Huanhuan Sun

Survival improvement in patients with pancreatic cancer by decade: A period analysis of the SEER database, 1981–2010

Pancreatic cancer (PaCa) is an aggressive malignancy with a high mortality rate and a poor prognosis. To evaluate treatment outcomes of patients with pancreatic cancer over the past three decades, data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries were used to assess the survival of patients with PaCa. A total of 63,530 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 1981 and 2010 were identified from nine original SEER registries. The 1-year relative survival rates (RSRs) improved each decade, from 17.0% to 19.9% to 28.2% (p < 0.0001), with a larger increase during the third decade than during the second decade. However, the long-term survival rates have remained very low. The 5-year RSRs increased from 3.1% to 4.4% to 6.9% over these three decades—i.e., still only few patients with PaCa survive more than 5 years. Furthermore, our analysis demonstrated that the survival rates for all the patients with pancreatic cancer were lower in patients of lower socioeconomic status and black race. These results will help predict future trends in PaCa incidence and survival, contribute to better-designed clinical trials by eliminating disparities that may affect the results, and thereby improve the clinical management and outcomes of PaCa.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Circulating miRNAs for Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Because early‐stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is difficult to diagnose using the existing techniques, identifying better biomarkers would likely improve the patients’ prognoses. We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis of published studies to appraise the utility of microRNAs (miRNAs) for the early diagnosis of HCC. Pertinent literature was collected from the Medline, Embase, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. We analyzed 50 studies that included 3423 cases of HCC, 2403 chronic hepatic disease (CH) patients, and 1887 healthy controls in 16 articles. Summary receiver operating characteristic analyses of all miRNAs showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82, with 75.8% sensitivity and 75.0% specificity in discriminating patients with HCC from healthy controls. miR‐21 and miR‐122 individually distinguished patients with HCC from healthy controls, with an AUC of 0.88 for miR‐21 and 0.77 for miR‐122. The sensitivity and specificity for miR‐21 were 86.6% and 79.5%, respectively, those for miR‐122 were 68.0% and 73.3%. We conclude that circulating miRNAs, particularly miR‐21, and miR‐122, are promising biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HCC. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 328–335, 2016.

PD-L1 expression as poor prognostic factor in patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer

Objectives The role of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially according to histologic type, remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess PD-L1 expression and its association with overall survival (OS) and clinicopathologic characteristics in NSCLC. Materials and methods Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens were obtained from 108 patients with surgically resected primary NSCLC. PD-L1 expression was assessed via immunohistochemistry using a histochemistry score system. The relationship between OS or clinicopathologic characteristics and PD-L1 expression was evaluated via the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model, respectively. Results Of 108 NSCLC specimens, 44 had high PD-L1 expression, which was highly associated with histologic type (p = 0.003). Patients without PD-L1 expression had remarkably longer OS than those with PD-L1 expression (median OS: 96 months vs. 33 months, p < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis of non-squamous cell carcinoma, OS was more favorable in those without PD-L1 expression than in those with PD-L1 expression (median OS: 113 months vs. 37 months, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that PD-L1 expression (95% confidence interval 1.459-4.520, p < 0.001), male sex and higher tumor-node-metastasis stage were significantly correlated with shorter OS. Conclusions This study demonstrated that PD-L1 expression is an independent prognostic factor for poor survival in NSCLC patients, especially those with non-squamous NSCLC.OBJECTIVES The role of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially according to histologic type, remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess PD-L1 expression and its association with overall survival (OS) and clinicopathologic characteristics in NSCLC. MATERIAL AND METHODS Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens were obtained from 108 patients with surgically resected primary NSCLC. PD-L1 expression was assessed via immunohistochemistry using a histochemistry score system. The relationship between OS or clinicopathologic characteristics and PD-L1 expression was evaluated via the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model, respectively. RESULTS Of 108 NSCLC specimens, 44 had high PD-L1 expression, which was highly associated with histologic type (p = 0.003). Patients without PD-L1 expression had remarkably longer OS than those with PD-L1 expression (median OS: 96 months vs. 33 months, p < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis of non-squamous cell carcinoma, OS was more favorable in those without PD-L1 expression than in those with PD-L1 expression (median OS: 113 months vs. 37 months, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that PD-L1 expression (95% confidence interval 1.459-4.520, p < 0.001), male sex and higher tumor-node-metastasis stage were significantly correlated with shorter OS. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that PD-L1 expression is an independent prognostic factor for poor survival in NSCLC patients, especially those with non-squamous NSCLC.

Survival improvement in patients with non–small cell lung cancer between 1983 and 2012: Analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database:

Non–small cell lung cancer is the most common malignancy in males; it constitutes the majority of lung cancer cases and requires massive medical resources. Despite improvements in managing non–small cell lung cancer, long-term survival remains very low. This study evaluated survival improvement in patients with non–small cell lung cancer in each decade between 1983 and 2012 to determine the impact of race, sex, age, and socioeconomic status on the survival rates in these patients. We extracted data on non–small cell lung cancer cases in each decade between 1983 and 2012 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries. In total, 573,987 patients with non–small cell lung cancer were identified in 18 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry regions during this period. The 12-month relative survival rates improved slightly across three decades, from 39.7% to 40.9% to 45.5%, with larger improvement in the last two decades. However, the 5-year-relative survival rates were very low, with 14.3%, 15.5%, and 18.4%, respectively, in three decades, indicating the urgency for novel comprehensive cancer care. In addition, our data demonstrated superiority in survival time among non–small cell lung cancer patients of lower socioeconomic status and White race. Although survival rates of non–small cell lung cancer patients have improved across the three decades, the 5-year-relative survival rates remain very poor. In addition, widening survival disparities among the race, the sex, and various socioeconomic status groups were confirmed. This study will help in predicting future tendencies of incidence and survival of non–small cell lung cancer, will contribute to better clinical trials by balancing survival disparities, and will eventually improve the clinical management of non–small cell lung cancer.

Improved survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and disparities by age, race, and socioeconomic status by decade, 1983–2012

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), accounting for the majority of liver cancer, is a highly aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis and therefore adds up the financial burden. Incidence data of HCC in three decades during 1983-2012 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database with incidence rates of 1.9, 3.1 and 4.9 per 100,000 respectively. In addition, to evaluate the survival changes in the same period, a total of 63,640 HCC cancer cases were accessed from SEER database. The six-month relative survival rates improved each decade from 31.0% to 42.9% to 57.2% and the higher increase can be seen in the last two decades. More importantly, the disparities of survival among different racial groups and socioeconomic status (SES) were confirmed by the inferiority of survival in Black race and high-poverty group respectively. This research analyzed the incidence and survival data of HCC in the past three decades and may help predict the future trends of incidence and survival. Furthermore, this study may help better design healthcare policies and clinical management programs to balance the disparities of survival between SES groups, races, ages and sexes confirmed in this study and thereby improve the clinical management of HCC.

Survival changes in patients with small cell lung cancer and disparities between different sexes, socioeconomic statuses and ages

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC), as a proportion, makes up only 15–17% of lung cancer cases. The development of treatments for SCLC has remained stagnant for decades, and SCLC is expected to persist as a threat to human health. To date, no publications based on large populations have been reported. We calculated survival changes in patients with SCLC during each decade between 1983 and 2012 to determine the roles of race, sex, age, and socioeconomic status (SES) on survival rates based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries. In total, 106,296 patients with SCLC were identified, with the overall incidence per 100,000 decreasing each decade from 9.6 to 7.8 to 5.8. The median survival for SCLC remained 7 months, and the 12-month relative survival rates (RSRs) remained relatively stable at 32.9%, 33.2% and 33.2% during each decade. The 5-year RSRs significantly improved from 4.9% to 5.9% to 6.4% during each decade, but remained extremely low. In addition, a narrowing of the survival gaps among SES groups and stable survival gaps between sexes were observed. Although the incidence of SCLC decreased during each decade, the overall survival remained relatively stable, highlighting the urgency of developing novel treatments and the importance of prevention and early detection.

Chemotherapy plus dendritic cells co-cultured with cytokine-induced killer cells versus chemotherapy alone to treat advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis

This study was aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of the combination treatment of dendritic cells co-cultured with cytokine-induced killer cells and chemotherapy for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Literatures were searched from the Cochrane Library Central, PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE. The primary endpoint of interest was overall survival (OS), and secondary endpoints were disease control rate (DCR) and progression free survival (PFS). Finally 7 trials published between January 2005 and March 2016 met inclusion criteria and totally 610 patients were enrolled. The combination group showed advance in DCR (RR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.13-1.52, p = 0.0004), 1-year OS (RR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.05-1.33, p = 0.007), and 2-year OS (RR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.10-1.70, p = 0.005), with statistical significance. The proportions of CD3+ T cells (p = 0.002), NK cells (p = 0.02) and NKT cells (p = 0.001) were significantly higher in the peripheral blood of combination group, compared with those of the control group. Moreover, adverse reactions were obviously decreased in the combination group. However, no significant difference was identified in ORR and PFS between two groups (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the combination therapy was safe and applicable for patients with advanced NSCLC.

Long‐Term Survival Rates of Patients with Stage III–IV Hodgkin Lymphoma According to Age, Sex, Race, and Socioeconomic Status, 1984–2013

BACKGROUND Long-term survival rates for patients with stage III-IV Hodgkin lymphoma, or advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (aHL), have increased substantially since the 1960s. Because large-scale research of aHL is rare, we aimed to demonstrate the differences in incidence and survival of aHL according to four patient variables in recent decades, with a focus on the outcomes of treatment of aHL and the advancement of public health care. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data on aHL cases diagnosed during 1984-2013 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database. Relative survival, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to identify prognosis indicators for aHL. RESULTS The incidence rates for aHL were 1.1, 0.8, and 1.0 per 100,000 in the first, second, and third decades, respectively, during 1984-2013. The 120-month relative survival rate improved continuously in each decade from 58.5% to 64.6% to 72.1%. In addition, disparities in the 120-month relative survival rate between male and female patients and among patients of different races narrowed over time. The difference in long-term survival rate between the poor (medium and high poverty) and rich (low poverty) groups narrowed across the 3 decades. CONCLUSION The long-term survival rate for patients with aHL increased in each decade, whereas survival rate disparities according to sex, race, and socioeconomic status narrowed, except for older patients aged >60 years and the high-poverty group. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Long-term survival rates of patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma were elaborated in this article. The disparities according to sex, race, and socioeconomic status of survival condition were analyzed and showed the development of the public health care system and modern medicine technology.

Improved survival in multiple myeloma, with a diminishing racial gap and a widening socioeconomic status gap over three decades

Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) is estimated to have 30,280 new cases and be associated with 12,590 deaths in 2017. However, quantitative analysis for survival, based on a large population, is lacking. Data were extracted from a total of 33,170 cases from nine registry sites in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The current study shows that the incidence for MM remained relatively stable between 1981 and 2010, with 4.6, 4.7, and 4.7 per 100,000 persons in each decade. In addition, survival for MM improved each decade with a larger increment in the last two decades, with a narrowing survival gap among races and a widening gap among socioeconomic status (SES) groups. The survival gap changes in races and SES groups may guide clinicians to design better treatment protocols and call for the pressing need for health-care policy to fill the gap among SES groups.

Increased survival rates in gastric cancer, with a narrowing gender gap and widening socioeconomic status gap: A period analysis from 1984 to 2013

Gastric cancer (GC) has the fifth highest incidence rate of all cancers and has a poor prognosis. However, no recent large‐scale and long‐term studies have evaluated the incidence and survival rates of individuals with GC.