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ABSTRACT: Correct detection of bone metastases in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is pivotal for prognosis and selection of an appropriate treatment regimen. Whole-body bone scan for staging is not routinely recommended in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of bone scan in detecting bone metastases in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
We retrospectively evaluated the radiographic and scintigraphic images of 360 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients between 1999 and 2008. Of these 360 patients, 288 patients received bone scan during pretreatment staging, and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of bone scan were determined. Of these 360 patients, surgery was performed in 161 patients including 119 patients with preoperative bone scan and 42 patients without preoperative bone scan. Among these 161 patients receiving surgery, 133 patients had stages II + III disease, including 99 patients with preoperative bone scan and 34 patients without preoperative bone scan. Bone recurrence-free survival and overall survival were compared in all 161 patients and 133 stages II + III patients, respectively.
The diagnostic performance for bone metastasis was as follows: sensitivity, 80%; specificity, 90.1%; positive predictive value, 43.5%; and negative predictive value, 97.9%. In all 161 patients receiving surgery, absence of preoperative bone scan was significantly associated with inferior bone recurrence-free survival (P = 0.009, univariately). In multivariate comparison, absence of preoperative bone scan (P = 0.012, odds ratio: 5.053) represented the independent adverse prognosticator for bone recurrence-free survival. In 133 stages II + III patients receiving surgery, absence of preoperative bone scan was significantly associated with inferior bone recurrence-free survival (P = 0.003, univariately) and overall survival (P = 0.037, univariately). In multivariate comparison, absence of preoperative bone scan was independently associated with inferior bone recurrence-free survival (P = 0.009, odds ratio: 5.832) and overall survival (P = 0.029, odds ratio: 1.603).
Absence of preoperative bone scan was significantly associated with inferior bone recurrence-free survival, suggesting that whole-body bone scan should be performed before esophagectomy in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, especially in patients with advanced stages.
BMC Cancer 08/2012; 12:328. · 3.01 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A malignant tracheoesophageal/bronchoesophageal fistula (TEF) is a life-threatening complication of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. A feeding gastrostomy/jejunostomy had been the most common treatment method for patients with TEF before the era of stenting. The aim of this retrospective study is to compare the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients with TEF treated with an esophageal metallic stent to those treated with a feeding gastrostomy/jejunostomy.
We retrospectively reviewed a total of 1011 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma between 1996 and 2011 at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and 86 patients with TEF (8.5%) were identified. The overall survival and other clinical data were compared between 30 patients treated with an esophageal metallic stent and 35 patients treated with a feeding gastrostomy/jejunostomy.
Among the 65 patients receiving either an esophageal metallic stent or a feeding gastrostomy/jejunostomy, univariate analysis showed that treatment modality with an esophageal metallic stent (P = 0.007) and radiotherapy treatment after fistula diagnosis (P = 0.04) were predictive of superior overall survival. In the multivariate comparison, treatment modality with an esophageal metallic stent (P = 0.026, odds ratio: 1.859) represented the independent predictive factor of superior overall survival. There were no significant differences between groups in mean decrease in serum albumin or mean body weight loss. Compared to the feeding gastrostomy/jejunostomy group, a significantly higher proportion of patients in the stenting group (53% versus 14%, P = 0.001) were able to receive chemotherapy within 30 days after fistula diagnosis, indicating better infection control in the stenting group.
Compared with a feeding gastrostomy/jejunostomy, an esophageal metallic stent significantly improves overall survival in patients with malignant TEF in our retrospective analysis. Esophageal metallic stent placement may be considered the first-line of treatment for patients with malignant TEF.
PLoS ONE 01/2012; 7(8):e42766. · 4.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and its analogues are reported to exert wide-ranging cardiovascular actions in preclinical and clinical studies. We thus investigated whether the GLP-1 receptor agonist, exendin-4, has inhibitory effects on LPS-stimulated inflammatory response in cardiomyoblasts.
H9c2 cardiomyoblasts were exposed to LPS and treated with exendin-4. Expressions of proinflammatory mediators were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR. Nuclear localization of NF-κB was examined using immunoblotting. mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and nitric oxide (NO) production were evaluated by q PCR and NO assay. Furthermore, anti-apoptotic effect of exendin-4 in LPS-stimulated H9c2 cells was determined using qPCR and immunoblot.
Exposure to LPS increased mRNA expressions of TNF-α, COX-2 and MMP-9 in H9c2 cells. It also caused increases in iNOS mRNA expression and NF-κB nuclear translocation. Exendin-4 dose-dependently downregulated mRNA levels of TNF-α, COX-2 and MMP-9 in LPS-stimulated H9c2 cells. It also reduced NF-κB nuclear translocation. Treatment with exendin-4 showed no effect on LPS-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells.
Exendin-4 exerts an effect on cardiomyoblast exposed to LPS by inhibiting mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators and suppressing NF-κB activation. These effects are consistent with some of the observed anti-inflammatory properties of exendin-4, as well as its beneficial actions on the cardiovascular system.
Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology 11/2011; 34(3):484-90. · 1.83 Impact Factor
