Publications by authors named "Kenneth Sik-Kwan Chan"

Importance: Previous studies showed that 42% to 50% of patients with locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) achieved complete remission (CR) after combined locoregional therapy (LRT) plus immunotherapy (IO). However, data on predictors of CR and long-term clinical outcomes without surgery and after discontinuation of IO are lacking.

Objective: To assess the long-term clinical outcomes among patients with unresectable HCC who achieved CR after LRT-IO and were placed on a watch-and-wait protocol.

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Background & Aims: Combined F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and C-acetate (dual-tracer) positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is being increasingly performed for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), although its role is not well defined. Therefore, we evaluated its effectiveness in (i) staging, (ii) characterization of indeterminate lesions on conventional imaging, and (iii) detection of HCC in patients with unexplained elevations in serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed 525 consecutive patients from three tertiary centers between 2014 and 2020.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study compares the effectiveness and safety of combining stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) with immunotherapy versus SBRT alone in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
  • Results show that the combination therapy (SBRT-IO) led to significantly improved overall survival rates and response compared to SBRT alone, with higher rates of complete and partial responses among patients.
  • Despite some cases of severe side effects from immunotherapy, the combination treatment demonstrated better outcomes, suggesting that further research through randomized trials is needed.
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Background: Locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients undergoing radiotherapy are at risk of treatment failure, particularly locoregional recurrence. To optimize the individual radiation dose, we hypothesize that the genomic adjusted radiation dose (GARD) can be used to correlate with locoregional control.

Methods: A total of 92 patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer / International Union Against Cancer stage III to stage IVB recruited in a randomized phase III trial were assessed (NPC-0501) (NCT00379262).

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Background: The strategy of dual blockade of TGF-β and PD-L1 pathways has not been previously tested in platinum-refractory recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer (R/M NPC) patients. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of bintrafusp alfa in refractory R/M NPC patients.

Methods: In this single-arm, single-centre phase II clinical trial, 38 histologically confirmed R/M NPC patients were enrolled and administered with bintrafusp alfa every 2 weeks.

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Background: The synergy between locoregional therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors has not been investigated as conversion therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. We aimed to investigate the activity of sequential transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) and stereotactic body radiotherapy followed by avelumab (an anti-PD-L1 drug) for locally advanced, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: START-FIT was a single-arm, phase 2 trial in patients with locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who were not suitable for curative treatment, conducted in two hospitals in Hong Kong and one in Shenzhen, China.

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Introduction: The public health burden of seasonal influenza is significant, and influenza vaccination is the most effective preventive strategy. Nonetheless, the recommendation of influenza immunization in the pediatric population is still underrepresented. Our work aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of pediatric influenza vaccination with the intranasal live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV).

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