In this paper, we propose an option contract for a two‐echelon supply chain operating under vendor‐managed inventory (VMI). We find that the supply chain coordination and Pareto improvement can be achieved synchronously. As a comparison, a subsidy contract is introduced to coordinate the supply chain. The paper further considers the influence of a replenishment tactic on the performance of the supply chain. After introducing a replenishment tactic, the supply chain can replenish the products to satisfy unmet demand during the selling season. We further use an option contract to coordinate the supply chain, and a Pareto improvement can be gained. All our findings are numerically illustrated.

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ObjectiveTo observe the safety and short-term efficacy of apatinib in the treatment of recurrent, metastatic cervical cancer in patients who have already received more than two kinds of comprehensive treatment.MethodsForty-eight patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer after radiotherapy or surgery who received apatinib between June 2016 and June 2017 were involved in this study. These patients experienced progression after first-line or second-line chemotherapy. There were 38 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma, 8 with adenocarcinoma, and 2 with adenosquamous carcinoma. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were reviewed and evaluated.ResultsAll patients had complete follow-up records, and the median follow-up time was 14.5 months (5.5–20.5 months). Among the 48 patients, 14.58% achieved a partial response and 52.08% achieved stable disease. The overall response rate and disease control rate were 14.58% and 66.67%, respectively. The median time that the 48 patients received oral apatinib was 8.2 months. The median PFS was 4.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]=3.31–5.26) and OS was 13.9 months (95% CI=8.37–17.96). The main apatinib-related adverse reactions were leukopenia (37.5%), neutropenia (41.67%), hemorrhage (37.5%), hypertension (33.33%), proteinuria (12.5%), fatigue (37.5%), and hand-foot syndrome (27.08%). Most of them were grade 1–2, and no drug-related death occurred.ConclusionsApatinib can improve the disease control rate of recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer when chemotherapy has failed, and the treatment is well tolerated. This represents that apatinib may be a new treatment option for metastatic cervical cancer patients.

Return contracts are commonly used by companies selling products with short life cycles and highly uncertain demand. Current research on return contracts assumes suppliers are responsible for all surplus products. In practice, retailers tend to order more than necessary and leave suppliers with large after-season returns. To mitigate the problem, a new type of return contract with a threshold ordering quantity has been developed by some enterprises. Under these contracts, suppliers specify a threshold for retailers' ordering quantity. They buy back only the portion in excess of the threshold. In this paper, we show that this new type of contract can achieve two objectives: (a) the supply chain is coordinated, and (b) both the supplier and the retailer can gain more profit than they can gain under a wholesale-price-only contract. The new contract does not require any manipulation of wholesale prices. This makes it more acceptable in practice by supply chain members. We also illustrate our findings in a numerical example.