小细胞食管癌的综合治疗疗效分析

目的总结小细胞食管癌综合治疗的效果。方法回顾性收集2000年3月至2011年3月北京大学肿瘤医院胸外一科单一手术组收治的食管癌患者的临床资料,内容涉及肿瘤特征、分期、治疗方案、疗效、短期预后及长期生存。结果共计手术治疗食管癌患者546例,其中小细胞食管癌患者15例（2．7％）。15例小细胞食管癌患者除1例接受单纯手术治疗以外,其余14例均接受了以手术为主的综合治疗,其中接受术前化疗4例,术后化疗lO例;另有4例患者接受了术后放疗。1例术后3个月内死亡,未纳入生存分析,其余14例患者的中位生存期为14．3个月．明显劣于同期治疗的其他组织类型食管癌患者的42．2个月（P〈0．05）。结论小细胞食管癌发病率较低．疗效较差。     

Small Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus with Reference to Alternating Multiagent Chemotherapy: Report of Two Cases

We herein report the findings of two patients with small cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SCEC) who were treated with alternating chemotherapy using cisplatin and etoposide (PVP), and cyclophosphamide, adriamycin or epirubicin, and vincristine (CAV). Patient 1 was a 61-year-old woman with SCEC. Her serum level of pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (Pro-GRP) was elevated (79.8 pg/ml; normal range <46.0 pg/ml). The patient underwent an esophagectomy following PVP/CAV-therapy. Six months later her serum level of Pro-GRP became elevated, and multiple metastases to the liver and lung were detected. Two courses of PVP/CAV-therapy were performed, and these metastatic foci almost completely disappeared. The serum level of Pro-GRP was in the normal range. One year after surgery, multiple brain metastases and recurrence of liver metastases were detected, then the serum level of Pro-GRP became re-elevated. Two courses of PVP/CEV-therapy were performed, and the metastases to the brain and liver decreased in size. However, the brain metastases relapsed, and the patient died 21 months after the diagnosis. Patient 2 was treated with two courses of preoperative PVP/CAV-therapy; however, the patient died of multiple liver metastases 17 months after the diagnosis. In six previously documented patients and the two present patients who were treated with PVP/CAV-therapy, the primary or metastatic foci of SCEC decreased in size, and the mean survival of the patients was 19 months. In conclusion, PVP/CAV alternating chemotherapy is beneficial for prolonging the survival of SCEC patients; however, new chemotherapeutic modalities are still needed to further improve the prognosis of SCEC patients. Furthermore, the level of serum Pro-GRP in patients with SCEC may be both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic monitor. Received: March 29, 2002 / Accepted: September 3, 2002 Reprint requests to: N. Koide     

非小细胞肺癌术后支气管切缘癌与预后

为探讨肺癌术后支气管切缘癌的发生率及预后特点，提高肺癌５年生存率，回顾总结１９８１～１９９０年经手术治疗１０２４例非小细胞肺癌，显微镜下发现支气管残端癌阳性者８９例占８．７％。此８９例病人平均５年生存率２３．７％。中位数生存期２７．６个月。其中ＰＴＮＭＩ、ＩＩ、ＩＩａ和ＩＩｂ期病人平均生存期分别为４４．３、２７．１、１２．４和１２．６个月，鳞癌、腺癌、大细胞癌及鳞腺混合癌病人的平均生存期分别为３１．０、１９．３、１４．８和２８．３个月。结论：影响病人预后的因素主要是病变的ＴＮＭ分期及细胞类型，对有残端癌的病人应强调术后综合治疗     

Multimodality approach to treatment of carcinoma of the esophagus

We conducted a combined treatment pilot project in 17 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus. Thirteen of the patients initially had stage I or II disease, and four had stage III disease. Each patient received three cycles of chemotherapy consisting of a high dose of cisplatin (100 mg/sq m), followed by continuous infusion of fluorouracil (1,000 mg/sq m/day for five days). Thirteen patients had a favorable response to the chemotherapy, and ten of the 11 responding patients with stage I or II disease were offered surgical resection. Total thoracic esophagectomies and cervical gastroesophagostomies were done in the six patients who accepted the surgical recommendation. Pathologically, five patients had stage I disease, and one had stage III disease (even in this patient the local tumor was confined within the wall of the esophagus). All six patients were alive, without evidence of disease, four to 34 months after diagnosis. Two patients with stage II disease had tumor progression, as did two of the four patients with stage III disease. Three of the nonresponding patients died of their disease two to seven months after diagnosis. The eight remaining patients, three of whom received irradiation after chemotherapy, were alive, but with evidence of persistent disease, one to seven months after entrance into the study.     

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus treated by multimodality therapy: a case report.

A case report of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus, aggressively treated by multimodality therapy including surgery, radiotherapy, chemothermotherapy, and systemic chemotherapy is presented. The patient, a 53-year-old man, underwent potentially complete resection for an anterior mediastinal tumor, histologically diagnosed as a mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus with Masaoka stage II disease. However, because of local recurrences in the left chest wall and pleura, re-resection was twice performed 4 years and 5 months, and 5 years and 7 months after the initial surgery, in combination with intrathoracic chemothermotherapy and irradiation. Seven years and 1 month after the initial operation, in vitro chemosensitive test based-chemotherapy using vinorelbine for pleural disease was performed, resulting in maintenance of good quality of life (QOL) due to dramatic decrease in pleural effusion. He died of tumor progression, 7 years and 9 months after the initial treatment. Although the clinical aspects of thymic mucoepidermoid carcinoma are little known, it is assumed that such aggressive therapeutic multimodalities as repeated surgical resection, irradiation and chemothermotherapy, and chemotherapy based on in vitro chemosensitivity tests contributed to long-term survival for this unusual disease.     

泌尿系统肉瘤样癌和癌肉瘤八例报告并文献复习

目的 探讨泌尿系统肉瘤样癌和癌肉瘤的组织学特点、临床表现、治疗和预后.方法 泌尿系统肉瘤样癌和癌肉瘤8例.其中膀胱肉瘤样癌4例,男3例,女1例,年龄58、63、78、79岁,均因无痛性肉眼血尿就诊,肿瘤直径平均4.5(1.5～6.7)cm,为不规则、广基的浸润性肿物.行膀胱部分切除术2例,TURBt 1例,膀胱癌根治术1例.肾肉瘤样癌1例,男,64岁,因肉眼血尿就诊,伴同侧肾上腺和胰腺转移,行肾癌根治术和胰腺体尾切除术.转移性右肾上腺肉瘤样癌1例,男,47岁,原发灶为左肺肉瘤样癌,行左肺下叶和右肾上腺切除术.肾盂癌肉瘤1例,女,64岁,表现为无痛性肉眼血尿,行左肾、输尿管及部分膀胱切除术.膀胱癌肉瘤1例,男,77岁,无痛性肉眼血尿,肿瘤直径2.5～3.0 cm,行TURBt术.8例均经病理检查确诊.8例均获随访,随访时间36～96个月.结果 膀胱肉瘤样癌4例中:1例G_3、T_(2a)者行TURBt,术后行丝裂霉素膀胱灌注化疗,随访96个月无瘤生存;1例63岁女性先行TURBt,术后病理为肉瘤样癌、T_1伴有原位癌(T_m),1个月后行膀胱癌根治切除术.随访36个月无瘤生存;1例T3a者行膀胱部分切除术,术后辅以放疗,随访36个月无瘤生存;1例T4a者行姑息性膀胱部分切除术,术后病理切缘阳性,术后2个月死于肿瘤多脏器转移.肾肉瘤样癌患者术后2个月开始化疗(盐酸吉西他滨加卡铂),又出现肝、肺转移,术后5个月死亡.转移性右肾上腺肉瘤样癌患者术后在外院行3个疗程化疗(顺铂加依托泊苷),5个月后出现左肾上腺转移,术后7个月死亡.肾盂癌肉瘤患者的肿瘤以软骨肉瘤为主,伴少许鳞状细胞癌及未分化癌,随访60个月无瘤生存.膀胱癌肉瘤患者肿瘤病理分期为T2a,主要是平滑肌肉瘤,伴有鳞状细胞痛和腺癌,术后予以全身化疗(盐酸吉西他滨加卡铂),随访12个月死于慢性阻塞性肺气肿、肺部感染.结论 泌尿系统肉瘤样癌和癌肉瘤少见,多见于老年男性,恶性程度高,浸润性强,预后差.肿瘤的病理分期和治疗是影响预后的因素,早期诊断和积极的综合治疗可望获得较好的治疗结果、延长患者生存期.     

First-line chemotherapy improves the resection rate and long-term survival of locally advanced (T4, any N, M0) squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus: final report on 163 consecutive patients with 5-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this prospective, nonrandomized study was to evaluate the immediate and long-term results of first-line chemotherapy and possible surgery in locally advanced, presumably T4 squamous cell esophageal cancer. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Locally advanced esophageal cancer is rarely operable and has a dismal prognosis. For this reason, neoadjuvant cytoreductive treatments are more and more frequently used with the aim of downstaging the tumor, increasing the resection rate, and possibly improving survival. Methods: From January 1983 to December 1991, 163 consecutive patients with a presumedly T4 squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus (group A) received on average 2.5 cycles (range, 1-6) of first-line chemotherapy with cisplatin (100 mg/m2 on day 1) and 5-fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2 per day, in continuous infusion from day 1 through day 5). Chemotherapy was followed by surgery when adequate downstaging of the tumor was obtained. RESULTS: Chemotherapy toxicity was WHO grade 0 to 2 in 80% of cases, but 3 toxic deaths (1.9%) occurred. Restaging suggested a downstaging of the tumor in 101 of 163 patients (62%), but only 85 patients (52%) underwent resection surgery; it was complete or R0 in 52 (32%) and incomplete or R1-2 in 33. Overall postoperative mortality was 11.7% (10 of 85), morbidity 41% (35 of 85). Complete pathologic response was documented in 6 patients, and significant downstaging to pStage I, IIA, or IIB occurred in 25 more patients. The overall 5-year survival was 11 % (median, 11 months). After resection surgery, the 5-year survival was 20% (median, 16 months); none of the nonresponders survived 4 years after palliative treatments without resection (median survival, 5 months). The 5-year survival rate of the 52 patients undergoing an R0 resection was 29% (median, 23 months). Stratifying patients according to the R, pT, pN, and pStage classifications, the survival curves were comparable to the corresponding data obtained in the 587 group B patients with "potentially resectable" esophageal cancer who underwent surgery alone during the same period. Furthermore, the results were improved in comparison with 136 previous or subsequent patients with a locally advanced tumor who did not undergo neoadjuvant treatments (group C). In these patients, the R0 resection rate was 7%, and the overall 5-year survival was 3% (median, 5 months). CONCLUSION: Although nonrandomized, these results suggest that in locally advanced esophageal carcinoma, first-line chemotherapy increases the resection rate and improves the overall long-term survival. In responding patients who undergo R0 resection surgery, the prognosis depends on the final pathologic stage and not on the initial pretreatment stage.     

Surgical treatment for carcinoma of the esophagus in the elderly patient.

Sixty-three elderly patients with carcinoma of the esophagus were operated upon in the department of chest cancer in Tianjin Cancer Hospital from January 1978 to January 1992. Eleven patients had a tumor located in the upper part of the thoracic esophagus; 30 patients in the middle part and 22 patients in the lower part. Squamous cell carcinoma was 55 cases, adenocarcinoma was 7 cases and small cell carcinoma was 1 case. The classification by stages according to criteria established by UICC, based on operative evaluation, showed 3 patients in stage I; 24 patients in stage II and 25 patients in stage III. Forty-seven patients were operated as "curative" resection, 5 patients as "palliative" resection and 11 patients underwent exploratory laparotomy or thoracotomy alone. The total resection rate was 82.5%. For tumors in the upper thoracic part of the esophagus, a total esophagectomy was performed using the triple approach. In the remaining patients, a subtotal esophagectomy was performed using the Sweet technique. There were no operative deaths in all patients. One or more postoperative complications were seen in 16 patients (25.4%). The most frequently recorded complications were pulmonary ones. The survival rate at two, three and five years were respectively 65, 35 and 20% in patients who underwent "curative" resection. The survival rates for patients in whom resection was considered "palliative" was zero after 3 years and for patients who received exploration alone was zero after one year. The survival rates at 3 years for patients who underwent "curative" resection were respectively 100, 35 and 25% in stage I, stage II and staged III. We hold the view that the esophagectomy is still a predominant measure for esophageal carcinoma in the elderly and limited surgery (palliative resection) was recommended in consideration of the postoperative quality of life. If the elderly can tolerate the operative procedure, long-term survival with excellent functional status is attainable in this age group.     

原发性食管小细胞癌

目的　对原发性食管小细胞癌的临床表现、病理学特征和治疗的有关问题进行分析。　方法　 9例食管小细胞癌患者均接受根治性切除、区域淋巴结清扫和胃代食管胸内或颈部吻合术。术后均进行补充化学药物治疗和局部放射治疗。　结果　全组病例手术切除率 10 0 % ,无手术死亡。经随访 ,肿瘤无局部复发 ,但多因肿瘤血循环转移而死亡。　结论　原发性食管小细胞癌是一种临床上较为少见 ,但恶性程度很高的肿瘤 ,早期诊断有利于肿瘤根治性手术 ,而术后采用补充化疗和肿瘤局部放射治疗可提高手术的疗效。     

Clinical study of operated nine thymic carcinomas

Nine cases of thymic carcinoma (5 males and 4 females) were operated in our hospital between 1990 and 1998. These cases included 4 squamous cell carcinomas, 2 small cell carcinomas, 2 undifferentiated carcinomas and one adenocarcinoma. Preoperative chemotherapy were performed in 3 cases. All cases underwent median-sternotomy followed by mediastinal irradiation, 4 had total resection of the tumor, 2 had subtotal resection and 3 had exploratory thoracotomy followed by mediastinal irradiation. Adjuvant chemotherapy were administered in 4 cases and re-operation were performed in 2 cases. We applied Masaoka's clinical staging for thymoma, nine cases consisted of 6 stage III cases, 2 stage IV b cases and one stage IV a case. Within 2 years after operation, 3 cases (two complete resection cases and one exploratory thoracotomy case) were died of the carcinoma. However, two cases of squamous cell carcinoma have been alive more than 5 years after surgery followed by chemoradiation. The remaining 4 patients are alive either with or without the carcinoma after 7 to 28 months after operation. Thymic carcinoma is not so common mediastinal tumor but is expected to increase in the future. The treatment of thymic carcinoma remains a controversial matter and the survival is poor compared with invasive thymoma, but multimodal-therapy would contribute to improvement of the results in treatment for thymic carcinoma especially in squamous cell carcinoma.     

Primary mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumors. Results of a multimodality approach

Before cisplatin-based chemotherapy, long-term survival after resection of primary mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumors was unusual. We reviewed the case histories of 48 patients who underwent multimodality treatment for mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor between 1976 and 1988. Twenty-eight patients received initial therapy at Indiana University and 20 were referred after having had unsuccessful initial therapy elsewhere. In 44 patients (92%) the levels of either one or both serum tumor markers were elevated at the time of diagnosis. Five patients had choriocarcinoma, three embryonal carcinoma, 12 yolk sac carcinoma, four teratocarcinoma, 22 mixed cell type, and two had an unclassified type. Twenty-two of the 28 patients in our initial therapy group had a complete response to treatment, as defined by normal serum tumor markers and absence of residual tumor. In this group, 16 patients had resection of residual disease after chemotherapy, four had total or near total resection before chemotherapy, and only two had chemotherapy alone. Seventeen patients are surviving after this treatment with a median survival of 64 months and a 57% 5-year Kaplan-Meier survival rate. Only two of the 20 patients who were referred for salvage chemotherapy had a complete response. Both required resection of residual disease after salvage chemotherapy. Only one patient survived after this treatment. There was no significant treatment morbidity or mortality. A multimodality approach to primary mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor with intensive cisplatin-based chemotherapy, emphasis on normalizing serum tumor markers, and aggressive resection of residual disease now offers survival to a significant number of patients.     

Spindle and giant cell carcinoma of the bladder. Report of 3 cases

3 cases of spindle and giant cell carcinoma are reported. 2 patients with T3N0M0 and T3N1M0 tumors underwent radical cystectomy. They died 8 and 9 months after cystectomy for local recurrence and tumor metastases. Neither radiotherapy nor chemotherapy were effective in these 2 patients. 1 patient with T1NXM0 disease underwent resection of the tumor through cystotomy. Although she had neither adjuvant chemotherapy nor radiotherapy, she is well without recurrence 6 years after surgery. Early surgical resection of the tumor may be the only currently accepted therapy of spindle and giant cell carcinoma of the bladder.     

Management of Small Cell Carcinoma of Esophagus in China

Purpose

Small cell carcinoma of esophagus (SCEC) is characterized by high malignancy and early metastasis. Although the morbidity of SCEC is very low, few studies of patients with SCEC have been conducted in China, there are no sufficient studies of SCEC conducted and reported in the existing published works, and the choices of treatment remain controversial. In this work, we aim to study the clinical characteristics of SCEC, and explore the corresponding treatment and prognosis through retrospective analysis.

Material and Methods

The original articles were identified through the leading digital libraries in China in which the terms “esophagus or esophageal” and “small cell esophageal carcinoma” appeared from 2005 to 2009, 1,176 eligible cases were reviewed for clinical data. Analysis of survival was conducted using the Kaplan–Meier method, and differences were compared using the log-rank test.

Results

One thousand one hundred seventy-six eligible cases were analyzed; the median age of patients was 57 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.4:1. The number of SCEC accounted for 1.26 % of esophageal cancer treated in the same period. Of the tumors, 89.7 % were located in mid- and lower thoracic esophagus. The average tumor length was 5.4 cm (0.5–17 cm). The median overall survival was 11.1 months for all patients. The 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year average overall survival rates of 469 patients was 51.1, 25.5, 13.2, 7.9 %, respectively. The median survival time for LD patients who received systemic treatment was 16.8 m, whereas for those who received local treatment (surgery), the median survival time was 10.1 m; the median survival time for ED patients who received systemic treatment was 7.4 m, compared with 5.8 m for those who received sole treatment (chemotherapy or radiotherapy).

Conclusions

SCEC is a tumor characterized by high malignancy and early metastasis. Although our retrospective analysis cannot provide definitive conclusions on the optimal treatment modality for SCEC, however, our results suggest that systemic treatment combined with surgical resection plays a major role in the therapy of SCEC, systemic therapy may be an effective approach for the treatment of SCEC, and randomized, prospective, multicenter studies are needed to identify optimal treatment modalities for SCEC     

Therapeutic alternatives in patients with esophageal cancer

The records of 52 patients treated either with surgery alone (Group A), preoperative radiotherapy (Group B), or combined preoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy (Group C) were reviewed to determine the optimal management of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. There was a significant difference in the number of patients with stage III disease between Groups A and C (100 percent and 48 percent, respectively). With the decrease in patients with stage III disease, both resectability rates in Groups A and C (21 percent and 62 percent) and 2 year cumulative survival (0 and 52 percent) increased. Eleven patients in Group C (53 percent) had apparent total resolution of the primary tumor after preoperative therapy. Microscopic tumor was present but was not detected by repeat endoscopy in 35 percent of these patients. The survival rate was higher in patients with apparent total tumor regression who underwent esophageal resection. These results suggest that patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus are best treated with preoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed by esophagectomy regardless of their response to preoperative therapy.     

Die Therapie des Gallenblasenkarzinoms Eine Standortanalyse

INTRODUCTION: There are various options for the treatment of gallbladder carcinoma; however, only radical resection offers a chance for prolonged survival. METHODS: The aim of this study was to analyze retrospectively patients suffering from gallbladder carcinoma in a central hospital in Austria. From 1986 to 1999, 77 patients were treated in this surgical department. The median age of the patients was 71.3 years. RESULTS: In 28 patients the cancer was resected and 22 persons underwent palliative surgery. An explorative laparotomy was performed in 16 patients. Eleven patients had no surgical therapy, 10 persons received gemcitabine or a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of leucoverin, 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C. The median survival of patients without chemotherapy following radical resection (n = 15) was 10.7 months (one patient with metastatic cancer was excluded) and for patients with tumor remaining margins (n = 8) 3.2 months (P = 0.023). Without chemotherapy the median patient survival following palliative resection (n = 17) and explorative laparotomy (n = 15) was 1.5 months and 2.1 months. The median survival without surgical therapy was 1.6 months. Chemotherapy was administered to four of the resected patients (median survival 16.5 months), in five patients following palliative surgery and in one patient after explorative laparotomy (median survival 4.3 months) (P = 0.034). In a multivariate analysis, tumor resection (P = 0.034) and tumor-free resection margins (P = 0.025) proved to be the most important determinants for patient survival. CONCLUSION: Tumor resection is the most important factor for a prolonged patient survival. Following radical resection in an early tumor stage and combining this approach with an established chemotherapy, patient survival could be increased significantly.     

Compatibility, indications, and limits of nerve sparing technique in lateral pelvic lymphadenectomy for advanced rectal carcinoma

The aim of radical surgical treatment of rectal cancer is to control the spread and prevent recurrence of the disease. In an attempt to improve the results of treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer, we advocate an extended surgical approach consisting of total mesorectal excision, lateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and the nerve sparing technique with resection of autonomic nerves whenever these fibers are affected by locally advanced tumor. Nine cases (9.2%) in a personal series of 98 patients with rectal carcinoma, operated on over the period from January 1992 to December 1997, underwent total mesorectal excision, lateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and the nerve sparing technique procedures for locally advanced extraperitoneal disease. In 7 patients with stage II or III disease, the 5-year survival rate was 80% and the 5-year disease-free survival rate 66.7% after a mean follow-up of 55 months. None of them experienced local recurrence, but one patient died of diffuse metastatic disease 50 months after surgery. One patient with stage IV rectal cancer died of disease 13 months postoperatively, while another patient with the same stage of disease is still alive with disease 26 months after surgery. One patient underwent liver resection for a solitary metastasis 25 months after the primary operation. Two patients suffered postoperatively from urinary retention with mild irregular flow at urodynamic testing, but no long-term urinary disturbances persisted. Retrograde ejaculation occurred postoperatively in one of the two patients who experienced urinary disorders, and another patient had erection disturbances. These sexual dysfunctions did not improve during long-term follow-up. Total mesorectal excision, lateral pelvic lymphadenectomy, and the nerve sparing technique, with resection of the autonomic nerves whenever these fibers are involved, allow satisfactory results to be achieved in terms of survival and functional outcome in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. In western subjects, however, this procedure is safe only after careful patient selection.     

Choroid plexus tumors: report of 7 cases in a single institution

The management of seven patients with choroid plexus tumors, 4 adults and 3 children (mean age 17.5 years) at our institution was reviewed. There were 4 cases of papilloma and 3 of carcinoma located in the lateral ventricle in 1 case, the third ventricle in 1 case, and the fourth ventricle in 5 cases. Total surgical excision was attempted in all patients. Total resection was achieved in three patients, resulting in no deficit in two and persistence of preoperative dysphagia in one. There was no recurrence after total resection. Subtotal resection was achieved in four patients, one of whom underwent second surgery resulting in total resection, and one patient died of respiratory disturbance after the third operation because of regrowth of the tumor. Complete excision could not be achieved in 3 of the 5 tumors located in the fourth ventricle because of extension to the brainstem. The median survival was 59.5 months for patients with papilloma, and 67.7 months for those with carcinoma. Adjuvant therapy was also required for carcinoma, one patient was treated by radiotherapy, and two by radiotherapy plus chemotherapy. Only one patient with papilloma was treated by radiotherapy plus chemotherapy postoperatively.     

Aggressive surgery for carcinoma of the gallbladder

Forty patients with gallbladder cancer were admitted to our institution in a 9-year period. For two patients with Nevin's stage I carcinoma who had undergone cholecystectomy, resection of the lower portion of the fourth and fifth segments of the liver and extrahepatic bile duct with dissection of lymph nodes was carried out as a second-stage operation. Thirteen patients with stage V carcinoma underwent extensive aggressive operations. Operative procedures comprised various types of liver resection with cholecystectomy and extrahepatic bile duct resection and wide lymph node dissection in all cases, portal vein reconstruction in 3, pancreatoduodenectomy in 3, partial colectomy in 3, and right nephrectomy in 1. The operative and in-hospital mortality rates were 0%. Two patients with stage I carcinoma are both doing well. Two patients with stage V carcinoma who underwent an extended operation are working without recurrence 7 years 8 months and 8 years 5 months after surgery. From our experiences we believe that long-term survival may be achieved by aggressive surgery if it is suitably indicated.     

Esophageal cancer surgery in heart transplant patients

We herein report about 2 heart transplant patients undergoing surgical resection for esophageal cancer. Both were long-term survivors after orthotopic heart transplantation for dilated cardiomyopathy. One patient underwent a transthoracic esophagectomy and gastric pull-up for an early squamous cell carcinoma of the infracarinal esophagus. The second patient underwent a resection of the cervical esophagus and interposition of a free jejunal segment after neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy for a locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma in the cervical esophagus.     

Small cell lung cancer I--III A: cytoreductive chemotherapy followed by resection with continuation of chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: To define the place for surgery in combined modality treatment of small cell lung cancer patients. The endpoint was: does complete resection reduce the risk of local failure? METHODS: Between November 1981 and June 1996, 75 patients in stage I--III A, many of them with a bulky cN2 tumor at presentation, were exposed to VP-16 based cytoreductive chemotherapy. After three courses of induction treatment, 46 patients underwent thoracotomy and 35 of them had resection. RESULTS: There were two sudden deaths (pulmonary embolism). No other complications were observed. In six cases (6/35 = 16%), no residual tumor was found in the resected specimen. Four weeks after surgery, chemotherapy was resumed. Three patients experienced local relapse (3/33), among them, the single patient with incomplete resection, and two other patients developed local and distant failure (2/33). Thus, the local relapse rate was 15% (5/33). Eight patients, mainly with chemotherapy induced surgicopathological complete remission (pCR) and with lymph nodes free of tumor in surgical specimens (pN0), are alive, tumor-free, at a median of 136 + months. Two patients died tumor-free at 65 and 147 months. One patient died of unrelated causes at 21 months with no evidence of disease at autopsy. The median survival in the cN0 + N1 subsets was 25.09 months, whereas in cN2 disease, this was 13.75 months. There were no long-term survivors among the patients with persistent N2 disease. The median survival in all 35 patients using the Kaplan--Meier method was 18 months; the 5-year tumor-free survival rate was 29% and the 10-year tumor-free survival rate was 23%. CONCLUSIONS: Satisfactory local tumor control confirmed the assumption of the study. No residual tumor in the resected specimen (pCR) is the most favorable prognostic factor and determinant of long-term survival. Surgery should not be performed in the patients with persistent N2 disease.