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BackgroundSorafenib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is indicated for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical outcomes of HCC patients receiving sorafenib in real-life clinical setting in comparison with formal clinical trials.MethodsPatients diagnosed with advanced HCC between 2007 and 2015 at single institute were retrospectively enrolled and evaluated for survival and tolerability following sorafenib treatment. Overall survival (OS) and duration of treatment (TTP) were examined by different stratifications including age, gender, etiology, liver functions, and severities.ResultsA total of 67 advanced HCC patients were enrolled for analysis. Of the 67 eligible patients, 66 patients (99%) were diagnosed as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C and 45 (67%) were Child-Pugh A. Chronic hepatitis B virus infection was the main etiology (67%), followed by hepatitis C virus infection (12%) and alcohol liver disease (8%). The median duration of treatment was 3.0 months (95% CI 2.6–3.4 months) and median OS was 8.0 months (95% CI 5.0–11.0 months). By multivariate analysis, female gender (HR =2.462, 95% CI 1.126–5.387, P=0.024), Child-Pugh C (HR =3.913, 95% CI 1.063–14.410, P=0.04), extrahepatic spread (HR =2.123, 95% CI 1.122–4.015, P=0.021), and combined other therapies (HR =0.410, 95% CI 0.117–0.949, P=0.037) were the independent predictors of OS.ConclusionOS of advanced HCC patients treated with sorafenib was longer than that reported in the Asia-Pacific trial study. Impaired hepatic functions are associated with the shorter survival in real-life setting.

Introduction: Gastrectomy is the primary curative treatment for patients with gastric cancer. Poor intake and weight loss are common among gastric patients after gastrectomy surgery and can compromise their recovery and increase morbidity. Knowing factors influencing postoperative nutritional status is crucial for developing interventions to enhance nutritional status in this population. The purpose of this study was to describe nutritional status and its related factors in gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy. Methods: The study was based on a descriptive correlational design. A convenient sample of 101 gastric cancer patients who had gastrectomy was recruited from general surgery or oncology clinics of a medical center in northern Taiwan. Data were collected with self-reported questionnaires, including questions on demographics, gastrointestinal symptom distress, difficulties in food preparation, dietary knowledge, depression, and nutrition status. Data on disease profiles were collected from the patients' charts. The study instruments include the Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy-Gastric Module version 4, the Concerns in Food Preparation scale, the Scale of Dietary Knowledge, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Mini Nutrition Assessment. Descriptive statistics were used to describe participants' demographics, disease profiles, and other study variables. Person correlation coefficient and linear multivariate regression analyses were used to analyze the influencing factors of nutritional status. Results: The mean age of the sample was 66.5(SD = 14.0); ranging from 25 to 89. Majority of them were male (n = 53), married and living with a spouse (n = 92), and had an elementary (n = 32) education level. Seventy four patients had gastric adenocarcinoma, 19 had Signet-ring cell carcinoma, and 8 had gastrointestinal stromal tumor. The cancer stages were 4 in stage 0, 31 in stage I, 26 in stage II, and 40 in stage III. A large proportion of patients (n = 81) underwent subtotal gastrectomy. The average duration after gastrectomy surgery were 10.9 months (SD = 7.6); ranging from three to 23 months. Fifty one patients had received chemotherapy and 6 patients had received CCRT. Majority of the patients (n = 53, 52.5%) were malnourished or at risk. Results of multivariate linear regressions showed that gastrointestinal symptom distress, working status, and concerns in food preparation were significant predictive factors for nutritional status. The three variables together can explained 35.8% of the variation (F= 19.56, p = 0.022) in nutritional status of patients after gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Conclusion:The results of the study supported that gastric cancer patients are at risk for malnourish after gastrectomy and their nutritional status should be evaluated closely. Special attention should be paid to those who have a higher level of gastrointestinal symptom distress, a greater difficulty in food preparation, and is not currently holding a job. Interventions to improve nutritiona...

respectively. The US ICR was moderate in the cecum and rectum, the CS ICR was moderate in the rectum only, and both were substantial in the other segments. There was a fixed bias in the cecum on US, and in the max grade, sigmoid colon, rectum, and all the segments of the colon on CS. The grading at the central facility tended to be higher. Conclusions: The ICRs of US and CS were both good to excellent in UC patients.

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