Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation is strongly associated with the therapeutic effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, tumor tissue that needed for mutation analysis is frequently unavailable. Body fluid was considered to be a feasible substitute for the analysis, but arising problems in clinical practice such as relatively lower mutation rate and poor clinical correlation are not yet fully resolved.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of bevacizumab (Bev) in reducing peritumoral brain edema (PTBE) after stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) for lung cancer brain metastases.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 44 patients with lung cancer brain metastases (70 lesions) who were admitted to our oncology and Gamma Knife center from January 2020 to May 2022. All patients received intracranial SRT and had PTBE. Based on treatment with Bev, patients were categorized as SRT + Bev and SRT groups. Follow‐up head magnetic resonance imaging was performed to calculate PTBE and tumor volume changes. The edema index (EI) was used to assess the severity of PTBE. Additionally, the extent of tumor reduction and intracranial progression‐free survival (PFS) were compared between the two groups.Results: The SRT + Bev group showed a statistically significant difference in EI values before and after radiotherapy (p = 0.0115), with lower values observed after treatment, but there was no difference in the SRT group (p = 0.4008). There was a difference in the distribution of EI grades in the SRT + Bev group (p = 0.0186), with an increased proportion of patients at grades 1–2 after radiotherapy, while there was no difference in the SRT group (p > 0.9999). Both groups demonstrated a significant reduction in tumor volume after radiotherapy (p < 0.05), but there was no difference in tumor volume changes between the two groups (p = 0.4089). There was no difference in intracranial PFS between the two groups (p = 0.1541).Conclusion: Bevacizumab significantly reduces the severity of PTBE after radiotherapy for lung cancer. However, its impact on tumor volume reduction and intracranial PFS does not reach statistical significance.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) presents a complex landscape, characterized by both inter-tumor and intra-tumor heterogeneity. RUNX1, a gene implicated in modulating tumor cell growth, survival, and differentiation, remains incompletely understood regarding its impact on CRC prognosis. In our investigation, we discerned a positive correlation between elevated RUNX1 expression and aggressive phenotypes across various CRC subtypes. Notably, knockdown of RUNX1 demonstrated efficacy in restraining CRC proliferation both in vitro and in vivo, primarily through inducing apoptosis and impeding cell proliferation. Mechanistically, we unveiled a direct regulatory link between RUNX1 and cholesterol synthesis, mediated by its control over HMGCR expression. Knockdown of RUNX1 in CRC cells triggered HMGCR transcriptional activation, culminating in elevated cholesterol levels that subsequently hindered cancer progression. Clinically, heightened RUNX1 expression emerged as a prognostic marker for adverse outcomes in CRC patients. Our findings underscore the pivotal involvement of RUNX1 in CRC advancement and its potential as a therapeutic target. The unique influence of RUNX1 on cholesterol synthesis and HMGCR transcriptional regulation uncovers a novel pathway contributing to CRC progression.

Background: Patients with programmed cell death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) ≥50% metastatic non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with first‐line immunotherapy showed heterogeneous tumor responses. In this study, we investigated the clinical and immune‐inflammatory markers distinguishing patients with metastatic NSCLC achieving high depth of tumor response (HDPR) from those with non‐high depth of response (NHDPR). The impact of clinical features on the prognosis of patients with PD‐L1 ≥50% were further clarified.Methods: The clinical characteristics and immune‐inflammatory markers of 17 patients with PD‐L1 ≥50% metastatic NSCLC at Beijing Tiantan Hospital between July 2020 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Results: Among the 17 patients, seven (41.2%) patients achieved HDPR (range: −50%, −72%) and 10 (58.8%) patients achieved NHDPR (range: −13%, −45%). Below normal CD4 + T lymphocytes/CD8 + T lymphocytes (CD4/CD8) ratio (p = 0.01) and oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor gene mutations (TP53/KRAS/EGFR) (p = 0.001) were found enriched for NHDPR compared with HDPR. With a median follow‐up of 26.0 months (range: 17.2–34.8 months), the median progression‐free survival (PFS) following first‐line immunotherapy and overall survival (OS) were 9.0 months (95% CI: 5.0–13.0) and not reached (NR), respectively. The neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was identified as an independent prognostic factor on first‐line PFS. Patients with an NLR ≥4 exhibited a shorter median PFS (7.0 months vs. NR; p = 0.033; 95% CI: 1.2–80.2) than those with an NLR <4 following first‐line immunotherapy.Conclusions: Among patients with PD‐L1 ≥50% metastatic NSCLC who received first‐line immunotherapy, a lower CD4/CD8 ratio and the presence of genes mutations showed a diminished tumor response and a higher NLR ratio exhibited a worse median PFS.

The incidence of multiple myeloma (MM) has increased over time in China. Despite this increase, comprehensive and up-to-date statistics on its mortality at national and provincial scales are lacking. To bridge this gap, we used mortality data from the disease surveillance points system operated by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Mortality rates were standardized against the 2010 census population of China (ASMRC) and Segi's world population (ASMRW). Joinpoint regression models were used to analyze temporal trends. Our findings indicated an estimated 14,568 MM-related deaths in China. The observed crude mortality rates ASMRC, and ASMRW were 1.04, 0.80, and 0.62 per 100,000 individuals, respectively. A notable sex-related difference in mortality rates was evident, with male mortalities (8,319) surpassing female mortalities (6,249) by a factor of 1.33. Age-wise, mortality rates tended to increase after 55 years, reaching a maximum in those over 85 years (7.09 per 100,000 individuals). Provincial data revealed that the highest ASMRCs were in Zhejiang, Beijing, and Jiangxi, whereas the lowest were in Tibet, Qinghai, and Hainan. The period from 2013 to 2020 exhibited a significant increase of 58.09 % in MM mortality, with urban and rural areas exhibiting a 44.97 % and 70.94 % increase, respectively. This analysis highlights the growing mortality burden of MM across various demographics and regions, emphasizing the need for tailored disease management and preventive measures.