The Role of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Non-Metastatic Goblet Cell Carcinoid of the Appendix: An 11-Year Experience from the National Cancer Database

The Vermiform Appendix and Its Pathologies

The vermiform appendix is a muscular cylindrical structure originating near the junction of the cecum and ileum, averaging 9 cm (5-35 cm) in size. As the most mobile viscera, it can adopt several positions, the most common being the retrocecal position. Perceived as an atavistic organ lacking physiological relevance, the vermiform appendix appears to be involved in immune function, serving in the maturation of B lymphocytes and the production of immunoglobulin A, in endocrine function, excreting amines and hormones in the 2-3 mL of mucus secreted daily, and in digestive function, by storing beneficial bacteria from where they can recolonize the colon. With a lumen of about 6 mm, the vermiform appendix has a reduced storage capacity, so any blockage of the appendix with fecoliths (fecaliths), seeds derailed from the colon, or enlarged lymph nodes prevents drainage and intraluminal accumulation of secreted mucus. Unable to relax, the appendix wall severely limits its intraluminal volume, so mucus accumulation leads to inflammation of the appendix, known generically as appendicitis. In addition, the vermiform appendix may be the site of the development of neoplastic processes, which may or may not involve mucus production, some of which can significantly affect the standard of living and ultimately lead to death. In general, mucinous tumors may have a better prognosis than non-mucinous tumors. This review takes a comprehensive path, starting by describing the anatomy and embryology of the vermiform appendix and further detailing its inflammatory pathologies, pathologies related to congenital anomalies, and appendix tumors, thus creating an up-to-date framework for better understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of these health problems.

Appendiceal Carcinoid Tumor in a 16-Year-Old Patient

Carcinoid tumor is the most common neoplasm of the appendix. There is no specific preoperative clinical presentation for appendiceal carcinoids. The usual presentation is as a classic acute appendicitis, but it can also be asymptomatic. Rarely are there symptoms of carcinoid syndrome, which may include diarrhea, flushing, bronchoconstriction, and cardiac valve diseases, especially if there is liver metastasis. Carcinoid tumors are commonly diagnosed retrospectively after histological examination of the resected appendix. Appendiceal carcinoids usually behave as benign tumors, and appendectomy alone is a sufficient treatment in the majority of cases, while for larger lesions, a right hemicolectomy should be performed. The prognosis of patients with local appendiceal carcinoids is excellent. The present study reports the case of a 16-year-old female patient that presented with severe right lower quadrant pain for 2 days. The patient underwent a successful appendectomy and recovered 2 days later. Subsequently, an appendiceal carcinoid tumor located at the proximal half towards the base of the appendix was diagnosed by histopathological examination. A follow-up examination 2 weeks after surgery revealed that the patient was well, with no discomfort. This report aims to determine the prevalence of appendiceal carcinoids in young patients and the definitive management.

Clinicopathological features of appendiceal goblet cell adenocarcinoma in Japan: a multicenter retrospective study

PURPOSE

In the 5th edition of the World Health Organization classification, appendiceal goblet cell adenocarcinoma (GCA) is categorized separately from neuroendocrine tumors and other appendiceal adenocarcinomas. We clarified the clinicopathological characteristics of Japanese appendiceal GCA.

METHODS

We designed a retrospective multicenter cohort study and retrieved the data of patients with appendiceal neoplasms and histologically diagnosed appendiceal goblet cell carcinoid (GCC) treated from January 2000 to December 2017 in Japan. The available GCC slides were reviewed and diagnosed with a new grading system of GCA.

RESULTS

A total of 922 patients from 43 institutions were enrolled; of these, 32 cases were patients with GCC (3.5%), and 20 cases were ultimately analyzed. The 5-year survival rate was 61.4% (95% confidence interval: 27.4-83.2), and the median survival time was 93.1 months. For peritoneal metastasis, regional lymph node metastasis was a significant factor (p = 0.04), and Grade 3 was a potential factor (p = 0.07). No peritoneal metastasis was observed in either T1/2 patients (n = 2) or Grade 1 patients (n = 4). We were unable to detect any significant factors associated with regional lymph node metastasis.

CONCLUSION

For peritoneal metastasis, regional lymph node metastasis was a significant factor, and Grade 3 was a potential factor.

Goblet cell adenocarcinoma of the appendix: an update and practical approach to diagnosis and grading

Goblet cell adenocarcinoma is a rare appendiceal tumour with amphicrine differentiation that has distinct morphologic and clinical features compared to carcinomas seen elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract. These tumors have engendered considerable confusion in the literature regarding their classification, and they have been described under several different names including goblet cell carcinoid, adenocarcinoid, and adenocarcinoma, among others. In the recent fifth edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Digestive System Tumors, goblet cell adenocarcinoma is the preferred diagnosis because of the increasing recognition of a frequent co-existing high-grade adenocarcinoma component. This review will present the clinicopathologic, molecular, and immunohistochemical features of goblet cell adenocarcinoma and discuss the current challenges in diagnosis, grading, and clinical management.

Appendiceal goblet cell carcinoma has marginal advantages from perioperative chemotherapy: a population-based study with an entropy balancing analysis

PURPOSE

The aim is to clarify the use of perioperative chemotherapy in resectable goblet cell carcinoma (GCC).

METHODS

A retrospective study was carried out based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results study. The population was divided: into patients who received only radical surgery (group A) and those who received radical surgery plus chemotherapy (group B). An entropy balancing was carried out to correct the imbalance between the two groups. Two models were generated. Model 1 contained only high-risk patients: group B and a "virtual" group A with similar characteristics. Model 2 included only low-risk patients: group A and "virtual" group B with identical attributes. The efficacy of entropy balancing was evaluated with the d value. The overall survival was compared and reported with Hazard Ratio (HR) within a confidence interval of 95% (95 CI).

RESULTS

The groups A and B were imbalanced for tumor size (d = 0.392), T (d = 1.128), N (d = 1.340), M (d = 1.456), mean number of positive lymph nodes (d = 0.907), and LNR (d = 0.889). Before the balancing, the risk of death was higher in group B than in A (4.3; 2.5 to 7.4). After reweighting, all large differences were eliminated (d < 0.200). In high-risk patients, the risk of death was higher in patients who underwent surgery alone than those who received perioperative chemotherapy (HR 0.5; 0.2 to 1.3) without statistical significance (p = 0.187). In low-risk patients, the risk of death was similar (HR 1.1; 0.3 to 3.3).

CONCLUSION

Perioperative chemotherapy could provide some marginal advantages to high-risk patients.

Goblet Cell Adenocarcinoma of the Appendix: A Systematic Review and Incidence and Survival of 1,225 Cases From an English Cancer Registry

Background

Goblet cell adenocarcinoma (GCA) of the appendix is a rare and aggressive tumour with varying nomenclature and classification systems. This has led to heterogeneity in published data, and there is a lack of consensus on incidence, survival, and management.

Methods

We provide an overview of GCA with a comprehensive systematic review using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology and a retrospective analysis of all cases recorded in the English National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service database between 1995 and 2018. The Kaplan–Meier estimator was used to calculate overall survival, and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify prognostic factors.

Results

The systematic review demonstrated an incidence of 0.05–0.3 per 100,000 per year among North American registry studies. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rate was 95.5%, 85.9%–87.6%, and 76.0%–80.6%, respectively. Age, stage, and grade were identified as prognostic factors for survival. Our analysis included 1,225 cases. Age-standardised incidence was 0.0335 per year in 1995 and gradually rose to 0.158 per year in 2018. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rate was 90.0% [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 85.4–94.0], 76.0% (95% CI: 73.8–80.9), and 68.6% (95% CI: 65.9–72.2), respectively. On univariate Cox regression analyses, female sex, stage, and grade were associated with worse overall survival. On multivariate analysis, only stage remained a statistically significant prognostic factor.

Conclusions

GCA of the appendix is rare, but incidence is increasing. We report a lower incidence and survival than North American registry studies. Higher stage was associated with decreased survival. Further prospective studies are required to establish optimal management.

Chemotherapy in the treatment of different histological types of appendiceal cancers: a SEER based study

Background

Due to its rarity and high heterogeneity, neither established guidelines nor prospective data are currently available for using chemotherapy in the treatment of appendiceal cancer. This study was to determine the use of chemotherapy and its potential associations with survival in patients with different histological types of the cancer.

Methods

Patients with histologically different appendiceal cancers diagnosed during 1998–2016 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The role and effect of chemotherapy were examined in the treatment of the disease. The Kaplan-Meier method was applied to construct survival curves and significance was examined by Log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze the impact of chemotherapy and other variables on survival in these patients.

Results

A total of 8733 appendiceal cancer patients were identified from the database. Chemotherapy was administrated at highly variable rates in different histological types of appendiceal cancer. As high as 64.0% signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC), 46.4% of mucinous adenocarcinomas (MAC), 40.6% of non-mucinous adenocarcinoma (NMAC) and 43.9% of mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNENs) were treated with chemotherapy, whereas only 14.7% of goblet cell carcinoma (GCC), 5% neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and 1.6% carcinomas (NEC) received chemotherapy. In all patients combined, chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival during the entire study period and cancer-specific survival was improved during in cases from 2012–2016. Further multivariate analysis showed that both cancer-specific and overall survival was significantly improved with chemotherapy  in patients with MAC, NMAC and SRCC, but not for patients with GCC, MiNENs, NETs and NECs. Number (> 12) of lymph node sampled was associated with survival of patients with most histological types of cancer under study. Other prognostic factors related to individual histological types were identified.

Conclusions

Chemotherapy is administrated at highly variable rates in different histological types of appendiceal cancer. Efficacy of chemotherapy in the treatment of these cancers has been improved in recent years and is significantly associated with better survival for patients with NMAC, MAC, and SRCC. Adequate lymph node sampling may result in a survival benefit for most of these patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08502-3.

Current Management of Appendiceal Neoplasms

Appendiceal neoplasms include a heterogeneous group of epithelial and nonepithelial tumors that exhibit varying malignant potential. This review article summarizes current diagnostic criteria, classification systems, and optimal therapeutic strategies for the five main histopathologic subtypes of appendiceal neoplasms. In particular, the management of epithelial appendiceal neoplasms has evolved. Although their treatment has historically been extrapolated from colon cancer, improved understanding of their unique histopathologic and molecular characteristics and a growing body of published clinical data support a more nuanced approach to their management.