Pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma: postoperative adjuvant chemoradiation improves survival. A prospective, single-institution experience

Analysis of chemoresistance characteristics and prognostic relevance of postoperative gemcitabine adjuvant chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer

AIM

To investigate the relationship between chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer patients receiving postoperative gemcitabine adjuvant therapy and specific clinical/pathological characteristics, as well as its impact on patient prognosis.

METHODS

From June 2018 to June 2021, clinical and pathological data of 148 pancreatic cancer patients were collected, and 101 patients were followed up for tumor recurrence/metastasis and survival status. The correlation between chemoresistance and specific clinical/pathological characteristics or patient prognosis was retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 148 patients, 78 were in the chemoresistance group and 70 in the non-chemoresistance group. Univariate analysis showed that the development of chemoresistance may be related to patient age, combined diabetes, preoperative CA19-9 level, tumor size, AJCC stage, vascular invasion, and positive lymph node ratio. Furthermore, subsequent multivariate analysis incorporating these variables indicated that tumor size may be a key factor influencing chemoresistance (p < 0.001, OR = 1.584). Log-rank test showed patients in the chemoresistance group had worse overall survival (OS) (HR = 2.102, p = 0.018) and progression free survival (PFS) (HR = 3.208, p = 0.002) than patients in the non-chemoresistance group; and patients with smaller size tumors (diameter ≤3 cm) had significantly better OS (HR = 2.923, p < 0.001) and PFS (HR = 2.930, p = 0.003) than those with larger size tumors (diameter >3 cm).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with pancreatic cancer receiving postoperative gemcitabine adjuvant therapy are more likely to develop chemoresistance when their tumor sizes are larger (diameter >3 cm). Development of chemoresistance exacerbates the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer, and larger tumor size is also a risk factor for poor prognosis in these patients.

Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Treatments for Resectable and Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: The Current Status of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Treatment in Japan

Resection is the only curative treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Although the outcome of technically resectable PDAC has improved with advances in surgery and adjuvant therapy, the 5-year survival rate remains low at 20% to 40%. More effective therapy is needed. Almost 15 years ago, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines proposed a resectability classification of PDAC based on preoperative imaging. Since then, treatment strategies for PDAC have been devised based on resectability. The standard of care for resectable PDAC is adjuvant chemotherapy after R0 resection, as shown by the results of pivotal clinical trials. With regard to neoadjuvant treatment, several recent clinical trials comparing neoadjuvant treatment with upfront resection have been conducted on resectable PDAC and borderline resectable PDAC, and the benefits and efficacy of neoadjuvant treatment for pancreatic cancer has become clearer. The significance of neoadjuvant treatment for resectable PDAC remains controversial, but in borderline resectable PDAC the efficacy of neoadjuvant treatment has been further recognised, although the standard of care has not yet been established. Several promising clinical trials for PDAC are ongoing. This review presents previous and ongoing trials of perioperative treatment for resectable and borderline resectable PDAC, focusing on the difference between Asian and Western countries.

Cost-utility advantage of interventional endoscopy

BACKGROUND

Gastroenterologists frequently face the dilemma of how to choose among different management options.

AIM

To develop a tool of medical decision analysis that helps choosing between competing management options of interventional endoscopy and surgery.

METHODS

Carcinoma-in-situ of the esophagus, large colonic polyps, and ampullary adenoma serve as three examples for disorders being managed by both techniques. A threshold analysis using a decision tree was modeled to compare the costs and utility values associated with managing the three examples. If the expected healing or success rate of interventional endoscopy exceeds a threshold calculated as the ratio of endoscopy costs over surgery costs, endoscopy becomes the preferred management option. A low threshold speaks in favor of endoscopic intervention as initial management strategy.

RESULTS

If the decision in favor of surgery is focused exclusively on preventing death from a given disease, surgical intervention may seem to provide the best treatment option. However, interventional endoscopy becomes a viable alternative, if the comparison is based on a broader perspective that includes adverse events and long-term disability, as well as the healthcare costs of both procedures. For carcinoma-in-situ of the esophagus, the threshold for the expected success rate is 24% (range in the sensitivity analysis: 7-29%); for large colonic polyps it is 10% (5-12%), and for duodenal papillary adenoma it is 17% (5-21%).

CONCLUSIONS

Even if a management strategy surpasses its alternative with respect to one important outcome parameter, there is often still room for the lesser alternative to be considered as viable option.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) for advanced pancreatic and periampullary adenocarcinoma

Long term prognosis and 5-year survival for pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains suboptimal. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided RFA (EUS-RFA) is an emerging technology and limited data exist regarding safety and long-term outcomes. The aim of this study is to report safety-profile, feasibility and outcomes of EUS-RFA for advanced PDAC. Prospective review of patients with diagnosis of locally-advanced or metastatic PDAC undergoing EUS-RFA between October 2016 to March 2018 with long-term follow up (> 30 months). Study patients underwent a total of 1–4 RFA sessions. All patients were enrolled in longitudinal cohort study and received standard of care chemotherapy. 10 patients underwent EUS-RFA. Location of the lesions was in the head(4), neck(2), body(2), and tail(2). 22 RFA sessions were performed with a range of 1–4 sessions per patient. There were no major adverse events (bleeding, perforation, infection, pancreatitis) in immediate (up to 72 h) and short-term follow up (4 weeks). Mild worsening of existing abdominal pain was noted during post-procedure observation in 12/22 (55%) of RFA treatments. Follow-up imaging demonstrated tumor progression in 2 patients, whereas tumor regression was noted in 6 patients (> 50% reduction in size in 3 patients). Median survival for the cohort was 20.5 months (95% CI, 9.93–42.2 months). Currently, 2 patients remain alive at 61 and 81 months follow-up since initial diagnosis. One patient had 3 cm PDAC with encasement of the portal confluence, abutment of the celiac axis, common hepatic and superior mesenteric artery. This patient had significant reduction in tumor size and underwent standard pancreaticoduodenectomy. In our experience, EUS-RFA was safe, well-tolerated and could be concurrently performed with standard chemotherapy. In this select cohort, median survival was improved when compared to published survival based upon SEER database and clinical trials. Future prospective trials are needed to understand the role of EUS-RFA in overall management of PDAC.

One hundred most cited article related to pancreaticoduodenectomy surgery: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

In light of the challenges associated with pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and recent key improvements, this bibliometric analysis aimed to analyze the 100 top-cited (T100) articles related to PD surgery to widen the awareness of relevant research on this procedure.

METHODS

The term "pancreaticoduodenectomy" was used to retrieve articles from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The 100 most cited manuscripts in the English language were identified and further analyzed by their countries of origin, publication journals, authors, and themes.

RESULTS

A thorough literature search was performed on the Web of Science until April 2020. The total number of citations for the T100 articles ranged from 227 to 3029. The T100 articles came from 18 different countries, with the USA accounting for the plurality (n = 72). Professor J.L. Cameron from Johns Hopkins Medicine USA published the most articles (n = 22), including one as the first author and two as a co-author. Furthermore, Johns Hopkins Medicine, USA, published the most articles on PD surgery (n = 24), with a total citation count of 14,151. The journal Annals of Surgery published 40 of the T100 articles, with 15,847 citations and an average citation count of 396. Among the T100 articles, the citation frequency following the year of publication showed a parabolic trend, with citations peaking in the 9th year following publication.

CONCLUSION

Our study identified and analyzed the T100 articles in PD surgery. The USA was the dominant country regarding articles, researchers, and institutions. The citations of the articles peaked in the 9th year after publication.

Increased clostridium difficile infection in the era of preoperative chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

In recent trend of preoperative chemotherapy, postoperative clostridium difficile infection (CDI) might be increasing in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. This study aimed to elucidate the inducement of postoperative CDI in the new era of preoperative chemotherapy.

METHODS

Eligible patients were those who received pancreaticoduodenectomy for PDAC. Patients were classified into two groups according to the presence or absence of postoperative CDI, and the independently associated factors for postoperative CDI were investigated. Additionally, eligible patients were classified using the identified associated factors, and the duration of preoperative antimicrobial administration and incidence of CDI were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

Two hundred PDAC patients were eligible for this study, and postoperative CDI was detected in 15 (7.5%) patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that preoperative biliary tract infection (BTI) and chemotherapy (Chemo) were independently associated with postoperative CDI (OR, 4.05; 95% CI, 1.25-13.1; p = 0.0200 and OR, 3.64; 95% CI, 1.14-11.6; p = 0.0209, respectively). The patients were classified into four groups according to the presence or absence of preoperative BTI and Chemo (BTI-/Chemo-, BTI-/Chemo+, BTI+/Chemo- and BTI+/Chemo + group). The median durations of preoperative antimicrobial administration were 0, 2, 8 and 15 days in each group, respectively. Postoperative CDI was detected in 3.7%, 10.0%, 10.5% and 31.3% in each group, respectively, and patients in BTI+/Chemo + group suffered CDI more frequently compared to those in BTI-/Chemo-group (p = 0.00778).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative BTI and chemotherapy might induce postoperative CDI for PDAC patients.

Octogenarians undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy: Assessing outcomes, disposition, and timing of chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Inclusion of pancreaticoduodenectomy has demonstrated higher rates of curative treatment in pancreatic cancer, yet prior research has suggested increased postoperative complications in octogenarians (patients older than 80 years). This study aimed to understand the impact of age on patients undergoing a pancreaticoduodenectomy, focusing on postoperative outcomes and return to intended oncologic treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a single-institution retrospective cohort study for patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy from 2007 to 2018. Collected data included demographics, preoperative comorbidities, and postoperative data (length of stay, 30-day mortality, 1-year mortality, infection, discharge location). Data were separated into 2 cohorts: octogenarians (≥ 80 years) and nonoctogenarians (< 80). χ2 and independent-sample t tests were used for analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 649 patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy from 2007 to 2018; 63 (9.7%) were octogenarians. No differences were found in infectious complications (P = .607), 30-day mortality (P = .363), or 1-year mortality (P = .895). Octogenarians had a longer length of stay (P = .003) and were more likely to be discharged to skilled nursing facilities (P < .001). There was no significant difference in neoadjuvant chemotherapy administration, although octogenarians were less likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy (P = .048) and declined adjuvant therapy at a higher rate (P = .003).

CONCLUSION

Performing a pancreaticoduodenectomy in octogenarians can be safe and effective in a properly selected cohort. Although postoperative morbidity and mortality are similar to younger patients, elderly patients are more likely to be discharged to nursing facilities and less likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy. This study suggests that age alone should not be a discriminating factor when discussing surgical therapy for pancreatic cancer treatment in octogenarians.

Neoadjuvant therapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Opportunities for personalized cancer care

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive malignancy that is best treated in a multidisciplinary fashion using surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Adjuvant chemotherapy has shown to have a significant survival benefit in patients with resected PDAC. However, up to 50% of patients fail to receive adjuvant chemotherapy due to postoperative complications, poor patient performance status or early disease progression. In order to ensure the delivery of chemotherapy, an alternative strategy is to administer systemic treatment prior to surgery. Precision oncology refers to the application of diverse strategies to target therapies specific to characteristics of a patient’s cancer. While traditionally emphasized in selecting targeted therapies based on molecular, genetic, and radiographic biomarkers for patients with metastatic disease, the neoadjuvant setting is a prime opportunity to utilize personalized approaches. In this article, we describe the current evidence for the use of neoadjuvant therapy (NT) and highlight unique opportunities for personalized care in patients with PDAC undergoing NT.

Improved pentamethine cyanine nanosensors for optoacoustic imaging of pancreatic cancer

Optoacoustic imaging is a new biomedical imaging technology with clear benefits over traditional optical imaging and ultrasound. While the imaging technology has improved since its initial development, the creation of dedicated contrast agents for optoacoustic imaging has been stagnant. Current exploration of contrast agents has been limited to standard commercial dyes that have already been established in optical imaging applications. While some of these compounds have demonstrated utility in optoacoustic imaging, they are far from optimal and there is a need for contrast agents with tailored optoacoustic properties. The synthesis, encapsulation within tumor targeting silica nanoparticles and applications in in vivo tumor imaging of optoacoustic contrast agents are reported.

A phase I study of preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel for resectable pancreatic cancer

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has become a standard treatment for borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The present study examined the maximum tolerated dose of NAC with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GnP) in patients with resectable PDAC. Between 2015 and 2019, 39 patients with resectable PDAC were enrolled in the present study. GnP was administered for two 28-day cycles on days 1, 8 and 15. The planned doses for levels 1, 2 and 3 were 75, 100 and 125 mg/m2, respectively, for nab-paclitaxel and 600, 800 and 1,000 mg/m2, respectively, for gemcitabine. Dose-limiting toxicity (neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia and/or liver injury) was observed in 44.4% of patients treated at dose level 1 (21 patients) and 60.0% of those treated at dose level 2 (18 patients). Therefore, the maximum tolerated dose was set as level 1. Six patients withdrew from protocol treatment because of non-hematologic adverse events (skin rash, pancreatitis and biliary tract infection). Among the 31 patients with pathologically confirmed PDAC, partial response, stable disease and disease progression were recorded in 4 (12.9%), 24 (77.4%) and 3 (9.7%) patients, respectively. NAC significantly reduced tumor size according to computed tomography, and CA19-9 levels and the 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose maximum standardized uptake value were decreased in positron emission tomography. No postoperative complications attributable to NAC were recognized. Among the 27 patients with PDAC who underwent resection, the pathological treatment effect was judged as grades Ia, Ib and II in 21 (77.8%), 4 (14.8%) and 2 (7.4%) patients, respectively. R0 resection was performed in 24 out of 27 patients (88.9%). Adjuvant chemotherapy with oral S-1 was administered to 21 out of 27 patients (77.8%). In conclusion, NAC with GnP was safe and feasible for resectable PDAC at dose level 1. In the future, verification of the long-term results of the present study will be necessary, and a phase II clinical trial is anticipated.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of 2,6,7-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines as cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor in pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant tumor, and more effective treatment is urgently needed to lengthen the life of patients. In this paper a class of new 2,6,7-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives of CDK 4/6 inhibitor ribociclib (1) was designed and synthesized to investigate their effect on the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) of synthetic compounds was analyzed based on both their in vitro anti-proliferative activity and the CDK4 inhibitory activity. A series of 6-anilinocarbonyl-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives (25, 41-48) showed the significantly increased potency against two proliferating cancer cell lines (MIA PaCa-2 and BxPC-3) in MTT assay though their CDK4 inhibitory activity were lower in a varying range compared to 1. The most potent compound 41 was identified as a highly selective and potent CDK 4/6 inhibitor in the human kinases profiling assay, it also exhibited the favorable in vitro pharmacokinetic properties for further in vivo evaluation. Meanwhile, 41 exhibited the potential as a combination partner with mTOR inhibitor to treat pancreatic cancer. Alternatively, introducing of sulfonamide fragment into C2-substituent of pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine provided the clue for future optimization to afford new CDK9 inhibitors.

Phase I trial of oncolytic adenovirus-mediated cytotoxic and interleukin-12 gene therapy for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer

The safety of oncolytic adenovirus-mediated suicide and interleukin-12 (IL12) gene therapy was evaluated in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. In this phase I study, a replication-competent adenovirus (Ad5-yCD/mutTK_SR39rep-hIL-12) expressing yCD/mutTK_SR39 (yeast cytidine deaminase/mutant S39R HSV-1 thymidine kinase) and human IL-12 (IL12) was injected into tumors of 12 subjects with metastatic pancreatic cancer (T2N0M1-T4N1M1) at escalating doses (1 × 10¹¹, 3 × 10¹¹, or 1 × 10¹² viral particles). Subjects received 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) therapy for 7 days followed by chemotherapy (FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine/albumin-bound paclitaxel) starting 21 days after adenovirus injection. The study endpoint was toxicity through day 21. Experimental endpoints included measurements of serum IL12, interferon gamma (IFNG), and CXCL10 to assess immune system activation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and proliferation markers were analyzed by flow cytometry. Twelve patients received Ad5-yCD/mutTK_SR39rep-hIL-12 and oral 5-FC. Approximately 94% of the 121 adverse events observed were grade 1/2 requiring no medical intervention. Ad5-yCD/mutTK_SR39rep-hIL-12 DNA was detected in the blood of two patients. Elevated serum IL12, IFNG, and CXCL10 levels were detected in 42%, 75%, and 92% of subjects, respectively. Analysis of immune cell populations indicated activation after Ad5-yCD/mutTK_SR39rep-hIL-12 administration. The median survival of patients in the third cohort is 18.1 (range, 3.5–20.0) months. The study maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was not reached.

Advances and challenges of neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer has been becoming the second cause of cancer death in the western world, and its disease burden has increased. Neoadjuvant therapy is one of the current research hotspots in the field of pancreatic cancer, aiming to improve the surgical rate and prognosis of pancreatic cancer. Based on the latest evidence, this review discussed neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer from the following three aspects: patient selection, protocols selection of neoadjuvant therapy, and treatment response evaluation and resectability prediction. A big controversy existed on the indications of neoadjuvant treatment, but it was agreed that any patient who is likely to achieve R0 resection due to neoadjuvant therapy should be the targeted population. A variety of chemotherapy regimens were tried for neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer, and FOLFIRINOX and Nab-Paclitaxel plus Gemcitabine are two preferred regimens at present. It was challenging to evaluate treatment response and predict resectability after neoadjuvant therapy, although imaging by CT is widely used. Based on new findings of the remarkable performance of several chemotherapy regimens with or without radiotherapy, the neoadjuvant indications of pancreatic cancer have extended in recent years. However, it is still a challenge to assess the neoadjuvant treatment response and determine the timing of surgery.

Survival impact based on hepatic artery lymph node status in pancreatic adenocarcinoma: A study of patients receiving modern chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has significantly improved in recent years. While the involvement of the hepatic artery lymph node (HALN; station 8a lymph node) likely represents advanced disease, a comparison to patients with metastases on modern chemotherapy is lacking.

METHODS

Patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy with HALN sent for pathologic review at a single institution from 2003 to 2018 were reviewed. Patients who presented with liver-only metastases at the time of PDAC diagnosis (Stage IV) and received chemotherapy were identified. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was utilized and overall survival (OS) was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 112 patients with a HALN sent for analysis, 17 (15%) were positive and 13 (76%) received chemotherapy. Ninety-four stage IV patients were identified and were significantly more likely to have received a multiagent rather than single-agent chemotherapy regimen compared to HALN positive patients (79.8% vs. 38.5%, p < .001). Median OS was significantly longer in all patients who underwent surgical resection, regardless of HALN status, compared to stage IV patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy with HALN positivity have significantly improved OS compared to patients with stage IV disease. HALN involvement does not significantly alter survival among resected patients and does not warrant preoperative endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy.

Clinical characteristics of initial recurrence in lung after surgical resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The clinical characteristic differences at the initial recurrence site after resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remain unknown. We investigated the clinical characteristics in patients with lung recurrence after surgical resection and evaluated the outcome of resection for isolated lung recurrence.

METHODS

Of 442 consecutive PDAC patients who underwent surgical resection between 2002 and 2018, 229 had recurrence on imaging. Initial recurrence sites were the liver, lung, local, peritoneal, multiple organs, and others. We analyzed the clinicopathologic factors and outcomes, comparing by initial recurrence site, and investigated the outcomes of resection for isolated lung recurrence.

RESULTS

Liver recurrences were the most frequent (n = 60, 26%), followed by lung recurrence (n = 48, 21%). The interval from surgery to recurrence was significantly longer in lung recurrence (P = 0.0001). Patients with lung recurrence had significantly longer overall survival after diagnosis (P < 0.0001). Patients who underwent surgical resection of lung recurrence had a significantly prolonged overall survival rate after recurrence diagnosis (P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with lung recurrence had significantly prolonged survival than those with other recurrence patterns. Resection for isolated lung recurrence represented relatively good prognosis, and possibly may be beneficial in highly-selected patients.

Gemcitabine-Based Neoadjuvant Treatment in Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Meta-Analysis of Individual Patient Data

Background: Non-randomized studies have investigated multi-agent gemcitabine-based neo-adjuvant therapies (GEM-NAT) in borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (BR-PDAC). Treatment sequencing and specific elements of neoadjuvant treatment are still under investigation. The present meta-analysis aims to assess the effectiveness of GEM-NAT on overall survival (OS) in BR-PDAC.

Patients and Methods: A meta-analysis of individual participant data (IPD) on GEM-NAT for BR-PDAC were performed. The primary outcome was OS after treatment with GEM-based chemotherapy. In the Individual Patient Data analysis data were reappraised and confirmed as BR-PDAC on provided radiological data.

Results: Six studies investigating GEM-NAT were included in the IPD metanalysis. The IPD metanalysis was conducted on 271 patients who received GEM-NAT. Pooled median patient-level OS was 22.2 months (95%CI 19.1–25.2). R0 rates ranged between 81 and 95% (I² = 0%, p = 0.64), respectively. Median OS was 27.8 months (95%CI 23.9–31.6) in the patients who received NAT-GEM followed by resection compared to 15.4 months (95%CI 12.3–18.4) for NAT-GEM without resection and 13.0 months (95%CI 7.4–18.5) in the group of patients who received upfront surgery (p < 0.0001). R0 rates ranged between 81 and 95% (I² = 0%, p = 0.64), respectively. Overall survival in the R0 group was 29.3 months (95% CI 24.3–34.2) vs. 16.2 months (95% CI 7·9–24.5) in the R1 group (p = 0·001).

Conclusions: The present study is the first meta-analysis combining IPD from a number of international centers with BR-PDAC in a cohort that underwent multi-agent gemcitabine neoadjuvant therapy (GEM-NAT) before surgery. GEM-NAT followed by surgical resection improve survival and R0 resection in BR-PDAC. Also, GEM-NAT may result in a good palliative option in non-resected patients because of progressive disease after neoadjuvant treatment. Results from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are awaited to validate these findings.

New Developments in the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer: Highlights from the 44th ASCO Annual Virtual Meeting, May 29-31, 2020

Pancreatic cancer has the worst survival of any solid tumor. Overall, pancreatic cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in the US and about 7% of all cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society's estimates that 57,600 people (30,400 men and 27,200 women) will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States for 2020 and approximately 47,050 people (24,640 men and 22,410 women) will die of this disease. FOLFIRINOX, or the combination of gemcitabine with nab-paclitaxel remain to be the major treatment options for these patients for both local and metastatic disease. This slow progress is a result of partly the complex pathogenesis of this disease, and partly the fact that window of opportunity to treat these patients is short as majority of them are diagnosed at an advanced stage. This is a real challenge but also provides an opportunity for new ideas and novel approaches. In this paper, we will present few interesting studies presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2020 virtual Annual Meeting.

Modulated Electro-Hyperthermia Resolves Radioresistance of Panc1 Pancreas Adenocarcinoma and Promotes DNA Damage and Apoptosis In Vitro

The poor outcome of pancreas ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) is frequently linked to therapy resistance. Modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) generated by 13.56 MHz capacitive radiofrequency can induce direct tumor damage and promote chemo- and radiotherapy. Here, we tested the effect of mEHT either alone or in combination with radiotherapy using an in vivo model of Panc1, a KRAS and TP53 mutant, radioresistant PDAC cell line. A single mEHT shot of 60 min induced ~50% loss of viable cells and morphological signs of apoptosis including chromatin condensation, nuclear shrinkage and apoptotic bodies. Most mEHT treatment related effects exceeded those of radiotherapy, and these were further amplified after combining the two modalities. Treatment related apoptosis was confirmed by a significantly elevated number of annexin V single-positive and cleaved/activated caspase-3 positive tumor cells, as well as sub-G1-phase tumor cell fractions. mEHT and mEHT+radioterapy caused the moderate accumulation of γH2AX positive nuclear foci, indicating DNA double-strand breaks and upregulation of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p21^waf1 besides the downregulation of Akt signaling. A clonogenic assay revealed that both mono- and combined treatments affected the tumor progenitor/stem cell populations too. In conclusion, mEHT treatment can contribute to tumor growth inhibition and apoptosis induction and resolve radioresistance of Panc1 PDAC cells.

Immunohistological evaluation of mismatch repair deficiency in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treated with surgical resection

BACKGROUND

The frequency and prognosis of resected deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remain unclear. This study was designed to assess the frequency of dMMR and its clinicopathological relevance in Japanese patients with PDAC treated with surgical resection.

METHODS

A total of 400 consecutive patients with PDAC who underwent surgical resection at Hiroshima University were enrolled. Immunohistochemical staining with four antibodies including MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 was used to determine the presence of dMMR in PDAC specimens. Statistical analyses were applied to evaluate the frequency and clinical outcomes of these patients.

RESULTS

Of these 400 patients, five (1.3%) had dMMR (two had MLH1 deficiency, two had PMS2 deficiency, and one had MSH2 deficiency). We found a significantly different histological differentiation pattern between patients with dMMR and those with proficient mismatch repair (pMMR) (P = .03). Univariate survival analysis revealed no significant differences between dMMR and pMMR in recurrence-free survival (P = .268) or overall survival (P = .173).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of dMMR in Japanese patients with resected PDAC is low, and we found no ethnic-specific differences when comparing the incidence to that in Caucasian patients. In the current study, no significant difference was found in recurrence-free and overall survival between patients with dMMR and pMMR.

The impact of neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy on the survival of pancreatic cancer patients: a retrospective analysis

Background

Immunotherapy has become an essential part of cancer treatment after showing great efficacy in various malignancies. However, its effectiveness in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), especially in resectable pancreatic cancer, has not been studied. The primary objective of this study is to compare the OS impact of immunotherapy between PDAC patients who receive neoadjuvant immunotherapy and patients who receive adjuvant immunotherapy. The secondary objective is to investigate the impact of neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy and chemoradiation by performing subset analyses of these two groups.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with PDAC between 2004 and 2016 were identified from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to examine the effect of neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy and chemoradiation on the OS of the patients. The multivariable analysis was adjusted for essential factors such as the age at diagnosis, sex, race, education, income, place of living insurance status, hospital type, comorbidity score, and year of diagnosis.

Results

Overall, 526 patients received immunotherapy. Among whom, 408/526 (77.57%) received neoadjuvant immunotherapy, and the remaining 118/526 (22.43%) received adjuvant immunotherapy. There was no significant difference in OS between neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy (HR: 1.06, CI: 0.79–1.41; p < 0.714) in the multivariable analysis. In the univariate neoadjuvant treatment subset analysis, immunotherapy was associated with significantly improved OS compared to no immunotherapy (HR: 0.88, CI: 0.78–0.98; p < 0.026). This benefit disappeared in the multivariable analysis. However, after patients were stratified by educational level, the multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that neoadjuvant immunotherapy was associated with significantly improved OS (HR: 0.86, CI: 0.74–0.99; p < 0.04) compared to no immunotherapy only in patients with high-level of education, but not in patients with low-level of education.

Conclusion

In this study, no difference in the OS between patients who received neoadjuvant immunotherapy and patients who received adjuvant immunotherapy was noticed. Future studies comparing neoadjuvant adjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and chemoradiation are needed.

Laparoscopic Whipple's Operation for Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer Invading the Pancreas and Duodenum: a Case Report

Few surgeons have adopted pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) invading the pancreas or duodenum because it remains controversial whether its prognostic benefits outweigh the high morbidity rates in such advanced cases. However, recent technical advances have revived diverse surgical procedures in minimally invasive approaches. Inspired by this trend, laparoscopic PD procedures have been performed for AGC in our institute since 2014. We recently performed a laparoscopic Whipple's operation in a case of cT4b gastric cancer with invasion of the pancreatic head and duodenum.

Learning Curve From 450 Cases of Robot-Assisted Pancreaticoduocectomy in a High-Volume Pancreatic Center: Optimization of Operative Procedure and a Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to describe our experience and the learning curve of 450 cases of robot-assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) and optimize the surgical process so that our findings can be useful for surgeons starting to perform RPD.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Robotic surgical systems were first introduced 20 years ago. Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is a challenging surgery because of its technical difficulty. RPD may overcome some of these difficulties.

METHODS

The medical records of 450 patients who underwent RPD between May 2010 and December 2018 at the Shanghai Ruijin Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Operative times and estimated blood loss (EBL) were analyzed and the learning curve was determined. A cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis was used to identify the inflexion points. Other postoperative outcomes, postoperative complications, and long-term follow-up were also analyzed.

RESULTS

Operative time improved gradually over time from 405.4 ± 112.9 minutes (case 1-50) to 273.6 ± 70 minutes (case 301-350) (P < 0.001). EBL improved from 410 ± 563.5 mL (case 1-50) to 149.0 ± 103.3 mL (case 351-400) (P < 0.001). According to the CUSUM curve, there were 3 phases in the RPD learning curve. The inflexion points were around cases 100 and 250. The incidence of pancreatic leak in the last 350 cases was significantly lower than that in the first 100 cases (30.0% vs 15.1%, P = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

RPD is safe and feasible for selected patients. Operative and oncologic outcomes were much improved after experience of 250 cases. Our optimization of the surgical process may have also contributed to this. Future prospective and randomized studies are needed to confirm our results.

Is There a Standard Adjuvant Therapy for Resected Pancreatic Cancer?

Surgical resection remains the only treatment that offers a potential chance of long-term survival. Unfortunately, about 80% of patients treated with curative intent will develop recurrence. Since 2001, adjuvant therapy with gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracyle was recommended. This approach allows a median overall survival (OS) of around 23 months, and 5-year survival of 22%. In recent years, two phase-3 trials investigating new chemotherapy regimens resulted in considerably improved survival times. The doublet gemcitabine-capecitabine has shown improvement in OS from 25.5 to 28 months (p = 0.032) compared to gemcitabine, in the ESPAC-4 trial. Later, preliminary results of PRODIGE 24 trial presented at the 2018 ASCO meeting showed a superiority of a combination chemotherapy regimen with fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFIRINOX) when compared to gemcitabine alone, both in terms of median disease-free survival (21.6 vs. 12.8 months, p < 0.0001) and OS (54.4 vs. 35 months, p = 0.003). Contrary to chemotherapy, the role of adjuvant radiotherapy is still controversial, even in the case of R1 surgery. A randomized trial exploring the role of chemoradiotherapy in this setting is now ongoing in the US (RTOG-0848). Overall, the management of localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma is evolving. In this review, we summarize the current status and the most up-to-date developments in adjuvant treatment.

Desmoplasia and oncogene driven acinar-to-ductal metaplasia are concurrent events during acinar cell-derived pancreatic cancer initiation in young adult mice

The five-year survival rate of patients diagnosed with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has remained static at <5% despite decades of research. With the exception of erlotinib, clinical trials have failed to demonstrate the benefit of any targeted therapy for PDAC despite promising results in preclinical animal studies. The development of more refined mouse models of PDAC which recapitulate the carcinogenic progression from non-neoplastic, adult exocrine subsets of pancreatic cells to invasive carcinoma in humans are needed to facilitate the accurate translation of therapies to the clinic. To study acinar cell-derived PDAC initiation, we developed a genetically engineered mouse model of PDAC, called KPT, utilizing a tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase/estrogen receptor (ESR1) fusion protein knocked into the Ptf1a locus to activate the expression of oncogenic KrasG12D and Trp53R270H alleles in mature pancreatic acinar cells. Oncogene-expressing acinar cells underwent acinar-to-ductal metaplasia, and formed pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia lesions following the induction of oncogene expression. After a defined latency period, oncogene-expressing acinar cells initiated the formation of highly differentiated and fibrotic tumors, which metastasized to the lungs and liver. Whole-transcriptome analysis of microdissected regions of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia and histological validation experiments demonstrated that regions of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia are characterized by the deposition of the extracellular matrix component hyaluronan. These results indicate that acinar cells expressing KrasG12D and Trp53R270H can initiate PDAC development in young adult mice and implicate hyaluronan deposition in the formation of the earliest characterized PDAC precursor lesions (and the progression of pancreatic cancer). Further studies are necessary to provide a comprehensive characterization of PDAC progression and treatment response in KPT mice and to investigate whether the KPT model could be used as a tool to study translational aspects of acinar cell-derived PDAC tumorigenesis.

Comparative effectiveness of primary tumor resection in patients with stage III pancreatic adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Previous studies comparing primary tumor resection (PTR) to palliative treatment for advanced-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) were limited by strong selection bias. We used multiple methods to control for confounding and selection bias to estimate the effect of PTR on survival for late-stage PDA.

METHODS

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 18 registry database for 2004 through 2014 was retrieved for the present study. A total of 4322 patients with stage III (AJCC, 6th) PDA were included in this study. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to eliminate possible bias. In addition, instrumental variable (IV) analysis was utilized to adjust for both measured and unmeasured confounders.

RESULTS

A total of 4322 patients with stage III PDA including 552 (12.8%) who underwent PTR, 3770 (87.2%) without PTR, were identified. In the multivariable cohort, a clear prognostic advantage of PTR was observed in overall survival (OS) (P < 0.001) and disease-specific survival (DSS) (P < 0.001) compared to patients after non-surgery therapy. In the PSM cohort, patients in PTR group showed a better OS and DSS (both P values < 0.001) compared to patients in non-surgery group. The survival benefit of PTR for stage III PDA was not observed in the two-stage residual inclusion (2SRI) model. Estimates based on this instrument indicated that patients treated with PTR had similar OS (P = 0.448) and DSS (P = 0.719). In IV analyses stratified by chemotherapy and tumor location, patients undergoing PTR had similar OS and DSS compared to patients in non-surgery group across all subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

Survival with PTR did not differ significantly from palliative treatment in marginal patients with stage III pancreatic adenocarcinoma. High-quality randomized trials are needed to validate these results.

Adjuvant chemoradiation in pancreatic cancer: impact of radiotherapy dose on survival

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the impact of radiation dose on overall survival (OS) in patients treated with adjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

METHODS

A multicenter retrospective analysis on 514 patients with PDAC (T1-4; N0-1; M0) treated with surgical resection with macroscopically negative margins (R0-1) followed by adjuvant CRT was performed. Patients were stratified into 4 groups based on radiotherapy doses (group 1: < 45 Gy, group 2: ≥ 45 and < 50 Gy, group 3: ≥ 50 and < 55 Gy, group 4: ≥ 55 Gy). Adjuvant chemotherapy was prescribed to 141 patients. Survival functions were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared through the log-rank test.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 35 months (range: 3-120 months). At univariate analysis, a worse OS was recorded in patients with higher preoperative Ca 19.9 levels (≥ 90 U/ml; p < 0.001), higher tumor grade (G3-4, p = 0.004), R1 resection (p = 0.004), higher pT stage (pT3-4, p = 0.002) and positive nodes (p < 0.001). Furthermore, patients receiving increasing doses of CRT showed a significantly improved OS. In groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, median OS was 13.0 months, 21.0 months, 22.0 months, and 28.0 months, respectively (p = 0.004). The significant impact of higher dose was confirmed by multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing doses of CRT seems to favorably impact on OS in adjuvant setting. The conflicting results of randomized trials on adjuvant CRT in PDAC could be due to < 45 Gy dose generally used.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine-based regimens improves the prognosis of node positive resectable pancreatic head cancer

The effectiveness of preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy (NAC) for resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unclear. The present study retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of NAC with gemcitabine (GEM)-based regimens or GEM monotherapy for resectable PDAC. Between 2006 and 2015, NAC with GEM was performed in 52 cases (head 31, and body and tail 21) and compared with 34 resection-only cases serving as controls (head 20, and body and tail 14). According to the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors guidelines, the treatment effect was a partial response in 5 cases, stable disease in 45 cases, and progressive disease in 2 cases. Maximum standardized uptake values and carbohydrate antigen (CA19-9) values were significantly reduced after preoperative chemotherapy. Using the Evans grading system, the treatment effect was grade I in 31 patients, grade IIa in 8, and grade IIb in 3 cases. There were significant differences in the overall survival rate between the NAC and control groups, only in the patients with node-positive pancreatic head cancer. Significantly higher CA19-9 values in peripheral blood and higher lymph node metastasis and plexus invasion rates were observed in early-recurring cases within a year. The preoperative CA 19-9 cutoff value as an early recurrence risk factor was calculated as 30 U/ml in the NAC group and 88 U/ml in the control group. NAC with GEM prolonged survival in patients with node-positive pancreatic head cancer. High CA19-9 values before operation, lymph node metastases and plexus invasion were risk factors for early tumor recurrence after surgery. Preoperative chemotherapy would be necessary for resectable pancreatic head cancer as lymph node metastasis was observed in >60% with resectable PDAC. Moreover, if normalization of CA19-9 values is not achieved with NAC, extension of preoperative chemotherapy should be considered as for borderline resectable PDAC cases.

Neoadjuvant therapy versus upfront surgery for borderline-resectable pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant therapy is recommended for patients with borderline-resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC). In this study, we compare survival outcomes of neoadjuvant therapy with upfront surgery.

METHODS

From January 2011 to June 2016, 1415 patients underwent treatments for pancreatic cancer in Samsung Medical Center. Among them, 112 (7.9%) patients were categorized as BRPC by the NCCN 2016 guideline. They were classified by type of initial treatments into neoadjuvant group (NA, N.=26) and upfront surgery group (US, N.=86).

RESULTS

The median survival duration of all patients was 18.3 months. Patients in the NA group had more T4 disease than those in the US group (38.5% in NA versus 15.1% in the US group; P=0.010). Arterial involvement was more frequent in the NA group (42.3% versus 15.1%; P=0.003). In the NA group, ten (38.5%) patients underwent surgery, and seven of them had complete R0 resection. In the US group, 83 (96.5%) patients received radical surgery, and 42 (48.8%) had R0 resection. In survival analysis according to intent to treat, the overall two-year survival rate was 51.1% in the US group and 36.7% in the NA group (P=0.001). However, among patients who underwent surgery (N.=96), the two-year overall survival rate was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.089). According to involved vessels, the survival rate was not different between patients with arterial or both arterial and venous involvement and in patients with only venous involvement (P=0.649).

CONCLUSIONS

It is necessary to demonstrate the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy and to standardize the regimens through large-scale, multicenter, randomized controlled studies.

Natural History and Treatment Trends in Pancreatic Cancer Subtypes

BACKGROUND

While pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the most common form of pancreatic cancer, many other histologic forms of pancreatic cancer are also recognized. These histologic variants portray unique characteristics in terms of patient demographics, tumor behavior, survival, and responsiveness to treatments.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients who underwent surgical resection of the pancreas for non-metastatic, invasive pancreatic cancer between 2004 and 2014 were selected from the National Cancer Data Base and categorized by histologic variant according to WHO classification guidelines. Patient demographics, tumor variables, treatment characteristics, and survival were compared between histologic groups and subgroups.

RESULTS

A total of 57,804 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria and were grouped into eight major histologic categories. Survival analysis by the histologic group showed median overall survival of 20.2 months for ductal adenocarcinoma, 20.5 months for squamous cell carcinoma, 26.8 months for mixed acinar-neuroendocrine carcinomas, 52.6 months for cystic mucinous neoplasms with an associated invasive carcinoma, 67.5 months for acinar cell carcinoma, and 69.3 months for mesenchymal tumors. Median survival was not reached for neuroendocrine tumors and solid-pseudopapillary neoplasms, with 5-year overall survival rates of 84% and 97% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Rare subtypes of pancreatic cancer present unique clinicopathologic characteristics and display distinct tumor biologies. This study presents data on demographic, prognostic, treatment, and survival outcomes between rare forms of pancreatic neoplasms in order to aid understanding of the natural history and behavior of these neoplasms, with the hope of serving as a reference in clinical decision-making and ability to provide accurate prognostic information to patients.

Diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Recommendations of the Working Group of the Polish Pancreatic Club

These recommendations refer to the current management in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a neoplasia characterised by an aggressive course and extremely poor prognosis. The recommendations regard diagnosis, surgical, adjuvant and palliative treatment, with consideration given to endoscopic and surgical methods. A vast majority of the statements are based on data obtained in clinical studies and experts' recommendations on PDAC management, including the following guidelines: International Association of Pancreatology/European Pancreatic Club (IAP/EPC), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and Polish Society of Gastroenterology (PSG) and The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). All recommendations were voted on by members of the Working Group of the Polish Pancreatic Club. Results of the voting and brief comments are provided with each recommendation.

Adjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation is associated with improved survival for resected stage I-II pancreatic cancer

Background

This National Cancer Database (NCDB) analysis evaluates the clinical outcomes of postoperative chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation (C + CRT) compared to concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) alone or adjuvant chemotherapy alone (C) for resected pancreatic cancer.

Methods

The NCDB was queried for primary stage I‐II, cT1‐3N0‐1M0, resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with adjuvant C, CRT, or C + CRT (2004‐2015). Patients treated with C + CRT were compared with those treated with C (cohort C) and CRT (cohort CRT). Baseline patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics were examined. Kaplan‐Meier analysis, multivariable Cox proportional hazards method, forest plot, and propensity score matching were used.

Results

Among 5667 patients, median follow‐up was 34.7, 45.2, and 39.7 months for the C, CRT, and C + CRT cohorts, respectively. By multivariable analysis for all patients, C and CRT had worse OS compared to C + CRT. Treatment interactions were seen among pathologically node‐positive disease. C + CRT was favored in 1‐3 and 4+ positive lymph node diseases when compared to C or CRT alone, but none of the treatment options were significantly favored in node negative disease. Using propensity score matching, 2152 patients for cohort C and 1774 patients for cohort CRT were matched. C + CRT remained significant for improved OS for both cohort C (median OS 23.3 vs 20.0 months) and cohort CRT (median OS 23.4 vs 20.8 months).

Conclusion

This NCDB study using propensity score matched analysis suggests an OS benefit for C + CRT compared to C or CRT alone following surgical resection of pancreatic cancer, particularly for patients with pathologically positive lymph nodes.

Meta-analysis on resected pancreatic cancer: a comparison between adjuvant treatments and gemcitabine alone

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy such as gemcitabine is still an important treatment. Gemcitabine (Gem) may prolong survival time and delay the development of recurrent disease after complete resection of pancreatic cancer. Currently, some control studies have been performed between certain drugs and gemcitabine monotherapy after pancreatic cancer surgery, but the outcomes were uncertain. Here, we implemented meta-analysis to compare the efficacy between adjuvant treatments and gemcitabine monotherapy in patients with resected pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase and the Central Registry of Controlled Trials of the Cochrane Library searches were undertaken to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Date of search ranged from January 1997 to December 2017. The meta-analysis included six RCTs. The major endpoints involved overall survival (OS), disease-free survival/progress free survival/relapse-free survival (DFS/PFS/RFS) and grade 3-4 toxicity.

RESULTS

Pooled meta-analytic estimates were derived using random-effects model. Subgroup analysis used fixed-effects model. The outcome showed that there was no difference in OS (hazard ratio (HR), 0.87; 95% CI, 0.70-1.07; P = 0.19) and DFS (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.71-1.02; P = 0.08) between the adjuvant treatments group (fluorouracil+folinic acid, S-1, gemcitabine+capecitabine, gemcitabine+erlotinib and gemcitabine+uracil/tegafur) and Gem monotherapy group. However, the subgroup analysis showed that only S-1 chemotherapy, which is an oral fluoropyrimidine agent containing tegafur, gimeracil and oteracil, was significant in OS (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.46-0.74; P < 0.0001) and DFS (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.52-0.75; P < 0.00001) compared with Gem alone. Toxicity analysis showed there was an increased incidence of grade 3/4 diarrhea (risk ratio (RR), 5.11; 95%CI, 3.24-8.05; P < 0.00001) and decreased incidence of grade 3/4 leucopenia (RR, 0.55; 95%CI, 0.31-0.98; P = 0.04), thrombocytopenia (RR, 0.61; 95%CI, 0.39-0.97; P = 0.04) in adjuvant treatments group. Neutropenia (RR, 0.69; 95%CI, 0.36-1.29; P = 0.24) and fatigue (RR, 1.29; 95%CI, 0.95-1.77; P = 0.11) for patients between the two groups were not significantly different.

CONCLUSIONS

In our meta-analysis, a significant survival benefit is only observed in the S-1 regimen, but the results are yet to be determined. Optimal cytotoxicity or targeted drug regimens need further validation in clinical trials in the future.

Predictors of long-term survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for peri-ampullary adenocarcinoma: A retrospective study of 5-year survivors

BACKGROUND

Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is the standard curative treatment for periampullary tumors. The aim of this study is to report the incidence and predictors of long-term survival (≥ 5 years) after PD.

METHODS

This study included patients who underwent PD for pathologically proven periampullary adenocarcinomas. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group (I) patients who survived less than 5 years and group (II) patients who survived ≥ 5 years.

RESULTS

There were 47 (20.6%) long-term survivors (≥ 5 years) among 228 patients underwent PD for periampullary adenocarcinoma. Patients with ampullary adenocarcinoma represented 31 (66.0%) of the long-term survivors. Primary analysis showed that favourable factors for long-term survival include age < 60 years old, serum CEA < 5 ng/mL, serum CA 19-9 < 37 U/mL, non-cirrhotic liver, tumor size < 2 cm, site of primary tumor, postoperative pancreatic fistula, R0 resection, postoperative chemotherapy, and no recurrence. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that CA 19-9 < 37 U/mL [OR (95% CI) = 1.712 (1.248-2.348), P = 0.001], smaller tumor size [OR (95% CI )= 1.335 (1.032-1.726), P = 0.028] and Ro resection [OR (95% CI) = 3.098 (2.095-4.582), P < 0.001] were independent factors for survival ≥ 5 years. The prognosis was best for ampullary adenocarcinoma, for which the median survival was 54 months and 5-year survival rate was 39.0%, and the poorest was pancreatic head adenocarcinoma, for which the median survival was 27 months and 5-year survival rate was 7%.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of long-term survivors after PD for periampullary adenocarcinoma are patients with ampullary tumor. CA 19-9 < 37 U/mL, smaller tumor size, and R0 resection were found to be independent factors for long-term survival ≥ 5 years.

The Role of Systemic Inflammation in Cancer-Associated Muscle Wasting and Rationale for Exercise as a Therapeutic Intervention

Progressive skeletal muscle wasting in cancer cachexia involves a process of dysregulated protein synthesis and breakdown.  This catabolism may be the result of mal-nutrition, and an upregulation of both pro-inflammatory cytokines and the ubiquitin proteasome pathway (UPP), which can subsequently increase myostatin and activin A release.  The skeletal muscle wasting associated with cancer cachexia is clinically significant, it can contribute to treatment toxicity or the premature discontinuation of treatments resulting in increases in morbidity and mortality.  Thus, there is a need for further investigation into the pathophysiology of muscle wasting in cancer cachexia to develop effective prophylactic and therapeutic interventions.  Several studies have identified a central role for chronic-systemic inflammation in initiating and perpetuating muscle wasting in patients with cancer.  Interestingly, while exercise has shown efficacy in improving muscle quality, only recently have investigators begun to assess the impact that exercise has on chronic-systemic inflammation.  To put this new information into context with established paradigms, here we review several biological pathways (e.g. dysfunctional inflammatory response, hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis, and increased myostatin/activin A activity) that may be responsible for the muscle wasting in patients with cancer.  Additionally, we discuss the potential impact that exercise has on these pathways in the treatment of cancer cachexia.  Exercise is an attractive intervention for muscle wasting in this population, partially because it disrupts chronic-systemic inflammation mediated catabolism.  Most importantly, exercise is a potent stimulator of muscle synthesis, and therefore this therapy may reverse muscle damage caused by cancer cachexia. 

Safety and efficacy of self-expanding metal stents for biliary drainage in patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

 Durable biliary drainage is essential during neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in patients with pancreatic cancer who present with biliary obstruction. Plastic stents (PS) tend to occlude readily, resulting in delay/interruption of treatment. Our aim was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) for biliary drainage in patients receiving NAT for pancreatic cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

 From 2009 to 2014, all consecutive patients with resectable pancreatic cancer at one tertiary center had SEMS placed for biliary drainage before NAT was started. Data on biliary drainage efficacy, stent malfunction rates and procedural adverse events were collected.

RESULTS

 One hundred forty-two consecutive patients with pancreatic cancer (mean age 66 ± 9 SD years; 81 male, 61 female; 67 resectable, 75 borderline resectable) were enrolled. Eight-seven patients (61 %) had prior PS exchanged to SEMS and 55 (39 %) had SEMS placed upfront. Median duration from SEMS placement to the end of NAT/surgery was 111 days (range 44 - 282). During NAT, SEMS malfunction requiring reintervention occurred in 16 patients (11.2 %): tissue ingrowth 11, stent occlusion from food 6, stent migration 3, incomplete expansion 1, "tissue cheese-cutter" effect 1, and cystic duct obstruction 1. On subgroup analysis, no correlation between SEMS malfunction and stage of disease, prior PS, or duration of NAT was found (r ²  = 0.05, P  = 0.34). Presence of SEMS in situ did not affect pancreaticoduodenectomy.

CONCLUSION

 SEMS provide safe, effective and durable biliary drainage during NAT for pancreas cancer. Previously placed PS can be exchanged for SEMS. SEMS do not require removal prior to surgery.

Borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: conceptual evolution and current approach to image-based classification

Background

Diagnostic imaging plays a critical role in the initial diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Over the past decade, the concept of 'borderline resectable' pancreatic cancer has emerged to describe a distinct subset of patients existing along the spectrum from resectable to locally advanced disease for whom a microscopically margin-positive (R1) resection is considered relatively more likely, primarily due to the relationship of the primary tumor with surrounding vasculature.

Materials and methods

This review traces the conceptual evolution of borderline resectability from a radiological perspective, including the debates over the key imaging criteria that define the thresholds between resectable, borderline resectable, and locally advanced or metastatic disease. This review also addresses the data supporting neoadjuvant therapy in this population and discusses current imaging practices before and during treatment.

Results

A growing body of evidence suggests that the borderline resectable group of patients may particularly benefit from neoadjuvant therapy to increase the likelihood of an ultimately margin-negative (R0) resection. Unfortunately, anatomic and imaging criteria to define borderline resectability are not yet universally agreed upon, with several classification systems proposed in the literature and considerable variance in institution-by-institution practice. As a result of this lack of consensus, as well as overall small patient numbers and lack of established clinical trials dedicated to borderline resectable patients, accurate evidence-based diagnostic categorization and treatment selection for this subset of patients remains a significant challenge.

Conclusions

Clinicians and radiologists alike should be cognizant of evolving imaging criteria for borderline resectability given their profound implications for treatment strategy, follow-up recommendations, and prognosis.

Near infrared photoimmunotherapy with an anti-mesothelin antibody

Near Infrared-Photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a new, highly selective tumor treatment that employs an antibody-photon absorber conjugate (APC). When the APC attaches to its target cell and is exposed to NIR light, highly selective cell killing is observed. NIR-PIT has been demonstrated with a limited number of antibodies. Mesothelin is overexpressed in several malignancies and is emerging as a therapeutic target. A recently humanized antibody (hYP218) has been generated against mesothelin that demonstrates high affinity binding. Here, we describe the efficacy of NIR-PIT, using hYP218 as the antibody within the APC to target a mesothelin expressing A431/H9 cell. The hYP218 antibody was conjugated to a photo-absorber, IR700 and incubated with the cells. The hYP218-IR700 showed specific binding to cells and cell-specific killing was observed in vitro. After implanting A431/H9 cells in an athymic nude mouse, tumor-bearing mice were treated with the following regimen of NIR-PIT; 100 μg of hYP218-IR700 i.v., NIR light was administered at 50 J/cm2 on day 1 after injection and 100 J/cm2 of light on day 2 after injection. The hYP218-IR700 showed high tumor accumulation and a high tumor-background ratio (TBR). Tumor growth was significantly inhibited by NIR-PIT treatment compared with the other control groups (p < 0.001), and significantly prolonged survival (p < 0.0001 vs other groups). Thus, the new anti-mesothelin antibody, hYP218, is suitable as an antibody-drug conjugate for NIR-PIT. Furthermore, NIR-PIT with hYP218-IR700 is a promising candidate for the treatment of mesothelin-expressing tumors that could be readily translated to humans.

Value of surgical resection and timing of therapy in patients with pancreatic cancer at high risk for positive margins

Background

Surgical resection remains the best chance at long-term survival in pancreatic cancer, though margin-positive resections are associated with diminished survival. We examined the effect of margin-positive resection on survival, as well as the role and timing of additional therapies through the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

Patients and methods

Patients with stage IIA–III pancreatic adenocarcinoma diagnosed from 2004 to 2013 were identified in NCDB. Survival was compared using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards modelling for patients who underwent surgery with negative (R0), microscopically positive (R1) and macroscopically positive (R2) margins or non-surgical treatment. We further analysed patients by margin status, timing of additional therapy (neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) vs adjuvant therapy (AT) vs none) and clinical stage.

Results

We analysed 44 852 patients. Median survival (MS) for patients who did not undergo surgery was 10.3 months, compared with 19.7 months for R0 (P<0.001), 14.3 months for R1 (P<0.001) and 9.8 months (P=0.07) for R2 resections. NAT (MS 23.2 months) was associated with improved survival compared with AT (MS 21.5 months) in negative-margin patients and equivalent (MS 17.6 months) to AT (MS 16.8 months) in positive-margin patients. Survival for stage III NAT positive-margin patients (MS 19.8 months) was equivalent to AT after negative margins (MS 18.4 months, P=1.00). Improved R0 rates were seen with NAT (88% vs 81%, P<0.001), especially in stage III patients (85% vs 59%, P<0.001).

Conclusion

R1 resections portend poorer survival than R0 but do not negate the benefit of surgery when additional therapy is given. NAT was associated with improved R0 rates and improved survival for stage III positive-margin patients.

High immune cell score predicts improved survival in pancreatic cancer

Increasing evidence suggests that cancer progression is strongly influenced by host immune response, which is represented by immune cell infiltrates. T-lymphocyte-based immunoscore has proved to be a prognostic factor in colon cancer, but its significance in pancreatic cancer is poorly known. Total of 108 patients operated (R0/R1) for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) (TNM stage I-II) were included in the study. Immune cell score (IS) was determined by scoring the samples from grade 0 to 4 according to the number of immune cells (CD3⁺ and CD8⁺) in tumor core and invasion margin using tissue microarrays, immunohistochemistry, and digital analysis. Tumors with microsatellite instability were identified by MLH1 immunostaining. High IS and low histological grade were significantly associated with better disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS). The 5-year DSS rate for low, moderate, and high IS groups were 5.0, 15.2, and 33.4%, respectively (p = 0.007). The 5-year OS rate for the low, moderate, and high IS groups were 4.2, 13.4, and 31.5%, respectively (p = 0.004). In addition, IS and prognosis varied within a single TNM stage. There was no association between IS and any of the clinicopathological variables. IS was shown to be an independent prognostic factor for better DSS and OS in multivariate analysis, together with the histological grade of the tumor and perineural invasion. Five MLH1-negative tumors (4.6%) were found showing no correlation with IS. IS could be a useful prognostic marker in patients with PDAC treated by primary surgery.

A look at the progress of treating pancreatic cancer over the past 20 years

INTRODUCTION

Pancreatic cancer is known to be the deadliest of all common cancers. Despite all efforts in pancreatic cancer treatment, the five-year survival rates at diagnosis over the past 20 years have only increased from 5% to 8%. Assuming that pancreatic cancer is going to become the second most frequent cause of cancer related death in the next 20 years, we are all encouraged to treat patients in clinical trials to gain improvements in this devastating disease. Areas covered: This review will provide a summary of pancreatic cancer treatment over the last 20 years, starting with the pivotal study in 1997 which showed the superiority of gemcitabine over 5-FU in advanced pancreatic cancer and is marked as the beginning of a new era in pancreatic cancer treatment. This review will also focus on improvements in different areas of treatment, including pancreatic surgery, adjuvant treatment, neoadjuvant therapy and palliative therapy. Expert commentary: The treatment of pancreatic cancer has changed substantially in the last 20 years compared to almost no improvements in the decades before. This provides hope that more effective treatment options will become available in the near future. Particularly, new concepts such as neoadjuvant therapy in resectable and borderline-resectable tumors may potentially shift treatment strategies.

Age as a prognostic indicator for adjuvant therapy in patients who underwent pancreatic resections for cancer

PURPOSE

In pancreatic cancer, the greatest increase in survival is attained by surgical resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Although surgical complications and functional status are recognized as independent factors for halting adjuvant therapy in patients that undergo pancreatic resections, other elements may play a role in deciding which patients get treated postoperatively. Here we determined demographic and clinical characteristics of patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, with the primary intent to investigate if age alone affects rates of adjuvant therapy.

METHODS/MATERIALS

National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for patients that underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer. Groups were divided into: adjuvant chemotherapy (n=17,924) and no adjuvant chemotherapy (n=12,947). Basic demographics and treatment characteristics were analyzed. Age was compared with an independent means test; other comparisons used Chi-square test of independence.

RESULTS

There was a statistical difference in age (adjuvant therapy 64.86±9.89 vs. no therapy 67.78±11.22, p<0.001), insurance type, facility type, and cancer stage for patients that received adjuvant therapy and those that did not. Average age of patients not receiving chemotherapy was significantly older at each pathologic stage. Subset analysis of patients treated with chemotherapy showed that the majority of patients received single agent regimens (62%), at an average of 59days following surgery, and at academic cancer programs (52%).

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of postoperative complications and functional status, age alone appears to affect rates of adjuvant therapy in patients with resected pancreatic cancer. Older patients should be offered tailored regimens that would allow them to complete the intended extent of treatment.

BRCA1/BRCA2 Germline Mutation Carriers and Sporadic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The outcomes of sporadic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients with germline mutations of BRCA1/BRCA2 remains unclear. The prognostic significance of BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations on survival is not well established.

STUDY DESIGN

We performed targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify BRCA1/BRCA2 germline mutations in resected sporadic PDAC cases from 2000 to 2015. Germline BRCA mutation carriers were matched by age and tumor location to those with BRCA1/BRCA2 wild-type genes from our institutional database. Demographics, clinicopathologic features, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were abstracted from medical records and compared between the 2 cohorts.

RESULTS

Twenty-two patients with sporadic cancer and BRCA1 (n = 4) or BRCA2 (n = 18) germline mutations and 105 wild-type patients were identified for this case-control study. The BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations were associated with inferior median OS (20.2 vs 27.8 months, p = 0.034) and DFS (8.4 vs 16.7 months, p < 0.001) when compared with the matched wild-type controls. On multivariable analyses, a BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation (hazard ratio [HR] 2.10, p < 0.001), positive margin status (HR 1.72, p = 0.021), and lack of adjuvant therapy (HR 2.38, p < 0.001), were all independently associated with worse survival. Within the BRCA1/BRCA2 mutated group, having had platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 10) was associated with better survival than alternative chemotherapy (n = 8) or no adjuvant therapy (n = 4) (31.0 vs 17.8 vs 9.3 months, respectively, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Carriers of BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation with sporadic PDAC had a worse survival after pancreatectomy than their BRCA wild-type counterparts. However, platinum-based chemotherapy regimens were associated with markedly improved survival in patients with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations, with survival differences no longer appreciated with wild-type patients.

The Role of Systemic Inflammation in Cancer-Associated Muscle Wasting and Rationale for Exercise as a Therapeutic Intervention

Progressive skeletal muscle wasting in cancer cachexia involves a process of dysregulated protein synthesis and breakdown. This catabolism may be the result of mal-nutrition, and an upregulation of both pro-inflammatory cytokines and the ubiquitin proteasome pathway (UPP), which can subsequently increase myostatin and activin A release. The skeletal muscle wasting associated with cancer cachexia is clinically significant, it can contribute to treatment toxicity or the premature discontinuation of treatments resulting in increases in morbidity and mortality. Thus, there is a need for further investigation into the pathophysiology of muscle wasting in cancer cachexia to develop effective prophylactic and therapeutic interventions. Several studies have identified a central role for chronic-systemic inflammation in initiating and perpetuating muscle wasting in patients with cancer. Interestingly, while exercise has shown efficacy in improving muscle quality, only recently have investigators begun to assess the impact that exercise has on chronic-systemic inflammation. To put this new information into context with established paradigms, here we review several biological pathways (e.g. dysfunctional inflammatory response, hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis, and increased myostatin/activin A activity) that may be responsible for the muscle wasting in patients with cancer. Additionally, we discuss the potential impact that exercise has on these pathways in the treatment of cancer-related muscle wasting. Exercise is an attractive intervention for muscle wasting in this population, partially because it disrupts chronic-systemic inflammation mediated catabolism. Most importantly, exercise is a potent stimulator of muscle synthesis, and therefore this therapy may reverse muscle damage caused by cancer cachexia.