We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing patient-important outcomes among different surgical approaches to total mesorectal excision (TME) for patients with rectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is among the most common global malignancies. Approximately 25% of patients present with liver metastases at diagnosis. Debate persists over whether to choose simultaneous or staged resection due to the varying evidence regarding outcomes and patient eligibility criteria for each approach. This study aims to assess and compare both short- and long-term surgical outcomes of simultaneous and staged resection approaches.

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), reflecting both nutritional and immune status, may be associated with survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, findings across individual studies remain inconsistent. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the association between pretreatment PNI and survival outcomes in HCC patients receiving ICIs.

Hepatitis is a systemic disease marked by neuroimmune dysregulation beyond hepatic inflammation. Using a systems biology approach, we conducted transcriptomic meta-analyses across in vitro models, liver tissues, and PBMCs from hepatitis virus-infected patients to identify neuroimmune signatures. We found a robust neuroimmunome signature, with neuroimmune-related genes showing consistent differential expression across datasets. Functional enrichment revealed disruptions in neurotransmission (including synaptic, glutamatergic, noradrenergic and neuregulin pathways) and immune signaling (such as cytokines, interleukin-1 response, T cell receptor, and trans-synaptic signaling). Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) demonstrated that neuroimmune genes can predict disease severity. Several of these genes were also altered in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA), implicating them in oncogenic transformation. Ligand-receptor analysis revealed dysregulated neuroimmune interactions in liver tissue, notably involving DBH-ADRA1A/B/D, ADRA2A/B/C, ADRB1/2/3, IL33-IL1RL1, and NRG1-ERBB4. Critically, we observed an inverse correlation between neuroimmune gene expression and inflammation markers in advanced HCC, suggesting that neuroimmune suppression may facilitate immune evasion. These findings highlight the neuroimmunome as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in hepatitis and its complications, reinforcing the role of neuroimmune crosstalk in liver disease progression.

This meta-analysis sought to assess the efficacy and safety of poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) as maintenance therapy for patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer (OC).

[18F]16α-fluoro-17β-fluoroestradiol ([18F]FES) PET/CT imaging enables whole-body assessment of functional estrogen receptor (ER) expression in metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Identifying imaging biomarkers that predict endocrine therapy (ET) response remains a critical need in optimizing treatment selection. Our objective was to assess the predictive utility of [18F]FES PET/CT imaging in determining response to ET, with a focus on interlesional heterogeneity and individual patient outcomes. Methods: A systematic literature review and metaanalysis were conducted using 6 major databases through April 2024. Ten studies met inclusion criteria based on quantitative SUV reporting, use of FES PET/CT in mBC, and correlation with clinical outcomes. All patients had ER-positive mBC and received ET. Primary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) and response to ET. Patients were stratified by baseline [18F]FES PET/CT SUVmean or SUVmax thresholds (including 1.8) and by interlesional [18F]FES heterogeneity (presence of both [18F]FES-positive and [18F]FES-negative lesions). Results: Responders had a significantly higher baseline SUVmean than nonresponders (standardized mean difference, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.49-1.34; P < 0.001). Patients with a baseline SUVmax below 1.5 were significantly less likely to respond (odds ratio, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.02-0.72; P = 0.02). Across 5 studies, patients with heterogeneous [18F]FES uptake had a shorter median PFS (2.4-12.4 mo) than did those with all [18F]FES-positive lesions (14.6-23.6 mo), a statistically significant difference (ratio of median PFS, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.17-0.36; P < 0.001). In an individual-level analysis (n = 101), lesion-level [18F]FES-heterogeneous uptake was associated with a PFS of 5.5 versus 21.6 mo and a hazard ratio of 5.4 (95% CI, 3.2-9.4; P < 0.001). An [18F]FES SUVmax threshold of at least 1.8 was more prognostic of PFS than were higher SUVmax thresholds. Conclusion: [18F]FES PET/CT imaging provides prognostic insight beyond static ER testing by identifying functional heterogeneity in mBC. Lesion-level FES heterogeneity based on an SUVmax threshold of 1.8 may help stratify patients unlikely to benefit from ET, guiding more personalized treatment strategies.

Deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) tumors constitute ∼15% of localized colorectal cancers (CRCs). Prognostic biomarkers such as tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and BRAF and KRAS mutations may guide personalized treatment for these patients, and this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate their impact on survival outcomes.

To identify the most effective postoperative intervention regimen for persons with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at high risk of recurrence.

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted 18 F-FDG PET/CT for predicting pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted for studies, with a cutoff date of August 29, 2025, and updated on October 16, 2025. The QUADAS-2 technique and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework were employed to evaluate study quality. Diagnosis accuracy was aggregated utilizing a bivariate random-effects model. A total of 49 studies involving 3038 patients were included. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient for AI was determined to be 0.159 (P = 0.662). The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR of AI-assisted 18 F-FDG PET/CT for predicting pCR to NAC in breast cancer were 0.82 (95% CI 0.76-0.87), 0.83 (95% CI 0.75-0.89), 5.03 (95% CI 3.79-6.69), 0.39 (95% CI 0.31-0.49), and 17.71 (95% CI 10.37-30.25), respectively. Furthermore, the AUC was determined to be 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80-0.86). The Fagan nomogram indicated a positive likelihood ratio of 52% and a negative likelihood ratio of 6%. This meta-analysis demonstrates that AI-assisted 18 F-FDG PET/CT shows good diagnostic accuracy for predicting pCR to NAC in breast cancer, achieving better sensitivity and specificity than MRI and ultrasound, and comparable accuracy to conventional PET/CT with improved specificity. These findings highlight its potential as a reliable tool to aid clinical decision-making, though moderate heterogeneity underscores the need for standardized methods and multicenter prospective validation.

Treatment of patients with thyroid cancer with Na[131I]I is routinely performed with empirical activity levels. Treatment success may be expected to correlate with the absorbed doses delivered to targets (thyroid remnants or metastatic lesions), but no systematic review or meta-analysis of absorbed dose-effect relationships has yet been performed.

Despite advances in systemic therapies, the prognosis for non-resectable colorectal liver metastases (nCRLMs) remains poor, with a 5-year survival rate of only 10%. Liver transplantation (LT) has emerged as a potential curative option for select patients. This study evaluated survival outcomes, recurrence rates, prognostic factors, and quality of life (QoL) following LT for nCRLM.

A growing number of risk prediction models for cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) have been developed, but their performance and methodological rigor remain unclear. This study systematically reviews these models to evaluate their predictive performance and critically appraise their risk of bias.

Although durvalumab or pembrolizumab combined with gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) remains the standard first-line therapy, novel targeted agents and immunotherapies integrated with chemotherapy have demonstrated promising efficacy. However, the crosswise comparison between each regimen is rare. Therefore, we comparative the efficacy and safety of targeted therapeutics or immunotherapy agents combined with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer.

Immunosenescence, the gradual deterioration of the immune system with age, reduces the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in cancer management. Although ICI offer promising survival benefits for advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC), their effectiveness across different age groups remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate age-related survival outcomes in aRCC patients receiving ICI using integrated cohorts. Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program (2004-2021), we identified patients with aRCC across the pre-ICI and ICI eras and stratified them into younger (<65 years) and older (≥65 years) groups. Survival analyses, including Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox regression models, were performed to assess overall survival (OS). Key prognostic factors, such as tumor grade, surgical intervention, and metastatic status, were analyzed using nomograms and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for predictive accuracy. A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus also identified ten randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that met the meta-analysis criteria. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to evaluate age-stratified survival outcomes. Finally, laboratory-based immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of TNFSF15, an immune-related biomarker, was performed to explore molecular age-related differences in a hospital cohort. The SEER cohort included 21,904 patients (11,814 in the pre-ICI era and 10,090 in the ICI era). Age showed no significant impact on survival in the pre-ICI era (HR 1.050; 95% CI 0.97-1.32; p=0.203), while younger patients demonstrated superior outcomes in the ICI era (median OS, 16 vs. 13 months; HR, 1.37; 95% CI 1.24-1.51; p = 0.0001). Meta-analysis of 8,434 patients (4,207 ICI group, 4,227 control group) revealed significantly improved survival in younger patients receiving ICI (pooled OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.64-0.89; p<0.0001), whereas the non-ICI cohort showed no significant age-dependent effects (pooled OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.79-1.09; p = 0.37).When comparing ICI versus control treatments, younger patients derived greater benefit (HR 0.69 [0.62, 0.77]) than older patients (HR 0.84 [0.74, 0.96]) p<0.0001). TNFSF15 expression demonstrated a significant negative correlation with age (Spearman correlation = - 0.6, p = 0.0001), with significantly higher expression in patients aged <65 years to those ≥65 years (p=0.0001). This comprehensive analysis demonstrates the superior efficacy of ICI in younger aRCC patients across multiple cohorts, supporting the development of age-stratified therapeutic approaches. Age-dependent expression of TNFSF15 suggests potential molecular mechanisms underlying differential treatment responses.

This meta-analysis evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT)-based artificial intelligence (AI) in detecting lymph node metastasis in rectal cancer patients.

The impact of BRAF p.V600E mutation on the pathogenesis of mixed odontogenic tumors remains uncertain. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of BRAF mutation in mixed odontogenic tumors and to evaluate the correlation between this mutation and the clinical characteristics of these lesions. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (registration number CRD42025636575). A comprehensive search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases was conducted. The study population included patients diagnosed with ameloblastic fibroma (AF), developing odontoma (DO), ameloblastic fibro-odontoma (AFO), ameloblastic fibro-dentinoma (AFD), odontoma (OD), odontogenic sarcoma (OS), or ameloblastic fibrosarcoma (AFS), with BRAF mutation detection results. The AFO, AFD, and DO were categorized in 1 group for further analysis. The study quality was assessed using the modified scale of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for observational studies. A random-effects meta-analysis model was employed using Review Manager software. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed by forest plots, Tau-squared, Cochrane Chi-square, and I2 statistics. A total of 9 studies were included in the analysis. Overall, AFS demonstrated the highest BRAF mutation prevalence (71.4%), followed by AF (67.4%) and AFO/AFD/DO (55.6%), respectively. No OD cases exhibited this mutation. In addition, AF, AFO/AFD/DO, and AFS lesions exhibited significantly larger average sizes compared to OD. AFS demonstrated significantly higher recurrence rates than AFO/AFD/DO and OD. Additionally, a significant female predilection for BRAF-mutated AF was identified. BRAF mutation is associated with AF, AFO/AFD/DO, and AFS, but not OD. Its presence in a substantial portion of AFO/AFD/DO, together with their larger size compared to OD, could support a neoplastic nature in at least a subset of these lesions, though a hamartomatous DO may exist. Further investigation and clinical correlation remain essential to distinguish these entities.

The optimal surgical approach for unilateral papillary thyroid cancer with lateral lymph node metastasis remains a subject of ongoing debate. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide available evidence to facilitate clinical decision-making.

In an integrated analysis of phase I/II trials (STARTRK-2, STARTRK-1, ALKA-372-001), entrectinib induced responses in global populations with advanced ROS1-fusion positive (ROS1-fp) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study reports updated efficacy and safety data in Asian patients from the integrated analysis (cutoff: 16 July 2023).

PARP inhibitor (PARPi)-based therapy is a well-established treatment modality for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) harboring homologous recombination repair (HRR) deficiencies. However, its clinical efficacy in mCRPC without HRR alterations remains undefined.

Tebentafusp is the first systemic therapy to improve survival outcomes for patients with HLA-A*02:01-positive metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM). However, outside the pivotal study, limited data for tebentafusp are reported in literature.