ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Surgical Oncology
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1653386
This article is part of the Research TopicEmerging Trends in Cancer Research: Diagnostic and Therapeutic BreakthroughsView all 8 articles
A Gelatin Sponge-Hemocoagulase Sealant for Preventing Tumor Biopsy Complications: A Dual Mechanical and Pharmacological Barrier
Provisionally accepted
- 1Third People's Hospital of Zigong, Zigong, China
- 2The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- 3The Fourth People's Hospital of Zigong City, Zigong, China
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Background: A CT-guided tumor biopsies carry substantial risks, with literature-reported complication rates reaching 43% and pulmonary biopsy pneumothorax intervention rates as high as 22.1%. This study validates a novel needle tract sealing technique combining absorbable gelatin sponge (mechanical occlusion) with Agkistrodon acutus-derived hemocoagulase (local coagulation), leveraging synergistic physico-chemical mechanisms. Methods: This prospective single-arm cohort enrolled 87 consecutive patients undergoing CT-guided biopsies (Feb 2023-Jun 2025). The core technique involved retrograde injection during needle withdrawal of 1mm³ gelatin sponge particles suspended in 0.5KU hemocoagulase (total volume: 1.5ml), with stratified dosing for D-dimer levels >2mg/L. Primary outcomes were intervention-requiring complications such as symptomatic pneumothorax or clinically significant hemorrhage. This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article Results: Among 87 patients (42 pulmonary), the composite technique reduced overall complications to 4.6% (4/87) vs 43% literature rate (p < 0.001). Pulmonary biopsies achieved significantly lower pneumothorax intervention rates (2.38% vs 22.1%, p < 0.001) and subclinical stabilization of 87.9% imaging abnormalities. Organ-specific protection was observed in extrapulmonary biopsies (zero severe complications). D-dimer-stratified dosing reduced hyperfibrinolytic hemorrhage risk by 86.8% (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The gelatin sponge-hemocoagulase composite significantly reduces CT-guided biopsy complications through dual mechanical-coagulation mechanisms, establishing a universally applicable, precision-stratified safety protocol.
Keywords: Absorbable gelatin sponge, Hemocoagulase from Agkistrodon acutus, complications, Resolution of Imaging Abnormalities, d-dimer
Received: 24 Jun 2025; Accepted: 08 Sep 2025.
Copyright: Âİ 2025 Chen, Hu, Du, Hao, Yang, Yunwei and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xin Liu, The Fourth People's Hospital of Zigong City, Zigong, China
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