Background Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a group of clinically rare tumors that develop in the uterus from placental tissue. Currently, its satisfactory curability derives from the timely and accurately classification and refined management for patients. This study aimed to discover biomarkers that could predict the outcomes of GTN patients after first-line chemotherapy. Methods A total of 65 GTN patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into the good or poor outcome group and the clinical characteristics of the patients in the two groups were compared. Furthermore, the serum peptide profiles of all patients were uncovered by using weak cation exchange magnetic beads and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Feature peaks were identified by three machine learning algorithms and then models were constructed and compared using five machine learning methods. Additionally, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry was used to identify the feature peptides. Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) risk score was associated with poor outcomes. Eight feature peaks ( m/z =1287, 2042, 2862, 2932, 2950, 3240, 3277 and 6626) were selected for model construction and validation by the three algorithms. Based on the panel combining FIGO risk score and peptide serum signatures, the neural network (nnet) model showed promising performance in both the training (AUC=0.9635) and validation (AUC=0.8788) cohorts. Peaks at m/z 2042, 2862, 2932, 3240 were identified as the partial sequences of transthyretin, fibrinogen alpha chain (FGA), beta-globin and FGA, respectively. Conclusion We combined FIGO risk score and serum peptide signatures using the nnet method to construct the model which can accurately predict outcome of GTN patients after first-line chemotherapy. With this model, patients can be further classified and managed, and those with poor predicted outcomes can be given more attention for developing treatment failure.

BackgroundTo establish and validate an laboratory information system (LIS)‐based auto‐verification (AV) system by using large amounts of biochemical test results in cancer patients.MethodsAn algorithm of the AV process was designed for pre‐analysis, analysis, and post‐analysis. The limit range check was adjusted three times, while the delta check criteria were first replaced by the same patients’ historical extremum results. AV rules of 51 biochemical test items were tested by using data of 121 123 samples (6 177 273 tests) in 2016 that were manually reviewed through the simulative i‐Vertification software of Roche. The improved and optimal AV rules were programed into our LIS and validated by using 140 113 clinical specimens in 2018.ResultsThe AV passing rate for samples tested in our laboratory increased from 15.57% to the current overall passing rate of 49.70%. The passing rate of each item for rule 3 was between 71.16% and 99.91%. Different cancer groups had different passing rate, while the disease group of liver, gallbladder, and pancreas always had the lowest passing rate. A total of 9420 reports (6.72%) were not verified by AV but could be verified by MV in 2018, while there were no reports that were verified by AV but not by MV. The TAT of March 2018 decreased with increase in sample size compared with the same time in 2017.ConclusionWe have firstly established an LIS‐based AV system and implemented it in actual clinical care for cancer patients.

Increased signal intensity (ISI) on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often indicates severe compression in patients with cervical myelopathy (CM). The optimal surgical approach for CM patients with ISI on T2-weighted MRI remains unclear. This meta-analysis aims to compare the clinical outcomes between anterior and posterior approaches for the treatment of these patients. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for relevant studies through January 2019. Statistical comparisons were made when appropriate. A total of 9 studies (748 participants) out of 1066 citations were included in this study. All of the selected studies were high quality, as indicated by the Newcastle–Ottawa scale and the Cochrane Collaboration tool for assessing the risk of bias. Clinical outcomes were compared between anterior and posterior approaches in 4 studies (237 participants). The preoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score was similar between the two groups [P = 0.98, weighted mean difference (WMD) = 0.01 (− 0.58, 0.59)]. The postoperative JOA score [P < 0.05, WMD = 0.68 (0.06, 1.30)] and recovery rates [P < 0.01, WMD = 0.12 (0.06, 0.17)] were significantly higher in the anterior group than in the posterior group. The anterior approach was associated with better postoperative neural function than the posterior approach in CM patients with ISI on T2-weighted MRI.

BACKGROUND:Lung cancer is sometimes difficult to differentiate from benign lung diseases with nodular shadow in imaging scan. In these cases, exploratory operation is needed for the patients with highly suspected malignant disease. Therefore, there is an urgent demand to differentiate the benign lung disease from malignant lung nodules rather than invasive method.AIM:We evaluated the diagnostic value of two tumor markers in distinguishing operable lung cancer from benign lung disease.MATERIALS AND METHODS:The serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CYFRA 21-1 were retrospectively analyzed in 236 lung cancer patients and 44 patients with benign lung disease. These benign lung diseases were presented with evidence of a high likelihood of having lung cancer. After surgical operation, diagnosis of lung cancer and benign lung disease were confirmed by histological examination.RESULTS:We found that the average level of tumor marker in operable lung cancer patients was higher than those in patients with benign lung disease. CYFRA 21-1 sensitivity and specificity for lung cancer diagnosis was 37.3% and 90.9%, respectively, while that for CEA was 22.0% and 90.9%. The combined value for the sensitivity and specificity of these two tumor markers was 47.5% and 81.8%, respectively.CONCLUSION:Our results indicate that the combination of these two tumor markers resulted in higher sensitivity compared to use CYFRA 21-1 or CEA along. Given its lower sensitivity and higher specificity, positive CYFRA 21-1 or positive CEA strongly supports lung cancer in patients with nodular shadow in imaging scan.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is caused by both upper and lower respiratory infections and could lead to serious complications. Recent publications have revealed that MP is associated with asthma; however, a single study may be affected by many factors and is controversial. In this study, a meta-analysis was performed to review the potential association between asthma occurrence and MP infection. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, an electronic search of the PubMed database identified 11 case-control studies involving a total of 1069 patients and 854 control cases. This meta-analysis showed that asthma patients had an MP antibody titer that was 2.69 times significantly higher than the control group (P = 0.0001, OR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.62-4.46). These results indicate a strong relationship between MP infection and asthma.

Background/aims: To evaluate a panel of complementary biomarkers for differential prediction of esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGAC) from other esophageal malignancy. Methods: Preoperative CA199, CEA, SCC and CA72-4 were evaluated among 410 patients (164 EGAC, 192 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and 54 benign esophageal diseases). Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, receiver operating characteristic curve and logistic regression analysis were applied. Results: The median CA19-9, CEA and CA72-4 levels were statistically higher in patients with EGAC than in those with ESCC (Wilcoxon rank sum test; P<0.001, respectively). Being adjusted to optimal cut-off value, positive CA19-9, positive CEA, negative SCC and positive CA72-4 were significantly correlated with high risk of EGAC (Logistics regression; CA19-9 OR=9.600 P<0.001; CEA OR=7.368 P<0.001; SCC OR=2.754 P<0.001; CA72-4 OR=2.487 P=0.001). When applied as a markers panel, serum tumor markers show a medium sensitivity (65.2%) and a high specificity (79.7%) (AUC=0.791 P<0.001) in EGAC prediction. Conclusions: Synchronous exertion of CA72-4, CEA, SCC, and CA19-9 could be a valuable method to distinguish esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which account for the most of lung carcinoma, is sometimes difficult to differentiate from benign lung diseases presented with nodular shadow in imaging scan. There is a need to find another non-invasive way to diagnosis early-stage NSCLC. To examine the potential diagnostic value of SCC, CFYRA 21-1 and CEA for the differentiation of early-stage NCSCL from benign lung diseases, we analyzed serum levels of tumor markers in 278 patients, including 248 patients with NSCLC and 30 patients with benign lung diseases. These benign lung diseases were presented with evidence of a high likelihood of having lung cancer. After surgical operation, diagnosis of lung cancer and benign lung disease were confirmed by histological examination. Preoperative tumor marker levels were quantified. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare median levels of SCC, CFYRA 21-1 and CEA between the benign group and lung cancer group. Analysis of variance results were used for differences between different clinical stages of NSCLC. ROC was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of tumor markers. The median levels of Cyfra21-1, SCC and CEA were much higher in NSCLC than those in benign lung diseases. And we found that the mean levels of tumor marker were higher in advanced stage of NSCLC. The combination of tumor markers resulted in a higher sensitivity (91.3%) and a lower specificity (86.7%). In conclusion, the combination of positive SCC, positive CEA and positive Cyfra21-1 appear to be helpful in distinguishing early-stage NSCLC from benign lung disease which presented with suspicious pulmonary masses.

BACKGROUND:The current study examined health-related quality of life (QoL) for patients with esophageal/ gastric cardia precursor lesions or cancer before and after treatment to facilitate improved prevention and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Patients with different stages of esophageal/gastric cardia lesions completed two QoL questionnaires, EORTC QLQ-C30 and supplemental QLQ-OES 18, before primary treatment, and at 1, 6 and 12 months after treatment. RESULTS:Fifty-nine patients with precursor lesions, 57 with early stage cancer, and 43 with advanced cancer responded to our survey. Patients with precursor lesions or early stage cancer reported better QoL overall than those with advanced cancer before treatment (p<0.01). Global QoL scores before treatment and at 1 month after treatment were 71±9 versus 69±9 (p>0.01), 71±8 versus 61±11 (p<0.01), 67 ± 11 versus 62 ± 9 (p<0.01) for three stages of lesions. At 6 months after treatment, some QoL measures recovered gradually in precursor lesion and early cancer patients, while some continuously deteriorated in advanced cancer patients. At 12 months, all QoL scores were comparable to baseline for patients with precursor lesions (p>0.01), while global QoL, social, pain, and insomnia scores for early stage and advanced cancer were inferior to corresponding baseline levels (difference between means>5, p<0.01). At this time point, compared with patients with early stage cancer, those with advanced cancer showed worse QoL with all function and most symptom measures (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS:Patients with precursor lesions or early stage esophageal/gastric cardia cancer show better QoL than those with advanced cancer. This indicates that screening, early diagnosis and treatment may improve the QoL for esophageal/gastric cardia cancer patients. Target intervention and counseling should be given by health care providers during treatment and follow-up to facilitate QoL improvement.

Fibrin deposition and remodelling of the extracellular matrix are important early steps in tumour metastasis. The D-dimer value is an indicator of intravascular fibrin formation and degradation. Thus, the D-dimer value may be a predictor of the malignant involvement of lymph nodes in operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The study comprised 142 highly suspected lung cancer patients scheduled to undergo pneumonectomy, lobectomy or wedge resection. Of the 142 patients, 124 were subsequently diagnosed as NSCLC, and 18 were subsequently diagnosed as benign lung disease by histological examination. Preoperative plasma D-dimer values were quantified, and the relationship between plasma D-dimer and clinical variables including tumour size, involvement of lymph nodes and clinical stage was examined using Spearman correlation coefficients and χ 2 tests. The median plasma D-dimer values were statistically higher in NSCLC patients with malignant lymph nodes than in those who suffered either benign lung disease or carcinoma in situ (Kruskal–Wallis test; P = 0.001). Plasma D-dimer values were significantly correlated with clinical stage (ANOVA; P = 0.009). An obvious relationship was observed between elevated D-dimer (>0.475 mg/L fibrinogen equivalent units) and malignant lymph node involvement (χ 2 test; P = 0.0000). This correlation suggests that the plasma D-dimer value is a clinically important predictor for the malignant involvement of lymph nodes in operable NSCLC.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diagnostic performance of different specimens for detecting CIN2(+), and to find the solution of the problem that why the performance of self-collected specimen is worse than cervical specimen collected by physician. METHODS The cervix, lower 1/3 vagina, upper 1/3 vagina and self-collected specimens from each of the 806 women who took part in this multi-center screening program from May 2006 to April 2007 were tested by hybrid capture 2 (HC2) technique. The diagnostic performance of HC2 on the four specimens for detecting CIN2(+) lesions was calculated. Linear array was performed on the four specimens from 489 out of the 806 women and the diagnostic performance of linear array on the four specimens for detecting CIN2(+) lesions was also calculated. Z test was used to compare the area under ROC and McNemar or χ(2) test was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of different specimens. RESULTS The area under ROC of the cervix, 1/3 upper vagina, 1/3 lower vagina and self-collected samples testing by HC2 for detecting CIN2(+) lesions were 0.902, 0.793, 0.769 and 0.773, respectively (P < 0.001). Using 1 RUL/CO as the cut-point of HC2, the sensitivity of the cervix, upper vagina, lower vagina and self-collected samples were 98.0%, 91.8%, 83.7% and 81.6%. Compared with the cervical specimen, the sensitivity of self-collected specimen for detecting CIN2(+) lesions was significantly lower (P = 0.008). Lowering the cutoff value for HC2 test could improve the sensitivity of self-collected specimen, but it significantly compromised the specificity. The sensitivity of self-collected specimen tested by linear array for detecting CIN2(+) lesions was 95.7% and it was not significantly different compared with the sensitivity of cervical specimen (97.9%) tested by HC2. CONCLUSIONS The performance of self-collected specimen tested by HC2 for detecting CIN2(+) lesions is lower than that of physician-collected cervical specimen, and lowering the cutoff value can't improve its diagnostic performance. Using linear array as the HPV DNA test can significantly improve the screening diagnostic performance of self-collected specimens.