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.

Exploring the Treatment of Chemotherapy- Induced Myelosuppression with the Kidney- Tonifying, Essence-Replenishing, and Marrow- Fortifying Method Based on the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Homing Theory

Jiayu He — 2025-12-31

Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression is a common dose-limiting toxicity of chemotherapy for malignant tumors, and its core mechanism is closely related to hematopoietic stem cell homing disorder. Chinese medicine attributes chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression to the category of “medullary labor” and believes that “deficiency of kidney essence and drying up of the medulla oblongata” is the main pathogenesis of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression, which is precisely the same as that of hematopoietic stem cell homing disorders revealed by modern medicine, which involves chemokines such as CXCL12/CXCR4 axis, adhesion molecules such as very late antigen-4 (VLA-4)/vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM), and other factors such as the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis, and the CXCL4/VCAM axis. This is highly compatible with modern medicine’s revelation of hematopoietic stem cell homing disorder. By activating signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin, up-regulating chemokine expression, enhancing cell adhesion, improving extracellular matrix remodeling, and alleviating oxidative stress, the method of tonifying the kidneys and filling in the marrow promotes the homing of hematopoietic stem cell through multiple pathways, which provides a new idea for the integration of Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression.

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.

Effect of Laparoscopic Radical Resection and Open Surgery for Liver Cancer and Their Impact on Inflammatory Factor Levels

Jiacheng Zou — 2025-12-31

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of laparoscopic radical resection and open surgery for liver cancer. Methods: A total of 80 liver cancer patients admitted to the hospital from January 2023 to January 2025 were selected and equally divided by a random number table. The observation group underwent laparoscopic radical resection, while the reference group underwent open surgery. Perioperative indicators and inflammatory factor levels were compared between the two groups. Results: The observation group exhibited superior perioperative indicators. One day after surgery, the observation group showed excellent inflammatory factor levels, lower fibrosis factor levels, excellent liver function indicators, and a reduced complication rate, with a statistically significant difference between the groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Laparoscopic radical resection for liver cancer is minimally invasive, promotes postoperative recovery, reduces postoperative inflammatory responses, inhibits the progression of liver fibrosis, protects liver function, and demonstrates high surgical safety.

Clinical Application Research of Gene Signature Based on the STAT3/P53 Pathway in Prognosis Prediction for Osteosarcoma Patients

Ping’an Han — 2025-12-31

Objective: To construct a gene signature centered on the STAT3/P53 signaling pathway and clarify its clinical value in prognosis assessment for osteosarcoma patients through direct comparison between the control group and the observation group, providing a reference for personalized treatment. Methods: Eighty osteosarcoma patients admitted to the orthopedics department of our hospital from May 2024 to October 2025 were selected as the study subjects. The expression levels of 12 core genes (CDKN1A, BCL2, MDM2, etc.) in the STAT3/P53 pathway in tumor tissues were detected using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Using the median of the gene signature risk score as the cutoff, patients were divided into a high-risk group (observation group, n = 40) and a low-risk group (control group, n = 40). Clinical and pathological characteristics, core gene expression patterns, treatment responses, and short-term prognosis outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the observation group and the control group in terms of age, gender, and tumor location (all P > 0.05). However, significant differences were observed in the maximum tumor diameter, Enneking stage, and LDH level (all P < 0.001). The expression levels of oncogenes in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while the expression levels of tumor suppressor genes were significantly lower. The chemotherapy response rate in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (χ² = 12.170, P = 0.001). After 3 months of follow-up, the recurrence and metastasis rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (χ² = 8.658, P = 0.003). Conclusion: The gene signature based on the STAT3/P53 pathway can effectively distinguish between high-risk and low-risk osteosarcoma patients, with significant differences observed between the two groups in terms of clinical characteristics, gene expression, and short-term prognosis. This gene signature provides a reliable basis for prognostic prediction and the formulation of treatment plans.