Complete pathologic response after preoperative rectal cancer chemoradiotherapy

Background: Following preoperative treatment of rectal cancer with chemoradiotherapy (CRT), a complete pathological response (CPR) can be seen in the surgical specimen. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of these patients as compared with those who did not have a complete response. Methods: A retrospective study of the outcome of patients managed with preoperative CRT for their rectal cancer was conducted. Results: Between November 1998 and July 2004, there were 530 new presentations of rectal cancer at The Queen Elizabeth and Royal Adelaide hospitals. Forty of these patients (7.5%) were treated with long‐course preoperative CRT. After resection, a CPR was seen in seven patients (17.5%). These patients were all disease free at January 2006 after a median follow‐up of 6.0 years (range 1.42–7.02 years). One patient had died from non‐tumour‐/surgery‐related causes. Tumour recurrence, but not mortality, in this group was superior to the comparison group of patients without a CPR. Conclusions: None of our patients who had a CPR after preoperative CRT have recurred or died from their disease.     

Transmyocardial revascularization: 5-year follow-up of a prospective, randomized multicenter trial

BACKGROUND: In prospective randomized trials at 1 year, transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) provided superior relief of angina, decreased rehospitalizations, and improved exercise times. We evaluated 5-year mortality and angina class in "no-option" patients with diffuse coronary artery disease randomized to TMR or continued medical management. METHODS: Two hundred twelve patients with refractory class IV angina who were not candidates for conventional therapy were randomized to receive holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet TMR (n = 100) or continued medical management (n = 112) at nine centers. Follow-up included all-cause mortality along with angina class assessment by blinded evaluators. Mean follow-up was 5.7 +/- 0.8 years. RESULTS: Mean angina scores for TMR patients were 4.0 +/- 0.0 at baseline, 1.5 +/- 1.4 at 1 year, and 1.2 +/- 1.1 at a mean of 5 years (p < 0.001). After an average of 5 years, a significantly greater proportion of TMR than medical management patients experienced two or more class improvement in angina (88% versus 44%; p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier intention-to-treat survival at 5 years was 65% versus 52% (TMR versus medical management; p = 0.05). Cumulative hazard curves demonstrated a significantly reduced risk of late death for TMR patients; average annual mortality beyond 1 year was 8% versus 13% (TMR versus medical management; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Five-year follow-up of prospectively randomized, no-option class IV angina patients demonstrated significantly increased Kaplan-Meier survival in patients randomized to TMR. The significant angina relief observed 12 months after sole therapy TMR was sustained long term and continued to be superior to that observed for patients maintained on continued medical management alone.     

A phase II trial of preoperative combined-modality therapy for localized esophageal carcinoma: initial results

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate treatment response to a novel combined-modality treatment regimen for localized esophageal carcinoma. METHODS: Localized esophageal carcinoma was confirmed with endoscopic ultrasonography, computed tomography, and positron emission tomography before induction therapy. This therapy consisted of combined cisplatin/paclitaxel (cisplatin, 75 mg/m(2); paclitaxel, 175 mg/m(2); 2 cycles, 3-hour infusion) for weeks 1 and 4, combined cisplatin (30 mg. m(-2). wk(-1)) and paclitaxel (30-80 mg. m(-2). wk(-1), 96-hour infusion) with concurrent radiation (external beam, 1.8 Gy/d; total, 50.4 Gy) for weeks 7 to 12, and esophagectomy for week 16 after restaging confirmed resectability. RESULTS: Forty-one patients (36 men) with adenocarcinoma (n = 25) or squamous cell carcinoma (n = 16) were enrolled. Thirty-six patients completed treatment, of whom 34 (85%) had locally advanced disease of clinical stage T3-4 N0-1. Symptoms resolved or improved in 35 (92%) of 38 patients after induction chemotherapy. Fourteen (35%) and 10 (24%) patients experienced grade III/IV myelosuppression during induction chemotherapy and chemoradiation, respectively. Two (5%) had grade III and none had grade IV esophagitis during chemoradiation. Only 2 (5%) patients required enteral feeding-tube support during therapy. Of 33 R0 resections, 9 (26%) had complete pathologic disease, and 4 (12%) had microscopic residual disease. Major (eg, anastomotic response, delayed stricture, and respiratory failure) postoperative morbidity occurred in 13 (36%) of 36 patients. Operative mortality was 5.5% (2/36). CONCLUSION: This regimen of induction concurrent chemoradiation followed by surgical intervention for esophageal carcinoma produces rapid dysphagia relief with initial chemotherapy, has a high overall response rate, and has acceptable toxicity levels.     

Preoperative chemotherapy for esophageal cancer with paclitaxel and carboplatin: results of a phase II trial

OBJECTIVE: Paclitaxel has one of the highest response rates when used as a single agent in patients with esophageal cancer. The combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin has been shown to be a well-tolerated and safe regimen in non-small cell lung cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of preoperative paclitaxel and carboplatin in patients with carcinoma of the esophagus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A phase II trial was initiated in January 1999 and concluded in January 2001. All patients had potentially resectable disease (including clinical T4 lesions). Patients with stage I disease and those with visceral metastases were excluded. All underwent preoperative computed tomography scanning and endosonography for staging. Paclitaxel (200 mg/m(2)) and carboplatin (area under the curve = 6) were given on days 1 and 22. Esophagectomy was carried out on weeks 6 to 8. RESULTS: Twenty-six (11 epidermoid, 15 adenocarcinoma) patients completed the trial. Median age was 61.5 and 85% were men. Preoperative staging showed: stage IIA, 6 patients; stage IIB, 1 patient; and stage III, 19 patients. All patients completed their preoperative chemotherapy. There was no unexpected chemotherapy-related toxicity. A major clinical response was achieved in 16 patients (61%: 19% complete, 42% partial). Resectability was 77% (20/26). A complete pathologic response was seen in 11% of all patients and in 25% of those with epidermoid cancer. Hospital mortality and morbidity were 4 and 27%, respectively. Overall 3-year survival was 48% (64% for resected patients, median not reached). All 6 unresectable patients died within 6 months of exploration. CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel-carboplatin combination is a safe and well-tolerated regimen for esophageal cancer with clinical response rates comparable to historical controls. This regimen may be especially suitable for patients with epidermoid cancer, who had a 25% pathological complete response in this report.     

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer

The limitations of surgical treatment for advanced esophageal cancer have been clarified, although esophagectomy with extended lymph node dissection has been widespread in Japan. Preoperative adjuvant therapy has been investigated in Western countries, and recently preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has been introduced for the treatment of resectable esophageal cancer. There are several reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CRT followed by surgery and surgery alone. According to the results of a meta-analysis, preoperative CRT is considered to be the standard therapy in Western countries. However, problems in the clinical heterogeneity of meta-analyses include: small number of patients in each RCT; differences in stage grouping; presence of both squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma; various surgical techniques used; and differences in the amount of radiation administered. Preoperative CRT appears to be a promising method for the treatment of potentially resectable advanced esophageal cancer patients with nodal metastasis. Currently, phase I and II trials of new anticancer agents or molecular targeting agents are ongoing. However, since the surgical procedure in the Western method is still being debated, well-designed RCTs are necessary, especially in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The effectiveness of CRT followed by surgery should be clarified based on excellent Japanese surgical techniques.     

Cryosurgical ablation of the prostate: 5-year follow-up of a prospective study

OBJECTIVE: To study the complications and oncological outcome after cryosurgical ablation of the prostate (CSAP). METHODS: Fifty-four patients with prostate cancer were entered into this prospective phase II trial of CSAP. Patients were followed with serum PSA determinations, follow-up biopsies at 3-6 months postoperatively and a questionnaire to assess complications. A PSA of >1 ng/ml or a positive biopsy was interpreted as progression. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 58.5 months. Patients needed a suprapubic catheter postoperatively for in mean 18 days. Transient penile numbness occurred in 15%. Bothersome sloughing of dead tissue was noticed by 15% of patients and 15% needed a transurethral resection. Nine patients (17%) developed strictures and five patients stone formation in the prostatic urethra. One patient developed a perennial fistula. Thirty-nine out of 43 patients reporting on potency become impotent, nine patients developed a slight stress incontinence and one severe incontinence.At median follow-up, the actuarial progression-free survival was 38.9%. Fourteen out of 50 patients biopsied (28%) had remaining cancer in their prostates. CONCLUSION: High complication rates in combination with poor oncological outcome has made us stop using this treatment modality.     

Complete rupture of the hamstring origin in a road accident: 5-year follow-up

A rare case of posttraumatic rupture of the hamstring muscles at their origin in a young adult is reported. Lesional mechanisms, epidemiology and diagnostic tools are described. A conservative treatment was adopted because of the presence of other more severe pathologies, but functional results at the 5-year follow-up are unsatisfactory. We suggest surgical treatment of this uncommon lesion. Received: 1 September 2001/Accepted: 20 September 2001     

Comparison of thulium laser enucleation and plasmakinetic resection of the prostate in a randomized prospective trial with 5-year follow-up

The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes between thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuLEP) and plasmakinetic bipolar resection of the prostate (PKRP) for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a prospective randomized trial with 5 years of follow-up. One hundred fifty-eight consecutive patients with BPH were randomized to receive operation of either ThuLEP (n?=?79) or PKRP (n?=?79). All cases were evaluated preoperatively, and a part of them were evaluated at 3–5 years postoperatively by the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life score (QoLS), maximum flow rate (Q _max), and postvoid residual (PVR) urine volume. Eighty patients completed the 5-year follow-up. Each study arm showed no significant difference in preoperative parameters. Compared with PKRP, ThuLEP required longer operation time (65.4 vs 47.4 min, p?=?0.022) but resulted in less hemoglobin decrease (1.5 vs 3.0 g/L, p?=?0.045), catheterization time (2.1 vs 3.5 days, p?=?0.031), irrigated volume (12.4 vs 27.2 L, p?=?0.022), and hospital stay (2.5 vs 4.6 days, p?=?0.026). During the 60-month follow-up, both procedures demonstrated no significant difference in terms of Q _max, IPSS, PVR urine volume, and QoLS. ThuLEP was statistically superior to PKRP in blood loss, catheterization time, irrigated volume, and hospital stay but inferior to PKRP in operation time. However, both procedures showed no significant difference in terms of Q _max, IPSS, PVR urine volume, and QoLS through the 60-month follow-up.     

Oral estramustine plus oral etoposide in the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer patients: a phase II study with a 5-year follow-up

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy regimens that target microtubular trafficking were repeatedly found to be active in the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer patients, but disease responses were reportedly short-lived on average. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1994 to 1997, 46 consecutive patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer were enrolled in a multicenter Phase II trial of oral etoposide 100 mg/day and estramustine 560 mg/day for 21 days, followed by a 7-day rest period. Final evaluation of this trial was performed after a follow-up of 5 years. RESULTS: Fifty-four percent of patients attained a PSA response and 46% attained a response on measurable lesions. Median time to progression (TTP) and overall survival were 7.4 and 18.4 months, respectively. Fourteen patients (30.4%) had a TTP greater than 12 months and 9 (19.5%) a TTP greater than 18 months. Sixteen patients (34.8.%) survived more than 2 years and 2 (4.3%) survived more than 5 years. One patient was still alive and free from progression more than 7 years after starting treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This Phase II trial with a long-term follow-up revealed that some patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer could obtain durable disease response and long survival with an oral etoposide and estramustine combination regimen.     

A 5-year prospective follow-up study of vaginal surgery for pelvic organ prolapse

The objective of this study was to evaluate anatomic, functional, short- and long-term outcome of vaginal surgery for pelvic organ prolapse. This was a prospective observational study of 185 consecutive women planned for vaginal prolapse reconstructive surgery. Stage of prolapse, urinary incontinence (UI), bowel and mechanical symptoms were assessed preoperatively and at 1, 3 and 5 years postoperatively. The mean follow-up time was 53 months. The anatomic recurrence rate was 41.1% but less than half of them were symptomatic. Anterior compartment was most prone for recurrence and the majority of the recurrences took place within the first year. UI remained at the same level at 1-year follow-up. De novo urge occurred in 22.6% and de novo stress incontinence in 6.0%. An improvement was seen in difficulty in emptying bowel 1 year after surgery (54%). Patients were primarily cured from mechanical symptoms. Re-operation rate was 9.7%; if additional operation for incontinence was included, it was13.5%.     

Screening decreases prostate cancer mortality: 11-year follow-up of the 1988 Quebec prospective randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is aimed at evaluating the impact of prostate cancer screening on cancer-specific mortality. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-six thousand four hundred and eighty-six (46,486) men aged 45-80 years registered in the electoral roll of the Quebec city area were randomized in 1988 between screening and no screening. Screening included measurement of serum prostatic specific antigen (PSA) using 3.0 ng/ml as upper limit of normal and digital rectal examination (DRE) at first visit. At follow-up visits, serum PSA only was used. RESULTS: Seventy-four (74) deaths from prostate cancer occurred in the 14,231 unscreened controls while 10 deaths were observed in the screened group of 7,348 men during the first 11 years following randomization. Median follow-up of screened men was 7.93 years. A Cox proportional hazards model of the age at death from prostate cancer shows a 62% reduction (P < 0.002, Fisher's exact test) of cause-specific mortality in the screened men (P = 0.005). These results are in agreement with the continuous decrease of prostate cancer mortality observed in North America.     

TVT-S for surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence: prospective trial, 1-year follow-up

Introduction and hypothesis  

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of and morbidity associated with the tension-free vaginal tape-secur (TVT-S) procedure in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI).     

Mini-incision for total hip arthroplasty: a prospective, controlled investigation with 5-year follow-up evaluation

A group of 42 primary total hip arthroplasties performed through an abridged surgical incision (group 1) was prospectively compared to a cohort of 42 primary total hip arthroplasties performed through a standard surgical incision (group 2). The length of the incision was 8.8 +/- 1.5 cm for group 1 and 23.0 +/- 2.1 cm for group 2. The groups were not significantly different with respect to age, height, preoperative Harris Hip scores (HHS), estimated blood loss, or length of hospital stay (P>.05). Group 1 patients had a lower body mass index than group 2 patients (P<.01). Length of surgery was slightly less for group I (P =.02). A 0% incidence was found of infection, nerve palsy, component malposition, and aseptic loosening in both groups. No dislocations occurred in group 1, and one dislocation occurred in group 2. Patients in group 1 have expressed considerable enthusiasm regarding the cosmetic appearance of the surgical incisions, and their postoperative HHS are slightly higher than those of group 2 (P =.042). Total hip arthroplasty can be performed safely and effectively through an abridged surgical incision, but this investigation confirms no dramatic clinical benefit other than cosmetic appeal.     

Surgical therapy for esophageal carcinoma: a prospective 20-year analysis

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was the analysis of long-term developments in the surgical therapy for esophageal carcinoma at our hospital over a period of 20 years with a differentiated view on the two predominant histological tumour types. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between September 1985 and September 2005, esophageal resections were performed in 470 patients at our clinic on account of a malignant tumour of the esophagus. The abdomino-thoracic resection with abdominal and extended mediastinal lymph node dissection as well as intrathoracic anastomosis was the standard treatment in the case of squamous cell carcinoma, whereas in adenocarcinoma a transhiatal resection with abdominal and dorsal mediastinal lymphadenectomy and cervical esophagogastrostomy was carried out. For analysis of the development, the study period of 20 years was divided into two intervals: interval 1 from 9 / 1985 to 9 / 1995, and interval 2 from 10 / 1995 to 9 / 2005. RESULTS: Both tumour entities displayed in the last interval (10 / 1995 to 9 / 2005) significantly earlier tumour stages. A proportionally identical amount of transhiatal resections for squamous cell carcinoma was found in both intervals, whereas the transhiatal procedures for adenocarcinoma increased in the last decade (3.6 % in the period between 9 / 1985 and 9 / 1995, as compared with 23.6 % between 10 / 1995 and 9 / 2005) (p < 0.05). While the overall prognosis for squamous cell carcinoma did not significantly differ in the two decades (p = 0.2040), patients with adenocarcinoma were found to have a significantly improved long-term survival (log-rank test: p = 0.0365) in the second decade. The prognosis for adenocarcinoma, therefore, could be improved in the course of time with a 3-year survival rate of finally 40 % (as compared with 17.5 % in the first decade), and a 5-year survival rate of 25 % (as compared with 15 %). CONCLUSION: Surgical therapy for esophageal carcinoma has undergone distinct changes over the past 20 years. These are mainly due to epidemiological and diagnostic aspects, an improved selection of patients, whereby the operative procedure is adapted to the tumour stage and the operative risk for the patient. Especially with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, these changes have led to a significantly more favourable long-term prognosis.