No abstract

The loss of skeletal muscle mass and function is defined as sarcopenia, which might develop in elderly patients with cancers. It has been indicated as a potential negative factor in the survival of patients with malignant tumours. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the associations between sarcopenia and survival outcomes or postoperative complications in patients with oesophageal cancer (EC). Web of Science, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane Library databases were searched until 10 May 2022, using keywords: sarcopenia, oesophageal cancer, and prognosis. Studies investigating the prognostic value of sarcopenia on EC survival were included. Forest plots and summary effect models were used to show the result of this meta-analysis. The quality of included studies was evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). A total of 1436 studies were identified from the initial search of four databases, and 41 studies were included for the final quantitative analysis. This meta-analysis revealed a significant association between sarcopenia and overall survival (OS) [hazard ratios (HR):1.68, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.54-1.83, P = 0.004, I 2 = 41.7%] or disease-free survival (DFS) 1.97 (HR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.44-2.69, P = 0.007, I 2 = 61.9%) of EC patients. Subgroup analysis showed that sarcopenia remained a consistent negative predictor of survival when stratified by different treatment methods, populations, or sarcopenia measurements. Sarcopenia was also a risk factor for postoperative complications with a pooled odds ratio of 1.47 (95% CI: 1.21-1.77, P = 0.094, I 2 = 32.7%). The NOS scores of all included studies were ≥6, and the quality of the evidence was relatively high. The results from the study suggested that sarcopenia was significantly associated with both survival outcomes and postoperative complications in EC patients. Sarcopenia should be appropriately diagnosed and treated for improving short-term and long-term outcomes of patients with EC.

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common malignant tumor of the upper digestive tract. The microbiota in the digestive tract epithelium comprises a large number of microorganisms that adapt to the immune defense and interact with the host to form symbiotic networks, which affect many physiological processes such as metabolism, tissue development, and immune response. Reports indicate that there are microbial compositional changes in patients with EC, which provides an important opportunity to advance clinical applications based on findings on the gut microbiota. For example, microbiota detection can be used as a biomarker for screening and prognosis, and microorganism levels can be adjusted to treat cancer and decrease the adverse effects of treatment. This review aims to provide an outline of the gut microbiota in esophageal neoplasia, including the mechanisms involved in microbiota-related carcinogenesis and the prospect of utilizing the microbiota as EC biomarkers and treatment targets. These findings have important implications for translating the use of gut microbiota in clinical applications.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are limited by insufficient therapeutic efficacy of low‐dose radiation and nonspecific drug biodistribution. Herein, an acid‐responsive aggregated nanosystem (AuNPs‐D‐P‐DA) loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) is designed for radiosensitization and synergistic chemoradiotherapy. In response to the acid microenvironment of esophageal cancer (EC), small‐sized AuNPs‐D‐P‐DA forms large‐sized gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) aggregates in tumor tissues to hinder the backflow of AuNPs to the circulation, resulting in enhanced tumor accumulation and retention. Simultaneously, the AuNPs‐based radiosensitization is significantly improved because of the high concentration and large size of intratumoral AuNPs, while DOX are delivered and released specifically into tumor cells triggered by the acid microenvironment for chemo‐radio synergistic therapy. Acid‐responsive AuNPs exacerbate radiation‐induced DNA damage, cell apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and low colony formation ability in vitro and enhance anti‐tumor efficacy in vivo compared to un‐responsive control. When combined with acid‐responsive DOX, the therapeutic efficacy of the formulation is further improved by their synergistic effect. After the treatment of acid‐responsive AuNPs plus radiotherapy, fatty acid metabolism is reprogrammed in xenograft models, which provides potential targets for further improvement of radiosensitization. In summary, the acid‐responsive AuNPs‐D‐P‐DA nanosystem leverages the radio‐ and chemotherapeutic synergies of AuNPs‐sensitized X‐ray irradiation and acid‐responsive DOX in the treatment of EC.

Single phase dual emissive Cu:CdS–ZnSe NCs exhibited flexible two emission bands in the whole visible region. This novel phosphor shows potential for use as color convertors in white light emitting diodes (WLEDs).