Benefit Of Postoperative Chemotherapy Research Articles

Personalizing colon cancer adjuvant therapy: selecting optimal treatments for individual patients.

For more than three decades, postoperative chemotherapy-initially fluoropyrimidines and more recently combinations with oxaliplatin-has reduced the risk of tumor recurrence and improved survival for patients with resected colon cancer. Although universally recommended for patients with stage III disease, there is no consensus about the survival benefit of postoperative chemotherapy in stage II colon cancer. The most recent adjuvant clinical trials have not shown any value for adding targeted agents, namely bevacizumab and cetuximab, to standard chemotherapies in stage III disease, despite improved outcomes in the metastatic setting. However, biomarker analyses of multiple studies strongly support the feasibility of refining risk stratification in colon cancer by factoring in molecular characteristics with pathologic tumor staging. In stage II disease, for example, microsatellite instability supports observation after surgery. Furthermore, the value of BRAF or KRAS mutations as additional risk factors in stage III disease is greater when microsatellite status and tumor location are taken into account. Validated predictive markers of adjuvant chemotherapy benefit for stage II or III colon cancer are lacking, but intensive research is ongoing. Recent advances in understanding the biologic hallmarks and drivers of early-stage disease as well as the micrometastatic environment are expected to translate into therapeutic strategies tailored to select patients. This review focuses on the pathologic, molecular, and gene expression characterizations of early-stage colon cancer; new insights into prognostication; and emerging predictive biomarkers that could ultimately help define the optimal adjuvant treatments for patients in routine clinical practice.

P-0081 - Adjuvant Therapy Gastric Cancer: What is the Optimal Approach in a Developing Country?

Background: Gastric cancer confers a poor prognosis even when diagnosed as localized disease. Multimodality therapy improves the cure rate of patients with localized cancer. However, adjunctive therapeutic approaches differ in different regions of the world. A phase III clinical trial has already shown the survival benefits of postoperative chemotherapy in gastric cancer in Asian population. However, there are no published data concerning the African patients. This study aims to investigate the use of adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy among Moroccan population and identify its impact on survival.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Elderly Patients with Gastric Cancer after D2 Gastrectomy

BackgroundA phase III clinical trial has already shown the survival benefits of postoperative chemotherapy in gastric cancer. However, there are limited published data concerning the elderly. This study aims to investigate the use of adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy among the elderly and identify its impact on survival.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 360 patients who had undergone D2 gastrectomy, aged 65 years or older, with non-metastatic gastric cancer in a single institution. We analyzed the predictors and survival benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy use in the elderly. Further, we analyzed the survival benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy by dividing the patients into groups according to disease stages and chemotherapeutic regimens.ResultsAmong the 360 patients, only 34.7% of patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Age, tumor location, lymph node involvement and tumor invasion were associated with the receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy improved the overall survival for non-metastatic elderly patients (HR 0.60, 95%CI 0.42–0.83, P = 0.003). Significant survival benefits were found with adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III patients (HR 0.67, 95%CI 0.47–0.97, P = 0.033), but not in stage I patients or in stage II patients (HR 0.52, 95%CI 0.21–1.30 P = 0.161). Compared to adjuvant chemotherapy without platinum, no significant survival benefits were observed with platinum-containing chemotherapy (HR 0.84, 95%CI 0.49–1.45, P = 0.530). Besides adjuvant chemotherapy, other independent prognostic factors of survival included tumor location, tumor size, histologic grade, depth of tumor invasion, and lymph node status.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated the survival benefits of adjuvant fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy among the elderly patients with non-metastatic gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy. However, due to the limitations of this study, further well-designed prospective studies with large populations are needed to confirm these findings and identify the patients that can tolerate and benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for surgically resected non–small cell lung cancer

Despite surgical resection, patients with early-stage (I to IIIA) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are at considerable risk of recurrence and death from their lung cancer. In recent years, multiple, large, randomized trials assessing the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy for resected NSCLC have been reported. Three of 6 trials with 300 or more patients with early-stage NSCLC have demonstrated that adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy can significantly improve 5-year survival in carefully selected patients with resected NSCLC. These benefits have been confirmed in a meta-analysis of modern cisplatin-based adjuvant trials. The most consistent benefit has been reported in patients with resected stage II and IIIA NSCLC. The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with resected stage IB NSCLC is less concrete. Herein, we review the results of the major adjuvant chemotherapy trials and their implications for the treatment of patients with completely resected NSCLC. A future challenge will be to identify the subsets of patients who will derive the greatest benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Current trials are also underway to define the role of novel targeted therapies, such as inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor and monoclonal antibodies, in adjuvant treatment strategies.

Primary psammocarcinoma of the peritoneum

Psammocarcinoma is a rare type of serous carcinoma arising from the ovaries or the peritoneum. Histopathologically, it has large deposits of psammoma bodies, invasion to surrounding tissues, and low-grade cytologic atypia. Biologic behavior is similar to borderline serous tumors with a favorable survival time. Primary surgical debulking with complete resection of the tumor should be the main surgical approach, while the benefit of postoperative chemotherapy remains unknown. A new case of primary peritoneal psammocarcinoma with survival after an initial diagnosis of 5.5 years is presented with a literature review.

Primary psammocarcinoma of the peritoneum

Psammocarcinoma is a rare type of serous carcinoma arising from the ovaries or the peritoneum. Histopathologically, it has large deposits of psammoma bodies, invasion to surrounding tissues, and low-grade cytologic atypia. Biologic behavior is similar to borderline serous tumors with a favorable survival time. Primary surgical debulking with complete resection of the tumor should be the main surgical approach, while the benefit of postoperative chemotherapy remains unknown. A new case of primary peritoneal psammocarcinoma with survival after an initial diagnosis of 5.5 years is presented with a literature review.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Approximately 80% of lung malignancies are non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Patients diagnosed with early-stage disease (about 30% of patients) undergo surgery, but up to 50% develop local or distant recurrence. In an effort to improve survival for patients with resectable NSCLC, chemotherapy has been explored in the adjuvant setting. Several adjuvant trials were launched in the mid 1990s after an individual data-based meta-analysis suggested a 5% survival benefit at 5 years. Among those, the International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial (IALT) study, with 1,867 patients included, confirmed the benefit of postoperative chemotherapy in resected NSCLC. More recently, modern platinum-containing doublets showed a 10% to 15% overall benefit compared to no adjuvant treatment. In this article, the current status of adjuvant chemotherapy is reviewed, and future prospects are discussed.

Primary cardiac sarcomas

In marked contrast to benign cardiac tumors, primary cardiac sarcomas occur infrequently. Moreover, there is no uniform approach to treating such patients, and the benefits of postoperative chemotherapy are unclear. Between 1964 and 1989, 21 patients with primary cardiac sarcomas underwent surgical resection alone (n = 7), chemotherapy alone (n = 1), or combined operation and postoperative chemotherapy based on adriamycin (n = 13). Twenty-four operations were performed on 20 patients with relief of symptoms in all. Eleven patients had complete resection. Operative mortality was 8.3% ( 2 / 24 ). Histology and originating chamber(s) included angiosarcoma (n = 7; 6 / 7 in right atrium, 1 in left atrium), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (7; all in left atrium), fibrosarcoma (2; 2 / 2 in left atrium), rhabdomyosarcoma (2; 1 in left atrium, 1 in right ventricle), leiomyosarcoma (2; 1 in left atrium, 1 in left ventricle); and one undifferentiated sarcoma (right atrium). Overall actuarial survival was 14% at 24 months after resection. Patients with complete resection had a median survival of 24 months compared with only 10 months in all other patients ( p = 0.035). Postoperative chemotherapy did not enhance survival in patients with incomplete resection. At this time, aggressive and complete surgical resection seems to offer the best hope for palliation and survival in an otherwise fatal disease.