[Surgical treatment of peritoneal metastases of gastric cancer]

Patient-specific 3D-tissue slices from peritoneal metastases - An in vitro model for individual susceptibility analysis

Objectives

The prognosis of patients with peritoneal metastases (PM) is poor, and these patients have a brief overall survival. Most patients with advanced PM receive palliative therapy to maintain their quality of life. In our current study, we investigated whether patient-specific 3D-tissue slices from patients with PM subjected to pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy could be cultured in vitro.

Methods

Biopsies from gastric cancer patients with PM were characterized for cytokeratin-positive tumor cells and the proliferation marker Ki-67. Biopsies from seven patients were cut to 350 µM thick slices in a standardized manner, cultured with 10 µM 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cisplatin, oxaliplatin, or irinotecan for 96 h, and then examined histopathologically and via immunohistochemistry for persistent cytokeratin and Ki-67 expression.

Results

In vitro cultured slices revealed a similar morphology to un-cultured specimens, and Ki-67-positive tumor cell areas were present after 96 h. The total amount of tumor cells per slice was determined by pan-cytokeratin staining. In the doxorubicin-treated slices, the cytokeratin-positive tumor cell fraction and proliferative (Ki-67pos) cells were decreased. Patient-specific 3D-tissue-slice cultures from peritoneal biopsies were cultured in vitro for up to 4 days.

Conclusions

Potentially, these cultures are a reliable model to evaluate the chemosensitivity of patients with PM. Further investigation is needed to match the chemosensitivity with the clinical course of these patients.

Cytoreductive Surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis: Additional Information Helps to Optimize Patient Selection before Surgery

(1) Background: The prognosis of gastric cancer-associated peritoneal carcinomatosis (GCPC) is poor, with a median survival time of less than six months, and current systemic chemotherapy, including targeted therapy, is ineffective. Despite growing evidence that cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) for GCPC improves overall survival (OS), optimal patient selection remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate preoperative clinical factors and identify indicative factors for predicting postoperative OS in patients with GCPC undergoing CRS-HIPEC. (2) Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 44 consecutive patients with GCPC who underwent CRS-HIPEC between May 2015 and May 2021. Data on demographics and radiologic assessment were collected and analyzed. (3) Results: Elevated preoperative serum neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio > 4.4 (p = 0.003, HR = 3.70, 95% CI = 1.55-8.79) and number of computed tomography risks > 2 (p = 0.005, HR = 3.26, 95% CI = 1.33-7.98) were independently indicative of OS post-surgery. A strong correlation was observed between intraoperative peritoneal cancer index score and number of computed tomography risks (r = 0.534, p < 0.0001). Two patients after CRS-HIPEC ultimately achieved disease-free survival for more than 50 months. (4) Conclusions: Our experience optimizes GCPC patients' selection for CRS-HIPEC, may help to improve outcomes in the corresponding population, and prevent futile surgery in inappropriate patients.

Comparative Analysis of Postoperative Complications after Cytoreductive Surgery and HIPEC in Gastric Cancer

INTRODUCTION

Patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) frequently show peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). PC reduces life expectancy and quality of life. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been shown to improve overall survival. Nevertheless, it has been reported that CRS and HIPEC are accompanied by an increase in postoperative complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the complications associated with CRS and HIPEC and overall and disease-free survival.

METHODS

Patients with AGC and PC, who received complete CRS and HIPEC, were included in the HIPEC group (n = 15). Patients with AGC but without PC, who received resection of the primary tumor alone, constituted the control group (n = 43).

RESULTS

Patients enrolled in the HIPEC group presented with a median PCI of 7. In comparison with the control group, no differences were found in patient characteristics, risk factors, pathological findings, and operative procedures. Twenty-five percentage of the patients in both groups suffered from serious postoperative complications (CDC ≥3a). Surgical and medical complications, rate of reoperation, and mortality did not differ. Also, the recurrence pattern, median survival, and 1- and 2-year survival rates showed no differences.

CONCLUSION

CRS and HIPEC do not lead to an increased postoperative morbidity and mortality in AGC with PC. Albeit the poorer prognosis of patients with PC, survival of both groups was comparable.

Characterization of Total RNA, CD44, FASN, and PTEN mRNAs from Extracellular Vesicles as Biomarkers in Gastric Cancer Patients

Simple Summary

Liquid biopsy is an easily accessible and non-invasive method to gain information about tumor diseases. The purpose of our study was to determine the value of extracellular vesicle-derived mRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of gastric cancer and the response to its treatment. In a cohort of 87 gastric cancer patients and a control group of 14 individuals, we analyzed the absolute RNA concentration from extracellular vesicles (EV) and the relative levels of FASN, PTEN, and CD44 mRNA, and their correlation with clinico-pathological features. These correlated with treatment, tumor grading, and the pathological subtype according to Laurén’s classification. This might reflect their potential as both diagnostic and therapeutic predictors.

Abstract

In-depth characterization has introduced new molecular subtypes of gastric cancer (GC). To identify these, new approaches and techniques are required. Liquid biopsies are trendsetting and provide an easy and feasible method to identify and to monitor GC patients. In a prospective cohort of 87 GC patients, extracellular vesicles (EVs) were isolated from 250 µL of plasma. The total RNA was isolated with TRIZOL. The total RNA amount and the relative mRNA levels of CD44, PTEN, and FASN were measured by qRT-PCR. The isolation of EVs and their contained mRNA was possible in all 87 samples investigated. The relative mRNA levels of PTEN were higher in patients already treated by chemotherapy than in chemo-naïve patients. In patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by gastrectomy, a decrease in the total RNA amount was observed after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and gastrectomy, while FASN and CD44 mRNA levels decreased only after gastrectomy. The amount of RNA and the relative mRNA levels of FASN and CD44 in EVs were affected more significantly by chemotherapy and gastrectomy than by chemotherapy alone. Therefore, they are a potential biomarker for monitoring treatment response. Future analyses are needed to identify GC-specific key RNAs in EVs, which could be used for the diagnosis of gastric cancer patients in order to determine their molecular subtype and to accompany the therapeutic response.

A Phase II Trial of Cytoreduction, Gastrectomy, and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Perfusion with Chemotherapy for Patients with Gastric Cancer and Carcinomatosis or Positive Cytology

BACKGROUND

Current national guidelines do not include hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC) as treatment for gastric cancer, and there are no completed clinical trials of cytoreduction, gastrectomy, and HIPEC from the US.

METHODS

Patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and positive peritoneal cytology or carcinomatosis who had completed systemic chemotherapy and laparoscopic HIPEC underwent cytoreduction, gastrectomy, and HIPEC with 30 mg mitomycin C and 200 mg cisplatin. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), with a secondary endpoint of postoperative complications (NCT02891447).

RESULTS

We enrolled 20 patients from September 2016 to March 2019. Six patients had positive cytology only and 14 had carcinomatosis. All patients were treated with systemic chemotherapy with a median of eight cycles (range 5-11 cycles) and at least one laparoscopic HIPEC. The median peritoneal carcinomatosis index at cytoreduction/gastrectomy/HIPEC was 2 (range 0-13). After surgery, the 90-day morbidity and mortality rates were 70% and 0%, respectively. Median length of hospital stay was 13 days (range 7-23 days); median follow-up was 33.5 months; median OS from the date of diagnosis of metastatic disease was 24.2 months; and median OS from the date of cytoreduction, gastrectomy, and HIPEC was 16.1 months. 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates from the diagnosis of metastatic disease were 90%, 50%, and 28%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Survival rates for patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and peritoneal disease treated with cytoreduction, gastrectomy, and HIPEC are encouraging; our early results are similar to those of recent prospective registry studies. Multi-institutional and cooperative group trials should be supported to confirm survival and safety outcomes.

Postoperative intraperitoneal hyperthermic perfusion improve survival for advanced gastric cancer

To evaluate the value of intraperitoneal hyperthermic perfusion (IPHP) in the treatment of gastric cancer.Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignancy with poor prognosis, recent years have demonstrated advances in the use of IPHP for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC), but the outcome is controversial.Between January 2015 and January 2017, 134 patients with GC were treated with IPHP in our surgery department, 130 of them were advanced GC patients, and other 1439 cases were treated without IPHP for comparison. In this retrospective cohort study, demographic, perioperative data, and follow-up data were analyzed by univariant analysis, Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression survival analysis.We found the 1-year survival in IPHP group was significantly longer than it in non-IPHP group (85.5% vs 73.8%, P = .027). and IPHP decreased mortality 1.8 times in 2-year course (OR = 0.556, P = .004). The incidence rate of total complications in IPHP group was similar to that in the Non-IPHP group (6.67% vs 7.46%, respectively; P = .718). We classified all patients into four groups, operation alone, operation + chemotherapy, operation + IPHP, and operation + IPHP + chemotherapy. The 1-year survival in the groups was 70.2%, 77.5%, 83.1%, and 93.5%, respectively (P = .001), compared with the group of operation alone, the 2-year mortality risk was decreased 1.76 times (OR = 0.569, P = .030) and 2.59 times (OR = 0.385, P = .022) in operation + IPHP group and operation + IPHP + chemotherapy group.Our results suggest that IPHP could contribute to improve survival of patients with gastric cancer. And the modality of operation + IPHP + chemotherapy is the optimal treatment modality for gastric cancer.

Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) in Gastric Cancer Patients with Peritoneal Metastasis (PM): Results of a Single-Center Experience and Register Study

PURPOSE

Gastric cancer (GC) patients with peritoneal metastasis (PM) have poor prognosis. Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) in combination with systemic chemotherapy is a novel treatment option for patients in stage IV of the disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between November 2015 and June 2018, prospective data collection was performed in 24 patients with GC and PM (median age, 57; range, 44-75 years). These patients underwent 46 PIPAC procedures with a median number of 2 interventions per patient (range, 1-6). A laparoscopic access was used and a combined therapy of cisplatin and doxorubicin aerosol was administered.

RESULTS

The median peritoneal carcinomatosis index before the 1st PIPAC was 14 (range, 2-36), and the median ascites volume in patients before the 1st PIPAC was 100 mL (range, 0-6 mL, 300 mL). Eleven patients, who received 2 or more PIPAC procedures, had decreased and stable volumes of ascites, while only 3 patients displayed increasing volume of ascites. The median overall survival was 121 days (range, 66-625 days) after the 1st PIPAC procedure, while 8 patients who received more than 3 PIPAC procedures had a median survival of 450 days (range, 206-481 days) (P=0.0376).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show that PIPAC is safe and well tolerated, and that the production of ascites can be controlled by PIPAC in GC patients. Patients, who received 2 or more PIPAC procedures, reported a stable overall quality of life. Further studies are required to document the significance of PIPAC as a palliative multimodal therapy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03100708.