Objective:To investigate the overall recurrence rate and the pattern of treatment failure in thoracic esophageal cancer (TEC) patients after minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE), and to evaluate the significance of adjuvant therapy after MIE.Methods:Clinical data of TEC patients who underwent MIE with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University between 2016 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The pathology-based lymph node metastasis (LNM) rate, overall recurrence rate, and pattern of treatment failure following MIE were analyzed by SPSS 26.0 statistical software. Cox regression model was used to identify the high-risk factors for recurrent disease. Propensity score matching was performed to compare the survival of patients between the postoperative radiotherapy group and non-radiotherapy group.Results:A total of 443 eligible patients were enrolled in this study, and the pathology-based LNM rate in all groups was 42.0%. The overall recurrence rate was 34.8%. Regional lymphatic metastasis was the most frequent pattern of recurrence (24.2%), followed by distant metastasis (19.4%). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified pT 3-4 stage and pN + stage as the independent risk factors for recurrence. At the same time, the total number of lymph nodes dissected ≥12 and the number of lymph nodes dissected ≥7 in the neck clavicle and upper mediastinum could reduce the risk of tumor recurrence. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates in the postoperative radiotherapy group and non-radiotherapy group were 83.5%, 66.8%, 60.7%, and 79.2%, 61.6%, 57.2%, respectively ( χ2=0.13, P=0.715). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates in two groups were 92.0%, 72.0%, 67.5% and 84.0%, 68.0%, 55.4% , respectively ( χ2=0.43, P=0.513). Conclusions:Regional lymphatic and distant metastases are the main patterns of recurrence for TEC patients after MIE with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy. pT 3-4 stage, pN + stage, insufficient total number of lymph node dissection and insufficient number of lymph nodes in neck supraclavicular and upper mediastinal dissection are high-risk factors for postoperative recurrence. The survival rate in the postoperative radiotherapy group tends to be higher than that in the non-radiotherapy group. Adjuvant therapy, including postoperative radiotherapy, may remain necessary.

The current recommendation for postoperative radiotherapy for esophageal cancer in China is mainly based on the data of incomplete two-field dissection of open left thoracotomy. At present, the type of surgery for esophageal cancer gradually transitions from open left thoracotomy to open right thoracotomy and from open esophagectomy to minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). Patients with early-stage esophageal cancer are selected as candidates for MIE. MIE is less invasive than open esophagectomy, and the right thoracic approach is conducive to more thorough lymph node dissection. However, few data and related studies are available on the patterns of failure after MIE in esophageal cancer, and guiding an adjuvant therapy is difficult. The feasibility of an adjuvant therapy for selective high-risk patients and the optimized treatment after MIE remains to be explored in clinical practice. In this regard, this article aims to review the safety of MIE, long-term survival outcomes, postoperative recurrence patterns, and recurrence rates of patients to discuss the value of postoperative adjuvant therapy and guide clinical treatment.

In recent years, unconventional fractionated radiotherapy has shown increasing advantages in the treatment of multiple system tumors. Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) involves the delivery of standard-fraction doses of radiotherapy to different areas, achieving the delivery of higher doses of radiotherapy per fraction to the high-risk gross tumor volume (GTV) without sacrificing the irradiation dose to the normal tissues. The dosimetric advantages of SIB-IMRT have been widely recognized. At present, the local control, survival advantage, indication population and the optimal upper limit of single fraction of SIB-IMRT for esophageal carcinoma are still unclear. This article reviews the application of SIB-IMRT in esophageal carcinoma.

Objective:To analyze the influence of micro-course guided by mind mapping on the examination results, critical thinking ability and learning efficiency of interns in internal medicine department of traditional Chinese medicine.Methods:A total of 86 interns rotated in the internal medicine department of traditional Chinese medicine from July 2018 to November 2019 were randomized into two groups, namely the control group ( n=43) and the research group ( n=43). The control group received traditional teaching, and the research group adopted micro-course guided by mind mapping to carry out teaching activities. SPSS 21.0 was used to conduct t test and chi-square test to compare the evaluation results of assessment, critical thinking ability, learning efficiency and comprehensive ability. Results:The scores of theory and skill practice in the research group were higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05). After intervention, the evaluation results of critical thinking ability in the two groups were better than before intervention ( P<0.05), and the evaluation results of critical thinking ability in the research group were better than those in the control group ( P<0.05). The total effective rate of the research group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( P<0.05). The evaluation results of comprehensive ability in the research group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The application of micro-course guided by mind mapping in practice teaching of internal medicine department of traditional Chinese medicine has a positive impact on the cultivation of interns' critical thinking ability and comprehensive ability, with excellent examination results and high learning efficiency.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of magnifying endoscopy and high frequency endoscopic ultrasonography (HFUS) in the diagnosis and recurrence monitoring of gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (GML).Methods:A total of 15 patients with newly diagnosed GML in the Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine from October 2016 to October 2019 were collected. The general data, clinical manifestations, Lugano staging, gastroscope performance, magnifying endoscopic performance, HFUS performance and helicobacter pylori infection were retrospectively analyzed. The efficacy and follow-up were also analyzed.Results:The most common symptom of 15 patients with GML was upper abdominal discomfort, followed by weight loss and anemia. The frequent site of GML was the middle 1/3 of the stomach (10 cases) and the most common type was diffuse (8 cases). The positive helicobacter pylori were detected in 9 cases. The positive tree-like appearance (TLA) was found in 13 cases under magnifying endoscopy; after the treatment, 2 cases had positive TLA. The unclear 1-3 layer structure of gastric wall in lesions was observed by using HFUS, accompanied with hypoechoic alteration. After the treatment, HFUS reexamination showed that the 1-5 layer structure of gastric wall disappeared in one patient, the pathological results confirmed that GML transformed into diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.Conclusion:Magnifying endoscopy combined with HFUS has an important application value in therapeutic efficacy evaluation and recurrence monitoring of GML; HFUS may has a certain clinical value in the progress assessment of GML.

Objective To investigate the clinical utility of magnifying endoscopy combined with nar-row-band imaging( ME-NBI)and endoscopic ultrasonography( EUS)in predicting the depth of early eso-phageal cancer. Methods Sixty-eight patients with early esophageal cancer after gastroscopic and pathological diagnosis were enrolled in Jiangsu Provincal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to May 2018,ME-NBI and EUS were performed preoperatively to determine the depth of lesion infiltration respectively, the accuracies of the two methods were calculated by referring to the postoperative pathology,and the McNemar test and Kappa test were used for comparison. Results The lesion confined to shallow mucosa and submucosa superficial layer was confirmed in 57 patients by postoperative pathology,submucosa superficial below in 11 pa-tients. Compared with that of histology,the ability of assessment of the invasion depth was moderately consistent with ME-NBI(McNemar test P = 0. 508;Kappa = 0. 560,P < 0. 001),not with EUS(McNemar test P =0. 019;Kappa = 0. 266,P = 0. 015). The accuracy for assessing invasion depth of early esophageal cancer was 86. 8％(59 / 68)by ME-NBI,72. 1％(49 / 68)by EUS,respectively,with statistically significant difference (McNemar test P = 0. 015;Kappa = 0. 258,P = 0. 026). Conclusion ME-NBI and EUS can help to deter-mine the infiltration level of early esophageal cancer. The accuracy of ME-NBI is higher,which is of high value for the formulation of surgical plans for patients.

Objective To determine the efficacy of primary tumor of esophageal cancer,according to the result of magnetic resonance imaging before and after chemoradiotherapy of esophageal cancer,combined with clinical efficacy evaluation,and to verify the reliable evaluation of the short-term curative effect of magnetic resonance on esophageal cancer,combined with the original CT and esophagogram evaluation criteria.Methods From May 2010 to March 2014,totally 83 patients with esophageal carcinoma treated with 3D-CRT or IMRT were enrolled.The prescribed doses were ranged from 50-64 Gy with median dose of 60 Gy and 1.8-2.0 Gy per fraction,of which 34 of the patients received concurrent chemotherapy of FP or TP.All the patients performed the examinations of DWI,CT scan and esophagogram before and after radiotherapy.The treatment efficacy was evaluated by short-term therapeutic effect evaluation criterion of versions 1989 and 2013 and the hyperintense expression on DWI sequence.Results According to the short-term therapeutic effect evaluation criterion of versions 1989 and 2013 based on the examination of esophagogram and CT scan,45 patients achieved complete remission (CR) after treatment(54.2％) and 38 achieved partly remission(PR) (45.8％) version 1989,while 35 patients achieved CR (42.2％) and 48 achieved PR (57.8％) version vesion 2013.In the two differentcriterions,the local control rate and survival rate of the complete remission group in 1 to 5 years were better than those in the partial remission group.According to the examination of DWI,48 patients' hyperintense disappeared completely at the end of treatment (which was defined to CR),25 patients had a slightly hyperintense expression and 10 patients still had hyperintense expression on DWI sequence (which two defined to PR),the local control and survival rates of the former group were superior to the latter groups (x2 =6.125,11.652,P ＜0.05).The TE results evaluated by DWI and TE evaluation criterion of version 2013 were compared according to Kappa test,as a result,the Kappa coefficient 0.478.According to the examination of esophagogram,CT scan and DW1,25 patients achieved CR and 58 achieved PR in all exams,and the local control and survival rates of the former group were superior to the latter group (x2 =5.559,10.014,P ＜0.05).Conclusions The esophagogram and CT based TE evaluation criterion could well indicate local control status of esophageal cancer,and the examination of DWI could afford visualized and quantifying reference information about the TE of esophageal cancer.The expression of hyperintense at the end of treatment may indicate a high risk of recurrence and metastasis.The therapeutic effect evaluated by esophagogram,CT scan and DWI maybe more objective and more accurate.

Objective To explore and improve the feasibility and prognostic value of barium radiography and computed tomography (CT)-based evaluation criteria in evaluation of the short-term efficacy of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer,and to provide a basis for clinical application.Methods The short-term treatment outcomes of 529 patients with esophageal carcinoma receiving three-dimensional radiotherapy from 2004 to 2015 were evaluated by the 2013 version of barium radiography and CT-based evaluation criteria.The local control (LC) and survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.The log-rank test was used for data analysis and univariate prognostic analysis.The agreement between two evaluation criteria was measured by the Kappa coefficient.Results According to the results of the survival analysis in all the patients using the evaluation criteria for short-term treatment outcomes,the 3-,5-,7-,and 9-year LC rates were 78.6％,69.8％,69.8％,and 63.4％ in the complete response (CR) group (n=52),and 56.4％,47.9％,46.2％,and 42.4％ in the partial response (PR) group (n=409),respectively;the 3-,5-,7-,and 9-year overall survival (OS) rates were 62.7％,49.1％,39.8％,and 39.8％ in the CR group,and 29.5％,21.6％,20.6％,and 19.5％ in the PR group,respectively;the median OS time was 50,17,and 5 months in the CR group,PR group,and non-response group (n=12),respectively (P=0.000).According to CT measurements,the short diameter of residual metastatic lymph node after radiotherapy was between 0.37-3.40 cm (median value=0.82 em).All patients were divided into groups based on the short diameter of residual metastatic lymph node after radiotherapy with a gradient of 0.5 cm.Patients with short diameters of residual metastatic lymph node of ≤ 1.00 cm had a significantly higher OS rate than those with short diameters of residual metastatic lymph node of＞ 1.00 cm (P =0.000).The lymph node volume of 1.00 cm3 in the original criteria was replaced by the short diameter of residual metastatic lymph node of 1.00 cm after radiotherapy and treatment outcomes were re-evaluated using the new criteria.The CR group still had significantly higher LC and OS rates than the PR group (P=0.000).There was a good agreement between the two evaluation criteria (Kappa =0.863).Conclusions The barium radiography and CT-based evaluation criteria for short-term treatment outcomes can accurately evaluate the short-term outcomes and predict prognosis in patients with esophageal carcinoma.Replacing the volume in the original criteria with the short diameter of residual metastatic lymph node after radiotherapy achieves similar results in prognostic prediction.

Objective To investigate the survival benefits of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy ( SIB-IMRT ) in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma ( ESCC ) . Methods From July 2003 to March 2014,1748 patients with ESCC received 3DCRT or IMRT in a single institution were enrolled in this retrospective study. Among them, 809 patients received conventional fractionated radiotherapy with the standard prescription dose and 110 patients received SIB-IMRT ( SIB-IMRT group).Survival analysis was performed and propensity score matching (PSM 1vs1) was conducted to evaluate and compare the survival benefits between SIB-IMRT and conventional fractionated radiotherapy. Results The baseline characteristics significantly differed between two groups. In the SIB group,the age was significantly younger ( 64 years vs. 66 years, P=0. 001 ) , the percentage of patients with cervical/upper thoracic tumors was considerably higher (53. 6％ vs. 31. 0％,P=0. 000) and the proportion of N2 patients was significantly higher ( 21. 8％ vs. 13. 7％,P=0. 027) compared with those in the other group. Accordingto the PSM of 1:1, 218 patients were successfully matched. After matching, the clinical data did not significantly differ between two groups. Prior to matching,the median survival time in the standard dose and SIB-IMRT groups were 23 and 21 months (P=0. 638).After matching,the median survival time in the SIB-IMRT group was 22 months,significantly longer than 18 months in the standard dose group (P=0. 000). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that patients with large tumors ( GTV volume>40 cm3 ) and middle/lower thoracic tumors obtained more survival benefits from SIB-IMRT. The median survival time of patients in the standard dose group was 14 months, significantly shorter than 21 months in the SIB-IMRT group ( P=0. 001).The median survival time of patients with middle/lower thoracic tumors in the SIB-IMRT group was 17 months,significantly longer than 9 months in the standard dose group (P=0. 000).Multivariate analysis using Cox regression model indicated that age, tumor site and radiotherapy modality were the independent prognostic factors. The HR of SIB-IMRT was 0. 551(P=0. 000),which was a factor for survival benefits. Conclusions SIB-IMRT possesses potential survival benefits for ESCC compared with conventional fractionated radiotherapy. Patients with large tumors and middle/lower thoracic tumors are more prone to obtaining benefits from SIB-IMRT than their counterparts.

Objective To investigate the regularity of TCM diagnoses and treatment of the endoscope for the early phrase of colorectal cancer. Methods A total of 114 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer were treated with endoscopy and herbal nursingfrom January 2013 to March 2016. The syndromes, herbs and channel tropism were analyzed to explore the regularity of TCM diagnoses and treatment of the endoscope for the early phrase of colorectal cancer. Results The common syndromes were spleen and kidney deficiency, liver and kidney Yin deficiency, Qi deficiency and blood stasis. There were 18 categories Chinese medicine. The most commonly medicine showed the function of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, regulating Qi. The drugs mostly belonged to the liver, spleen, stomach, kidney meridian. Conclusions Most patients were spleen deficiency and kidney deficiency, and the disease's nature focusd on Qi and bood, with the pathogenesis characteristics of deficiency-excess complication. So the basic treatment mainly tonify the spleen and kidney, regulate Qi, promote blood circulation, and clearing heat and dampness.