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Significant advances in chemotherapy drugs have reduced mortality in patients with malignant tumors. However, chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity increases the morbidity and mortality of patients, and has become the second leading cause of death after tumor recurrence, which has received more and more attention in recent years. Arrhythmia is one of the common types of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity, and has become a new risk related to chemotherapy treatment, which seriously affects the therapeutic outcome in patients. Traditional Chinese medicine has experienced thousands of years of clinical practice in China, and has accumulated a wealth of medical theories and treatment formulas, which has unique advantages in the prevention and treatment of malignant diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine may reduce the arrhythmic toxicity caused by chemotherapy without affecting the anti-cancer effect. This paper mainly discussed the types and pathogenesis of secondary chemotherapeutic drug-induced arrhythmia (CDIA), and summarized the studies on Chinese medicine compounds, Chinese medicine Combination Formula and Chinese medicine injection that may be beneficial in intervention with secondary CDIA including atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmia and sinus bradycardia, in order to provide reference for clinical prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced arrhythmias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of sleep disturbance and its relationship with anxiety and depression symptoms, social support and hope in breast cancer patients in China during chemotherapy. Design: A single‐centre cross‐sectional study. Methods: A total of 329 breast cancer patients were selected via convenience sampling method before they began chemotherapy (n = 115), before the 5th week of chemotherapy (n = 117) or 1 month after chemotherapy ended (n = 97) and administered paper‐and‐pencil questionnaires to evaluate sleep quality, depression and anxiety symptoms, social support and hope. Risk factors significantly associated with sleep disturbance during bivariate were incorporated in the multivariate analysis. Bivariate analyses showed that age, menopausal status, depression and anxiety symptoms, emotional/informational support, tangible support, affectionate support, positive social interaction and total support were predictors of sleep disturbance. Results: Sleep disturbance was prevalent in breast cancer patients before (27.0%), during (32.5%) and after (39.2%) chemotherapy, with 37.4%, 41.9% and 52.6% of participants, respectively, reporting sleeping below the recommended 7 h. Only 8.6%–15.5% of patients reported taking sedative‐hypnotic drugs during the chemotherapy. Multivariate analyses found that participants reporting clinically significant anxiety (HADS > 8) were 3.5 times more likely to report sleep disturbance (PSQI > 8) than participants without clinically significant anxiety, and each increment in emotional/informational support was associated with a 9.04% reduced risk of sleep disturbance. Moreover, age was an independent predictor of sleep disturbance during multivariate modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of cancer is increasing today, particularly lung and chest cancer. Employing novel methods to detect cancer in its earliest stages and discover painless, noninvasive treatments are urgently needed. The goal of the proposed study is to investigate the value of automated breast volume scanning (ABUS) in conjunction with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in properly diagnosing breast cancer in its early stages and the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in treating the disease. For the research study, information on 98 patients who had NAC and surgery in the breast surgery department of the Shaanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital has been gathered. All patients have received four cycles of NAC and underwent conventional ultrasound (HUSS), CEUS, ABUS, and pathological examination. At the same time, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, single factor, multiple linear regression, and other methods have also been used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of breast cancer and NAC efficacy evaluation results. The study of this paper is totally based on the data collected from Shaanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital. The statistical and computational analyses are performed on the data collected for drawing inferences. When the findings are compared to the results of the pathological examination, HUSS has demonstrated a significant distinction between benign and malignant diagnoses with a statistical value of P < 0.05.ABUS combined with CEUS has shown no considerable differences in correlation study. Except for negative likelihood ratio, the diagnostic performance indexes of CEUS+ ABUS are substantially higher than HHUS with P < 0.05. ROC curve analysis is also performed which shows that CEUS and ABUS combination has higher precision in the analysis of breast cancer. ABUS pooled with CEUS shows great application value in the judgment of breast cancer as per the results obtained from the statistical analysis on data of 98 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In the treatment of colorectal cancer, classic chemotherapy drugs such as 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, trifluridine, and tipiracil have played a crucial role. Through the analysis of the top 100 most influential articles, we examined the evolution in research and current relevance, confirming the continued significance of this group of drugs despite the emergence of new treatments. The research reveals global collaboration among institutions, countries (primarily the United States, China, and Europe), and researchers, with three main themes driving the study: pharmacogenetics, new pharmaceutical formulations, and the use of adjuvants. In the landscape of colorectal cancer treatment, classical chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, trifluridine, and tipiracil have historically played a pivotal role. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most influential articles focusing on these classic chemotherapy drugs in the management of colorectal cancer. With this, we shed light on their current importance, despite the emergence of new therapeutic targets and treatments in the field of oncology. Systematically evaluating research outputs, this analysis reveals a prevalence of co-authorship among institutions, countries (led by the United States, China, and Europe), and researchers highlighting the global and collaborative nature of efforts in research, utilization, and development of these drugs. Three thematic axes lead the research: pharmacogenetics, the development of new pharmaceutical forms, and the use of adjuvants. This research serves as a foundation for future endeavors, aiding researchers, clinicians, and policymakers in making informed decisions about the direction of research and development in the dynamic field of colorectal cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This research aimed to explore the level of hope and symptom burden of breast cancer women undergoing chemotherapy, and predictive factors of hope were also investigated. Background: Chemotherapy brings physical and psychological stress to breast cancer patients. As an effective coping strategy, hope gives them the courage to overcome difficulties and improve prognosis and survival. Therefore, efforts are needed to raise hope. Design/Methods: A total of 450 women who were undergoing breast cancer chemotherapy participated in this cross‐sectional study. Sociodemographic data, disease characteristics, and measures of hope and symptom burden were collected using questionnaires. Hope was assessed using the validated Herth Hope Index, and the previously validated Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale was used to assess symptom burden. This paper adhered to the STROBE guidelines. Results: Chinese breast cancer chemotherapy women hope average scores of 30.15 ± 4.82 were in the medium range of the Hearth Hope Index as specified by Herth to be 24–35. Patients with age ≤45, religious beliefs and lighter symptom burden have a higher level of hope. These variables explained a total of 22.9% of the variation in hope. Conclusions: The level of hope for women undergoing breast cancer chemotherapy still needs to be further improved. Symptom burden can negatively predict hope. Relevance to clinical practice: If nurses can decrease breast cancer chemotherapy women symptom burden, there is an impact on increasing levels of hope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the cost-effectiveness of imported immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) such as atezolizumab and durvalumab, and domestic ICIs like serplulimab and adebrelimab, in combination with chemotherapy for extensivestage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in China. Methods: Using a 21-day cycle length and a 20-year time horizon, a Markov model was established to compare the clinical and economic outcomes of five first-line ICIs plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone, as well as against each other, from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. Transition probabilities were estimated by combining the results of the CAPSTONE-1 trial and a published network meta-analysis. Cost and health state utilities were collected from multiple sources. Both cost and effectiveness outcomes were discounted at a rate of 5% annually. The primary model output was incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). A series of sensitivity analyses were preformed to assess the robustness of the model. Results: In the base-case analysis, the addition of first-line ICIs to chemotherapy resulted in the ICERs ranged from $80,425.31/QALY to $812,415.46/QALY, which exceeded the willing-to-pay threshold set for the model. When comparing these first-line immunochemotherapy strategies, serplulimab plus chemotherapy had the highest QALYs of 1.51286 and the second lowest costs of $60,519.52, making it is the most cost-effective strategy. Our subgroup-level analysis yielded results that are consistent with the base-case analysis. The sensitivity analysis results confirmed the validity and reliability of the model. Conclusion: In China, the combination of fist-line ICIs plus chemotherapy were not considered cost-effective when compared to chemotherapy alone. However, when these fist-line immunochemotherapy strategies were compared with each other, first-line serplulimab plus chemotherapy consistently demonstrated superiority in terms of cost-effectiveness. Reducing the cost of serplulimab per 4.5 mg/kg would be a realistic step towards making first-line serplulimab plus chemotherapy more accessible and cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: "Neglected Tropical Diseases" (NTDs) affect millions of people in Africa, Asia and South America. The two primary ways of strategic interventions are "preventive chemotherapy and transmission control" (PCT), and "innovative and intensified disease management" (IDM). In the last 5 years, phenomenal progress has been achieved. However, it is crucial to intensify research effort into NTDs, because of the emerging drug resistance. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the term NTDs covers 17 diseases, namely buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dengue, dracunculiasis, echinococcosis, trematodiasis, human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, rabies, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthes, taeniasis, trachoma, and yaws. The aim of this study is to map out research and development (R&D) landscape through patent analysis of these identified NTDs. To achieve this, analysis and evaluation have been conducted on patenting trends, current legal status of patent families, priority countries by earliest priority years and their assignee types, technological fields of patent families over time, and original and current patent assignees.Main Body: Patent families were extracted from Patseer, an international database of patents from over 100 patent issuing authorities worldwide. Evaluation of the patents was carried out using the combination of different search terms related to each identified NTD. In this paper, a total number of 12,350 patent families were analyzed. The main countries with sources of inventions were identified to be the United States (US) and China. The main technological fields covered by NTDs patent landscape are pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, organic fine chemistry, analysis of biological materials, basic materials chemistry, and medical technology. Governmental institutions and universities are the primary original assignees. Among the NTDs, leishmaniasis, dengue, and rabies received the highest number of patent families, while human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), taeniasis, and dracunciliasis received the least. The overall trend of patent families shows an increase between 1985 and 2008, and followed by at least 6 years of stagnation.Conclusion: The filing pattern of patent families analyzed undoubtedly reveals slow progress on research and development of NTDs. Involving new players, such as non-governmental organizations may help to mitigate and reduce the burden of NTDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chemotherapy, whilst treating tumours, can also lead to numerous adverse reactions such as nausea and vomiting, fatigue and kidney toxicity, threatening the physical and mental health of patients. Simultaneously, misuse of chemotherapeutic drugs can seriously endanger patients' lives. Therefore, to maintain the safety of chemotherapy for cancer patients and to reduce the incidence of adverse reactions to chemotherapy, many guidelines state that a comprehensive assessment of the cancer patient should be conducted and documented before chemotherapy. This recommended procedure, however, has yet to be extensively embraced in Chinese hospitals. As such, this study aimed to standardise the content of pre-chemotherapy assessment for cancer patients in hospitals and to improve nurses' adherence to pre-chemotherapy assessment of cancer patients by conducting a national multi-site evidence implementation in China, hence protecting the safety of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and reducing the incidence of adverse reactions to chemotherapy in patients. Methods: The national multi-site evidence implementation project was launched by a JBI Centre of Excellence in China and conducted using the JBI approach to evidence implementation. A pre- and post-audit approach was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the project. This project had seven phases: training, planning, baseline audit, evidence implementation, two rounds of follow-up audits (3 and 9 months after evidence implementation, respectively) and sustainability assessment. A live online broadcast allowed all participating hospitals to come together to provide a summary and feedback on the implementation of the project. Results: Seventy-four hospitals from 32 cities in China participated in the project, four withdrew during the project's implementation, and 70 hospitals completed the project. The pre-and post-audit showed a significant improvement in the compliance rate of nurses performing pre-chemotherapy assessments for cancer patients. Patient satisfaction and chemotherapy safety were also improved through the project's implementation, and the participating nurses' enthusiasm and belief in implementing evidence into practice was increased. Conclusion: The study demonstrated the feasibility of academic centres working with hospitals to promote the dissemination of evidence in clinical practice to accelerate knowledge translation. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of cross-regional and cross-organisational collaborations to facilitate evidence dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3Pediatric Rehabilitation Department, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. Methods: Using convenient sampling, a total of 232 gynecological cancer chemotherapy patients from two tertiary hospitals in Zhengzhou, Henan, China, were selected as study subjects from February 2023 to April 2023. General information questionnaire, Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale (SRF-S), Strategies Used by People to Promote Health (SUPPH) Scale, Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC) and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) were employed for data collection. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were executed to explore the correlates of selfregulatory fatigue, the significance level (a) was set at 0.05. Results: The self-regulatory fatigue score of the 232 patientswas 44 (36, 56). Binary logistic regression analyses revealed significant associations, demonstrating that residing in urban areas (OR=0.241, P=0.015), having no comorbidities (OR=0.158, P=0.015), increased perceived social support (OR=0.937, P=0.001), strong selfefficacy (OR=0.959, P=0.021), and heightened psychological resilience (OR=0.895, P<0.001) acted as protective factors against self-regulatory fatigue (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Patients residing in rural areas, having more than two comorbidities, lower self-efficacy and psychological resilience levels, and lower perceived social support are indicative of higher levels of self-regulatory fatigue. Identifying these influencing factors can provide references and support for developing individualized support and intervention measures to improve patients' physical and mental well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NCIT) for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is supported by increasing data, but the sample size is limited, and the findings are not completely consistent. We conducted a real‐world study and a meta‐analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NCIT in locally advanced ESCC. Methods: We retrospectively assessed the outcomes of patients with locally advanced ESCC who completed NICT and subsequent esophagectomy at our hospital between January 2019 and December 2022, including pathological complete response (pCR) rate, major pathological response (MPR) rate, 1‐, 2‐, and 3‐year overall survival (OS) rates, disease control rate (DCR), objective response rate (ORR), 1‐year recurrence rate, R0 resection rate and adverse events. Moreover, a meta‐analysis of 27 published literatures was also conducted for comparison. Results: In the analysis, 128 patients were studied, with 25% achieving pCR, 46.1% MPR, and 99.2% R0 resection. The 1‐, 2‐, and 3‐year OS rates were 91.41% (95% CI: 85.15%–95.63%), 75.00% (95% CI: 66.58%–82.23%) and 64.84% (95% CI: 55.91%–73.07%).ORR and DCR were 31.2% (95% CI: 23.31–39.99) and 64.1% (95% CI: 55.15%–72.38%), and the 1‐year recurrence rate was 26.7% (95% CI: 22.5%–38.1%). Treatment‐related events occurred in 96.1% but were acceptable. In a meta‐analysis of 27 studies with 1734 patients, pooled rates for pCR, MPR, ORR, DCR, and R0 resection were 29%, 52%, 71%, 97%, and 98%, respectively, with a 1‐year recurrence rate of 12%. Conclusion: NCIT is safe and provides potential survival benefits for patients with locally advanced ESCC. However, randomized phase 3 trial data is still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding cancer patients' unmet needs for chemotherapy-related symptom management will assist clinicians in developing tailored intervention programs. Little is known about the association between perceived communication efficacy and unmet care needs for symptom management in patients with lung and colorectal cancer. Objectives: To examine the unmet care needs for symptom management of patients with lung and colorectal cancer and their association with perceived communication efficacy. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a tertiary hospital in China from July to November 2020. A convenience sample of 203 patients with lung and colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy completed survey questionnaires, including the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Scale and the Perceived Efficacy in Patient‒Physician Interactions Scale. Results: Approximately 43% of participants had at least one symptom with unmet needs. Fatigue was reported as the symptom with the highest occurrence (66%), the highest demand for supportive care (36%), and the highest prevalence of unmet needs (19%). Low levels of perceived communication efficacy independently predicted participants' unmet needs for symptom management (β=-0.13, p = 0.011). Conclusions: This study highlights the necessity of introducing clinical assessment tools and guidelines to address fatigue and other chemotherapy-induced symptoms in patients with lung and colorectal cancer. Clinical programs designed to actively engage cancer patients to voice their needs and strengthen their communication efficacy are also warranted. Key messages: i) What was already known? Patients with lung and colorectal cancer are prone to suffering from extremely high symptom burden associated with chemotherapy. Patient communication efficacy plays a crucial role in successful symptom control. ii) What are the new findings? Unmet needs for chemotherapy-associated symptom management are prevalent in patients with lung and colorectal cancer in China. Perceived communication efficacy by patients with lung and colorectal cancer independently predicted their unmet needs for symptom management. iii) Implications for practice, theory or policy: A patient-centered communication approach that fosters respect and encourages information sharing should be adopted clinically. Clinical training programs that strengthen core communication skills in healthcare professionals in direct patient-facing roles are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A vast number of researchers have discovered high levels of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) expression in urothelial carcinoma (UC), but they do not use a uniform scoring system. Based on the 2021 edition of clinical pathological expert consensus on HER-2 testing in UC in China, we investigated the expression level and clinical significance of HER2 in high-grade UC. Furthermore, we looked at the prognosis of patients with locally advanced/metastatic UC after combining HER2 targeting antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) medication disitamab vedotin (DV) with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor tislelizumab. Patients and methods: From 2019 to 2022, we collected paraffin specimens of UC from the Department of Urology at the Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University. HER2 expression-related factors were investigated. Patients with advanced UC who have failed systemic chemotherapy at least once and had received immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) medication during second-line treatment were selected and treated with DV in combination with tislelizumab. We assessed the therapy's efficacy and safety. Results: 185 patients with high-grade UC were included in this investigation. 127 patients (68.7%) were HER2 positive (IHC 2+/3+) according to the 2021 Clinical pathological expert consensus on HER2 testing in UC in China. The clinical stage of UC differed statistically significantly between the HER2-and HER2+ groups (p = 0.019). Sixteen advanced UC patients were treated with DV and tislelizumab for a median of 14 months. The disease control rate was 87.5%, while the objective response rate (ORR) was 62.5%. The ORR of HER2+ individuals was higher than that of HER2-individuals (70.0% vs. 50.0%). The median progression-free survival or overall survival was not reached. In this study, the incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 68.8% (11/16), with all of them being grade 1 or 2 adverse reactions. Conclusion: HER2 protein expressed at a high percentage in UC, and 68.7% patients expressed HER2 positive (IHC 2+/3+). HER2+ expression is positively correlated with higher clinical stage of UC. HER2 targeted ADC drug disitamab vedotin combining with PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab has shown efficacy, safety and controllable adverse reactions in the treatment of advanced UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The increasing number of women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy may result in long-lasting, adverse physical side effects and reduced quality of life. Objective: This study aimed to develop and assess the feasibility and preliminary effects of the Phone-Based Support Program for women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. The primary outcome was self-care self-efficacy; secondary outcomes were symptom distress and quality of life. Methods: This pilot study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Jiangsu province, China, from February to March 2023. The Phone-Based Support Program was delivered to 20 participants through the smartphone application WeChat, consisting of learning, discussion, ask-the-expert, and personal stories components. Outcome measures were assessed at three time points: preintervention, postintervention, and follow-up. Results: The Phone-Based Support Program was feasible and could improve self-care self-efficacy, decrease symptom distress, and promote quality of life. The program was well-accepted, and participants engaged actively in the online discussion and sought expert advice. Conclusions: The Phone-Based Support Program showed feasibility and effectiveness in improving self-care self-efficacy, reducing symptom distress, and enhancing quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To identify the latent classes of a health‐promoting lifestyle and examine the associations of latent class profile with individual characteristics of breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy in China in order to provide some insights and recommendations for targeted and individualized health education of health‐promoting lifestyle. Design: A descriptive cross‐sectional survey design was used for this work. Methods: A total of 197 patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy recruited from the Breast Cancer Outpatient Chemotherapy Clinic of a Grade 3A hospital were surveyed. Health‐promoting lifestyle was measured using the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile‐II: Chinese Version Short (HPLP‐IICR). Latent class analysis was used to examine respondents' health‐promoting lifestyle patterns. Associations between the latent class membership and individual characteristics were examined using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Four latent classes were identified: Class 1–Good Nutrition and Poor Physical Activity, Class 2–Poor Health Responsibility and Nutrition, Class 3–Active Health‐Promoting Lifestyle, and Class 4–Medium Spiritual Growth and Poor Other Dimensions. Younger respondents and respondents with a higher score in anxiety and depression were more likely to be classified in Class 4 rather than Class 1 or 3. Respondents with low exercise self‐efficacy were more likely to be classified in Class 4 than the others. Respondents in Class 4 had more chemotherapy symptom severity and interference, and cases of menopause were fewer in Class 4 rather than Class 3. Those in Class 4 were more likely to have been diagnosed with cancer within 3 months than those in Class 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthcare providers generate a huge amount of biomedical data stored in either legacy system (paper-based) format or electronic medical records (EMR) around the world, which are collectively referred to as big biomedical data (BBD). To realize the promise of BBD for clinical use and research, it is an essential step to extract key data elements from unstructured medical records into patient-centered electronic health records with computable data elements. Our objective is to introduce a novel solution, known as a double-reading/entry system (DRESS), for extracting clinical data from unstructured medical records (MR) and creating a semi-structured electronic health record database, as well as to demonstrate its reproducibility empirically.Methods: Utilizing the modern cloud-based technologies, we have developed a comprehensive system that includes multiple subsystems, from capturing MRs in clinics, to securely transferring MRs, storing and managing cloud-based MRs, to facilitating both machine learning and manual reading, and to performing iterative quality control before committing the semi-structured data into the desired database. To evaluate the reproducibility of extracted medical data elements by DRESS, we conduct a blinded reproducibility study, with 100 MRs from patients who have undergone surgical treatment of lung cancer in China. The study uses Kappa statistic to measure concordance of discrete variables, and uses correlation coefficient to measure reproducibility of continuous variables.Results: Using the DRESS, we have demonstrated the feasibility of extracting clinical data from unstructured MRs to create semi-structured and patient-centered electronic health record database. The reproducibility study with 100 patient's MRs has shown an overall high reproducibility of 98 %, and varies across six modules (pathology, Radio/chemo therapy, clinical examination, surgery information, medical image and general patient information).Conclusions: DRESS uses a double-reading, double-entry, and an independent adjudication, to manually curate structured data elements from unstructured clinical data. Further, through distributed computing strategies, DRESS protects data privacy by dividing MR data into de-identified modules. Finally, through internet-based computing cloud, DRESS enables many data specialists to work in a virtual environment to achieve the necessary scale of processing thousands MRs within days. This hybrid system represents probably a workable solution to solve the big medical data challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress is considered one of the possible mechanisms behind chemobrain or the cognitive dysfunction persistent after chemotherapy treatment. Breast cancer patients have reported chemobrain symptoms since the 1990s. In this present bibliometric review, we employed the VOSviewer tool to describe the existing landscape on literature concerning oxidative stress, breast cancer chemotherapies, and chemobrain. As of 2019, 8799 papers were listed in the Web of Science database, with more than 900 papers published each year. As expected, terms relating to oxidative stress, mitochondria, breast cancer, and antioxidants have occurred very often in the literature throughout the years. In recent years, there has been an increase in the occurrence of terms related to nanomedicine. Only within the last decade do the keywords 'brain', 'blood-brain barrier', and 'central nervous system' appear, reflecting an increased interest in chemobrain. China has become the most prolific producer of oxidative stress and chemotherapy related papers in the last decade followed by the USA and India. In conclusion, the subject of oxidative stress as a mechanism behind chemotherapies' toxicities is an active area of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current cancer therapy such as chemotherapy and radiography are known to possess many side effects that could lead to serious complications. The application of natural product as complementary and alternative treatment provides significant advantages. It could increase the sensitivity of chemotherapy and radiography while at the same time reducing their associated side effects and complications. With regards to anticancer drugs, more than 50% of the modern oncological drugs are derived from natural products. An edible mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum has long been used in traditional and conventional medicine in China, for the prevention and treatment of various human diseases. The fungus possesses a wide variety of bioactive compounds present in its fruiting bodies, mycelium and spores, including anticancer property that has been proven in in vitro and in vivo studies. The carcinostatic effects of G. lucidum have been shown in a variety of cancer cell lines, including breast, pancreas, lung, colon, skin and prostate. This paper presents in vitro and in vivo studies of the anticancer properties of G. lucidum in cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective of the study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of tislelizumab plus chemotherapy as first-line therapy for patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) versus chemotherapy alone.Methods: A partitioned survival model with three states was constructed based on the RATIONALE-306 trial. The model's time horizon was ten years, and its cycle was three weeks. Only direct medical costs were considered from the healthcare perspective in China. Calculations were performed on total costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). One-way sensitivity and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) were performed to determine the uncertainty regarding model parameters.Results: Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy provided 1.35 QALYs for $26,450.77, while chemotherapy alone provided 0.89 QALY for $16,687.15. Compared to chemotherapy alone, tislelizumab had an ICER of $21,062.09/QALY. At the threshold of three times the Chinese GDP per capita ($38,253/QALY), the PSA indicated that tislelizumab had a 96.4% likelihood of being designated cost-effective. At the threshold of 1.5 times the Chinese GDP per capita ($19,126.5/QALY), the PSA indicated that tislelizumab had a probability of 48.7% of being designated cost-effective.Conclusion: Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy as the first treatment for patients with advanced or metastatic ESCC may be a cost-effective option compared to chemotherapy alone at 3 times Chinese GDP per capita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rearranged during transfection (RET) gene is one of the receptor tyrosine kinases and cell‐surface molecules responsible for transmitting signals that regulate cell growth and differentiation. In non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), RET fusion is a rare driver gene alteration associated with a poor prognosis. Fortunately, two selective RET inhibitors (sRETi), namely pralsetinib and selpercatinib, have been approved for treating RET fusion NSCLC due to their remarkable efficacy and safety profiles. These inhibitors have shown the ability to overcome resistance to multikinase inhibitors (MKIs). Furthermore, ongoing clinical trials are investigating several second‐generation sRETis that are specifically designed to target solvent front mutations, which pose a challenge for first‐generation sRETis. The effective screening of patients is the first crucial step in the clinical application of RET‐targeted therapy. Currently, four methods are widely used for detecting gene rearrangements: next‐generation sequencing (NGS), reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Each of these methods has its advantages and limitations. To streamline the clinical workflow and improve diagnostic and treatment strategies for RET fusion NSCLC, our expert group has reached a consensus. Our objective is to maximize the clinical benefit for patients and promote standardized approaches to RET fusion screening and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and chemotherapy are used to treat lung cancer or pulmonary metastases, but no direct comparison of overall survival (OS) has been published. The present study aimed to assess the OS of RFA and/or chemotherapy in patients with lung cancer or pulmonary metastases who were not candidates for surgical resection. Methods: To identify relevant studies, the following databases were electronically searched from their inception to 31 March 2023: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Ovid, ScienceDirect, SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, LILACS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Chictr.org. Manual retrieval was also conducted. We used published hazard ratios (HRs) if available or estimates from other survival data. Results: A total of 1,387 participants from 14 trials were included in the final analysis. Patients treated with RFA combined with chemotherapy significantly improved OS compared with those treated with chemotherapy alone [HR 0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-0.61; p < 0.00001], with an absolute difference at 12 months of 29.6% (95% CI 23.7-35.5), at 24 months of 19.2% (95% CI 10.1-28.2), and at 36 months of 22.9% (95% CI 12.0-33.7). No statistically significant difference was observed in the subgroups of case type, cancer type, chemotherapy drugs, and tumor size. The HR for OS with RFA plus chemotherapy vs. RFA alone was 0.53 (95% CI 0.41-0.70; p < 0.00001), corresponding to a 27.1% (95% CI 18.3-35.8), 31.0% (95% CI 19.9-41.9), and 24.9% (95% CI 15.0-34.7) absolute difference in survival at 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months, respectively. Subgroup analysis by geographic region and TNM stage showed that RFA combined with chemotherapy still significantly improved OS compared to RFA. The HR of RFA vs. chemotherapy was 0.98 (95% CI 0.60-1.60; p = 0.94), with an absolute difference at 12 months of 1.4% (95% CI -19.2 to 22.1), at 24 months of 7.8% (95% CI -11.3 to 26.8), and at 36 months of 0.3% (95% CI -13.2 to 13.8). The overall indirect comparison of OS for RFA vs. chemotherapy was 0.95 (95% CI 0.72-1.26; p = 0.74). Data on progression-free survival were not sufficiently reported. Conclusion: RFA combined with chemotherapy might be a better treatment option for patients with lung cancer or pulmonary metastases than chemotherapy alone or RFA alone. The comparison between RFA and/or chemotherapy remains to be specifically tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Primary angiosarcoma of the breast (PAS) is a rare aggressive tumor with no standardized treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of all primary angiosarcoma of the breast obtained from a single center and the features peculiar to Chinese patients. Methods. The medical records at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital were retrospectively searched to identify all cases of PAS treated in 2000–2019. Results. Sixteen cases of PAS were identified, and most involved the left breast. Forty percent of young patients had a history of progressive tumor enlargement with localized pain and skin color changes. The diagnostic accuracy rate was 66.7% for MRI, 75% for core-needle aspiration, and 58.3% for intraoperative fast frozen pathology. The most common surgery was modified radical mastectomy (n = 9, 56.25%). All positive margins involved the pectoralis major muscle, and these tumors' mean size was 8.2 cm. All cases were CD34 positive, and the Ki-67 index was ≥30% in 37.5%. Median local or distant recurrence-free survival was 57.6 months for low-to-moderate-grade tumors and 23.5 months for high-grade tumors. Seventy-five percent of the patients were treated with chemotherapy. The average tumor size in patients with relapse-free survival longer than 3 years was 2.2 cm. Conclusion. Young patients may have larger and softer breast tumors with skin color changes. MRI and core-needle biopsy should be performed preoperatively. A positive surgical margin at pectoralis major should be noted. Breast prosthesis may be a better reconstruction option. Adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy should be considered for large tumors with a high Ki-67 index or high-grade tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Although Chinese-Australian women are at higher risk of developing breast cancer after migration to Australia, information on their experience is limited. This paper explores Chinese- Australian women's perceptions of the meaning and experience of a breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and coping mechanism. Methods: Three focus groups were conducted with 23 Chinese-Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer in their native language (Cantonese or Mandarin). Following transcription and translation, interview data was analysed by content analysis. Results: Culturally specific values, beliefs and language barriers played a significant role in shaping the women's breast cancer experiences and their response to the diagnosis. Of note these women found the experience isolating and distressing, factors that were compounded by the lack of culturally sensitive resources and information. Conclusions: In providing information for Chinese-Australian women with breast cancer, culture, language and migration experience need to be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gefitinib compassionate-use programme has enabled >39,000 patients worldwide to receive gefitinib ('Iressa', ZD1839) treatment. This paper reports the outcome of gefitinib treatment in Chinese patients who enrolled into the 'Iressa' Expanded Access Programme (EAP) at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Methods: Thirty-one patients with advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that had progressed after prior systemic chemotherapy were eligible to receive oral gefitinib 250 mg/day as part of the EAP. Treatment was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred. The impact of treatment on disease-related symptoms and quality of life (QoL) was evaluated with the Chinese versions of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LC13). Results: Gefitinib was well tolerated. Adverse events (AEs) were generally mild (grade 1 and 2) and reversible. The most frequent AEs were acneform rash and diarrhoea. Only one patient withdrew from the study due to a drug-related AE. The objective tumour response rate was 35.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.6-52.3); median progression-free survival was 5.5 months (95% CI, 1.6 to 9.4); median overall survival was 11.5 months (95% CI, 5.6 to 17.3). The QoL response rates for five functioning scales and global QoL varied from 56-88%. The main symptom response rates varied from 44-84%. QoL and symptom response were correlated with objective tumour response. Conclusion: Gefitinib demonstrated safety and efficacy as monotherapy in this series of Chinese patients with advanced NSCLC and was also associated with remarkable symptom relief and improvement in QoL. Although clinical trials are needed to confirm these positive findings, the data suggest that treatment with gefitinib may be beneficial for some Chinese patients who do not respond to chemotherapy and have poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study conducted a network meta-analysis to comprehensively compare the efficacy and safety of 8 types of traditional Chinese medicine injection combined with chemotherapy in colorectal cancer treatment. Methods: We searched relevant previous studies from databases including Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Service System (SinMed), VIP, and Wanfang Database. The searched studies spanned from the inception of databases to December 2022. The included randomized controlled trials were screened; data were extracted; and bias risk was assessed. The network meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.4 software, R software, and STATA software. Results: Fifty randomized controlled studies were included, including 8 types of traditional Chinese medicine injection. The results showed that Aidi injection [OR 1.65,95%CI (1.33,2.05)], compound Kushenshen injection [OR 2.72,95%CI (2.12,3.51)], Kangai injection [OR 2.16,95%CI (1.56,3.02)], and Shenqi Fuzheng injection [OR 1.97,95%CI (1.24,3.15)] combined with chemotherapy in colorectal cancer treatment had a significantly higher objective response rate (p < 0.05) than single chemotherapy, and compound Kushen injection + chemotherapy [OR 2.72,95%CI (2.12,3.51)] regimen ranked the highest. The disease control rate of Aidi injection, Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection [OR 4.1,95%CI (1.74,10.43)], compound Kushen injection [OR 2.43,95%CI (1.73,3.44), Kangai injection[OR 2.31,95%CI (1.51,3.58)], Kanglaite injection[OR 3.18,95%CI (1.52,6.9)], and Shenqi Fuzheng injection[OR 2.6,95%CI (1.22,5.92)] combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer was significantly improved (p < 0.05), and Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection + chemotherapy[OR 4.1,95%CI (1.74,10.43)] regimen ranked the highest. The incidence of leukopenia reduction in the treatment of colorectal cancer was significantly reduced by Aidi injection[OR 0.32,95%CI (0.24,0.43)], Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection [OR 0.34,95%CI (0.17,0.68)] compound Kushen injection [OR 0.27,95%CI (0.17,0.40)], Kangai injection [OR 0.23,95%CI (0.14,0.37)], and Kanglaite injection [OR 0.20,95%CI (0.09,0.45)] combined with chemotherapy (p < 0.05), and Kanglaite injection + chemotherapy [OR 0.20,95%CI (0.09,0.45)] regimen ranked the highest. Aidi injection [OR 0.48,95%CI (0.3,0.74)], Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection [OR 0.09,95%CI (0.01,0.43)], and Kangai injection [OR 0.47,95%CI (0.22,0.96)] combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer significantly reduced the incidence of thrombocytopenia reduction (p < 0.05), and Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection + chemotherapy [OR 0.09,95%CI (0.01,0.43)] regimen ranked the highest. Aidi injection [OR 0.49,95%CI (0.32, 0.74)], Kangai injection [OR 0.26,95%CI (0.09,0.71)] combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer significantly reduced the incidence of hemoglobin reduction (p < 0.05), and Kangai injection + chemotherapy [OR 0.26,95%CI (0.09,0.71)] regimen ranked the highest. Aidi injection [OR 0.38,95%CI (0.28,0.52)], compound Kushen injection [OR 0.23,95%CI (0.15,0.36)] and Kangai injection [OR 0.19,95%CI (0.12,0.30)] combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer significantly reduced the incidence of nausea and vomiting (p < 0.05), and Kangai injection + chemotherapy[OR 0.19,95%CI (0.12,0.30)] regimen ranked the highest. Aidi injection [OR 0.51,95%CI (0.35,0.74)], compound Kushenshen injection [OR 0.27,95%CI (0.15,0.47)], and Kanglaite injection [OR 0.31,95%CI (0.13,0.69)] combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer significantly reduced the incidence of abdominal pain and diarrhea (p < 0.05), and compound Kushen injection + chemotherapy [OR 0.27,95%CI (0.15,0.47)] regimen ranked the highest. Conclusion: Aidi injection, Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection, compound Kushen injection, Kangai injection, Shenqi Fuzheng injection, Kanglaite injection, Shenfu injection, and Xiaoaiping injection combined with chemotherapy functioned more effectively than single chemotherapy did in colorectal cancer treatment. Nevertheless, limited by the treatment quality and methodology of different intervention measures included in the study, this conclusion is expected to be scrutinized in higher-quality and rigorously designed randomized controlled trials. PROSPERO registration No.: CRD42023392398. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have examined symptom clusters in children with acute leukemia, yet a knowledge gap persists regarding central symptom clusters and their influencing factors. By identifying these central clusters and associated factors, healthcare providers can enhance their understanding and effective management of symptoms. Our study seeks to address this gap by identifying symptom clusters, exploring central clusters, and investigating the demographic and health-related factors associated with these clusters in children with acute leukemia undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 586 children with acute leukemia from January 2021 to April 2023 were recruited from China. They were investigated using Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale 10-18 during chemotherapy. The principal component analysis was used to identify the symptom clusters. An association network was conducted to describe the relationships among symptoms and clusters. A multiple linear model was used to investigate the associated factors for the severity of overall symptoms and each symptom cluster. Results: Five clusters were identified, including oral and skin cluster, somatic cluster, self-image disorder cluster, gastrointestinal cluster and psychological cluster. Gastrointestinal cluster was the most central symptom cluster. Age, sex, clinical classification, number of having chemotherapy and education degree and marital status of the primary caregiver are associated with the severity of these five symptom clusters. Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of evaluating symptom clusters in children with acute leukemia during chemotherapy. Specifically, addressing gastrointestinal symptoms is crucial for effective symptom management and overall care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periplaneta americana is an insect belonging to the Insectoptera family Blattella. It is one of the oldest and most fertile insect groups. In China, dried extract of Periplaneta americana has been used to treat blood stasis, acne and abdominal mass for a long time. In this study, we will explore the effect of Periplaneta americana extract on the improvement of hematopoiesis damage during cyclophosphamide treatment and its potential mechanism. Firstly, we established H22 tumor-bearing mice, gave different doses of CII-3 then quantified the count of bone marrow nucleated cell in femur and peripheral blood cells. Furthermore, we measured the thymus index and bone marrow cell cycle of the mice, and pathological analysis of femur was performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Finally, using real-time polymerase chain reaction to detect the messenger ribonucleic acid expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 and transforming growth factor-beta1. Periplaneta americana extract notably increase the number of bone marrow nucleated cell and peripheral blood cells, increase level of hemoglobin, raise the thymus index, induce bone marrow cells to reenter the proliferation cycle, increase the proliferation index and the messenger ribonucleic acid expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 and decrease the messenger ribonucleic acid expression of transforming growth factorbeta 1. This study found that Periplaneta americana extract can significantly improve the hematopoietic impairment induced by cyclophosphamide in tumor-bearing mice. These effects may be mediated by the increase of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 and decrease of transforming growth factor-beta 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients' treatment decisions may be influenced by the ways in which treatment options are presented. There is little evidence on how patients with advanced cancer choose preferences for advance directives (ADs) in China. Informed by behavioural economics, we assess whether end‐of‐life (EOL) cancer patients held deep‐seated preferences for their health care and whether default options and order effects influenced their decision‐making. Methods: We collected data on 179 advanced cancer patients who were randomly assigned to complete one of the four types of ADs: comfort‐oriented care (CC) AD (comfort default AD); a life extension (LE)‐oriented care option (LE default AD); CC (standard CC AD) and LE‐oriented (standard LE AD). Analysis of variance test was used. Results: In terms of the general goal of care, 32.6% of patients in the comfort default AD group retained the comfort‐oriented choice, twice as many as in the standard CC group without default options. Order effect was significant in only two individual‐specific palliative care choices. Most patients (65.9%) appointed their children to make EOL care decisions, but patients choosing the CC goal were twice as likely to ask their family members to adhere to their choices than patients who chose the LE goal. Conclusion: Patients with advanced cancer did not hold deep‐seated preferences for EOL care. Default options shaped decisions between CC and LE‐oriented care. Order effect only shaped decisions in some specific treatment targets. The structure of ADs matters and influence different treatment outcomes, including the role of palliative care. Patient or Public Contribution: Between August and November 2018, from 640 cancer hospital medical records fitting the selection criteria at a 3A level hospital in Shandong Province, we randomly selected 188 terminal EOL advanced cancer patients using a random generator programme to ensure all eligible patients had an equal chance of selection. Each respondent completes one of the four AD surveys. While respondents might require support in making their healthcare choices, they were informed about the purpose of our research study, and that their survey choices would not affect their actual treatment plan. Patients who did not agree to participate were not surveyed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Toripalimab is the first domestic anti-tumor programmed death 1 antibody marketed in China. The CHOICE-01 trial (identifier: NCT 03856411) demonstrated that toripalimab plus chemotherapy can significantly improve the clinical outcomes of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, whether it is cost-effective remains unknown. Given the high cost of combination therapy, a cost-effectiveness analysis of toripalimab plus chemotherapy (TC) versus chemotherapy alone (PC) for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC is required. Methods: A partitioned survival model was adopted to predict the course of disease in advanced NSCLC patients on TC or PC from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system over a 10-year horizon. The survival data were obtained from the CHOICE-01 clinical trial. Cost and utility values were obtained from local hospitals and kinds of literature. Based on these parameters, the incremental costeffectiveness ratio (ICER) of TC vs. PC was measured, and one-way sensitivity analyses, probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA), and scenario analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the model. Results: In the base case, TC was associated with an incremental cost of $18510 and an incremental quality-adjusted life year (QALY) of 0.57 compared with PC, resulting in an ICER of $32237/QALY which was lower than the willingness to pay (WTP) threshold ($37654/QALY), TC was cost-effective. The health utility value of progression-free survival, the price of toripalimab, and the cost of best supportive care were factors that significantly influenced the ICER, but no change in any of them could change the model result. TC showed a 90% probability of being a cost-effective option at a WTP threshold of $37,654/QALY. In the 20 and 30-year time horizons, the results remained unchanged and TC remained cost-effective when the second-line treatment was switched to docetaxel. Conclusion: At a WTP threshold of $37,654 per QALY, TC was cost-effective compared to PC for patients with advanced NSCLC in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Our research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of first‐line immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with etoposide and platinum (EP) for extensive‐stage small cell lung cancer (ES‐SCLC) and identify prognostic factors, as real‐world outcomes and the inconsistency of PD‐1 and PD‐L1 inhibitors are uncertain. Methods: We selected ES‐SCLC patients in three centers and conducted a propensity score‐matched analysis. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression were conducted to compare the survival outcomes. We also performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to investigate predictors. Results: Among 236 patients included, 83 pairs of cases were matched. The EP plus ICIs cohort had a longer median overall survival (OS) (17.3 months) than the EP cohort (13.4 months) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.61 [0.45, 0.83]; p = 0.001). The median progression‐free survival (PFS) was also longer in the EP plus ICIs cohort (8.3 months) than in the EP cohort (5.9 months) (HR, 0.44 [0.32, 0.60]; p < 0.001). The EP plus ICIs group had a higher objective response rate (ORR) (EP: 62.3%, EP + ICIs: 84.3%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis presented that liver metastases (HR, 2.08; p = 0.018) and lymphocyte–monocyte ratio (LMR) (HR, 0.54; p = 0.049) were independent prognostic factors for OS, and performance status (PS) (HR, 2.11; p = 0.015), liver metastases (HR, 2.64; p = 0.002), and neutrophil‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (HR, 0.45; p = 0.028) were for PFS in patients with chemo‐immunotherapy. Conclusion: Our real‐world data demonstrated that ICIs with chemotherapy as the first‐line setting for ES‐SCLC are effective and safe. PS, liver metastases, and inflammatory markers could serve as valuable risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In China, most HCC patients are diagnosed with advanced disease and in these cases surgery is challenging. Conversion therapy can be used to change unresectable HCC into resectable disease and is a potential breakthrough treatment strategy. The resection rate for unresectable advanced HCC has recently improved as a growing number of patients have benefited from conversion therapy. While conversion therapy is at an early stage of development, progress in patient selection, optimum treatment methods, and the timing of surgery have the potential to deliver significant benefits. In this article, we review the current evidence and clinical experience of conversion therapy in HCC. General conversion modalities such as systemic treatments (systemic chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy), locoregional therapy (transarterial chemoembolization, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, or selective internal radiation therapy), and combination therapy were summarized. We also discuss the current challenges of conversion therapy and provide identify areas for future research to improve the development of conversion therapy in advanced HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis is an important global food-borne infectious disease transmitted between humans and pigs. According to both national surveys and field investigations, the prevalence of the disease in China has significantly decreased in recent decades. The primary disease control measures are health education and promotion, meat inspection, and chemotherapy. Other factors that influence or fundamentally affect human and pig T. solium taeniasis/cysticercosis have been identified, such as pig farming patterns shift and a revolution in sanitary toilets, which block T. solium transmission routes. Pig farming practices have shifted from backyard to largescale intensive farming, thus decreasing pig contact with, and consumption of, human excreta. The increased in the use of sanitary toilets has facilitated hygiene by preventing of human excreta from contacting humans, or polluting the environment, feed, or water. The occurrence of human T. solium infections has markedly decreased as a result of these social changes. The objective of this review is to describe the ecological determinants of the cysticercosis decline in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In frst-line treatment of advanced or metastatic nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the ORIENT-11 study demonstrated a signifcant progression-free survival and overall survival for sintilimab plus chemotherapy in comparison with chemotherapy alone. But the cost-effectiveness of the two treatment schemes is unclear in China. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the cost efectiveness of sintilimab plus chemotherapy versus Platinum-based chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic squamous NSCLC in China. Methods: We performed an economic evaluation from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system using a partitioned survival model with three mutually exclusive health states: progression free, post-progression, and death. The circulation cycle of the model was 3 weeks and the study time limit was 10 years. Efficacy data were obtained from the ORIENT-11 clinical trial. Cost and utility values were derived from published studies and online price databases. The primary outcomes of the model were quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). One-way sensitivity analysis and probability sensitivity analysis were used to verify the robustness of the base-case analysis results. Results: Sintilimab plus chemotherapy provided an additional 0.6 QALYs. The total cost per patient was CNY¥413,273.16 for sintilimab plus chemotherapy and CNY¥280,695.23 for Platinum-based chemotherapy. The ICER for sintilimab plus chemotherapy was CNY¥220,963.22/QALY. Sensitivity analyses found the results to be most sensitive to the cost of pemetrexed and utilities of PF state. In the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, sintilimab was cost-efective in 78.6% of the simulations, assuming a willingness-to-pay threshold (WTP) of CNY¥242,928 per QALY. Conclusion: Compared with chemotherapy alone, the sintilimab plus chemotherapy is likely to be a cost-effective option as the first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cancer palliative care is recommended by guidelines for patients with early stage of cancer. Unlike the Western countries, in mainland China, cancer patients receive specialist-led cancer palliative care. Nurse-led cancer palliative care (NUC) is not well established yet. Objectives. To compare the clinical outcome measures, quality of life and symptom distress in patients suffering from cancer who received NUC with the same results in patient who received consulting oncologist-led cancer palliative care (ONC). Materials and methods. The study was a chart review of a database of patients suffering from cancer. Data regarding clinical outcome measures, quality of life and symptom distress of patients suffering from cancer who were receiving chemotherapy and NUC (NUC cohort, n = 185) or ONC (ONC cohort, n = 170) were collected and analyzed. One oncologist or 1 nurse was involved in treating 1 patient during the patient's hospital visit. Each visit took 30 min. The Chinese version of the Symptom Distress Scale was used for the evaluation of the degree of symptom distress. The simplified Chinese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment Quality of Life Questionnaire (the EORTC QLQ-C30) v. 3.0 was used for evaluation of the quality of life. Results. Female patients preferred NUC (p < 0.0001). The pain intensity (4.13 ±1.71 compared to 3.35 ±1.01, p < 0.0001), dyspnea (3.89 ±1.48 compared to 2.82 ±0.97, p < 0.0001), constipation (3.56 ±1.78 compared to 3.06 ±1.89, p = 0.0107), and degree of symptom distress (38.09 ±7.26 compared to 35.05 ±7.92, p = 0.0002) were reported higher among patients from the ONC cohort than among those from the NUC cohort. Patients from the NUC cohort reported a better quality of life than those from the ONC cohort (70.41 ±13.62 compared to 45.63 ±7.94, p < 0.0001). Conclusions. The NUC results in better clinical outcome measures and higher quality of life than ONC for patients receiving chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cervical Carcinoma (CC) is the second most common cause of death in women, with most patients being diagnosed at an advanced stage. The conventional treatment for CC, with a long chemotherapy treatment cycle, is less than satisfactory and will cause serious damage to the patient's blood vessels. Objective. To analyze the impact of the clinical nursing pathway (CNP) on the incidence of complications and adverse prognosis in patients undergoing chemotherapy for CC via peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC). Materials and Methods. This study enrolled 157 CC patients who underwent PICC chemotherapy in the Shaanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital between March 2017 and April 2020 and assigned them between the two groups according to different nursing interventions. Ninety-three patients treated with CNP intervention were included in the research group (RG), and sixty-four cases treated with the routine nursing intervention were included in the control group (CG). The self-care ability and intervention satisfaction of patients were assessed using the self-care ability scale and the intervention satisfaction questionnaire, respectively, both developed by our hospital. The complication rate was observed in both cohorts, and the adverse prognosis of patients was statistically analyzed. Finally, an assessment was made on the patients' quality of life (QOL) using the quality of life questionnaire core 30 (QLQ-C30). Results. Higher scores of self-management information, catheter nursing ability, self-care compliance, and abnormal situation management were determined in RG after the nursing intervention. RG also outperformed CG in the overall incidence rates of complications and poor prognosis. Moreover, RG presented statistically higher nursing satisfaction and QLQ-C30 scores than CG after the nursing intervention. Conclusion. CNP has a significant nursing effect on patients with CC treated with PICC chemotherapy, which can not only reduce the incidence of postchemotherapy complications but also improve patient prognosis, satisfaction, and life quality, with the value for clinical promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Sugemalimab is approved in China as a first-line treatment in combination with chemotherapy for metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of firstline additional sugemalimab in combination with chemotherapy vs. chemotherapy from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. Materials and methods: A three-state Markov model was designed to evaluate the costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) of first-line sugemalimab combination with chemotherapy vs. chemotherapy over a 10-year period. Data on clinical outcomes were obtained from GEMSTONE-302 clinical trials. Costs and health utilities were collected from local databases and published literature. The uncertainty of the model parameters was explored through sensitivity analysis. Results: Compared to chemotherapy, sugemalimab treatment for NSCLC resulted in an extra 0.50 QALYs at an additional cost of $73627.99, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 148354.07/QALY at the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $37663.26/QALY. One-way sensitivity analysis indicated that the primary motivator in this model was the cost of sugemalimab. However, none of the parameters significantly affected the model's results. Conclusion: Sugemalimab combination therapy is not economically advantageous for the first-line management of metastatic non-squamous NSCLC, according to the Chinese healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potential complication among lymphoma patients. We evaluated the incidence rate and predictors of VTE in lymphoma patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The present study retrospectively studied 1,069 patients with lymphoma who were treated with chemotherapy from 2018 to 2020. We investigated clinical predictors of VTE among all patients. The follow-up results were obtained via telephone communication and from inpatient and outpatient records. Results: A total of 1,069 patients underwent chemotherapy for lymphoma. During a mean follow-up of 23.1 months, 52 (4.9%) patients developed VTE. According to a multivariate analysis, the five variables found to be independently associated with VTE were male sex (HR 2.273, 95% CI 1.197–4.316, p = 0.012), age >64-years-old (HR 2.256, 95% CI 1.017–5.005, p = 0.045), the number of cycles of chemotherapy (HR 4.579, 95% CI 1.173–17.883, p = 0.029), platelet count ≥350 × 109/L (HR 2.533, 95% CI 1.187–5.406, p = 0.016), and D-dimer >0.5 mg/L (HR 4.367, 95% CI 2.124–8.981, p < 0.001). Conclusion: This population-based study confirms the risk factors for VTE among patients with lymphoma who underwent chemotherapy and confirms that targeted thromboprophylaxis may reduce the burden of VTE in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To prospectively study the application effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) anticancer decoction with basic chemotherapy and nursing intervention on oral cancer patients after surgery and the effect on tumor markers and immune function. Methods. Eighty-four postoperative oral cancer patients in our hospital from May 2017 to February 2019 were selected and divided into observation group (42 cases) and control group (42 cases). The control group was treated with basic chemotherapy combined with basic nursing care, and the observation group was treated with TCM anticancer decoction and comprehensive nursing intervention on the basis of the control group. The clinical efficacy, the occurrence of adverse reactions, the satisfaction of nursing care, and the two-year cumulative survival rate of the two groups were compared. The immune function, tumor marker level, VAS score, QoR40 score, and survival quality score of the two groups were compared before and after nursing care. Results. The total clinical treatment efficiency of the observation group (88.10%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (69.05%), and the differences between the two groups in oral cleanliness, aspiration frequency, and oral comfort were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The differences in the occurrence of halitosis, oral fungal infection, leukopenia, gastrointestinal reaction, and fever in the observation group were statistically significant compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The nursing satisfaction rate in the observation group (95.24%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (78.57%). The two-year cumulative survival rate of the observation group (92.86%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (73.81%). After nursing care, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, VAS scores, QoR40 scores, and quality of survival scores in both groups all increased, and CD8+, CD56+, CEA level, NSE level, and CA19-9 level all decreased (all P < 0.05). Conclusion. The clinical efficacy of TCM anticancer decoction with basic chemotherapy and nursing interventions in the treatment of postoperative oral cancer patients was remarkable, which could significantly improve patients' oral cleanliness and comfort, reduce the frequency of sputum aspiration, improve patients' immunity, reduce tumor marker levels, inhibit tumor activity, improve patients' nursing satisfaction, further improve patients' treatment compliance, reduce patients' pain level, improve patients' survival quality, and prolong patients' survival time with high safety. It could be used as a theoretical basis for subsequent clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To examine patient-caregiver concordances about psychological distress among Chinese patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy and identify factors related to concordance among patients and family caregivers. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: From October 2019 to June 2020, 137 patient-caregiver dyads were enrolled. Sociodemographic information, the distress thermometer (including the problem list), the Distress Disclosure Index and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale were used to collect data. Data were analysed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), kappa statistics, two related samples test, chi-square tests and/or Fisher's exact tests and binary logistic regression. Results: Overall, fair agreement was identified between patients' and caregivers' reports (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICC] = .528). Patients reported significantly higher psychological distress scores than paired caregiver reports. Lower psychological distress concordance was found among patients with comorbidities (odds ratio [OR], 0.352; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.155-0.798) and lower levels of self-disclosure (OR, 0.402; 95% CI, 0.186-0.868). Conclusion: There was relatively low concordance between patients' reports and caregivers' perceptions of psychological distress. Family caregivers tended to underestimate patients' psychological distress. A comorbid condition and lower levels of self-disclosure contributed to this bias. Impact: Having an awareness of the incongruence between patient and caregiver may help healthcare providers better interpret caregiver assessments. Healthcare providers should reinforce patient-caregiver dyadic psychosocial education to improve concordance. More psychological care and substantial emotional support should be provided for Chinese breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy by family caregivers and healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is a serious threat to women's physical and mental health. In recent years, its incidence has been on the rise and it has become the top female malignant tumor in China. At present, adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer has become the standard mode of breast cancer treatment, but the response results usually need to be completed after the implementation of adjuvant chemotherapy, and the optimization of the treatment plan and the implementation of breast-conserving therapy need to be based on accurate estimation of the pathological response. Therefore, to predict the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer patients is to find a predictive method that is conducive to individualized choice of chemotherapy regimens. This article introduces the research of DCE-MRI images based on deep transfer learning in breast cancer adjuvant curative effect prediction. Deep transfer learning algorithms are used to process images, and then, the features of breast cancer after adjuvant chemotherapy are collected through image feature collection. Predictions are made, and the research results show that the accuracy of the prediction reaches 70%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: Treatment choice for NSCLC in China has not previously been reported. This paper explores the clinical practice and adherence to treatment guidelines for NSCLC. Methods: A specifically designed questionnaire was used. It consisted of personal information of the responders and treatment details (patient identification data was excluded). Questionnaires were delivered to doctors in 12 major cities in China. Doctors were asked to answer the questionnaires based on real cases in their daily practice. Results: 987 cases of NSCLC were included. In first-line chemotherapy, regimens were mostly platinum-based among which gemcitabine plus platinum was predominately used (27.4%), followed by docetaxel plus platinum (16.2%) and paclitaxel plus platinum (13.5%). In second-line therapy some were treated with single agents, such as docetaxel (12.9%), gefitinib (11.1%), pemetrexed (9.3%), and erlotinib (3.5%). 44.5% were with doublet therapy. Detection rate of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation was only 9.6% because of the limited prevalence of testing technology. EGFR mutation rate was 46.8%. EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were used more frequently as salvage (14.8%) rather than upfront therapy (5.3%). Conclusions: This survey reveals the daily clinical treatment for NSCLC in China. Overall data showed modest adherence to the national guideline (NCCN guideline Chinese version) for first-line chemotherapy. We believe this survey is valuable to provide a reference for further clinical trial design and policy making. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

li x.-m., zhou k.-n., yan h., wang d.-l. & zhang y.-p. (2011) Effects of music therapy on anxiety of patients with breast cancer after radical mastectomy: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(5), 1145-1155. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a clinical trial of the effects of music therapy on anxiety of female breast cancer patients following radical mastectomy. Background. There is insufficient evidence on the effects of music therapy on state anxiety of breast cancer patients following radical mastectomy. Methods. A Hall's Core, Care, and Cure Model-based clinical trial was conducted in 120 female breast cancer patients from March to November 2009. A randomized controlled design was utilized. The patients were randomly allocated to the experimental group ( n = 60) received music therapy in addition to routine nursing care, and the control group ( n = 60) only received routine nursing care. A standardized questionnaire and the State Anxiety Inventory were applied. The primary endpoint was the state anxiety score measured at pretest (on the day before radical mastectomy) and at three post-tests (on the day before patients were discharged from hospital, the second and third time of admission to hospital for chemotherapy respectively). Results. The pretest score revealed that the majority of the patients had a moderate level (77·5%) and 15% had severe level of state anxiety. The repeated-measure ancova model analysis indicated that the mean state anxiety score was significantly lower in the experimental group than those in the control group at each of the three post-test measurements. The mean difference between the experimental and control group together with 95% confidence intervals were −4·57 (−6·33, −2·82), −8·91 (−10·75, −7·08) and −9·69 (−11·52, −7·85) at the 1st post-test, 2nd post-test and 3rd post-test respectively. Conclusion. Music therapy is found to have positive effects on decreasing state anxiety score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the development of a rule extraction approach to discover the nonlinear relationships between key parameters and variances handling measures of clinical pathway (CP). Topics covered include the combination of hybrid genetic double multi-group cooperative particle swam optimization algorithm (PSO) and discrete PSO algorithm and the use of Wisconsin breast cancer data sets and CP variances data sets of osteosarcoma preoperative chemotherapy in validating the method.

Background: Oral mucositis is a common complication after radiotherapy or chemotherapy in cancer patients. Oral mucositis can affect the patient's food intake and their confidence in treatment as patients are more likely to suffer severe pain, experience weight loss, encounter an interruption or change of cancer treatment plan, and are reported to have a reduced survival from the disease. Nutritional intervention is the primary nursing focus in patients with oral mucositis treated by chemoradiotherapy. Objectives: The current best practice implementation project aimed to establish best practice principles in nutritional interventions for patients with cancer treatment-related oral mucositis. Methods: This was an evidence-based audit and feedback project that used a three-phase approach at a public hospital in China. Phase 1 involved developing five evidence-based audit criteria informed by current best available evidence, and undertaking a clinical audit of current practice on 50 patients in the Department of Radiation Oncology of Nanfang Hospital using the JBI's Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System. Phase 2 utilized the Getting Research into Practice component of the Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System to identify barriers to compliance with best practice principles and developed strategies and resources to improve compliance. Phase 3 involved conducting a postaudit using the same sample size and audit criteria to re-evaluate compliance with best practice. Results: Baseline results showed that compliance rates were 0% for criteria 1 and 2, 76% for criteria 3 and 5, and 82% for criterion 4. The implementation of strategies, including establishing a multidisciplinary team with a dietitian, creating training and education programs for all staff and patients, utilizing a scale regarding diet to assess patients' current diet, and establishing a nutrition intervention nursing procedure to supervise implementation of the nutritional intervention for patients with cancer treatment-related oral mucositis, increased compliance with best practice, achieving compliance rates of at least 82% for all five audit criteria. Conclusion: The implementation of context-specific strategies improved compliance with evidence-based practice in the nutritional intervention for patients with cancer treatment-related oral mucositis. Sustainability of best practice is important, with further audits planned to evaluate the sustainability of these practice changes. What is known about the topic? * Oral mucositis is a common complication after radiotherapy or chemotherapy in cancer patients. * Oral mucositis can affect patients' food intake and their confidence in treatment. * Nutritional care is a nursing responsibility among patients with oral mucositis treated by chemoradiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) respond differently to cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK) treatment. Therefore, potential prognostic markers to identify patients who would benefit from CIK treatment must be elucidated. The current research aimed at identifying predictive prognostic markers for efficient CIK treatment of patients with NSCLC. Methods: Patients histologically diagnosed with NSCLC were enrolled from the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital. We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on the tumor tissues and paired adjacent benign tissues collected from 50 patients with NSCLC, and RNA-seq on tumor tissues of 17 patients with NSCLC before CIK immunotherapy treatment. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to analyze the association between clinical parameters and prognostic relevance. WES and RNA-seq data between lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (Aden) were analyzed and compared. Results: The pathology subtype of lung cancer was the most significantly relevant clinical parameter associated with DFS, as analyzed by multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression (P = 0.031). The patients with lung SCC showed better CIK treatment efficacy and extended DFS after CIK treatment. Relatively low expression of HLA class II genes and checkpoint molecules, and less immunosuppressive immune cell infiltration were identified in the patients with lung SCC. Conclusions: Coordinated suppression of the expression of HLA class II genes and checkpoint molecules, as well as less immune suppressive cell infiltration together contributed to the better CIK treatment efficacy in lung SCC than lung Aden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This study is aimed at teasing out the correlation of plasma D-dimer (D-D) levels to age, metastasis, TNM stage (tumor-node-metastasis classification), and treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients of different ages, to facilitate early diagnosis of hypercoagulable state, choose appropriate treatment, and use appropriate anticoagulants. Hence, thrombosis and complications caused by excessive anticoagulants can be prevented; thrombus or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and other complications in elderly patients with NSCLC can be reduced or avoided. By monitoring the level of plasma D-D in patients with NSCLC, recurrence and metastasis can be predicted in the early stage and the TNM stage can be evaluated. Methods. A total of 670 patients with NSCLC were selected in Shanxi Bethune Hospital from March 2014 to October 2020 as the experimental group, and 950 healthy people were selected from the physical examination center of the same hospital as the control group. The data of patients with NSCLC diagnosed for the first time without any treatment were collected and grouped based on metastasis, TNM stage, treatment, and pathological type, and the correlation with plasma D-D level was analyzed. Plasma D-D levels were measured by immunoturbidimetry on an ACL TOP 700 Automatic Coagulation Analyzer. The patients were further divided into two groups according to different treatment methods, and the differences in plasma D-D levels between patients receiving chemotherapy and those receiving targeted therapy in different treatment cycles were analyzed. The correlation between D-D levels and age in healthy controls was analyzed. The difference in D-D levels between NSCLC patients and healthy controls of the same age was analyzed. Results. All data of both the experimental group and the control group were normally distributed. The average age of the experimental group was 61.31 ± 6.23 (range: 36-92) years. The average age of the control group was 61.14 ± 11.12 (range: 35-85) years. There was no significant difference in gender between the experimental group and the control group (p > 0.05). The plasma D-D level of NSCLC patients was significantly higher than that of the healthy controls (p < 0.05). No significant difference in plasma D-D level was found between NSCLC patients of different genders, and the finding was similar between healthy controls of different genders (p > 0.05). Significant difference in the D-D level was found between the groups of 30-59 years and 60-69 years (p < 0.05), between groups of 60-69 years and 70-79 years (p < 0.05), and between 70-79 years and ≥80 years (p < 0.05). The plasma D-D level of patients ≤ 79 years old increased with age, but it decreased in those over 80 years old. According to Pearson correlation analysis, there was a positive correlation between the D-D level and the age of NSCLC patients under 79 years old (p < 0.05). The differences in D-D levels between the four age groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05), showing an upward trend of the D-D level in healthy controls with the increase of age. There were statistically significant differences in D-D levels between NSCLC patients and healthy controls of the matching age group (p < 0.05), suggesting that NSCLC patients had significantly higher D-D levels than healthy people of the same age group. The differences in D-D levels between NSCLC patients without metastasis, NSCLC patients with metastasis, and healthy people were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The patients with metastasis had the highest D-D level, and healthy people had the lowest D-D level. The difference in plasma D-D levels between patients of different TNM stages was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Patients with an advanced TNM stage tended to have higher D-D levels. The TNM stage and D-D level of NSCLC patients changed significantly before and after treatment. An earlier stage was related to a more obvious change in D-D levels after treatment with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). A more advanced stage was associated with a smaller change in the D-D level after treatment, with no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). The plasma D-D levels before and after four cycles of chemotherapy or targeted therapy were higher than those of the healthy control group, and the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The D-D level of patients after chemotherapy was significantly lower than that before chemotherapy (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference before and after targeted therapy (p > 0.05). The D-D level after the first cycle of chemotherapy was higher than that before chemotherapy. The level of D-D after the third and fourth cycles was significantly lower than that before chemotherapy (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found between the D-D level before treatment and that after four cycles of chemotherapy (p > 0.05). Conclusion. It is suggested that coagulation test indexes should be included to evaluate the treatment regimen for NSCLC patients. Most patients with NSCLC are in a hypercoagulable state, which is related to age, tumor invasion and metastasis, recurrence, and treatment. Regular monitoring of plasma D-D levels can facilitate early diagnosis of a hypercoagulable state and timely and appropriate use of anticoagulants, to avoid or reduce complications such as venous thromboembolism in NSCLC patients and to prevent the risk of bleeding caused by excessive anticoagulants. Clinicians can choose the treatment with less harm and maximum benefit for NSCLC patients based on the plasma D-D level. When in a hypercoagulable state, the body's blood viscosity increases, making it more conducive to the growth and infiltration of tumor cells. Our study shows that the recurrence and metastasis of NSCLC are related to coagulation indexes, which provides a theoretical basis for the early diagnosis and treatment of recurrent and metastatic NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer, and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in China. The aim of this study was to estimate the direct medical expenditure incurred for lung cancer care and analyze the trend therein for the period 2002–2011 using nationally representative data in China Methods: This study was based on 10-year, multicenter retrospective expenditure data collected from hospital records, covering 15,437 lung cancer patients from 13 provinces diagnosed during the period 2002–2011. All expenditure data were adjusted to 2011 to eliminate the effects of inflation using China's annual consumer price index. Results: The direct medical expenditure for lung cancer care (in 2011) was 39,015 CNY (US$6,041) per case, with an annual growth rate of 7.55% from 2002 to 2011. Drug costs were the highest proportionally in the total medical expenditure (54.27%), followed by treatment expenditure (14.32%) and surgical expenditure (8.10%). Medical expenditures for the disease varied based on region, hospital level, type, and stage. Conclusion: The medical expenditure for lung cancer care is substantial in China. Drug costs and laboratory test are the main factors increasing medical costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: More than 50% cognitive impairment was reported by cancer patients before and after medical treatment. However, there are no effective interventions to manage the cognitive problem in women with breast cancer. This pilot study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of Baduanjin exercise on cognitive function and cancer-related symptoms in women with early-stage breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Method: A single-blinded, randomized control trial was designed. The trial will recruit 70 patients with early-stage breast cancer scheduled to receive chemotherapy from Shanghai in China. All participants will be randomly assigned to (1:1) the supervised Baduanjin group (5 times/week, 30 min each time) or the wait-list control group for 3 months. The effect of Baduanjin exercise intervention will be evaluated by outcome measures including subjective and objective cognitive function, symptoms (fatigue, depression, and anxiety), and health-related quality of life at pre-intervention (T0), 8 weeks (T1), and 12 weeks (T2). The PCI score in the FACT-Cog as the primary cognitive outcome will be reported descriptively, while effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) will be calculated. The collected data will be analyzed by using an intention-to-treat principle and linear mixed-effects modeling. Discussion: This is the first randomized clinical trial to investigate whether Baduanjin exercise will have a positive role in improving cognitive function in women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy. If possible, Baduanjin exercise will be a potential non-pharmacological intervention to manage cognitive dysfunction and promote survivorship care among breast cancer survivors. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) ChiCTR2000033152. Registered on 22 May 2020 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Patients with gynaecological cancer often experience high levels of uncertainty in illness during chemotherapy and report unmet supportive care needs. Mobile applications (apps) are increasing being used as an easily accessible alternative to support these patients, but a lack of rigorous trials have been conducted to explore their effectiveness. Based on Mishel's uncertainty in illness theory, the Mobile Gynaecological Cancer Support (MGCS) program is an app‐based program that includes four modules: 1) weekly topics, 2) emotional care, 3) discussion centre and 4) health consultation. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of MGCS for Chinese patients with gynaecological cancer receiving chemotherapy in respect of reducing uncertainty in illness and symptom distress and improving quality of life and social support. Design: A multi‐centre randomized controlled trial will be used. Methods: One hundred and sixty‐eight patients with gynaecological cancer commencing chemotherapy will be recruited from three university affiliated hospitals and assigned to the control or intervention group with block randomization. The control group will only receive routine care. The intervention group will access the MGCS program for 24 weeks and receive routine care. Health outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks. Repeated measures multivariate analysis of covariance (intention‐to‐treat) will be used to assess the effectiveness of MGCS. Discussion: This is the first trial to explore the effectiveness of an app‐based program for patients with gynaecological cancer using a robust and rigorous study design in China. If effective, this trial will provide evidence for an app‐based program to support these patients. Impact: The knowledge gained can be applied to develop other culturally appropriate app‐based programs for cancer groups worldwide, and provide evidence for health policymakers to allocate more resources and train staff for e‐health. Trial Registration: ChiCTR2000033678 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Registered 08 June, 2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim is to analyze the clinical outcomes of patients with extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) and review the characteristics of this disease. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of a cohort of 22 patients diagnosed with EMP between 1983 and 2017. Baseline characteristics and progression data were collected to calculate the incidence of progression to multiple myeloma (MM) and to analyze survival rates and outcomes. Previous major cohort studies were reviewed and compared with this study. Extramedullary plasmacytomas were located in the head and neck in 17 (77%) of the 22 patients. The median time between onset and diagnosis was 7 months, and the median age at diagnosis was 52.5 years (range 15-72 years). Extramedullary plasmacytoma occurred more frequently in men with an approximate ratio of 2.1:1. The majority of patients underwent surgery (13/22, 59.1%) and half received radiation (11/22, 50%). A small proportion of patients received chemotherapy (2/22, 9.1%). There was a median follow-up time of 98.5 months. The 5-year overall survival, progression-free survival, and MM-free survival rates were 84.2%, 67.3% and 75.9%, respectively. Complete resection without major functional damage is a promising option that can favorably improve prognosis in patients with resectable disease. Patients with regional lymph node metastasis or positive immunoelectrophoresis results require more aggressive treatment and may have poorer prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Patients receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer may be at risk of developing cardiac dysfunction and electrophysiological abnormalities. The aim of this study is to evaluate alterations in electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Materials and Methods. This was a prospective single-center cohort study conducted in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, China. Participants with breast cancer referred for chemotherapy from May 1, 2019, to October 1, 2019, were invited to participate in the study. Standard 12-lead ECG and echocardiography were performed at baseline or before chemotherapy (prechemotherapy) (T0), after 1 cycle (T1), after 3 cycles (T2), and at the end of chemotherapy (T3). Results. A total of 64 patients with diagnosed breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy were included. Echocardiographic parameters showed no significant variation during the entire procedure (all P > 0.05). The incidence of abnormal ECG increased from 43.75% at baseline to 65.63% at the end of chemotherapy, of which only the prevalence of fragmented QRS (fQRS) was significantly increased after the drug regimen (26.56% to 53.13%). At the end of the treatment, heart rate, P-wave dispersion, corrected QT interval, T-peak to T-end, RR, SV1, RV5, Sokolow–Lyon index (SLI), and index of cardioelectrophysiological balance deteriorated markedly (all P < 0.05). The area under the curve for SLI and QT dispersion (QTd) derived by ECG was 0.710 and 0.606, respectively. The cutoff value with 2.12 of SLI by ECG had a sensitivity of 67.2% and specificity of 71.9% for differentiating patients after therapy from baselines. The cutoff value with 0.55 of QTd had a sensitivity of 60.9% and specificity of 60.9%. Conclusions. The current study demonstrated that ECGs can be used to detect electrophysiological abnormalities in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. ECG changes can reflect subclinical cardiac dysfunction before the echocardiographic abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]