clinical presentations, pancreatic involvement is easily overlooked, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment.This article focuses on the clinical features and potential pathophysiological mechanisms of pancreatic injury associated with autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, Sjögren's syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis, aiming to enhance clinical awareness and facilitate early recognition and diagnosis of this condition.

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