Survival outcomes after breast-conserving therapy compared with mastectomy for patients with early-stage metaplastic breast cancer: a population-based study of 2412 patients

BackgroundPrevious studies revealed that patients with early-stage metaplastic breast cancer (MBC) underwent mastectomy more often than breast-conserving therapy (BCT) mainly due to the larger tumor size. This study was performed to compare the survival outcomes following BCT versus mastectomy for patients with early-stage MBC.MethodsSurveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify women diagnosed with early-stage MBC (T1-3N0-3M0) between 2001 and 2016, who were treated with either BCT or mastectomy. We assessed overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) using the Kaplan-Meier method and hazard ratios using Cox proportional hazards models.ResultsA total of 2412 MBC patients were identified, 881 (36.5%) of whom underwent BCT and 1531(63.5%) underwent mastectomy. The median follow-up time was 73 months. Most of patients had older age (≥50 years old), larger tumor size, higher American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage and hormone receptor negativity. After adjustment for confounding variables, patients who underwent BCT had significantly improved OS (5-year OS: 84.3% vs 62.5%; 10-year OS: 73.0% vs 52.1%; adjusted HR = 0.76, 95%CI: 0.59–0.97, p = 0.028) and BCSS (5-year BCSS: 89.1% vs 70.8%; 10-year BCSS: 83.9% vs 67.5%; adjusted HR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.53–0.96, p = 0.026) than those who underwent mastectomy, and this improvement remained significant for all T and N stages of MBC except for N2-3 stage.ConclusionBCT conferred improved OS and BCSS compared with mastectomy for patients with early-stage MBC, and the improvement persisted in almost all of the subgroups of different T and N stages.     

Benefits of neoadjuvant therapy compared with adjuvant chemotherapy for the survival of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer: A retrospective cohort study at FUSCC

PurposeNeoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is considered the standard of care for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer (BC). However, there is no proven survival benefit of NAT compared to adjuvant therapy for the survival of patients with early-stage HER2-positive BC. This study aimed to compare the prognosis of HER2-positive BC patients treated with NAT to that of patients treated with adjuvant therapy.MethodsThis was a single-center real-world retrospective study. This study analyzed the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of 538 HER2-positive BC patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy and 2684 patients treated with adjuvant therapy at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC) between 2012 and 2016. Patients with a clinical tumor size (cT) ≤5 cm or >5 cm were matched using the propensity score matching (PSM) method to prevent selection bias.ResultsAfter PSM, among patients with cT ≤ 5 cm, there was no significant difference in DFS (P = 0.08) or OS (P = 0.11) between the two groups. The analysis of survival outcomes of patients treated with neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy in the different chemotherapy subgroups yielded consistent results. According to multivariate analysis, lymph node status and response to NAT showed independent prognostic value for OS and DFS. Among patients with cT > 5 cm, the DFS (P = 0.25) and OS (P = 0.57) of patients treated with NAT were similar to those of patients treated with adjuvant therapy after PSM.ConclusionWe confirmed the equivalent effects of adjuvant therapy and NAT in HER2-positive BC patients. Neoadjuvant therapy should be used for patients with HER2-positive BC.     

Predicting the survival benefit of local surgery in patients aged 70 years or older with stage IV breast cancer: A population-based analysis

PurposeThe aim of this study was to establish individualized nomograms to predict survival outcomes in older female patients with stage IV breast cancer who did or did not undergo local surgery, and to determine which patients could benefit from surgery.MethodsA total of 3,129 female patients with stage IV breast cancer aged ≥70 years between 2010 and 2015 were included in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier plot and log-rank test. Nomograms and risk stratification models were constructed.ResultsPatients who underwent surgery had better OS (HR = 0.751, 95% CI [0.668–0.843], P < 0.001) and BCSS (HR = 0.713, 95% CI [0.627–0.810], P < 0.001) than patients who did not undergo surgery. Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive, lung or liver metastases may not benefit from surgery. In the stratification model, low-risk patients benefited from surgery (OS, HR = 0.688, 95% CI [0.568–0.833], P < 0.001; BCSS, HR = 0.632, 95% CI [0.509–0.784], P < 0.001), while patients in the high-risk group had similar outcomes (OS, HR = 0.920, 95% CI [0.709–1.193], P = 0.509; BCSS, HR = 0.953, 95% CI [0.713–1.275], P = 0.737).ConclusionOlder female patients with stage IV breast cancer who underwent surgery had better OS and BCSS than those who did not in each specific subgroup. Patients in low- or intermediate-risk group benefit from surgery while those in the high-risk group do not.     

Higher-risk breast cancer in women aged 80 and older: Exploring the effect of treatment on survival

BackgroundTo understand the association between various treatments and survival for older women with higher-risk breast cancer when controlling for patient and tumor factors.Materials and methodsWe conducted a retrospective, population-based study. Women aged 80 years or older and diagnosed between 2004 and 2017 with non-metastatic, higher-risk breast cancer were identified form the provincial cancer registry in Alberta, Canada. Higher-risk was defined as any of following: T3/4, node positive, human epidermal factor receptor-2 (Her2) positive or triple negative disease. Treatments were surgery, radiotherapy and systemic therapy (hormonal therapy, and/or chemotherapy and/or trastuzumab) or a combination of the previous. Cox regression models were used to examine the association between treatments and breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS).Results1369 patients were included. The median age was 84 years. 332 (24%) of women had T3-T4 tumors, 792 (58%) had nodal involvement, 130 (10%) had Her2 positive tumors, 124 (9%) had triple negative tumors. After a median follow-up of 35 months, 29.5% of patients died of breast cancer whereas 34.2% died from other causes. Patients had a lower adjusted hazard for BCSS if they had surgery (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.37 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27, 0.51), or systemic therapy (HR = 0.75, 95%CI: 0.58, 0.98). Patients had an increased probability of breast cancer death in the first 5 years after diagnosis compared to death from other causes.ConclusionsSurgery and systemic therapy were associated with longer BCSS and OS. This suggests that maximizing treatments might benefit higher-risk patients.     

Prognostic implications of lobular breast cancer histology: New insights from a single hospital cross-sectional study and SEER data

BackgroundInvasive lobular breast cancer (ILC) is generally believed to have an increased risk for late relapse compared to invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC). However, the study most often referred to is a chemotherapy trial that mainly included node positive patients. We hypothesize that nodal status may influence the hazard of relapse since time of diagnosis differently in invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and ILC.MethodsPrimary operable breast cancer patients from our institution diagnosed between 2000 and 2009 were studied. Multivariable analysis and subgroup analyses were performed to assess whether ILC carries a different prognosis compared to IDC. SEER data were used for external validation.ResultsIn lymph node negative patients, ILC carries a better prognosis regarding distant metastasis free interval (DMFI) (HR 3.242 (1.380–7.614), p = 0.0069) with a trend towards improved breast cancer specific survival (BCSS), over the entire study frame (UZ Leuven data). In lymph node positive patients, both DMFI (HR 0.466 (0.309–0.703), p = 0.0003) and BCSS (HR 0.441 (0.247–0.788), p = 0.0057) are significantly worse for ILC, especially after longer follow-up (>4–5 years) (UZ Leuven data). Similar results were found in the SEER cohort. Results remained identical when excluding screen detected cases (data not shown).ConclusionThe prognostic impact of lobular histology not only depends on time since diagnosis but also on nodal status. The general believe that ILC have compromised late-term outcome compared to IDC seems untrue for the majority ( = node negative) of ILCs.     

Proximal gastrectomy may be a reasonable choice for patients with selected proximal advanced gastric cancer: A propensity score-matched analysis

BackgroundWhether proximal gastrectomy (PG) can be applied to patients with proximal advanced gastric cancer (AGC) remains controversial. We aimed to explore the oncological safety of PG for proximal AGC in this study.Methods452 patients undergoing surgery for proximal AGC in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were enrolled in this study. 329 patients with AGC were finally analyzed, of which 254 patients underwent total gastrectomy (TG) and 75 patients underwent PG. We used propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis to reduce biases.ResultsAfter PSM, 67 patients with proximal AGC were included in the PG group and TG group, respectively. The estimated 5-year OS rates for TG and PG group after PSM were 64.3% and 74.9%, respectively, and no significant difference in OS existed between the two groups (p = 0.275). Multivariate analysis showed that PG was not an independent prognostic factor. Incidence of metastasis in No.5 or 6 lymph node (LN) station was significantly higher in the patients with pathological T4 and Borrmann III tumors (9.9% and 10.6%) than those with pathological T2/3 and Borrmann I/II tumors (2.2% and 3.3%). No metastasis was observed in No.5 or 6 LN station in patients with pathological T2/3 tumors or Borrmann I/II tumors when tumor size was ≤4 cm.ConclusionsPG is a reasonable choice for patients with selected proximal AGC, especially for those with tumors of size ≤4 cm, Borrmann type I/II, and pathological T2/3. Future prospective randomized trials should be conducted first in patients with these specific proximal tumors.     

Outcomes of patients with invasive mucinous and tubular carcinomas of the breast

Invasive tubular carcinoma (ITC) and invasive mucinous carcinoma (IMC) of the breast are rare histologic subtypes of breast cancer associated with favorable prognoses. The aim of our study was to investigate the outcomes for these rare subtypes using the National Cancer Database. Female patients diagnosed with ITC or IMC between 2005 and 2014 were analyzed. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), and we analyzed its association with adjuvant therapy. 2735 patients with ITC and 5602 patients with IMC were identified. ITC presented in younger patients (57 vs. 67 years), had smaller tumors (size <1 cm, 63.1% vs. 25.4%), earlier stage, and less node-positive disease (5% vs. 8.6%), compared with IMC. Older age, government insurance, lower income, treatment in a community cancer program, large tumor size, positive nodal status, and without endocrine therapy were associated with worse OS with either subtype on multivariate analysis. No OS benefit was found for node-positive ITC that received adjuvant chemotherapy compared with those who did not. (5-year OS of 96.0% vs. 91.3%, p = 0.17).OS was improved for IMC that received adjuvant chemotherapy (10-year OS: 82.5% vs. 60.1%, p = 0.008) and endocrine therapy (10-year OS: 86.6% vs. 81.2%, p < 0.001). We concluded that ITC has favorable clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis, even with node-positive disease. ITC and IMC may need to be evaluated independently when administering adjuvant treatment plans.     

Changes in FXR1 expression after Chemotherapy for Rhabdomyosarcoma

BackgroundRhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) arises from abnormal muscle development. We reported previously that Fragile-X-Related 1 (FXR1), essential to normal myogenesis, was highly expressed in RMS relative to other embryonal tumors. This current study explored FXR1 expression across RMS disease characteristics and treatment response.MethodsRMS patients ≤18 years (1980–2019; n = 152) were categorized according to tumor histology, PAX/FOXO1 translocation, and vital status. FXR1 protein expression was compared before and after chemotherapy. Impact of FXR1 expression on relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) was analyzed.ResultsFXR1 was most intensely expressed in the cytosol of undifferentiated rhabdomyoblasts. At diagnosis, FXR1 expression was ubiquitous and strong across all disease characteristics and foremost associated with worse RFS in translocation-positive patients (p = 0.0411). Among embryonal and translocation-negative RMS, survivors showed a significantly greater decrease in FXR1 expression after chemotherapy (p < 0.001) compared to decedents (p = 0.8). In contrast, alveolar and translocation-positive RMS specimens showed insignificant changes in FXR1 expression across therapy. As expected, alveolar histology, translocation presence, stage, and clinical group associated with worse survival.ConclusionsFXR1 was expressed strongly across RMS specimens at diagnosis regardless of disease or patient characteristics, and particularly in undifferentiated cells. Reduction in FXR1 expression after chemotherapy associated with improved survival for embryonal and translocation-negative RMS patients.     

Pathological fracture does not affect prognosis in dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma of the limbs

BackgroundThe aim of this retrospective study is to analyze history and treatment outcomes of pathological fracture (PF) in dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma (DdChS) of the limbs..MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 175 adult patients with primary DdChS of the limbs.Disease-specific survival (OS) and local recurrence (LR) were analyzed.ResultsMedian age was 66 years (range, 29–91). Most DdChS (121, 69.1%) were localized in the femur. Forty-nine (28.0%) had metastasis at diagnosis; thirty-nine DdChS (22.3%) had a PF.OS rate was lower in patients with metastasis at diagnosis (8.6% Vs 41.0% at 10 years, p < 0.001). A similar OS was observed among patients with localized disease, whether with/without PF (p = 0.638), with/without chemotherapy (p = 0.543) and independently from the type of surgery (resection/amputation) (p = 0.877).Amputation reduces the risk of LR (80.0% vs 63.1% at 5 years, p = 0.039), particularly in the PF group..ConclusionPatients with metastases have a particularly poor prognosis in DdChS, but pathological fracture does not influence prognosis in terms of survival and local control. Initial curative resection is essential in order to reduce the chance of recurrences. Amputation might be an option in patients with localized disease and a PF to reduce the risk of LR..     

Association of molecular subtype concordance and survival outcome in synchronous and metachronous bilateral breast cancer

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to analyze the association of molecular subtype concordance and disease outcome in patients with synchronous bilateral breast cancer (SBBC) and metachronous breast cancer (MBBC).Patients and methodsPatients diagnosed with SBBC or MBBC in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database or Comprehensive Breast Health Center (CBHC) Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai were retrospectively reviewed and included. Clinicopathologic features, molecular subtype status concordance, and prognosis were compared in patients with SBBC and MBBC. Other prognostic factors for breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) were also identified for bilateral breast cancer patients.ResultsTotally, 3395 and 115 patients were included from the SEER and Ruijin CBHC cohorts. Molecular subtype concordance rate was higher in the SBBC group compared to MBBC in both SEER cohort (75.8% vs 57.7%, p < 0.001) and Ruijin CBHC cohort (76.2% vs 45.2%, p = 0.002). Survival analyses indicated that SBBC was related to worse BCSS than MBBC (p = 0.015). Molecular subtype discordance was related to worse BCSS (hazard ratio (HR), 1.64, 95% confidential interval (CI), 1.18–2.27, p = 0.003) and OS (HR, 1.59, 95% CI, 1.24–2.04, p < 0.001) in the SBBC group, but not for the MBBC group (p = 0.650 for BCSS, p = 0.669 for OS).ConclusionsMolecular subtype concordance rate was higher in the SBBC group than MBBC group. Patients with discordant molecular subtype was associated with worse disease outcome in the SBBC patients, but not in MBBC, which deserves further clinical evaluation.     

The prognostic significance of metaplastic carcinoma of the breast (MCB) – A case controlled comparison study with infiltrating ductal carcinoma

PurposeMetaplastic carcinoma of the breast (MCB) is a rare histological subtype of breast cancer with an incidence of less than 0.1%–0.5%. Due to its rarity, the clinical characteristics and prognostic significance of MCB compared with other common breast cancers (like infiltrating ductal carcinoma [IDC], and infiltrating lobular carcinoma [ILC]) are not clear, and controversial among different reports.MethodsWe performed a collective comparison study of multi-institutional cases to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognostic status of MCB to compare with IDC and ILC. A case control analysis was performed to minimize the bias from clinicopathologic factors between IDC and MCB. Disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) between groups were compared.ResultsForty-five MCB patients were enrolled from the 4 medical centers and compared with 1777 IDC and 53 ILC patients from the CCH cancer registry database comprise the current study. Compared with IDC, MCB was associated with older age, larger tumor size, a lesser lymph node positive rate, a higher likelihood of distant metastasis, higher tumor grade, lower ER-positive tumor, and higher triple negative breast cancer subtype (TNBC). MCB was associated with worse OS (p = 0.031) than IDC, but no difference in DFS (p = 0.071); however, MCB was not statistically different from ILC in both DFS and OS (p = 0.289 and 0.132, respectively). Compared with the case-controlled IDC group, MCB patients had poorer OS (p = 0.040), but no difference in DFS (p = 0.439).ConclusionMCB is associated with poorer OS than IDC, and this was related to tumor behavior rather than clinicopathologic factors.     

Isolated pachymeningeal metastasis from breast cancer: Clinical features and prognostic factors

PurposeTo evaluate the clinical features and prognoses of patients with isolated pachymeningeal metastasis (IPM) from breast cancer.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of all patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) treated from January 2009 to August 2016. Eligibility criteria included diagnosis of pachymeningeal metastasis based on brain magnetic resonance imaging and histologic diagnosis of primary breast cancer. We excluded patients with concomitant parenchymal or leptomeningeal metastases.ResultsThirty-eight patients who matched our inclusion criteria were included in this study. The incidence of IPM in breast cancer was 1.5% of all patients with MBC. The molecular subtype distribution was: triple negative, 29.0%; ER+/HER2−, 44.7%; ER+/HER2+, 18.4%; and ER−/HER2+, 7.9%. All isolated pachymeningeal involvement resulted from the direct extension of skull metastases. The median time to IPM from systemic metastasis was 28.6 (95% CI: 23.6–33.6) months. The median time to IPM from skull metastasis was 5.2 (95% CI: 0–10.9) months. The median overall survival (OS) from IPM was 4.0 (95% CI: 2.5–5.5) months. In patients who received chemotherapy the OS was longer than for those who received radiotherapy or supportive care only [median OS 8.9 (95% CI: 0.0–18.4), 2.8 (95% CI: 0.5–5.0), and 0.8 (95% CI: 0.6–1.1) months, respectively (p = 0.006)]. Multivariate analysis revealed that good performance status and chemotherapy were associated with better survival outcomes.ConclusionStratified evaluation is required for patients with skull metastasis from breast cancer, as pachymeningeal involvement can develop and be associated with unsuspected outcomes.     

An evaluation of the impact of technical bias on the concordance rate between primary and recurrent tumors in breast cancer

PurposeWhether or not to biopsy the metastasis in recurrent breast cancer has become mired in controversy. Several studies have shown an important discordance of the immunohistochemical (IHC) determinations for ER, PR and HER2 between primary (PT) and recurrent tumors (RT). Yet it remains unknown within this what impact technical issues have. The aim of our study was to assess whether technical variability might have an impact on the concordance between PT and RT.MethodsIHC determinations in paired biopsies from PT and RT were compared under routine vs study conditions. In the former, pathological analysis reproduced the conditions used in the routine of a University Pathology Department. In the latter, in a technical bias-minimizing manner, samples were re-assessed at the same timing and by two independent observers.Results128 paired biopsies from 64 patients were analyzed under both conditions. Concordance under routine vs study conditions for ER was 66% vs 93.4% (p = 0.001), for PR 58.7% vs 80.3% (p = 0.064) and for HER2 86.8% vs 96.8% (p = 0.25). Kappa index under routine versus study conditions for ER was 0.27 vs 0.79 (p = 0.002), for PR 0.26 vs 0.39 (p = 0.47) and for HER2 0.67 vs 0.9 (p = 0.14).ConclusionsAlthough discordance rate between PT and RT decreased under conditions minimizing technical issues, some discordant cases appeared not to be subjected to this confounding factor. Either for clinical practice or for future studies reassessment of PT in recurrent breast cancer should be encouraged.     

Is breast conservation superior to mastectomy in early stage triple negative breast cancer?

PurposeCompare overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) outcomes of breast conservative therapy (BCT) and mastectomy in a large cohort of patients with early-stage triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), using a propensity score-based matching approach.MethodsSurveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to study the role of RT in early stage TNBC. Primary end points were OS and BCSS. Cox proportional hazard regression models and Kaplan-Meier plots were used to generate the desired outcomes. Propensity score matching was done to minimize bias.Results12,761 patients with T1-2N0M0 TNBC as their first malignancy were retrieved. Of these 7237 had lumpectomy with RT, and 5524 had mastectomy only. Age, race, marital status, tumor laterality, grade and stage, and receipt of chemotherapy were prognostic variables for OS and BCSS. Among 4848 matched subjects, the 5-year OS was significantly higher in patients with lumpectomy and RT (89%) compared to mastectomy alone (84.5%) (p-value <0.001). Similarly, BCSS was significantly higher in patients with lumpectomy and RT (93%) compared to mastectomy alone (91%) (p-value <0.001). On subgroup analysis, patients who are younger than 40 had similar survival outcomes after either mastectomy alone or lumpectomy with RT. However, those who are older than 60, have any grade or T stage had better survival outcomes with lumpectomy and RT.ConclusionsOverall, lumpectomy followed by RT is associated with better OS and BCSS compared to mastectomy in T1-2N0M0 TNBC patients. Further research is needed to determine the optimal treatment strategy for specific patient subgroups.     

Comparison between doublet agents versus single agent in metastatic breast cancer patients previously treated with an anthracycline and a taxane: A meta-analysis of four phase III trials

AimTo compare doublet agents with single agent as salvage treatment in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients pre-treated with an anthracycline and a taxane.MethodsWe systematically searched for randomised clinical trials that compared doublet agents with single agent in MBC patients pre-treated with an anthracycline and a taxane. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points were progression-free survival, overall response rate and grade 3 or 4 toxicity. Data were extracted from the studies by two independent reviewers. The meta-analysis was performed by Stata version 10.0 software (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA).ResultsFour trials comprising 2373 patients were eligible for inclusion. Meta-analysis showed that there was significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio (HR) 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72–0.86, P = 0.000) and overall response rate (risk ratio (RR) 1.47, 95%CI 1.13–1.91; p = 0.004) in doublet agents group, though the pooled HR for OS (HR 0.96, 95%CI 0.87–1.05; p = 0.356) showed no significant difference. Subgroup analysis also favoured capecitabine-based doublet agents therapy in terms of PFS (HR 0.77, 95%CI 0.70–0.86; p = 0.000) and overall response rate (ORR) (RR 1.65, 95%CI 1.06–2.56; p = 0.026), but gemcitabine-based doublet agents therapy gained no clinical benefits. There were more incidences of grade 3 or 4 anaemia (RR 1.610, 1.212–2.314, p = 0.01), neutropenia (RR 2.239, 1.231–4.071, p = 0.008), thrombocytopaenia (RR 2.401, 1.595–3.615, p = 0.000), fatigue (RR 2.333, 1.338–4.006, p = 0.000) and nausea and vomiting (RR 2.233, 1.558–3.199, p = 0.000) in the combination group. With regard to the risk of grade 3 or 4 stomatitis (RR 1.666, 0.818–3.392, p = 0.160), diarrhoea (RR 0.739, 0.542–1.008, p = 0.056) and hand–foot syndrome (RR 1.002, 0.835–1.203, p = 0.983), equivalent frequencies were found between the two groups.ConclusionCombination chemotherapy offered a significant improvement in PFS and ORR in patients with MBC pre-treated with an anthracycline and a taxane but did not benefit OS. With present available data from randomised clinical trials, we were still unable to clearly set the role of combination therapy in the treatment of MBC in this setting.     

The value of three-dimensional visualization techniques in hepatectomy for complicated hepatolithiasis: A propensity score matching study

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to investigate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of three-dimensional visualization technique (3DVT)-guided hepatectomy in the treatment of complicated hepatolithiasis.MethodsThe clinical and follow-up data of 279 patients with complicated hepatolithiasis were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into a 3DVT group (group A, 66 cases) and a non-3DVT group (group B, 213 cases). After baseline data were balanced using propensity score matching (PSM), the clinical characteristics and follow-up data of the two groups were observed.ResultsAfter 1:1 PSM, 58 patients in each group were successfully matched with each other. When the groups were compared, the surgical duration (p = 0.033) and intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.002) of group A were lower than those of group B. The immediate stone clearance rate (91.4% vs. 75.9%, p = 0.024) and quality of life outcome (p = 0.034) of group A were significantly higher than those of group B. Logistic regression analysis showed that history of two or more biliary tract operations (odds ratio [OR] = 6.544, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.193–35.890, p = 0.031), bilateral stone distribution (OR = 4.198, 95% CI = 1.186–14.854, p = 0.026), and Geng grade III or IV (OR = 12.262, 95% CI = 2.224–67.617, p = 0.004) were independent risk factors for poor outcomes in patients with complicated hepatolithiasis.ConclusionCompared to conventional imaging examinations, 3DVT can be used to guide and achieve accurate preoperative diagnosis of complicated hepatolithiasis and has good safety, feasibility, and efficacy.     

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for colorectal and appendiceal peritoneal metastases – The Hong Kong experience and literature review

IntroductionCytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is increasingly used to treat peritoneal metastases from appendiceal or colorectal origin. We evaluate our institution's experience and survival outcomes with this procedure, and its efficacy in symptom relief.MethodsThis is a single-centre retrospective observational study on patients with peritoneal metastases (PM) from appendiceal neoplasm or colorectal cancer who underwent CRS/HIPEC in Queen Mary Hospital. Our primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and morbidity and mortality of this procedure; secondary endpoints included disease-free survival (DFS) and symptom-free survival.ResultsBetween 2006 and 2018, thirty CRS/HIPEC procedures were performed for 28 patients – 17 (60.7%) had appendiceal PM while 11 (39.9%) had colorectal PM. The median peritoneal cancer index was 20; complete cytoreduction was achieved in 83.3% patients. High-grade morbidity occurred in 13.3% cases. There was no 30-day mortality. Two-year OS were 71.6% and 50% for low-grade appendiceal PM and colorectal PM patients (p = 0.20). Complete cytoreduction improved OS (2-year OS 75.4% vs 20%, p = 0.04). Median DFS was 11.8 months. Median symptom-free duration was 36.8 months; patients with complete cytoreduction were more likely to remain asymptomatic (82.9% at 1 year, vs 60% in incomplete cytoreduction group, p < 0.01). 91.7% low-grade appendiceal PM patients and 58.4% colorectal PM patients remained asymptomatic at post-operative one year (p = 0.31).ConclusionCRS/HIPEC is beneficial to appendiceal PM and selected colorectal PM patients – improving survival and offering prolonged symptom relief, with reasonable morbidity and mortality. Complete cytoreduction is key to realising this benefit.     

The short- and long-term outcomes in living-donor liver transplantation using small-for-size graft: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundA standard graft-to-recipient weight ratio (GRWR) ≥0.8% is widely accepted in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT); however, the potential donor pool is expanded to patients adopting small-for-size graft (SFSGs) with GRWR <0.8%. This study aimed to investigate the effect of SFSG on short- and long-term outcomes following LDLT.MethodsElectronic databases were searched from January 1995 to January 2022 for studies comparing short- or long-term outcomes between patients with SFSG (GRWR <0.8%, SFSG group) and sufficient volume graft (GRWR ≥0.8%, non-SFSG group). The primary outcomes were one-, three-, and five-year overall survival (OS) and graft survival (GS), while the secondary outcome was postoperative complications.ResultsTwenty-four studies comprising 7996 patients were included. In terms of OS, SFSG group had poor three-year OS (HR: 1.48, 95% CI [1.01, 2.15], p = 0.04), but there were no significant differences between two groups in one-year OS (HR: 1.50, 95% CI [0.98, 2.29], p = 0.06) and five-year OS (HR: 1.40, 95% CI [0.95, 2.08], p = 0.02). In GS, there were no significant differences in one-year (HR 1.31, 95% CI [1.00, 1.72], p = 0.05), three-year (HR 1.33, 95% CI [0.97, 1.82], p = 0.07), and five-year GS (HR 1.17, 95% CI [0.95, 1.44], p = 0.13). The SFSG group had comparable postoperative complications, except for a high incidence of vascular complications and small-for-size syndromes.ConclusionsExpanding the potential donor pool in LDLT to SFSG with GRWR <0.8% can be acceptable in terms of comparable long-term OS and GS, despite the risk for vascular complications and small-for-size syndrome.     

The survival benefit of postmastectomy radiotherapy for breast cancer patients with T1-2N1 disease according to molecular subtype

ObjectiveTo evaluate the significance of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in female breast cancer patients with T1-2N1M0 disease according to molecular subtypes and other risk factors.MethodWe conducted a retrospective cohort-based study utilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Patients who were diagnosed with T1-2N1M0 invasive breast cancer and received mastectomy between 2010 and 2014 were enrolled in our study. Overall survival (OS) was calculated with Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariant Cox hazard model was conducted to identify the impact of PMRT according to molecular subtypes and other risk factors. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to balance measurable confounders.ResultsOf all the 16,521 enrolled patients, 5775 (35.0%) cases received PMRT. The distribution of molecular subtype is 71.4% for Luminal A, 13.2% for Luminal B, 5.1% for HER2 enriched, and 10.3% for TNBC. The OS was significantly better for patients in PMRT group than the Non-PMRT group (P < 0.0001). Stratified by molecular subtype, PMRT significantly prolonged survival in Luminal A patients (HR: 0.759, 95% CI: 0.651–0.884, P < 0.001), Yet it brought no significant survival advantage in Luminal B, TNBC or HER2 enriched subtype (P = 0.914, P = 0.124, P = 0.103, respectively). Also, PMRT bore prognostic significance among those patients who were older than 56 years old, single, white, exempt from reconstruction and chemotherapy, and were with ductal, GradeⅡtumor (all P < 0.05). After PSM, the survival benefit of PRMT sustained in Luminal A patients with T1 tumor concomitant with one positive lymph node.ConclusionOur study demonstrates a beneficial impact for PMRT on overall survival among Luminal A subtype breast cancer patients with T1-2N1 disease. The selection of PMRT should be stratified by molecular subtype and other risk factors.     

Surgical Cytoreduction and Survival in Appendiceal Cancer Peritoneal Carcinomatosis: An Evaluation of 46 Consecutive Patients

Background

Surgical cytoreduction and intraperitoneal chemotherapy is increasingly accepted as an effective treatment modality for mucinous appendiceal neoplasm. For the majority of patients with low-grade histology, outcomes have been encouraging. The survival of patients with neoplasms of malignant character is protracted and this study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of this surgical strategy on outcomes.

Methods

Forty-six consecutive patients with mucinous and nonmucinous appendiceal cancer with peritoneal dissemination were studied. Clinicopathological and treatment related factors were obtained from a prospective database. The study’s end points of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results

The median DFS and OS after cytoreduction were 20.5 and 56.4 months respectively. Five-year overall survival rate was 45%. Five independent factors associated with DFS and OS were identified through a multivariate analysis: age (DFS p = 0.001, OS p = 0.002), completeness of cytoreduction (DFS p = 0.001, OS p = 0.003), previous chemotherapy treatment (DFS p = 0.021), CA 199 levels (DFS p = 0.013), and tumor grade (OS p = 0.005).

Conclusions

Cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy may achieve long-term survival in appendiceal malignancies with peritoneal dissemination for which the predictors of outcomes identified through this study may tailor the disease management to commit patients early toward this successful surgical strategy.