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Objective To analyze the effects of target volume optimization on oral mucosal reaction and salivary gland function in oropharyngeal cancer patients receiving intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT).Methods A total of 120 patients with oropharyngeal cancer admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University from April 2020 to August 2022 were selected and randomly grouped into control group(n=60,conventional IMRT)and treatment group(n=60,cervical region Ⅱ and the oral target region were optimized during IMRT).The therapeutic efficacy,parotid gland dose,incidence of acute oral mucosal reaction,dry mouth and oral pain at 3 months after IMRT were compared between two groups.The resting-state apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)values of parotid and submandibular glands at different time points(before radiotherapy,the 4th week of radiotherapy,the end of radiotherapy and 3 months after radiotherapy)were recorded.Results The difference in the objective reaction rate between two groups was trivial[80.00％(48/60)vs 75.00％(45/60),P>0.05].The mean dose(Dmean)and V34 of the unaffected parotid gland and the Dmean and V30 of the oral cavity in treatment group were lower than those in control group(P<0.05).The incidences of acute oral mucosal reaction,dry mouth and oral pain at 3 months after radiotherapy in treatment group were 41.67％,50.00％,and 58.33％,lower than those in control group(75.00％,78.33％,and 85.00％)(P<0.05).The resting-state ADC values of parotid and submandibular glands at the 4th week of radiotherapy,the end of radiotherapy,and 3 months after radiotherapy in both two groups were higher than those before radiotherapy(P<0.05).At the 4th week of radiotherapy,the end of radiotherapy,and 3 months after radiotherapy,the resting-state ADC values of parotid and submandibular glands in treatment group were lower than those in control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Optimizing target volume during oropharyngeal IMRT can effectively prevent the occurrence of radiation-induced mucositis,alleviate oral mucosal reaction,oral pain and dry mouth,reduce parotid gland dose,and diminish the effects of IMRT on salivary gland function in patients.
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The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, poses a severe threat to humanity. Rapid and comprehensive analysis of both pathogen and host sequencing data is critical to track infection and inform therapies. In this study, we performed unbiased metatranscriptomic analysis of clinical samples from COVID-19 patients using a newly-developed RNA-seq library construction method (TRACE-seq), which utilizes tagmentation activity of Tn5 on RNA/DNA hybrids. This approach avoids the laborious and time-consuming steps in traditional RNA-seq procedure, and hence is fast, sensitive and convenient. We demonstrated that TRACE-seq allowed integrated characterization of full genome information of SARS-CoV-2, putative pathogens causing coinfection, antibiotic resistance and host response from single throat swabs. We believe that the integrated information will deepen our understanding of pathogenesis and improve diagnostic accuracy for infectious diseases.
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AbstractsO_ST_ABSBackgroundC_ST_ABSCancer patients are considered to be highly susceptible to viral infections, however, the comprehensive features of COVID-19 in these patients remained largely unknown. The present study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in a large cohort of cancer patients. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsData of consecutive cancer patients admitted to 33 designated hospitals for COVID-19 in Hubei province, China from December 17, 2019 to March 18, 2020 were retrospectively collected. The follow-up cutoff date was April 02, 2020. The clinical course and survival status of the cancer patients with COVID-19 were measured, and the potential risk factors of severe events and death were assessed through univariable and multivariable analyses. ResultsA total of 283 laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patients (50% male; median age, 63.0 years [IQR, 55.0 to 70.0]) with more than 20 cancer types were included. The overall mortality rate was 18% (50/283), and the median hospitalization stay for the survivors was 26 days. Amongst all, 76 (27%) were former cancer patients with curative resections for over five years without recurrence. The current cancer patients exhibited worse outcomes versus former cancer patients (overall survival, HR=2.45, 95%CI 1.10 to 5.44, log-rank p=0.02; mortality rate, 21% vs 9%). Of the 207 current cancer patients, 95 (46%) have received recent anti-tumor treatment, and the highest mortality rate was observed in the patients receiving recent chemotherapy (33%), followed by surgery (26%), other anti-tumor treatments (19%), and no anti-tumor treatment (15%). In addition, a higher mortality rate was observed in patients with lymphohematopoietic malignancies (LHM) (53%, 9/17), and all seven LHM patients with recent chemotherapy died. Multivariable analysis indicated that LHM (p=0.001) was one of the independent factors associating with critical illness or death. ConclusionsThis is the first systematic study comprehensively depicting COVID-19 in a large cancer cohort. Patients with tumors, especially LHM, may have poorer prognosis of COVID-19. Additional cares are warranted and non-emergency anti-tumor treatment should be cautiously used for these patients under the pandemic.