Objective:To investigate the risk factors for 1-year survival rate in patients with spinal metastasis secondary to lung cancer.Methods:The data of 343 patients with spinal metastases secondary to lung cancer from January 2011 to December 2018 were retrospectively studied. There were 188 males (54.8%) and 155 females (45.2%) with an average age of 59.47±10.21 years old (range 23-91 years). The patients were divided into operation group (150 cases, 43.7%) and non operation group (193 cases, 56.3%). The demographics, types of primary tumor, non spinal metastasis, visceral metastasis, spinal metastasis and segments, pathological fractures of vertebra, Frankel classification, physical function status (Karnofsky performance scale, KPS), visual analogue score (VAS), the spinal instability neoplastic score (SINS) were recorded and analyzed. The impact of different treatments on the survival prognosis of patients with spinal metastasis was evaluated. The independent factors affecting survival in those patients were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression model.Results:The peak incidence of spinal metastases was found in the age group of 46-60 years (43.7%, 150/343). 38.5% (132/343) of the patients had pathological fractures of the involved vertebral body. 58.3% (200/343) of the patients had extraspinal bone metastasis. 36.2% (124/343) of the patients had visceral metastasis. Among the primary tumors, adenocarcinoma was the most common tpye (61.5%, 211/343), followed by large cell lung cancer (12.5%, 43/343), small cell lung cancer (6.4%, 22/343), squamous cell cancer (6.1%, 21/343) and mixed cell lung cancer (5.3%, 18/343). The type of lung cancer cells in about 8.2 (28/343) patients was unknown. Among the surgical patients, 21 patients underwent minimally invasive surgery (14.0%), 28 patients underwent simple decompression surgery (18.7%), 76 patients underwent separation surgery (50.7%), and 25 patients underwent radical surgery (16.6%). 59.3% (89/150) of the patients had a better neurological function than before surgery. The average survival time of all patients was 9.88 months with the median survival time of 8 (5,14) months. The survival rates were 62.1% (213/343), 30.0% (103/343), and 3.8% (13/343) at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. The average survival time of patients in the operation group was 10.24 months with the median survival time of 9 (5, 15) months, and the average survival time of patients in the non operation group was 9.41 months with the median survival time of 7 (5, 13) months with no significant difference between the groups (χ 2=0.300, P=0.584). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis showed that radiotherapy [ HR=1.913, 95% CI(1.471, 2.488), P<0.001], chemotherapy [ HR=1.313, 95% CI(1.040, 1.658), P=0.022], targeted drug therapy [ HR=1.683, 95% CI(1.221, 2.319), P=0.001], KPS [ HR=1.593, 95% CI(1.140, 2.225), P=0.006] and pathological type (non-small cell lung cancer) were independent factors affecting the 1-year survival rate of patients with spinal metastasis secondary to lung cancer [ HR=0.322, 95% CI(0.225, 0.460), P<0.001] with significant difference. Conclusion:Surgical treatment can improve both the neurological function and general status of patients with spinal metastasis. Treatments of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drug therapy can significantly improve 1-year survival rate, while a KPS less than 50 points and a primary lung cancer other than adenocarcinoma were independent risk factors reducing 1-year survival rate.

Background::Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is gradually accepted as the standard of care in breast cancer patients with down-staged axillary disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). However, it is still difficult to precisely define pre-NAC clinical node-positive (cN1) and post-NAC clinical node-negative (ycN0). This prospective single-center trial was designed to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of standard targeted axillary dissection (TAD) after NAC in highly selective pre-NAC cN1 patients (not considering ultrasound-based axillary ycN staging).Methods::This prospective trial included patients with initial pre-NAC cT1–3N1M0 invasive breast cancer but with a rigorous definition of cN1 from the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University. When NAC was effective (including complete and partial responses) and preoperative axillary palpation was negative, preoperative ultrasound-based axillary staging was not considered, and all patients underwent TAD followed by axillary lymph node (LN) dissection. The detection rate (DR) and false-negative rate (FNR) of TAD were calculated.Results::A total of 82 patients were included, and 77 of them were eligible for data analysis. The DR for TAD was 94.8% (73/77). There were 26 patients with one abnormal LN at the time of diagnosis based on ultrasound, 45 patients with two, and 2 patients with three. One patient had one TAD LN, four patients had two TAD LNs, and 68 patients had three or more TAD LNs. Preoperative axillary palpation yielded negative results for all 73 patients who successfully underwent TAD. Preoperative ultrasound-based ycN0 and ycN+ conditions were detected for 52 and 21 cases, respectively. The FNR was 7.4% (2/27) for standard TAD (≥3 SLNs), which was lower than that of all successful TAD (≥1 SLN; 10.0%, 3/30).Conclusions::In rigorously defined pre-NAC cN1 breast cancer patients, standard TAD is feasible for those with negative axillary palpation after NAC, and FNR is also less than 10%.Registration::chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR2100049093

Objective To investigate the value of extracellular volume fraction(ECV)based on CT for predicting macrotrabecular-massive hepatocellular carcinoma(MTM-HCC).Methods Data of 23 MTM-HCC(MTM-HCC group)and 56 non-MTM-HCC(nMTM-HCC group)patients were retrospectively analyzed,and CT manifestations were compared between groups.CT values of abdominal aorta(P-CTabdominal aorta,E-CTabdominal aorta),tumors(P-CTtumor,E-CTtumor)and non-tumor liver parenchyma(P-CTliver,E-CTliver)in plain phase(P)and enhancement equilibrium phase(E)CT were measured,then ECV of tumors and liver parenchyma were calculated,and ECV-related parameters were compared between groups.Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn,and area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the predictive efficacy of ECV-related parameters for predicting MTM-HCC.Results No significant difference of CT manifestations was found between groups(all P＞0.05).E-CTtumor,Δltumor(absolute enhancement CT value of the tumor area)and ECVtumor in MTM-HCC group were all lower than those in nMTM-HCC group(all P＜0.01).The AUC of E-CTtumor,Δtumor and ECVtumor for predicting MTM-HCC was 0.74,0.77 and 0.87,respectively,and the AUC of ECVtumor was higher than that of E-CTtumor and Δtumor(Z=2.271,2.557,P=0.023,0.011).Conclusion ECV based on CT could be used to effectively predict MTM-HCC.

A case report of multiple neuropathic arthropathy in a patient with syphilis was reported. A 54-year-old man was admitted to the hospital 10 years ago due to edema and pain with limited motion for 3 d after a sprain in his right foot. Imaging examination then showed bone and joint destruction of the talus and scaphoid of the right foot. The talonavicular and calcaneocuboid joint arthrodesis was performed. Ten years later, he was admitted again due to pain in his left hip for 2 months after a fall. Present imaging examination showed disappearance of the femoral head and dislocation of the hip joint. Syphilitic neuroarthropathy was diagnosed and total hip arthroplasty was performed. After operation, the right foot and left hip yielded good results without obvious pain and joint dislocation. Literature review showed that the causes of neuropathic arthropathy were very wide, but multiple neuropathic arthropathy in patients with syphilis was rarely reported. The treatment of neuropathic arthropathy should be considered based on comprehensive factors such as the location of the affected joint, the degree of damage and the impact on function. The aim of treatment is to obtain painless, stable and functional joints. With sensory loss of the patients, enhancing restriction of the joint during surgery is of importance to effectively prevent postoperative dislocation and obtain good function.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an important part of the standard treatment mode for osteosarcoma. Preoperative evaluation of the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is of great significance to the selection of surgical plan and the adjustment of subsequent treatment plan. Imaging evaluation method is one of the important ways to evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the prognosis of patients. It has the advantages of simple, quick and non-invasive, and has become a research hotspot.

Objective:To investigate the effect of CHI3L1 on the biological function of chondrocytes and its role in lumbar facet joint degeneration.Methods:The human lumbar facet joint articular cartilage were collected, and the relative mRNA expression of CHI3L1 gene detected by quantitative fluorescence PCR. Then explored the correlation between joint degeneration and gender, age and relative mRNA expression of CHI3L1. Human chondrocytes were cultured in vitro. The effects of CHI3L1 on chondrocyte proliferation, cycling, and apoptosis, as well as expression of related inflammatory factors, were investigated. The mechanism by which CHI3L1 regulates the degeneration of articular cartilage was investigated using the signal transduction pathway protein chip.Results:There was a positive correlation between the grade of degeneration in lumbar facet joint and the relative expression of CHI3L1 gene mRNA ( r=0.76, P<0.001). There was no correlation with the patient's gender ( r=-0.12, P=0.500). A positive correlation between the age of patients and the relative expression of CHI3L1 gene mRNA was found ( r=0.47, P=0.005). Compared with the non-degenerative group, the expression of CHI3L1 gene mRNA significantly increased in the degenerative group, and the expression of CHI3L1 gradually increased with the aggravation in the grade of degeneration ( F=18.90, P<0.001). Compared with the non-degenerative group, the chondrocytes in the CHI3L1 group had significantly lower proliferation at 48 h (OD 490/fold=7.132), 72 h (OD 490/fold=4.803), 96 h (OD 490/fold=2.431) and 120 h (OD 490/fold=0.009). The ratio of chondrocytes in G1 phase, S phase and G2/M phase were 85.03%±3.05%, 12.78%±2.29% and 0.90%±0.76% in the CHI3L1 group, and 73.93%±2.73%, 22.81%±1.93% and 0.99%±0.87% in control group, respectively. There were significant differences in the percentage of chondrocytes in G1 phase ( t=4.70, P<0.001) and S phase ( t=5.80, P<0.001) between the two groups. The percentages of apoptosis in chondrocyte in CHI3L1 group and control group were 8.64%±0.76% and 5.68%±1.13%, which has a statistically difference ( t=4.47, P<0.001). The expression of IL-6 in chondrocytes of CHI3L1 group was 49.60±0.01 pg/ml, which was higher than that of 47.88±0.01 pg/ml in the control group ( t=132.70, P<0.001). The expression of TNF-α was 95.93±0.02 pg/ml, which was higher than 90.69±0.02 pg/ml in the control group ( t=376.10, P<0.001). There was significant difference in expression of IL-6 in chondrocytes between the CHI3L1 group and the control group ( t=132.72, P<0.001). The expression of TNF-α ( t=376.10, P<0.001) was statistically difference. Protein chip detected 53 proteins with significant differences in expression and 43 proteins with significant differences in protein phosphorylation levels. Bioinformatics analysis was used to identify 16 signaling pathways in which the above different proteins might be involved, including ErbB, PI3K, Akt, Ras, JAK, STAT3, MAPK pathway. In the MAPK pathway, the expression of MAPK1 and RAF1 proteins was higher in the chondrocytes of the CHI3L1 group than in the control group (1.094±0.00 vs. 0.814±0.00, 0.988±0.00 vs. 0.786±0.00; t=103.16, P<0.001; t=54.32, P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the expression of MAPK1 and RAF1 proteins was significantly increased in the chondrocytes of the CHI3L1 group. Conclusion:The expression of CHI3L1 is corrected to articular cartilage degeneration. CHI3L1 is able to inhibit the proliferation of articular chondrocytes, which regulated the cycling of chondrocytes from G1 phase to S phase, promote the apoptosis of chondrocytes, and promote the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in chondrocytes. Regulation of chondrocytes biological function through the MAPK pathway, which is a potential biomarker for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of lumbar joint degeneration.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical value of the New England spinal metastasis score (NESMS) in predicting the prognosis of patients with spinal metastases by retrospectively analyzing the medical records of multicenter spinal metastases in China.Methods:The data of 179 patients with spinal metastases from January 2008 to December 2018 were retrospectively collected. There were 108 males (60.3%) and 71 females (39.7%) with an average age of 59.79±10.88 years old (range 27-84 years). The patient demographic characteristics, primary tumor type, spinal metastases and segments, vertebral pathological fractures, neurological Frankel classification, physical function status, Karnofsky performance scale (KPS), visual analogue score (VAS), the spinal instability neoplastic score (SINS), modified Bauer score, NESMS score, Tomita score and modified Tokuhashi score were collected. The clinical value of NESMS score, Tomita score and modified Tokuhashi score in predicting the survival of patients with spinal metastases were compared. The independent factors affecting survival in these patients were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression model.Results:Among the 179 patients, the peak incidence of spinal metastases was in the age group of 61-75 years (45.3%, 81/179) of all patients. Lung cancer was the most common primary tumor (46.9%, 84/179). 40.8% (73/179) of patients had multi-segment metastasisand thoracic spine was the most common site with single-site metastasis (26.3%, 47/179). 28.5% (51/179) of the patients had visceral metastases and 52.0% (93/179) of the patients had extraspinal bone metastases. 31.3% (56/179) of the patients had pathological fractures of the involved vertebral bodies.114 patients received surgical treatment (63.4%). The mortality rates in 3-months, 6-months and 1-year were 22.4% (40/179), 51.4% (92/179) and 77.1% (138/179), respectively. The median survival time of patients with NESMS score of 0-3 was 3, 4, 8, and 10 months respectively with the mean survival time was 3.60±2.10, 6.77±3.39, 9.69±5.71 and 10.53±6.25 months. The 1-year mortality rates were 100% (13/13), 87.5% (42/48), 71.6% (63/88) and 66.7% (20/30) respectively. The consistency of NESMS score, Tomita score and modified Tokuhashi score in predicting survival of all patients was 0.63, 0.58 and 0.55, respectively. For patients with spinal metastases, the NESMS score was better than the Tomita score and modified Tokuhashi score in predicting survival at 3-months (AUC=1.00, 0.63, 0.42) and 6-months (AUC=0.71, 0.63, 0.45). But the accuracy of Tomita score was best in predicting survival at 1-year (AUC=0.66, 0.61, 0.38). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis showed that growth rate of primary tumor, neurological function Frankel score, albumin level and surgical treatment were independent factors affecting the survival time of patients with spinal metastases ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The consistency and accuracy of NESMS score in predicting survival of patients with spinal metastases are better than Tomita score and modified Tokuhashi score, especially in predicting 3- and 6-month survival. The growth rate of primary tumor, Frankel classification, albumin level and surgical treatment were independent factors affecting the survival time of patients with spinal metastases.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the patients with spinal metastases who received surgical intervention and summarize the evolution of their clinical and pathological characteristics and surgical methods.Methods:The data of 703 patients with spinal metastases from January 2007 to December 2018 were collected retrospectively. There were 395 males (56.19%, 395/703) and 308 females (43.81%, 308/703) with an average age of 58.14±11.46 years (range 13-84 years). According to the degree of invasion and thoroughness of tumor resection, the surgical methods could be divided into minimally invasive surgery, decompression surgery, separation surgery, piecemeal resection and total en-bloc spondylectomy surgery. The operative methods were minimally invasive surgery in 89 cases (12.66%), decompression surgery in 96 cases (13.66%), separation surgery in 303 cases (43.10%), piecemeal resection in 182 cases (25.89%) and total en-bloc spondylectomy in 33 cases (4.69%). To analyze the trend of the clinical, pathological types and surgical treatment of patients with spinal metastases over the years, and determine the relevant factors affecting the decision-making of surgical methods by multivariate logistic regression.Results:The ratio of male to female was 1.28:1. 39.54% (278/703) of patients with single-segment involvement in 703 patients, 24.04% (169/703) of patients with double-segment metastasis and 36.42% (256/703) of patients with multi-segment metastasis. The most common type of primary tumor was lung cancer (34.57%, 243/703), followed by breast cancer (8.25%, 58/703), myeloma (8.11%, 57/703), gastrointestinal tumor (6.82%, 48/703) and renal malignant tumor (6.40%, 45/703). From 2007 to 2018, there was no significant difference in the percentage change of different age, gender and primary tumor source composition (age: χ 2=14.01, P=0.233; gender: χ 2=35.73, P=0.341; primary tumor: χ 2=120.09, P=0.074). The percentage of patients with sacrococcygeal metastasis decreased from 20.00% in 2008 to 1.89% in 2017 and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=8.09, P=0.005). The percentage of patients with multi-level metastasis increased from 26.67% in 2008 to 52.83% in 2017, and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=7.23, P=0.007). The percentage of patients with minimally invasive surgery decreased from 25.00% in 2007 to 5.88% in 2018, and the percentage of patients with segmented resection decreased from 53.33% in 2008 to 10.29% in 2018. The proportion of the two surgical methods showed a significant downward trend, and the differences were statistically significant (minimally invasive surgery: χ 2=1.46, P=0.026; segmented resection surgery: χ 2=19.56, P<0.001). The percentage of patients undergoing separation surgery increased from 13.33% in 2008 to 64.71% in 2018, and the proportion of patients undergoing total en-bloc spondylectomy increased from 0 in 2007 to 10.29% in 2018. Both surgical methods showed a significant growth trend and the differences were statistically significant (separation surgery: χ 2=27.09, P<0.001; χ 2=4.16, P=0.042). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age, metastatic site, number of metastatic segments, pathological vertebral fractures, Frankel grade, SINS score and VAS score were independent factors influencing surgical decision-making ( P<0.05). Conclusion:With different time and age, the invasiveness and thoroughness of surgery are increasing, which shows that the percentage of patients who underwent separation surgery and to-tal en-bloc spondylectomy is significantly increasing. Age, metastatic site, number of metastatic segments, pathological vertebral fractures, Frankel grade, SINS score and VAS score are independent factors affecting surgical decision-making.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of molecular subtypes in patients with resected invasive breast cancer.Methods:Between 2015 and 2018 7 869 patients with invasive breast cancer after undergoing surgery were included in this analysis. Breast cancer was classified into four subtypes according to the status of hormone receptor (HR) and HER2: HR+/HER2-, HR+/HER2+, HR-/HER2+, and HR-/HER2-. Kaplan-Meier curves and COX regression were used to compare disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) among different subtypes.Results:The 5-year DFS and OS were 86.30% and 94.29%, respectively. Proportions of HR+/HER2-、HR+/HER2+、HR-/HER2+ and HR-/HER2- were 52.9%、17.5%、14.1%和15.5%, respectively. The 5-year DFS of HR+/HER2- subtype (88.12%) was higher than HR+/HER2+ (84.67%, P=0.026), HR-/HER2+ (84.19%, P<0.001) and HR-/HER2- (83.70%, P<0.001). The 5-year OS of HR+/HER2- (95.38%) was not different from HR+/HER2+ (95.17%, P=0.187), while it was higher than that of HR-/HER2+ (92.26%, P<0.001) and HR-/HER2- (91.69%, P<0.001). Subtype was still a significant factor regarding DFS and OS in multivariable analyses adjusting for age, sex, stage, Ki67, types and time of surgery. The DFS ( P=0.257) and OS ( P=0.511) was not different between HR-/HER2+与HR+/HER2- subtypes, while HR-/HER2+ and HR-/HER2- patients had worse DFS ( P<0.05) and OS ( P<0.05) than that with HR+/HER2-. Conclusions:Molecular subtype is a significant independent prognostic factor for DFS and OS in operable invasive breast cancer. HR+ subtypes have better prognosis compared with HR- subtypes. The DFS and OS were not different between HR+/HER2- and HR+/HER2+, or between HR-/HER2+ and HR-/HER2-.

Objective:To explore the reasons for revision of tumor prosthesis of knee joint and summarize the experience of revision surgery.Methods:We conducted a retrospective study of 33 patients who underwent revision surgery for tumor prosthesis of knee joint in Tianjin Hospital and the 960th Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Hospital from June 2004 to June 2018. There were 25 male and 8 female patients, the mean age was 45±13.1 years (range 19-64 years) at the time of revision. Histological diagnosis was giant cell tumor in 17 patients, osteosarcoma in 9 patients, malignant fibrous histiocytoma in 3 patients and one for each of chondrosarcoma, peripheral schwannoma, ligamentoid fibroma and bone metastases. The reasons for revision were aseptic loosening in 23 cases, dislocation, stem breakage and periprosthetic fracture in 2 cases, infection in 3 cases, and local recurrence in 1 case. The general outcome, oncological outcome, reasons for prosthesis revision, postoperative limb function, and complications were summarized.Results:The median follow-up of the 33 patients was 48.0 (24.0, 107.0) months. The most common reason for revision was aseptic loosening (88%, 29/33), followed by infection (9%, 3/33) and local recurrence (3%, 1/33). The MSTS of 32 patients with survival more than 1 year was 24.28±4.74 points (range 9-30 points), which was statistically different from preoperative 11.78±5.23 points (range 4-21 points) ( t=10.02, P<0.001). The postoperative median TESS score of 32 patients with survival more than 1 year was 86.67(80.00, 91.67) points, and the preoperative median score was 56.0(43.17, 65.33) points, which was statistically significant ( Z=6.78, P<0.001). Postoperative complications occurred in 12 patients, most commonly mechanical problems (15%, 5/33) and infection (15%, 5/33), followed by local recurrence (6%, 2/33), with an overall complication rate of 36% (12/33). Conclusion:The main reason for revision of tumor prosthesis of knee joint is aseptic loosening. Revision surgery can achieve ideal postoperative function and should be the first choice for failure of prosthesis after initial replacement.