Prognostic Factors of Survival in Patients with Peritoneal Metastasis from Colorectal Cancer

Combined peritoneal and liver metastases in colorectal cancer: A Dutch nationwide population-based analysis of incidence, treatment and survival

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, treatment patterns, survival and factors associated with curative treatment in colorectal cancer patients with combined liver and peritoneal metastases using Dutch population-based data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry were used. All patients diagnosed with synchronous isolated peritoneal and liver metastasized colorectal adenocarcinoma between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2021 were included. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with receiving curative treatment. Survival rates were calculated for patients undergoing palliative and curative treatment separately.

RESULTS

Of 14627 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma in the study period, 927 patients (6.3 %) had isolated liver and peritoneal metastases and were evaluated in this study. Mean age was 66.9 years, non-mucinous and non-signet-ring cell adenocarcinomas were most prevalent (89.0 %) and tumors were mostly located in the colon (92.1 %). Patients were treated with best supportive care (n = 254, 27,4 %), palliative treatment (n = 618, 66,7 %) or curative treatment (n = 55, 5,9 %). Median OS was 1.5 months, 11.3 months, and 32.6 months, respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that younger age (OR 0.95, p < 0.001) and up to 3 liver metastases (OR 0.13, p < 0.001) are positively associated with receiving curative treatment.

CONCLUSION

This population-based study provides a comprehensive overview of the incidence and treatment of patients with synchronous colorectal liver and peritoneal metastases. It shows that in a highly selected group of patients, curative treatment is associated with better overall survival.

Perioperative management and survival outcomes following cytoreductive surgery in patients with peritoneal metastases from rectal cancer: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Patients with rectal cancer and peritoneal metastases (PM) may have a worse prognosis and benefit from a different management than patients with colon cancer.

METHODS

A systematic literature search of MEDLINE (PubMed) and EMBASE databases was performed to identify all reported patients with rectal cancer and PM treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS), with or without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), to investigate the proper selection criteria for this population, the optimal perioperative management, and highlight its specific oncological outcomes.

RESULTS

Twenty studies reporting on 285 patients were identified. Median age varied from 28 to 63 years, and 57.5 % of patients had synchronous disease. The use of neoadjuvant treatment was frequent, but regimens were heterogenous, consisting of radiotherapy alone, chemoradiotherapy or systemic chemotherapy. Thirty-two percent did not receive any neoadjuvant treatment. Most patients (85.6 %) received HIPEC after CRS, with mitomycin C being the most used drug. Complete cytoreduction was performed in 90.1 % of patients. Data on stoma creation and management were poorly reported. Severe complications occurred in 32.2 % of patients. Median disease-free survival ranged from 6 to 22 months, and median overall survival varied from 7 to 53.2 months.

CONCLUSION

This scoping review highlights the paucity of data available regarding the management of patients with rectal cancer and PM. It also emphasizes different issues and dilemmas regarding this specific population, especially on the use of neoadjuvant treatment, the role of HIPEC after CRS and stoma management.

Factors Affecting the Prognosis after Primary Tumor Resection for Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer with Synchronous Peritoneal Metastasis: A Multi-center, Prospective, Observational Study

Objectives

To clarify the risk factors affecting prognosis after primary tumor resection (PTR) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer with synchronous peritoneal metastasis (mCRC-SPM).

Methods

Patients were enrolled prospectively in the JSCCR project "Grading of Peritoneal Seeding in Colorectal Cancer." Factors that may influence overall survival-age, sex, location of the primary tumor, lymph node metastasis, presence of liver metastasis, degree of peritoneal metastasis, peritoneal cancer index (PCI), cancer cure, and postoperative chemotherapy-in the PTR group were examined using multivariate analysis.

Results

Of the 133 enrolled patients with mCRC-SPM, 112 patients underwent PTR. Among them, 26 (23.2%) had mCRC-SPM of grade P1, 47 (42.0%) of P2, and 39 (34.8%) of P3. The median PCI was 4 (range, 1-28); no surgery-related deaths occurred. Postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo classification ≥grade 2 were observed in 20 (17.9%) patients. R0 surgery became more difficult as the degree of dissemination increased, and the PTR group had a significantly better prognosis than the non-PTR group. In the multivariate analysis, age ≥75 years, rectal cancer, presence of liver metastasis, higher PCI, non-curative resection, and non-treatment with systemic chemotherapy were associated with poor prognosis in patients after PTR.

Conclusions

In patients with mCRC-SPM, postoperative complications are infrequent for P1 with localized peritoneal dissemination, and PTR may be considered as aggressive treatment. Factors including age ≥75 years, rectal cancer, presence of liver metastasis, increased PCI, non-curative resection, and non-treatment with systemic chemotherapy are associated with a reduced survival benefit from PTR.

Computational Evaluation of Improved HIPEC Drug Delivery Kinetics via Bevacizumab-Induced Vascular Normalization

Background: Oxaliplatin-based hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) using the original 30 min protocol has shown limited benefits in patients with peritoneal metastasis of colorectal cancer (PMCRC), likely due to the short duration, which limits drug penetration into tumor nodules. Bevacizumab, an antiangiogenic antibody that modifies the tumor microenvironment, may improve drug delivery during HIPEC. This in silico study evaluates the availability of oxaliplatin within tumor nodules when HIPEC is performed after bevacizumab treatment. Methods: Using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of HIPEC, the temperature and oxaliplatin distribution within the rat abdomen were calculated, followed by a model of drug transport within tumor nodules located at various sites in the peritoneum. The vascular normalization effect of the bevacizumab treatment was incorporated by adjusting the biophysical parameters of the tumor nodules. The effective penetration depth values, including the thermal enhancement ratio of cytotoxicity, were then compared between HIPEC alone and HIPEC combined with the bevacizumab treatment. Results: After bevacizumab treatments at doses of 0.5 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg, the oxaliplatin availability increased by up to 20% and 45% when HIPEC was performed during the vascular normalization phase, with the penetration depth increasing by 1.5-fold and 2.3-fold, respectively. Tumors with lower collagen densities and larger vascular pore sizes showed higher oxaliplatin enhancement after the combined treatment. Bevacizumab also enabled a reduction in the oxaliplatin dose (up to half at 5 mg/kg bevacizumab) while maintaining effective drug levels in the tumor nodules, potentially reducing systemic toxicity. Conclusions: These findings suggest that administering oxaliplatin-based HIPEC during bevacizumab-induced vascular normalization could significantly improve drug penetration and enhance treatment efficacy.

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

PURPOSE

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

METHODS

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

RESULTS

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

CONCLUSION

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

Evaluation of 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT for the diagnosis of recurrent colorectal cancers

Objective

The present study aimed to compare the diagnostic value of gallium-68-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor positron emission tomography/computed tomography (68Ga-FAPI PET/CT) and fluorine-18-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT (18F-FDG PET/CT) for detecting recurrent colorectal cancers (CRCs).

Materials and Methods

Fifty-six patients (age: 18-80 years, 31 men and 25 women) with suspected recurrent CRC were enrolled and underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT and 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT sequentially within 1 week. The maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax), tumor-to-background ratio (TBR), and diagnostic accuracy were estimated and compared between the two modalities by using Student's t-test. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare peritoneal carcinoma index (PCI) scores between the two imaging modalities.

Results

68Ga-FAPI PET/CT showed higher sensitivity for detecting recurrence (93 % vs. 79 %); lymph node metastasis (89 % vs. 78 %), particularly peritoneal lymph node metastasis (92 % vs. 63 %); and metastatic implantation on the intestinal wall (100 % vs. 25 %) compared to 18F-FDG PET/CT. However, 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT showed lower sensitivity for detecting bone metastasis (67 % vs. 100 %). The mean SUVmax values of peritoneal metastases and metastatic implantation on the intestinal wall were 4.28 ± 2.70 and 7.58 ± 1.66 for 18F-FDG PET/CT and 5.66 ± 1.97 and 6.70 ± 0.25 for 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT, respectively. Furthermore, 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT showed significantly higher TBR for peritoneal metastatic lesions (4.22 ± 1.47 vs. 1.41 ± 0.89, p < 0.0001) and metastatic implantation on the intestinal wall (5.63 ± 1.24 vs. 2.20 ± 0.5, p = 0.02) compared to 18F-FDG PET/CT. For the same patient, 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT yielded a more accurate PCI score and a greater area under the curve value for the receiver operating characteristic curve (p < 0.01) than 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Conclusion

68Ga-FAPI PET/CT was superior to 18F-FDG PET/CT for detecting recurrence and peritoneal metastases. Hence, we propose the combination of these two modalities for better clinical diagnosis and management of patients with CRC.

Cytoreductive surgery without intra-peritoneal chemotherapy for metachronous colorectal peritoneal metastases

BACKGROUND

Cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy reportedly improve the prognosis of patients with metachronous peritoneal metastases. However, the types of peritoneal metastases indicated for cytoreductive surgery remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the category of cases for which cytoreductive surgery would be effective and report the prognosis associated with cytoreductive surgery for metachronous peritoneal metastases.

METHODS

This study included 52 consecutive patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery for metachronous peritoneal metastases caused by colorectal cancer between January 2005 and December 2018 and fulfilled the selection criteria. The median follow-up period was 54.9 months. Relapse-free survival was calculated as the time from cytoreductive surgery of metachronous peritoneal metastases to recurrence. Overall survival was defined as the time from cytoreductive surgery of metachronous peritoneal metastases to death or the end of the follow-up period.

RESULTS

The 5-year relapse-free survival rate was 30.0% and the 5-year overall survival rate was 72.3%. None of the patients underwent hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The analysis indicated no potential risk factors for 5-year relapse-free survival. However, for 5-year overall survival, the multivariate analysis revealed that time to diagnosis of metachronous peritoneal metastases of < 2 years after primary surgery (hazard ratio = 4.1, 95% confidence interval = 2.0-8.6, p = 0.0002) and number of metachronous peritoneal metastases ≥ 3 (hazard ratio = 9.8, 95% confidence interval = 2.3-42.3, p = 0.002) as independent factors associated with a poor prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Long intervals of more than 2 years after primary surgery and 2 or less metachronous peritoneal metastases were good selection criteria for cytoreductive surgery for metachronous peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer.

Efficacy and Safety of Maintenance Therapy Using Cetuximab in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Retrospective Study

Purpose

Cetuximab (CET) combined with chemotherapy significantly improved the survival in RAS and RAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients, while clinical evidence was lacking on the use of maintenance therapy (MT). The study aimed to explore the role of maintenance therapy following Cetuximab + chemotherapy and the optimal Cetuximab-based maintenance therapy regimen.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively reviewed data on the efficacy and safety of CET-based MT in patients with mCRC who achieved disease control after induction therapy.

Results

Eighty-one patients with mCRC who achieved disease control after CET + chemotherapy induction were enrolled. Overall median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10.5 (95% CI = 8.8-12.2) months and median maintenance/observation PFS (mnPFS) was 6.0 (95% CI = 5.0-7.0) months. Among these 81 patients, 61 patients were prescribed MT (CET alone for 21 patients and CET + chemotherapy for 40 patients). Median PFS and mnPFS in the MT group were significantly longer than those for the non-MT group. Different MT regimens did not affect PFS and mnPFS significantly. Univariate and multivariate analysis demonstrated MT, complete response/partial response during induction therapy, and absence of peritoneal metastasis to be positively associated with longer PFS and mnPFS. Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were tolerable during MT, and AE-related deaths were not observed.

Conclusion

MT with CET or CET + chemotherapy was an appropriate option following initial induction chemotherapy for patients with RAS and RAF wild-type mCRC. This strategy endowed survival benefits and a tolerable safety profile.

T2-weighted imaging-based radiomic-clinical machine learning model for predicting the differentiation of colorectal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The study on predicting the differentiation grade of colorectal cancer (CRC) based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not been reported yet. Developing a non-invasive model to predict the differentiation grade of CRC is of great value.

AIM

To develop and validate machine learning-based models for predicting the differentiation grade of CRC based on T2-weighted images (T2WI).

METHODS

We retrospectively collected the preoperative imaging and clinical data of 315 patients with CRC who underwent surgery from March 2018 to July 2023. Patients were randomly assigned to a training cohort (n = 220) or a validation cohort (n = 95) at a 7:3 ratio. Lesions were delineated layer by layer on high-resolution T2WI. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was applied to screen for radiomic features. Radiomics and clinical models were constructed using the multilayer perceptron (MLP) algorithm. These radiomic features and clinically relevant variables (selected based on a significance level of P < 0.05 in the training set) were used to construct radiomics-clinical models. The performance of the three models (clinical, radiomic, and radiomic-clinical model) were evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA).

RESULTS

After feature selection, eight radiomic features were retained from the initial 1781 features to construct the radiomic model. Eight different classifiers, including logistic regression, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbours, random forest, extreme trees, extreme gradient boosting, light gradient boosting machine, and MLP, were used to construct the model, with MLP demonstrating the best diagnostic performance. The AUC of the radiomic-clinical model was 0.862 (95%CI: 0.796-0.927) in the training cohort and 0.761 (95%CI: 0.635-0.887) in the validation cohort. The AUC for the radiomic model was 0.796 (95%CI: 0.723-0.869) in the training cohort and 0.735 (95%CI: 0.604-0.866) in the validation cohort. The clinical model achieved an AUC of 0.751 (95%CI: 0.661-0.842) in the training cohort and 0.676 (95%CI: 0.525-0.827) in the validation cohort. All three models demonstrated good accuracy. In the training cohort, the AUC of the radiomic-clinical model was significantly greater than that of the clinical model (P = 0.005) and the radiomic model (P = 0.016). DCA confirmed the clinical practicality of incorporating radiomic features into the diagnostic process.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we successfully developed and validated a T2WI-based machine learning model as an auxiliary tool for the preoperative differentiation between well/moderately and poorly differentiated CRC. This novel approach may assist clinicians in personalizing treatment strategies for patients and improving treatment efficacy.

Microvascularized tumor assembloids model for drug delivery evaluation in colorectal cancer-derived peritoneal metastasis

Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is a fatal state of colorectal cancer, and only a few patients may benefit from systemic chemotherapy. Although hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) brings hope for affected patients, the drug development and preclinical evaluation of HIPEC are seriously lagging behind, mainly due to the lack of an ideal in vitro PM model that makes drug development over-reliant on expensive and inefficient animal experiments. This study developed an in vitro colorectal cancer PM model [microvascularized tumor assembloids (vTA)] based on an assembly strategy of endothelialized microvessels and tumor spheroids. Our data showed that the in vitro perfusion cultured vTA could maintain a similar gene expression pattern to their parental xenografts. Also, the drug penetration pattern of the in vitro HIPEC in vTA could mimic the drug delivery behavior in tumor nodules during in vivo HIPEC. More importantly, we further confirmed the feasibility of constructing a tumor burden-controlled PM animal model using vTA. In conclusion, we propose a simple and effective strategy to construct physiologically simulated PM models in vitro, thus providing a basis for PM-related drug development and preclinical evaluation of locoregional therapies. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This study developed an in vitro colorectal cancer peritoneal metastasis (PM) model based on microvascularized tumor assembloids (vTA) for drug evaluation. With perfusion culture, vTA could maintain a similar gene expression pattern and tumor heterogeneity to their parental xenografts. And the drug penetration pattern in vTA was similar to the drug delivery behavior in tumor nodules under in vivo treatment. Moreover, vTA was more conducive to construct PM animal models with controllable tumor burden. In conclusion, the construction of vTA could provide a new strategy for the PM-related drug development and preclinical evaluation of locoregional therapies.