The prediction of cancer-specific mortality in T1 non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: comparison of logistic regression and artificial neural network: a SEER population-based study

PURPOSE

To identify the risk factors for 5-year cancer-specific (CSS) and overall survival (OS) and to compare the accuracy of logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural network (ANN) in the prediction of survival outcomes in T1 non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

METHODS

This is a population-based analysis using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Patients with T1 bladder cancer (BC) who underwent transurethral resection of the tumour (TURBT) between 2004 and 2015 were included in the analysis. The predictive abilities of LR and ANN were compared.

RESULTS

Overall 32,060 patients with T1 BC were randomly assigned to training and validation cohorts in the proportion of 70:30. There were 5691 (17.75%) cancer-specific deaths and 18,485 (57.7%) all-cause deaths within a median of 116 months of follow-up (IQR 80-153). Multivariable analysis with LR revealed that age, race, tumour grade, histology variant, the primary character, location and size of the tumour, marital status, and annual income constitute independent risk factors for CSS. In the validation cohort, LR and ANN yielded 79.5% and 79.4% accuracy in 5-year CSS prediction respectively. The area under the ROC curve for CSS predictions reached 73.4% and 72.5% for LR and ANN respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Available risk factors might be useful to estimate the risk of CSS and OS and thus facilitate optimal treatment choice. The accuracy of survival prediction is still moderate. T1 BC with adverse features requires more aggressive treatment after initial TURBT.

Misdiagnosis of an elevated lesion in the esophagus: A case report

BACKGROUND

Esophageal carcinosarcoma (ECS) is a rare biphasic tumor and a type of esophageal malignancy, which presents as protruding or elevated lesions. ECS patients are often not hospitalized until they have severe dysphagia. ECS is easily misdiagnosed as a benign tumor due to its atypical characteristics under endoscopy. With the popularization of endoscopic treatment, these patients are often referred to endoscopic treatment, such as endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). However, there is a lack of consensus on the endoscopic features and therapies for ECS. Here, we report a case of ECS and discuss the value of endoscopic diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.

CASE SUMMARY

A 63-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with dysphagia. During the endoscopic examination, an elevated lesion was found with an erosive and hyperemic surface covered with white pseudomembranous inflammation. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), biopsies, and enhanced thoracic computed tomography were performed, suggesting that it was a benign lesion and located within the submucosal layer. This lesion was diagnosed as a fibrovascular polyp with a Paris classification of 0-Ip. The patient was then referred to ESD treatment. However, the post-ESD pathological and immunohistochemical study showed that this lesion was ECS with a vertical positive margin (T1b stage), indicating that we made a misdiagnosis and achieved a noncurative resection. Due to the potential tumor residue, additional open surgery was performed at the patient's request. In the postoperative pathological study, no tumor remnants or metastases were discovered. The patient was followed for 1 year and had no recurrence.

CONCLUSION

ECS can be misdiagnosed at the initial endoscopy. EUS can help to identify the tumor stage. Patients with T1b stage ECS cannot be routinely referred to ESD treatment due to the high risk of metastasis and recurrence rate.

Prior endoscopic resection does not affect the outcome of secondary surgery for T1 colorectal cancer, a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

It remains unclear the effect of prior endoscopic resection (ER) on the secondary surgery (SS) for T1 colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to compare the short- and long-term outcomes between primary surgery (PS) and ER followed by SS for T1 CRC.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed and Ovid for studies comparing PS with ER followed by SS for T1 colorectal cancer. The last search was performed on 18 May 2021. The primary outcomes were surgical parameters and the secondary outcomes were survival indicators. The meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager Software (version 5.3).

RESULTS

A total of fifteen studies published between 2013 and 2021 with 4349 patients were included in this meta-analysis finally. No significant difference was observed between the two groups for operative time (P = 0.75, WMD = 3.16, 95%CI [-15.88, 22.19], I² = 64%), blood loss (P = 0.86, WMD = 12.33, 95%CI [-122.99, 147.65], I² = 95%), and postoperative complications (P = 0.59, OR = 0.93, 95%CI [0.71, 1.22], I² = 0%). Besides, the two groups showed comparable survival outcomes, including overall recurrence rate (P = 0.15, OR = 0.78, 95%CI [0.56, 1.09], I² = 23%) and 5-year overall survival (P = 0.76, OR = 0.86, 95%CI [0.33, 2.25], I² = 0%). In the subgroup analysis for studies with propensity matching score or lesions located in the rectum, the results were not changed.

CONCLUSION

ER followed by SS is feasible for T1 CRC with high-risk factors. The prior ER would not bring additional adverse effects to the SS. More advanced tools should be developed to improve the diagnostic accuracy for the high-risk factors before treatment for T1 CRC.

Treatment Options for T1 Stage Adenocarcinoma of Esophagogastric Junction: A Real-World Retrospective Cohort Study

Background

The number of patients diagnosed with T1 stage adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEGJ) has been increasing. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different treatment options (surgery, chemoradiation, and surgery+chemoradiation) on long-term survival in patients with T1-stage AEGJ.

Methods

We searched the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to identify the records of patients with T1-stage AEGJ between 2010 and 2018. Patient demographics and cancer parameters were compared among the three groups. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazard modeling were used to compare long-term survival.

Results

Data from 925 T1 stage AEGJ patients (surgery: n=516, surgery+chemoradiation: n=206, chemoradiation: n=203) were collected. We found that the OS and CSS rates of three treatment options had significant difference. Besides, positive nodal status also showed lower OS and CSS rat. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that surgery group has much lower risk of death compared with chemoradiation group and similar risk of death compared with surgery+chemoradiation group. Subgroup analysis suggested that in patients with N1–N3 status had higher OS and CSS rates in surgery+chemoradiation group.

Conclusion

Using SEER data, we identified a significant survival advantage with the use of surgery compared to chemoradiation in patients with T1-stage AEGJ while the long-term survival of patients after surgery+chemoradiation group was not significantly different and low risk of death in positive nodal status.

Higher LNM rate and poorer prognosis of early-onset compared to late-onset T1 stage colorectal cancer: a large-population based study

As for T1 stage CRC, there is little knowledge of differences in lymph node metastasis (LNM) and prognosis between early-onset and late-onset CRC. To know that, we included 13,084 patients from the SEER database and 476 patients in T1 stage from our hospital to analyze difference of LNM and prognosis. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses revealed that early-onset CRC was more likely than late-onset CRC to be positive for LNM. In addition, we found that T1b stage, poor differentiation and lymphatic invasion were risk factors for LNM. Specifically, we found that black race was a risk factor. Before propensity-score matching (PSM), we also found that early-onset CRC patients had better survival, as demonstrated by SEER data. After adjusting for confounding factors by PSM, we found that early onset remained a risk factor for LNM. Moreover, we found that patients diagnosed with early-onset CRC had a poorer prognosis than those diagnosed with late-onset CRC, which was demonstrated by analysis of SEER data and our own data. In conclusion, our study was the first to find that early-onset T1 stage CRC more frequently developed LNM, suggesting that endoscopic submucosal resection should be performed more carefully in these patients. Moreover, early-onset patients in the T1 stage also had poorer survival, suggesting that clinical doctors should pay more attention to early-onset patients.

An analysis of Ki-67 expression in stage 1 invasive ductal breast carcinoma using apparent diffusion coefficient histograms

Background

To investigate the value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histograms in differentiating Ki-67 expression in T1 stage invasive ductal breast carcinoma (IDC).

Methods

The records of 111 patients with pathologically confirmed T1 stage IDC who underwent magnetic resonance imaging prior to surgery were retrospectively reviewed. The expression of Ki-67 in tumor tissue samples from the patients was assessed using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, with a cut-off value of 25% for high Ki-67 labeling index (LI). ADC images of the maximum lay of tumors were selected, and the region of interest (ROI) of each lay was delineated using the MaZda software and analyzed by histogram. The correlations between the histogram characteristic parameters and the Ki-67 LI were investigated. Additionally, the histogram characteristic parameters of the high Ki-67 group (n=54) and the low Ki-67 group (n=57) were statistically analyzed to determine the characteristic parameters with significant difference. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses were further performed for the significant parameters.

Results

The mean value, and the 1st, 10th, 50th, 90th, and 99th percentiles were found to be negatively correlated with the expression of Ki-67 (all P values <0.001), with a correlation coefficient of -0.624, -0.749, -0.717, -0.621, -0.500, and -0.410, respectively. In the high Ki-67 group, the mean value, and the 1st, 10th, 50th, 90th, and 99th percentiles extracted by the histogram were significantly lower (all P values <0.05) than that of the low Ki-67 group, with areas under the ROC curves ranging from 0.717-0.856. However, the variance, skewness, and kurtosis did not differ between the two groups (all P values >0.05).

Conclusions

Histogram-derived parameters for ADC images can serve as a reliable tool in the prediction of Ki-67 proliferation status in patients with T1 stage IDC. Among the significant ADC histogram values, the 1st and 10th percentiles showed the best predictive values.

Synchronous Metastasis Rates in T1 Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database-based Study

BACKGROUND

Synchronous metastasis (SM) rates in T1 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients relied on historical cohorts and may not take into account the favorable stage migration toward lower tumor size (TS) that occurred in more recent years.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate SM rates in T1 RCC patients according to histological subtype (HS), tumor grade (TG), and TS.

INTERVENTION

Partial nephrectomy, radical nephrectomy, focal ablation, and non-interventional management.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2004-2015), 60 640 stage T1 patients were identified. SM rates were tabulated and tested in multivariable logistic regression models.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

According to HS, average SM rates were 0%, 0.5%, 1.1%, 1.4%, 3.7%, 21.5%, and 36.2% for multilocular cystic, chromophobe, papillary, clear cell TG 1-2, clear cell TG 3-4, collecting duct, and sarcomatoid RCC, respectively. In a multivariate logistic regression model, age, TS, HS, and TG were independent predictors of SM. Bone only was the commonest metastatic site (41.0%), followed by lung only (24.5%), liver only (3.6%), and brain only (3.8%). Of all SM patients, 72.8% harbored a single metastatic site. The major limitations of this study are lack of recurrence and metastatic progression data.

CONCLUSIONS

Within T1 RCC, it was possible to identify five metastatic risk categories according to SM rates: (1) multilocular cystic RCC (0%), (2) chromophobe RCC (0-2.0%), (3) clear cell TG 1-2 and papillary RCC, (4) clear cell TG 3-4 RCC (1.2-8.9%), and (5) sarcomatoid and collecting duct RCC (7.0-49.1%). The most frequent metastatic location is bone only, followed by lung only, and virtually all SMs are solitary.

PATIENT SUMMARY

Metastatic rate varies in T1 stage renal cell carcinoma patients according to tumor size, histology, and tumor grade.

The Critical Role of Tumor Size in Predicting Prognosis for T1 Colon Cancer

BACKGROUND

The role of horizontal growth index of tumor size in survival prediction is still underappreciated in colon cancer because of the identification of vertical infiltration index reflected by T stage. We sought to reveal the impact of T stage on the prognostic and predictive value of tumor size in colon cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data of patients with stage I-III colon cancer were extracted from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) and Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC) databases. Harrell's concordance index (c-index) and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) were used to analyze the discriminative ability of prognostic factors.

RESULTS

Stratified analyses based on T stage found that the increase of T stage significantly and negatively repressed the effect of tumor size on death and recurrence risk. In addition, tumor size showed the greatest hazard ratio of cancer-specific death and relapse in T1 colon cancer. Even more importantly, the discriminatory ability of tumor size outperformed any other widely accepted prognostic clinical features in predicting cancer-specific survival (SEER: c-index 0.637, area under the ROC [AUC] 0.649; FUSCC: c-index 0.673, AUC 0.686) and disease-free survival (FUSCC: c-index 0.645, AUC 0.656) in T1 stage colon cancer.

CONCLUSION

Tumor size is a critical clinical factor with considerable prognostic and predictive value for T1 colon cancer, and it should be selectively incorporated into the current staging system to facilitate prediction of death and recurrence risk.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

To date, no consensus has been reached about the prognostic and predictive value of tumor size in colon cancer. Although tumor size is an independent prognostic factor for patients with colon cancer, the impact of tumor size on death or recurrence risk decreased notably with the increase of T stage. More importantly, the discriminative ability of tumor size outperformed any other clinical factors including N stage in patients with T1 colon cancer. Therefore, tumor size should be recommended to be incorporated into current staging systems to facilitate prognosis prediction for patients with T1 colon cancer.

[Preoperative Lymphocyte-to-monocyte Ratio Predicts Prognosis in Patients with Stage T1 Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer]

Objective To investigate the clinical value of preoperative lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio(LMR)in evaluating the prognosis of patients with stage T1 non-muscle invasive bladder cancer(NMIBC).Methods A total of 215 patients with stage T1 NMIBC who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor were enrolled.Clinical data were collected.Patients were followed up and their disease-free survival(DFS)and overall survival(OS)were recorded.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of preoperative LMR in detecting patient prognosis was used to determine the optimal cut-off value for LMR.Patients were divided into low LMR group(LMR <3.86,n=77)and high LMR group(LMR ≥ 3.86,n=138).Kaplan-Meier survival curves were explored to compare cumulative DFS and OS rates in patients with different LMR levels,and COX proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze factors associated with DFS and OS.Results All these 215 patients with T1 stage NMIBC were followed up for 2-92 months,and the DFS rate was 59.07% and OS rate was 65.12%.Kaplan-Meier curves showed that the cumulative DFS rate(χ ²=4.784,P=0.029)and cumulative OS rate(χ ²=7.146, P=0.008)in the low LMR group were significantly lower than those in the high LMR group.Tumor size ≥ 3 cm(HR=1.398,95% CI:1.042-1.875,P=0.025),pathological grade G3(HR=1.266,95% CI:1.026-1.563,P=0.028),and LMR ≥ 3.86(HR=2.347,95% CI:1.080-5.101,P=0.031)were independent factors associated with DFS in patients with stage T₁ NMIBC.In addition,tumor size ≥ 3 cm(HR=1.228,95% CI:1.015-1.484,P=0.034),pathological grade G3(HR=1.366,95% CI:1.017-1.834,P=0.038),and LMR<3.86(HR=2.008,95% CI:1.052-3.832,P=0.035)were independent factors associated with OS in patients with T1 stage NMIBC. Conclusion Preoperative LMR is an independent factor associated with patients' prognosis in T1 stage NIMBC.Patients with low LMR tend to have higher risk of NMIBC progression and death.

Oncologic outcomes of nephron-sparing surgery in patients with T1 multifocal renal cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

This study is performed to explore the pathological characteristics and oncologic outcomes of T1 multifocal renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

METHODS

The clinical data of 600 patients (442 males and 158 females) between the age of 29 and 73 years, diagnosed with T1 RCC were collected from three hospitals in China, out of which 421 cases had undergone nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) and 179 cases had undergone radical nephrectomy (RN) between December 2010 and January 2015.

RESULTS

Tumor was identified with multifocality in 32 patients (5.33%), out of which 21 were set to receive NSS, and 11 to receive RN, respectively; 21 cases of clear cell tumor, 8 cases of papillary tumor, 1 case of chromophobe tumor and 2 cases of Xp.11.2 translocation RCC. Among 568 cases of monofocal tumors, 400 patients underwent NSS, and the remaining 168 patients underwent RN, respectively. After a median follow-up of 5 years, 13 patients were found with recurrent tumors out of those who had undergone NSS, 11 with monofocal tumors and 2 with multifocal tumors containing satellite tumor nodules (p = 0.13). Out of the 32 individuals with multifocal RCC, 4 cases were reported to have died of cancer, 2 of NSS and 2 of RN. From these findings, the cancer-specific survival for NSS and RN was estimated to be 90.48% and 81.82%, respectively (p = 0.48).

CONCLUSION

The findings from the study suggested that there were pathological differences in multifocal renal tumors, and that papillary carcinoma may be more common than clear cell carcinoma. The recurrence rate and survival rate of multifocal RCC were similar to monofocal tumors. Tumor recurrence may be related to satellite tumor nodules, which can only be detected once surgery is performed.

Prognostic value of lymph node metastasis in patients with T1-stage colorectal cancer from multiple centers in China

AIM

To explore the features and prognostic value of lymph node metastasis in patients with T1-stage colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

In all, 321 cases of T1-stage CRC were selected from 10132 patients with CRC who received surgical therapy in six large-scale hospitals in China and were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the risk factors for lymphatic metastasis. A survival analysis was then performed to analyze the prognostic value of lymph node metastasis.

RESULTS

The occurrence rate of T1 stage was 3.17% (321/10132); of these patients, the lymph node metastasis rate was 8.41% (27/321), and the non-lymph node metastasis rate was 91.59% (294/321). Univariate analysis showed that preoperative serum CEA, preoperative serum CA199, preoperative serum CA724, vascular invasion, and degree of differentiation were associated with lymph node metastasis in T1-stage CRC (P < 0.05 for all). Multivariate analysis indicated that preoperative serum CA724, vascular invasion, and degree of differentiation were closely related to lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05 for all). Log-rank survival analysis showed that age, preoperative serum CEA, preoperative serum CA199, vascular invasion, degree of differentiation, and lymph node metastasis (χ² = 24.180, P < 0.001) were predictors of 5-year overall survival (OS) (P < 0.05 for all). COX regression analysis demonstrated that preoperative serum CA199 and lymph node metastasis (HR = 5.117; P < 0.05; 95%CI: 0.058-0.815) were independent prognostic indicators of 5-year OS in patients with T1-stage CRC (P < 0.05 for both).

CONCLUSION

The morbidity of T1-stage CRC was 3.17% for all CRC cases. Preoperative serum CA724, vascular invasion, and degree of differentiation are independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis. Lymph node metastasis is an independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with T1-stage CRC.

Lymph node metastasis according to primary tumor location in T1 and T2 stage non-small cell lung cancer patients

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the pattern of lymph node metastasis (LNM) according to primary tumor location in T1 and T2 stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

METHODS

The data of 1916 NSCLC patients with LNM who underwent surgery with systematic nodal resection between November 2008 to December 2014 were included in the study. Analyses of tumor location, pathological T stage, and nodal metastasis were performed.

RESULTS

In T1a stage patients, superior mediastinum, aortopulmonary, and inferior mediastinum lymph node metastases were observed in primary tumors present in the right upper lobe (RUL), left upper lobe (LUL) and right middle lobe (RML), respectively. In T1b-stage patients, superior mediastinum, aortopulmonary, and inferior mediastinum lymph node metastases were observed in the RML, LUL, and right lower lobe (RLL), respectively. In patients with T2a-stage, superior mediastinum, aortopulmonary and inferior mediastinum lymph node metastases were observed in the RUL, LUL, and RLL, respectively. However, in T2b-stage patients, RUL, LUL and RML locations were associated with superior mediastinum, aortopulmonary, and inferior mediastinum lymph node metastases, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression showed that T stage was significantly associated with mediastinal and intrapulmonary lymph node metastases. In addition, tumor location was significantly associated with N2 station LNM.

CONCLUSION

LNM varied according to tumor location and T-stage, which are independent factors influencing N2 station LNM.

Predictors of Lymph Node Metastasis in Western Early Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

The application of endoscopic and local resection for early gastric cancer (EGC) is limited by the risk of regional lymph node (LN) metastasis. We sought to determine the incidence and predictors of LN metastasis in a contemporary cohort of Western patients with early gastric cancer.

METHODS

Sixty-seven patients with pT1 gastric adenocarcinoma underwent radical surgery without neoadjuvant therapy at our institution between 1995 and 2011, and clinicopathologic factors predicting LN metastasis were analyzed.

RESULTS

LN metastases were present in 15/67 (22 %) pT1 tumors, including 1/23 (4 %) T1a tumors and 14/44 (32 %) T1b tumors. Tumor size, site, degree of differentiation, macroscopic tumor sub-classification, perineural invasion status, and depth of submucosal tumor penetration did not predict LN metastasis. The presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and positive nodal status by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) were the only factors that predicted LN metastasis on multivariate analysis. T1a tumors without LVI had a 0 % rate of positive LN, whereas T1b tumors with LVI had a 64.3 % rate of positive LN.

CONCLUSIONS

EGC limited to the mucosa, without evidence of LVI, and N0 on EUS, may be considered for limited resection. However, any EGC with submucosal invasion, LVI, or positive nodes on EUS should undergo radical resection with lymphadenectomy.

Comparison between two-dimensional synthetic mammography reconstructed from digital breast tomosynthesis and full-field digital mammography for the detection of T1 breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the interpretative performance of two-dimensional (2D) synthetic mammography (SM) reconstructed from digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) in the detection of T1-stage invasive breast cancers, compared to 2D full-field digital mammography (FFDM).

METHODS

This retrospective study enrolled 214 patients. For each patient, FFDM and DBT were performed between January and June 2013, and SM was reconstructed from DBT data. Three radiologists interpreted images and recorded visibility scores and morphologies of cancers. Diagnostic performances of SM and FFDM were compared. Percentages of detected cancers and visibility scores were compared for tumour size, and presence of calcifications for each observer.

RESULTS

Observer sensitivity showed no difference for detection with SM and FFDM (P > 0.05). One observer showed a higher specificity (P = 0.02) and higher positive predictive value with SM (95 % CI 0.6-16.4), but the differences in the corresponding values between SM and FFDM for the other observers were not statistically significant. In subgroup analyses according to tumour size and presence of calcifications, percentages of detected cancers and visibility scores were not significantly different.

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnostic performances of SM and FFDM are comparable for detecting T1-stage breast cancers. Therefore, our results indicate that SM may eliminate the need for additional FFDM during DBT-based imaging.

KEY POINTS

• DBT plus FFDM increases radiation dose compared to FFDM alone. • Detecting T1-stage cancers with only SM is comparable to detection with FFDM. • Two-dimensional SM may replace dose-requiring FFDM in DBT-based imaging.