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Objective: To analyze the characteristics of retracted oncology papers from Chinese scholars and the reasons for retraction. Methods: Data on retracted oncology papers from Chinese scholars published from 2013 to 2022 were retrieved from the Retraction Watch database. The retraction number and annual distribution, article types, reasons for retraction, retraction time delay, publishers, and journal characteristics of the retracted papers were analyzed. Results: A total of 2695 oncology papers from Chinese scholars published from 2013 to 2022 had been retracted. The majority of these papers were published from 2017 to 2020. In terms of article type, 2538 of the retracted papers were research articles, accounting for 94.17% of the total number of retracted papers. The main reasons for retraction were data, result, and image problems, duplicate publication, paper mills, author- and third-party-related reasons, plagiarism, false reviews, and method errors. The retraction time delay for the retracted papers ranged from 0 to 3582 days (median, 826 days). The retractions mainly occurred within the first 4 years after publication. A total of 77 publishers were involved in the retracted papers. In terms of journal distribution, 394 journals were involved in the retracted papers, of which 368 (93.40%) were included in the SCI database. There were 243 journals with an impact factor of <5 (66.03%). Conclusion: In the field of oncology, the annual distribution of retracted papers from Chinese scholars exhibited first an increasing and subsequently a decreasing trend, reaching a peak in 2019, indicating an improvement in the status of retraction after 2021. The main type of the retracted papers was research article, and the main reason for retraction was academic misconduct. The retractions were mainly concentrated in several major publishers and periodicals in Europe and the United States. Most of the journals had low-impact factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Journal of Cancer Research & Therapeutics presents several studies on radiation therapy for cancer treatment. One study compares different radiation therapy techniques for thoracic tumors, finding that volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) provides comparable tumor control with lower normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) compared to other methods. Another study focuses on patient-reported outcomes in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, revealing discrepancies between patient-reported and physician-reported symptoms. A Phase 3 trial on head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma evaluates different radiation dose regimens for palliative treatment, showing no significant differences in progression-free survival or overall survival between the groups. Additionally, a study on inoperable oral cavity cancers explores a patient choice-driven radical treatment approach, demonstrating improved survival outcomes for patients opting for aggressive treatment. Lastly, a comparison of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy regimens for rectal carcinoma shows higher complete pathological response rates with total neoadjuvant therapy. [Extracted from the article]

There was a significant difference in the delay of radiation treatment delivery by 3 weeks (15 fractions) in COVID-19-positive patients compared to only 1 week delay in COVID-19-negative patients. The disease was clinically controlled in 56 patients (42.42%) of the COVID-19-positive patients, and the patients reported locoregional disease progression in 34 patients (25.75%). There was a longer duration of treatment interruptions in the COVID-19-positive patients, mostly in second wave of the pandemic, leading to fewer patients completing the radiation treatment and thereby increased locoregional disease progression. The study was conducted to present the real-world analysis of the effect of treatment interruptions on the outcomes of patients treated with radiation therapy during all the three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care institute in India. [Extracted from the article]

The Journal of Cancer Research & Therapeutics presents three studies on cancer treatment. The first study compares sequential boost versus integrated boost for head-and-neck cancer, finding no difference in outcomes but higher toxicity in the integrated boost arm. The second study identifies predictors of esophageal stricture following chemoradiotherapy, highlighting T4 stage and specific chemotherapy as risk factors. The third study evaluates the accuracy and efficiency of a five-moving-laser system in radiation therapy planning, showing time-saving benefits for patient setup. [Extracted from the article]

The document discusses innovative technologies and techniques in radiotherapy for breast cancer treatment. It includes the development of a pressure sensor-based deep breath-hold device to enhance treatment accuracy and reduce radiation exposure to critical organs. Additionally, the use of 3D printing and artificial intelligence in radiotherapy is explored to improve treatment precision and patient outcomes. The study also evaluates dosimetric efficacy in postmastectomy radiotherapy and compares different irradiation techniques for left-sided breast cancer treatment. These advancements aim to optimize treatment accuracy, minimize radiation exposure, and improve patient care in cancer treatment. [Extracted from the article]

Most of the patients, 15 (50%) belonged to upper lower category of the scale, followed by lower category 10 patients (33%), lower middle category 4 patients (13%) & one patient(3%) in the upper class category. Brachytherapy could be the best method of radiotherapy dose escalation at least in a subset of patients that have responded well to the initial concurrent chemoradiotherapy and may have the potential to improve on treatment outcomes in esophageal cancer. 4 patients maintained their pre-treatment swallowing status while 1 patients had worsening of dysphagia. [Extracted from the article]

65% patients with complete or partial responses to induction chemotherapy received 54 Gy radiation, and 35% with less than partial responses received 60 Gy. Methods: Patients who underwent neoadjuvant short course radiation therapy, chemotherapy and underwent surgery were included in the present analysis. These patients then received FOLFOX based chemotherapy for 4-6 cycles, surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. AJCC pathological tumour regression grade (pTRG) was assessed: 5/16 (31%) has TRG 0 (Complete response), 7/16 (44%) patients had TRG 1 (Moderate/significant response), 4/16 (25%) had TRG 2 (Minimal response), No patient (0%) had TRG3 (Poor response). [Extracted from the article]

The use of radiation to treat keloid scars has gained popularity during the last few decades. However, few bibliometric analyses have been performed on the published articles. This research aimed to demonstrate and evaluate the trends, top-cited articles, and frontier areas. In this cross-sectional study, Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus database literature was searched for all MESH terms related to "keloid" and "radiotherapy." The bibliometric analysis was carried out by VOSviewer 1.6.15. Articles with Web of Science-based citations of ≥20 were included. The citation per year index (CPYI) of articles was calculated for further inclusion of papers if they had CPYI higher than the mean value. There were 95 papers on keloid radiation that satisfied the inclusion criteria and were published between 1942 and 2019. The CPYI ranged from 0.38 to 11.3. Most studies were published in the "International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics" (9 papers). The United States has the most papers (14), followed by Japan (9), the Netherlands (7), and Germany (5). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first bibliometric analysis of top-cited papers on keloid radiotherapy. From 2014 to the present, it seems that this title has resurfaced as a popular topic, with radiotherapy within 24 h of surgery being the most commonly recommended treatment plan. Since around 2011, high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) has been used as an effective treatment for keloid control. Individualization of therapy and dose/technique based on the location is strongly suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Single institutional retrospective analysis of postoperative buccal mucosa cancers treated with ipsilateral radiotherapy Conclusion: Post-operative patients of BM cancers with intermediate risk factors necessitating RT alone treated with IL-RT have low rates of contralateral neck failures. 26 (59%) patients reported financial issue as the main cause of not taking transtuzumab whereas the remaining 18 (41%) patients cited the reason that they were not offered this drug by treating physician probably assuming that patient will not be able to afford this treatment. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: A novel approach for voxel based radiobiological evaluation of the two-phase sequential radiotherapy treatment plans with different dose regimens Aim: To evaluate and compare prostate localization accuracy of Clarity™ 3D ultrasound system compared to on board kV cone beam computed tomography (kV-CBCT) during Prostate radiotherapy and to evaluate absolute Intra-fractional prostate motion from pre-treatment and post treatment 3D ultrasound scan during radiotherapy treatment. Post treatment Clarity 3D USG scan acquired after setting patient on fiducial mark to find out Intra-fraction prostate motion. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: To optimize the patient dose and image quality through quality assurance (QA) of diagnostic x-ray equipment and to ensure compliance with international and national standards in x-ray specification parameters, the use of contactless and quick non-invasive instruments has gained importance. Considering the importance of equipment qualification and the intervention level for equipment management, it is vital to account for uncertainties in the measurement of parameters in diagnostic radiology. However, the limits and measurement uncertainties associated with the parameter measurement are not well established and many technical and scientific literature provide different tolerance values, either as absolute or in terms of percentage. Methods and Materials: In this paper, the authors analyze non-invasive multi-parameter detector measurements with the aim to (i) improve the accuracy in measurement of x-ray parameters (kilovoltage, dose, and exposure time); (ii) estimate the uncertainty associated with such measurements; (iii) analyze the tolerance values prescribed by various professional and regulatory bodies and propose an improvised method of reporting the parameters. The approach adopted in this paper takes into account the uncertainties associated with traditional instruments and the subjectivity in the measurements. Results: Estimated uncertainty for kV measurements in the range between 1.45 kV at 40 kV measurements and 4.88 kV at 150 kV measurements. The MU associated with the dose measurement is estimated to be 6.2% at 110 kVp, 100 mA, and 500 msec. Maximum MU estimated at 10 msec exposure time is 4.5% and with MU of 5% deviation added to 9.5%. Conclusions: The current practice of reporting the measured mean values deviation without considering the inherent measurement uncertainty may not be a correct quantification procedure in QA. This is evident from the case study that 3% addition to the measured kV, 6.2% addition in the measured dose, and 4.5% to the measured time accounts for measurement uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to report 12 years of experience in the development of a quality assurance system in radiation oncology in a university hospital. Material and Methods: We developed the Quality Assurance Program in Radiation Oncology (QUAPRO) in 2008 to detect treatment deviation in the radiotherapy (RT) process with three steps of near-miss detection: simulation and prescription (primary check, PC), treatment planning (secondary check, SC), and treatment delivery process (tertiary check, TC). We transferred our paper-based medical records to electronic-based radiotherapy information systems (RTISs) in 2013. QUAPRO was completely integrated into RTIS in 2017. Since then, electronic-based incident reporting has been conducted. The program is called the Radiation Incident Learning System (RILS). The near-miss rates were compared during the three time periods: 2008–2012, 2013–2017, and 2017–2020. Results: Five years of paper-based QUAPRO for 2008–2012 demonstrated a fluctuation in the checking ratio, with a gradually increasing rate of near misses of 3.5–19.7%. After electronic-based medical records were developed in 2013, the results revealed a dramatic increase from a rate of 2.7 to 4.2 in the number of checks per patient and achieved an increased rate of near misses of 24.7% for PC, SC, and TC. The rate of near misses gradually decreased to 5.3% after 2017 because of RT workflow improvement. Conclusion: The analysis of 12 years in near-miss data reflected the effectiveness of our quality assurance program. The QUAPRO system can detect near-miss incidents in the whole RT workflow and illustrate the detection improvement when integrated into electronic-based medical records. Regular feedback and exploration of near-miss reporting are recommended for proper RT workflow improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Malignant and aggressive, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) constitutes about 15% of all diagnosed lung cancer cases. With primary therapeutic options such as chemotherapy accompanied by debilitating side effects, interest has been soaring in the therapeutic competencies of herbs. The pharmacological driving force behind the beneficial properties of Nigella sativa is the quinone, thymoquinone (TQ). The anti-cancer effects of TQ on different cancers have been extensively studied. Nonetheless, only one paper in the entire National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database describes its effects on SCLC. A more detailed investigation is required. Methods: The current study examined the impact of TQ in vitro on five SCLC cell lines and in vivo in a nude mouse xenograft model. The following in vitro effects of TQ on SCLC were evaluated: (a) cell viability; (b) apoptosis; (c) cell cycle arrest; (d) intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and (e) protein expression in concomitant signaling pathways. For the in vivo effects of TQ on SCLC, (a) tumor volume was measured, and (b) selected protein expression in selected concomitant signaling pathways was determined by Western blotting. Result: In general, TQ reduced cell viability, induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, depleted ROS, and altered protein expression in associated signaling pathways. Furthermore, TQ exhibited a tumor-suppressive effect in an H446 SCLC xenograft model. Conclusion: The cytotoxic impact of TQ arising from anti-cancer mechanisms was elucidated. The positive results obtained in this study warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of a radiotherapy treatment plan is a key factor before treating the patients and it typically depends on the clinical experience of radiation oncologists. Abstract: 339 Voxel based evaluation of the radiotherapy treatment plans for radiation induced acute rectal mucositis: An institutional study Balbir Singh1,2, Gaganpreet Singh3, Ajay Katake4, Rajesh Vashistha4, Arun S. Oinam3, Vivek Kumar1 1Centre for Medical Physics, Panjab University, 3Department of Radiation Oncology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, 2Department of Radiation Oncology, SLBSGMC and H, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, 4Department of Radiation Oncology, Max Hospital, Bathinda, Punjab, India Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy in incidence and the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality amongst women. The proposed evaluation method in current study will be very helpful while taking decision by radiation oncologist and clinical physicist during evaluation and approval of radiotherapy treatment plan. [Extracted from the article]

Metastasis to salivary glands from the secondary source outside the head and neck region is extremely rare and Carcinoma Lung is one of the rarest sources of distant spread to salivary glands. Owing to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis, accurate identification of clinical and pathological aspects of these metastatic lesions remains a challenging task. Many studies regarding metastasis to the oral cavity have been already documented in the literature, but very little research work has been done to analyse the cases of lung cancer metastasis as the sole primary source, particularly to salivary glands. Thus this review was conducted to analyse the published cases of lung cancer metastasizing to salivary glands as the only primary source till date. An electronic search of the published literature was performed without publication year limitation in PubMed/ Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science direct, Embase, and Research gate databases, using Mesh keywords like (Lung cancer', OR 'Lung carcinoma), AND (Metastasis OR Metastases), And (Salivary glands OR Parotid gland OR Submandibular gland OR Sublingual gland). We also searched all related journals manually. The reference list of all articles was also checked. Our research revealed 34 relevant papers between 1965-2022 with a total of 44 patients. The most prevalent diagnosed metastatic Lung cancer was Small cell lung cancer. Parotid was the most common gland involved in metastasis. 48% of patients died of metastasis with a mean survival time of 2.2 years. Salivary gland metastasis from Lung cancer is very rare and has a poor prognosis. More cases need to be published in order to raise awareness of these lesions and gain a better understanding of their characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on medical topics related to tumors which include a prospective study of telephonic contacts and physical follow up of radically treated lung cancer patients, fatigue in cancer patients who are undergoing treatment andtumors a link between smoking and breast cancer.

The current scoping review's objective was to outline existing applications, recent breakthroughs, and quantum dots' applicability in imaging of oral squamous cell cancer. Quantum dots are nanometric semiconductor crystals with customizable optical characteristics and intense, stable fluorescence suited for bioimaging and labeling. We used the Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) recommendations for conducting our systematic search. An analysis of the properties and applications of quantum dots in noninvasive detection of oral squamous cell cancer is presented in this study, which comprehensively explores the available evidence. Following searches in the databases PubMed, Ovid SP, and Cochrane using the search terms quantum dots AND oral squamous cell cancer, 55 published publications were chosen for this review. The review identified a total of eight papers that met the criteria. In noninvasive detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma, quantum dots have the potential to offer an array of therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Furthermore, quantum dots emit near-infrared and visible light, which is advantageous in biological imaging since it reduces light dispersion and absorption of tissue. The future may see quantum dots become a popular noninvasive imaging technique for oral squamous cell cancer. The number of studies accessible is quite limited, and further research is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a surface glycoprotein important for tumor invasion and angiogenesis. The present research is conducted to investigate whether specific gene polymorphism of ICAM-1 K469E (rs5498) and plasma redox status could be associated with laryngeal cancer (LC) development. Since there is no clear evidence which investigates the relationship between ICAM-1 polymorphism and ROS-mediated plasma protein oxidation in LC, our study is the first significant contribution for investigating the relationship. Methods: The study covered patients with primary LC and their age-matched healthy control subjects. Evaluation of ICAM-1 K469E (rs5498) gene polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Plasma redox status was assessed with spectrophotometric methods. Results: In the current paper, we found that LC patients with GG genotype had a decreasing trend for the plasma oxidative damage biomarker levels when compared with all allele genotypes (AA and AG). Conclusion: We concluded that G allele of the ICAM-1 K469E gene plays a significant role in the optimal regulation of plasma redox homeostasis in patients with LC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report two cases of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) who were treated with distinct surgical approaches. In the first case, a 50‑year‑old woman presented with a mass on her right shoulder and underwent local excision with subsequent reconstruction using a deltopectoral flap. The second case was of a young female who presented with a giant protuberant DFSP on the anterior abdominal wall who was treated with wide local excision along with inlay mesh repair of the defect. Early excision and adjuvant radiotherapy facilitates a low recurrence rate while also improving the prognosis of the patients. In this paper, we report two cases of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) who were treated with distinct surgical approaches. In the first case, a 50‑year‑old woman presented with a mass on her right shoulder and underwent local excision with subsequent reconstruction using a deltopectoral flap. The second case was of a young female who presented with a giant protuberant DFSP on the anterior abdominal wall who was treated with wide local excision along with inlay mesh repair of the defect. Early excision and adjuvant radiotherapy facilitates a low recurrence rate while also improving the prognosis of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ablative procedures of the oral cavity require composite removal of tissues, which results in compromise of both functional activities and esthetic mutilation and proves to be a reconstructive challenge. This paper focuses on the reliability and versatility of a single perforator-based anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap in oral cancer reconstruction. Materials and Methods: All patients who underwent reconstruction with a single perforator-based ALT for oral cancer defects at our center were included in the study. Results: Forty-seven patients who underwent reconstruction with a single perforator-based ALT flap were included in our study. The average flap size in our series was 111 cm2, with the largest measuring 375 cm2. They was a complete loss of flap in two patients; both of them underwent salvage procedure and were reconstructed with pectoralis major myocutaneous flap. One had a partial loss that underwent re-exploration. Conclusion: We conclude that a single perforator-based ALT is a very safe, reliable, and versatile flap for head and neck reconstruction. The microvascular anastomosis may be expensive and technically a limitation; however, it has found a permanent place in our head and neck reconstructive toolkit and is the workhorse flap for head and neck reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Radiotherapy (RT) may increase the dose of heart structure like left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the impact of various multileaf collimators (MLCs) in shielding organ at risks (OARs), especially LAD, of patients with left breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Forty-five patients with left breast cancer were selected. The treatment plans were created applying three techniques for all patients. In the first plan (uncovered LAD), the treatment plan was made without considering LAD as OARs. In the two other plans, two MLCs with different leaf widths (6.8 mm and 5 mm) were used to shield the LAD. For all plans, MLC was shielded as much of OAR as possible without compromising planning target volume (PTV) coverage. Dosimetric parameters of the heart, LAD, and ipsilateral lung were assessed. Results: Compared to other plans, the covered LAD plan 1(CL1) obtained lower lung, cardiac, and LAD doses with the same PTV coverage. On average, the mean heart dose decreased from 6.2 Gy to 5.4 Gy by CL1, and the average mean dose to the LAD was reduced from 36.4 Gy to 33.7 Gy, which was statistically significant. The average lung volume receiving >20 Gy was significantly reduced from 24.6% to 23.4%. Moreover, the results show that covered LAD plan 2(CL2) is less useful for shielding OARs compared to CL1. Conclusion: CL1 plans may reduce OAR dose for patients without compromising the target coverage. Hence, the proper implementation of MLC can decrease the side effects of RT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Distinguishing benign breast diseases (BBDs) from malignant breast diseases is a worrisome entity and should also have knowledge of the pattern of occurrence of the disorders in their geographical location. This research aimed to study the clinical and histopathological pattern of BBD in Indian patients. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 153 specimens from lumpectomy, core needle biopsy, and mastectomy. Data regarding patients' age, sex, presenting complaints, duration of the complaints, and history of menstrual cycles and lactation were collected from the biopsy requisition forms and case papers. The tissue bits were processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and a histopathological examination was performed. Results: Most of the patients in the present study were females (n = 151, 98.7%). The mean age of the patients was 30.45 years. Most of the BBD cases (n = 118, 77.14%) were benign, of which fibroadenoma (101 cases) accounted for 66%. Majority of the lesions were in the upper outer quadrant (39.22%). Of the 153 cases, 94 cases of fibroadenoma, one case of breast abscess, nine cases of fibrocystic change, four cases of phyllodes, three cases of lipoma, and one case of gynecomastia diagnosed clinically correlated well with histopathology (n = 112, 73%). Conclusion: BBDs are mostly seen in female patients in the age group of 21-30 years. Fibroadenoma is the most common BBD. Clinical assessment followed by histopathological examination provided an accurate diagnosis. The clinical diagnosis correlated well with histopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carcinosarcoma is an extremely rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma characterized by biphasic histology defined by epithelial and mesenchymal components. Because of the aggressive nature, early risk of metastasis, and high mortality, this tumor is associated with poor prognosis. Surgery is considered as the main modality of treatment, although radiotherapy can be discussed in inoperable cases. The present paper describes a rare case of carcinosarcoma of buccal mucosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Targetable drug delivery is an important method for the treatment of liver tumors. For the quantitative analysis of drug diffusion, the establishment of a method for information collection and characterization of extracellular space is developed by imaging analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences. In this paper, we smoothed out interferential part in scanned digital MRI images.Materials and Methods: Making full use of priors of low rank, nonlocal self-similarity, and regularized sparsity-promoting entropy, a block-matching regularized entropy minimization algorithm is proposed. Sparsity-promoting entropy function produces much sparser representation of grouped nonlocal similar blocks of image by solving a nonconvex minimization problem. Moreover, an alternating direction method of multipliers algorithm is proposed to iteratively solve the problem above.Results and Conclusions: Experiments on simulated and real images reveal that the proposed method obtains better image restorations compared with some state-of-the-art methods, where most information is recovered and few artifacts are produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Objective: We searched for the clinically relevant suggestions, recommendations and findings amongst the papers on psycho oncology. The term clinically relevant for us meant 'practical and implemental modes of intervention that contribute but would not affect or interfere with the normal functioning of the present system and treatment modality of the patients.' Our intention was to use the available information for the benefit of our patients. We also searched for the data that would prove the significance of these methods. In most parts of the world it is not possible to involve a psychologist at every level of cancer care. Based on the findings, we intend to carry out our own project for the psychosocial intervention in cancer patients and make suggestions that could be adopted even by those who have little or no experience in psychology.Conclusion: The field of psycho oncology is a relatively new and evolving subspecialty of oncology and psychology at the same time. Current data and papers, which would make simple and implemental modes of intervention at psychosocial level, are limited. There is a dire necessity of solid data and list of suggestion to the specialists, non-specialists and those who take care of the cancer patients, to enhance the care they provide to the cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this paper is to identify ego networks and pathways in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on EgoNet algorithm and pathway enrichment analysis. Materials and Methods: The ego networks were identified based on the EgoNet algorithm which was comprised four steps: inputting gene expression data and protein-protein interaction data, identifying ego genes based on topological features of genes in background network, collecting ego networks by conducting snowball sampling for each ego gene, and estimating statistical significance of ego networks utilizing permutation test. To further explore the gene compositions of significant ego networks, pathway enrichment analysis was performed for each of them to investigate ego pathways in the progression of RA. Results: We detected 9 ego genes from the background network, such as CREBBP, SMAD2, and YY1. Starting with each ego gene and ending with prediction accuracy dropped, a total of 9 ego networks were identified. Statistical analysis identified two significant ego networks (ego-networks 2 and 4). Ego-network 2 with ego gene SNW1 and ego-network 4 whose ego gene was YY1 both included 10 genes. The results of pathway enrichment analysis showed that signaling by NOTCH (P = 1.11E-07) and oncogene-induced senescence (P = 3.48E-04) were the two ego pathways for RA. Conclusion: Ego networks and pathways identified in this work might be potential therapeutic markers for RA treatment and give a hand for further studies of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this paper is to identify ego networks and pathways in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on EgoNet algorithm and pathway enrichment analysis.Materials and Methods: The ego networks were identified based on the EgoNet algorithm which was comprised four steps: inputting gene expression data and protein-protein interaction data, identifying ego genes based on topological features of genes in background network, collecting ego networks by conducting snowball sampling for each ego gene, and estimating statistical significance of ego networks utilizing permutation test. To further explore the gene compositions of significant ego networks, pathway enrichment analysis was performed for each of them to investigate ego pathways in the progression of RA.Results: We detected 9 ego genes from the background network, such as CREBBP, SMAD2, and YY1. Starting with each ego gene and ending with prediction accuracy dropped, a total of 9 ego networks were identified. Statistical analysis identified two significant ego networks (ego-networks 2 and 4). Ego-network 2 with ego gene SNW1 and ego-network 4 whose ego gene was YY1 both included 10 genes. The results of pathway enrichment analysis showed that signaling by NOTCH (P = 1.11E-07) and oncogene-induced senescence (P = 3.48E-04) were the two ego pathways for RA.Conclusion: Ego networks and pathways identified in this work might be potential therapeutic markers for RA treatment and give a hand for further studies of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor budding is gaining importance as a prognostic factor in various carcinomas due to its association with epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hence clinical outcome. Reporting tumor budding in breast cancer lacks homogeneity. We aim to systematically review the existing literature and conduct a meta-analysis to assess the prognostic implication of tumor budding in breast carcinoma. A systematic search was performed to identify studies that compared different prognostic variables between high- and low-grade tumor budding. Quality assessment was performed using a modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Dichotomous variables were pooled using the odds ratio using the Der–Simonian–Laird method. Meta-analysis was conducted to study the association between low/high-grade tumor budding and tumor grade, lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion, ER, PR, HER2neu, KI67, and the molecular subtype triple-negative breast carcinoma. Thirteen studies with a total of 1763 patients were included. A moderate risk of bias was noted. The median bias scoring was 7 (6–9). High-grade tumor budding was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (OR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.52–3.34, P < 0.01) and lymphovascular invasion (OR: 3.14, 95% CI: 2.10–4.71, P < 0.01), and low-grade budding was significantly associated with triple-negative breast carcinoma (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39–0.95, P = 0.03) There was significant heterogeneity in the assessment and grading of tumor budding; thus, a checklist of items was identified that lacked standardization. Our meta-analysis concluded that tumor budding can act as an independent prognostic marker for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to investigate the correlations of positive rate of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) protein with lymph node metastasis (LNM) and tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients by conducted a meta-analysis.Materials and Methods: Covering several electronic databases (Embase, Cochrane Library, China BioMedicine, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, and Web of Science), published papers eligible for enrollment in the current meta-analysis had to fulfill our predefined selection criteria. Odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were aggregated utilizing comprehensive meta-analysis 2.0 software (Biostatic Inc., Englewood, New Jersey, USA).Results: Twelve cohort studies with a total of 419 NSCLC patients were incorporated into the current meta-analysis. A decreased positive rate of PTEN protein was detected in NSCLC patients with TNM stage III-IV rather than those patients with TNM stage I-II (OR = 0.454, 95%CI = 0.338-0.610, P < 0.001). PTEN in NSCLC patients without LNM expressed higher than that in the patients with LNM (OR = 0.532, 95%CI: 0.299-0.948, P = 0.032). Ethnicity-stratified analysis demonstrated a negative relationship between positive rate of PTEN protein and TNM staging of NSCLC among both Asians and Caucasians (both P < 0.05). However, we found no significant association between positive rate of PTEN protein and LNM among Asians and Caucasians (both P > 0.05).Conclusion: Our findings indicate that decreased positive rate of PTEN protein may be linked to TNM staging and LNM in NSCLC, and it could be an important diagnostic biomarker of NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper comes with a purpose to help the clinician as how to arrive at a logical differential diagnosis when an upper lip mass is encountered in day-to-day practice. The labial mucosa is commonly traumatized. One must be aware of the type of structures contained in the mucosa of the area of a lesion as well as the patients habits since they may relate to a lesion presented for diagnosis. It also helps them to procure a sound knowledge of the lesions by describing the lesions according to their clinical appearance and to aid the clinician in arriving at a differential diagnosis by considering that certain lesions have a predilection for the upper lip. All clinically similar appearing lesions are discussed according to their relative frequency of occurrence. This paper covers only a minority of plethora of elevated lesions that may appear on the upper lip since almost any soft tissue lesion or neoplasm (benign and malignant) may occur here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe the details of an in-house video goggles feedback system assembled from several commercially available components. The objective of this paper is to share our experience with this system, provide details on the equipment needed, system assembly, patient set up and user settings on some components.Materials and Methods: The system consisted of goggles (FPView3DHD, ITV, USA), RJ45(Registered Jack) to Digital Visual Interface (DVI) converter (Tripplite), DVI to HDMI converters, Local Area Network(LAN) cable, HDMI and power extender cables. The video coaching system was implemented both in CT simulator (GE Discovery)) and in treatment delivery machine True Beam v2.1 Varian Medical Systems (VMS, Palo Alto), which was integrated with respiratory motion management (RPM V 1.7.5) system.Results: The video feedback system is in clinical use since Aug 2017, so far, we have treated 13 patients, with approximately 150 fractions. The performance of the device was found to be satisfactory. All the patients were coached for DIBH and the usage of the goggles, which includes wearing the goggles, display details of the monitor, and the threshold levels of the breathing wave cycle. The patients understand the instructions very well and hence regulate the breathing cycle, which improves the treatment accuracy and efficiency.Conclusion: Video feedback system for motion management, for patients undergoing radiotherapy was implemented successfully both in CT simulator and in linear accelerator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Different dose calculation algorithms (DCAs) predict different dose distributions for the same treatment. Awareness of optimal model parameters is vital for estimating normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) for different algorithms. The aim is to determine the NTCP parameter values for different DCAs in left-sided breast radiotherapy, using the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB) model. Materials and Methods: First, the methodology recommended by International Atomic Energy Agency TEC-DOC 1583 was used to establish the accuracy of dose calculations of different DCAs including: Monte Carlo (MC) and collapsed cone algorithms implemented in Monaco, pencil beam convolution (PBC) and analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA) implemented in Eclipse, and superposition and Clarkson algorithms implemented in PCRT3D treatment planning systems (TPSs). Then, treatment planning of 15 patients with left-sided breast cancer was performed by the mentioned DCAs and NTCP of the left-lung normal tissue were calculated for each patient individually, using the LKB model. For the PB algorithm, the NTCP parameters were taken from previously published values and new model parameters obtained for each DCA, using the iterative least squares methods. Results: For all cases and DCAs, NTCP computation with the same model parameters resulted in >15% deviation in NTCP values. The new NTCP model parameters were classified according to the algorithm type. Thus, the discrepancy of NTCP computations was reduced up to 5% after utilizing adjusted model parameters. Conclusions: This paper confirms that the NTCP values for a given treatment type are different for the different DCAs. Thus, it is essential to introduce appropriate NTCP parameter values according to DCA adopted in TPS, to obtain a more precise estimation of lung NTCP. Hence, new parameter values, classified according to the DCAs, must be determined before introducing NTCP estimation in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Intraluminal brachytherapy (BT) is one of the most adopted treatment modalities for lung malignancies with Ir-192 source in radiotherapy. In intraluminal BT, treatment delivery is required to be very accurate and precise with respect to the plan created in the treatment planning system (TPS). The BT dosimetry is necessary for better treatment outcomes. Therefore in this review article, some relevant studies were identified and analyzed for dosimetric outcomes in intraluminal BT in lung malignancies. The dosimetry in BT for plan verification is not presently in practice, which needs to be performed to check the variation between the planned and measured doses. The necessary dosimetric work done by the various researchers in intraluminal BT such as the Monte Carlo CYLTRAN code was used to calculate and measure the dose rate in any medium. Anthropomorphic phantom was used to measure doses at some distance from the source with Thermo luminescence dosimeters (TLDs). The dosimetric influence of air passage in the bronchus was evaluated with the GEANT4 Monte Carlo method. A pinpoint chamber was used to measure and quantify the impact of inhomogeneity in wax phantom for the Ir-192 source. The Gafchromic films and Monte Carlo methods were used to find the phantom and heterogeneities, which were found to underestimate the dose for the lungs and overestimated for the bones in TPS. The exact tool to quantify the variation in planned and delivered doses should be cost-effective and easy to use possibly with tissue equivalent phantoms and Gafchromic films in lung malignancies treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate the incidence and factors influencing surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients undergoing robot-assisted radical resection for colorectal cancer and assess their health and economic impact on the patients and hospital. Materials and Methods: This retrospective case-controlled study comprised patients who underwent robot-assisted radical resection for colorectal cancer at a tertiary hospital in China. Information about baseline characteristics, perioperative details, postoperative SSI incidence, hospitalization costs, and follow-up was collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the independent risk factors for SSI. Propensity score matching was used to evaluate the health and economic impacts of SSI on the patients and the hospital. Results: The overall incidence of colorectal SSI in 546 patients undergoing robot-assisted radical resection for colorectal cancer was 11.72% (64/546). Intraoperative blood loss, duration of operation, preoperative absolute lymphocyte count, preoperative and postoperative serum albumin levels, tumor location, gender, history of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, surgical wound classification, and preoperative hypoalbuminemia levels were associated with SSI. Rectal cancer, male gender, and class 3 or 4 surgical wounds were identified as independent risk factors for postoperative SSI. SSI prolonged the hospital stay by 6.60 days, increased the patient's direct costs by 31,669.88 CNY, increased the economic burden by 3,262.38 CNY, and caused an indirect economic loss of 50,546.79 CNY for the hospital. Conclusions: Patients undergoing robot-assisted radical resection for colorectal cancer are at a high risk for SSI. SSI can prolong postoperative hospital stays and increase the economic burden for patients and hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the risk factors that may delay enhanced recovery in the ablation of liver tumors. Methods: A total of 310 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided ablation of liver tumors under general anesthesia were prospectively enrolled. Baseline data, intraoperative parameters, and postoperative events were evaluated. Postoperative pain was scored using the visual analog scale (VAS). Logistic regression analysis was conducted for univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The study included 42 females (13.5%) and 268 males (86.5%). The mean age of the sample was 57 ± 11 years old. The average length of stay (LOS) was 4.3 ± 2.4 days. A total of 199 out of 310 patients (64.2%) experienced moderate to severe pain (VAS score > 3). Seventy out of 310 patients (22.6%) experienced other complications. In the multivariable analysis, the number of lesions [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 3.23 (2.15–4.84); P < 0.001], maximum diameter of lesions [1.12 (1.07–1.17), P < 0.001], and smallest distance between the lesions and the liver capsule [0.91 (0.89–0.94), P < 0.001] were risk factors for postoperative pain (VAS > 3). A history of alcohol consumption [2.62 (1.33–5.19), P = 0.005] was a risk factor for other complications. Surgical history [0.40 (0.24–0.67), P = 0.001] was a protective factor against LOS. Total operation time [1.01, 1.00–1.01, P = 0.009] was a mild risk factor for LOS. Conclusion: The number of lesions, maximum diameter of the lesions, smallest distance between the lesions and the liver capsule, total operation time, and a history of alcohol use were risk factors that may delay enhanced recovery in patients undergoing ablation of liver tumors. These findings may provide evidence to promote the use of the enhanced recovery after surgery protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer is the third most prevalent malignant tumor worldwide. Despite the advancements in surgical procedures and treatment options, CRC remains a considerable cause of cancer-related mortality. Shikonin is a naphthoquinone compound that exhibits multiple biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects as well as wound healing promotion. Recently, Shikonin has been increasingly used in basic research on colorectal malignant tumors. Therefore, we explored the mechanisms of action and structural improvements of Shikonin in colorectal cancer through a literature review to provide valuable insights for the advancement of research and development of related pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epigenomics is the study of the gene expression changes due to epigenetic processes and not due to the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) base sequence alterations. The key mechanisms of epigenetic regulation include DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs. Epigenetic alterations in cancer are predominantly linked with hypermethylation of promoters of the tumor suppressor genes, global DNA hypomethylation, and increased expression of histone deacetylases (HDAC). There is a growing need to investigate epigenetic patterns and to provide safe and effective, innovative therapeutic strategies for oncology patients, who did not improve on traditional anticancer regimens. The epi-drugs (e.g., DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, e.g., azacitidine and decitabine and HDAC inhibitors, e.g., vorinostat and romidepsin) have been approved for the clinical use. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the mechanisms of action and targets for novel epi-drugs, focusing on their potential clinical applications in patients with solid tumors, resistant to standard oncology treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: In this paper, we present a prospective observational study, which determines the incidence of bone metastases and its correlation with hormonal receptors (estrogen receptor [ER]/progesterone receptor [PR]) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in breast cancer.Materials and Methods: From October of 2015 to July 2017, 262 patients were eligible for the study, of which 98 patients presented/developed bone metastases. ER/PR and HER2 receptor status were determined, and bone scintigraphy with a technetium-99 m was carried out on each patient during the study.Results: The incidence rate of bone metastases as found in this study was 25.25%, and the mean and median age at diagnosis were 47.23 and 46, respectively (age range = 28-80). Bone metastases were more prevalent in ER-positive tumors (P = 0.043), tumors with lymph node positivity (P = 0.002), and lower grade tumors (P = 0.002), whereas visceral metastases were more common with ER-tumors (P = 0.005), tumors with higher grade (P = 0.012), and tumors with lymph node positivity (P = 0.034). In this study cohort, the spine and pelvis were the most commonly involved subsites of bone metastases (P < 0.001).Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the metastatic patterns in breast cancer strongly correlate with various breast cancer subtypes, mainly designated by ER, PR, and HER2. Hormone receptor-positive tumors show a predilection for bones as the first site of relapse compared to hormone-receptor-negative tumors which have a proclivity to develop as visceral metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastasizing ameloblastoma (MA) is a very rare odontogenic tumor with 2% of incidence rate. It exhibits benign histopathological features and malignant intrinsic quality in the form of metastasis which makes it a little more than a pathological curiosity. Various molecular aspects related with malignant behavior have been discussed. Because of this, it provides a diagnostic challenge for clinicians and surgeons. It is an elusive lesion which should be more researched and studied so that definitive diagnostic features can be put forward. The objective of this paper is to review the molecular aspect involved in the pathogenesis of MA which will aid in differentiating non-MA from MA and thus helping in providing proper treatment at an early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Methods: Retrospectively, this paper compared the differences of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded small RNAs (EBERs), protein expression and gene mutations of tumor suppressor gene p53 (TP53) in keratinized nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (KNSCC) and nonKNSCC, and the relationships between pathological features and the prognosis of patients were analyzed.Results: The positive rate of EBERs hybridization and TP53 expressions was 76.3% and 52.2%, respectively, while the mutation rate of TP53 gene was 39.6%. Logistic regression analysis showed direct relationships between the subtypes of nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (NPSCC) and EBERs-positive, or frequent consumption of pickled food. Overall survival rates of patients with positive TP53 expression, the TP53 gene mutations, vascular invasions, organ metastases, lymph node metastasis, and clinical recurrence were significantly lower than those of patients without those symptoms. The poorer prognosis was related to regularly drinking and the advanced age. According to the Cox regression analysis, we found that the main prognostic factors of NPSCC patients were the aging, recurrence, TP53 gene mutations, especially exon 7 or 8 mutations.Conclusions: We concluded that there were the correlations between NPSCC subtypes with EBV infection and frequent intaking of pickled food, while aging, clinical recurrence, and TP53 gene mutations were independent predictors for the poor prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine whether [18F]- fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan could predict the pathological response in esophageal carcinoma after surgery in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NACCRT) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Methods This randomized prospective study has been carried out in 30 consecutive patients; 15 in each arm including both males and females of carcinoma esophagus middle and lower 1/3rdof both histologically proven squamous and adenocarcinoma from March 2014 to October 2016 at Department of Radiation Oncology of our institute after obtaining a written informed consent from the patients. All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The sample size was calculated keeping in view at the most 5% risk, with minimum 80% power and 5% significance level (significant at 95% confidence level).However, consideration of the past data, which gives idea of variation in the variables, played an important role in calculating the sample size. The sample size estimation was done by calculating intake of locally advanced esophageal cancer, satisfying all inclusion criteria at our center from previous year's hospital records. Eligibility Criteria: For the patients included in the study, the length and width of the tumor was not exceeded 8 cm and 5 cm, respectively. Only patients with tumors of clinical stage T1N1 or T2-3N0-1 with no clinical evidence of metastatic spread (M0), according to the International Union against Cancer (UICC) tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification, were enrolled. Eligible patients were 18 to 75 years of age, had a World Health Organization (WHO) performance status score of 2 or lower (on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 indicating fully active, 1 unable to carry out heavy physical work, and 2 up and about more than half the day but unable to work), and had lost 10% or less of body weight. Patients also had to have adequate hematologic, renal, hepatic, and pulmonary function, as well as no history of other cancer or previous radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Randomization and treatment: Patients were randomized into two groups using a piece of paper method. The terms NACCRT NACT were written separately on each piece of paper and patients were asked to pick up a random piece of paper at the registration counter in the presence of a blind observer. Patients were assigned to a particular group according to the respective piece of paper picked up by them. In both the groups patients were evaluated with [18F] FDG-PET CT scan in addition to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) and biopsy. After initial work up patients in NACCRT arm received five cycles of weekly chemoradiotherapy intravenous inj carboplatin targeted at an area under the curve of 2 mg/ml/min (AUC 2) and inj paclitaxel 50 mg/m2 of bodysurface area (BSA) for 23 days with concurrent radiotherapy 41.4 Gy, given in 23 fractions of 1.8 Gy on 5 days per week followed by surgery. In NACT arm, the patients received two cycles of 3 weekly chemotherapy with inj paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 and inj carboplatin targeted at an area under the curve of 5 mg/ml/min (AUC 5). Post neoadjuvant therapy evaluation: In both the groups a repeat work up involving UGIE and FDG PET-CT was performed to assess the response to NAT after 5 weeks of NACCRT and NACT before patients were taken up for surgery. Whole body FDG PET-CT scan spanning base of skull to mid-thigh was done 45 minutes after intravenous injection of 370 MBq (Millibequerel) of 18-Fluoro-deoxy Glucose (18- FDG) using a whole body full ring dedicated LSO PET-CT scanner. Computed tomography images were obtained using 130 KV and 90mAs (mean) without administration of IV or Oral contrast. Standardized uptake values (SUV) were determined with a small fixed-dimension region of interest (ROI), 8 mm in diameter; and the value was determined using the highest activity inside this area. SUV values were calculated after correction of radioactive decay according to the following formula: SUV = ROI activity (MBq/ml)/injected dose (MBq/body weight g). ROIs were drawn at every level where tumor tissue was detectable, and maximal SUV was the highest detectable value inside the tumor. SUV of the primary tumor was determined at baseline and after therapy. Maximal SUV of the pretreatment scan was labeled as SUV1, and the post-treatment scan SUV2. Change percentage (SUV?%) was expressed as [(SUV1-SUV2)/SUV1]x100. Surgery and histological analysis: Patients in both NACCRT and NACT arms underwent surgery preferably within 5-6 weeks of neoadjuvant treatment. A video assisted thoracoscopicsurgical (VATS) esophagectomy approach was adopted for tumors involving middle and lower 1/3rd. For tumors involving the lower 1/3 rd where VATS was not possible a transhiatal resection was performed. As per histology the specimens were separated into two groups as per Mandard classification with or without regressive changes, while the regressive changes included the stromal changes and cytological alterations.[11] Basing on these changes the tumor regression was classified into five histological TRGs, based on vital tumor tissue at the ratio of fibrosis: TRG 1 was defined as complete regression fibrosis without detectable tissue of tumor; TRG 2 as fibrosis with scattered tumor cells; TRG 3 was fibrosis and tumor cells with preponderance of fibrosis; TRG 4 was fibrosis and tumor cells with preponderance of tumor cells; TRG 5 was tissue of tumor without changes of regression. Patient with TRG 1-2 were considered responders while 3-5 were considered non responders. Statistical analysis All analysis was performed with SPSS version 17.0. All quantitative data were expressed as medians (ranges).The diagnostic accuracy of [18F]- FDG-PET-CT was calculated by the Receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) test. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) provides a measure for the accuracy of a diagnostic test. It ranges from 0.5 to 1.0.The optimum cut off value for differentiation of responding and non-responding tumors was defined by the point of ROC curve with minimum distance from the 0% false positive rate and 100% true positive rate. The correlation between the SUV% and TRG was compared between NACCRT and NACT group using a paired T-test. Results The median age was 58 years, there was a male preponderance. 27/30 (90%) patients had Squamous histopathology with involvement of middle 1/3rd of esophagus. Most patients had stage III disease. Change in SUV values post neoadjuvant treatment in responders and nonresponders: In 33.3% responders in NACCRT group the SUV fell from 12.58±1.68 to 2.36±0.52 respectively (P value < 0.0001).In 20% responders in NACT group SUV fell from 9.7±0.85 to 2.0±0.43 respectively (P value < 0.001) .Though there was a statistically significant reduction in SUV value in both the groups after neoadjuvant treatment but a comparison between the NACCRT and NACT arm lead to a mean SUV value of 57.80 ±22.40 and 45.92±19.23 with a nonsignificant P value of 0.13. This leads to a conclusion that both the treatments result in a significant metabolic response however one does not outperforms the other in a statistically significant manner. TRG 1-2 versus TRG 3-5in NACCRT and NACT group: In NACCRT group of the 15 patients 7(46.6%) had achieved a complete or near complete response (TRG 1-2) while 8 of 15 patients (53.4%) had less or no response (TRG 3-5). While in NACT group 6 out of 15 (40%) patients had TRG 1-2 while 9/15 (60%) patients had TRG 3-5. In NACCRT group TRG had a mean value of 2.53±1.25 while in NACT group TRG had a mean value of 2.93±1.28 with a non significant P value of 0.393. This lead to a conclusion that there is no statistically significant difference between the NACCRT and NACT groups as far as TRG grade is concerned. Correlation between SUV% reduction and TRG: In our study we found a significant correlation between the [%?SUV max] reduction and TRG after analyzing the data of all 30 patients in both NACCRT and NACT group with a significance value of 0.002 where correlation is significant at a value of 0.01 level ( 2-tailed) ROC Curve Analysis: ROC curve analysis for an AUC of 0.693 (Figure-7) and sensitivity and specificity of 18FFDG PET scan of 80% and 46.7% respectively. Conclusion In our study we found that though there was a statistically significant reduction in SUV value in both the groups after NAT but a comparison between the NACCRT and NACT arm lead to a mean SUV value of 57.80 ±22.40 and 45.92±19.23 with a non significant P value of 0.13.This leads to a conclusion that both the treatments result in a significant metabolic response however one does not outperforms the other in a statistically significant manner. An early marker of response offers the greatest potential clinical advantage, particularly if those not benefiting from treatment could be identified and offered alternative approaches, and this was the hypothesis evaluated in this study. However the major drawback of this study was a small sample size. Despite that we could conclude by this study that [18 F]-FDG-PET CT is a good diagnostic modality for response assessment after NAT in locally advanced carcinoma esophagus patients and helps in differentiating between responders and non-responders significantly. TABLE SHOWING (SUV?%) AND TRG IN BOTH GROUPS SERIAL NO SUV(Max) UPTAKE BEFORE NACCRT SUV(Max) UPTAKE AFTER NACCRT (SUV?%) TUMOR REGRESSION GRADE (Mandard) 1. 12.4 2.1 83.06% 3 2. 19.5 12.4 57.25% 3 3. 16.3 9.3 42.94% 2 4. 17.6 10.6 39.72% 3 5. 21.5 14.2 33.95% 4 6. 16.2 9.8 39.50% 4 7. 11.4 1.8 98.2% 1 8. 14.5 9.1 37.24% 4 9. 16.5 10.3 37.57% 3 10. 15.2 8.6 43.42% 2 11. 10.8 2.3 91.8% 1 12. 14.3 7.2 49.65% 1 13. 17.6 8.3 52.84% 3 14. 15.1 2.4 84.10% 2 15. 13.2 3.2 75.75% 1 SERIAL NO SUV(Max) UPTAKE BEFORE NACT SUV (Max)UPTAKE AFTER NACT (SUV?%) TUMOR REGRESSION GRADE (Mandard) 1. 10.5 2.2 79.04% 2 2. 8.8 1.5 82.95% 1 3. 9.8 2.3 76.53% 3 4. 17.5 11.1 36.57% 4 5. 18.6 12.8 31.18% 3 6. 16.8 10.5 37.5% 2 7. 19.1 13.6 28.79% 5 8. 12.5 6.4 48.8% 3 9. 16.5 10.8 52.77% 2 10. 17.5 9.8 44.00% 1 11. 15.3 12.1 20.91% 2 12. 12.4 8.6 30.64% 3 13. 11.5 7.5 34.78% 4 14. 16.8 10.4 38.09% 4 15. 17.5 9.4 46.28% 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this paper was to identify the disrupted pathways associated with colon cancer at a network level based on protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and pathway analysis. Materials and Methods: First of all, the Affymetrix microarray data of colon cancer, human PPIs relationships, and human pathways existed in the database were recruited and preprocessed. Second, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between colon cancer and normal controls were identified. In the following, an objective PPI network was constructed using these DEGs. Ultimately, we calculated the disrupted pathways based on the intersection between pathway network and the objective network. Meanwhile, the topological centrality (degree) analysis was performed to explore the hub genes in the objective network. Results: In our study, an objective network consisted of 2288 PPI pairs by 574 DEGs were constructed. In addition, ten disrupted pathways whose number of intersection was not <22 between objective network and each pathway, as well as P < 0.05, was selected. Furthermore, a total of 22 hub genes in the objective network were selected based on degree >30. Last, seven out of the above ten pathways were validated to involve in the intersections of pathway network and objective network. Moreover, cell cycle was the most significant disrupted pathway. Conclusions: We successfully identified several biologically disrupted pathways, and these pathways might be potential biomarkers in detection and treatment for colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this paper was to investigate differential pathways in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SALS) based on pathway network analysis. Materials and Methods: To achieve this goal, first, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between SALS and normal controls were identified, and a target network was defined as DEGs correlated interactions from the search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes/proteins (STRING). Second, topological centrality analysis was conducted on the target network to identify hub genes and hub network. Third, pathway network was constructed by taking intersections of Reactome database and STRING protein-protein interaction network. Finally, based on extracting the common interactions between target network, hub network and pathway network, we built randomized network, performed randomization test, and denoted differential pathways and hub differential pathways with P < 0.05. Results: There were 485 DEGs and 627 interactions in the target network. The pathway network was comprised 117,370 interactions. What was more, we found that 217 pathways had intersections with the target network. By accessing randomization test and removing the intersected count <10, 21 differential pathways with P values were nearly to be 0 were obtained, of which 6 rightly were the hub differential pathways, such as gene expression, mRNA Splicing, and mRNA splicing-major pathway. Conclusion: We have investigated 217 differential pathways and 21 significant differential pathways between SALS and normal controls based on network strategy. The findings might provide potential biomarkers for detection and therapy of SALS clinically and give great insights to reveal molecular mechanism underlying this disease. However, how these pathways cooperated with each other is still not clear, and future study should focus on this aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this paper was to identify the disrupted pathways associated with colon cancer at a network level based on protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and pathway analysis.Materials and Methods: First of all, the Affymetrix microarray data of colon cancer, human PPIs relationships, and human pathways existed in the database were recruited and preprocessed. Second, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between colon cancer and normal controls were identified. In the following, an objective PPI network was constructed using these DEGs. Ultimately, we calculated the disrupted pathways based on the intersection between pathway network and the objective network. Meanwhile, the topological centrality (degree) analysis was performed to explore the hub genes in the objective network.Results: In our study, an objective network consisted of 2288 PPI pairs by 574 DEGs were constructed. In addition, ten disrupted pathways whose number of intersection was not <22 between objective network and each pathway, as well as P < 0.05, was selected. Furthermore, a total of 22 hub genes in the objective network were selected based on degree >30. Last, seven out of the above ten pathways were validated to involve in the intersections of pathway network and objective network. Moreover, cell cycle was the most significant disrupted pathway.Conclusions: We successfully identified several biologically disrupted pathways, and these pathways might be potential biomarkers in detection and treatment for colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this paper was to investigate differential pathways in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SALS) based on pathway network analysis.Materials and Methods: To achieve this goal, first, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between SALS and normal controls were identified, and a target network was defined as DEGs correlated interactions from the search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes/proteins (STRING). Second, topological centrality analysis was conducted on the target network to identify hub genes and hub network. Third, pathway network was constructed by taking intersections of Reactome database and STRING protein-protein interaction network. Finally, based on extracting the common interactions between target network, hub network and pathway network, we built randomized network, performed randomization test, and denoted differential pathways and hub differential pathways with P < 0.05.Results: There were 485 DEGs and 627 interactions in the target network. The pathway network was comprised 117,370 interactions. What was more, we found that 217 pathways had intersections with the target network. By accessing randomization test and removing the intersected count <10, 21 differential pathways with P values were nearly to be 0 were obtained, of which 6 rightly were the hub differential pathways, such as gene expression, mRNA Splicing, and mRNA splicing-major pathway.Conclusion: We have investigated 217 differential pathways and 21 significant differential pathways between SALS and normal controls based on network strategy. The findings might provide potential biomarkers for detection and therapy of SALS clinically and give great insights to reveal molecular mechanism underlying this disease. However, how these pathways cooperated with each other is still not clear, and future study should focus on this aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this paper was to reveal hub pathways in primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL) based on multiple pathway crosstalk networks (PCNs) and give insight for its pathological mechanism.Materials and Methods: Based on gene expression data, pathway data and protein-protein interaction data, background PCN (BPCN) and tumor PCN (TPCN) of PMBL were constructed. The rank product algorithm was implemented to identify hub pathways of BPCN and TPCN. Finally, topological properties (degree, closeness, betweenness, and transitivity) of hub pathways were analyzed.Results: For BPCN, there were three hundred nodes and 42,239 edges, and the pathway pairs had great overlaps. TPCN was composed of 281 nodes and 12,700 cross-talks. A total of five hub pathways were identified, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), tuberculosis, human T-lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) infection, hepatitis B, and Epstein-Barr virus infection. The topological properties for them were different from each other, further between PMBL and normal controls.Conclusion: We have identified five hub pathways for PMBL, such as NAFLD, HTLV-I infection, and Hepatitis B, which might be potential biomarkers for target therapy for PMBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity is the single main dose-limiting factor in the treatment of colorectal cancer. The degree of neurotoxicity may be either acute and reversible or observed as cumulative and chronic peripheral nerve damage leading to peripheral neuropathy (PNP), walking difficulties, extremity hypersensitivity, tingling and numbness, and increased pain sensation.Aim: The aim of this paper is to determine and compare the ratio of clinical versus subclinical PNP cases in colorectal patients who underwent oxaliplatin treatment.Materials and Methods: Thirty-two colorectal cancer patients were enrolled in the study. Patients received chemotherapy either as folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin or capecitabine and oxaliplatin regimen. Electroneurophysiological tests were performed before the treatment and after the 4th cycle when the risk of peripheral nerve damage increases. All patients were subject to a standard neurological examination and a semi-structured questionnaire interview.Results and Discussion: Following oxaliplatin treatment, 21 (66.6%) of all patients presented neurological symptoms and/or electrophysiologically measured signs of PNP; of those, 7 patients (33.4%) displayed only electrophysiological changes and the remaining 14 patients (66.6%) presented fully symptomatic PNP - 4 patients were new neuropathy cases while the other 10 patients were previously diagnosed with PNP and showed signs of further neuronal deterioration and progressing sensory and motor dysfunction.Conclusion: Our study lays ground for further larger scale longitudinal studies on oxaliplatin neurotoxicity and its prevention. We believe that early diagnosis of oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity is essential in the prevention of irreversible nerve damage and should be prioritized when assessing and evaluating treatment so that adequate adjustment may be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nowadays one of the principal challenges of any country is improving the chronic disease and cancers. One of the most important of cancers is esophageal cancer in Iran. No doubt, esophageal cancer is an outcome of the interaction and combination of different factors. Cancer of the esophagus is one of the most common causes of death in adults (especially women) in Iran, where the incidence of this cancer is among the highest in the world.Objective: The main aim of this cross-sectional study was to test the hypothesis that food insecurity could create esophageal cancer among women in Iran (Zanjan Province).Methods: The method of this paper has been based on the analytical and descriptive research using fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) method. The subjects were 580 women aged 40-70 years (150 women have esophageal cancer), and they are selected randomly in the Zanjan Province of Iran.Results: The food insecurity (such as hunger and hidden hunger) in the Zanjan Province, according to the 24 h food-recall questionnaire was 23% and 38%, respectively. Only 39% of the study population was secure in terms of having access to all key nutrients. The accuracy of the questionnaire for screening for hunger in the population was 88.78%, respectively, and the corresponding value for hidden hunger was 83.4%. The average value of esophageal cancer predicted using fuzzy cognitive maps is equal to 75.43% (for 36 months).Conclusion: Our findings showed an association of food insecurity and body mass index (BMI) in the study population. Food insecurity increased the rate of underweight and decreased the rates of overweight and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer is leading globally in 2020, with mortality being a concern in developing countries. Cancer registration can help in studying systematically collected data about breast cancer. The aim of this study is (1) to describe demographic aspects, stage at diagnosis, histological types, and treatment availed by evaluating the 2016 Hospital-Based Cancer Registry (HBCR) of a Tertiary Cancer Centre (TCC), (2) to study the relationship between sociodemographic factors, the stage of the disease, the time between diagnosis and registration at TCC and the treatment status. Methodology: The data of all breast cancer patients who registered at the institution in 2016 was included in the study. The variables in the HBCR core form were used as a baseline for collecting data from hospital records. Results: The number of patients registered in 2016 was 534. The mean age was 53.8 (SD 53.8 ± 12.11). Majority (59.2%) presented in the early stages. Seventy-two percent were from rural areas, and 59.5% had a middle school education and above. Our study found a significant association between education status, the stage of disease, and treatment status. Conclusion: Education level plays an important role in early presentation and treatment completion. Registry data analysis can be used as a guideline for understanding patterns and for formulating cancer control activities in the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]