Hospital volume and outcome in rectal cancer patients; results of a population-based study in the Netherlands

BackgroundClinically staged T1-3 rectal cancer (cT1-3) is generally treated by total mesorectal excision(TME) with or without neoadjuvant therapy and sometimes requires beyond TME-surgery, whereas cT4 rectal cancer often requires both. This study evaluates the outcome of cT1-3 and cT4 rectal cancer according to hospital volume.MethodsPatients undergoing rectal cancer surgery between 2005 and 2013 in the Netherlands were included from the National Cancer Registry. Hospitals were divided into low(1–20), medium(21–50) and high(>50 resections/year) volume for cT1-3 and low(1–4), medium(5–9) and high(≥10 resections/year) volume for cT4 rectal cancer. Cox-proportional hazards model was used for multivariable analysis of overall survival (OS).ResultsA total of 14.050 confirmed cT1-3 patients and 2.104 cT4 patients underwent surgery. In cT1-3 rectal cancer, there was no significant difference in 5-year OS related to high, medium and low hospital volume (70% vs. 69% vs. 69%). In cT4 rectal cancer, treatment in a high volume cT4 hospital was associated with a survival benefit compared to low volume cT4 hospitals (HR 0.81 95%CI 0.67–0.98) adjusted for non-treatment related confounders, but this was not significant after adjustment for neoadjuvant treatment. Patients with cT4-tumours treated in high volume hospitals had a significantly lower age, more synchronous metastases, more patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy and a higher pT-stage.ConclusionHospital volume was not associated with survival in cT1-3 rectal cancer. In cT4 rectal cancer, treatment in high volume cT4 hospitals was associated with improved survival compared to low volume cT4 hospitals, although this association lost statistical significance after correction for neoadjuvant treatment.     

The impact of hospital volume on perioperative outcomes of rectal cancer

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of hospital volume on perioperative outcomes of clinical tumour stage (cT)1-3 and cT4 rectal cancer.

Metabolic syndrome-related sarcopenia is associated with worse prognosis in patients with gastric cancer: A prospective study

ObjectivesSarcopenia and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are associated with the prognosis from malignant tumors. However, evidence of the relationship between sarcopenia and MetS among gastric cancer (GC) patients following radical gastrectomy is lacking. This study assessed the association between preoperative sarcopenia and MetS among GC patients and analyzed the prognosis of patients with different malnutrition statuses.MethodsWe prospectively assessed the preoperative statuses of sarcopenia and MetS among patients who underwent radical gastrectomy from July 2014 to December 2017. We combined sarcopenia and MetS to generate four groups: MetS-related sarcopenia group (MSS), sarcopenia group (S), MetS group (MS), and normal group (N).ResultsA total of 749 patients with resectable GC were included in this study. Preoperative MetS was associated with sarcopenia (p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression presented that MetS-related sarcopenia (OR = 2.445; p = 0.010) and sarcopenia alone (OR = 2.117; p = 0.001) were independent predictors of grade Ⅱ and above complications, while MetS alone was not (p = 0.342). Cox regression analysis revealed that MetS-related sarcopenia led to the worst prognosis in the four groups (MSS vs MS: HR = 3.555, p < 0.001; MSS vs N: HR = 2.020, p = 0.003; MSS vs S: HR = 1.763, p = 0.021). However, the MetS group had better prognosis than the normal group (MS vs N: HR = 0.568, p = 0.048).ConclusionPreoperative MetS was associated with sarcopenia among GC patients. MetS-related sarcopenia resulted in a significantly worse prognosis. The long-term prognoses of patients with sarcopenia were impaired by preoperative MetS, while patients without sarcopenia benefited. Thus, patients with both sarcopenia and MetS require more medical interventions.     

胃癌患者术中腹腔灌洗细胞学检测的临床研究

目的　探讨腹腔游离癌细胞与胃癌的侵润深度、浆膜受侵面积及病理类型等之间的相互关系。方法　对 16 3例胃癌患者行术中腹腔灌洗细胞学检查找游离癌细胞。结果　总的灌洗阳性率为2 6 .3%。不同侵犯深度 (T1～T4)阳性率分别为 0、13.3%、2 9.8%、5 3.8% ;胃浆膜受侵面积≤ 10cm2 者阳性率为 12 .6 %、11～ 2 0cm2 者 2 1.9%、2 1～ 30cm2 者 4 2 .1%、≥ 31cm2 者高达 6 6 .6 %。结论　胃癌腹腔游离癌细胞的阳性率与肿瘤侵润深度、浆膜受侵面积及病理类型等直接相关。     

Depression and survival in Chinese patients with gastric cancer: a prospective study

Aim: Depression is thought to be a predictor of poor survival among cancer patients. In our study, we aimedto investigate the association between depression and survival in patients with gastric cancer. Methods: Thesubjects were a total of 300 patients aged 20-75 years who had histological confirmed diagnosis of gastric cancerfrom January 2004 to May 2006. Three months after patients diagnosis, depression was scored using by theDepression Status Inventory (DSI) designed by Willian WK Zung. The follow-up period consisted of a total of13,643 person-months. A Cox’s regression analysis was used to assess the association between depression andsurvival. Results: The percentage of subjects with depression according to the DSI depression criteria was 31%.Tumor stage and treatment methods were significantly associated with depression of patients. Age (60 yearsor older), annual income, tumor stage, lymph nodes metastasis and treatment were significantly associatedwith increased hazard ratio (HR) for gastric cancer survival. The adjusted HR for mortality risk in gastriccancer patients with depression tended to be high (HR=3.34, 95% CI=1.23-5.49) and a significant trend wasfound (P<0.05). Conclusion: The data obtained in this prospective study in Chinese support the hypothesis thatdepression is associated with poor survival among gastric cancer patients. Further studies with a large sampleand longer term follow-up period are needed.     

Inter-hospital variation in resection rates of colon cancer in the Netherlands: A nationwide study

IntroductionHospital of diagnosis is shown to have an impact on the probability of undergoing a resection in different types of gastrointestinal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the inter-hospital variation in resection rates and its impact on survival among patients with non-metastatic colon cancer.MethodsAll patients diagnosed with non-metastatic colon cancer between 2009 and 2014 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the variation in resection rates among hospitals. The effect of variation in surgical resection on overall survival was assessed using Cox regression analyses. Relative survival was used as an estimate for disease-specific survival.Results38164 patients, treated in 95 different hospitals, were included in the analysis. After adjustments, resection rates varied between hospitals from 88 to 99%. This variation increased among patients older than 75 years, from 79 to 98%. Crude overall 5-year survival was 64%. After adjustment, no significant difference in overall or relative survival between hospitals with higher and lower resection rates was observed.ConclusionResection rates are important to consider when interpreting hospital outcomes. There is a significant variation in resection rates in patients with non-metastatic colon cancer among hospitals in the Netherlands. This variation increases in the elderly. No significant effect on survival was found. This could imply that undertreatment may play a role as well as that some patients might not benefit from surgery.     

Long-term outcome of S-1 and cisplatin combination therapy in patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer

Background Although combination therapy of S-1 and cisplatin (CDDP) has excellent efficacy against gastric cancer, the effect of the treatment on survival has been unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of this combination therapy.Methods Sixty-three patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer were treated with S-1, with or without CDDP, as first-line chemotherapy, and the clinical results were compared retrospectively. S-1 was administered orally at a standard dose of 80mg/m². In the treatment of the S-1 group, S-1 was given for 28 consecutive days, followed by a 14-day rest. In the treatment of the S-1/CDDP group, S-1 was given for 21 consecutive days, followed by a 14-day rest, and CDDP, at 60mg/m², was infused on day 8.Results The incidence of adverse reactions of more than grade 3 was 22.5% in the S-1 group and 43.5% in the S-1/CDDP group, and the treatment compliance was better in the S-1 group. The overall response rate was 25.9% in the S-1 group, and 36.8% in the S-1/CDDP group. The combination of S-1 with CDDP had better effects on the primary lesion and on differentiated-type carcinoma than S-1 alone. However, there was no difference in survival between the two patient groups. The median survival time after the initiation of treatment in the S-1 group was 322 days, and that in the S-1/CDDP group was 319 days.Conclusions Our results suggest that the combination of CDDP with S-1 does not improve the long-term outcome of S-1 therapy.     

榄香烯乳配合化疗对中晚期胃癌患者免疫功能的影响

目的:探讨榄香烯乳对胃癌患者免疫功能的影响。方法:采用榄香烯乳配合化疗药物治疗中晚期胃癌52例,观察其白细胞及淋巴细胞总数和红细胞免疫功能的改变。结果:对照组治疗前后白细咆及淋巴细胞总数和红细胞免疫功能均有显著性改变(P<0.05或0.01),而治疗组则无明显变化(P>0.05),差值(d)两组比较差异显著(P<0.05或0.01)。结论:榄香烯乳配合化疗药物治疗胃癌,可使患者外周血中的白细咆和淋巴细咆总数以及红细胞免疫功能无明显下降,保护了机体的免疫机制,为机体抑制肿瘤的发生发展起积极作用。     

哈尔滨市居民胃癌危险因素的病例对照研究

 目的　探讨与胃癌发生有关的危险因素。方法　利用病例对照研究方法进行胃癌的 1∶3配比病例对照研究。结果　条件Logistic回归分析表明胃慢性疾病史、喜食热、硬等食品、情绪调节差、精神长期压抑等与胃癌发生存在显著正关联。结论　胃慢性疾病史、不良饮食习惯及某些精神因素可能是胃癌的危险因素。     

Titration of serum p53 antibodies in patients with gastric cancer: a single-institute study of 40 patients

Background Alterations of the p53 tumor suppressor gene are the most commonly observed genetic abnormalities in many different types of human malignancies. The accumulation of mutant p53 often leads to the production of p53 antibody (p53-Ab) in the sera of patients with various cancers. To evaluate the clinical implications of serum p53-Abs in patients with gastric cancer, we compared p53-Abs with conventional tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9. Methods Serum samples were obtained preoperatively from 40 patients with histologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma, including 28 (70%) patients in stage Ia. The serum p53-Abs were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, using a new version of a highly specific, quantitative p53-Abs Kit (MESACUP Kit II). Results p53-Abs were detected in 6 (15%) of 40 patients with gastric cancer, including 3 patients with early gastric cancer. Seven (17.5%) of the 40 patients were positive for CEA in serum. However, none of 7 patients with high CEA levels were positive for p53-Abs. No significant correlation of p53-Abs with patient age, sex, pathological parameters, tumor markers such as CEA and CA19-9, or poor survival (P = 0.116) was observed. Conclusion Although we employed the latest version of the p53-Abs Kit, the sensitivity of serum p53-Ab in gastric cancer patients was relatively low. No correlation was found between the presence of p53-Ab and the staging of cancer or survival. However, serum p53-Ab was detectable in patients with gastric cancer even in the early stages of disease. In addition, it may be independent of CEA and CA19-9.     

Impact of sarcopenia on clinical outcomes of patients with stage I gastric cancer after radical gastrectomy: A prospective cohort study

BackgroundThe relationships between sarcopenia and postoperative outcomes in patients with early-stage gastric cancer who undergo radical gastrectomy is unclear. We aimed to investigate the predictive value of sarcopenia on adverse outcomes for stage I gastric cancer.MethodsThe clinical data of patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for stage I gastric cancer between July 2013 and May 2019 were prospectively collected. Basic sarcopenia components were measured preoperatively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate the risk factors for short- and long-term outcomes.ResultsA total of 507 patients with early-stage gastric cancer were included in the study, and 73 (14.4%) patients were diagnosed as sarcopenia. Patients with sarcopenia had significantly higher incidence of postoperative complications (32.9% vs. 17.5%, P = 0.002), longer postoperative hospital stays (13 days vs. 12 days, P < 0.001), higher hospitalization costs (65210 yuan vs. 55197 yuan, P < 0.001) and one-year mortality (8.2% vs. 1.8%, P = 0.002). During the median follow-up time of 38.8 months, 12 (16.4%) patients dead in the sarcopenic group and 25 (5.8%) patients dead in the non-sarcopenic group. Sarcopenia was an independent risk factor for both short- and long-term clinical outcomes. Moreover, we found that low muscle quantity and low handgrip strength mediated the adverse impacts of sarcopenia on postoperative complications while low muscle quality mediated the adverse impacts of sarcopenia on overall survival.ConclusionSarcopenia was strongly associated with worse short- and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with stage I gastric cancer who undergo radical gastrectomy.     

Impact of prior cancer history on survival of patients with gastric cancer

BackgroundPatients with prior cancer history are commonly excluded from clinical trial. However, the impact of prior cancer on survival of patients with gastric cancer remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of prior cancer and assess its impact on survival of patients diagnosed with gastric cancer.MethodsPatients with gastric cancer as the primary or second primary malignancies diagnosed from 2004 to 2010 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to balance baseline characteristics. Kaplan-Meier method, multivariate Cox proportional hazard model, and multivariate competing risk model were performed for survival analysis.ResultsA total of 28,795 eligible patients with gastric cancer were included, of whom 2695 (9.35%) had a history of prior cancer. Prostate (35%), breast (12%), colon (8%), and urinary bladder (7%) malignancies were the most common prior cancer types. Patients with prior cancer history had slightly inferior overall survival (AHR = 1.06; 95% CI [1.00–1.12]; P = 0.043) but superior gastric cancer-specific survival (AHR = 0.82; 95% CI [0.76–0.88]; P < 0.001) compared with those without prior cancer. The subgroup analysis determined that a prior cancer history did not adversely affect gastric patients’ clinical outcomes, except in those with prior cancer diagnosed within one year, at distant stage, or originating from lung and bronchus.ConclusionA substantial proportion of gastric cancer patients with a history of prior cancer had non-inferior clinical outcome to those without prior cancer. These patients should be considered in clinical trials.     

Textbook outcome after rectal cancer surgery as a composite measure for quality of care: A population-based study

BackgroundTextbook outcome is a composite measure of combined outcome indicators, which has been suggested to be of additional value over single outcome parameters in clinical auditing of surgical treatment. This study aimed to assess textbook outcome after rectal cancer surgery as short-term marker for quality of care.Materials and methodsPatients who underwent elective rectal cancer surgery between 2012 and 2019 and registered in the Dutch ColoRectal Audit were included. Textbook outcome was achieved when the following criteria were met: 30-day and primary hospital admission survival, no reintervention, tumour-free margins, no postoperative complications, a hospital stay of less than 14 days and no readmission. Hospital variation was evaluated in case-mix corrected funnel-plots. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to identify associated factors with textbook outcome.ResultsThe study population consisted of 20,521 patients who underwent primary rectal cancer surgery, of whom 56.3% achieved textbook outcome. Postoperative complications were the main contributor to not achieving textbook outcome. Case-mix corrected funnel plots demonstrated that underperforming hospitals in 2012–2015 were no underperformers in 2016–2019 anymore. Female sex, laparoscopic surgery, and rectal resection without defunctioning stoma creation were positively associated with textbook outcome.ConclusionTextbook outcome after rectal cancer resection is mainly driven by postoperative complications. Although textbook outcome showed some discriminating value for identifying underperforming hospitals, it does not fit the plan-do-check-act cycle of clinical auditing. In our opinion, textbook outcome has little added value to the current outcome indicators for rectal cancer surgery.     

含紫杉醇方案治疗晚期胃癌的临床观察

  目的 评价两种含紫杉醇（TAX）方案治疗晚期胃癌的临床疗效及安全性。方法 31例病理证实的晚期胃癌患者接受两种含紫杉醇方案化疗，即：紫杉醇+５-氟尿嘧啶（TF方案）19例；紫杉醇+顺铂（TP方案）12例。使用过5-氟尿嘧啶类药物的患者入TP组，其余入TF组，21 d为1周期，连用2周期后评价疗效。结果 31例患者均可评价疗效与不良反应，TF方案有效率为47.4 ％，TP方案有效率为41.7 ％，总有效率为45.2 ％，临床受益率（CBR）为80.6 ％。副作用主要是白细胞减少，发生率58.1 ％，Ⅲ度以上占9.7 ％；胃肠道反应发生率为38.7 ％。结论 含紫杉醇方案有确切疗效，CBR高，不良反应可耐受，对多次使用含5-氟尿嘧啶及衍生物方案化疗过的患者，选用TP方案仍有效。     

Multivariate survival and outcome analysis of 154 patients with gastric cancer at a single Chinese institution

This study was conducted to analyze and elucidate key prognostic factors for gastric cancer (GC), and to understand the current status of GC diagnosis and treatment in Hubei Province, China. Major clinical and pathological information on 154 GC patients was retrospectively collected, including gender, age, tumor site, surgical approach, histological type, TNM stage and chemotherapy cycles. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed in relation to these factors. The median OS was 12.0 months (0.5-69.0 months), and 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 53.0%, 23.0%, 8.0% and 1.0%, respectively. The median OS by TNM stage was 21.0 months for stages I+II and 11.5 months in stages III+IV (P=0.043), and 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 72.0% vs 50.0%, 40.0% vs 19.0%, 16.0% vs 6.0% and 0% vs 1.0 %, respectively. The median OS by chemotherapy cycles was 18.0 months in chemotherapy ≥6 cycles group and 11.0 months in chemotherapy <6 cycles group (P=0.009), and 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 68.0% vs 49.0%, 41.0% vs 18.0%, 12.0% vs 7.0% and 0% vs 1.0%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified tumor site, surgical approach and chemotherapy cycles as independent predictors for improved survival. Implementation of standardized radical surgery and reasonable adjuvant therapy could improve survival and prognosis of GC patients.     

Textbook outcome and survival after gastric cancer resection with curative intent: A population-based analysis

BackgroundThe concept of textbook outcome (TO) has been proposed for analyzing quality of surgical care. This study assessed the incidence of TO among patients undergoing curative gastric cancer resection, predictors for TO achievement, and the association of TO with survival.MethodAll patients with gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers undergoing curative gastrectomy between January 2014–December 2017 were identified from a population-based database (Spanish EURECCA Registry). TO included: macroscopically complete resection at the time of operation, R0 resection, ≥15 lymph nodes removed and examined, no serious postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥II), no re-intervention, hospital stay ≤14 days, no 30-day readmissions and no 90-day mortality. Logistic regression was used to assess the adjusted achievement of TO. Cox survival regression was used to compare conditional adjusted survival across groups.ResultsIn total, 1293 patients were included, and TO was achieved in 541 patients (41.1%). Among the criteria, “macroscopically complete resection” had the highest compliance (96.5%) while “no serious complications” had the lowest compliance (63.7%). Age (OR 0.53 for the 65–74 years and OR 0.34 for the ≥75 years age group), Charlson comorbidity index ≥3 (OR 0.53, 95%CI 0.34–0.82), neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (OR 0.24, 95%CI 0.08–0.70), multivisceral resection (OR 0.55, 95%CI 0.33–0.91), and surgery performed in a community hospital (OR 0.65, CI95% 0.46–0.91) were independently associated with not achieving TO. TO was independently associated with conditional survival (HR 0.67, 95%CI 0.55–0.83).ConclusionTO was achieved in 41.1% of patients who underwent gastric cancer resection with curative intent and was associated with longer survival.