scholarly journals Carbon Ion Radiotherapy Acts as the Optimal Treatment Strategy for Unresectable Liver Cancer During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Li ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Xiaohu Wang ◽  
Sha Li ◽  
Weiqiang Chen ◽  
...  

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly disrupted the normal treatment of patients with liver cancer and increased their risk of death. The weight of therapeutic safety was significantly amplified for decision-making to minimize the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Herein, the safety and effectiveness of carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) for unresectable liver cancer (ULC) were evaluated, and Chinese experiences were shared to solve the predicament of ULC treatment caused by SARS-CoV-2. Worldwide studies were collected to evaluate CIRT for ULC as the world has become a community due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We not only searched five international databases including the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus but also performed supplementary retrieval with other sources. Chinese experiences of fighting against COVID-19 were introduced based on the advancements of CIRT in China and a prospective clinical trial of CIRT for treating ULC. A total of 19 studies involving 813 patients with ULC were included in the systematic review. The qualitative synthetic evaluation showed that compared with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), CIRT could achieve superior overall survival, local control, and relative hepatic protection. The systematic results indicated that non-invasive CIRT could significantly minimize harms to patients with ULC and concurrently obtain superior anti-cancer effectiveness. According to the Chinese experience, CIRT allows telemedicine within the hospital (TMIH) to keep a sufficient person-to-person physical distance in the whole process of treatment for ULC, which is significant for cutting off the transmission route of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, CIRT could maximize the utilization rate of hospitalization and outpatient care (UHO). Collectively, CIRT for ULC patients not only allows TMIH and the maximized UHO but also has the compatible advantages of safety and effectiveness. Therefore, CIRT should be identified as the optimal strategy for treating appropriate ULC when we need to minimize the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to improve the capacity of medical service in the context of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie-yun Li ◽  
Jing-wen Li ◽  
Yuan-chang Jin ◽  
Mei-xuan Li ◽  
Li-ping Guo ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThe purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of carbon ion radiotherapy (CI-RT) in improving meningioma by comparing photon and protons radiotherapy.MethodsA comprehensive search for relevant studies published until March 17, 2021, was conducted in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database and EMBASE. Statistical analyses were performed with R 4.0.3.ResultsWe identified 396 studies, of which 18 studies involving 985 participants were included. Except for one low quality study, the quality of the included studies was found to be either moderate or high quality. The analyses conducted according random effects model indicated that the 1-year overall survival rate (OS) of benign and non-benign meningiomas after the CI-RT treatment was 99% (95%CL=.91-1.00, I2 = 0%). The overall average 5-year OS for meningiomas was 72% (95%CL=0.52-0.86, I2 = 35%), not as effective as proton radiotherapy (PR-RT) 85% (95%CL=.72-.93, I2 = 73, Q=4.17, df=2, p=.12). Additionally, 5-year OS of atypical meningiomas (81%) was found to be significantly higher than anaplastic meningiomas (52%). The 10-year OS after CI-RT of patients with mixed grade meningioma was 91% (95%CL=.75-.97, I2 = 73%). The 15-year OS after CI-RT 87% (95%CL=.11-1.00) or PR-RT 87% (95%CL=.23-.99, I2 = 79%) were the same (Q=0, df=1, p=.99). After undergoing CI-RT for 3 and 5 years, the LC for benign meningioma was 100% and 88%, respectively, while the 2-year LC of non-benign meningiomas (atypical/anaplastic) was 33%. Headache, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, and hearing impairment were found to be the most common adverse reactions, with individual incidences of 19.4%, 23.7%, 9.1%, and 9.1%, respectively.ConclusionCI-RT is a rapidly developing technique that has been proven to be an effective treatment against meningioma. The efficacy and safety of CI-RT for meningiomas were similar to those of PR-RT, better than photon radiotherapy (PH-RT). However, there is a need for more prospective trials in the future that can help provide more supportive evidence.


F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 423
Author(s):  
Fausto Petrelli ◽  
Antonio Ghidini ◽  
Michele Ghidini ◽  
Roberta Bukovec ◽  
Francesca Trevisan ◽  
...  

Background: The modern concept of oligometastatic (OM) state has been initially developed to describe patients with a low burden of disease and with a potential for cure with local ablative treatments. We systematically assessed the risk of death and relapse of oligometastatic (OM) cancers compared to cancers with more diffuse metastatic spread, through a meta-analysis of published data.  Methods: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were searched for studies reporting prognosis of patients with OM solid tumors. Risk of death and relapse were extracted and pooled to provide an adjusted hazard ratio with a 95% confidence interval (HR 95%CI).  The primary outcome of the study refers to overall mortality in OM vs. polymetastatic (PM) patients.  Results. Mortality and relapse associated with OM state in patients with cancer were evaluated among 104,234 participants (n=173 studies). Progression-free survival was better in patients with OM disease (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.62, 95% CI 0.57–0.68; P <.001; n=69 studies). Also, OM cancers were associated with a better overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.62-0.68; P<.01; n=161 studies). In colorectal (CRC), breast, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) the reduction in the risk of death for OM patients were 35, 38, 30 and 42%, respectively. Biliary tract and cervical cancer do not significantly better in OM stage likely for paucity of data. Conclusions. Patients with OM cancers have a significantly better prognosis than those with more widespread stage IV tumors. In OM cancer patients a personalized approach should be pursued.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvin Mohokum ◽  
Samuel Schülein ◽  
Adrian Skwara

o investigate and monitor the progression of scoliosis and other spinal deformities in patients following idiopathic scoliosis (IS), non-invasive and radiation-free techniques are recommended because of the need for repeated radiographs. In a clinical setting, spine parameters can be quickly, cheaply and easily assessed using rasterstereography (RS). To assess the validity of the radiation-free technique RS based on surface topography compared with radiographs. MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library and EMBASE were systematically searched for studies which investigate the validity of rasterstereography compared with x-ray measurements. Studies published between January 1, 1990 and July 31, 2013 in English, German and French were included. Studies dealing with magnetic resonance imaging were excluded. Twelve studies with 570 patients were included; these articles were published between 1990 and 2013. The majority of studies investigated patients with IS, but other spinal pathologies included were thoracic hyperkyphosis and Scheuermann’s disease. With regard to the quality assessment criteria for the included studies, three out of twelve studies were evaluated using a twelve point scale and two used a scale with eleven points. We conclude that RS facilitates clinical practice by analysing the spinal column. It is completely radiation-free and could help to monitor scoliosis progression.


F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 423
Author(s):  
Fausto Petrelli ◽  
Antonio Ghidini ◽  
Michele Ghidini ◽  
Roberta Bukovec ◽  
Francesca Trevisan ◽  
...  

Background: The modern concept of oligometastatic (OM) state has been initially developed to describe patients with a low burden of disease and with a potential for cure with local ablative treatments. We systematically assessed the risk of death and relapse of oligometastatic (OM) cancers compared to cancers with more diffuse metastatic spread, through a meta-analysis of published data.  Methods: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were searched for studies reporting prognosis of patients with OM solid tumors. Risk of death and relapse were extracted and pooled to provide an adjusted hazard ratio with a 95% confidence interval (HR 95%CI).  The primary outcome of the study refers to overall mortality in OM vs. polymetastatic (PM) patients.  Results. Mortality and relapse associated with OM state in patients with cancer were evaluated among 104,234 participants (n=173 studies). Progression-free survival was better in patients with OM disease (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.62, 95% CI 0.57–0.68; P <.001; n=69 studies). Also, OM cancers were associated with a better overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.62-0.68; P<.01; n=161 studies). In colorectal (CRC), breast, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) the reduction in the risk of death for OM patients were 35, 38, 30 and 42%, respectively. Biliary tract and cervical cancer do not significantly better in OM stage likely for paucity of data. Conclusions. Patients with oligometastases have a significantly better prognosis than those with more widespread stage IV tumors. In OM cancer patients a personalized approach should be pursued.


F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 423
Author(s):  
Fausto Petrelli ◽  
Antonio Ghidini ◽  
Michele Ghidini ◽  
Roberta Bukovec ◽  
Francesca Trevisan ◽  
...  

Background: The modern concept of oligometastatic (OM) state has been initially developed to describe patients with a low burden of disease and with a potential for cure with local ablative treatments. We systematically assessed the risk of death and relapse of oligometastatic (OM) cancers compared to cancers with more diffuse metastatic spread, through a meta-analysis of published data.  Methods: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were searched for studies reporting prognosis of patients with OM solid tumors. Risk of death and relapse were extracted and pooled to provide an adjusted hazard ratio with a 95% confidence interval (HR 95%CI).  The primary outcome of the study refers to overall mortality in OM vs. polymetastatic (PM) patients.  Results. Mortality and relapse associated with OM state in patients with cancer were evaluated among 104,234 participants (n=173 studies). Progression-free survival was better in patients with OM disease (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.62, 95% CI 0.57–0.68; P <.001; n=69 studies). Also, OM cancers were associated with a better OS (HR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.62-0.68; P<.01; n=161 studies). In colorectal (CRC), breast, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) the reduction in the risk of death for OM patients were 35, 38, 30 and 42%, respectively.  Conclusions. Patients with oligometastases have a significantly better prognosis than those with more widespread stage IV tumors. We suggest that a treatment strategy that involves bot the primary and the metastases should be identified at the time of diagnosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-174
Author(s):  
Won Sohn ◽  
Hyun Woong Lee ◽  
Sangheun Lee ◽  
Jin Hong Lim ◽  
Min Woo Lee ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to clarify the effect of obesity on the occurrence of and mortality from primary liver cancer.Methods: This study was conducted using a systematic literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library until November 2018 using the primary keywords “obesity,” “overweight,” “body mass index (BMI),” “body weight,” “liver,” “cancer,” “hepatocellular carcinoma,” “liver cancer,” “risk,” and “mortality.” Studies assessing the relationship between BMI and occurrence of or mortality from primary liver cancer in prospective cohorts and those reporting hazard ratios (HRs) or data that allow HR estimation were included.Results: A total of 28 prospective cohort studies with 8,135,906 subjects were included in the final analysis. These included 22 studies with 6,059,561 subjects for cancer occurrence and seven studies with 2,077,425 subjects for cancerrelated mortality. In the meta-analysis, an increase in BMI was associated with the occurrence of primary liver cancer (HR, 1.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.50–1.90, I<sup>2</sup>=56%). A BMI-dependent increase in the risk of occurrence of primary liver cancer was reported. HRs were 1.36 (95% CI, 1.02–1.81), 1.77 (95% CI, 1.56–2.01), and 3.08 (95% CI, 1.21–7.86) for BMI >25 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, >30 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, and >35 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, respectively. Furthermore, increased BMI resulted in enhanced liver cancer-related mortality (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.14–2.27, I<sup>2</sup>=80%).Conclusions: High BMI increases liver cancer mortality and occurrence of primary liver cancer. Obesity is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of and mortality from primary liver cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingyong Zheng ◽  
Dan Duan ◽  
Jianguo Xu ◽  
Xing Wang ◽  
Yonggui Ge ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Although many studies have shown that erythropoietin plays an important role in the prognosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, the effective dose of erythropoietin has not been clearly defined. Our aim was to systematically elucidate the safety and efficacy of erythropoietin administration regimens in TBI patients.Methods: Data search included PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE and ClinicalTrials.gov for articles published before December, 2020, updated to June 2021. Network meta-analysis was performed when sufficient comparable evidence was available, and CINeMA tool was used to evaluated the quality of our evidence.Results: A total of 6 RCTs involving 981 patients were included in the network meta-analysis. All studies assessed the effect of erythropoietin on mortality. Erythropoietin reduced the mortality rate in patients with TBI, and the risk of death decreased with increasing dose, but the difference was not statistically significant (odd ratio of 12,000u vs Placebo=0.98, 95%CI, 0.03-40.34; odd ratio of group 30,000u vs Placebo=0.56, 95%CI, 0.06-5.88; odd ratio of 40,000u vs Placebo=0.35, 95%CI, 0.01-9.43; odd ratio of 70,000u vs Placebo=0.29, 95%CI, 0.01-9.26; odd ratio of group 80,000u vs Placebo=0.22, 95%CI, 0.00-7.45). Three studies involving 739 patients showed that erythropoietin did not increase the incidence of deep vein thrombosis in patients with TBI. However, the risk tended to rise as the dose increases. Two studies demonstrated that erythropoietin did not increase the incidence of pulmonary embolism. The evidential quality of all the results of the evidence ranged from low to medium.Conclusion: Although the efficacy of erythropoietin was not statistically demonstrated, we found a trend in the association of erythropoietin dose with reduced mortality and increased embolic events in TBI patients. We are looking forward to more high-quality original studies focusing on the dose and timing of erythropoietin for the treatment of TBI, in order to obtain stronger evidence on the optimal erythropoietin dose.Study Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42021272500).


Author(s):  
Dilini I Imbulana ◽  
Brett J Manley ◽  
Jennifer A Dawson ◽  
Peter G Davis ◽  
Louise S Owen

ObjectiveBinasal prongs are the most commonly used interface for the delivery of nasal positive airway pressure (CPAP) to preterm infants. However, they are associated with pressure-related nasal injury, which causes pain and discomfort. Nasal injury may necessitate a change in interface and occasionally damage is severe enough to require surgical repair. We aim to determine the incidence and risk factors for nasal injury in preterm infants, and to provide clinicians with strategies to effectively prevent and treat it.DesignWe conducted a systematic search of databases including MEDLINE (PubMed including the Cochrane Library), EMBASE, CINAHL and Scopus. Included studies enrolled human preterm infants and were published prior to 20 February 2017.ResultsForty-five studies were identified, including 14 ra ndomised controlled trials, 10 observational studies, two cohort studies, eight case reports and 11 reviews. The incidence of nasal injury in preterm infants ranged from 20–100%. Infants born <30 weeks’ gestation are at highest risk. Strategies shown to reduce nasal injury included: nasal barrier dressings (2 studies, n=244, risk ratio (RD) −0.12, 95%, CI − 0.20 to −0.04), nasal high flow therapy as an alternative to binasal prong CPAP (7 studies, n=1570, risk difference (RD) −0.14, 95% CI −0.17 to −0.10), and nasal masks rather than binasal prongs (5 studies, n=544, RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.00).Conclusions and relevanceNasal injury is common in preterm infants born <30 weeks’ gestational age receiving CPAP via binasal prongs. Larger randomised trials are required to fully evaluate strategies to reduce nasal injury.


VASA ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Martin Burgstaller ◽  
Johann Steurer ◽  
Ulrike Held ◽  
Beatrice Amann-Vesti

Abstract. Background: Here, we update an earlier systematic review on the preventive efficacy of active compression stockings in patients with diagnosed proximal deep venous thrombosis (DVT) by including the results of recently published trials. The aims are to synthesize the results of the original studies, and to identify details to explain heterogeneous results. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, and Medline for original studies that compared the preventive efficacy of active compression stockings with placebo or no compression stockings in patients with diagnosed proximal DVT. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Results: Five eligible RCTs with a total of 1393 patients (sample sizes ranged from 47 to 803 patients) were included. In three RCTs, patients started to wear compression stockings, placebo stockings or no stockings within the first three weeks after the diagnosis of DVT. The results of two RCTs indicate a statistically significant reduction in post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) of 50% or more after two or more years. The result of one RCT shows no preventive effect of compression stockings at all. Due to the heterogeneity of the study results, we refrained from pooling the results of the RCTs. In a further RCT, randomization to groups with and without compression stockings took place six months after the diagnosis of DVT, and in another RCT, only patients with the absence of PTS one year after the diagnosis of DVT were analyzed. One RCT revealed a significant reduction in symptoms, whereas another RCT failed to show any benefit of using compression stockings. Conclusions: At this time, it does not seem to be justifiable to entirely abandon the recommendations regarding compression stockings to prevent PTS in patients with DVT. There is evidence favoring compression stockings, but there is also evidence showing no benefit of compression stockings.


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