Down-staging depth score to predict outcomes in locally advanced rectal cancer achieving ypI stage after neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy versus de novo stage pI cohort: A propensity score-matched analysis

Downstaging after preoperative chemoradiation for locally advanced rectal cancer is associated with better survival than pathologic stage 0-1 disease treated with upfront surgery

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

It is unknown how patients with locally advanced rectal cancer with significant response to preoperative radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy fare relative to patients with true pathologic 0-1 disease undergoing upfront surgery. We aimed to determine whether survival is improved in locally advanced rectal cancer downstaged to pathologic stage 0-1 disease compared to true pathologic stage 0-1 tumors.

METHODS

A retrospective review of the National Cancer Database between 2004 and 2016 was conducted. Three groups were identified: (1) clinical stage 2-3 disease downstaged to pathologic stage 0-1 disease after radiotherapy, (2) clinical stage 2-3 disease not downstaged after radiotherapy, and (3) true pathologic 0-1 tumors undergoing upfront surgery. The primary endpoint was overall survival and was compared using Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses.

RESULTS

The study population consisted of 59,884 patients. Of the 40,130 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with preoperative radiation, 12,670 (31.5%) had significant downstaging (group 1), while 27,460 (68.4%) had no significant downstaging (group 2). A total of 19,754 had pathologic 0-1 disease treated with upfront resection (group 3). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, downstaged patients had significantly better overall survival compared to both non-downstaged and true pathologic stage 0-1 patients (median 156 vs. 99 and 136 months, respectively, p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, downstaged patients had significantly better survival (HR 0.88, p < 0.001) compared to true pathologic 0-1 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Locally advanced rectal cancer downstaged after preoperative radiotherapy has significantly better survival compared to true pathologic stage 0-1 disease treated with upfront surgery. Response to chemoradiotherapy likely identifies a subset of patients with a particularly good prognosis.

Prognoses in Pathologically Confirmed T1 Lower Rectal Cancer Patients with or without Preoperative Therapy: An Analysis Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database

Introduction Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard therapy for downstaging in locally advanced lower rectal cancer. However, it remains unclear whether rectal cancers down-staged by preoperative therapy show similar prognoses to those of the same stage without preoperative therapy. We previously demonstrated that preoperative CRT did not affect prognosis of rectal cancer with pathological T1N0 (pT1N0) stage in a single institute. Here, using a larger dataset, we compared prognoses of (y)pT1 rectal cancer stratified by the use of preoperative therapy and analyzed prognostic factors. Methods Cases of pT1N0 rectal cancer, registered between 2004 and 2016, were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Patients were categorized as the 'ypT1 group' if they had undergone preoperative therapy before surgery or as the 'pT1 group' if they had undergone surgery alone. overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) between these groups of patients was compared. Factors associated with CSS and OS were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Among 3,757 eligible patients, ypT1 and pT1 groups comprised 720 and 3,037 patients, respectively. While ypT1 patients showed poorer CSS than ypT1 patients, there was no significant difference in OS. Preoperative therapy was not an independent prognostic factor for CSS or OS. Multivariate analysis identified age and histological type as significant factors associated with CSS. Sex, age, race, and number of lymph nodes dissected were identified as significant factors associated with OS. Conclusions Prognosis among patients with (y)p T1N0 rectal cancer was similar irrespective of whether they underwent preoperative therapy, which is consistent with our previous observations.

Down-staging depth score could be a survival predictor for locally advanced gastric cancer patients after preoperative chemoradiotherapy

Objective

The predictive effect of preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is low and difficult in guiding individualized treatment. We examined a surrogate endpoint for long-term outcomes in locally advanced gastric cancer patients after preoperative CRT.

Methods

From April 2012 to April 2019, 95 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who received preoperative concurrent CRT and who were enrolled in three prospective studies were included. All patients were stage T_3/4N₊. Local control, distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Clinicopathological factors related to long-term prognosis were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. The down-staging depth score (DDS), which is a novel method of evaluating CRT response, was used to predict long-term outcomes.

Results

The median follow-up period for survivors was 30 months. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve predicted by the DDS was 0.728, which was better than the pathological complete response (pCR), histological response and ypN0. Decision curve analysis further affirmed that DDS had the largest net benefit. The DDS cut-off value was 4. pCR and ypN0 were associated with OS (P=0.026 and 0.049). Surgery and DDS are correlated with DMFS, DFS and OS (surgery: P=0.001, <0.001 and <0.001, respectively; and DDS: P=0.009, 0.013 and 0.032, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that DDS was an independent prognostic factor of DFS (P=0.021).

Conclusions

DDS is a simple, short-term indicator that was a better surrogate endpoint than pCR, histological response and ypN0 for DFS.

Oncological Outcomes of Pathological T1 Lower Rectal Cancer Patients With or Without Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy

BACKGROUND/AIM

It remains unclear whether rectal cancers down-staged by preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) have similar prognoses to those of the same stage without preoperative CRT. We compared prognoses of pT1 rectal cancer patients stratified by preoperative CRT.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrieved data of patients with pathological T1 rectal cancer between 2003 and 2020. Patients were divided into the "ypT1 group" who received preoperative CRT following surgery and the "pT1 group" who underwent surgery alone. Factors associated with relapse-free survival (RFS) were investigated.

RESULTS

Among 86 patients, ypT1 and pT1 groups comprised 18 and 68 patients, respectively. There was no significant difference in RFS between the groups (p=0.19). Tumor location within 5 cm from the anal verge was associated with recurrence (hazard ratio: 0.13, p=0.034).

CONCLUSION

The prognosis of patients with ypT1 rectal cancer was similar to that of patients with pT1. Low tumor location was a poor prognostic factor.

Unintended consequences of treating early rectal cancers for complete clinical response with chemoradiotherapy

The aim was to examine the current trend in rectal cancer, which is to extend ’watch-and-wait’ to earlier-stage tumors, not normally treated with chemoradiotherapy, to define the up-side and down-side regarding quality of life (QOL) and anorectal/sexual/urinary function from this approach. We reviewed the literature regarding a ‘watch-and-wait’ strategy after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The primary outcome measure was complete clinical response. Secondary measures included colostomy rate, functional outcomes and QOL. There is a trend to use chemoradiotherapy in earlier tumors using dose-escalation of radiation and/or additional chemotherapy, resulting in high rates of complete clinical response, which may impact adversely on QOL if radical surgery is subsequently required. Focusing on organ-preservation as the primary goal of treatment rather than overall functional outcomes and QOL for the whole population, may not provide patients with sufficient information for optimal decision-making.

Surgical outcomes of hand-assisted laparoscopic liver resection vs. open liver resection: A retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study

Objective

Hand-assisted laparoscopic liver resection has the advantages of open and laparoscopic surgeries. There is still lack of comparison of surgical outcomes between hand-assistied laparoscopic liver resection (HALLR) and open liver resection (OLR). This study compared the surgical outcomes of the two approaches between well-matched patient cohorts.

Methods

Patients who received liver resection during January 2014 and October 2017 in Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College were included in this retrospective study. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce selection bias between the two groups. Operation and short-term surgical outcomes were compared between the well matched groups.

Results

During this period, 232 patients with a median age of 55.1 years old received OLR, while 49 patients with a median age of 54.7 years old received HALLR. Compared with HALLR group, OLR group has a higher proportion in male patients (190/232, 81.9% vs. 34/49, 69.4%, P=0.048) and lower albumin (43.2±4.5 vs. 44.8±3.7, P=0.020). After PSM, 49 patients from each group were included in the following analysis. Two groups were well balanced in their baseline characteristics, liver functions, preoperative treatments, abdominal surgery history, and surgical difficulty. None perioperative mortality was observed in both groups. Operation time and postoperative complications were similar in two groups (P=0.935, P=0.056). The HALLR group showed less bleeding amount (177.8±217.1 mL vs. 283.1±225.0 mL, P=0.003) and shorter postoperative stay period (6.9±2.2 d vs. 9.0±3.5 d, P=0.001).

Conclusions

We demonstrated that hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery is feasible and safe for liver resection, including some difficult cases. HALLR can provide better bleeding control and faster recovery after surgery.