Perioperative chemotherapy in colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastases: A global propensity score matched study

Treatment and Management of Peritoneal Spread from Colorectal Cancer Peritoneal Metastasis

Peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer (PMCRC) present a complex treatment challenge requiring multidisciplinary expertise. Significant controversy exists regarding the optimal management of PMCRC patients. In this article, we seek to review the currently available evidence and discuss key components of patient workup, treatment, and management.

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal peritoneal metastases: A pragmatic comparison of oncological outcomes in synchronous versus metachronous disease

BACKGROUND

disease burden (PCI), completeness of cytoreduction or histological features, are known to influence survival after CRS-HIPEC for colorectal peritoneal metastases (CPM). However, there is still debate about influence of CPM onset. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of CPM onset on oncological outcomes after CRS-HIPEC.

METHODS

all patients with CPM scheduled for CRS-HIPEC at one reference center between December 2007 and September 2022 were included. s-PM were defined as those diagnosed at primary disease treatment; m-PM were considered those diagnosed during follow-up. Survival outcomes and recurrence rates were compared using a pragmatic analysis.

RESULTS

125 patients with s-CPM and 170 patients with m-CPM were analyzed. Median follow-up was 58.6 and 50.6 months in s-CPM and m-CPM groups(p = 0.11). Complete cytoreduction (CCS-0/-1) rates were comparable: 84 % s-CPM vs. 88.2 % m-CPM(p = 0.190). Overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter in s-CPM: 24.7 vs. 46.6 months (p = 0.024). Conversely, median disease-free survival was similar in both groups, 10 months vs. 11 months(p = 0.155). Patients in the s-CPM group presented more pN+(p = 0.001), higher histologic grade(p = 0.007) and PCI(p = 0.04), and higher rate of concurrent liver metastases(p = 0.004). RAS/BRAF gene mutations and microsatellite instability did not differ significantly. Perioperative chemotherapy regimens and tolerance were also similar.

CONCLUSIONS

despite s-CPM being associated with impaired OS after CRS-HIPEC, the onset of PM was not found to be an independent determinant for survival. High-risk molecular and histological features strongly influence oncological outcomes after CRS-HIPEC. This is valuable data that could aid in preoperative patient selection process for CRS-HIPEC.

Reported outcomes following cytoreductive surgery for colorectal peritoneal metastases: A systematic review to inform evidence-based practice and international consensus

AIM

Cytoreductive surgery provides a chance for long-term survival and cure in selected patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases. As clinical and academic interest in this field increases, heterogeneity in outcome reporting hinders the valid and meaningful synthesis of data into high-quality meta-analyses. The aim of this systemic review was to investigate variability in outcome reporting following cytoreductive surgery with or without intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal peritoneal metastases.

METHOD

Five electronic databases [MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)] were interrogated from 2000 to October 2023 to identify all reported outcomes in the current literature. Extracted outcomes were catalogued and reviewed by a multidisciplinary working group into standardized terms and domains.

RESULTS

A total of 294 studies, from 5112 screened, were included for analysis. We extracted 2903 outcomes verbatim from included studies and catalogued them into 85 standardized outcomes across seven outcome domains. The most frequently reported domains were survival, in 274 (93%) studies, and pathological outcomes, in 232 (79%) studies. Outcomes pertaining to function and life impact were only reported in seven (2%) studies. Reported outcomes were only defined in 35% of cases, and significant variability existed between definitions.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review highlights the heterogeneity of outcome measurement and reporting following cytoreductive surgery for colorectal peritoneal metastases. Patient-reported outcomes are relatively underrepresented in the current literature. The results of this review will inform an international collaborative effort to create a core outcome set to address these issues.

INDEPSO-ISPSM Consensus on Peritoneal Malignancies: Management of Colorectal Peritoneal Metastases

PURPOSE

This manuscript reports the results of the Indian Network for Development of Peritoneal Surface Oncology and Indian Society of Peritoneal Surface Malignancies (INDEPSO-ISPSM) consensus that aimed to provide recommendations for some important aspects management of patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases (CPM) and address some issues unique to India.

METHODS

The modified Delphi technique was used with two rounds of voting. There were 29 questions on nine main topics-the role of cytoreductive surgery (CRS), patient selection for CRS, preoperative workup, role of systemic chemotherapy (SC), CPM with other visceral metastases, molecular profile, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and other modalities of intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC), prophylactic/preventive strategies, and surveillances after CRS. A consensus was achieved if anyone option received >70 votes (strong consensus >90%).

RESULTS

Forty-eight surgical (n = 41) and gastrointestinal (n = 7) oncologists were invited; 44 agreed to participate. The response rate was 95.4% (42/44) in round 1 and 93.1% (41/44) in round 2. Overall, a consensus was achieved on 23/29 (79.3%) questions (strong consensus on 6/29 [20.6%]). The panel strongly recommended considering surgery for limited CPM with limited liver metastases (92.5%), not altering the surgical approach in patients with KRAS mutations (91.67%), and limiting the use of IPC for unresectable CPM outside clinical trials (95%). Adjuvant SC was recommended for all patients undergoing CRS (89.47%). CRS is a therapeutic option for selected patients with CPM including those with metachronous CPM (79.49) and signet ring cell cancers (76.92%). HIPEC was recommended outside clinical trials only for patients with peritoneal cancer index 11-15(80%).

CONCLUSION

The panel recommended CRS for most indications but was very selective in recommending HIPEC and IPC outside clinical trials. These recommendations should be a useful resource in clinical decision making for clinicians treating CPM in India and regions with a similar sociodemographic background.

Systemic chemotherapy in addition to CRS-HIPEC for colorectal peritoneal metastases: A critical systematic review on the impact on overall survival

In patients with resectable colorectal peritoneal metastases, it is unclear whether systemic chemotherapy, in addition to cytoreductive surgery-hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC), improves overall survival (OS). This systematic review of 12 retrospective studies involving 3721 patients aimed to summarize the available evidence. Contradictory results were found regarding the effectiveness of neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and perioperative systemic therapies on OS, with a high risk of bias. Available evidence remains inconclusive, stressing the need for prospective, randomized trials, like the ongoing Dutch CAIRO6-trial.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps-Inhibiting and Fouling-Resistant Polysulfoxides Potently Prevent Postoperative Adhesion, Tumor Recurrence, and Metastasis

Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is considered one of the most dreaded forms of cancer metastases for both patients and physicians. Aggressive cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is the primary treatment for peritoneal metastasis. Unfortunately, this intensive treatment frequently causes clinical complications, such as postoperative recurrence, metastasis, and adhesion formation. Emerging evidence suggests that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) released by inflammatory neutrophils contribute to these complications. Effective NET-targeting strategies thus show considerable potential in counteracting these complications but remain challenging. Here, one type of sulfoxide-containing homopolymer, PMeSEA, with potent fouling-resistant and NET-inhibiting capabilities, is synthesized and screened. Hydrating sulfoxide groups endow PMeSEA with superior nonfouling ability, significantly inhibiting protein/cell adhesion. Besides, the polysulfoxides can be selectively oxidized by ClO- which is required to stabilize the NETs rather than H2O2, and ClO- scavenging effectively inhibits NETs formation without disturbing redox homeostasis in tumor cells and quiescent neutrophils. As a result, PMeSEA potently prevents postoperative adhesions, significantly suppresses peritoneal metastasis, and shows synergetic antitumor activity with chemotherapeutic 5-Fluorouracil. Moreover, coupling CRS with PMeSEA potently inhibits CRS-induced tumor metastatic relapse and postoperative adhesions. Notably, PMeSEA exhibits low in vivo acute and subacute toxicities, implying significant potential for clinical postoperative adjuvant treatment.

Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in the Management of Colorectal Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis: A Single-Center Cohort Study

Multimodal treatment in peritoneal metastases (PM) from colorectal neoplasms may improve overall survival (OS). In this study, we reported our experience in using cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia (HIPEC) for the treatment of peritoneal metastases (PM) from colorectal neoplasms. The first aim was to evaluate the overall survival of these patients. Furthermore, using the results of the Prodige 7 Trial and incorporating them with the entropy balance statistical tool, we generated a pseudopopulation on which to test the use of CRS alone. We performed a retrospective analysis based on a prospective database of all 55 patients treated with CRS + HIPEC between March 2004 and January 2023. The median OS was 47 months, with 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of 90.8%, 58.7% and 42.7%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the data in the pseudogroup generated with entropy balance. This finding confirms the critical role of complete cytoreduction in achieving the best OS for patients with PM. PCI > 6 seems to be the most important prognostic factor influencing OS. At present, CRS + HIPEC seems to be the therapeutic strategy that guarantees the best results in terms of OS for patients with relatively low PCI and in whom a CCS ≤ 1 can be achieved.

Efficacy of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in colorectal cancer: A phase I and III open label randomized controlled registry-based clinical trial protocol

Standard treatment for patient with peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer is cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). In recent years, the efficacy of oxaliplatin-based HIPEC has been challenged. An intensified HIPEC (oxaliplatin+irinotecan) in combination with early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) has shown increased recurrence-free survival in retrospective studies. The aim of this trial is to develop a new HIPEC/EPIC regimen and evaluate its effect on morbidity, oncological outcome, and quality-of-life (QoL). This study is designed as a combined phase I/III multicenter randomized trial (RCT) of patients with peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer eligible for CRS-HIPEC. An initial phase I dose escalation study, designed as a 3+3 stepwise escalation, will determine the maximum tolerable dose of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) as 1-day EPIC, enrolling a total of 15-30 patients in 5 dose levels. In the phase III efficacy study, patients are randomly assigned intraoperatively to either the standard treatment with oxaliplatin HIPEC (control arm) or oxaliplatin/irinotecan-HIPEC in combination with single dose of 1-day 5-FU EPIC (experimental arm). 5-FU is administered intraoperatively after CRS-HIPEC and closure of the abdomen. The primary endpoint is 12-month recurrence-free survival. Secondary endpoints include 5-year overall survival, 5-year recurrence-free survival (registry based), postoperative complications, and QoL up to 3 years after study treatment. This phase I/III trial aims to identify a more effective treatment of colorectal peritoneal metastases by combination of HIPEC and EPIC.

Comparison of outcomes between surgical treatment of colorectal cancer metastatic to the liver and the peritoneum: Review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Liver and peritoneum are two of the most common sites of colorectal metastases.

METHODS

We searched for articles comparing outcomes of surgical management for metastatic colorectal cancer to the liver and peritoneum.

CONCLUSION

Cytoreductive surgery/heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy has a similar safety profile and survival outcomes as hepatectomy for colorectal metastases after stratifying by resection status and should be incorporated earlier in the management algorithm for colorectal cancer patients with peritoneal metastases METHODS: We performed a wide search on PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar for articles comparing outcomes of surgical management for metastatic colorectal cancer to the liver and peritoneum. We focused on studies comparing their perioperative clinical outcomes as well as their oncological outcomes. The following words were included in the search: comparison, outcomes, metastasectomy, colorectal cancer, liver, peritoneal surface disease, hepatectomy, and cytoreduction.

RESULTS

One hundred and twenty studies were evaluated. Six of these studies met the criteria for this review.

Is Systemic Chemotherapy Useful in Patients Treated with Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) for Colorectal Peritoneal Metastases? A Propensity-Score Analysis

PURPOSE

Multimodal treatment of colorectal (CRC) peritoneal metastases (PM) includes systemic chemotherapy (SC) and surgical cytoreduction (CRS), eventually with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), in select patients. Considering lack of clear guidelines, this study was designed to analyze the role of chemotherapy and its timing in patients treated with CRS-HIPEC.

METHODS

Data from 13 Italian centers with PM expertise were collected by a collaborative group of the Italian Society of Surgical Oncology (SICO). Clinicopathological variables, SC use, and timing of administration were correlated with overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local (peritoneal) DFS (LDFS) after propensity-score (PS) weighting to reduce confounding factors.

RESULTS

A total of 367 patients treated with CRS-HIPEC were included in the propensity-score weighting. Of the total patients, 19.9% did not receive chemotherapy within 6 months of surgery, 32.4% received chemotherapy before surgery (pregroup), 28.9% after (post), and 18.8% received both pre- and post-CRS-HIPEC treatment (peri). SC was preferentially administered to younger (p = 0.02) and node-positive (p = 0.010) patients. Preoperative SC is associated with increased rate of major complications (26.9 vs. 11.3%, p = 0.0009). After PS weighting, there were no differences in OS, DFS, or LDFS (p = 0.56, 0.50, and 0.17) between chemotherapy-treated and untreated patients. Considering SC timing, the post CRS-HIPEC group had a longer DFS and LDFS than the pre-group (median DFS 15.4 vs. 9.8 m, p = 0.003; median LDFS 26.3 vs. 15.8 m, p = 0.026).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with CRC-PM treated with CRS-HIPEC, systemic chemotherapy was not associated with overall survival benefit. The adjuvant schedule was related to prolonged disease-free intervals. Additional, randomized studies are required to clarify the role and timing of systemic chemotherapy in this patient subset.

Targeted delivery of cathepsin-activatable near-infrared fluorescence probe for ultrahigh specific imaging of peritoneal metastasis

Inadequate cytoreductive surgery (CRS) has been identified as a prognostic factor for poor patient outcomes in cases of peritoneal metastasis. While imaging probes are used to identify peritoneal metastasis to facilitate CRS, many of these probes exhibit high background signals, resulting in a significant delay in achieving a satisfactory tumor-to-normal ratio (TNR) due to prolonged clearance time. In this study, we designed a novel fluorescent probe named Tras-AA-Cy NH2, which enables the relatively rapid imaging of subcutaneous tumors and peritoneal tumors while maintaining a high TNR. Mechanistically, Tras-AA-Cy NH2 exhibits selective targeting towards the Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 on the surface of cancer cells. Following internalization, it undergoes enzymatic cleavage catalyzed by the overexpressed cathepsin, leading to the subsequent release of near-infrared fluorophores. Consequently, Tras-AA-Cy NH2 achieved a TNR of 7.8 at 6 h and 21.4 at 24 h in subcutaneous tumor mice. Even after 522 h of in vivo circulation, the TNR remained above 5, indicating an ultralong imaging time window. It is noteworthy that Tras-AA-Cy NH2 has demonstrated successful utilization for peritoneal tumor-specific imaging and further affirmed its tumor tissue-specific recognition capability using human resected tissues. In summary, these findings underscore the rational design of Tras-AA-Cy NH2 for visualizing peritoneal tumors.

Peritoneal Metastasis: A Dilemma and Challenge in the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is a common mode of distant metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC) and has a poorer prognosis compared to other metastatic sites. The formation of PM foci depends on the synergistic effect of multiple molecules and the modulation of various components of the tumor microenvironment. The current treatment of CRC-PM is based on systemic chemotherapy. However, recent developments in local therapeutic modalities, such as cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC), have improved the survival of these patients. This article reviews the research progress on the mechanism, characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment strategies of CRC-PM, and discusses the current challenges, so as to deepen the understanding of CRC-PM among clinicians.