Oncology Treatment Discovery

From Mendelian Randomization to Bioinformatics Analysis: The Bridging Role of NOD2 in the Relationship Between Crohn’s Disease and Pancreatic Cancer

Bingxu Gu — 2025-12-31

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with early diagnosis being difficult and prognosis poor. Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, and some studies suggest a potential link between CD and the development of pancreatic cancer. However, the exact biological mechanisms are unclear. This study investigates the causal relationship between CD and PC and focuses on the role of the NOD2 gene in pancreatic cancer. Methods: The study used Mendelian randomization (MR) to identify SNPs associated with both CD and PC, followed by functional annotation through the Ensembl database. Differential expression of these genes in pancreatic cancer was analyzed using the GEPIA2 platform. The study then used Metascape for gene enrichment and pathway analysis, and Kaplan-Meier Plotter to assess the relationship between gene expression and patient survival. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted to validate protein expression, and the TIMER 3.0 platform was used to examine immune cell infiltration related to NOD2. Finally, the study explored the relationship between NOD2 mRNA expression and clinical features using the cBioPortal platform. Results: Out of 91 candidate genes, 36 showed significant differential expression between pancreatic cancer and normal tissues. High expression of 9 genes was associated with poor prognosis. NOD2 was identified as a key gene with elevated expression in pancreatic cancer tissues, closely linked to immune cell infiltration. Further analysis showed that NOD2 expression correlated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis, especially in advanced stages (T3, N1, Stage IIB). Conclusion: This study highlights the potential role of the NOD2 gene in linking Crohn’s disease with pancreatic cancer, suggesting that NOD2 may contribute to pancreatic cancer development through immune and inflammatory processes. Elevated NOD2 expression is associated with clinical features of pancreatic cancer, making it a potential prognostic marker. Future research should focus on understanding NOD2’s role in the immune microenvironment and its potential as a therapeutic target.

Hyperthermia in Combination with Radiation versus Radiation Alone for Superficial Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Sicong Wang — 2025-12-31

Objective: Aim to evaluate the efficacy of hyperthermoradiotherapy (HTRT) VS radiation therapy (RT) alone in patients with superficial tumors, mainly including breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and melanoma. The study undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis, and a preset subgroup analysis. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted of the PubMed database and the bibliographies of related studies. Results: A total of 15 articles (n = 1368) met our eligibility criteria. The meta-analysis of all patients in 19 groups from 15 articles showed HTRT with significant improvement in complete response (CR) versus the RT group (OR = 2.393, 95% CI 1.749–3.274, p = 0.000) with high heterogeneity (χ²= 33.67, p = 0.014, I²= 46.5%). Conclusion: HTRT have significant improvement in CR versus RT alone in superficial tumors. A well-researched but maybe underutilized method, HT can have a major clinical impact by improving local tumor management.

Application and Nursing Care of Mid-Length Catheters in the Infusion of Oxaliplatin in Gastrointestinal Tumor Patients Refusing Central Venous Catheterization

Hui Chi — 2025-12-31

Objective: To investigate the application effectiveness and nursing care of mid-length catheters (MCs) in the infusion of oxaliplatin in gastrointestinal tumor patients who refuse central venous catheterization. Methods: A total of 71 patients with gastrointestinal tumors who were treated in our hospital from August 2024 to June 2025 were selected. All of them refused central venous catheterization due to subjective willingness and voluntarily accepted MC insertion for oxaliplatin chemotherapy. The MC insertion status of the patients was recorded, and the incidence of catheter-related complications during chemotherapy and the quality of life before and after intervention were observed. Results: The catheterization success rate among the 71 patients was 97.18%; the average catheterization time was (18.25 ± 1.12) minutes, and the average catheter indwelling time was (12.64 ± 4.58) days; a total of 5 catheter-related complications occurred during chemotherapy, with an overall incidence rate of 7.04%, all of which were mild to moderate complications, and no severe complications occurred; the quality of life score after intervention was significantly higher than that before intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The application of mid-length catheters in the infusion of oxaliplatin in gastrointestinal tumor patients who refuse central venous catheterization offers advantages such as a high catheterization success rate, long indwelling time, low complication rate, and improved quality of life for patients. Combined with targeted nursing measures, it can further ensure medication safety.