Biomedical subjects

Zhi-Qiang Meng

Publications and source records attributed to Zhi-Qiang Meng.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Treatment for liver metastases from breast cancer: results and prognostic factors.

AIM: Liver metastases from breast cancer (BCLM) are associated with poor prognosis. Cytotoxic chemotherapy can result in regression of tumor lesions and a decrease in symptoms. Available data, in the literature, also suggest a subgroup of patients may benefit from surgery, but few talked about transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). We report the results of TACE and systemic chemotherapy for patients with liver metastases from breast cancer and evaluate the prognostic factors. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with liver metastases, from proved breast primary cancer were treated with TACE or systemic chemotherapy between January 1995 and December 2000. Treatment results were assessed according to WHO criteria, along with analysis of prognostic factors for survival using Cox regression model. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 28 mo (1-72 mo). Response rates were calculated for the TACE group and chemotherapy group, being 35.7% and 7.1%, respectively. The difference was significant. The one-, two- and three-year Survival rates for the TACE group were 63.04%, 30.35%, and 13.01%, and those for the systemic chemotherapy group were 33.88%, 11.29%, and 0%. According to univariate analysis, variables significantly associated with survival were the lymph node status of the primary cancer, the clinical stage of liver metastases, the Child-Pugh grade, loss of weight. Other factors such as age, the intervals between the primary to the metastases, the maximal diameter of the liver metastases, the number of liver metastases, extrahepatic metastasis showed no prognostic significances. These factors mentioned above such as the lymph node status of the primary cancer, the clinical stage of liver metastases, the Child-Pugh grade, loss of weight were also independent factors in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: TACE treatment of liver metastases from breast cancer may prolong survival in certain patients. This approach offers new promise for the curative treatment of the patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

[Clinical evaluation of integration of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and traditional Chinese medicine in treating metastatic liver cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the treatment effect, quality of life and side-effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in treating metastatic liver cancer. METHODS: Thirty-nine cases of colon metastatic liver cancer were randomly divided into two groups. Both TACE and TCM were used in the treatment group, while only TACE was used in the control group. The drug used in TACE included floxuridine, pirarubicin, cisplatin, and the herbs for strengthening the spleen and regulating Qi were used in TCM. RESULTS: The response rate in the treatment group was 30% (45% including minor remission patients), and the median survival time was 18.6 months. While in the control group the response rate was 15.8% (36.8% including minor remission patients), and the median survival time was 14.3 months. The 1-, 2-, 3- year survival rates of treatment group and the control group were 70.2%, 40.3%, 13.0% and 68.7%, 29.5%, 10.3% respectively. There were fewer other organ metastases in the treatment group. The score from the EORTC quality of life questionnaire QLQ-C30 in treatment group was higher than that in the control group. CONCLUSION: Integration of TACE and TCM in treating colon metastatic liver cancer has better results.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Comparison between chemoembolization combined with radiotherapy and chemoembolization alone for large hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: To investigate the efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with radiotherapy for unresectable large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: From June 1994 to June 1999, a total of 76 patients with large unresectable HCC were treated with TACE followed by external-beam irradiation. 89 patients with large HCC, who underwent TACE alone during the same period, served as the control group. Clinical features, therapeutic modalities, acute effects and survival rates were analyzed and compared between TACE plus irradiation group and TACE alone group. A multivariate analysis of nine clinical variables and one treatment variable (irradiation) was performed by the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The clinical features and therapeutic modalities except irradiation between the two groups were comparable (P>0.05). The objective response rate (RR) in TACE plus irradiation group was higher than that in TACE alone group (47.4 % vs 28.1 %, P<0.05). The overall survival rates in TACE plus irradiation group (64.0 %, 28.6 %, and 19.3 % at 1, 3, 5 years, respectively) were significantly higher than those in TACE alone group (39.9 %, 9.5 %, and 7.2 %, respectively, P=0.0001). Cox proportional hazards model analysis showed that tumor extension and Child grade were significant and were independent negative predictors of survival, while irradiation was an independent positive predictor of survival. CONCLUSION: TACE combined with radiotherapy is more effective than TACE alone, and is a promising treatment for unresectable large HCC.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗

PubMed2003

Concurrent hyperglycemia does not influence the long-term prognosis of unresectable hepatocellular carcinomas.

AIM: The association has been established between the disorder of carbohydrate metabolism and liver cancer. However, little is known regarding the impact of concurrent hyperglycemia on prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study aimed at solving this problem. METHODS: A total of 225 patients included in this study, were admitted from January 1998 to December 2001 for an unresectable HCC proven by histological and imaging examinations. Most of the patients received interventional treatment, radiation and biotherapy. Response was evaluated by computerized tomography (CT) scan conducted 4-6 weeks following completion of the treatment, and then every 3 months. Survival was calculated from the beginning of treatment using the Kaplan-Meier method. Pretreatment, treatment and follow-up variables with possible prognostic significance were analyzed. A stepwise multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox regression model, and a prognostic index was obtained. RESULTS: No differences were observed in survival parameters between the patients with and without hyperglycemia, median survival times of the patients were being 26+/-3.46 months and 29.5+/-2.04 months, respectively, and the 3-year survival rate was 8.36 % and 9.62 %, respectively. The univariate analysis indicated that there were several survival-associated variables including serum AFP level, clinical stage, Child-Pugh grade, method of treatment, size and number of tumor nodule (s). However, only the clinical stage, Child-Pugh grade and the treatment procedure were proved to be independent prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that hyperglycemia does not influence the long-term prognosis of HCC, and concurrent hyperglycemia should not be considered as an unfavorable prognostic factor during the treatment of patients with HCC.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗