[Liver tumor ablation]

Immunoregulatory effects of saikosaponin-d in rats with experimental hepatocarcinoma

AIM: To investigate the immunoregulatory effects of saikosaponin-d (SSd) in rats with diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced experimental hepatocarcinoma and explore whether such immunoregulatory effects are associated with the antitumor effects of SSd.

METHODS: Ninety Sprague-Dawley male rats, weighting 248.18 ± 12.32 g, were divided into five groups randomly: normal control group (n = 10), model control group (n = 20) and three treatment groups (n = 20 in each group). Except the normal control group, rats in other groups were administrated with 2 mg/L DEN at a dose of 10 mg/kg bodyweight five times one week for sixteen weeks. Meanwhile, rats in the treatment groups were injected intraperitoneally with SSd at different doses (1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg/kg, respectively) once daily for sixteen weeks. Rats were anesthetized and killed at the end of last week. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to examine the pathological changes in the liver. T lymphocyte subsets (CD3⁺ CD4⁺%, CD3⁺ CD8⁺% and CD3⁺ CD4⁺/ CD3⁺ CD8⁺ ratio) were measured by flow cytometry.

RESULTS: Both tumor volume and tumor number were significantly reduced in the three SSd treatment groups when compared with the model control group. According to criteria of Edmondson and Steiner, the majority of tumors in the model group were histologically classified as grade III while those in the three SSd treatment groups were classified as grades I-II. The tumors in the treatment groups were well differentiated while those in the model control group were poorly differentiated. Compared with the control group, the percentage of CD4⁺ T lymphocytes and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio significantly decreased in the model control group while the percentage of CD8⁺ T lymphocytes markedly increased (33.56% ± 4.16% vs 45.50% ± 4.03%, 1.06 ± 0.56 vs 1.93 ± 0.28 and 30.62% ± 3.65% vs 22.88% ± 3.15%, respectively; all P < 0.05). In contrast, a significant increase in the percentage of CD4⁺ T lymphocytes and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio and a marked decrease in the percentage of CD8⁺ T lymphocytes were noted in the three SSd treatment groups (especially in high-dose SSd treatment group) when compared with the model control group (39.06% ± 3.98% vs 33.56% ± 4.16%, 1.55 ± 0.29 vs 1.06 ± 0.56 and 18.99% ± 3.09% vs 30.62% ± 3.65%, respectively; all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: SSd has inhibitory effects on DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats perhaps through exerting an immunoprotective effect.

[Metastases of colorectal carcinoma]

Metastases of colorectal cancer represent an interdisciplinary therapeutic challenge. Evidence-based guidelines are supportive of treatment decisions in specific situations with the objective to improve the therapeutic outcome for patients. Interventional tumor therapies are increasingly applied therapeutic options in the treatment of colorectal metastases. The current literature indicates that thermoablation of colorectal liver metastasis can lead to an improved survival in selected patients. However, recommendation of thermoablation as a part of guidelines for the therapy of colorectal metastases is restricted due to a shortcoming of randomized controlled trials. Therefore, interventional tumor therapies have to be evaluated in comparison with standard therapies, particularly with regard to surgical resection and chemotherapy. Moreover, the interdisciplinary combination of tumor ablation, surgical resection, and chemotherapy is a promising approach for the optimization of oncological therapy strategies in the treatment of colorectal metastases.