The role of surgery in the palliation of advanced pelvic malignancy

Advanced pelvic malignancy, regardless of the cancer of origin, is often multivisceral and complex. The management of advanced pelvic malignancy is resource-intensive and requires multidisciplinary input. The definition of resectability is evolving with improving multimodal therapy, preoperative staging and optimisation, perioperative care, and advanced surgical techniques. Pelvic exenteration is a highly morbid procedure and has been shown to improve survival and quality of life when performed with a curative intent. Unresectable distant solid organ or lymph node metastases and an inability to achieve a clear resection margin preclude curative pelvic exenteration.Patients with advanced pelvic malignancy who are deemed palliative are mostly managed by non-operative treatment such as chemo-, radio-, immuno-, hormonal therapy, pain management and palliative care, as well as allied health and psychosocial support team. These patients may present with severe and debilitating symptoms including intractable pain, ulcerating/proliferating tumour, pelvic fistula/sepsis/bleeding, urinary and bowel obstruction/incontinence. Interventional radiological and surgical procedures such as percutaneous drainage, nephrostomy, intestinal and urinary diversion, intestinal bypass, and venting gastrostomy have an important role in symptom control and improving quality of life.Palliative pelvic exenteration should be carefully considered along with life expectancy, patient wishes and tumour characteristics. Comprehensive discussion with patient is crucial to achieve realistic expectations. These patients should not only be discussed in a multidisciplinary team meeting with palliative care input, but also be referred for a formal palliative care consultation. Tumour anatomical extent should be considered both for and against pelvic exenteration whether involving the posterior compartment i.e. sacrectomy; lateral compartment incorporating neurovascular bundle and the anterior compartment requiring pubic bone excision as all can be associated with high morbidity rates. Patient recovery may be protracted too if surgery is complicated by perineal wound or flap breakdown in cases necessitating wide perineal skin and soft tissue excision. Furthermore, evidence from quality of life and cost-effectiveness studies do not provide robust data to support pelvic exenteration with palliative intent. Whilst a relatively ‘straightforward’ central soft tissue pelvic exenteration may offer reasonable symptomatic relief in a patient with an acceptable life expectancy, palliative pelvic exenteration overall should only be considered in highly selected patients.     

Recurrent vulvar cancer

Opinion statement Recurrent vulvar cancer occurs in an average of 24% of cases after primary treatment after surgery with or without radiation. The relatively few primary vulvar cancers, combined with the low proportion of recurrences, has made it difficult to perform randomized studies to document the most appropriate therapeutic modalities. Most reports are small retrospective studies and anecdotal reviews that have emphasized the importance of surgery and have led to new approaches with respect to chemoradiation. Traditionally, the most accepted treatment of vulvar cancer has been and continues to be surgery. Recently, radiation and chemotherapy have been combined with very encouraging results. The therapeutic modality used depends on the location and extent of the recurrence. Most recurrences occur locally near the original resection margins or at the ipsilateral inguinal or pelvic lymph nodes. Lateralized local vulvar recurrences treated with a wide radical local excision with inguinal lymphadectomy results in an excellent cure rate of 70%. With a central pelvic recurrence with antecedent radiotherapy involving the urethra, upper vagina, and rectum, total pelvic exenteration is indicated in a select group of patients with curative intent. Radiotherapy or chemoradiation concomitantly with wide radical local excision of an advanced vulvar has proven successful in avoiding an exenteration, with improved survival and less morbidity. Prospective and retrospective studies have shown excellent results using radiation or chemoradiation with wide radical local excision in patients with locally advanced disease in whom adequate resection margins are difficult to achieve (with a central lesion requiring exenteration) or with debilitating medical conditions that preclude surgery. In these patients, chemoradiation has shown favorable results when used before a wide local resection. In patients with advanced local disease, external beam and interstitial radiation has been used for palliative and curative intent with encouraging results. Regional recurrences to the inguinal and pelvic lymph nodes have been shown to have a poor prognosis with a high mortality rate. We recommend that inguinal recurrences without prior radiation therapy undergo excision followed by radiotherapy with chemosensitization. In patients with previous radiation to the inguinal lymph nodes, we try to avoid any excisional procedures because of the high rate of complications. We offer these patients brachytherapy for palliation. With pelvic recurrences, we recommended chemoradiation as the treatment modality. In the subset of patients with distant metastasis, chemotherapy may be offered; however, few studies have been performed to advocate any single combination. The literature supports the use of 5-fluorouracil or cisplatin as single agents or in combination to have sensitivity against squamous cells. There are few studies revealing improvement in 5-year survival, thus these patients may benefit from recruitment into research protocols.     

Locally advanced esophageal cancer

Opinion statement Patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus should undergo computed tomography of the chest and abdomen and positron emission tomography to look for evidence of distant metastatic disease. In the absence of systemic metastases, locoregional staging should be performed with endoscopic ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration of accessible periesophageal lymph nodes and any detectable celiac lymph nodes. Patients found to have T3 tumors (transmural extension), T4 tumors (invasion of adjacent structures), or N1-M1a (lymph nodepositive) disease do poorly when treated with surgery alone; 5-year survival is less than 20%. These patients should be considered for combined modality therapy. Patients with T4 disease are generally not deemed candidates for surgical resection; they may be considered for definitive chemoradiotherapy. Patients with T3 disease or lymph node-positive disease may be treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery or definitive chemoradiotherapy alone. Patients considered for trimodality therapy should be fully restaged before surgery to assess their response to neoadjuvant treatment. This should include repeat endoscopic ultrasound and fine needle aspiration of lymph nodes. Patients whose lymph node metastases do not completely respond to neoadjuvant therapy are unlikely to benefit from the addition of surgery. Patients with persistently positive celiac lymph nodes have a very poor prognosis and should not undergo surgery. Patients with persistent nodal disease who have good performance status may be considered for additional chemotherapy. Patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who have poor performance status are not good candidates for combined modality therapy. These individuals are best managed with palliative intent. Particular attention should be given to alleviating the common problem of dysphagia, which causes significant morbidity.     

Surgical Salvage of Recurrent Cancer of the Head and Neck

The therapeutic options and prognosis for recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract vary greatly depending on site, extent of disease, and previous treatment. Surgical salvage represents the primary curative option when recurrent disease is resectable. Common factors associated with poor salvage surgery outcomes include positive surgical margins, lack of disease-free interval following previous definitive radiation therapy, advanced initial and recurrent tumor stage, and presence of concomitant recurrent neck disease. Surgical salvage of oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal recurrences after primary chemoradiation therapy is associated with significant patient morbidity and poor long-term survival. Patients with laryngeal recurrences generally have the best comparative survival and functional outcomes, while patients with oral cavity recurrences have a relatively intermediate prognosis. Nasopharyngeal recurrences have often been treated with reirradiation, but surgical salvage represents the best option for small recurrences confined to the nasopharynx. Most patients with recurrent upper aerodigestive tract squamous cell carcinoma after previous aggressive therapy are not curable, and clinical judgment in determining which patients are appropriate candidates for salvage surgery is paramount.     

复发宫颈癌近距离治疗进展

宫颈癌是女性常见的恶性肿瘤,其主要的治疗方式是手术和放疗。宫颈癌治疗后复发率高,复发后预后较差。复发宫颈癌可分为盆腔中央型、盆腔外周型和盆腔外复发,其治疗方案取决于患者初始治疗方式和复发位置。无放疗史的患者如有手术指征,可首选手术,也可联合放化疗±近距离治疗。放疗后盆腔中央复发的患者可选择盆腔廓清术±术中放疗,但其适应证具有高选择性,术后并发症发生率高,患者生存质量低。放疗后盆腔外周复发的患者可行再程外放疗和/或化疗。然而再程放疗的严重不良反应发生率高于初次放疗,立体定向体部放疗适应证较严格,对治疗者技术水平的要求也较高。近年来放疗技术更加精准,影像引导的近距离治疗如高剂量率组织间近距离治疗和放射性粒子植入获得了较好的疗效和安全性,为复发宫颈癌提供了新的治疗选择。本文就近年近距离治疗复发性宫颈癌的研究进展进行了梳理和总结。     

Pelvic exenteration for recurrent or persistent cervical cancer

Cervical cancer constitutes a major health problem in Mexico and other developing countries. The purpose of our study was to assess the experience of a comprehensive national oncological reference center on pelvic exenteration for post-radiotherapy recurrent or persistent cervical cancer, describing the prognostic value of time to recurrence, procedure complications, and survival. Medical records from 42 patients with post-radiotherapy recurrent or persistent cervical cancer who underwent a pelvic exenteration with curative purposes from 1984 to 1989 were retrospectively reviewed. Histological diagnoses were squamous cell carcinoma (32 patients), adenosquamous carcinoma (9 patients), and adenocarcinoma (1 patient). Average follow up was of 56.3 mo after the procedure and global survival at 5 yr was 65.8%. Survival for patients with early recurrence was 56.9% vs 78% for patients with late recurrence (p=0.05). Complications were observed in 65.3% of the cases with a surgical mortality of 4.8%. Pelvic exenteration is a surgical procedure with high morbidity in spite of the recent medical advances. Pelvic exenteration should not be indicated with palliative purposes owing to the high rate of complications. Patients with tumor persistence or early recurrence have a worse prognosis. In well-selected cases, exenteration may provide a survival benefit.     

Radical surgical resection and high-dose intraoperative radiation therapy (HDR-IORT) in patients with recurrent gynecologic cancers

OBJECTIVE: To determine the outcome for patients with recurrent gynecologic tumors treated with radical resection and combined high-dose intraoperative radiation therapy (HDR-IORT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between November 1993 and June 1998, 17 patients with recurrent gynecologic malignancies underwent radical surgical resection and high-dose-rate brachytherapy. The mean age of the study group was 49 years (range 28-72 years). The site of the primary tumor was the cervix in 9 (53%) patients, the uterus in 7 (41%) patients, and the vagina in 1 (6%) patient. The treatment for the primary disease was surgery with or without adjuvant radiation in 14 (82%) patients and definitive radiation in 3 (18%) patients. The current surgery consisted of exenterative surgery in 10 (59%) patients and tumor resection in 7 (41%) patients. Complete gross resection was achieved in 13 (76%) patients. The mean HDR-IORT dose was 14 Gy (range 12-15). Additional radiation in the form of permanent Iodine-125 implant was given to 3 of 4 patients with gross residual disease. The median peripheral dose was 140 Gy. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 20 months (range 3-65 months), the 3-year actuarial local control (LC) rate was 67%. In patients with complete gross resection, the 3-year LC rate was 83%, compared to 25% in patients with gross residual disease, p < 0.01. The 3-year distant metastasis disease-free and overall survival rates were 54% and 54%, respectively. The complications were as follows: gastrointestinal obstruction, 4 (24%); wound complications, 4 (24%); abscesses, 3 (18%); peripheral neuropathy, 3 (18%); rectovaginal fistula, 2 (12%); and ureteral obstruction, 2 (12%). CONCLUSION: Radical surgical resection and combined IORT for patients with recurrent gynecologic tumors seems to provide a reasonable local-control rate in patients who have failed prior surgery and/or definitive radiation. Patient selection is very important, however, as only those patients with complete gross resection at completion of surgery appear to benefit most from this radical approach in the salvage setting.     

Meningioma: Current treatment options and future directions

Opinion statement Benign meningiomas can be observed if not symptomatic or growing. When treatment is indicated, the options are surgery, radiosurgery, fractionated radiation therapy, or a combination of these modalities. Except in certain cases, such as large tumors that require debulking for relief of symptoms, we do not recommend the routine use of combination therapy. Intracranial meningiomas have usually been treated with surgical resection with an expected durable local control of 80% to 90% when a gross total resection (GTR) is obtained. Patients who have inoperable disease, refuse surgery, undergo less than a GTR, or who have aggressive histology should instead be considered candidates for radiation therapy or radiosurgery. While benign meningiomas can be successfully treated definitively or postoperatively with either fractionated radiation therapy or single fraction radiosurgery, atypical or malignant lesions are best treated with fractionated radiation therapy with conventional dosimetric margins. The role of systemic therapy is not yet defined, but multiple agents are being investigated in early phase trials for patients with recurrent or progressive disease after standard therapy has failed.     

Pelvic exenteration for gynaecological tumours: achievements and unanswered questions

Pelvic exenteration has been used for 60 years to treat cancers of the lower and middle female genital tract in radiated pelves. The mainstay for treatment success in terms of locoregional control and long-term survival is resection of the pelvic tumour with clear margins (R0). New ablative techniques based on developmentally derived surgical anatomy and laterally extended endopelvic resection have raised the number of R0 resections done, even for tumours that extend to the pelvic side wall, which were traditionally judged a contraindication for exenteration. Although mortality has fallen to less than 5%, treatment-related severe morbidity of pelvic exenteration still exceeds 50%, possibly because of compromised healing of irradiated tissue and use of complex reconstructive techniques. The benefits of exenteration for patients who have advanced primary disease or recurrent tumours after surgery, versus those who have chemoradiotherapy, are not proven by results of controlled trials, but can be assumed from retrospective data. Comparative findings are missing, and arguments are unconvincing to favour pelvic exenteration over less extensive treatments and best supportive care for palliation of cancer symptoms in most patients.     

根治性全盆脏器切除术治疗局部晚期／复发性直肠癌的临床研究

目的：探讨根治性全盆脏器切除术治疗局部晚期／复发性直肠癌的效果。方法：对44例局部晚期／复发性直肠癌的临床、病理资料进行回顾性分析。结果：根治性全盆腔脏器切除术30例、姑息性切除术14例。结肠造瘘术39例,回肠代膀胱术21例,输尿管腹壁造瘘术23例。盆底腔隙采用膀胱脏层腹膜修复39例、双侧腹膜修复3例、带蒂大网膜填充1例、回肠末段填充1例。围手术期死亡率23％,总体并发症发生率50.0％。根治性和姑息性全盆脏器切除术后5年生存率分别为53.3％和0％。结论：根治性全盆腔器官切除术是提高局部晚期／复发性直肠癌病灶整块切除率、降低局部复发率、延长生存期的理想术式。     

Photodynamic therapy in patients with colorectal cancer

A pilot study was conducted, in which photodynamic therapy (PDT), a technique in which malignant cells are destroyed by light after being previously photosensitized by a chemical compound, was tried in a group of 14 patients with recurrent or residual colorectal cancer in the pelvis. Three of the six patients with unresectable pelvic recurrences experienced a significant relief of pain after PDT. In two of the five patients who had an incomplete resection of their pelvic recurrences, there was also a substantial relief of pelvic pain after surgery and PDT. In one of these patients subsequent biopsies proved the disappearance of the residual pelvic microscopic disease after several sessions of PDT. Three patients had a recurrence from a squamous cell carcinoma primary of the anal canal. All recurrences were amenable to surgical resection. In one of the patients, PDT was used in an attempt to sterilize an area of residual tumor that was located over the left ischial tuberosity. The patient experienced good relief of pain, but died of her disease 7 months after PDT. In the other two patients, PDT was used as an "adjunct" after resection of their recurrences. One of these patients was free of disease and died of an unrelated cause 12 months after PDT. The other is alive and well. This study demonstrated that PDT can be safe and tolerable in patients with pelvic malignancies. PDT is capable of tumor destruction, can be used repeatedly in areas previously exposed to ionizing radiation, and may have a role in the prevention and management of pelvic-perineal recurrences from colorectal cancer.     

Pelvic exenteration and composite sacral resection in the surgical treatment of locally recurrent rectal cancer

BackgroundThe incidence of rectal cancer recurrence after surgery is 5–45%. Extended pelvic resection which entails En-bloc resection of the tumor and adjacent involved organs provides the only true possible curative option for patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer.AimTo evaluate the surgical and oncological outcome of such treatment.Patients and methodsBetween 2006 and 2012 a consecutive series of 40 patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer underwent abdominosacral resection (ASR) in 18 patients, total pelvic exenteration with sacral resection in 10 patients and extended pelvic exenteration in 12 patients. Patients with sacral resection were 28, with the level of sacral division at S2–3 interface in 10 patients, at S3–4 in 15 patients and S4–5 in 3 patients.ResultsForty patients, male to female ratio 1.7:1, median age 45 years (range 25–65 years) underwent extended pelvic resection in the form of pelvic exenteration and abdominosacral resection. Morbidity, re-admission and mortality rates were 55%, 37.5%, and 5%, respectively. Mortality occurred in 2 patients due to perineal flap sepsis and massive myocardial infarction. A R0 and R1 sacral resection were achieved in 62.5% and 37.5%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rate was 22.6% and the 4-year recurrence free survival was 31.8%.ConclusionExtended pelvic resection as pelvic exenteration and sacral resection for locally recurrent rectal cancer are effective procedures with tolerable mortality rate and acceptable outcome. The associated morbidity remains high and deserves vigilant follow up.     

High dose rate intraoperative radiation therapy (HDR-IORT) as part of the management strategy for locally advanced primary and recurrent rectal cancer

Purpose: Primary unresectable and locally advanced recurrent rectal cancer presents a significant clinical challenge. Local failure rates are high in both situations. Under such circumstances, there is a significant need to safely deliver tumoricidal doses of radiation in an attempt to improve local control. For this reason, we have incorporated a new approach utilizing high dose rate intraoperative radiation therapy (HDR-IORT).Methods and Materials: Between 11/92–12/96, a total of 112 patients were explored, of which 68 patients were treated with HDR-IORT, and 66 are evaluable. The majority of the 44 patients were excluded for unresectable disease or for distant metastases which eluded preoperative imaging. There were 22 patients with primary unresectable disease, and 46 patients who presented with recurrent disease. The histology was adenocarcinoma in 64 patients, and squamous cell carcinoma in four patients. In general, the patients with primary unresectable disease received preoperative chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin, and external beam irradiation to 4500–5040 cGy, followed by surgical resection and HDR-IORT (1000–2000 cGy). In general , the patients with recurrent disease were treated with surgical resection and HDR-IORT (1000–2000 cGy) alone. All surgical procedures were done in a dedicated operating room in the brachytherapy suite, so that HDR-IORT could be delivered using the Harrison-Anderson-Mick (HAM) applicator. The median follow-up is 17.5 months (1–48 mo).Results: In primary cases, the actuarial 2-year local control is 81%. For patients with negative margins, the local control was 92% vs. 38% for those with positive margins (p = 0.002). The 2-year actuarial disease-free survival was 69%; 77% for patients with negative margins vs. 38% for patients with positive margins (p = 0.03). For patients with recurrent disease, the 2-year actuarial local control rate was 63%. For patients with negative margins, it was 82%, while it was 19% for those with positive margins (p = 0.02). The disease-free survival was 47% (71% for negative margins and 0% for positive margins) (p = 0.04). Prospective data gathering indicated that significant complications occurred in approximately 38% of patients and were multifactorial in nature, and manageable to complete recovery.Conclusion: HDR-IORT using our technique is versatile, safe, and effective. The local control rates for primary disease compare quite well with other published series, especially for patients with negative margins. For patients with recurrent disease, locoregional control and survival are especially encouraging in patients with negative resection margins. Further follow-up is needed to see whether these encouraging data will continue.     

根治术后盆腔复发直肠癌疗效及预后因素分析

目的 分析直肠癌根治术后盆腔复发规律以及放疗疗效和影响预后的因素.方法 回顾分析2000-2006年直肠癌根治术后盆腔复发接受放疗患者93例,分别为单纯放疗21例、放化疗56例、放疗结合手术和(或)化疗16例.放疗采用60Co或加速器X线,中位剂量59.4Gy,其中90例采用常规分割技术.68例患者放疗后接受了1～8个(中位数3个)疗程化疗,42例行同步放化疗,多为氟尿嘧啶为主的化疗方案.16例患者在放疗后接受了复发灶切除术,其中RO切除7例,姑息性肿块切除9例.结果 全组共132处复发,常见复发部位为直肠周围(31.8%)和骶前区(30.3%),髂外淋巴结和腹股沟淋巴结少见(1.5%和3.0%).总随访率为92%,随访满2、5年者分别为39、4例.有局部症状的84例患者中83%(70例)放疗后症状缓解.全组2、5年局部无进展率分别为49%、22%,2、5年生存率分别为46%、14%.多因素分析结果显示复发后治疗方法是影响直肠癌根治术后复发的局部无进展率的独立预后因素,复发灶最大径、无病间期、放疗后有无远处转移是影响直肠癌根治术后复发患者生存率的独立顶后因素.结论 直肠周围区、骶前区、髂内淋巴结区是直肠癌主要复发部位;放疗可明显改善直肠癌根治术后盆腔复发患者的症状和提高生存质量,放疗联合手术和(或)化疗可提高直肠癌根治术后复发的局部无进展率,复发灶直径＞5 cm、无病间期＜2年、放疗后有远处转移是影响预后的因素.     

Treatment for Advanced and Recurrent Endometrial Carcinoma: Combined Modalities

Women with recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer constitute a heterogeneous group of patients. Depending on previous treatment, women with recurrent endometrial cancer may be appropriate candidates for surgery, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, or chemotherapy. Women with advanced stage disease at presentation may also be appropriate candidates for systemic and local therapies. We review the treatment options available to treat recurrent and locally advanced endometrial cancer.Treatment choice depends largely on the localization of disease, the patient’s performance status and previous treatment history, as well the tumor’s hormonal receptor status. Radiation therapy is appropriate for isolated vaginal recurrences in patients with no previous history of radiation therapy. Patients with recurrent low-grade tumors overexpressing estrogen and progesterone receptors may be treated with progestin therapy. Systemic therapy is appropriate for patients with disseminate recurrences or advanced stage disease at presentation, or for those with receptor-negative tumors. We review all these different treatment strategies available to patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.     

Treatment options in recurrent cervical cancer (Review)

The management of recurrent cervical cancer depends mainly on previous treatment and on the site and extent of recurrence. Concurrent cisplatin-based chemo-radiation is the treatment of choice for patients with pelvic failure after radical hysterectomy alone. However, the safe delivery of high doses of radiotherapy is much more difficult in this clinical setting compared with primary radiotherapy. Pelvic exenteration usually represents the only therapeutic approach with curative intent for women with central pelvic relapse who have previously received irradiation. In a recent series, the 5-year overall survival and operative mortality after pelvic exenteration ranged from 21 to 61% and from 1 to 10%, respectively. Free surgical margins, negative lymph nodes, small tumour size and long disease-free interval were associated with a more favourable prognosis. Currently, pelvic reconstructive procedures (continent urinary conduit, low colorectal anastomosis, vaginal reconstruction with myocutaneous flaps) are strongly recommended after exenteration. Concurrent cisplatin-based chemo-radiation is the treatment of choice for isolated para-aortic lymph node failure, with satisfactory chances of a cure in asymptomatic patients. Chemotherapy is administered with palliative intent to women with distant or loco-regional recurrences not amenable by surgery or radiotherapy. Cisplatin is the most widely used drug, with a response rate of 17-38% and a median overall survival of 6.1-7.1 months. Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy achieves higher response rates (22-68%) when compared with single-agent cisplatin, but median overall survival is usually less than one year. In a recent Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) trial the combination topotecan + cisplatin obtained a significantly longer overall survival than single-agent cisplatin in patients with metastatic or recurrent or persistent cervical cancer. A subsequent GOG study showed a trend in terms of longer overall survival and better quality of life for the doublet cisplatin + paclitaxel vs. the doublets cisplatin + topotecan, cisplatin + vinorelbine, and cisplatin + gemcitabine. Molecularly targeted therapy may represent a novel therapeutic tool, but its use alone or in combination with chemotherapy is still investigational.     

Rezidivierendes Endometriumkarzinom

Isolated vaginal recurrence after total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophoectomy (TH/BSO) and adjuvant radiation therapy are seldom and should be surgically treated with curative intent, especially if no re-irradiation is possible. In the majority of patients, isolated vaginal recurrences occur after TH/BSO alone. In this situation curative radiation therapy is indicated and should be preferred to pelvic exenteration. Isolated pelvic or para-aortic lymph node metastasis or isolated pelvic wall recurrences have a worse prognosis. Possible treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy or a combination of both. The value of a cytoreductive operation in patients with peritoneal metastases is currently under investigation. The systemic therapy of choice in patients with recurrent or metastasized type I endometrial cancer is a daily administration of 200?mg medroxyprogesterone acetate. In cases with a high risk of remission, after progression to endocrine therapy and in high grade type II cancer, systemic therapy with carboplatin/paclitaxel is currently preferred due to a superior toxicity profile.     

Ultra-radical compartmentalized surgery in gynaecological oncology.

AIMS: To describe "ultra-radical" surgery in gynaecological oncology. This is multivisceral pelvic resection aimed at the eradication of locally advanced and recurrent gynaecologic cancer with microscopically tumour-free margins (R0). METHODS: Up-dated analysis of a prospective trial evaluating oncologic outcome and treatment-related morbidity of ultra-radical compartmentalized surgery carried out by the author. RESULTS: From 8/1996 until 9/2005 74 patients with locally advanced and recurrent gynaecologic tumours have been treated with ultra-radical compartmentalized surgery. Eighteen patients with central disease underwent exenteration as multimesovisceral excision, 56 patients with pelvic side wall disease received laterally extended endopelvic resection. In 72 of the patients the tumours were removed with microscopically free margins (R0). Two patients with advanced age and extensive comorbidity respectively, died during the early postoperative period. Moderate and severe treatment-related morbidity was 66%. At a median follow-up period of 29 months (1-112 months) 5-year overall and recurrence-free survival probabilities are 56% (95% CI: 42-69) and 56% (42-70). CONCLUSION: Ultra-radical compartmentalized pelvic surgery may salvage selected patients with locally advanced and recurrent gynaecologic malignancies including those with pelvic side wall disease traditionally not considered for surgical therapy.     

High-dose-rate intraoperative brachytherapy for recurrent colorectal cancer

PURPOSE: Management of locally recurrent colorectal adenocarcinoma represents a significant challenge. Many of these tumors adhere to or invade into vital pelvic structures rendering surgery or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) as palliative treatment. Therefore, a treatment approach was developed to evaluate the role of high-dose-rate intraoperative brachytherapy (HDR-IORT) and surgery as a component of therapy in the management of locally recurrent colorectal cancer. This is an update of our preliminary report with longer follow-up and larger patient numbers. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between January 1992 and September 1998, 74 patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer were treated with surgery and HDR-IORT. Additional EBRT was given to 29 patients, and 33 patients received 5-fluorouracil based chemotherapy. All patients underwent complete gross resection, and 21 of 74 had positive microscopic margin. The dose of HDR-IORT ranged from 10 to 18 Gy. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 22 months, the 5-year local control, distant metastasis disease-free, disease-free, and overall survival rates were 39%, 39%, 23%, and 23%, respectively. The only predictor of improved local control was a negative margin of resection with a 5-year local control rate of 43%, compared to 26% in those with positive margin (p = 0.02). For overall survival, a negative microscopic margin (p = 0.04) and the use of IORT + EBRT (p = 0.04) were significant predictors of improved survival. The incidence of peripheral neuropathy was 16%. CONCLUSION: The results with HDR-IORT in this group of patients are encouraging. Further improvements in local and distant control are still needed.     

Analysis of surgical salvage after failure of primary therapy in rectal cancer: results from Intergroup Study 0114.

PURPOSE: Intergroup Study 0114 was designed to study the effect of various chemotherapy regimens delivered after potentially curative surgical resection of T3, T4, and/or node-positive rectal cancer. A subset analysis was undertaken to investigate the prevalence and influence of salvage therapy among patients with recurrent disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adjuvant therapy consisted of two cycles of fluorouracil (FU)-based chemotherapy followed by pelvic irradiation with chemotherapy and two more cycles of chemotherapy after radiation therapy. A total of 1,792 patients were entered onto the study and 1,696 were assessable. After a median of 8.9 years of follow-up, 715 patients (42%) had disease recurrence, and an additional 10% died without evidence of disease. Five hundred patients with follow-up information available had a single organ or single site of first recurrence (73.5% of all recurrences). RESULTS: A total of 171 patients (34% of those with a single organ or single site of recurrence) had a potentially curative resection of the metastatic or locally recurrent disease. Single-site first recurrences in the liver, lung, or pelvis occurred in 448 patients (90% of the single-site recurrences), with 159 (35%) of these undergoing surgical resection for attempted cure. Overall survival differed significantly between the resected and nonresected groups (P <.0001), with overall 5-year probabilities of.27 and.06, respectively. Controlling for worst performance status at the time of recurrence does not alter this relationship. Patients who underwent salvage surgery had significantly increased survival (P <.001) for each site. CONCLUSION: Attempted surgical salvage of rectal cancer recurrence is performed commonly in the United States. The chance of a long-term cure with such intervention is approximately 27%.