Evaluation of the histopathologic status of rectal adenocarcinoma and its regional lymph nodes after neoadjuvant therapy, and its relation to the duration of disease-free survival

INTRODUCTION

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors and has a relatively poor prognosis. Lymph node involvement is considered the most important prognostic factor.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

During a retrospective cohort study, 132 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery for resectable rectal cancer from 2010 to 2015 in Sina hospital were reviewed.

RESULTS

Multivariable analysis was performed and shown the clinical stage was not a representative factor for disease-free survival (P = 0.187), but Dworak Tumor Regression Grading were significantly associated with higher disease-free survival (P = 0.000) in stage II and stage III. The total number of retrieved lymph nodes and involved lymph nodes in the same clinical stage were statistically associated with higher mean disease-free survival in patients (P = 0.000 in both conditions).

CONCLUSION

In the same clinical stage, increasing the Dworak Tumor Regression Grading reduced the risk of rectal cancer recurrence. Increasing total number of retrieved lymph nodes and involved lymph nodes, 2.14 times and 3.87 times increased the risk of recurrence, respectively.

Effectiveness of Ozone Therapy as an Adjunct Treatment for Lower-Limb Ulcers: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of topical ozone therapy as an adjuvant treatment in the healing of lower limb ulcers through a systematic literature review.

DATA SOURCES

Three databases were used to search for studies conducted in the period up to and including September 2020: PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Science.

STUDY SELECTION

The search identified 44 studies, 7 of which met the eligibility criteria and were evaluated.

DATA EXTRACTION

Study design, study location, number of patients, patient age, type of control, wound type, intervention type, equipment used to generate ozone (ozone generation), evaluation methodology, and main results were extracted from each study.

DATA SYNTHESIS

A total of 506 patients 18 years or older with chronic wounds, such as venous or diabetic ulcers, on the lower limbs were enrolled. The majority of studies addressed diabetic foot ulcers.

CONCLUSIONS

The ozone therapy protocols demonstrated a healing effect in all included studies, and none reported adverse effects. This reinforces the need for more controlled and randomized clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of this treatment and establish clinical criteria for its use.

Effectiveness and Safety of Apatinib Plus Chemotherapy as Neoadjuvant Treatment for Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

Importance

Apatinib is a novel treatment option for chemotherapy-refractory advanced gastric cancer (GC), but it has not been evaluated in patients with locally advanced GC.

Objective

To investigate the effectiveness and safety of apatinib combined with S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX) as a neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced GC.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This multicenter, prospective, single-group, open-label, phase 2 nonrandomized controlled trial was conducted in 10 centers in southern China. Patients with M0 and either clinical T2 to T4 or N+ disease were enrolled between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2019. Statistical analysis was performed from December 1, 2019, to January 31, 2020.

Interventions

Eligible patients received apatinib (500 mg orally once daily on days 1 to 21 and discontinued in the last cycle) plus SOX (S-1: 40-60 mg orally twice daily on days 1 to 14; oxaliplatin: 130 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1) every 3 weeks for 2 to 5 cycles. A D2 gastrectomy was performed 2 to 4 weeks after the last cycle.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was R0 resection rate. Secondary end points were the response rate, toxic effects, and surgical outcome.

Results

A total of 48 patients (mean [SD] age, 63.2 [8.2] years; 37 men [77.1%]) were enrolled in this study. Forty patients underwent surgery (38 had gastrectomy, and 2 had exploratory laparotomy), with an R0 resection rate of 75.0% (95% CI, 60.4%-86.4%). The radiologic response rate was 75.0%, and T downstaging was observed in 16 of 44 patients (36.4%). The pathological response rate was 54.2% (95% CI, 39.2%-68.6%); moreover, this rate was significantly higher in patients who achieved a radiologic response compared with those who did not (12 [80.0%] vs 1 [20.0%]; P = .03) and in those who had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status score of 0 (20 [76.9%] vs 10 [45.5%]; P = .03) or had tumors located in the upper one-third of the stomach (16 [61.5%] vs 7 [31.8%]; P = .04). Patients who achieved a pathological response (vs those who did not) had significantly less blood loss (median [range]: 60 [10-200] mL vs 80 [20-300] mL; P = .04) and significantly more lymph nodes harvested (median [range]: 40 [24-67] vs 32 [19-51]; P = .04) during surgery. Postoperative complications were observed in 7 of 38 patients (18.4%). Grade 3 toxic effects occurred in 16 of 48 patients (33.3%), and no grade 4 toxic effects or preoperative deaths were observed.

Conclusions and Relevance

This nonrandomized controlled trial found that apatinib combined with SOX was effective and had an acceptable safety profile as a neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced GC. A large-scale randomized clinical trial may be needed to confirm the findings.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03192735.

What Should Be the Rules for Downstaging for Hepatocellular Carcinoma?

INTRODUCTION

Liver transplantation remains the main curative treatment method for hepatocellular carcinoma. There are several criteria for hepatocellular carcinoma to be eligible for liver transplantation, and it depends on main transplantation centers worldwide. Locoregional treatments and downstaging protocols are used for either to achieve these criteria or to prevent drop outs on the transplant waiting lists. But who can benefit from these bridging therapies effectively for the main purpose of curative treatment? Main contraindications are known for locoregional treatments like cirrhosis or low hepatic function, total main portal vein occlusion, and extrahepatic metastasis. HCCs, which are confined to liver but have high tumor burden, remains the main controversial issue.

AIM

On this aspect, we reviewed the literature for downstaging protocols for hepatocellular carcinoma with their effect on survival and recurrence rates after liver transplantation.

CONCLUSION

Although candidates for downstaging is still controversial, with the absence of main contraindications, LRT can be applied to selected HCCs, which have a certain degree of tumor burden.

Assessment of Intratumoral and Peritumoral Computed Tomography Radiomics for Predicting Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation in Patients With Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

IMPORTANCE

For patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, neoadjuvant chemoradiation has been shown to improve long-term outcomes, but the treatment response varies among patients. Accurate pretreatment prediction of response remains an urgent need.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether peritumoral radiomics features derived from baseline computed tomography images could provide valuable information about neoadjuvant chemoradiation response and enhance the ability of intratumoral radiomics to estimate pathological complete response.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A total of 231 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, who underwent baseline contrast-enhanced computed tomography and received neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery at 2 institutions in China, were consecutively included. This diagnostic study used single-institution data between April 2007 and December 2018 to extract radiomics features from intratumoral and peritumoral regions and established intratumoral, peritumoral, and combined radiomics models using different classifiers. External validation was conducted using independent data collected from another hospital during the same period. Radiogenomics analysis using gene expression profile was done in a subgroup of the training set for pathophysiological explanation. Data were analyzed from June to December 2019.

EXPOSURES

Computed tomography-based radiomics.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The discriminative performances of radiomics models were measured by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.

RESULTS

Among the 231 patients included (192 men [83.1%]; mean [SD] age, 59.8 [8.7] years), the optimal intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics models yielded similar areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.730 (95% CI, 0.609-0.850) and 0.734 (0.613-0.854), respectively. The combined model was composed of 7 intratumoral and 6 peritumoral features and achieved better discriminative performance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.852 (95% CI, 0.753-0.951), accuracy of 84.3%, sensitivity of 90.3%, and specificity of 79.5% in the test set. Gene sets associated with the combined model mainly involved lymphocyte-mediated immunity. The association of peritumoral area with response identification might be partially attributed to type I interferon-related biological process.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

A combination of peritumoral radiomics features appears to improve the predictive performance of intratumoral radiomics to estimate pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. This study underlines the significant application of peritumoral radiomics to assess treatment response in clinical practice.

Improving clinical management of colon cancer through CONNECTION, a nation-wide colon cancer registry and stratification effort (CONNECTION II trial): rationale and protocol of a single arm intervention study

BACKGROUND

It is estimated that around 15-30% of patients with early stage colon cancer benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. We are currently not capable of upfront selection of patients who benefit from chemotherapy, which indicates the need for additional predictive markers for response to chemotherapy. It has been shown that the consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs), defined by RNA-profiling, have prognostic and/or predictive value. Due to postoperative timing of chemotherapy in current guidelines, tumor response to chemotherapy per CMS is not known, which makes the differentiation between the prognostic and predictive value impossible. Therefore, we propose to assess the tumor response per CMS in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy setting. This will provide us with clear data on the predictive value for chemotherapy response of the CMSs.

METHODS

In this prospective, single arm, multicenter intervention study, 262 patients with resectable microsatellite stable cT3-4NxM0 colon cancer will be treated with two courses of neoadjuvant and two courses of adjuvant capecitabine and oxaliplatin. The primary endpoint is the pathological tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy per CMS. Secondary endpoints are radiological tumor response, the prognostic value of these responses for recurrence free survival and overall survival and the differences in CMS classification of the same tumor before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The study is scheduled to be performed in 8-10 Dutch hospitals. The first patient was included in February 2020.

DISCUSSION

Patient selection for adjuvant chemotherapy in early stage colon cancer is far from optimal. The CMS classification is a promising new biomarker, but a solid chemotherapy response assessment per subtype is lacking. In this study we will investigate whether CMS classification can be of added value in clinical decision making by analyzing the predictive value for chemotherapy response. This study can provide the results necessary to proceed to future studies in which (neo) adjuvant chemotherapy may be withhold in patients with a specific CMS subtype, who show no benefit from chemotherapy and for whom possible new treatments can be investigated.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study has been registered in the Netherlands Trial Register (NL8177) at 11-26-2019, https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/8177 . The study has been approved by the medical ethics committee Utrecht (MEC18/712).

Evaluation of a Completion Total Mesorectal Excision in Patients After Local Excision of Rectal Cancer: A Word of Caution

Background: According to Dutch guidelines, locally excised, low-risk, pT1 or ypT0-1 rectal cancer should not necessarily be followed by completion total mesorectal excision (cTME) in contrast to rectal cancers with higher T stages or unfavorable features. This study evaluated cTME after local excision at a national level with possible determinants for decision-making. Methods: All patients in the Dutch Colorectal Audit (DCRA) who underwent local excision of rectal cancer between 2012 and 2015 were included. Guideline adherence for performing cTME was determined with univariate and multivariate analyses to identify factors related to noncompliance. Results: According to the guidelines, of 530 included patients, cTME was indicated in 283 (53%), and among those, was performed in 82 (29%). Guideline adherence for performing cTME improved significantly (P<.001), from 10% in 2012 to 44% in 2015. Lower Charlson comorbidity index in patients with high-risk pT1 rectal cancer and younger patients (aged 61-70 years vs ≥80 years) with pT≥2 rectal cancer were associated with increased performance of cTME (odds ratio [OR], 13.50; 95% CI, 1.39-131.32, and OR, 6.25; 95% CI, 1.83-21.31, respectively). Conclusions: In this population-based study from the Netherlands, only a minority of patients underwent cTME after local excision of rectal cancer with pathologic features indicating the need for further treatment according to the guidelines. Although the percentage of patients undergoing cTME increased over time, the study indicated a tendency toward rectal-preserving treatment with potential oncologic risks.

Rectal Cancer, Version 2.2018, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Rectal Cancer address diagnosis, staging, surgical management, perioperative treatment, management of recurrent and metastatic disease, disease surveillance, and survivorship in patients with rectal cancer. This portion of the guidelines focuses on the management of localized disease, which involves careful patient selection for curative-intent treatment options that sequence multimodality therapy usually comprised of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical resection.

Integrated care pathway for rectal cancer treatment: cross-sectional post-implementation study using a logic model framework

BACKGROUND

Management of rectal cancer has become more complex with multimodality therapy (neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery) and this has led to the need to organize multidisciplinary teams. The aim of this study was to report on the planning, implementation and evaluation of an integrated care pathway for neoadjuvant treatment of middle and lower rectal cancer.

DESIGN AND SETTING

This was a cross-sectional post-implementation study that was carried out at a public university cancer center.

METHODS

The Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was used to identify resources and activities; link results from activities and outcomes with expected goals; and originate indicators and outcome measurements.

RESULTS

The logic model identified four activities: stakeholders' engagement, clinical pathway development, information technology improvements and training programs; and three categories of outcomes: access to care, effectiveness and organizational outcomes. The measurements involved 218 patients, among whom 66.3% had their first consultation within 15 days after admission; 75.2% underwent surgery < 14 weeks after the end of neoadjuvant treatment and 72.7% completed the treatment in < 189 days. There was 100% adherence to the protocol for the regimen of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin.

CONCLUSIONS

The logic model was useful for evaluating the implementation of the integrated care pathways and for identifying measurements to be made in future outcome studies.

Surgeon-Level Variation in Utilization of Local Staging and Neoadjuvant Therapy for Stage II-III Rectal Adenocarcinoma

INTRODUCTION

Neoadjuvant therapy (NT) is the standard of care for clinical stage II-III rectal adenocarcinoma, but utilization remains suboptimal. We aimed to determine the underlying reasons for omission of local staging and NT.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of patients with clinical stage II-III or undocumented clinical stage/pathologic stage II-III rectal adenocarcinoma who were treated in 2010-2016 in one of nine Intermountain Healthcare hospitals. The outcomes of omission of local staging and NT were examined with multivariable models. Risk- and reliability-adjusted rates of local staging and NT were calculated for surgeons who treated ≥ 3 patients. Pathologic and long-term outcomes were examined after excluding patients who were not resected or who underwent local excision (N = 11).

RESULTS

Local staging was omitted in 43/240 (17.9%) patients and NT was omitted in 41/240 (17.1%). The strongest risk factors for local staging and NT omission were upper rectal tumors and surgeons who treated ≤ 3 cases/year. Thirty-six of 41 (87.8%) cases of omitted NT had local staging omitted. Adjusted surgeon-specific local staging rates varied 1.6-fold (56.3-92.4%) and NT rates varied 2.8-fold (34.1-97.1%). Surgeon local staging and NT rates were strongly correlated (r = 0.92). NT was associated with lower rates of positive circumferential radial margins (7.9 vs. 20.0%; P = 0.02), node positivity (33.3 vs. 55.0%; P = 0.01), and local recurrences (7.6 vs. 14.9% at 5 years; P = 0.0176).

CONCLUSIONS

NT omission should be understood as a consequence of surgeon failure to perform local staging in most cases. Quality improvement efforts should focus on improving utilization of local staging.

Evaluation of adherence to the Commission on Cancer lung cancer quality measures

OBJECTIVE

In this study we present historic data on adherence to and survival outcomes associated with recently introduced quality measures for the management of non-small-cell lung cancer.

METHODS

The National Cancer Data Base was queried to identify all patients with non-small-cell lung cancer from 1998 to 2011. Adherence to guidelines was assessed for each of 3 Commission on Cancer-defined quality measures: (1) sampling 10 regional lymph nodes at surgery; (2a) surgery within 120 days of neoadjuvant chemotherapy or, (2b) 180 days of adjuvant chemotherapy; and (3) nonsurgical primary therapy in cN2 disease. The likelihood of measure adherence and the association of measure adherence with all-cause mortality were analyzed controlling for patient, hospital, and time period characteristics.

RESULTS

Regional lymph node sampling was inadequate in 72.7% of cases. Only 28.7% began adjuvant chemotherapy within 180 days of surgery. However, 96.5% of patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy proceeded to surgery within 120 days and surgery was first-line treatment for cN2 disease in only 3.7% of patients. Uninsured or Medicaid status was an independent risk factor for a prolonged delay between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery (odds ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.72) and surgery and adjuvant treatment (odds ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.69-2.19). Overall survival was significantly better in patients whose care conformed to quality standards for nodal sampling (measure 1), and timing of chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Adherence rates for nodal sampling at the time of surgery and receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy were low. These findings highlight opportunities for improvement efforts, but more measures are needed to more broadly assess the quality of lung cancer care.

Impact of Genomic Assay Testing and Clinical Factors on Chemotherapy Use After Implementation of Standardized Testing Criteria

BACKGROUND

For clinically appropriate early-stage breast cancer patients, reflex criteria for Oncotype DX ordering ("the intervention") were implemented at our comprehensive cancer center, which reduced time-to-adjuvant chemotherapy initiation. Our objective was to evaluate Oncotype DX ordering practices and chemotherapy use before and after implementation of the intervention.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We examined medical records for 498 patients who had definitive breast cancer surgery at our center. The post-intervention cohort consisted of 232 consecutive patients who had Oncotype DX testing after reflex criteria implementation. This group was compared to a retrospective cohort of 266 patients who were diagnosed and treated prior to reflex criteria implementation, including patients who did and did not have Oncotype DX ordered. Factors associated with Oncotype DX ordering pre- and post-intervention were examined. We used multivariate logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with chemotherapy receipt among patients with Oncotype DX testing.

RESULTS

The distribution of Oncotype DX scores, the proportion of those having Oncotype DX testing (28.9% vs. 34.1%) and those receiving chemotherapy (14.3% vs. 19.4%), did not significantly change between pre- and post-intervention groups. Age ≤65 years, stage II, grade 2, 1-3+ nodes, and tumor size >2 cm were associated with higher odds of Oncotype DX testing. Among patients having Oncotype DX testing, node status and Oncotype DX scores were significantly associated with chemotherapy receipt.

CONCLUSION

Our criteria for reflex Oncotype DX ordering appropriately targeted patients for whom Oncotype DX would typically be ordered by providers. No significant change in the rate of Oncotype DX ordering or chemotherapy use was observed after reflex testing implementation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This study demonstrates that implementing multidisciplinary consensus reflex criteria for Oncotype DX ordering maintains a stable Oncotype DX ordering rate and chemotherapy rate, mirroring what was observed in a specific clinical practice, while decreasing treatment delays due to additional testing. These reflex criteria appropriately capture patients who would likely have had Oncotype DX ordered by their providers and for whom the test results are predicted to influence management. This intervention serves as a potential model for other large integrated, multidisciplinary oncology centers to institute processes targeting patient populations most likely to benefit from genomic assay testing, while mitigating treatment delays.

Evolving Treatment Paradigm in the Treatment of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) carries higher risks of local and distant recurrence when treated with surgical resection alone. Multiple treatment strategies have been investigated to reduce recurrence risk and improve survival. Currently, there are 3 primary strategies for managing LARC: (1) preoperative long-course radiotherapy (RT) combined with radiosensitizing chemotherapy, which is better tolerated than postoperative chemoradiotherapy and provides tumor downstaging and improved pathologic complete response (pCR), followed by postoperative chemotherapy; (2) preoperative short-course RT alone as an alternative strategy for reducing the risk of local recurrence, followed by adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy; and (3) total neoadjuvant therapy with induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy to improve pCR and reduce the difficulty of delivering chemotherapy in the postoperative setting. In addition to these currently recommended treatment paradigms, promising new strategies are available for treatment reduction. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone may allow for omission of RT in select patients with favorable LARC. For patients who have complete clinical responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and RT, nonoperative management is being considered for sphincter preservation, with surgery used as salvage. These are active areas of investigation in both institutional and cooperative group trials. The results are anticipated to provide better tailoring of neoadjuvant therapy based on patient tumor and disease response characteristics.

NCCN Guidelines Insights: Central Nervous System Cancers, Version 1.2017

For many years, the diagnosis and classification of gliomas have been based on histology. Although studies including large populations of patients demonstrated the prognostic value of histologic phenotype, variability in outcomes within histologic groups limited the utility of this system. Nonetheless, histology was the only proven and widely accessible tool available at the time, thus it was used for clinical trial entry criteria, and therefore determined the recommended treatment options. Research to identify molecular changes that underlie glioma progression has led to the discovery of molecular features that have greater diagnostic and prognostic value than histology. Analyses of these molecular markers across populations from randomized clinical trials have shown that some of these markers are also predictive of response to specific types of treatment, which has prompted significant changes to the recommended treatment options for grade III (anaplastic) gliomas.

Imaging Considerations and Interprofessional Opportunities in the Care of Breast Cancer Patients in the Neoadjuvant Setting

OBJECTIVE

To discuss standard-of-care and emerging imaging techniques employed for screening and detection, diagnosis and staging, monitoring response to therapy, and guiding cancer treatments.

DATA SOURCES

Published journal articles indexed in the National Library of Medicine database and relevant websites.

CONCLUSION

Imaging plays a fundamental role in the care of cancer patients and specifically, breast cancer patients in the neoadjuvant setting, providing an excellent opportunity for interprofessional collaboration between oncologists, researchers, radiologists, and oncology nurses. Quantitative imaging strategies to assess cellular, molecular, and vascular characteristics within the tumor is needed to better evaluate initial diagnosis and treatment response.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Nurses caring for patients in all settings must continue to seek education on emerging imaging techniques. Oncology nurses provide education about the test, ensure the patient has appropriate pre-testing instructions, and manage patient expectations about timing of results availability.

[Interpretation of the updates of NCCN 2017 version 1.0 guideline for colorectal cancer]

The NCCN has recently released its 2017 version 1.0 guideline for colorectal cancer. There are several updates from this new version guideline which are believed to change the current clinical practice. Update one, low-dose aspirin is recommended for patients with colorectal cancer after colectomy for secondary chemoprevention. Update two, biological agents are removed from the neoadjuvant treatment regimen for resectable metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This update is based on lack of evidence to support benefits of biological agents including bevacizumab and cetuximab in the neoadjuvant setting. Both technical criteria and prognostic information should be considered for decision-making. Currently biological agents may not be excluded from the neoadjuvant setting for patients with resectable but poor prognostic disease. Update three, panitumumab and cetuximab combination therapy is only recommended for left-sided tumors in the first line therapy. The location of the primary tumor can be both prognostic and predictive in response to EGFR inhibitors in metastatic colorectal cancer. Cetuximab and panitumumab confer little benefit to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in the primary tumor originated on the right side. On the other hand, EGFR inhibitors provide significant benefit compared with bevacizumab-containing therapy or chemotherapy alone for patients with left primary tumor. Update four, PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors including pembrolizumab or nivolumab are recommended as treatment options in patients with metastatic deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) colorectal cancer in second- or third-line therapy. dMMR tumors contain thousands of mutations, which can encode mutant proteins with the potential to be recognized and targeted by the immune system. It has therefore been hypothesized that dMMR tumors may be sensitive to PD-1 inhibitors.

Quality of laparoscopic total mesorectal excision: results from a single institution in China

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Incomplete total mesorectal excision (TME) may lead to local recurrence. Factors predicting suboptimal quality of laparoscopic TME have not been well documented. The aim of the prospective observational study was to evaluate factors influencing the quality of laparoscopic TME.

METHODOLOGY

Patients undergoing laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer between October 2012 and March 2013 were included. Uni- and multivariate logistic analysis were performed to identify factors independently predicting the suboptimal quality of laparoscopic TME.

RESULTS

A total of 52 patients undergoing laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer were included for analysis. Mesorectal resection was complete in 71.2%, nearly complete in 17.3%, and incomplete in 11.5%. Factors found to be significantly related to suboptimal TME in univariate analysis were as follows: BMI ≥ 25 kg/ cm2 (OR = 11.79, 95% CI: 2.88-48.25; p = 0.003) and advanced tumor stage (pT3/4) (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.41-100.00; p = 0.023). Multivariate analysis identified BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (OR = 21.05, 95%CI: 3.26-136.06; p = 0.010), advanced tumor stage (pT3/4) (OR = 19.03, 95% CI: 1.55-233.88; p = 0.021) and neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (OR = 29.76, 95% CI: 1.65-537.93; p = 0.022) as factors that were independently related to suboptimal TME.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic TME is feasible with the quality of mesorectal excision which was influenced by patient-, tumor-, and treat- ment-related factors.

Pharyngocutaneous fistulae after total laryngectomy: analysis of the risk factors and treatment approaches

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the incidence and predisposing factors in the development of postoperative pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) after total laryngectomy.

METHODOLOGY

A total of 166 patients with complete medical records who underwent total laryngectomy (TL) due to laryngeal cancer were analysed retrospectively. The mean age of the patients was 57.4 (+ 19.6) years. This study looked at a total of 32 different parameters considered to be effective in the development of pharyngocutaneous fistula after total laryngectomy.

RESULTS

Thirty-two patients (19.2%) had a pharyngocutaneous fistula. Aged over 61 years (p = 0.003), Diabetes Mellitus (DM) (p = 0.002), alcohol use (p = 0.006), history of preoperative radiotherapy (p = 0.001), preoperative tracheotomy (p = 0.017), postoperative low levels of haemoglobin (Hb) (p = 0.029), low levels of preoperative albumin (p = 0.001), total protein and a low alb/glb (albumin/globulin) ratio (p = 0.001), serum prealbumin levels on the third and seventh postoperative days (p = 0.001), high postoperative CRP levels (p = 0.002), T4 stage (extralaryngeal) and presence of transglottic lesion (p = 0.003), presence of stage IV (p = 0.012) lesion, primary surgery accompanied by bilateral neck dissection (p = 0.047), T-shaped oesophagus suture, postoperative bleeding (p = 0.07), presence of postoperative fever (p = 0.001), presence of skin defect in the anterior neck (p = 0.001) and presence of postoperative depression (p = 0.001) were found to be statistically significant factors in the development of PCF.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found many parameters associated with an increased risk of the development of PCF. According to the multivariate regression analysis, aged over 61 years, DM, preoperative RT, preoperative tracheostomy, postoperative Hb under 10 g/dl, prealbumin under 17 mg/dl on the third postoperative day, and a postoperative fever of 38.3 degrees C and above were found be associated with a higher risk of the development of fistulae more than the other risk factors.

Locally advanced rectal cancer: The importance of a multidisciplinary approach

Rectal cancer accounts for a relevant part of colorectal cancer cases, with a mortality of 4-10/100000 per year. The development of locoregional recurrences and the occurrence of distant metastases both influences the prognosis of these patients. In the last two decades, new multimodality strategies have improved the prognosis of locally advanced rectal cancer with a significant reduction of local relapse and an increase in terms of overall survival. Radical surgery still remains the principal curative treatment and the introduction of total mesorectal excision has significantly achieved a reduction in terms of local recurrence rates. The employment of neoadjuvant treatment, delivered before surgery, also achieved an improved local control and an increased sphincter preservation rate in low-lying tumors, with an acceptable acute and late toxicity. This review describes the multidisciplinary management of rectal cancer, focusing on the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and of post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy both in the standard combined modality treatment programs and in the ongoing research to improve these regimens.

[Therapy monitoring of neoadjuvant therapy with MRI. RECIST and functional imaging]

CLINICAL/METHODICAL ISSUE

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly being applied in patients with operable breast cancer. Thus, an early prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is of high relevance.

STANDARD RADIOLOGICAL METHODS

The interobserver variability of clinical examination, mammography and ultrasonography in the assessment of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is high.

METHODICAL INNOVATIONS

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows the assessment of functional parameters in addition to changes in tumor size and morphology.

PERFORMANCE

A reliable therapy response monitoring aims at optimizing individualized patient care.

ACHIEVEMENTS

This paper summarizes current guidelines for the assessment of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer according to the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST). Furthermore, the technical principles of MRI-based therapy monitoring are described and an overview of the clinical studies that have assessed the feasibility of functional MRI in response to treatment evaluation is given.

PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS

The technology of functional MRI offers promising results concerning therapy response monitoring. However, the level of evidence is not sufficiently evaluated for the technologies of functional MRI presented here.

Multimodality treatment of potentially curative gastric cancer: geographical variations and future prospects

After much controversy, multimodality therapy is now accepted worldwide as the gold standard for treatment of resectable bulky localized gastric cancer. There is significant regional variation in the style of multimodality treatment with adjuvant chemoradiation the North American standard, neoadjuvant chemotherapy preferred in Europe and Australasia, whilst adjuvant chemotherapy is preferred in Asia. With further standardization of surgery and D1+/D2 resections increasingly accepted world wide, and in particular in the West, as the surgical standard of care for potentially curable disease, it is timely to reassess the multimodality regimes being used. The challenge in the use of multimodality therapy is how current outcomes can be standardized and improved further. Recent studies indicate that mere intensification of the regime in time, dosage or addition of further agents does not improve localized gastric cancer outcomes. More novel strategies including early commencement of adjuvant therapies, intra-peritoneal chemotherapy or assessing neoadjuvant response with positron emission tomography scanning may give improvements in outcomes. The introduction of targeted therapies means that the adjuvant use of biological agents needs to be explored. By proper assessment of the patient's co-morbidities, full tumour staging, and a better understanding of the tumour's molecular pathology, multimodality therapy for gastric adenocarcinoma may be individualized to optimize the likelihood of cure.

Pancreatic cancer-improved care achievable

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most aggressive cancers, and the decline in mortality observed in most other cancer diseases, has so far not taken place in pancreatic cancer. Complete tumor resection is a requirement for potential cure, and the reorganization of care in the direction of high patient-volume centers, offering multimodal treatment, has improved survival and Quality of Life. Also the rates and severity grade of complications are improving in high-volume pancreatic centers. One of the major problems worldwide is underutilization of surgery in resectable pancreatic cancer. Suboptimal investigation, follow up and oncological treatment outside specialized centers are additional key problems. New chemotherapeutic regimens like FOLFIRINOX have improved survival in patients with metastatic disease, and different adjuvant treatment options result in well documented survival benefit. Neoadjuvant treatment is highly relevant, but needs further evaluation. Also adjuvant immunotherapy, in the form of vaccination with synthetic K-Ras-peptides, has been shown to produce long term immunological memory in cytotoxic T-cells in long term survivors. Improvement in clinical outcome is already achievable and further progress is expected in the near future for patients treated with curative as well as palliative intention.

2nd ESMO Consensus Conference on Lung Cancer: non-small-cell lung cancer first-line/second and further lines of treatment in advanced disease

To complement the existing treatment guidelines for all tumour types, ESMO organises consensus conferences to focus on specific issues in each type of tumour. The 2nd ESMO Consensus Conference on Lung Cancer was held on 11-12 May 2013 in Lugano. A total of 35 experts met to address several questions on non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in each of four areas: pathology and molecular biomarkers, first-line/second and further lines of treatment in advanced disease, early-stage disease and locally advanced disease. For each question, recommendations were made including reference to the grade of recommendation and level of evidence. This consensus paper focuses on first line/second and further lines of treatment in advanced disease.

The potential role for neoadjuvant therapy in renal cell carcinoma

Surgical resection remains the standard of care for clini- cally localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Nearly 1 in 4 patients will have a recurrence after surgery performed with curative intent, and stand to benefit from additional therapy. Currently, no proven adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapies are available. A number of phase 3 adjuvant therapy trials are ongoing that are evaluating small-molecule drugs approved for metastatic RCC. The outcomes of these trials may provide insights for designing future phase 3 neoadjuvant therapy trials. Several phase 2 neoadjuvant trials for RCC have recently been completed or are ongoing. These trials have established the safety and response rates associated with several agents, and will pave the way for future phase 3 trials of neoadjuvant therapy for RCC. Neoadjuvant therapies may be useful for decreasing the risk of recurrence after surgery, maximiz- ing nephron sparing, and evaluating molecular effects of targeted therapies in human tumors.

SEOM clinical guidelines for the treatment of small-cell lung cancer 2013

In this updated SCLC guidelines the authors have reviewed the "SEOM recommendation" for diagnosis and treatment of patients, including consideration for elderly and unfit patients. We hope the SCLC guidelines will be useful for residents and oncology teams.

Advanced gastric cancer: is there enough evidence to call second-line therapy standard?

Gastric cancer and cancer of the gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ) are the 4th most common cancer diagnoses worldwide with regional differences in incidence rates. The treatment of gastric and GOJ cancers is complex and requires multimodality treatment including chemotherapy treatment, surgery, and radiotherapy. During the past decade considerable improvements were achieved by advanced surgical techniques, tailored chemotherapies/radiotherapy and technical innovations in clinical diagnostics. In patients with advanced or metastatic gastric/GOJ cancer systemic chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidine/platinum-based regimens (+/-human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 antibody) is the mainstay of treatment. Despite these improvements, the clinical outcome for patients with advanced or metastatic disease is generally poor with 5-year survival rates ranging between 5%-15%. These poor survival rates may to some extent be related that standard therapies beyond first-line therapies have never been defined. Considering that this patient population is often not fit enough to receive further treatments there is an increasing body of evidence from phase-2 studies that in fact second-line therapies may have a positive impact in terms of overall survival. Moreover two recently published phase-3 studies support the use of second-line chemotherapy. A South Korean study compared either, irinotecan or docetaxel with best supportive care and a German study compared irinotecan with best supportive care-both studies met their primary endpoint overall survival. In this "Field of Vision" article, we review these recently published phase-3 studies and put them into the context of clinical prognostic factors helping to guide treatment decisions in patients who most likely benefit.

Point: short-course radiation therapy is preferable in the neoadjuvant treatment of rectal cancer

There are 2 types of neoadjuvant radiation regimens accepted as standard for resectable rectal cancer: short-course (5 × 5 Gy) radiation therapy alone with immediate surgery and long-course combined chemoradiation therapy with delayed surgery. A Polish randomized study (n = 312) and an Australian randomized study (n = 326) compared these 2 schedules. Both trials showed a lower rate of early adverse effects using a short-course radiation regimen and no differences in long-term oncologic outcomes and late toxicity rates between groups. The small number of fractions makes short-course radiation less expensive and more convenient than chemoradiation therapy. These facts indicate that short-course radiation is preferable to chemoradiation for resectable cancers. Additionally, short-course preoperative radiation with a long interval to surgery is a valuable option for patients unfit for chemotherapy, with unresectable cancer or with a small tumor that is amenable to local excision. Moreover, short-course radiation enables the intensification of both radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with metastatic rectal cancer with potentially resectable synchronous metastatic disease.

First-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: can we do better? Highlights from the "2010 ASCO Annual Meeting". Chicago, IL, USA. June 4-8, 2010

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating solid tumor malignancies. Majority of patients have metastatic disease upon diagnosis. Five-year survival is less than 5% for all stages of pancreatic cancer combined. Gemcitabine has been the standard palliative therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer over the past decade. Many studies attempted to develop combination regimens, but they failed to improve overall survival in the metastatic settings. The combination of gemcitabine and erlotinib was the first combination regimen to show improvements in survival benefit compared with gemcitabine alone and became the first-line combination therapy in advanced pancreatic cancer. The search for better treatment strategies to prolong survival in this deadly disease is very much needed and is a worldwide effort. There were many studies presented at the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting focused on first-line therapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer. This article highlights a few phase III and II studies that have demonstrated encouraging results.

Bladder cancer. Clinical guidelines in oncology

An estimated 61,420 new cases of urinary bladder cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2006, making it the fourth most common cancer in men and the ninth most common neoplasm in women. Because the median age of diagnosis is 65 years, medical comorbidities are a frequent consideration. The clinical spectrum of bladder cancer can be divided into 3 categories: noninvasive tumors, invasive lesions, and metastatic lesions. These categories differ in prognosis, management, and therapeutic goals, and these guidelines discuss management strategies to achieve the best possible outcomes.

For the most recent version of the guidelines, please visit NCCN.org

Radiochemotherapy in the management of pancreatic cancer--part I: neoadjuvant treatment

In pancreatic cancer, complete resection offers the only hope of cure, but results of surgery alone are suboptimal. Many studies have been conducted in which the treatment regimen consists of surgery in combination with radiation and chemotherapy to improve local control and outcome. Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is a fairly recent approach that appears to be feasible in resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer. In resectable tumors, chemoradiation therapy has been shown to be at least as effective in a neoadjuvant setting as in an adjuvant setting. Neoadjuvant therapy offers a few theoretical advantages: (1) beginning the multimodality treatment with chemoradiation therapy increases the chance that more patients will receive all of its components; (2) preoperative chemoradiation therapy provides an observation period to exclude from surgical resection those patients with rapidly progressive disease; and (3) in locally advanced tumors, it provides the opportunity for downstaging and infrequently allows patients to undergo resection. To evaluate the scope and applicability of neoadjuvant treatment, a number of areas need to be addressed. First, the definition of locally advanced disease needs to be more adequately standardized because the resectability definition sometimes varies among surgeons. In addition, because imaging examinations may underestimate the effectiveness of preoperative chemoradiation therapy, some researchers have tried to evaluate treatment response via a pathological examination of the tumor specimen; however, complete pathological response appears to be rare. Finally, more efficient novel neoadjuvant approaches are required to address the high metastatic potential of pancreatic cancer. These areas are discussed in depth.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to preoperative chemoradiation or radiation in rectal cancer: should we be more cautious?

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is a term originally used to describe the administration of chemotherapy preoperatively before surgery. The original rationale for administering NACT or so-called induction chemotherapy to shrink or downstage a locally advanced tumour, and thereby facilitate more effective local treatment with surgery or radiotherapy, has been extended with the introduction of more effective combinations of chemotherapy to include reducing the risks of metastatic disease. It seems logical that survival could be lengthened, or organ preservation rates increased in resectable tumours by NACT. In rectal cancer NACT is being increasingly used in locally advanced and nonmetastatic unresectable tumours. Randomised studies in advanced colorectal cancer show high response rates to combination cytotoxic therapy. This evidence of efficacy coupled with the introduction of novel molecular targeted therapies (such as Bevacizumab and Cetuximab), and long waiting times for radiotherapy have rekindled an interest in delivering NACT in locally advanced rectal cancer. In contrast, this enthusiasm is currently waning in other sites such as head and neck and nasopharynx cancer where traditionally NACT has been used. So, is NACT in rectal cancer a real advance or just history repeating itself? In this review, we aimed to explore the advantages and disadvantages of the separate approaches of neoadjuvant, concurrent and consolidation chemotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer, drawing on theoretical principles, preclinical studies and clinical experience both in rectal cancer and other disease sites. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may improve outcome in terms of disease-free or overall survival in selected groups in some disease sites, but this strategy has not been shown to be associated with better outcomes than postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. In particular, there is insufficient data in rectal cancer. The evidence for benefit is strongest when NACT is administered before surgical resection. In contrast, the data in favour of NACT before radiation or chemoradiation (CRT) is inconclusive, despite the suggestion that response to induction chemotherapy can predict response to subsequent radiotherapy. The observation that spectacular responses to chemotherapy before radical radiotherapy did not result in improved survival, was noted 25 years ago. However, multiple trials in head and neck cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, small-cell lung cancer and cervical cancer do not support the routine use of NACT either as an alternative, or as additional benefit to CRT. The addition of NACT does not appear to enhance local control over concurrent CRT or radiotherapy alone. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy before CRT or radiation should be used with caution, and only in the context of clinical trials. The evidence base suggests that concurrent CRT with early positioning of radiotherapy appears the best option for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer and in all disease sites where radiation is the primary local therapy.

Neoadjuvant radiotherapy and radiochemotherapy for rectal cancer

Combined radiochemotherapy is the recommended standard postoperative therapy for patients with stage II and III rectal cancer in the USA and in Germany. During thelast decade, substantial progress has been made in treatment modalities: surgical management currently includes a broad spectrum of operative procedures ranging from radical operations such as abdominoperineal resections to innovative sphincter-preserving techniques. Specialized groups have reported excellent local control rates with total mesorectal excision (TME) alone without the addition of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment. New and improved radiation techniques using conformal radiotherapy as well as innovative chemotherapy schedules and combinations (capecitabine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan) of chemotherapy may have the potential to further increase the therapeutic benefit of (neo-)adjuvant treatment. Moreover, the basic issue of timing of radiotherapy-preoperative versus postoperative-within a multimodality regimen is currently being addressed in prospective trials. Evidently, the current monolithic approach established by studies conducted more than a decade ago, to either apply the same schedule of postoperative radiochemotherapy to all patients with UICC stage II and III rectal cancer or to give preoperative short-course radiation according to the Swedish concept for all patients with resectable rectal cancer irrespective of tumor stage and treatment goal (e.g., sphincter preservation), need to be questioned.

(Neo)adjuvant strategies of advanced gastric carcinoma: time for a change?

Despite surgical R0 resections, patients with gastric cancer stage UICC II-III have a high risk of recurrence and metachronic metastases. Preliminary evidence exists that adjuvant chemotherapy or neoadjuvant chemo(radio)therapy protocols may improve the prognosis of these patients undergoing surgery of gastric cancer with curative intention. As for palliative regimens, 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin are integral components of such (neo)adjuvant strategies. Upcoming cytostatic agents, i.e. irinotecan, docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and oral fluoropyridines are currently under investigation in new multimodality treatment regimens and may further increase R0 resection rates and may prolong disease-free and overall survival in the treatment of advanced localized gastric cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer

While it is now clear that chemotherapy can contribute to improved outcome for some patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer, selection criteria for this very heterogeneous disease are lacking. The authors make an appeal for a biologically (in contrast to anatomically) based staging system, and urge that perioperative chemotherapy be given with standard combinations with curative intent.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for operable breast cancer: is this the future?

The idea of using preoperative or neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with operable breast cancer originated from experimental and clinical observations as well as theoretical hypotheses on tumor cell growth and dissemination. Initially, nonrandomized studies demonstrated considerable rates of clinical tumor response, low rates of pathologic complete response (pCR), and increased rates of breast-conserving procedures. However, nonrandomized studies could not address the relative efficacy of neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemotherapy on disease-free and overall survival. Similarly, earlier randomized trials were not designed as straightforward comparisons of neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemotherapy and therefore could not adequately address the relative efficacy of neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemotherapy on outcome. These answers were eventually provided by larger randomized trials that directly compared neoadjuvant with adjuvant chemotherapy, which are reviewed in more detail in this article. Potential advantages and disadvantages of the neoadjuvant approach and surgical considerations in the breast and axilla after neoadjuvant chemotherapy are also discussed. Finally, several recently reported trials of neoadjuvant therapy incorporating newer agents such as taxanes in sequence with anthracycline-containing regimens have shown further increases in pCR rates. Although outcome data are not available yet from these studies, it is hoped that the observed increase in pCR rates will be associated with improved outcome. If the previously observed significant correlation between the achievement of pCR and improved outcome continues to be demonstrated with these newer regimens, it will substantially strengthen the rationale for using neoadjuvant rather that adjuvant chemotherapy in the clinical setting as well as in future research studies.