BackgroundMultilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) are debilitating degenerative diseases. If conservative treatment is ineffective, surgical options for multilevel CSM and OPLL include laminoplasty (LP) and laminectomy with fusion (LF). In this updated meta-analysis, we aimed to compare the clinical outcomes and complications of both approaches.MethodsWe searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase datasets from their inception to 31 March 2020, to identify all eligible studies comparing LP versus LF for multilevel CSM and OPLL. Data were extracted according to predefined endpoints. We summarised data by the random-effects or fixed-effect models, as necessary.ResultsOf 533 eligible studies, 16 were identified, which included 638 patients who underwent LP and 671 patients who underwent LF. No significant differences were observed between preoperative and postoperative scores of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (p=1.0 and 0.20, respectively); Visual Analogue Scale (p=0.24 and 0.89, respectively); sagittal vertical axis ((p=0.16 and 0.87, respectively); Nurick Scale (p=0.59 and 0.17, respectively); and range of motion (p=0.67 and 0.63, respectively). However, total complications were higher for LF compared with LP (p=0.006). A significantly higher incidence of C5 palsy was observed in the LF group (p=0.004). The postoperative Neck Disability Index (NDI) was also higher in the LF group (p<0.001).ConclusionsAlthough LP and LF shared similar clinical improvement, LP had fewer complications, a lower incidence of C5 palsy, and better NDI scores and recovery outcomes than LF. Randomised studies are warranted to validate these findings.

Background Population‐based estimates of the impact of gender throughout the whole course of brain metastases (BMs) at the time of diagnosis of systemic malignancies are insufficient. We aimed to discover the influence of gender on the presence of BMs in newly diagnosed malignancies and the survival of those patients on a population‐based level. Methods Midlife patients (40 years ≤ age ≤60 years) with newly diagnosed malignancies and BMs at the time of diagnosis were abstracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database of the National Cancer Institute. Clinical variables adjusted patient data. The LASSO regression was performed to exclude the possibility of collinearity. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to find independent predictors for the presence of BMs, while univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used to determine prognosticators of survival. K‐M curves were used to perform the survival analysis. Result 276,327 population‐based samples met inclusion criteria between 2014 and 2016, and 5747 (2.08%) patients were diagnosed with BMs at the time of diagnosis of systematic malignancies. Among all midlife patients with cancer, 44.02% (121,634) were male, while 51.68% (2970) were male among patients with BMs at the time of diagnosis. The most frequent tumor type was breast cancer (23.11%), and lung cancer had the highest incidence proportion of BMs among the entire cohort (19.34%). The multivariable logistic regression model suggested that female (vs. male, odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01–1.14, p < 0.001) was associated with a higher risk of the presence of BMs at the time of diagnosis. Moreover, in the multivariable Cox model for all‐cause mortality in individuals with BMs at diagnosis, female (vs. male, hazard ratio [HR], 0.86, 95% CI, 0.80–0.92, p < 0.001) was shown to have a lower risk of decreased all‐cause mortality. Conclusion The middle‐aged females were at increased risk of developing BMs, while the middle‐aged males with BMs were at higher risk of having poorer survival.

Background: Large epidemiological studies describing the trends in incidence rates and mortality of synchronous brain metastases (SBMs) are lacking. The study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the changes in the incidence and mortality of SBMs over the previous ten years. Methods: Trends in the incidence of solid malignancies outside of the CNS in patients with SBMs and incidence-based mortality rates were assessed using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Joinpoint analyses were used to calculate annual percent changes (APCs) and 95% CIs. Results: Between 2010 and 2019, 66,655 patients, including 34,821 (52.24%) men and 31,834 (47.76%) women, were found to have SBMs, and 57,692 deaths occurred over this period. Lung cancer SBMs, melanoma SBMs, and breast cancer SBMs were ranked in the top three, having the highest age-standardized incidence rates. The incidence of SBMs decreased significantly with an APC of −0.6% from 2010 to 2019, while the APC was 1.2% for lung cancer SBMs, 2.5% for melanoma SBMs, and 0.6% for breast cancer SBMs. The SBM mortality first experienced a rapid increase (APC = 28.6%) from 2010 to 2012 and then showed a significant decline at an APC of −1.8% from 2012 to 2019. Lung cancer SBMs showed similar trends, while melanoma SBM and breast cancer SBM mortality increased continuously. Conclusions: SBMs incidence (2010–2019) and incidence-based mortality (2012–2019) declined significantly. These findings can advance our understanding of the prevalence of SBMs.

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Purpose: Pediatric patients diagnosed with brainstem malignant gliomas (BSMGs) have a poor prognosis. Our study aimed to construct and validate a prognostic nomogram to predict the cancer‐specific survival preoperatively (CSS) rates and then a risk-stratification given to these patients.Methods: From 1998 to 2016, we extracted patients' data from Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. A total of 1160 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into training and validating groups. Subsequently, the Cox regression analysis was used to screen variables. Then, the nomogram was constructed. Lastly, we calculated C-indexes and plotted calibration curves and the utility of decision curve analyses (DCAs) to assess our survival model's benefits.Result: Here, after multivariate cox regression analysis, we established four variables for constructing nomogram for CSS rates. Subsequently, the C-index, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and calibration curves were used to confirm the nomogram's good performance. DCAs of the nomogram indicated that both groups obtained good 1-, 3-, and 5-year net benefits. Conclusion: The nomogram model for preoperatively predicting CSS provided a convenient and practical tool to assess pediatric patients' prognosis with BSMG.