Surgery provides improved overall survival in surgically fit octogenarians with esophageal cancer after chemoradiation therapy

BackgroundMultiple randomized controlled trials have shown that multimodal therapy provides the best overall survival for patients who had locally advanced esophageal cancer. However, it is unknown if multimodal therapy offers the best overall survival in octogenarians.MethodsWe performed retrospective cohort study using data obtained from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) for octogenarians who had locally advanced esophageal cancer from 2004 to 2015. We evaluated the 5-year overall survival for patients among different therapies. We compared the 5-year overall survival between patients receiving chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery and a propensity-matched group of patients who underwent chemoradiation only.ResultsThere were 21,710 octogenarians (15%) with esophageal cancer in the NCDB database. Among octogenarians, there were 6,960 patients (32%) who had clinical stage II–III esophageal cancer. Among 6,922 patients whose treatment data were available, the most common therapy was chemoradiation (n=3,360, 49%). Two of the most common therapies that included surgical resection were surgery only (n=314, 5%) and chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery (n=172, 2%). Among different treatments, the best 5-year overall survival was achieved in patients receiving chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery (P<0.001). In the propensity score-matched cohort between chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery (n=83) to chemoradiation therapy only (n=83), there was an association with improved 5-year overall survival in the patients who had chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery (17.9%) compared to the patients who underwent chemoradiation only (5.7%, P=0.003).ConclusionsMost octogenarians with locally advanced esophageal cancer underwent definitive chemoradiation therapy. Very few patients underwent chemoradiation followed by surgery; however, the multimodality treatment provided increased overall survival. Surgically fit octogenarians should be considered for chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery.     

Interferon receptor alpha/beta is associated with improved survival after adjuvant therapy in resected pancreatic cancer

Aim. Interferons (IFNs) are known to have antiproliferative and immunoregulatory activities that are modulated through specific cell surface ligands, known as IFN-α, -β, and -γ receptors. The presence of these receptors and their impact on response to adjuvant therapy in patients with pancreatic cancer has not been determined. Patients and methods. Slides were prepared from 46 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was subsequently used to determine the expression of IFN- α/β receptor-chain 2 (IFN-α/βR) and IFN-γ receptor-chain 1 (IFN-γR). The correlation between IFN receptor expression, tumor characteristics, and the overall patient response to adjuvant therapy were determined analytically. Results. The IHC performed for pancreatic adenocarcinoma demonstrated a high IFN-α/βR expression in 4% (2/46) of patients, moderate expression in 20% (9/46) of patients, and faint or no expression in 76% (35/46) of patients. IHC confirmed a high expression of IFN-γR in 52% (24/46) of patients, moderate expression in 35% (16/46) of patients, and faint or no expression in the remaining 13% (6/46) of patients. Thirty-two (69.7%) patients received adjuvant therapy. Clinicopathological survey did not demonstrate any significant correlation between IFN-α/βR and IFN-γR expression with regard to tumor size, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, lymph node metastases, or stage of disease. Use of adjuvant therapy was associated with increased survival in patients with IFN-α/βR-positive tumors compared with patients with IFN-α/βR-negative tumors (24 months versus 14.7 months in log rank test, p=0.012). The expression of IFN-γR, however, had no impact on patient survival (20 months vs 17 months; p=0.656, log rank test). Conclusion. IFN-α/βR is associated with improved survival for patients with resectable pancreatic cancer who received adjuvant therapy.     

Fluorescence-based pancreas stump perfusion is associated with postoperative acute pancreatitis after pancreatoduodenectomy a prospective cohort study

BackgroundPostoperative acute pancreatitis (POAP) emerges as a distinct pancreas-specific complication increasing both the risk and the burden of POPF after pancreatoduodenectomy. Among various risk factors, pancreas stump (PS) hypoperfusion might play a role in POAP occurrence but has never been investigated. The current study aimed at evaluating the feasibility of intraoperative fluorescence angiography (IOFA) of the PS using ICG and its association with POAP.MethodsConsecutive patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy for a periampullary tumor with pancreatojejunostomy and PS perfusion assessment using IOFA between January 2020 and November 2020 were prospectively included. Perioperative management and surgical strategy were standardized. IOFA of the pancreas stump was performed before fashioning pancreatojejunostomy. POAP was defined according to the Connor definition and was confirmed upon radiological blind review. Outcomes between patients with normally perfused and hypoperfused PS were compared. POAP was the primary endpoint.ResultsAmong 30 patients, nine patients (30%) developed POAP according to the Connor definition, and six patients (20%) had CT-confirmed POAP. Upon IOFA, six patients (20%) presented PS hypoperfusion; of which one patient underwent extended pancreatectomy further to the left. PS hypoperfusion was statistically associated with the occurrence of POAP (80% vs. 16%; p = 0.011) and CT-confirmed POAP (60% vs. 12%; p = 0.041). Clinically relevant POPF rate was 40% in case of PS hypoperfusion and 4% in case of normal PS perfusion (p = 0.064).ConclusionsPS perfusion assessment using IOFA seems safe and reliable to anticipate POAP. PS IOFA could be considered as a potential tool for perioperative assessment of surgical risk after pancreatoduodenectomy.     

Antidepressants use is associated with overall survival improvement of patients with gastric cancer after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in Taiwan: A large population-based cohort study

To determine whether exposure to antidepressants (ATDs) results in improved overall survival (OS) of patients with gastric cancer (GC) after surgery, we conducted a large cohort study and considered confounding factors that might affect the research outcomes.Patients who received a new diagnosis of GC and received surgery and chemotherapy between 1999 and 2008 were recruited and were classified into different groups based on the ATD level used. The association between the OS of patients with GC after surgery with different levels of ATD use, and the hazard ratio with comorbidities at different ATD use levels were compared.According to Kaplan–Meier method, the more of an ATD was taken, the longer the OS and a dose-dependent relationship was discovered in the OS curve; the adjusted HRs were 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.68–0.84) and 0.48 (95% CI = 0.41–0.57) for ATD users taking a cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) of 28–167 and ≧168, respectively. Sensitivity analyzes were performed to investigate the effect of various comorbidities on OS with different degrees of ATD use and the results remained consistent among the varying models. Additionally, the effect of ATD use still exhibited a dose-dependent relationship in distinct stratifications for sex and age.The OS for patients with GC after surgery and chemotherapy improved with ATD use, and a dose-dependent relationship was discovered in this study. Further studies on the association between OS of GC and ATD use are required.     

Molecular alterations associated with improved survival in pancreatic cancer patients treated with radiation or chemotherapy

Multiple genetic alterations, several of which may be important prognostic markers, characterize the development of cancer in pancreas. We review our findings from previously published studies with regard to molecular alterations associated with survival differences in patients treated with conventional radiation and chemotherapies used as adjuvant or palliative therapy. K-ras-negative patients with pancreas cancer show improved survival with radiation therapy compared to K-ras-positive patients with pancreas cancer.p53 expression is associated with shorter survival when compared to no p53 expression in pancreas cancer patients treated with radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Pancreas cancer patients whose tumors express p21 show significant survival advantages when treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. An inverse relationship is observed with respect to p21 and p53 expression and clinical stage. Although stage and surgical resectability remain the most important variables with respect to pancreas cancer survival, these findings suggest promising opportunities for gene therapies designed to enhance p21 expression or restore wild-type K-ras or p53 function in pancreatic tumors.     

Sarcopenia after induction therapy is associated with reduced survival in patients undergoing esophagectomy for locally-advanced esophageal cancer

BackgroundThe impact of sarcopenia on the outcome of esophageal cancer patients remains unknown in North American populations. The current study aims to investigate if sarcopenia at the time of esophagectomy for locally-advanced esophageal cancer (LAEC) is associated with survival.MethodsPatients who underwent induction therapy followed by esophagectomy for LAEC between 2010–2018 at a single institution were identified. Exclusion criteria included follow-up less than 90 days and distant metastatic disease at the time of surgery. Demographic, treatment, and outcome data were retrospectively collected. Computed tomography (CT) scans following induction therapy were analyzed to calculate skeletal muscle index (SMI). Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were examined using Kaplan-Meier and Cox Proportional Hazard regression analysis.ResultsOverall, 52 patients met inclusion criteria with a median BMI of 25 (IQR, 22.4–29.1) kg/m² and age of 65 (IQR, 57–70) years. Sarcopenia was present in 75% (39/52) of patients at the time of surgery. Sarcopenic patients had a lower median BMI and higher median age when compared to non-sarcopenic patients. There was no difference in gender, race, stage, operative technique, post-operative complications, or hospital length of stay between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients. With a median follow-up of 24.9 months, patients with sarcopenia at the time of esophagectomy had worse OS [median 24.3 (IQR, 9.9–34.5) vs. 50.9 (IQR, 25.6–50.9) months, P=0.0292] and DFS [median 11.7 (IQR, 6.4–25.8) vs. 29.4 (IQR, 12.8–26.7) months, P=0.0387] compared to non-sarcopenic patients.ConclusionsSarcopenia is associated with reduced overall and DFS in patients undergoing esophagectomy for LAEC.     

抗病毒治疗对乙型肝炎相关肝癌根治术后复发和生存的影响

目的探讨口服核苷(酸)类似物抗乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)治疗对原发性肝癌根治术后患者复发和生存的影响。方法收集2004年1月至2006年12月期间在我科行根治术的血清HBV DNA阳性的具有完整的临床和随访资料的肝癌患者156例。术后分为单纯手术的对照组80例和同时接受手术和核苷类似物抗病毒治疗的76例,抗病毒方案为口服拉米夫定/阿德福韦酯或恩替卡韦。应用Kaplan-Meier法比较两组术后无复发生存率和总生存率的差异。结果 76例接受抗病毒治疗患者术后1 m和3 m血清HBV DNA水平分别为(1.63±1.15)×104copies/ml和1×102copies/ml,较抗病毒前显著降低(P0.05),而80例未抗病毒治疗患者血清HBV DNA水平无明显变化;未抗病毒组患者平均无复发生存时间为(10.25±2.56)月,而抗病毒组为[(21.43±3.35)月,P0.01];未抗病毒组和抗病毒组患者1 a、3 a、5 a无复发生存率分别为54.6%、22.3%、0.0%和73.1%、36.2%、23.4%,两组差异有统计学意义(P0.05);未抗病毒组患者平均总生存时间为(18.42±3.21)月,抗病毒治疗组为[(30.28±2.62)月,P0.01];未抗病毒治疗组和抗病毒组患者1 a、3 a、5 a总生存率分别为81.2%、42.0%、16.3%和92.2%、73.4%、31.6%,两组差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论对于血清HBV DNA阳性的肝癌患者,在根治术后给予规范的抗病毒治疗可以改善预后,延长生存时间。     

Neoadjuvant therapy may lead to successful surgical resection and improved survival in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer

Background:

Borderline resectable pancreatic cancers are technically amenable to surgical resection, but are associated with increased risk of locoregional recurrence. Patients with these tumours may be treated with neoadjuvant therapy in an attempt to improve margin-negative resection rates.

Methods:

The University of Cincinnati Pancreatic Cancer Database was retrospectively reviewed. Borderline resectable disease was defined by the following radiographic criteria: (i) short segment occlusion of the superior mesenteric vein (SMV), portal vein (PV) or SMV/PV confluence; (ii) short segment hepatic artery encasement, or (iii) superior mesenteric artery/coeliac artery abutment of <180 degrees. Patients with resectable disease who had questionable metastatic disease or poor performance status were also included.

Results:

Twenty-nine patients met the criteria. Of these, 26 underwent a full course of neoadjuvant therapy. Twelve (46%) underwent surgical resection and 14 had tumour progression or were deemed unresectable at laparotomy. The most common neoadjuvant therapy regimen was gemcitabine-based chemotherapy alone (58%). Of those undergoing surgery, 67% had margin-negative (R0) resections and 42% required venous resection. Median survival was 15.5 months for unresected patients and 23.3 months for resected patients.

Discussion:

Borderline resectable pancreatic tumours can be treated neoadjuvantly, resulting in margin-negative resection and survival rates similar to those in initially resectable disease.     

Biologic therapy is associated with malignancies among Israeli patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A population-based study

Aims

To examine whether biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) are associated with increased risk of malignancy among Israeli patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

We identified RA patients meeting specified inclusion and exclusion criteria from the Leumit healthcare services database between the years 2000 and 2017. Data were collected regarding bDMARD and conventional DMARD consumption, types of malignancies, and their temporal relation to RA diagnosis. The association between baseline variables and occurrence of malignancies was examined by Cox regression.

Results

Among 4268 eligible RA patients, 688 (16.12%) were diagnosed with any malignancy. Melanoma skin cancer (MSC) was the most prevalent malignancy (148/688, 21.5%). The proportions out of all malignancies of MSC and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) were higher after than before RA diagnosis (24.7% vs 19.1%, p = .025 and 24.7% vs 13.0%, p = .021, respectively). A higher proportion of RA patients diagnosed with malignancy used bDMARDs in comparison with RA patients who were malignancy-free (40.2% vs 17.5%, p < .001). After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, bDMARDs were associated with an increased risk of malignancy (hazard ratio 1.42, 95% confidence interval 1.10-1.78).

Conclusions

Biologic DMARDs are associated with increased risk of malignancy among Israeli RA patients, presumably contributed by MSC and NMSC. MSC was the most prevalent type of malignancy in this cohort and may indicate a predisposition state among Israeli RA patients.     

Prolonged postoperative length of stay is associated with poor overall survival after an esophagectomy for esophageal cancer

Background

To investigate the impact of prolonged length of stay (LoS) on long-term mortality in patients who have undergone curative resection for esophageal cancer (EC).

Methods

Between January 2001 and December 2009, patients who underwent an esophagectomy for EC at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were enrolled in this study. We retrospectively analyzed the medical charts of all of the enrolled patients. To determine the effect of postoperative LoS on long-term survival, we separated the patients into three groups based on the lengths of their postoperative LoS, including an LoS of less than 2 weeks (Group 1, ≤2 W), an LoS between 2 and 3 weeks (Group 2, ≤3 W) and an LoS of more than 3 weeks (Group 3, >3 W). Perioperative and long-term outcomes were compared between the groups.

Results

In total, 348 patients were included in this study. All of the patients underwent an esophagectomy with 3-field lymph node dissection (3FLND). The median postoperative hospital stay was 14 days (range: 8-153 days). Complications were observed in 123 patients (15.9% in Group 1 vs. 73.2% in Group 2 vs. 96.6% in Group 3, P<0.001). The median duration of follow-up was 39 months (range: 3-120 months). There were significant reductions in preventive adjuvant therapy (P=0.003) and postoperative salvage therapy (P<0.001) among the three groups. The 5-year survival rate was significantly different among the groups (43% vs. 36% vs. 29%, respectively, P=0.006). There was no difference in the 5-year disease-free survival rate among the three groups (23% vs. 21% vs. 19%, P=0.238).

Conclusions

Prolonged LoS was significantly associated with reduced rates of overall survival (OS). The insufficient administration of adjuvant therapy may partly account for these findings.     

The AGH score is a predictor of disease-free survival and targeted therapy efficacy after liver transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Liver transplantation(LT) is the “cure” therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). However, some patients encounter HCC recurrence after LT. Unfortunately, there is no effective methods to identify the LT patients who have high risk of HCC recurrence and would benefit from adjuvant targeted therapy. The present study aimed to establish a scoring system to predict HCC recurrence of HCC patients after LT among the Chinese population, and to evaluate whether these patients...     

Adjuvant therapy for HER2 positive pT1a-b pN0 breast cancer: A single center cohort study

Deciding if patients with small (≤1 cm), node-negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer should receive adjuvant systemic therapy remains a challenge. No randomized clinical trials have examined the efficacy of trastuzumab in this setting. This prospective observational study aimed to investigate the choice of adjuvant systemic therapy in clinical practice in China.We prospectively collected data from patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer (less than 1 cm and node negative) patients who underwent breast cancer surgery at Shanxi Provincial People''s Hospital Breast Center from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019, and retrospectively investigated the association between baseline clinicopathological features and treatment strategy, cardiotoxicity, and disease outcome.Of 168 eligible patients, 102 (60.7%) received adjuvant systemic therapy with trastuzumab (AST+T), 47 (28%) received adjuvant systemic therapy without trastuzumab (AST) and 19 (11.3%) did not receive adjuvant systemic therapy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age, tumor size and hormone receptor status were significantly associated with treatment choice. Three-year invasive disease-free survival probability was 100%, 97.9% and 89.5% with AST+T, AST, and no therapy, respectively (P < .001).The majority of patients (60.7%) with pT1a-b pN0 HER2 positive breast cancer received adjuvant systemic therapy with trastuzumab, whereas only 11.3% did not receive any adjuvant systemic therapy. Tumor size, age and hormone receptor status influenced treatment choice. The 3-year invasive disease-free survival probability was significantly higher for patients who received adjuvant systemic therapy with trastuzumab compared with those who did not receive adjuvant systemic therapy. Cardiac adverse events were rare.     

Factors associated with liver cancer prognosis after hepatectomy: A retrospective cohort study

This article was to investigate risk factors influencing liver cancer prognosis after hepatectomy.Patients undergoing hepatectomy after being diagnosed with liver cancer in Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University were collected in the retrospective cohort study between January 2012 and December 2017, and divided into disease progression and non-progression groups based on their prognostic status. Univariate analysis was performed on the patients’ baseline and laboratory test data, with multivariate logistic regression further conducted to investigate the independent risk factors for liver cancer progression after hepatectomy.Among the 288 subjects, 159 had adverse outcomes (death or cancer recurrence). Hepatitis B and high levels of aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), direct bilirubin, and total bilirubin as well as low level of lymphocyte (LYM) were found to be associated with disease progression in the univariate analysis, and were introduced into the multivariate logistic regression. The results indicated that patients with high ALP level (odds ratio [OR] = 1.004, 95%CI: 1.002–1.007, P = .003) and with a history of hepatitis B (OR = 2.182, 95%CI: 1.165–4.086, P = .015) had a higher risk of liver cancer progression compared with those of lower ALP level and those without hepatitis B respectively, whereas the elevated level of LYM (OR = 0.710, 95%CI: 0.516–0.978, P = .034) had favorable progression.The elevated ALP level and a history of hepatitis B may increase the risk of death or cancer recurrence, whereas high LYM level may decrease poor progression among liver cancer patients after hepatectomy. More importance should be attached to the improvement of the liver function and treatment of hepatitis B to enable a better outcome for the patients.     

Follow-up care over 12 months of patients with prostate cancer in Spain: A multicenter prospective cohort study

The therapeutic approach is crucial to prostate cancer prognosis. We describe treatments and outcomes for a Spanish cohort of patients with prostate cancer during the first 12 months after diagnosis and identify the factors that influenced the treatment they received.This multicenter prospective cohort study included patients with prostate cancer followed up for 12 months after diagnosis. Treatment was stratified by factors such as hospital, age group (<70 and ≥70 years), and D’Amico cancer risk classification. The outcomes were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, adverse events (AEs), and mortality. The patient characteristics associated with the different treatment modalities were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.We included 470 men from 7 Spanish tertiary hospitals (mean (standard deviation) age 67.8 (7.6) years), 373 (79.4%) of which received treatment (alone or in combination) as follows: surgery (n = 163; 34.7%); radiotherapy (RT) (n = 149; 31.7%); and hormone therapy (HT) (n = 142; 30.2%). The remaining patients (n = 97) were allocated to no treatment, that is, watchful waiting (14.0%) or active surveillance (5.7%). HT was the most frequently administered treatment during follow-up and RT plus HT was the most common therapeutic combination. Surgery was more frequent in patients aged <70, with lower histologic tumor grades, Gleason scores <7, and lower prostate-specific antigen levels; while RT was more frequent in patients aged ≥70 with histologic tumor grade 4, and higher ECOG scores. HT was more frequent in patients aged ≥70, with histologic tumor grades 3 to 4, Gleason score ≥8, ECOG ≥1, and higher prostate-specific antigen levels. The number of fully active patients (ECOG score 0) decreased significantly during follow-up, from 75.3% at diagnosis to 65.1% at 12 months (P < .001); 230 (48.9%) patients had at least 1 AE, and 12 (2.6%) patients died.Surgery or RT were the main curative options. A fifth of the patients received no treatment. Palliative HT was more frequently administered to older patients with higher tumor grades and higher Gleason scores. Close to half of the patients experienced an AE related to their treatment.     

Long-term outcomes and prognostic factors of patients with obstructive colorectal cancer: A multicenter retrospective cohort study

AIM: To investigate the long-term oncologic outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with obstructive colorectal cancer(CRC) at multiple Japanese institutions.METHODS: We identified 362 patients diagnosed with obstructive colorectal cancer from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2012 in Yokohama Clinical Oncology Group's department of gastroenterological surgery. Among them, 234 patients with stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ disease who had undergone surgical resection of their primary lesions were analyzed, retrospectively. We report the long-term outcomes, the risk factors for recurrence, and the prognostic factors.RESULTS: The five-year disease free survival and cancer-specific survival were 50.6% and 80.3%, respectively. A multivariate analysis showed the ASAPS(HR = 2.23, P = 0.026), serum Albumin ≤ 4.0 g/d L(HR = 2.96, P = 0.007), T4 tumor(HR = 2.73, P = 0.002) and R1 resection(HR = 6.56, P = 0.02) to be independent risk factors for recurrence. Furthermore, poorly differentiated cancers(HR = 6.28, P = 0.009), a T4 tumor(HR = 3.46, P = 0.011) and R1 resection(HR = 6.16, P = 0.006) were independent prognostic factors in patients with obstructive CRC.CONCLUSION: The outcomes of patients with obstructive CRC was poor. T4 tumor and R1 resection were found to be independent prognostic factors for both recurrence and survival in patients with obstructive CRC.     

Photodynamic therapy is associated with an improvement in survival in patients with irresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma

Background:

The majority of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma have irresectable disease and require palliation with biliary stenting to alleviate symptoms and prevent biliary sepsis. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy have proved ineffective, but recent studies suggest photodynamic therapy (PDT) may improve the outlook for these patients. This prospective clinical cohort study has evaluated the efficacy of radical curative surgery, standard palliative therapy (stent ± chemotherapy) and a novel palliative therapy (stent ± Photofrin-PDT) in 50 consecutive patients treated for hilar cholangiocarcinoma over a 5-year period.

Methods:

Between January 2002 and December 2006, 50 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma were evaluated for treatment. Ten patients were considered suitable for curative resection (Cohort 1). Forty patients with irresectable disease were stratified into Cohort 2 – Stent ± chemotherapy (n= 17); and Cohort 3 – Stent ± PDT (n= 23). Prospective follow-up in all patients and data collected for morbidity, mortality and overall patient survival.

Results:

The median age was 68 years [range 44–83]. Positive cytology/histology was obtained in 28/50 (56%). One death in Cohort 1 occurred at 145 days after surgical resection. No treatment related-deaths occurred in Cohort 2 or 3, chemotherapy-induced morbidity in three patients in cohort 2, PDT-induced morbidity in 11 patients in cohort 3. Actual 1-year survival was 80%, 12% and 75% in Cohorts 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Mean survival after resection was 1278 days (median survival not reached). Mean and median survival was 173 and 169 days, respectively, in Cohort 2; and 512 and 425 days in Cohort 3. Patient survival was significantly longer in cohorts 1 and 3 (P < 0.0001; Log rank test).

Conclusion:

This prospective clinical cohort study has demonstrated that radical surgery and palliative Photofrin-PDT are associated with an increased survival in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.     

Induction chemoradiation therapy prior to esophagectomy is associated with superior long‐term survival for esophageal cancer

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of induction chemoradiation in the treatment of potentially resectable locally advanced (T2‐3N0 and T1‐3N+) esophageal cancer utilizing a large national database. The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was queried for all patients undergoing esophagectomy for clinical T2‐3N0 and T1‐3N+ esophageal cancer of the mid‐ or lower esophagus. Patients were stratified by the use of induction chemoradiation therapy versus surgery‐first. Trends were assessed with the Cochran–Armitage test. Predictors of receiving induction therapy were evaluated with multivariable logistic regression. A propensity‐matched analysis was conducted to compare outcomes between groups, and the Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate long‐term survival. Within the NCDB, 7921 patients were identified, of which 6103 (77.0%) were treated with chemoradiation prior to esophagectomy, while the remaining 1818 (23.0%) were managed with surgery‐first. Use of induction therapy increased over time, with an absolute increase of 11.8% from 2003–2011 (P < 0.001). As revealed by the propensity model, induction therapy was associated with higher rates of negative margins and shorter hospital length of stay, but no differences in unplanned readmission and 30‐day mortality rates. In unadjusted survival analysis, induction therapy was associated with better long‐term survival compared to a strategy of surgery‐first, with 5‐year survival rates of 37.2% versus 28.6%, P < 0.001. Following propensity score matching analysis, the use of induction therapy maintained a significant survival advantage over surgery‐first (5‐year survival: 37.9% vs. 28.7%, P < 0.001). Treatment with induction chemoradiation therapy prior to surgical resection is associated with significant improvement in long‐term survival, even after adjusting for confounders with a propensity model. Induction therapy should be considered in all medically appropriate patients with resectable cT2‐3N0 and cT1‐3N+ esophageal cancer, prior to esophagectomy.     

Adjuvant radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer is associated with a survival benefit primarily in stage IIB patients

Background  The role of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for pancreatic cancer remains controversial despite the completion of three multi-institutional randomized trials. This study examines the survival impact of postoperative RT in a large population-based database. Methods  Patients with pancreatic cancer diagnosed from 1988 to 2003 were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The cohort was limited to patients who underwent resection of nonmetastatic disease to yield a population of 3252 patients. The primary end point was overall survival. Survival analyses were conducted using corrections for perioperative mortality as well as a propensity score analysis to account for baseline differences in patient characteristics. Results  Multiple independent factors were associated with RT use, including patient age and disease stage (P < 0.0001). In general, younger patients and those with more advanced disease were more likely to receive RT. Disease stage significantly affected survival (P < 0.0001). For patients who survived at least 6 months, adjuvant RT was associated with increased survival [hazard ratio (HR), 0.87; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.80–0.96]. On subgroup analysis, only stage IIB (T1-3N1) patients enjoyed a statistically significant benefit associated with RT (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.62–0.79). Conclusions  Adjuvant RT is frequently given to patients in the United States after resection of their pancreatic cancer. Although RT is associated with a survival benefit for nonmetastatic patients as a whole, this trend appears to predominantly derive from a survival benefit in patients with stage IIB disease.     

Prognostic factors in patients with colorectal cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy: a pooled analysis of two randomized studies

Background. Although the TNM system is useful in predicting survival in resected colorectal cancer, heterogeneity within the same stages regarding prognosis exists. We are presenting a pooled analysis of prognostic factors from two randomized studies of adjuvant treatment conducted by the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group. Patients and Methods. Patients with stage II or III colon (n=279) or rectal (n=220) cancer were included in this analysis. Following surgery, patients received: 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (5-FU/LV) (n=135), 5-FU/LV and interferon Alfa-2a (IFNA-2a) (n=138), 5-FU/LV and pelvic chemoradiotherapy (n=106), and pelvic chemoradiotherapy alone (n=108). Results. Median follow up was 92 mo. The number of involved lymph nodes (LNs), tumor differentiation, and the presence of regional implants were independent prognostic factors for both OS and TTP, while nerve invasion was only significant for TTP. Patients were stratified into three prognostic groups (low-risk: no LNs and grade 1/2; high-risk: >3 LNs and grade 3/4; intermediate-risk: remaining patients) with distinct differences in 5-yr survival (84.7% vs 57.6% vs 32.4%) and 5-yr TTP (81.2% vs 54.5% vs 28.6%). Conclusion. The combination of clinicopathological prognostic factors can be more informative than the traditional TNM staging system. Such stratification may be necessary in randomized trials and could be useful in deciding the most appropriate adjuvant treatment strategies.