Background: The management of indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITNs), classified as Bethesda III and IV, is challenging due to biopsy limitations in distinguishing benign from malignant nodules. While diagnostic lobectomy is the standard, thermal ablation (TA) is increasingly considered for patients ineligible or unwilling to undergo surgery. This systematic review and meta-analysis therefore evaluate the efficacy and safety of TA for ITNs. Methods: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and COCHRANE databases was conducted through May 11, 2025, for studies on ITNs treated with TA, with ≥12 months of follow-up and reported clinical or safety outcomes. Case reports, abstracts, and reviews were excluded. Two radiologists independently performed data extraction and quality assessment. Outcomes included volume reduction rate (VRR), regrowth, delayed surgeries, malignancy detection, and complications. The Risk of Bias for Nonrandomized Studies (RoBANS) tool was used for quality assessment. A random-effects model synthesized pooled estimates, with heterogeneity quantified by Higgins' I2. Results: A total of 15 studies with 1149 nodules were analyzed, showing progressive VRR increase, plateauing at 48 months. The pooled 12-month VRR was 81.0% (confidence interval: 76.0-85.9%). Hydrodissection significantly improved VRR at 6 months (p = 0.03), while larger nodules were more prone to regrowth. Major complications occurred in 1.8% (21/1149), with no reported metastasis. Regrowth and delayed surgery occurred in 2.3% (26/1149) and 0.3% (4/1149), respectively, with three malignancies upon delayed surgery. Conclusions: TA may be considered a minimally invasive alternative for ITNs who are not candidates for or decline surgery, demonstrating favorable efficacy and safety. However, study limitations, short follow-up, and residual malignancy risk necessitate careful follow-up, particularly for larger nodules. Advanced TA techniques such as hydrodissection may enhance outcomes by increasing the likelihood of complete ablation. Long-term prospective studies and randomized trials are needed to confirm TA's role in clinical practice.

The fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) has been extensively studied for its potential to predict the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, findings have been inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to examine the prognostic value of FAR in CRC.

Lung cancer metastasis constitutes a critical aspect of disease progression and patient outcomes. It is imperative to illuminate the complex landscape of lung cancer metastasis, offering a thorough evaluation of sites, rates, risk factors, and survival implications.

Sarcopenia is widely explored for its significance for predicting nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) prognosis, yet current results are inconsistent. Consequently, this meta-analysis focused on investigating its precise role in predicting NPC prognosis.

Increasing remnant liver volume before major liver resection is an effective measure to reduce postoperative adverse events of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to provide evidence for optimal management of HCC patients with insufficient future remnant liver volume (FRLV).

The prognostic role of the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been widely reported, but the results remain controversial. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the prognostic and clinicopathological value of the HALP score in NSCLC through a pooled analysis.

The combination of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with chemotherapy (PC) has shown promise in treating advanced NSCLC. However, its added benefit over chemotherapy alone in Chinese patients remains unclear. We performed an updated synthesis of phase 3 randomized controlled trails (RCTs) to assess both therapeutic effectiveness and associated safety of PC therapy in this population.

Available evidence has unequivocally established the significance of inflammation in the onset and advancement of cancer. Pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) is an evaluation method that incorporates the role of different white blood cells (WBC) subsets to predict the progression of cancer. The main aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of the PIV score in predicting prognosis among women with breast cancer. A thorough search was performed on the Scopus, Europe PMC, Cochrane Library, and Medline databases up until September 25th, 2024, employing a combination of pertinent keywords. This investigation includes paper that explores the connection of PIV and survival in breast neoplasm. We utilized random-effects models to assess the hazard ratio (HR) and report the results together with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). Sixteen papers were chosen for analysis. The findings of our meta-analysis from multivariate data indicated that breast cancer patients who possessed high PIV score had a higher risk of shorter overall survival (OS) (HR 2.22; 95% CI 1.60-3.07, p < 0.00001, I2 = 55%), poorer progression-free survival (PFS) (HR 1.58; 95% CI 1.16-2.15, p = 0.003, I2 = 53%), and lower likelihood of achieving pathological complete response (pCR) (HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.27-0.75, p = 0.002, I2 = 47%) than those with low PIV score. The present review indicates the prognostic ability of PIV score in forecasting the prognosis of breast cancer patients.

A number of studies have shown that various histological subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma have different clinical prognoses, but the cribriform pattern, as a unique histological subtype, plays an important role in the prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Endometrial cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women worldwide, and the fourth most common in high-income countries, where its incidence is increasing. Atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) is an overgrowth of the womb lining and can be a precursor of endometrial cancer. Between 14% and 25% of cases of endometrial cancer are diagnosed in premenopausal women. Due to delays in childbearing age and increasing obesity rates, a growing number of women wish to explore fertility-sparing management of endometrial cancer or AEH.

This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) located at specific anatomical sites of the liver compared with non-specific sites.

Esophageal cancer (EC) remains a highly aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis despite advancements in treatment. Toripalimab, a PD-1 inhibitor, has demonstrated the potential to improve clinical outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis assess the efficacy and safety of Toripalimab in EC.

BackgroundFetal androgen exposure plays a pivotal role in Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) development and may result in elevated Anogenital distance (AGD). This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the clinical link between PCOS and AGD.MethodsA literature search was performed across various databases to identify studies evaluating AGD in adults with PCOS and without, regardless of language, up to December 2024. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) scoring system. Random-effects models were utilized to determine mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in cases of high heterogeneity. This meta-analysis encompassed 4 studies involving a total of 837 participants.ResultsThe pooled analysis found a noteworthy increase of the AGD-ac and AGD-af in PCOS patient compared with the control groups, with an overall MD of AGD-ac = 5.23, 95% CI (2.60, 7.85), P-value < 0.0001, I2 = 57%, and with an overall MD of AGD-af = 2.19, 95% CI (0.04, 4.35), P-value = 0.05, I2= 89%.ConclusionThe meta-analysis results indicated that women diagnosed with PCOS exhibit elongated AGD. This potential association between AGD and PCOS could serve as a novel clinical marker for the diagnosis of PCOS. Fetal androgen exposure may play a role in the pathogenesis of PCOS.

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common complication of advanced malignancies, requiring differentiation from benign pleural effusion for appropriate management. Cytology and biopsy have limitations, necessitating more sensitive, less invasive diagnostic techniques. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of methylated SHOX2 (short-stature homeobox 2) and RASSF1A (Ras association domain family member 1A) genes in detecting MPE.

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a widely used imaging modality for evaluating thoracic lymph nodes (LNs), particularly in the staging of lung cancer. Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted EBUS has emerged as a promising tool to enhance diagnostic accuracy. However, its effectiveness in differentiating benign from malignant thoracic LNs remains uncertain. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of AI-assisted EBUS compared to the pathological reference standards.

The efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) after gross total resection (GTR) for intracranial solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) remains unclear due to the inconsistent results of previous studies, with some studies suggesting improved outcomes in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), while others report no significant benefit. Therefore, by evaluating and synthesizing data from relevant studies, we aimed to investigate the role of PORT, as compared with surgery alone, in survival outcomes after GTR of intracranial SFT. A systematic literature search, adhering to PRISMA guidelines and using Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant literature. The outcomes of interest included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS) at 3, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Differences between the two cohorts (GTR + PORT vs. GTR only) were estimated by calculating the hazard ratios. Twelve studies, including data from 419 patients (GTR + PORT, n = 225 vs. GTR, n = 194), were selected for meta-analysis. Pooled hazard ratios revealed that the PORT cohort showed sustained superiority in both PFS and OS compared with the surgery-only cohort after GTR of the tumor. These results were consistent with those of a subgroup analysis that focused on grade 2 and 3 intracranial SFT. However, no significant improvement was observed in MFS with PORT addition. This study underscores the importance of PORT in enhancing the PFS and OS of patients with intracranial SFT after GTR. These findings suggest that PORT should be considered an effective treatment strategy for all patients with intracranial SFT, irrespective of the extent of resection.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of small-molecule TKIs in neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer using a network meta-analysis approach.

The potential role of shear wave elastography (SWE) in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases to identify correlated studies up to Dec 2024. A total of 137 studies were identified for potential inclusion, and 11 studies were included, comprising 1551 PCa patients. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for detecting malignant prostatic nodules were 90% (95% CI, 81-95%), 75% (95% CI, 62-84%) and 90% (95% CI: 87, 92%) in per-patient analysis, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 86% (95% CI: 72%, 95%), 86% (95% CI: 78%, 92%) and 92% (95% CI: 90%, 94%) in per-sextant analysis. Publication bias test addressed low significant small-study bias. We found that SWE may serve as a potential diagnostic strategy for PCa and may help to reduce the number of core biopsies. Since limited quantity and small sample size of included studies, further well-designed studies are strongly encouraged to address this promising strategy.

Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) represents a pivotal stage of rectal cancer where it is possible to completely cure the cancer before its systemic spread, thus often requiring an aggressive multimodal therapy. Recent trials suggest that programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors combined with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) may improve treatment outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors when integrated into neoadjuvant CRT regimens for LARC patients.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the esophagus is a highly aggressive and rare type of cancer, making diagnosis and treatment challenging for clinicians. The current guidelines provide conflicting recommendations, and no standardized treatment protocol is available. We aim to deliver a systematic review of esophageal neuroendocrine carcinoma, including patient characteristics, treatment options, and prognostic factors.