We reviewed the clinical studies on drug therapy for gallbladder cancer and expounded on the current situation of conversion therapy for gallbladder cancer. Gallbladder cancer was usually diagnosed late, with high malignancy, low surgical resection rate, and poor prognosis. With the development of conversion therapy, systemic therapy combined with radical resection had effectively improved the surgical resection rate and prognosis of gallbladder cancer patients. At present, most of the published conversion therapies for gallbladder cancer were mainly retrospective researches, lacking large multicenter prospective research, and the treatment plan was still based on chemotherapy, lacking the research of targeted therapy in combination with immunotherapy. It is expected that more high-quality clinical trials can be made first-line recommendations for the conversion therapy of gallbladder cancer.
Primary liver cancer (hereinafter referred to as liver cancer) is the fourth most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths of China. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 75% to 85% of liver cancers, more than half of patients with HCC present at an advanced stage where surgery is not suitable. Conversion therapy can provide the opportunity for some unresectable patients to realize surgical resection. With the progress of non-surgical treatments for liver cancer, increased emphasis on comprehensive treatment approaches, and continuous clinical research outcome, conversion therapy of liver cancer has become a common clinical pathway in treatment practice in our country. This paper summarizes the progress in research on conversion therapy for HCC, analyzing its methods, efficacy, safety, and timing of surgery, to provide insights for the clinical practice and research of conversion treatment in HCC.
ObjectiveTo investigate the value of multi-disciplinary team (MDT) for the diagnosis and treatment of postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MethodThe clinicopathologic data of a patient with giant HCC (66 mm×60 mm×102 mm) who was multiple intrahepatic metastases with portal vein tumor thrombus after radical resection, admitted to the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, were gathered. ResultsThe patient was a middle-aged male. The multiple recurrent intrahepatic metastases combined with portal vein right branch thrombosis was found at 1 month after radical hepatectomy. After MDT discussion and evaluation, the hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy and targeted therapy (chemical drugs regimen was FOLFOX, immunotherapy drug was sindilizumab, targeted therapy drug was lenvatinib) was administered. After 3 times conversion therapy, and most of the intrahepatic lesions liquefied and necrotic and shrunk markedly or disappeared. After further discussion and evaluation by MDT, radical surgical resection was performed. The postoperative pathological examination results showed granulomatous inflammation with necrosis, and no exact liver cancer cells were detected. At 6 months after surgery, no tumor recurrence was observed.ConclusionsFor early recurrence combined with portal vein thrombosis after radical resection for HCC, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy and targeted therapy may still be effective and even has an opporunity of surgical therapy. MDT discussion can provide the best treatment plan for patient with recurrent liver cancer, leading to a better clinical outcome for them.
ObjectiveTo explore the value of multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) in ycT stage and ycN stage evaluation of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (cT4bN0-3M0) who underwent surgery after transformation therapy.MethodsClinical data of 32 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (cT4bN0-3M0) in Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University form January 2017 to April 2019 were retrospective analyzed. All the patients underwent surgery after SOX regimen transformation therapy. Preoperative MSCT plain and enhanced scan were used to evaluate clinical T stage (ycT) and clinical N stage (ycN). The accuracy of MSCT scanning was evaluated by comparing with the gold standard for postoperative pathological ypT stage and ypN stage.ResultsThe accuracy of preoperative MSCT examination on ycT stage after transformation therapy was 78.1% (25/32), and that of ycN was 56.3% (18/32).ConclusionThe accuracy of MSCT in preoperative ycT stage and ycN stage after successful transformation therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer (cT4bN0-3M0) is relatively high.
ObjectiveTo summarize controversy and progress of multi-slice spiral CT in efficacy evaluation of transformation therapy for advanced gastric cancer.MethodThe recent studies published at home and abroad on the spiral CT in evaluating the therapeutic effect of transformation therapy for the advanced gastric cancer were reviewed and analyzed.ResultsIn recent years, though the energy spectrum and dual-energy CT examinations had appeared, the most common tool in evaluating of the efficacy of transformation therapy for the advanced gastric cancer was the spiral CT. The most common evaluation standard was still the RECIST standard.ConclusionsSpiral CT has its outstanding diagnostic significance in therapeutic evaluation of transformation therapy for advanced gastric cancer. Although there is some controversy, with advancements of a large number of studies, it will greatly help diagnosis and treatment of advanced gastric cancer.
ObjectiveTo understand the latest progress of conversion therapies on increasing surgical resection rate of patients with liver metastasis from colorectal carcinoma, evaluate the clinical value of prognostic evaluation model in surgical resection of patients with liver metastasis from colorectal carcinoma, further offer guidance in comprehensive treatment to control disease and improve the quality of life. MethodsThe literatures about new progress in surgical treatment of liver metastasis from colorectal carcinoma at domestic and abroad were reviewed, including the indication of operation, prognostic evaluation model, and how to increase the resection rate for liver metastasis from colorectal carcinoma patients with conversion therapies. ResultsPart of patients with liver metastasis from colorectal carcinoma could get surgeries after accepting positive conversion therapies.For the patients with liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma did not accepted surgeries all the way, it was a safe and effective treatment method by different conversion therapies such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, radiofrequency ablation, and so on, and it could improve the quality of life and prolong the survival time. ConclusionsDoctors should pay attention to conversion therapies of patients with liver metastasis from colorectal carcinoma, and promote the usage of the prognostic evaluation model in liver metastasis from colorectal carcinoma.
ObjectiveTo explore the safety and effectiveness of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with lenvatinib and programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibody in the conversion resection for intermediate and advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to provide new treatment strategies for the treatment of intermediate and advanced unresectable HCC. MethodThirty-eight intermediate and advanced unresectable HCC patients treated at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from October 2020 to June 2021 were prospectively included in our study, all patients treated with TACE + lenvatinib + PD-1 antibody, and the clinical data of these 38 patients were summarized. ResultsThe last evaluation time for the 38 patients was October 20, 2021. According to the mRECIST standard for tumor efficacy evaluation, the objective response rate was 84.2% (32/38), the disease control rate was 94.7% (36/38); the conversion success rate based on imaging was 55.3% (21/38), the actual conversion resection rate was 52.6% (20/38). The incidence of adverse events was 100%, of which 22 patients had grade 3 adverse events, and there was no ≥ grade 4 adverse events. All patients were followed up, the follow-up time was 16–52 weeks, and the median follow-up time was 33.5 weeks. During the follow-up period, only two patients had tumor progression, of which one patient died due to disease progression, and there was no postoperative recurrence. ConclusionsLenvatinib combined with TACE and PD-1 antibody is safe for the treatment of intermediate and advanced unresectable HCC. Triple therapy can achieve satisfactory conversion resection rate of intermediate and advanced unresectable HCC, which will provide a new treatment strategy for it.