Publications by authors named "Li-zhi Liu"

Background: To identify the diagnosis and treatment strategies by analyzing the clinical characteristics and treatment methods of RNNCLR.

Methods: A total of 210 patients pathologically diagnosed with RNNCLR were retrospectively included. Clinical characteristics, MRI features, treatment methods, and survival outcomes were analyzed.

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  • Accurate staging for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is vital for treatment and prognosis, using the AJCC/UICC TNM system as a standardized approach, necessitating ongoing updates to reflect modern care practices.
  • The study aimed to enhance the accuracy and relevance of the TNM-8 system for NPC by analyzing patient data from 2014-2015 and undergoing rigorous validation processes leading to the development of TNM-9.
  • Results from over 4,900 patients highlighted that advanced extranodal extension was a key negative prognostic factor, prompting a proposed restructuring of staging for nonmetastatic cases from TNM-8 classifications.
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Both concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and induction chemotherapy (ICT) followed by CCRT are standard care of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, tailoring personalized treatment is lacking. Herein, we established a radiogenomic clinical decision support system to classify patients into three subgroups according to their predicted disease-free survival (DFS) with CCRT and ICT response.

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  • The study focuses on predicting distant metastasis (DM) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) using detailed MRI reports, which is essential for improving treatment outcomes.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 792 non-distant metastatic NPC patients and identified 469 imaging variables to develop predictive models using gradient boosting tree (GBT) techniques.
  • The results showed that the GBT models, particularly those focusing on factors like the number of metastatic cervical nodes, had better predictive accuracy (AUC of 0.76) compared to the traditional tumor node-staging system (AUC of 0.67).
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Background: Anti-PD-1 therapy and chemotherapy is a recommended first-line treatment for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but the role of PD-1 blockade remains unknown in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We assessed the addition of sintilimab, a PD-1 inhibitor, to standard chemoradiotherapy in this patient population.

Methods: This multicentre, open-label, parallel-group, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial was conducted at nine hospitals in China.

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Background: This study aimed to explore the incidence of occult lymph node metastasis (OLM) in clinical TNM (cTNM) small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients and develop machine learning prediction models using preoperative intratumoral and peritumoral contrast-enhanced CT-based radiomic data.

Methods: By conducting a retrospective analysis involving 242 eligible patients from 4 centeres, we determined the incidence of OLM in cTNM SCLC patients. For each lesion, two ROIs were defined using the gross tumour volume (GTV) and peritumoral volume 15 mm around the tumour (PTV).

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Objectives: This study aimed to construct a radiomics-based model for prognosis and benefit prediction of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) versus intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC) following induction chemotherapy (IC).

Materials And Methods: A cohort of 718 LANPC patients treated with IC + IMRT or IC + CCRT were retrospectively enrolled and assigned to a training set (n = 503) and a validation set (n = 215). Radiomic features were extracted from pre-IC and post-IC MRI.

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Background And Purpose: Whether concurrent chemoradiotherapy would provide survival benefits in patients with stage II and T3N0 NPC with adverse factors remains unclear in IMRT era. We aimed to assess the value of concurrent chemotherapy compared to IMRT alone in stage II and T3N0 NPC with adverse features.

Materials And Methods: 287 patients with stage II and T3N0 NPC with adverse factors were retrospectively analyzed, including 98 patients who received IMRT alone (IMRT alone group) and 189 patients who received cisplatin-based concurrent chemotherapy (CCRT group).

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The AJCC/UICC TNM classification describes anatomic extent of tumor progression and guides treatment decisions. Our comprehensive analysis of 8,834 newly diagnosed patients with non-metastatic Epstein-Barr virus related nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from six Chinese centers indicates certain limitations in the current staging system. The 8th edition of the AJCC/UICC TNM classification inadequately differentiates patient outcomes, particularly between T2 and T3 categories and within the N classification.

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  • Polyethylene (PE)-based elastomers can significantly improve the compatibility and mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) materials, specifically in PP/PE blends.
  • Researchers investigated the cooling and crystallization behaviors of new PP/PE copolymers and random polypropylene blends using advanced techniques like X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry.
  • Findings suggest that the crystallization process enhances compatibility and toughness in these blends, leading to better impact performance at both low and room temperatures, which is crucial for recycling plastic waste.
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Background: Radiotherapy-related toxicities of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) caused by a standard dose of 70 Gy remain a critical issue. Therefore, we assessed whether a radiotherapy dose of 60 Gy was non-inferior to the standard dose in patients with low-risk stage III NPC with a favourable response to induction chemotherapy (IC).

Patients And Methods: We did a single-arm, single-centre, phase II clinical trial in China.

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Background: Previous studies demonstrated that induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by de-escalated chemoradiotherapy adapted to tumor response was effective in treating childhood nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but the toxicity profile of this treatment strategy, and whether childhood patients with advanced stages can obtain enough benefits from it requires further investigation.

Methods: We conducted a single-center phase II trial (NCT03020329). All participants received 3 cycles of paclitaxel liposome, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF)-based IC.

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Background: Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a type of epithelial malignancy that is positive for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and affects several populations worldwide. Due to the high rates of relapse and metastasis following primary treatment, there is an urgent need to identify new candidates for NPC therapy. Recently, circular RNA (circRNA) has emerged as a promising target for cancer diagnosis and prevention.

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  • The study investigates the energy band structure, density of states, and optical properties of MoS monolayers doped with alkaline earth metals (Be/Mg/Ca/Sr/Ba) using first principles calculations.
  • Results show that all doped systems are structurally stable and experience lattice distortions, which effectively suppress the recombination of electron-hole pairs and reduce the energy needed for electron transfer between bands.
  • Doping enhances the static dielectric constant and polarizability, with the Sr-MoS system showing the highest permittivity, while Be/Mg/Ca-MoS systems demonstrate better visible light absorption and potential as photo-catalysts for water splitting.
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Lymph node necrosis (LNN), including retropharyngeal nodal necrosis and cervical nodal necrosis, which is related to radiotherapy/ chemotherapy resistance, is a common phenomenon in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study was to assess the prognostic value of LNN at different N stages in NPC patients. In total, 1,665 newly diagnosed NPC patients at stage TxN1-3M0 from two centers were enrolled.

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Chemotherapy remains controversial for stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma because of its considerable prognostic heterogeneity. We aimed to develop an MRI-based deep learning model for predicting distant metastasis and assessing chemotherapy efficacy in stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This multicenter retrospective study enrolled 1072 patients from three Chinese centers for training (Center 1, n = 575) and external validation (Centers 2 and 3, n = 497).

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Objectives: To evaluate whether MRI-based T stage (T), [F]FDG PET/CT-based N (N), and M stage (M) are superior in NPC patients' prognostic stratification based on long-term survival evidences, and whether TNM staging method involving T + N + M could improve NPC patients' prognostic stratification.

Methods: From April 2007 to December 2013, 1013 consecutive untreated NPC patients with complete imaging data were enrolled. All patients' initial stages were repeated based on (1) the NCCN guideline recommended "T + N + M" ("MMP") staging method; (2) the traditional "T + N + M" ("MMC") staging method; (3) the single-step "T + N + M" ("PPP") staging method; or (4) the "T + N + M" ("MPP") staging method recommended in present research.

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The crystallization of polyethylene (PE) blends is a highly complex process, owing to the significant differences in crystallizability of the various PE components and the varying PE sequence distributions resulting from short- or long-chain branching. In this study, we examined both the resins and their blends through crystallization analysis fractionation (CRYSTAF) to understand the PE sequence distribution and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to investigate the non-isothermal crystallization behavior of the bulk materials. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was utilized to study the crystal packing structure.

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Background: Reirradiation in standard fractionation for locally advanced recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma after a previous course of high-dose radiotherapy is often associated with substantial late toxicity, negating its overall benefit. We therefore aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of hyperfractionation compared with standard fractionation in intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

Methods: This multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial was done in three centres in Guangzhou, China.

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Moony viscosity of ethylene-propylene-diene monomers (EPDMs) can have effect on the crystallization dynamics, structure, and properties of EPDM/polypropylene (PP)-based thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs). TPVs with two different Moony viscosities are prepared via a twin-screw extruder, respectively. Crosslinked EPDM with lower Moony viscosity has a higher crosslinking density and the nucleation effect of its crosslink point improves the crystallization ability of PP in TPV, leading to PP phase crystallization at higher temperatures.

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Objectives: To address whether sparing the medial retropharyngeal lymph node (MRLN) region from elective irradiation volume provides non-inferior local relapse-free survival versus standard radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Design: Open-label, non-inferiority, multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial.

Setting: Three Chinese hospitals between 20 November 2017 and 3 December 2018.

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It is critical to understand factors associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) metastasis. To track the evolutionary route of metastasis, here we perform an integrative genomic analysis of 163 matched blood and primary, regional lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis tumour samples, combined with single-cell RNA-seq on 11 samples from two patients. The mutation burden, gene mutation frequency, mutation signature, and copy number frequency are similar between metastatic tumours and primary and regional lymph node tumours.

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Background And Purpose: This multicenter retrospective study aimed to investigated the prognostic value of unequivocal radiologic extranodal extension (rENE) and the efficacy of chemotherapy for stage T1-2 N1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the IMRT era.

Materials And Methods: We included 1,082 patients treated in 2005-2017 from three centers. rENE was recorded as G1 (coalescent nodal mass comprising ≥ 2 inseparable nodes) or G2 (invading beyond perinodal fat to frankly infiltrate adjacent structures).

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  • * The resulting graft copolymers were employed as compatibilizers for blending PLA with polypropylene carbonate (PPC), and the impacts of different comonomers on the blends' properties were closely examined.
  • * Notably, the introduction of styrene as a comonomer significantly enhanced the grafting degree of PLA-g-GMA (from 0.8 to 1.6 phr),
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  • - This study investigates how radiation therapy (RT) affects the coupling between brain structure and function in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and aims to predict radiation encephalopathy (RE).
  • - Researchers analyzed 62 NPC patients using metrics to assess brain changes before and after RT, discovering significant alterations in specific brain regions linked to functional performance post-treatment.
  • - Findings revealed that certain brain areas demonstrated strong predictive capabilities for RE development, suggesting that ReHo/VBM metrics are valuable for understanding the neural mechanisms associated with RE in these patients.
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