Imaging and management of rectal cancer

Local staging and management of rectal cancer has evolved during the past decade. Imaging modalities used for staging rectal cancer include CT, endoscopic ultrasound, pelvic phased-array coil MRI, endorectal MRI, and PET. Each modality has its strengths and limitations. Evidence supports the use of both endoscopic ultrasound and CT in staging rectal cancer. MRI is the only reliable tool for determining the status of the circumferential resection margin, which is important for the assessment of the risk of local recurrence.     

Neoadjuvant radiotherapy for rectal cancer management

Thirty per cent of all colorectal tumours develop in the rectum.The location of the rectum within the bony pelvis and its proximity to vital structures presents significant therapeutic challenges when considering neoadjuvant options and surgical interventions.Most patients with early rectal cancer can be adequately managed by surgery alone.However,a significant proportion of patients with rectal cancer present with locally advanced disease and will potentially benefit from down staging prior to surgery.Neoadjuvant therapy involves a variety of options including radiotherapy,chemotherapy used alone or in combination.Neoadjuvant radiotherapy in rectal cancer has been shown to be effective in reducing tumour burden in advance of curative surgery.The gold standard surgical rectal cancer management aims to achieve surgical removal of the tumour and all draining lymph nodes,within an intact mesorectal package,in order to minimise local recurrence.It is critically important that all rectal cancer cases are discussed at a multidisciplinary meeting represented by all relevant specialties.Pre-operative staging including CT thorax,abdomen,pelvis to assess for distal disease and magnetic resonance imaging to assess local involvement is essential.Staging radiology and MDT discussion are integral in identifying patients who require neoadjuvant radiotherapy.While Neoadjuvant radiotherapy is potentially beneficial it may also result in morbidity and thus should be reserved for those patients who are at a high risk of local failure,which includes patients with nodal involvement,extramural venous invasion and threatened circumferential margin.The aim of this review is to discuss the role of neoadjuvant radiotherapy in the management of rectal cancer.     

Perioperative radiotherapy in the management of rectal cancer.

Surgery for rectal cancer has resulted in unacceptably high local failure rates, and substantial morbidity and mortality. In an attempt to reduce the high frequency of local recurrence, perioperative radiotherapy has been used extensively, alone or in combination with chemotherapy. The local recurrence rate has been reduced dramatically with the use of radiotherapy, and provided that the dose is high enough and given preoperatively, the reduction rate has been about 50%. Despite that a higher dose is used in postoperative radiotherapy, the reduced recurrence rate is not that prominent. The reduced recurrence rate demonstrated after preoperative radiotherapy has a positive influence on survival, which has not been seen when radiotherapy is given postoperatively. However, when postoperative irradiation has been combined with chemotherapy, a survival benefit has been demonstrated. With modern radiation techniques, preoperative radiotherapy can be delivered without any substantial increase in postoperative mortality or morbidity, and a low rate of late toxicity, provided that the radiation technique is optimal. The main question is whether radiotherapy is necessary, provided that surgery is optimized. With standard surgery, the average local recurrence rate is 29% in all reported controlled trials. With optimal surgery, from institutional series, this figure is about 10%. Other questions to be answered are whether superfractionated or standard fractionation should be used in radiotherapy and exactly to whom it should be given.     

Early rectal cancer: definition and management

BACKGROUND: Local excision of rectal cancer is an alternative to radical resection but today its role surrounding the management of patients with early stage rectal cancer (T1-T2-N0) represents an important surgical issue. AIM: To analyze the results of 135 patients with early stage low rectal cancer treated with local excision by transanal endoscopic microsurgery and in the case of T2 also by neoadjuvant therapy. STUDY DESIGN: 135 patients with T1-T2-N0-M0 rectal cancer were enrolled in the study. Staging according to the definitive histological findings was as follows: pT0 in 24 patients (17.8%), pT1 in 66 patients (48.8%) and pT2 in 45 patients (33.4%). RESULTS: Minor complications were observed in 12 patients (8.8%) whereas major complications were seen only in 2 patients (1.5%). At a median follow-up of 78 (36-125) months, local recurrences occurred in 4 patients and distal metastasis in 2 patients (all patients were staged preoperatively T2). Disease-free survival rates in T1 and T2 patients were 100 and 93% respectively at the end of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: With respect to local recurrence and survival rate, the long-term results of early stage rectal cancer in patients treated with transanal endoscopic microsurgery were similar to those reported in the literature after conventional surgery (total mesorectal excision).     

Evaluation of the management of rectal cancers before and after the consensus conference in France

OBJECTIVES: Population-based registries are the best way to draw a picture of the management of a disease. The purpose of this study was to analyse therapeutic modalities for rectal cancers in seven French areas in 1990 and 1995, before and just after a consensus conference devoted to this topic. METHODS: A community-based series of 945 patients (402 in 1990, 543 in 1995) with rectal cancer was used to assess therapeutic modalities and stage at diagnosis. RESULTS: Colonoscopy was performed in most of the cases (90% in 1990 and 1995). There was significant change between 1990 and 1995 in stage at diagnosis and cancer resection. The rate of continence-preserving operations was similar in 1990 and in 1995, as was the rate of adjuvant radiotherapy. There was a shift between 1990 and 1995 from postoperative radiotherapy to preoperative radiotherapy. There was an increase in the use of adjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Changes in the management of rectal cancer in France over the past few years have concerned mainly resection rate, stage at diagnosis and adjuvant therapy. The recommendations of the consensus conference were followed only partly, in particular for adjuvant preoperative radiotherapy, which has not reached its full development, and adjuvant chemotherapy, which tends to be overprescribed, considering how little is known about its effectiveness.     

Use of brachytherapy in management of locally recurrent rectal cancer

PURPOSE: Locally recurrent rectal cancer is associated with poor quality of life and has justified aggressive surgical and adjuvant approaches to control the disease. This study was designed to evaluate if the use of brachytherapy in association with wide surgical excision (debulking operation) can offer reasonable palliation for patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with biopsy-proven locally recurrent rectal cancer who were not candidates for intraoperative radiation therapy and who were previously considered as having unresectable tumors were included in the study and were followed-up from May 1981 to November 1990. All of them had undergone laparotomy and had either radical or debulking surgical resection performed. At the same time, brachytherapy was used with temporary or permanent implant of seeds of iridium-192 or iodine-125. RESULTS: Thirty patients were included. Patients ranged in age from 28 to 74 years, and 16 patients were female. No mortality was observed, and morbidity was low (small-bowel obstruction (1 patient), intestinal fistula (1 patient), and urinary fistula (1 patient). Histologic examination of the specimen showed gross residual disease in 67 percent of patients and microscopic disease in 25 percent of patients. Long-term follow-up was possible in 28 patients. Mean follow-up and local control were, respectively, 26.5 months and 37.5 percent for gross residual disease and 34 months and 66 percent for microscopic residual disease. Eighteen patients (64 percent) had locally recurrent rectal cancer under control at the time of the last follow-up, with seven patients (25 percent) having no evidence of local or distant recurrence. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of brachytherapy for locally recurrent rectal cancer. This appears to offer a therapeutic alternative to patients who are not candidates for intraoperative radiation therapy. Surgical morbidity and mortality are acceptable. Local control in 18 patients (64 percent) is comparable with intraoperative radiation therapy or more morbid surgical alternatives. Cancer-related deaths are most often related to disseminated disease, which suggests the need for systemic therapy in addition to brachytherapy.     

Lifetime costs of colon and rectal cancer management in Canada

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among Canadians. We derived the direct health care costs associated with the lifetime management of an estimated 16,856 patients with a diagnosis of colon and rectal cancer in Canada in 2000. Information on diagnostic approaches, treatment algorithms, follow-up and care at disease progression was obtained from various databases and was integrated into Statistics Canada's Population Health Model (POHEM) to estimate lifetime costs. The average lifetime cost (in Canadian dollars) of managing patients with colorectal cancer ranged from $20,319 per case for TNM stage I colon cancer to $39,182 per case for stage III rectal cancer. The total lifetime treatment cost for the cohort of patients in 2000 was estimated to be over $333 million for colon and $187 million for rectal cancer. Hospitalization represented 65% and 61% of the lifetime costs of colon and rectal cancer respectively. Disease costing models can be important policy- relevant tools to assist in resource allocation. Our results highlight the importance of performing preoperative tests and staging in an ambulatory care setting, where possible, to achieve optimal cost efficiencies. Similarly, terminal care might be delivered more efficiently in the home environment or in palliative care units.     

Major 20th-century advancements in the management of rectal cancer

Conclusions At the beginning of the century, rectal cancer was a deadly disease treated simply by perineal excision. With advances in pathologic staging, preoperative assessment, surgical technique, and CMT made in the last century, we have witnessed improved oncologic and functional results after treatment of rectal cancer. As we look to the future, the use of molecular markers may help identify patients with node-negative disease yet aggressive biology in need of adjuvant therapy. It is also anticipated that improvements in various imaging modalities may better select patients for local procedures or preoperative adjuvant therapy. Further-more, ongoing progress in our understanding of pelvic anatomy and neurophysiology should improve preservation of both genitourinary and sphincter function.Dr. Ruo is a McEachern Fellow of the Canadian Cancer Society.     

Modern management of rectal cancer： A 2006 update

The goal of this review is to outline some of the important surgical issues surrounding the management of patients with early (T1/T2 and NO), as well as locally advanced (T3/T4 and/or N1) rectal cancer. Surgery for rectal cancer continues to develop towards the ultimate goals of improved local control and overall survival, maintaining quality of life, and preserving sphincter, genitourinary, and sexual function. Information concerning the depth of tumor penetration through the rectal wall, lymph node involvement, and presence of distant metastatic disease is of crucial importance when planning a curative rectal cancer resection. Preoperative staging is used to determine the indication for neoadjuvant therapy as well as the indication for local excision versus radical cancer resection. Local excision is likely to be curative in most patients with a primary tumor which is limited to the submucosa (T1N0M0), without high-risk features and in the absence of metastatic disease. In appropriate patients, minimally invasive procedures, such as local excision, TEM, and laparoscopic resection allow for improved patient comfort, shorter hospital stays, and earlier return to preoperative activity level. Once the tumor invades the muscularis propria (T2), radical rectal resection in acceptable operative candidates is recommended. In patients with transmural and/or node positive disease (T3/T4 and/or N1) with no distant metastases, preoperative chemoradiation followed by radical resection according to the principles of TME has become widely accepted. During the planning and conduct of a radical operation for a locally advanced rectal cancer, a number of surgical management issues are considered, including: (1) total mesorectal excision (TME); (2) autonomic nerve preservation (ANP); (3) circumferential resection margin (CRM); (4) distal resection margin; (5) sphincter preservation and options for restoration of bowel continuity; (6) laparoscopic approaches; and (7) postoperative quality of life.     

The multidisciplinary management of gastrointestinal cancer. Multimodal treatment of rectal cancer

Greater understanding of the natural history of rectal cancer, and the knowledge that a histologically involved circumferential margin due to inadequate lateral dissection confers a high risk of local recurrence have driven technical advances in surgical technique with meticulous surgical dissection along embryological planes. Significant improvements in local control and overall survival have been seen for patients with resectable rectal cancer. However, even high-quality surgery cannot always achieve a curative resection for locally advanced cancers that extend below the levators, having transgressed the mesorectal fascia. Magnetic resonance imaging is now accepted as a practical method of clinical staging, and can accurately predict pre-operatively the likelihood of achieving a clear circumferential margin. Technological advances in radiation planning and new effective cytotoxic drugs also give scope for dealing with unresectable rectal cancer, and the potential for controlling distant micrometastases. Hence, modern multimodal treatment of rectal cancer attempts to integrate surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and address the two distinct problems of local recurrence and metastatic disease. Multidisciplinary teams achieve the best results. This paper discusses the surgical management of rectal cancer, the pathology, the principles of imaging, and the lessons learnt from randomized trials of radiotherapy and chemoradiation.     

Regional management of arterial hypertension in France. Report of a survey of general practitioners

A survey was conducted in 14 regional samples of general practitioners (GPs) included in Gallup-up poll. 2,423 GPs contributed to the study and had to include all patients > 18 years old over a period of one week. Patients were considered hypertensives if the mean of two recorded BP measurements was > or = 140/90 mmHg and/or < 140/90 mmHg if they were under antihypertensive treatment. Hypertensives were considered as controlled if there BP levels were overall < 140/90 mmHg under treatment. The risk factors associated with hypertension were collected in order to evaluate the cardiovascular risk, according to 1999 ISH-OMS recommendations. 156,470 patients recruited by 2423 GPs were included in the study representing 14 different French regions: Ile-de-France I (1), Ile-de-France II (2), Ile-de-France-Pays-de-la-Loire (3), Bretagne (4), Normandie-Picardie (5), Nord-Pas-de-Calais (6), Alsace-Lorraine (7), Bourgogne-Franche Comté (8), Rh?nes-Alpes (9), Provence-C?te d'Azur (10), Languedoc-Provence (11), Limousin-Auvergne (12), Midi-Pyrénées (13), Aquitaine (14). Among 70,073 hypertensives, 23,054 had never received antihypertensive treatment, and 32,059 (47%) had a high or a very high cardiovascular risk. 67% of hypertensives (47,019) were treated, and 32.8% of treated hypertensives (15,422) had a BP < 140/90 mmHg. The study illustrated few differences in prevalence and control of hypertension in the different French regions: BP control at the 140/90 mmHg threshold vary from 28.5 to 36.6% among treated hypertensives and % of patients at high cardiovascular risk from 42.1% (South-France) to 49.7% (East-France).     

Role of tumor size in the pre-operative management of rectal cancer patients

Background  

Clinical management of rectal cancer patients relies on pre-operative staging. Studies however continue to report moderate degrees of over/understaging as well as inter-observer variability. The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of tumor size for predicting T and N stages in pre-operatively untreated rectal cancers.     

Colon cancer in France: evidence for improvement in management and survival

BACKGROUND: Cancer registries recording all cases diagnosed in a well defined population represent the only way to assess real changes in the management of colon cancer at the population level. AIMS: To determine trends over a 23 year period in treatment, stage at diagnosis, and prognosis of colon cancer in the C?te-d'Or region, France. PATIENTS: A total of 3389 patients with colon cancer diagnosed between 1976 and 1998. METHODS: Time trends in clinical presentation, surgical treatment, chemotherapy treatment, stage at diagnosis, postoperative mortality, and survival were studied. A non-conditional logistic regression was performed to obtain an odds ratio for each period adjusted for the other variables. To estimate the independent effect of the period on prognosis, a relative survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: Between 1976 and 1991, the resection rate increased from 69.3% to 91.9% and then remained stable. This increase was particularly marked in the older age group (56.4% to 90.5%). The proportion of stage III patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy rose from 4.1% for the 1989-1990 period to 45.7% for the 1997-1998 period. Over the 23 years of the study the proportion of stage I and II patients increased from 39.6% to 56.6%, associated with a corresponding decrease in the proportion of patients with advanced stages. Postoperative mortality decreased from 19.5% to 7.3%. This led to an improvement in five year relative survival (from 33.0% for the 1976-1979 period to 55.3% for the 1992-1995 period). CONCLUSIONS: Advances in the management of colon cancer have resulted in improving the prognosis of this disease. However, progress is still possible, particularly in the older age group.     

Challenges in the multidisciplinary management of stage IV colon and rectal cancer

Colorectal metastases still represent a challenge to all oncologists despite progresses achieved by improved resectability, systemic chemotherapy and targeted therapies. In particular in patients with oligo-metastases, the role of surgical resections has been redefined. Resection is the most effective treatment method for liver metastases performed with curative intent; however, primary rate of resectability is low. Several methods to increase resectability have been developed: conversion chemotherapy, portal vein embolization, two-stage resections, vascular reconstruction of the liver veins, combination of resection and intraoperative ablation. Liver resections can be performed at present with low mortality. Patients with isolated peritoneal metastases, no extra-abdominal disease, low volume tumor and complete surgical cytoreduction do benefit from surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Several national guidelines recommend multimodality treatment for highly selected patients. The management of stage IV colorectal cancer includes several disciplines with focus on resection. A multidisciplinary evaluation of all patients is of crucial importance to define the treatment sequence and individual strategies for each patient.