A comparison of cardiovascular disease, cancer, mortality, and Graves' ophthalmopathy following treatment for hyperthyroidism: A Bayesian network meta-analysis.

Objectives: This network meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association of anti-thyroid drugs (ATD), radioactive iodine (RAI), and thyroidectomy with subsequent outcomes in patients with newly-diagnosed hyperthyroidism.

Methods: The Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for observational studies and randomized controlled trials. Included studies were published on or before 1st May 2022 involving at least two of the treatments among ATD, RAI, and thyroidectomy for hyperthyroidism.

Leave no one behind: A global survey of the current state of geriatric oncology practice by SIOG national representatives.

Introduction: The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations include a commitment to "leave no one behind" as a universal goal. To achieve this in geriatric oncology (GO) worldwide, it is important to understand the current state of GO at an international level. The International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) has several National Representatives (NRs) who act as SIOG's delegates in their respective countries.

Implementing a nurse-led screening clinic for symptom distress with community-based referral for cancer survivors: A feasibility study.

Introduction: This prospective, single-arm, pragmatic implementation study evaluated the feasibility of a nurse-led symptom-screening program embedded in routine oncology post-treatment outpatient clinics by assessing (1) the acceptance rate for symptom distress screening (SDS), (2) the prevalence of SDS cases, (3) the acceptance rate for community-based psychosocial support services, and (4) the effect of referred psychosocial support services on reducing symptom distress.

Methods: Using the modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS-r), we screened patients who recently completed cancer treatment. Patients screening positive for moderate-to-severe symptom distress were referred to a nurse-led community-based symptom-management program involving stepped-care symptom/psychosocial management interventions using a pre-defined triage system.

Survival after hemithyroidectomy versus total thyroidectomy in non-high-risk differentiated thyroid cancer: population-based analysis.

Background: The extent of thyroid surgery remains controversial for differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs) that measure more than 1 cm but are not considered high risk. This study aimed to compare survival outcomes between hemithyroidectomy (HT) and total thyroidectomy (TT) in non-high-risk DTCs.

Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort of patients with non-high-risk DTCs more than 1 cm undergoing HT or TT between 1997 and 2017 in a territory with 41 public hospitals and clinics serving a population of 7 million was analysed.

Attaining biochemical euthyroidism early after total thyroidectomy in Graves' disease may lower long-term morbidity risk.

Background: The relationship between good early control of thyroid hormone levels after thyroidectomy for Graves' disease (GD) and subsequent risks of mortality and morbidities is not well known. The aim of this study was to examine the association between thyroid hormone levels within a short interval after surgery and long-term mortality and morbidity risks from a population-based database.

Methods: Patients with GD who underwent complete/total thyroidectomy between 2006 and 2018 were selected from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority clinical management system.

Radioiodine Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

Patients with radioactive iodine (RAI) refractory locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer have a poor prognosis. This article reviews the definition of RAI-refractory thyroid cancer and the management approach. Watchful waiting should be considered for patients with asymptomatic and non-progressive disease, while oral targeted agent with tyrosine kinase inhibitors can be considered for patients who are symptomatic or whose disease would cause irreversible complications if treatment has not been initiated.

Radioactive Iodine for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Radioactive iodine is given after total thyroidectomy for remnant ablation or treatment of residual/metastatic disease. The decision and dose of radioactive iodine should be in a personalized and patient-specific approach, taking account the clinical-pathological features, risk stratification, patient's preference, and facilities of the institutions. We review the principles and use of radioactive iodine in differentiated thyroid cancer.

External Radiotherapy for Locoregional Control in Thyroid Carcinoma.

Most patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancers (WDTC) are adequately treated with surgery, radioactive iodine, and TSH suppression by thyroxine. External radiotherapy (ERT) is reserved for selected cases and for older patients. Some of the indications for ERT to neck include adjuvant treatment for gross or microscopic disease after surgery, palliation of locally advanced unresectable tumor, or as salvage for recurrent disease which is not amenable to surgery or does not uptake radioactive iodine.

Long-term outcome of patients treated with antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine or surgery for persistent or relapsed Graves' disease.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare long-term mortality, morbidity, and cumulative healthcare costs between antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, and surgical treatment for patients with persistent or relapsed Graves' disease.

Methods: Data on patients with persistent or relapsed Graves' disease between 2006 and 2018 were retrieved from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority. Hazard ratios (HRs) estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to compare the risks of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, psychological disease, Graves' ophthalmopathy, and cancer across treatment groups.

Repurposing sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) for cancer treatment - A Review.

Developed as an antidiabetic drug, recent evidence suggests that several sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), especially canagliflozin and dapagliflozin, may exhibit in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities in selected cancer types, including an inhibition of tumor growth and induction of cell death. When used in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, SGLT2i may offer possible synergistic effects in enhancing their treatment efficacy while alleviating associated side effects. Potential mechanisms include a reduction of glucose uptake into cancer cells, systemic glucose restriction, modulation of multiple signaling pathways, and regulation of different gene and protein expression.

Outcomes of Graves' Disease Patients Following Antithyroid Drugs, Radioactive Iodine, or Thyroidectomy as the First-line Treatment.

Background: The long-term outcomes of first-line choice among ATD, RAI, and thyroidectomy for GD patients remain unclear.

Objective: To compare the long-term morbidity, mortality, relapse, and costs of GD patients receiving first-line treatment.

Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort of GD patients initiating first-line treatment with ATD, RAI, or thyroidectomy as a first-line primary treatment between 2006 and 2018 from Hong Kong Hospital Authority was analyzed.

Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Using Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil (PF) Versus Carboplatin and Paclitaxel (CROSS Regimen) for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC): A Propensity Score-matched Study.

Objective: This study compared the efficacy of PF-based and CROSS-based neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for ESCC.

Background: PF-based regimen has been a standard regimen for ESCC, but it has been replaced by the CROSS regimen in the past few years, despite no prospective head-to-head comparative study has been performed.

Methods: This is a single center retrospective study.

Healthcare utilization and direct medical cost in the years during and after cancer diagnosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims/introduction: There is uncertainty about the direct medical costs of type 2 diabetes patients with cancers.

Materials And Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort of 99,915 type 2 diabetes patients from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority between 2006 and 2017 was assembled. A total of 16,869 patients who had an initial cancer diagnosis after type 2 diabetes diagnosis were matched with 83,046 patients without cancer (controls) using a matching ratio of up to one-to-five propensity score-matching method.

Systemic Therapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

With more understanding of the tumor biology, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and adenocarcinoma are increasingly recognized as different disease entities and are managed with different treatment approaches. Most patients with ESCC need systemic treatment at some point of their disease course, but only until recently, the progress in systemic treatment has been relatively stagnant compared with its adenocarcinoma counterpart. Platinum-based regimens remain the standard of care, while taxanes have been increasingly used upfront and in later lines of treatment.

Radiotherapy for Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an aggressive disease. Many patients have locally advanced disease or already have distant metastasis at presentation. Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Radiotherapy for Cervical Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Cervical esophageal carcinoma (CEC) is rare, accounting for 2-10% of esophageal cancers and is mostly squamous cell carcinoma. Because of the anatomical proximity of CEC to larynx, surgical treatment would involve pharyngo-laryngo-esophagectomy (PLE) with inherent high mortality and morbidity. Laryngeal preservation is an important consideration, and definitive chemoradiotherapy is the recommended treatment.

Prognostic Significance of Standardized Uptake Value of Lymph Nodes on Survival for Stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Definitive Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy.

Objectives: Definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previous studies showed that the tumor size and its metabolic activity are predictors of treatment outcome. We investigated whether there are new metabolic prognostic factors of survival for stage III NSCLC after definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Production of the 42-kDa fragment of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1, a leading malaria vaccine antigen, in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds.

Malaria is widely associated with poverty, and a low-cost vaccine against malaria is highly desirable for implementing comprehensive vaccination programmes in developing countries. Production of malaria antigens in plants is a promising approach, but its development has been hindered by poor expression of the antigens in plant cells. In the present study, we targeted plant seeds as a low-cost vaccine production platform and successfully expressed the Plasmodium falciparum 42-kDa fragment of merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1₄₂), a leading malaria vaccine candidate, at a high level in transgenic Arabidopsis seeds.