Adjuvant radiochemotherapy in the treatment of completely resected, locally advanced gastric cancer

PURPOSE: To analyze the efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant whole abdomen irradiation (WAI) and concomitant chemotherapy in the treatment of completely resected, high-risk gastric cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between October 1990 and September 1997, 52 patients with completely resected gastric cancer, with lymph node and/or serosal involvement, were treated. Ages were 16-78 (median, 53.5) years. Treatment was either total- or sub-total gastrectomy, followed by WAI, 2100 cGy/21 fractions plus a 2400 cGy/16 fractions boost to the tumor bed. Chemotherapy consisted of either 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 450-500 mg/m(2) i.v. for 5 days first and 5th week or 200-300 mg/m(2) continuous infusion during irradiation. No further chemotherapy was given. RESULTS: With a minimum follow-up of 30 months and a median follow-up of 43.5 months, 25 of the 52 patients have died. Overall 5-year survival rate is 54%. Three patients sustained Grade 3-5 complications. Two patients with Grade 5 complications (malabsorption syndrome) died 31 and 56 months after the beginning of the treatment, respectively, with no evidence of recurrent tumor. For patients with involvement of the lymph nodes alone (n = 19) the 5-year survival was 69%, which was significantly better than the 36% 5-year survival observed for those patients with both serosal and lymph node involvement (n = 26, p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Adjuvant radiochemotherapy, WAI, and concomitant 5-FU, is a feasible and a fairly well-tolerated treatment for patients with locally advanced (involvement of the lymph nodes or serosa) gastric carcinoma who undergo complete resection. The 54% overall 5-year survival compares favorably with the survival reported after surgery alone for those patients.     

Pathology and prognosis of gastric carcinoma: well versus poorly differentiated type

BACKGROUND: The most important parameters predicting outcome of patients with gastric carcinoma are the depth of wall invasion and the status of lymph node metastasis, but the prognostic significance of histologic type is unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the prognostic value of two major histologic types of gastric carcinoma, that is well and poorly differentiated types. METHODS: Histopathologic findings and outcomes of 504 patients with gastric carcinoma were evaluated by well and poorly differentiated types. Well differentiated gastric carcinoma (WGC) included papillary and tubular adenocarcinomas, poorly differentiated medullary carcinoma, and well differentiated mucinous carcinoma; whereas poorly differentiated gastric carcinoma (PGC) included poorly differentiated scirrhous carcinoma, signet ring cell carcinoma, and poorly differentiated mucinous carcinoma. RESULTS: Patients with WGC were characterized by old age, male predominance, tumor location in the lower third of the stomach, small tumor size, and liver metastasis; whereas patients with PGC were distinguished by their tumor location in the middle third of the stomach, serosal invasion, lymph node metastasis, advanced stage, and peritoneal dissemination. The overall 5-year survival rate for patients with WGC was higher than that for patients with PGC (76% vs. 67%; P = 0.058), especially for patients with >/= 10 cm tumors (42% vs. 14%; P = 0.017). The 5-year survival rate for patients with serosa positive but node negative tumors was higher in WGC patients than in PGC patients (83% vs. 59%; P = 0.086); whereas the 5-year survival rate for patients with serosa negative but node positive tumors was lower in WGC patients than in PGC patients (63% vs. 88%; P = 0.008). Multivariate analysis indicated that among pathologic variables of the tumor, histologic type (WGC vs. PGC) was one of the independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Histologic type is important for estimating the tumor progression and outcomes of patients with gastric carcinoma. In addition to the depth of wall invasion and status of lymph node metastasis, histologic type, including well or poorly differentiated type, should be evaluated in the management of gastric cancer.     

A Study of the Number and Metastatic Status of Lymph Nodes Ressected During Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Surgery

OBJECTIVE To analyze the number and the metastatic status of lymph nodes resected during NSCLC surgery, and to determine the relationship of the lymph node status to the prognosis. METHODS Clinical data from 1,575 inpatient NSCLC cases were retrospectively reviewed, and the number and the different metastatic status of the LNs resected analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. RESULTS Stage NO patients with 7 to 12 LNs resected during surgery had a significant increase in survival （P=0.001, 0.021）,compared to patients with less than 6 LNs or more than 12 LNs. Stage N1 or N2 patients with more than 12 LNs resected had a significant increase in survival（P=0.000 ,0.003）,compared with cases who had less than 6 LNs or 7 to 12 LNs resected.The 5-year survival rate of Stage NO patients was superior to Stage N1 and N2 patients （P =0.000,0.000）,and the 5-year survival rates of Stage N0 and skip N2 patients were superior to the continue N2 patients. Patients with a single station of LNs metastasis had a significant increase in survival （P=0.000）,compared with those with multiple stations of LNs metastasis. Patients with 1 to 2 metastatic LNs had a significant increase in survival （P=0.000）,compared with patients having more than 2 metastatic LNs.The metastatic LN ratio（percentage of metastatic lymph nodes resected） was divided into four subgroups： 〈25%, 25%～50%, 51%～75%, 〉 75%.The 5-year survival rate gradually decreased with an increase in the metastatic ratio. CONCLUSION For patients with NSCLC the number of LNs resected during surgery should be 7 to 12; the range and number of LN metastasis and the metastatic LN ratio significantly affect the prognosis of patients with NSCLC.     

Gastric cancer: which patients benefit from systematic lymphadenectomy?

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of systematic lymphadenectomy (SLA) in curative resected gastric cancer patients with respect to long-term survival, peri-operative morbidity and mortality. METHODS: We reviewed our prospectively gathered database of 309 resected gastric cancer patients and analysed the outcome of 185 R0-resected patients (60%) with respect to peri-operative morbidity, mortality and long-term survival by comparing 81 patients resected with SLA (D2-group) versus 104 patients resected without SLA (D1-group). RESULTS: Overall 5-year survival rates of R0-resected patients (n = 173; exclusion of peri-operative mortality) amounted to 49% and did not differ significantly between D2- and D1-groups (53% vs 47%); P=0.344). Nevertheless, subgroups of patients taking a benefit from SLA could be defined. Gastric cancer patients without LN metastases (pTx pN0; n=78) and patients with LN metastases only in perigastric lymph nodes (pTx pN1; n=34) showed a significantly better long-term prognosis when SLA was performed (84% vs 51%; P=0.001). Regarding peri-operative morbidity (38% vs 39%) and mortality (6% in each case) we could not find any differences between the D2- and D1-groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that SLA is able to improve long-term survival for some tumour stages. Therefore SLA should be recommended as a standard procedure in all gastric cancer patients resected with curative intention.     

胃上部癌患者的临床病理特点及预后分析

  目的  研究胃上部癌患者N05.6组淋巴结转移情况,探讨患者的临床病理特点及预后,分析影响患者预后的相关因素,为胃上部癌患者的合理术式提供理论依据。  方法   : 回顾性分析2010年9月至2015年6月安庆市立医院肿瘤收治的231例胃上部癌患者的临床病理资料,根据患者术后病理结果,计算出N05.6组淋巴结转移情况。采用门诊及电话方式进行随访,截止至2018年6月。计数资料间的比较采用χ2检验。Kaplan-Meier法绘制生存曲线,Log-rank检验进行生存分析及单因素分析。Cox回归进行多因素分析。  结果  231例胃上部癌患者中,平均淋巴结清扫数目为18.60（4 297/231）枚,N05.6组淋巴结转移率为8.23%（19/231）,患者的不同N分期、TNM分期的N05.6组淋巴结转移情况进行比较,差异具有统计学意义（χ2=14.219,13.171;P<0.05）。2例患者失访,随访率为99.13%（229/231）,随访时间4～94个月,中位随访时间49个月,总体5年累积生存率70.30%。N05.6组淋巴结阳性的患者,中位生存时间为42个月,5年累积生存率48.6%;阴性的患者,中位生存时间为50个月,5年累积生存率71.9%,两者的比较差异具有统计学意义（χ2=6.175,P<0.05）。单因素分析结果显示,肿瘤分化程度、N分期、TNM分期、N05.6组淋巴结转移情况是影响患者预后的相关因素（χ2=4.583,28.224,9.136,6.175;P<0.05）。多因素分析结果显示,N分期是胃上部癌患者预后的独立危险因素（HR=0.096,95%CI:0.027～0.341,P<0.05）。  结论   : 胃上部癌患者的淋巴结转移数目为预后的独立危险因素,对于T1、T2期无远处转移的胃上部癌患者可考虑行近端胃切除术。      

Adjuvant chemotherapy with epirubicin, leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil and etoposide regimen in resected gastric cancer patients: a randomized phase III trial by the Gruppo Oncologico Italia Meridionale (GOIM 9602 Study).

BACKGROUND: This randomized, multicenter, phase III trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the combination of epirubicin, leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil and etoposide (ELFE regimen) as adjuvant therapy for radically resected gastric cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From June 1996 to June 2001, 228 stage IB-IIIB gastric cancer patients were enrolled. All patients received a total or subtotal gastrectomy with at least a D1 lymphoadenectomy and were randomly assigned to receive surgery alone or surgery followed by chemotherapy. RESULTS: A total number of 630 cycles was delivered with a median number of 5. With a median follow-up of 60 months, the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 48% in the treatment arm and 43.5% in the control arm [hazard ratio (HR) 0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69-1.21; P = 0.610); the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 44% in the treatment arm and 39% in the control arm (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.78-0.91; P = 0.305). In node-positive patients, the 5-year OS was 41% in the treatment arm and 34% in the control arm (HR 0.84; 95% CI 0.69-1.01; P = 0.068), while the 5-year DFS was 39% in the treatment arm and 31% in the control arm (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.78-0.91; P = 0.051). The most common grade 3-4 toxic effects according to World Health Organization criteria were hematological and gastrointestinal. CONCLUSIONS: In radically resected gastric cancer patients, adjuvant chemotherapy with ELFE regimen does not improve OS over surgery alone.     

Significance of lymph node metastases in the surgical management of pancreatic head carcinoma.

Recent reports have demonstrated a reduction in the morbidity and mortality of pancreatic resections and improvement in the 5-actuarial survival for patients with resected ductal adenocarcinoma. However, the prognosis for patients with lymph node metastases remains uncertain. The purpose of this study is to determine if the presence of lymph node metastases influences the survival in patients with otherwise potentially curable pancreatic head carcinoma. Between January 1974 and December 1995, 340 patients with pancreatic carcinoma, including 238 patients with pancreatic head tumours, were evaluated and treated in our Department. Seventy-seven (32.3%) patients with pancreatic head carcinoma underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. Ages ranged from 40 to 76 years, with a mean age of 61 years. Fifty patients were male, twenty-seven were female. The overall postoperative mortality rate was 5.2% (4 patients) and morbidity was 23.4%. Median survival following resection was 17 months (range 0 to 79). The estimated 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival were 68.8%, 48.1%, 23.4% and 18.2%, respectively. There were 14 five-year survivors. Of the 77 patients, 25 (32.5%) had negative lymph nodes. The median and 5-year survival in these node-negative patients were 33 months (range 5 to 79) and 40%, respectively. Whereas the median survival and 5-year survival in 52 patients with lymph nodes metastases were 14 months (range 0 to 61) and 7.7%, respectively (P<0.0001). There were 4 five-year survivors in the group of patients with lymph node metastases; in 2 patients was performed extensive lymph node dissection (R2) and in other 2 patients R1 procedure. In the patients with lymph node metastases undergoing R1 resection (n = 39), the 1-, 2- and 5-year survival rates were 48.7%, 23.1% and 5.1%, respectively. Whereas in the patients with positive lymph nodes undergoing R2 resection (n = 14), the 1-, 2- and 5-year survival rates were 92.9%, 64.3% and 14.3%, respectively (P<0.02). As expected, tumour size and margin status in specimen proved to be two significant factors predicting survival. Pancreatoduodenectomy can be performed with low operative mortality. Lymph nodes metastases are found in 67.5% of patient undergoing resection. Pancreaticoduodenectomy offers good palliation for patients with lymph nodes metastases and encouraging long-term survival rates as well as a chance for cure in patients with negative lymph nodes and negative margins of resection.     

Lymphadenectomy for isolated lymph node metastasis from extremity soft-tissue sarcomas

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that the prognosis in patients with extremity soft-tissue sarcomas (ESTS) with isolated lymph node (LN) metastases (stage IV) is comparable to that of patients with high-risk ESTS without metastases (stage III). This study was performed to determine the outcomes of patients who underwent aggressive therapy, including lymphadenectomy in patients with LN metastasis from ESTS. METHODS: Demographic details, pathology of the primary disease, timing of LN metastasis, and details of the multimodality treatment were obtained from the medical records of 35 patients with nodal metastasis from ESTS who were treated between 1981 and 2003. Survival after the diagnosis of primary disease and LN metastasis was compared with established historical outcomes for patients with American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) stages III and IV ESTS. RESULTS: Epithelioid sarcomas (23%) and malignant fibrous histiocytomas (23%) were the most common primary histologic types. Twenty (57%) patients presented with synchronous nodal metastasis. Median follow-up from the time of diagnosis of lymph node metastasis was 48.5 months. The 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year actuarial survival rates in patients with synchronous nodal metastasis after lymphadenectomy and additional therapy were 79%, 62%, and 52%, respectively. In comparison, the 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year actuarial survival rates in patients with metachronous nodal metastasis after lymphadenectomy and additional therapy were 100%, 95%, and 66%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with isolated regional lymph node metastases who are treated with aggressive approaches, including regional LN dissection, may experience prolonged survival similar to that which more closely approximates the survival seen in patients with stage III disease (5-year survival rate, 50%) rather than the survival seen in patients with stage IV disease (5-year survival rate, 25%). These data lend support for reconsideration of the current AJCC staging system for ESTS.     

The significance of extracapsular extension of axillary lymph node metastases in early-stage breast cancer

PURPOSE: To investigate if extracapsular extension (ECE) of axillary lymph node metastases predicts for a decreased rate of disease-free survival or an increased rate of regional recurrence of breast carcinoma. METHODS: The study population consisted of 368 patients with T1 or T2 breast cancer and pathologically-positive lymph nodes treated with breast-conserving therapy between 1968 and 1986. The median number of sampled lymph nodes was 10. Median follow-up time for the surviving patients was 139 months (range 70-244). Twenty percent of the patients were treated with supraclavicular RT, and 64% received both axillary and supraclavicular RT, with a median dose to the nodes of 45 Gy. The following factors were evaluated: presence of ECE, number of sampled lymph nodes (LN), number of involved LN, size of primary tumor, histologic grade of tumor, presence of lymphatic vessel invasion (LVI), presence of an extensive intraductal component (EIC), radiation dose, use of adjuvant chemotherapy, and age of patient. Recurrences were reported as the 5-year crude sites of first failure, and were divided into breast recurrences (LR), regional nodal failure (RNF, defined as isolated axillary, supraclavicular, or internal mammary recurrence), and distant metastases (DM). RESULTS: One hundred twenty-two patients (33%) had ECE and 246 patients did not. The median number of LN with ECE was 1 (range 1-10) and 20% of patients had ECE in > or =4 LN. Patients with ECE tended to be older (median age 51 vs. 47, p = 0.01), and had a higher number of involved LN (median 3 vs. 2, p = 0.005) than patients without ECE. Forty-three percent of patients with ECE had > or =4 involved LN compared to 15% of patients without ECE (p<0.0001). Models of ECE and the above factors revealed no significant correlation between ECE and either disease-free or overall survival. There was no statistically significant increase in local, regional nodal, or distant failures in patients with ECE as compared to patients without ECE. CONCLUSION: In this population of patients with nodal involvement, the presence of ECE correlates with the number of involved LN but does not appear to add predictive power to models of local, regional, or distant recurrence when the number of positive LN is included.     

Postoperative adjuvant chemoradiation in completely resected locally advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: The 5-year survival of patients with completely resected node-positive gastric cancer ranges from 15% to 25%. We explored the feasibility of a chemoradiation regime consisting of concomitant hyperfractionated radiotherapy and 5-fluorouracil protracted venous infusion (5-FU PVI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients received a total or partial gastrectomy operation and D2 nodal resection for Stage III gastric cancer; they were then irradiated by linac with 6-15-MV photons. The target included the gastric bed, the anastomosis, stumps, and regional nodes. A total dose of 55 Gy was given in 50 fractions using 1.1 Gy b.i.d. All patients received a concomitant 200 mg/m2/day 5-FU PVI. Patients were examined during the follow-up period as programmed. Toxicity was recorded according to RTOG criteria. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 75.6 months (range: 22-136 months), 24 (60%) patients had died, and 16 (40%) were alive and free of disease. The 5-year actuarial incidence of relapse was 39%, 22%, and 2% for distant metastases, out-field peritoneal seeding, and in-field local regional recurrences, respectively. The 5-year actuarial cause-specific survival was 43%. Three patients survived more than 11 years. Acute > or = Grade 3 toxicity consisted of hematologic (22.5%) and gastrointestinal toxicity (nausea and vomiting 22.5%, diarrhea 2.8%, and abdominal pain 2.6%). No late toxicity was observed. CONCLUSION: This regime of concomitant 5-FU PVI and hyperfractionated radiotherapy was well tolerated and resulted in successful locoregional control and satisfactory survival.     

Adjuvant chemotherapy for resected adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, gastro-esophageal junction, and cardia: phase II trial (E8296) of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of postoperative paclitaxel and cisplatin on 2-year survival in patients with completely resected adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus, gastro-esophageal (GE) junction, and cardia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a multicenter phase II trial. Patients had pathologically staged T2 node-positive to T3-4, any node status adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus, GE junction, or gastric cardia with negative margins (R0). Treatment consisted of four cycles of paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 intravenously (i.v.) over 3 hours followed by cisplatin 75 mg/m2 i.v. every 21 days. A positive outcome was considered to be an improvement in 2-year survival rate by > or = 20% compared to historic controls. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients were recruited from 20 centers. Of 55 eligible patients, 49 (89%) had lymph node involvement. Forty-six patients (84%) completed all four cycles. Of the total 59 patients, 31 (56%) developed grade 3 or 4 toxicity with leukopenia/neutropenia, nausea/vomiting, and metabolic toxicities were most common. The median follow-up for surviving patients was 4 years. At 2 years, 33 patients were alive and 22 were dead, with a survival rate of 60% (95% CI, 46% to 73%; one-sided P = .0008 compared with the historic controls). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that adjuvant paclitaxel and cisplatin may improve survival in R0 resected patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus, GE junction, and cardia. These results warrant further testing in randomized trials.     

A Prospective Randomized Study of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Completely Resected Stage III-N2 Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective: To evaluate the effect of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy on survival after complete resection of stage III-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer. Methods: From Jan. 1999 to Dec. 2003, one-hundred and fifty patients, who were diagnosed as stage III-N2 non-small cell lung cancer after operation, were randomly devided into chemotherapy group and control group. The former received four cycles of chemotherapy with NVB (25 mg/m2, D1, D5)/paclitaxel (175 mg/m2, D1) and Carboplatin (AUC=5, D1). Results: In chemotherapy group, 75.8% (68/79) of patients had finished the 4 cycles of chemotherapy and no one died of toxic effects of chemotherapy. Twenty-five percent of the patients had grade 3?4 neutropenia and 2% had febrile neutropenia. The median survival for the entire 150 patients was 879 d, with 1-year survival rate of 81%, 2-year survival rate of 59% and 3-year survival rate of 43%. There was no significant difference in median survival between chemotherapy and control group (897 d vs 821 d, P=0.0527), but there was significant difference in the 1-year and 2-year overall survival (94.71%, 76.28% vs 512 d, P=0.122), but there was significant difference in the 2-year survival rate between two groups with brain metastases (66.7% vs 37.6% P<0.05). The median survival after brain metastasis appeared was 190 days. Conclusion: Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy does not significantly improve median survival among patients with completely resected stage II-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer, but significantly improves the 1-year and 2-year overall survival. It neither decreases the incidence of brain metastasis but put off the time of brain metastasis.     

Clinical outcomes of post-operative locoregional radiotherapy in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal Chinese women with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSES: Recent randomized studies from the West show that post-operative locoregional radiotherapy improves survival in lymph node (LN) positive pre-menopausal women with breast cancer but this benefit has not been established in the Chinese population. There is no published study on clinical outcomes (locoregional recurrence, survival and toxicities) of post-operative locoregional radiotherapy in Chinese women with breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 399 female Chinese patients with breast cancer who had received post-mastectomy locoregional radiotherapy in our center between 1984 and 1990. The patients were stratified according to tumor size, menopausal and LN status. We analyzed the incidence and pattern of locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence, survival rates and toxicity related to radiotherapy. RESULTS: Of the 399 patients 216 were pre-menopausal and 183 were post-menopausal. The mean age was 49.3 years (23-83). Distribution of tumor size and LN status of the two groups was similar. Median follow-up was 71.9 months. Locoregional recurrence occurred in 57 (14.3%) patients (pre-menopausal 24 (11.1%); post-menopausal 33 (18.3%) P=0.489). Recurrence was more common in LN positive patients (18.2%) than LN negative patients (9.2%). The pattern of locoregional recurrence was: chest wall 24, axilla LN 12, supraclavicular LN 10, chest plus LN 11. The distant recurrence rate was 39.6% for all patients and 75.4% for patients with locoregional recurrences. The overall 10-year survival rate for all patients was 54%. For LN positive patients the 10-year survival rate of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women was 38 and 51%, respectively (P=0.207), and for LN negative patients the rate was 73 and 70%, respectively (P=0.603). Acute skin toxicity included redness (30.8%), dry desquamation (12.8%), and wet desquamation (6. 8%). Long-term toxicities included skin atrophy (0.3%), telangectasia (3.3%), pneumonitis (2.8%) and brachial plexus palsy (1.3%). CONCLUSIONS: In our series Chinese patients with node-positive breast cancer have a relatively high locoregional recurrence rate in spite of mastectomy and post-operative radiotherapy. Limited use of adjuvant system chemotherapy may account, at least in part, for this finding. Clinical outcomes of post-operative radiotherapy in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal breast cancer patients are similar.     

Clinical significance of tumor volume and lymph node involvement assessed by MRI in stage IIB cervical cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation therapy

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of tumor volume assessed by pretreatment MRI in stage IIB cervical cancer patients with concurrent chemoradiation therapy.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed on seventy five patients with cervical cancer who were treated with concurrent weekly cisplatin (40 mg/m²) and radiotherapy between January 2000 and April 2007. Potential prognostic factors were age, chemotherapy numbers, histology, tumor diameter and volume, lymph node (LN) involvement and pretreatment squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) levels.

Results

The median follow-up time was 55 months (range, 8 to 104 months). The median tumor size and volume (range) were 4.5 cm (2 to 10) and 33.1 mL (4.2 to 392.7), respectively. Pelvic LN enlargement rate was 58.7%. Para-aortic LN enlargement rate was 14.7%. Using multivariate analysis, a tumor volume (>33 mL, p=0.025), pelvic LN enlargement (p=0.044) revealed a significantly unfavorable outcome on overall survival. PFS was influenced by tumor histology (p<0.001), pelvic LN enlargement (p=0.015) and pretreatment SCC-Ag levels (p=0.018). We found that 22 (29.3%) patients had recurrences and 14 (18.7%) patients died of disease. The 5-year overall survival rate was 80.6% (standard error, 4.9%) and 5-year PFS rate was 71.3% (standard error, 5.3%).

Conclusion

Tumor volume and pelvic LN involvement showed possibility to predict overall survival in patient with stage IIB cervical cancer. Optimal tumor volume and pelvic LN assessment by pretreatment MRI might be helpful to predict treatment outcome.     

单中心非转移性男性乳腺癌临床病理特征和生存分析

Heʼnan Medical Team has stationed in Lin county(now Linzhou City) of Heʼnan Province for 60 years since November 1959 to carry out prevention and treatment research on high incidence of esophageal cancer. In the past 60 years, three generations of medical experts in Heʼnan Province have made a series of remarkable scientific research achievements in the molecular mechanism and early detection of esophageal cancer, intervention and prevention methods of precancerous lesions, and benefited thousands of patients. Based on the 34-year research of esophageal cancer prevention and treatment in our research group, this paper focuses on the understanding and thinking about the epidemic characteristics, key scientific issues and important research directions of esophageal cancer in China, so as to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of esophageal cancer. © 2020, CHINA RESEARCH ON PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. All rights reserved.     

Evaluation of hepatic resection for metachronous liver metastases from gastric cancer

To evaluate the effect of hepatic resection for metachronous liver metastases after resection of gastric cancer, the clinicopathological factors of gastric cancer, state of liver metastasis, surgical procedures for liver metastasis, and remote survival were studied. Between 1989 and 2001, 30 consecutive patients underwent hepatic resections (36 resections) for metachronous liver metastases. The patients included 25 men and 5 women, and the median age was 60 years old (range 46-86 years old). As for curability, curative A/curative B was 10/20, and H0/H1/H2 was 25/3/2. The mean period from initial surgery to the liver resection was 19.3 months (range 6.3-65.2 months), and the liver metastatic conditions were H1 for 27 patients and H2 for 9 patients. By number of liver metastases, 27 patients had 1 lesion, 24 patients had 2, and 5 patients had more than 3 lesions. Twenty-nine patients were negative and 7 were positive for lymph node metastasis. A partial resection was performed for 13 patients, a subsegmentectomy for 3 patients, a segmentectomy for 7 patients, a lobectomy for 8 patients, and an extended lobectomy for 5 patients. For all patients except those who had other causes of death, the overall mean survival time was 702 days and the 5-year survival rate was 26.4%. There were four 5-year survivors after hepatic resection. In conclusion, the main prognostic factor after resection of metachronous liver metastases was the existence of lymph node metastasis, and the remote survival of patients with abdominal para-aortic lymph node recurrence was poor. The type of liver resection was not a predictor of survival. The resection of liver recurrence was evaluated clinically, but we should maintain strict criteria and select adequate surgical procedures.     

Breast-conserving treatment with partial or whole breast irradiation for low-risk invasive breast carcinoma--5-year results of a randomized trial

PURPOSE: To report the 5-year results of a randomized study comparing the survival and cosmetic results of breast-conserving treatment with partial breast irradiation (PBI) or conventional whole breast irradiation (WBI). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1998 and 2004, 258 selected patients with T1 N0-1mi, Grade 1-2, nonlobular breast cancer without presence of extensive intraductal component and resected with negative margins were randomized after breast-conserving surgery to receive 50 Gy/25 fractions WBI (n = 130) or PBI (n = 128). The latter consisted of either 7 x 5.2 Gy high-dose-rate (HDR) multicatheter brachytherapy (BT; n = 88) or 50 Gy/25 fractions electron beam (EB) irradiation (n = 40). RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 66 months, the 5-year actuarial rate of local recurrence was 4.7% and 3.4% in the PBI and WBI arms, respectively (p = 0.50). There was no significant difference in the 5-year probability of overall survival (94.6% vs. 91.8%), cancer-specific survival (98.3% vs. 96.0%), and disease-free survival (88.3% vs. 90.3%). The rate of excellent to good cosmetic result was 77.6% in the PBI group (81.2% after HDR BT; 70.0% after EB) and 62.9% in the control group (52.2% after telecobalt; 65.6% after 6-9-MV photons; p(WBI/PBI) = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Partial breast irradiation using interstitial HDR implants or EB to deliver radiation to the tumor bed alone for a selected group of early-stage breast cancer patients produces 5-year results similar to those achieved with conventional WBI. Significantly better cosmetic outcome can be achieved with carefully designed HDR multicatheter implants compared with the outcome after WBI.     

WEE1在胃癌组织中的表达及对患者预后的影响

目的 探讨WEE1基因在胃癌组织中的表达及对患者预后的影响。方法 收集78例胃癌患者为研究对象,根据有无淋巴结转移,将患者分为淋巴结(-)组与淋巴结(+)组,采用免疫组化及RT-qRCR技术检测胃癌组织中WEE1的表达,统计分析WEE1表达对胃癌淋巴结转移及预后的影响。结果 (1)WEE1在胃癌组织中的阳性率为43.6%,其中,低表达13例,高表达21例。淋巴结(+)组与淋巴结(-)组的WEE1的阳性率分别为53.8%(28/52)和23.1%(6/26);(2)RT-qPCR检测结果显示,淋巴结(-)组与淋巴结(+)组患者的平均WEE1 mRNA表达量分别为(1.32±0.21)、(3.64±0.41),差异具有统计学意义(P＜0.01);(3)ROC曲线结果显示,WEE1 mRNA表达水平对胃癌淋巴结转移预测的曲线下面积为0.806,敏感性84.8%,特异性79.6%,有较好的诊断效能。T分期、有无淋巴结转移是影响WEE1表达的独立性危险因素(P＜0.05);(4)78例患者,失访7例,失访率为8.9%,5年内死亡41例,其中,WEE1(-)组、WEE1低表达组、WEE1高表达组分别死亡13例、10例、18例,三组患者的5年生存率有统计学差异(χ²=25.67,P＜0.001)。两两比较后发现,WEE1低表达组与WEE1高表达的生存率无统计学差异(P＞0.05),但均显著低于WEE1(-)组(P＜0.05)。结论 WEE1在胃癌中有较高的阳性率,且与患者分期及淋巴结转移密切相关,其阳性表达是患者预后不良的强烈信号。     

Effect of negative lymph node count on survival for gastric cancer after curative distal gastrectomy

Aims

The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term effect of negative lymph node (LN) counts on the prognosis after curative distal gastrectomy among gastric cancer patients.

Methods

The study enrolled 634 patients with gastric cancer, who had undergone curative resection (R0) with distal gastrectomy from 1995 to 2004. Long-term surgical outcomes and relationships between the negative LN count and the 5-year survival rate were investigated.

Results

The 5-year survival rate of the entire cohort was 57.6%. The number of metastasis negative LN was positively associated with the retrieved node according to the Pearson’s correlation test (P < 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed the negative LN count was an independent predictor of survival (P < 0.05). Based on the statistical assumption the best fitting linear, linear regression showed a significant survival improvement based on increasing negative LN count for patients with stages I (P = 0.014), II (P = 0.011) and III (P = 0.003). The greatest survival differences were observed at cutoff value 10 negative LN counts for stage I, and 15 for stages II, III and IV.

Conclusion

Negative LN counts can reflect the extent of lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer after curative distal gastrectomy. The higher the negative LN count, the better the survival would be; the best long-term survival outcome was observed on the negative LN count more than 10 (stage I) or 15 (stages II, III, and IV).