Small Cell Oesophageal Carcinoma: A Retrospective Case Series From a UK Tertiary Centre and a Review of the Literature

Background Small cell oesophageal carcinoma (SCEC), a rare neuroendocrine malignancy, presents various challenges in diagnosis and treatment. The condition is characterised by rapid dissemination, a marked responsiveness to chemotherapy, and a guarded prognosis. While the European Neuroendocrine Tumour Society has recommended platinum-based chemotherapy, ongoing debates on optimal strategies and the lack of clear guidelines underscore the need for further comprehensive research efforts. Methods This study retrospectively analysed 12 cases of localised pure SCEC treated at a UK tertiary care centre between 2006 and 2020. We systematically analysed and categorised the cases based on stage, performance status, and patient age. This comprehensive approach enabled a nuanced examination of overall survival (OS), thereby providing valuable insights into the differences between outcomes. Results The study revealed a median OS of 12.01 months for treated non-metastatic cases, highlighting the challenges of SCEC management. Conversely, treated metastatic cases exhibited a mean survival of 9.15 months, which contrasts starkly with the 2.55 months demonstrated by those receiving best supportive care (BSC). These figures underscore the urgency for refined strategies in handling advanced localised disease and the need to continue research endeavours to devise methods to enhance the precision and optimise outcomes beyond the presented data. Conclusion Based on our findings, the combination of chemoradiotherapy and surgery to manage SCEC holds promise; however, further research is needed to optimise the management approach. The lack of clear guidelines underscores the imperative for personalised treatment approaches.

Insights into platinum-induced peripheral neuropathy-current perspective

Cancer is a global health problem that is often successfully addressed by therapy, with cancer survivors increasing in numbers and living longer world around. Although new cancer treatment options are continuously explored, platinum based chemotherapy agents remain in use due to their efficiency and availability. Unfortunately, all cancer therapies affect normal tissues as well as cancer, and more than 40 specific side effects of platinum based drugs documented so far decrease the quality of life of cancer survivors. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a frequent side effects of platinum-based chemotherapy agents. This cluster of complications is often so debilitating that patients occasionally have to discontinue the therapy. Sensory neurons of dorsal root ganglia are at the core of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms. In these postmitotic cells, DNA damage caused by platinum chemotherapy interferes with normal functioning. Accumulation of DNA-platinum adducts correlates with neurotoxic severity and development of sensation of pain. While biochemistry of DNA-platinum adducts is the same in all cell types, molecular mechanisms affected by DNA-platinum adducts are different in cancer cells and non-dividing cells. This review aims to raise awareness about platinum associated chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy as a medical problem that has remained unexplained for decades. We emphasize the complexity of this condition both from clinical and mechanistical point of view and focus on recent findings about chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in in vitro and in vivo model systems. Finally, we summarize current perspectives about clinical approaches for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy treatment.

ERCC1 expression as a predictor of resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy in primary ovarian cancer

AIM

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the possible association between Excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1) score and platinum resistance in first-line chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

ERCC1 Expression was determined using immunohisto-chemistry in 68 patients with platinum-responding tumor and 30 with platinum-resistant tumors. The primary end-point of this study was the association between the expression of ERCC1 protein with resistance to standard platinum-based chemotherapy in primary ovarian cancer.

RESULTS

In pairwise comparisons, the overall survival (OS) for patients with ovarian cancer, who were non-responders to platinum-based chemotherapy with low or intermediate H-score for ERCC1 was better than that of non-responders with high H-score for ERCC1 [median OS=21 (16.8-25.2 months) and 28 (14.6-41.4 months) vs. 15 months (6.2-23.8 months), p-value=0.048, and p-value=0.017, respectively].

CONCLUSION

There were no significant differences in the progression-free survival between those with low, intermediate and high H-score for ERCC1. There is no statistically significant relationship between ERCC1 score and response to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with primary ovarian cancer.