Detection of Lymphatic Micrometastases in Patients With Stages I and II Colorectal Cancer: Impact on Five-Year Survival

PURPOSE: Despite having removed the whole macroscopic disease (curative intent surgery), one of five patients with Stages I and II colorectal cancer will develop recurrence. Lymphatic micrometastases detected by immunohistochemistry could be one of explanation for recurrence and cancer-related death in patients without lymph node involvement at light microscopy. However, the biologic importance of micrometastases remains unclear. This study was designed to determine the impact of micrometastases in five-year survival in patients with Stages I and II colorectal cancer.METHODS: This retrospective study included patients operated on between May 1989 and January 1999 for colorectal cancer without histopathologic lymph node involvement. Patients who received any adjuvant therapy were excluded. Immunohistochemical staining of the lymph nodes was performed with antipancytokeratin antibodies. Follow-up data were obtained from the clinical database and death certificates. Survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test.RESULTS: Micrometastases were observed in 26 of 90 patients (28.9 percent). The mean follow-up time was 90.7 (range, 11–160) months. Seventeen cancer-related deaths occurred during follow-up (18.9 percent), 6 of them in patients with micrometastases (23.1 percent) and 11 in patients without micrometastases (17.2 percent; P = 0.559). Cancer-specific five-year survival was 87 percent in the whole group and 81 percent in patients positive for micrometastases vs. 90 percent in negative patients (P = 0.489).CONCLUSIONS: The presence of micrometastases in patients with Stages I and II colorectal cancer seems not to have any impact on cancer-specific survival.Supported by the Apertus Research Program (Andromaco Pharmaceutical Company) and by The National Public Grant (FONDECYT #1000556).     

Should carcinoembryonic antigen be used in the management of patients with colorectal cancer?

The contribution of carcinoembryonic antigen carcinoembryionic antigen for the effective management of colorectal cancer patients remains a controversial issue. The aim of this study is to attempt to get some valid answers to its function in the diagnosis, prognosis, and overall management of colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: A retrospective review of colorectal cancer patientsmanaged and prospectively registered by the authors between 1985 and 1998 was performed. Serum carcinoembryionic antigen levels were determined preoperatively in 209 patients with primary colorectal cancer and postoperatively in 196 patients who had undergone curative resection of their tumors, according to a fixed schedule. A maximum value of 5 ng/ml was accepted as being normal. With the exception of endoscopy, all other diagnostic techniques were only used after an abnormal carcinoembryionic antigen result (a raised value found twice consecutively). RESULTS: carcinoembryionic antigen preoperative values were raised only in 40 percent of patients and were related to disease stage, with the highest values found in patients with Stage IV disease. However, an elevated preoperative carcinoembryionic antigen value had a very marked prognostic importance, with a statistically significant difference in survival curves (Kaplan-Meier); the same was valid for curatively resected patients (Stages I, II, and III) and for Stages II and III patients considered separately. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards technique confirmed these results, showing preoperative carcinoembryionic antigen to have an independent prognostic value, with a relative risk of recurrence of 3.74 for patients with raised preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen levels. In postoperative follow-up, carcinoembryionic antigen elevation was found to be a very accurate marker of recurrence (sensitivity, 77 percent; specificity, 98 percent), mainly in liver metastasis (sensitivity, 100 percent), and the best marker of asymptomatic recurrence (63 percent of cases). However, carcinoembryionic antigen's impact on overall survival was negligible because of the poor results of surgical treatment of recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative carcinoembryionic antigen is a very important prognostic indicator and should be considered in future trials. Postoperative carcinoembryionic antigen elevation is a very sensitive marker of recurrence and even of asymptomatic recurrence, but its impact on overall survival does not seem to be relevant. Nevertheless, carcinoembryionic antigen should continue to be used in colorectal cancer patients until better methods of diagnosis and treatment of recurrence are developed.Presented at the meeting of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, San Antonio, Texas, May 2 to 7, 1998.     

POSSUM,p-POSSUM,and Cr-POSSUM: Implementation Issues in a United States Health Care System for Prediction of Outcome for Colon Cancer Resection

PURPOSE: The Physiologic and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity (POSSUM), Portsmouth revision (p)-POSSUM, and colorectal (Cr)-POSSUM scoring systems were developed as audit tools for comparing outcomes in surgical and colorectal patients on the basis of operative risk assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of these systems to a cohort of colon cancer patients undergoing surgery in the United States.METHODS: POSSUM factors from 890 consecutive patients undergoing major surgical procedures for colon cancer in nine United States hospitals over a two-year period from January 2000 through December 2001 were prospectively collected. The observed over the expected hospital mortality was compared by means of the POSSUM, p-POSSUM, and Cr-POSSUM scoring systems. The effect of missing data on the utility of this process for outcome assessment was assessed with three methods for data imputation.RESULTS: The number of resections per institution ranged from 13 to 437. The observed mortality rate ranged from 0.8 percent to 15.4 percent among the institutions, with an overall operative mortality of 2.3 percent. The POSSUM, p-POSSUM, and Cr-POSSUM predicted mortality was 10.7 percent, 11.2 percent, and 4.9 percent, respectively. The POSSUM and p-POSSUM models overpredicted mortality in all institutions (P < 0.01), whereas the Cr-POSSUM demonstrated an observed over expected hospital mortality ratio of >1 in three institutions. The calculations were unaffected by the various methods of inserting missing data.CONCLUSION: An apparent overprediction of mortality for colon cancer resection was evident with all three POSSUM variants. This implies that a calibration process is required for use of these variants in the United States health care system. Missing data may be treated as normal values without influencing outcome. The Cr-POSSUM appeared to be the most promising audit tool for colorectal cancer surgery; however, it will require further refinement to provide process control graphs for identification of potential outliers and improvement in the quality of care in the United States.     

Comparison of outcome of POSSUM,p-POSSUM,and cr-POSSUM scoring after elective resection of the sigmoid colon for carcinoma or complicated diverticular disease

Objective. To compare POSSUM, p-POSSUM, and cr-POSSUM-predicted mortalities with the observed postoperative mortality in patients undergoing elective sigmoid colectomy for diverticular disease (n=121) or carcinoma (n=120). Material and methods. The physiologic and operative severity score for the enumeration of mortality and morbidity (POSSUM) was used to identify patient- or disease-related risk factors and to calculate expected mortalities. Results. Patients with carcinoma had significantly higher POSSUM scores, but the observed mortality (1.7%) was lower than that in the diverticular disease group (3.3%). In the carcinoma group, mortality was over-predicted by all the POSSUM systems. In diverticular disease, POSSUM over-predicted mortality while p-POSSUM and cr-POSSUM under-predicted mortality. In the whole group, POSSUM over-predicted mortality. P-POSSUM and cr-POSSUM predicted mortality accurately: observed:expected (O:E) ratio 0.83. Replacing the score for malignancy with a minimum score of 1 gave overall O:E ratios of 0.37 (POSSUM), 1.04 (p-POSSUM), and 0.93 (cr-POSSUM). Conclusions. In a group of patients who underwent elective resection of the sigmoid colon for carcinoma or diverticular disease, postoperative mortality was predicted accurately by p-Possum and cr-POSSUM, especially when used without a score for malignancy. None of the POSSUM scores were predictive of disease-specific mortality.     

Cancer of the colon and rectum in High-risk patients

The experience with colorectal cancer at the Denver Veterans Administration Hospital was retrospectively reviewed to characterize the high-risk population with this disease and to determine what impact, if any, screening high-risk patients might have on overall survival rates. The high-risk patients comprised 12 per cent of the overall population with colorectal cancer and did not differ from the latter in terms of age of onset, distribution of tumors, type of symptoms at diagnosis, or survival with a given stage of disease. They did, however, have more stage A and B lesions and a better overall survival than did the general population with colorectal cancer, as a result of screening. The findings suggest that surveillance of high-risk groups is beneficial. Until ways are found to increase the number of patients eligible for inclusion in this group, however, these benefits are unlikely to lead to improved survival of the general population with colorectal cancer.     

Prophylactic oophorectomy in colorectal carcinoma

Controversy exists regarding the role of prophylactic oophorectomy during resection for primary colorectal cancer. PURPOSE: A prospective, randomized trial was initiated to evaluate the influence of oophorectomy on recurrence and survival in patients with Dukes Stages B and C colorectal cancer. METHOD: Between November 1986 and March 1997, 155 patients were randomized to oophorectomy or no oophorectomy at laparotomy for resection of colorectal cancer. RESULTS: No incidence of gross or microscopic metastatic disease to the ovary was found among 77 patients randomized to oophorectomy, in contrast to previous reports. Preliminary crude survival curves suggested a survival benefit for oophorectomy between two and three years from surgery, but Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that this was not statistically significant and the benefit does not appear to persist at five years. Kaplan-Meier curves of recurrence-free survival, however, suggest a more substantial separation of the curves, with 80 percentvs. 65 percent five-year disease-free survival for oophorectomyvs. nonoophorectomy, but further patient accrual is necessary to provide sufficient statistical power. CONCLUSIONS: Occult colorectal carcinoma metastatic to the ovaries has not been documented in this series of putative Dukes Stages B and C tumors. The possibility of a recurrence-free survival advantage emphasizes the need to continue this preliminary work.Read at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 22 to 26, 1997.     

Does concurrent splenectomy at colorectal cancer resection influence survival?

Twenty-one patients had a concurrent splenectomy with resection of colorectal cancer between 1970 and 1988. These were matched individually with disease control patients based on age, sex, site of tumor, Dukes stage, tumor differentiation, and date of the operation. Significantly more patients in the splenectomy group (n=11) developed postoperative infective complications than in the control group (n=4) (McNemar test: P =0.03). Five-year overall actuarial survival was 45 percent in the former group and 59 percent in the latter (log rank test: chi-squared=1.07;P =0.24). Similarly, five-year disease-free survival in 17 patients with Dukes B and C cancers who had curative resections did not differ between the groups (log rank test: chi-squared=0.08;P > 0.25). These results suggest that splenectomy with resection of colorectal cancer increases the risk of postoperative sepsis and does not influence long-term survival. The infrequency of concurrent splenectomy at resection of colorectal cancer may not overcome Type II error.     

Overview of colorectal cancer in Japan

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In Japan, the incidence of colorectal cancer has increased remarkably since World War II, and interest in this cancer has grown rapidly among Japanese clinicians and pathologists. As a result, the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum started a multi-institutional registry of colorectal cancer in 1980. The purpose of this report is to present an overview of the actual state of surgical and pathologic aspects of colorectal cancer treated in the leading hospitals in Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Registry files of clinical and pathologic findings for 38,369 patients treated between 1974 and 1986 with five-year follow-up information and 26,360 patients treated between 1991 and 1994 with no follow-up information were reviewed. RESULTS: Numbers of registered patients have increased annually, reflecting a trend toward an increasing incidence of this cancer in Japan. Colon cancer increased more than rectal cancer in both genders. Resection of the primary lesion was achieved in more than 97 percent of patients who underwent surgical operation recently. The curative resection rate has improved from 65.1 to 79.1 percent for colon cancer and from 71.4 to 80.4 percent for rectal cancer between the 1974 and 1979 and the 1991 and 1994 periods, and operative mortality of those has decreased from 1.8 and 2 percent to 0.5 and 0.5 percent, respectively. There was a trend toward a decrease in locally advanced cancer in terms of cancer invasion into the bowel wall. Stage IV colon cancer also decreased from 22.9 to 16.6 percent with time. The five-year survival rate of each pTNM stage has gradually been improving and was especially evident for patients with Stages I, II, and III of rectal cancer. Overall five-year survival rates for colorectal cancer patients currently exceeds 60 percent. CONCLUSION: The overall incidence of colorectal cancer and the ratio of colon cancer to rectal cancer patients in Japan are increasing. Results of surgical treatment are satisfactory with respect to curative resection rate, operative mortality, and the five-year survival rate. Registry data of the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum are useful for reporting the actual state of diagnosis, treatment, and end results of colorectal cancer in Japan.     

Laparoscopic vs. Open Colectomy in Cancer Patients: Long-Term Complications, Quality of Life, and Survival

PURPOSE This study was designed to evaluate long-term complications, quality of life, and survival rate in a series of colorectal cancer patients randomized to laparoscopic or open surgery. METHODS A total of 391 patients with colorectal cancer were randomly assigned to laparoscopic (n = 190) or open (n = 201) resection. Long-term follow-up was performed every six months by office visits. Quality of life was assessed at 12, 24, and 48 months after surgery by a modified version of Short Form 36 Health Survey questionnaire. All patients were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS Eight (4.2 percent) laparoscopic group patients needed conversion to open surgery. Overall long-term morbidity rate was 6.8 percent (13/190) in the laparoscopic vs. 14.9 percent (30/201) in the open group (P = 0.018). Overall quality of life was significantly better in the laparoscopic group in the first 12 months after surgery, whereas at 24 months, patients of the laparoscopic group reported a significant advantage only in social functioning. No difference was found in both overall and disease-free survival rates by comparing laparoscopic vs. open group. CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic colorectal resection was associated with a lower incidence of long-term complications and a better quality of life in the first 12 months after surgery compared with open surgery. No difference between groups was found in overall and disease-free survival rates. Presented at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 29 to June 2, 2005.     

Performance of prognostic models incorporating KRAS mutation status to predict survival after resection of colorectal liver metastases

BackgroundThe Genetic And Morphologic Evaluation (GAME) score and modified clinical score (m-CS) are two novel prognostic models that incorporate KRAS mutation status to predict survival after resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). This retrospective cohort study evaluated the performance of these two models.MethodsA total of 103 patients who underwent resection of CRLM between 2007 and 2017 and had known KRAS mutation status were included, 39 (37.9%) of whom had KRAS mutated tumours. Complete case analysis of the patients was performed according to the Clinical Risk Score (CRS), m-CS, and GAME score. The primary outcome was overall survival stratified according to low-risk and high-risk scores. Harrell's C-index and Akaike information criterion (AIC) were used to compare the discrimination of the evaluated prognostic models.ResultsThe GAME score demonstrated the largest difference in overall survival for patients stratified according to low-risk and high-risk groups. Harrell's C-index values for the CRS, m-CS, and GAME models were 0.583, 0.600, and 0.668, respectively. AIC values for the CRS, m-CS, and GAME models were 441, 439, and 427, respectively.ConclusionThe GAME score outperforms the CRS and m-CS in predicting overall survival after resection of CRLM in patients with known KRAS mutation status.     

Clinical significance of rectal cancer in young patients

Thirty-nine patients (age 40 years and younger) with rectal cancer treated at the Mount Sinai Hospital between 1967 and 1985 were studied. Their mean age was 34 years (range, 21 to 40). A positive family history for colorectal cancer was found in six patients (15 percent). Fifty percent of patients under age 30 had metastatic disease at diagnosis. Twenty-seven patients (69 percent) had potentially curative resections. Of these, 17 (63 percent) had lymph-node metastasis. This rate is twice as high as in a group of 315 patients with rectal cancer over age 40 (31 percent). The overall five-year survival for young patients having curative resection was 53 percent. Noncolorectal cancer occurred in three patients in this series and six patients also had first-degree relatives with noncolorectal cancer. Young patients with rectal cancer appear to belong to a high-risk cancer group which often seems to have a genetic pattern of predisposition.     

Different prognostic effect of postoperative chemoradiation therapy on diploid and nondiploid high-risk rectal cancers

PURPOSE: DNA ploidy has been shown to play a role in the response to cytotoxic therapy in a variety of malignancies, including breast cancer and melanoma. However, the importance of DNA ploidy in rectal cancer is unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine whether ploidy status might be associated with response to postoperative chemoradiation in TNM Stages II to III rectal cancer. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed data from 229 patients with TNM Stages II to III rectal cancer who underwent resection between 1979 and 1984. The ploidy status and treatment modalities in relation to outcome were assessed. RESULTS: The recurrence-free ten-year survival rate was 52.2 percent for patients with diploidy and 50.5 percent for patients with nondiploidy (P=0.99). The ten-year survival rates for patients with diploidy and patients with nondiploidy were 55 and 19 percent (P=0.016) in the chemoradiation group, and 51 and 60 percent (P=0.15) in the nonchemoradiation group, respectively. In the chemoradiation group, DNA nondiploidy was associated with an increased recurrence rate (83.3vs. 50.0 percent;P=0.001). The interaction between DNA nondiploidy and chemoradiation remained important in predicting outcome in the Cox regression model. Factors independently correlated with a worse outcome included Stage IIIb (relative risk, 2.9; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.7–5;P=0.0001), perineural invasion (relative risk, 2.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.6–4,P=0.0001), distal tumor (relative risk, 1.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.1–2.7,P=0.014), and nondiploidy with chemoradiation (relative risk, 2.9; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2–7.2,P=0.0213). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that DNA nondiploidy is inversely correlated with long-term outcome among patients with high-risk rectal cancer receiving chemoradiation.Supported by a grant (CMRP384) from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.     

Outcome of Patients on Renal Replacement Therapy after Colorectal Surgery

Purpose  Patients on renal replacement therapy are reported to have a high complication rate after abdominal surgery, the result of uremia and immunosuppression. A review of this group of patients undergoing colorectal surgery was undertaken. Methods  Seventy-three separate colorectal operations were performed for 44 patients. Thirty-eight patients were on dialysis and 35 had a renal transplant. Data (coexisting disease, preoperative blood results, operative details, complications, and colorectal POSSUM score) were completed for each surgical event. Results  Forty-two elective and 31 emergency procedures were performed. Infective complications were common (overall 60 percent). There were two anastomotic leaks in the elective group, but five leaks from seven emergency anastomoses. Stomas were frequently raised. Ninety percent of patients who survived and had a defunctioning stoma underwent a successful reversal. The overall major complication rate after elective and emergency surgery was 19 and 81 percent, respectively, and mortality was 5 and 26 percent, respectively. Conclusions  Renal patients have a high rate of complications after colorectal surgery, and emergency surgery has a significant risk of anastomotic leak. Primary anastomosis should be avoided in all patients undergoing emergency intestinal resections. Subsequent surgery to restore intestinal continuity is possible in 90 percent of patients with far fewer complications. Presented at the meeting of the Royal Society of Medicine, Paris, France, May 31 to June 3, 2007, and the meeting of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, Manchester, England, April 18 to 20, 2007. Reprints are not available.     

Comparison of individual surgeon's performance

Comparison of outcome after colorectal resection among different surgeons is difficult. Crude rates of morbidity and mortality can be misleading because such rates make no allowance for differences in case mix and fitness of patients. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare outcome among five surgeons by means of the simple, well-validated scoring system POSSUM for risk-adjusted analysis. METHODS: A total of 438 patients were studied prospectively. Each patient underwent colorectal resection by one of the five surgeons. Demographic details, operative procedure, and postoperative course were recorded, and physiologic and operative severity scores were determined. Risk of morbidity and mortality was calculated for each patient. RESULTS: Incidence of morbidity varied sharply among the five surgeons, from 13.6 to 30.6 percent, and the 30-day mortality varied from 4.5 to 6.9 percent. However, application of POSSUM to allow risk-adjusted analysis of the data demonstrated that the incidence of morbidity and mortality predicted by POSSUM based on patients physiologic and operative risks factors was very similar to the observed outcome for each surgeon. CONCLUSION: Direct comparison of individual surgeon's performance based on crude rates of morbidity and mortality can be misleading. Risk-adjusted analysis allows more meaningful comparison.Read at meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 7 to 12, 1995.     

Characteristics and Survival Patterns of Solid Organ Transplant Patients Developing <Emphasis Type="Italic">De Novo</Emphasis> Colon and Rectal Cancer

PURPOSE Immunosuppression used in transplantation is associated with an increased incidence of various cancers. Although the incidence of colorectal cancer in transplant patients seems to be equal to nontransplant population, the effects of immunosuppression on patients who develop colorectal cancer are not well defined. The purpose of this study was to define the characteristics and survival patterns of transplant patients developing de novo colorectal cancer.METHODS The Israel Penn International Transplant Tumor Registry was queried for patients with colorectal cancer. Analysis included patient demographics, age at transplantation and colorectal cancer diagnosis, tumor stage, and survival. Age and survival rates were compared to United States population-based colorectal cancer statistics using the National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database.RESULTS A total of 150 transplant patients with de novo colorectal cancer were identified: 93 kidney, 29 heart, 27 liver, and 1 lung. Mean age at transplantation was 53 years. Age at transplantation and colorectal cancer diagnosis was not significant for gender, race, or stage of disease. Compared to National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database, transplantat patients had a younger mean age at colorectal cancer diagnosis (58 vs. 70 years; P < 0.001), and a worse five-year survival (overall, 44 vs. 62 percent, P < 0.001; Dukes A&B, 74 vs. 90 percent, P < 0.001; Dukes C, 20 vs. 66 percent, P < 0.001; and Dukes D, 0 vs. 9 percent, P = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS Transplant patients develop colorectal cancer at a younger age and exhibit worse five-year survival rates than the general population. These data suggest that chronic immunosuppression results in a more aggressive tumor biology. Frequent posttransplantation colorectal cancer screening program may be warranted.Poster presentation at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, New Orleans, Louisiana, June 21 to 26, 2003.     

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the colon, rectum, and anus

PURPOSE: There have been 49 cases of adenosquamous carcinoma of the colon, rectum, and anus reported in the English literature. We have reviewed 145 cases of adenosquamous carcinoma to better define epidemiologic and survival characteristics of this extremely rare colon carcinoma. METHODS: The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program public use CD-ROM file for the years 1973 through 1992 were reviewed. This represents approximately 9.5 percent of the United States population. Adenosquamous carcinomas arising in the colon, rectum, and anus were identified using the International Classification of Diseases-O codes. The Astler-Coller tumor classification was used for staging. Two-tailed Student'st-test, Mantel-Haenszel chi-squared tests, and generalized Wilcoxon's tests were used for comparisons of means, proportions, and actuarial survival rates, respectively. Survival curves were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: One hundred forty-five cases of adenosquamous carcinoma were identified, representing 0.06 percent of all colorectal malignancies. The mean age of patients was 67 years. Eighty-four percent of patients were Caucasians, 15 percent were Afro-Americans, and 1 percent were other races. Afro-Americans were diagnosed at a significantly younger age (median age, 62 years;P=0.03). Fifty-three percent of the carcinomas were located in the sigmoid colon, rectum, and anus, 28 percent in the right colon, and the rest in the middle segment. Seventy-four percent of distal cases were staged A through C, compared with 44 percent of proximal cases. Patients with adenosquamous carcinoma of the sigmoid colon, rectum, and anus survived longer than all other patients (P=0.001). Patients with adenosquamous carcinoma Stages A and B₁ had survival rates similar to patients with comparably staged adenocarcinomas. Fifty percent of the patients, including most of the patients with D stage, died in the first year. Patients with Stages B₂, C, and D adenosquamous carcinomas had a significantly shorter survival than the comparably staged adenocarcinomas (P0.02). The overall adjusted five-year survival rate was 30.7 percent. In those patients who survived more than 24 months, the five-year survival was 84 percent. CONCLUSIONS: The survival rates for patients with adenosquamous carcinoma Stages A and B₁ are similar to patients with comparably staged colorectal adenocarcinomas. However, we found that patients with colorectal and anal adenosquamous carcinomas staged B₂ through D have significantly poorer survival than patients with comparably staged adenocarcinomas, supporting the previous reports of a poor prognosis associated with adenosquamous carcinomas.     

Compliance of physicians and patients with a consensus protocol for treatment of advanced breast cancer

Summary In a multicenter study we used a consensus protocol including more than five subsequent therapeutic steps for treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer. A total of 335 evaluable patients from 27 participating hospitals were allocated to a low- or high-risk group, receiving different therapies during the initial phase of treatment. About half of these patients were treated without protocol violations (compliers). The protocol non-compliers were divided into three groups: those receiving more intensive therapy than recommended, those with similarly intensive, and those with less intensive therapy. The reasons for protocol violations were analysed. The intensity of the therapy given actually was correlated with the survival of subgroups. Median survival times were significantly longer in 208 low-risk than in 127 high-risk patients (P<0.0001), marginally longer in 165 compliers than in 170 non-compliers (P<0.04), significantly longer in low-risk compliers than in low-risk non-compliers (P=0.002), and significantly shorter in high-risk compliers than in high-risk non-compliers (P=0.007). Survival of all subgroups of low-risk non-compliers was the same regardless of the actual therapies given. The survival of high-risk patients who received less intensive therapy was significantly longer than that of high-risk compliers (P=0.015). After six cycles of successful chemotherapy there was no difference, either in time to progresion or in survival, between patients who had received either maintenance therapy or no therapy. We postulate that the groups of low-risk and high-risk patients comprised patients with different prognoses. Among low-risk patients, survival of the subgroup with poor prognosis (low-risk non-compliers) was not influenced by therapy. Among high-risk patients, a subgroup with poor prognosis may have been overtreated by using standard chemotherapies as recommended in our consensus protocol.Abbreviations used CAF cyclophosphamide, Adriblastin, 5-fluorouracil - CMF cyclophosphamide, metothrexate, 5-fluorouracil This study was supported in part by the Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Sozialordnung and by the German subsidiaries of Asta-Degussa, Ciba-Geigy, Cyanamid-Lederle, Farmitalia, Pharma-Leo, Rhone-Poulenc, Upjohn     

Postoperative Urinary Retention After Primary Colorectal Cancer Resection <Emphasis Type="Italic">via</Emphasis> Laparotomy: A Prospective Study of 2,355 Consecutive Patients

Purpose The risk factors for postoperative urinary retention after colorectal carcinoma surgery can be clearly defined. This study was designed to determine risk factors for postoperative urinary retention after colorectal cancer surgery. Methods A total of 2,355 consecutive patients with colorectal cancer who underwent open resection for colorectal cancer during a four-year period were included. The association between dependent and independent variables (including 19 clinicopathologic and surgical factors) was analyzed by using the chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate. The significant variables in the univariate analyses were included in multivariate analysis. Results The overall prevalence of postoperative urinary retention was 5.5 percent (colon cancer, 1.7 percent; rectal cancer, 9.1 percent, P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed an independent association between postoperative urinary retention and age, lung disease, tumor location, operation duration, and additional pelvic procedure. Of the 121 patients with postoperative urinary retention, urine catheterization was required in 42 patients one month postoperatively. Discriminate analysis showed that gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists’ score, tumor location, presence of drainage, and pelvic infection were best able to discriminate between prolonged (>1 month) and transient urinary dysfunction. Conclusions Older patients, lung disease, rectal cancer, longer operation duration, and additional pelvic procedure were at greater risk. There is a time-dependent change in postoperative urinary dysfunction. Male gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists’ score of 2 or 3, rectal tumor, surgical drain, and pelvic infection can identify patients at risk for prolonged urinary dysfunction.     

The Clinical and Endoscopic Characteristics,Treatment, and Long-Term Prognosis of Early Colorectal Cancer in Taiwan

Purpose This study was designed to realize the incidence, clinical and endoscopic characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of early colorectal cancer in Taiwan. Methods A retrospective study was conducted to review the data from January 1, 1991 to December 31, 2005 at the National Taiwan University Hospital. Patients’ clinical information, demographic data, endoscopic pictures, treatment regimens, pathologic, and outcome details for these cases were reviewed, recorded, and analyzed. Mann-Whitney U test and log-rank test were used for the statistical analysis. Results A total of 61 patients from this 15-year period were included (39 males; mean age of disease onset, 63.5 years). The follow-up period ranged from 0.05 to 15 (mean, 6.8) years. Five-year survival rate in our early colorectal cancer patients was 98.4 percent. The size of the early colorectal cancer ranged from 0.3 to 5 cm with the mean of 1.4 cm. The most common site of early colorectal cancer was the sigmoid colon (56.1 percent). Protruded (Type I) lesions accounted for the majority (73.6 percent) of the cases. Endoscopic polypectomy/mucosectomy was the most common type of treatment (72.3 percent). There was no statistical difference in the survival status between the endoscopic treatment group and the operation group (log-rank test, P  =  0.368). Conclusions Most of the early colorectal cancer lesions could be removed successfully by endoscopic method without mortality and major morbidity. However, regular follow-up after treatment is recommended even after five years to reduce early colorectal cancer mortality and morbidity. Presented at the meeting of the Gastroenterological Society of Taiwan, Tainan, Taiwan, March 17 to 19, 2006.     

Comparison of Multivisceral Resection and Standard Operation for Locally Advanced Colorectal Cancer: Analysis of Prognostic Factors for Short-Term and Long-Term Outcome

PURPOSE The aim of the present study is to clarify the characteristics of multivisceral resection and to discuss strategies for improving the overall outcome of multivisceral resection for locally advanced colorectal cancer.METHODS The study included 323 patients who electively underwent curative surgery for pT3–pT4 colorectal carcinoma without distant metastasis. We evaluated the short-term and long-term outcome of multivisceral resection relative to that of the standard operation by means of multivariate analysis of the prognostic factors.RESULTS Of 323 patients, 53 (16.4 percent) received multivisceral resection because of adhesion to other organs. Multivisceral resection was significantly associated with tumor size, depth of invasion, operative blood loss, operation time, and blood transfusion (all: P < 0.0001). Overall morbidity rates were 49.1 percent after multivisceral resection vs. 17.8 percent after the standard operation (P < 0.0001), and postoperative mortality rate was 0 percent in both groups (not significant). Only multivisceral resection (odds ratio, 2.725; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.125–6.623; P = 0.0264) was an independent factor for overall postoperative complications. The survival rate of patients after multivisceral resection was similar to that after the standard operation (5-year rate, 76.6 percent vs. 79.5 percent, P = 0.9347). Lymph node metastasis (hazard ratio, 2.510; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.460–4.315; P = 0.0009) and blood transfusion (hazard ratio, 2.353; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.185–4.651; P = 0.0145) were independently associated with patient survival.CONCLUSIONS For locally advanced colorectal cancer, the long-term outcome after multivisceral resection is comparable to that after the standard operation. However, it should be recognized that multivisceral resection is associated with higher postoperative morbidity. In addition, a reduction in the incidence of blood transfusion may contribute to improving patient survival.