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ObjectivesThe efficacy of treatments targeting recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma are unsatisfactory in practice for patients with a ECOG PS score ≥ 2. Thus, this study retrospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of a programmed cell death 1 inhibitor (tislelizumab) combined with an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor (nimotuzumab) in treating patients with a PS score ≥ 2 who suffer from recurrent or metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).Materials and methodsFifteen patients were treated with tislelizumab (200 mg IV Q3W) and nimotuzumab (200 mg IV Q3W). Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor biopsies was assessed with immunohistochemistry. Whole-exome sequencing was used to evaluate treatment efficacy based on PD-L1 expression and gene mutation.ResultsAt a median follow-up of 9.6 months, median overall survival was 10.1 months, and median progression-free survival was 4.0 months. Overall response rate was 40%, with 6/15 patients achieving partial response. Eight patients exhibited nine adverse events, eight out of nine being grade 2 and the remaining being grade 3. Whole-exome sequencing showed that DYNC1I2, THSD7A, and FAT1 mutations were associated with patient prognosis.ConclusionCombination therapy involving tislelizumab plus nimotuzumab is a promising, low-toxicity treatment for recurrent or metastatic OSCC in patients with a PS score ≥ 2.

ObjectivesThe treatment of locally advanced oral or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LAOOPSCC) is surgery and radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy but with unsatisfactory survival rate. Neoadjuvant programmed death-1 (PD-1) therapy are being used in several clinical trials. Therefore, in this retrospective study we aimed to determine the feasibility of neoadjuvant tislelizumab plus chemotherapy followed by surgery for LAOOPSCC.Materials and methodsThe clinical data of 33 patients with LAOOPSCC who received neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitors and chemotherapy between April 2021 and October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with stage III-IV LAOOPSCC received tislelizumab, albumin-bound paclitaxel, and cisplatin every 3 weeks (Q3W) for two cycles, followed by surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy. A median follow-up period was 20 months.ResultsThe objective response rate (ORR) was 66.7%, with the major pathological response (MPR) rate at 54.5%, and the pathological complete response (pCR) rate was 33.3%. Sixteen patients underwent limited surgeries, and 15 patients were remitted from undergoing mandibulectomy and 9 patients were remitted from undergoing near total glossectomy or total glossectomy. A significant difference in the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was observed in patients who achieved major pathological response (MPR) than who did not. The most common adverse events in neoadjuvant therapy were alopecia, decreased appetite or anorexia, leukopenia, and fatigue.ConclusionNeoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy are feasible and safe, with a high pathological response and possible organ preservation in oral or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. However, further studies with a larger cohort of patients and longer follow-up period is required to strengthen our findings and evaluate the survival benefits of the treatment.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) at the transcriptome level.Materials and methods: We obtained paired tumor and normal salivary gland tissues from 15 ACC patients, which were prepared for RNA sequencing.Results: Gene enrichment analysis revealed that the upregulated pathways were mainly involved in axonogenesis, and the downregulated pathways were mainly related to leukocyte migration, the adaptive immune response, lymphocyte-mediated immunity, and the humoral immune response. T-cells, B-cells and NK cells showed low infiltration in ACC tissues. In addition to the gene fusions MYB-NFIB and MYBL1-NFIB, a new gene fusion, TVP23C-CDRT4, was also detected in 3 ACC tissues. PRAME was significantly upregulated in ACC tissues, while antigen-presenting human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes were downregulated.Conclusion: We found a new gene fusion, TVP23C-CDRT4, that was highly expressed in ACC. PRAME may be an attractive target for ACC immunotherapy.

Objectives: The treatment of locally advanced oral or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LAOOPSCC) is surgery and radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy but with unsatisfactory survival rate. Neoadjuvant programmed death-1 (PD-1) therapy are being used in several clinical trials. Therefore, in this retrospective study we aimed to determine the feasibility of neoadjuvant tislelizumab plus chemotherapy followed by surgery for LAOOPSCC. Materials and methods: The clinical data of 33 patients with LAOOPSCC who received neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitors and chemotherapy between April 2021 and October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with stage III-IV LAOOPSCC received tislelizumab, albumin-bound paclitaxel, and cisplatin every 3 weeks (Q3W) for two cycles, followed by surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy. A median follow-up period was 20 months. Results: The objective response rate (ORR) was 66.7%, with the major pathological response (MPR) rate at 54.5%, and the pathological complete response (pCR) rate was 33.3%. Sixteen patients underwent limited surgeries, and 15 patients were remitted from undergoing mandibulectomy and 9 patients were remitted from undergoing near total glossectomy or total glossectomy. A significant difference in the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was observed in patients who achieved major pathological response (MPR) than who did not. The most common adverse events in neoadjuvant therapy were alopecia, decreased appetite or anorexia, leukopenia, and fatigue. Conclusion: Neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy are feasible and safe, with a high pathological response and possible organ preservation in oral or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. However, further studies with a larger cohort of patients and longer follow-up period is required to strengthen our findings and evaluate the survival benefits of the treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of the location of damages in pipeline is important and still needs to be improved due to the problems such as limited number of sensors that can be placed in the pipeline, uncertainty of the working environment. In this paper, a new approach is presented, which shows an improved diagnosis performance. The new approach is based on combining an improved D-S evidence theory and an improved index which is based on three specific identification techniques known to the pipeline community. The improved D-S evidence theory is based on the idea of preserving similar evidences and using weighted average evidence to represent the conflict evidence. The paper also presents an experiment to verify the new approach by comparing the result of the new approach with the traditional D-S approach. The experimental result has shown that the new approach is promising. The new approach also renders the possibility to visualize the location of the damages in the pipeline, which facilitates the access to the damage for repair and any compensation measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]