Introduction We performed this study to explore the diagnostic accuracies and cutoff values of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection and diagnosis of metastatic retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RLNs) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods One hundred and twenty-eight patients with a total of 159 RLNs were included in the study. The sizes of maximal and minimal axial diameters of each node on both contrast-enhanced CT and MRI images were measured. The characteristics of the RLNs (malignant or benign), as well as the survival of patients, were classified based on the results of follow-up MRI. Results RLN size cutoffs of 4-11 mm for minimal axial diameter were used. We found that MRI showed higher sensitivity while CT demonstrated higher specificity. The reasonable criterion for the diagnosis of metastatic RLNs in MRI was a minimal axial diameter of ≥6 mm, which yielded a sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 0.71, 0.82 and 10.88. Conclusion The radiologic criteria that should be used for the assessment of RLN metastases in NPC patients are nodes with a minimal axial diameter of ≥6 mm on MR images. © 2020 Chen et al.Aim Obstructive colon cancer can be treated by self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) prior to definitive surgery. However, the oncological outcome remains controversial, especially regarding whether stent placement or obstruction results in more perineural invasion (PNI) or lymphovascular invasion (LVI). This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes of emergency surgery (ES) and stent as bridge to surgery (SBTS) in patients with obstructive colon cancer. The pathological characteristics were also compared between obstructive and nonobstructive cancer. Methods This study included 880 patients (including 47 ES and 45 SBTS) admitted to Peking University Third Hospital from January 2010 to December 2018. Short-term and long-term outcomes were compared. The pathological differences between an equal number of obstructive and nonobstructive patients matched using propensity scores were investigated. Results SBTS patients had less intraoperative blood loss (P less then 0.001), shorter ICU stay time (P = 0.007), lower incidence of colostomy (P less then 0.001), and higher laparoscopic achievement (P less then 0.001) than did ES patients. No pathological difference was found between the two groups. SBTS patients showed better overall survival (86.7% vs 68.1%, P = 0.029), but not disease-free survival (68.9% vs 59.6%, P = 0.211) than did ES patients. PNI was significantly higher in obstructive cancer than in nonobstructive cancer (29.3% vs 16.3%, P = 0.035). Conclusion SBTS had a lower incidence of short-term complications and did not affect long-term prognosis compared with that of ES, indicating that SBTS is a safe and effective treatment. Further, PNI may be associated with obstruction, but not with stent insertion. © 2020 Wang et al.Purpose Fucoidan is a natural bioactive product with broad therapeutic applications. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy of the liver associated with a relatively high mortality rate; thus, effective treatments are urgently needed. read more Here, the effects of fucoidan on HCC and the underlying mechanism were explored. Methods The proliferation and apoptosis of two HCC cell lines (BEL-7402 and LM3) treated with different concentrations of fucoidan or saline were assessed. The levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and CCK8 assay were used to determine proliferative capabilities of BEL-7402 and LM3 cells. Apoptosis of LM3 cells was assessed by Hoechst 33342 staining, Western blotting and flow cytometry. The capability of fucoidan to inhibit the growth of LM3 cells was investigated by monitoring of the p38 MAPK/ERK pathways and the upstream kinases, PI3K/Akt. LM3 xenograft tumors were used for in vivo verification. Results Cell proliferation and apoptosis assays consistently showed that fucoidan has an inhibitory effect on cell growth. Fucoidan significantly promoted apoptosis of LM3 cells through a mechanism involving activation of caspases 8, 9, and 3 accompanied by changes in B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), as well as changes in the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and ERK. Fucoidan also altered the phosphorylation of its upstream kinase, Akt. Fucoidan treatment markedly reduced the growth of LM3 xenograft tumors, consistent with the in vitro results. Conclusion Fucoidan conveys antitumor effects and, thus, should be further explored as a potential treatment option for HCC. © 2020 Duan et al.Purpose Synchronous colorectal liver metastasis (SCLM) had limited availability of tools to predict survival and tumor recurrence. LncRNA CRNDE and lncRNA SNHG7 have been proven to be closely related to cancer progression. However, the predictive value of lncRNA CRNDE and lncRNA SNHG7 in cancer prognosis is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether lncRNA CRNDE and lncRNA SNHG7 could be used as promising biomarkers for prognosis prediction of SCLM patients who underwent hepatectomy. Methods The expression profile of lncRNA CRNDE and lncRNA SNHG7 in serum of SCLM patients was examined by qRT-PCR. The relationship between lncRNA expression and clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. The Cox proportional-hazards regression model and Kaplan-Meier analysis were performed to analyze the association between lncRNA expression and overall survival (OS) and tumor recurrence of SCLM patients. Results Levels of lncRNA CRNDE and lncRNA SNHG7 in patients who underwent recurrence or death were significantly higher than that of patients with recurrence-free or survival (P less then 0.01). Both lncRNA CRNDE high level and lncRNA SNHG7 high level showed a significant correlation with differentiation of primary tumor, invasion depth of primary focus, lymph node metastases, number of liver metastases, and liver metastasis grade. High levels of lncRNA CRNDE or lncRNA SNHG7 predicted shorter recurrence time, shorter OS time, higher recurrence rate and lower OS rate. Furthermore, lncRNA CRNDE and lncRNA SNHG7 were independent risk factors for high recurrence and poor OS in SCLM underwent hepatectomy. Conclusion Taken together, lncRNA CRNDE and lncRNA SNHG7 could be promising biomarkers for prediction of OS and tumor recurrence in SCLM underwent hepatectomy. © 2020 Zhang et al.