Chemoradiation Therapy Group Research Articles

Comparison of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Followed by Radical Surgery with Chemoradiation in Stage IB2 to IIB of Cervical Cancer

Background: The management of locally advanced cervical cancer (stages IB2 to IIB) remains controversial, particularly in regions with limited radiotherapy (RT) resources. While chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is the standard treatment in many Western countries, neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical surgery (NACT-RS) has emerged as an alternative approach. Objectives: The comparative effectiveness and safety of NACT-RS versus CRT in terms of side effects and recurrence rates remain unclear, necessitating further investigation. Methods: A cohort study was conducted from 2020 to 2023, involving 68 patients with cervical carcinoma (stages IB2 to IIB). The patients were stratified into two treatment groups: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical surgery (N = 17) and CRT (N = 51). The study compared pathology reports, short-term treatment complications, and one-year recurrence rates between the two groups. Results: Minor complications occurred in 41.2% of the NACT-RS group and 39.2% of the CRT group (P = 0.886), while major complications were observed in 23.5% and 25.5% of the groups, respectively (P = 0.872). All NACT-RS patients responded to chemotherapy with significant tumor size reduction (47.7 ± 8.0 vs. 11.2 ± 8.6, P < 0.001) and resolution of vaginal involvement. During the one-year follow-up, no recurrences were observed in the NACT-RS group, compared to eight out of 51 (16.7%) in the CRT group (P = 0.186). Conclusions: The similar short-term complication rates and potentially lower one-year recurrence rate in the NACT-RS group suggest that this approach may be a viable alternative to CRT, particularly for young patients with bulky tumors and in areas with limited RT facilities.

Local excision versus radical surgery for anal squamous cell carcinoma: a multicenter study in Japan

BackgroundThe standard treatment for anal squamous cell carcinoma is chemoradiation therapy (CRT), but there is a possibility of over-treatment for early-stage disease. cTisN0 and cT1N0 disease is currently indicated for local excision, but it is unclear whether the indication of local excision can be expanded to cT2N0 disease.Methods126 patients with cTis-T2N0 anal cancer treated at 47 centers in Japan between 1991 and 2015 were included. Patients were first classified into the CRT group and surgical therapy group according to the initial therapy, and the latter was further divided into local excision (LE) and radical surgery (RS) groups. We compared prognoses among the groups, and analyzed risk factors for recurrence after local excision.ResultsThe CRT group (n = 87) and surgical therapy group (n = 39) showed no difference in relapse-free survival (p = 0.29) and overall survival (p = 0.94). Relapse-free survival curves in the LE (n = 23) and RS groups (n = 16) overlapped for the initial 3 years, but the curve for the LE group went lower beyond (p = 0.33). By contrast, there was no difference in overall survival between the two groups (p = 0.98). In the LE group, the majority of recurrences distributed in locoregional areas, which could be managed by salvage treatments. Muscular invasion was associated with recurrence after local excision (hazard ratio: 22.91, p = 0.011).ConclusionLE may be applied to selected patients with anal cancer of cTis-T2N0 stage. Given the high risk of recurrence in cases with muscular invasion, it may be important to consider close surveillance and additional treatment in such patients.

The efficacy and safety of conversion therapy after initial systemic chemotherapy in advanced esophageal cancer with distant metastases: A multicenter retrospective observational study.

310 Background: Systemic chemotherapy, with or without radiation, has been the standard treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with distant metastasis. The increased efficacy of multimodality treatment allows for the consideration of conversion therapy with curative intent for initially unresectable ESCC after initial treatment. In the present study, we examined the safety and effectiveness of conversion therapy for ESCC. Methods: Conversion therapy was defined as surgery or chemoradiation therapy (CRT) aiming at cure after initial treatment for tumors that were initially unresectable due to distant metastasis. The patients who underwent conversion therapy for ESCC between 2011 and 2021 at participating institutions were retrospectively reviewed. Patient backgrounds, treatment outcomes, and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Results: From 22 institutions, 149 patients were enrolled. As defined, all patients received systemic chemotherapy as an initial treatment. The distant metastatic sites in para-aortic lymph nodes/extra regional mediastinal lymph nodes/lung/liver/bone/others were 81(54%)/19 (13%)/14 (9%)/11 (7%)/4 (3%)/20 (14%), respectively. After the initial treatment, 116 patients underwent surgery and 33 patients received CRT as conversion therapy. Of 116 patients who underwent conversion surgery, the incidence rate of postoperative pneumonia/leakage/recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was 16%/7%/6%, respectively. R0 resection was obtained in 87%. Regarding the non-hematological toxicities during conversion CRT (CTCAE grade 3 or higher), decreased appetite/dysphagia/esophagitis was 21%/15%/9%, respectively. No grade 4 or higher hematologic toxicities were observed. The 3-year OS (3y-OS) rate for all patients was 41.9%; no significant differences were found between surgery and CRT groups (43.3% vs 37.0%, p = 0.112). Pathological responders showed a significantly longer OS than non-responders (3y-OS, 56.4% vs 36.1%, p = 0.010). The distribution or number of distant metastases were not identified as prognostic factors. Conclusions: This study showed that conversion therapy for ESCC patients with distant metastasis could be conducted safely and have a favorable prognosis. Since its survival benefit would depend on the pathological response, it is important to develop an indicator to predict pathological response before surgery and carefully select appropriate candidates of conversion therapy in ESCC.

Understanding experiences of cancer-related fatigue in patients with lung cancer after their cancer treatment: a qualitative content analysis.

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is an important symptom affecting the quality of life of patients with lung cancer. However, research on the characteristics of CRF in lung cancer and their relationship to cancer treatment is limited. We aimed to explore the unique features of CRF in patients with lung cancer, and investigate the influencing factors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 adult patients with lung cancer until data saturation was reached. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. An inductive coding process and deductive content analysis incorporating the established CRF domains were employed. Patient data from electronic medical records were used for data triangulation. The analysis revealed five themes of CRF: (1) energy depletion, the double burden of illness and treatment, and daily life impediments; (2) feeling down and anxious; (3) neurovascular disturbances and changes in sensory perception; (4) cognitive impairment; and (5) personal and social isolation. CRF tended to improve over time, except for persistent emotional fatigue beyond 6months. Patients who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant cancer treatment exhibited the most diverse CRF symptoms. The concurrent chemoradiation therapy group experienced significant physical fatigue, whereas the radiosurgery group reported distinct emotional fatigue. Certain factors, such as exercise, can serve as both alleviating and aggravating factors for CRF. Tailored interventions that take into account the multidimensional symptoms of CRF and patient characteristics are crucial. These findings will guide healthcare professionals when implementing patient-centered symptom management and patient education.

MP56-12 PROPENSITY SCORE MATCHED SURVIVAL ANALYSIS OF OCTOGENARIANS WITH MUSCLE-INVASIVE BLADDER CANCER: CHEMORADIATION COMPARED TO RADICAL CYSTECTOMY

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023MP56-12 PROPENSITY SCORE MATCHED SURVIVAL ANALYSIS OF OCTOGENARIANS WITH MUSCLE-INVASIVE BLADDER CANCER: CHEMORADIATION COMPARED TO RADICAL CYSTECTOMY Pushan Prabhakar, Hariharan Ganapathi, Nikhil Kulkarni, Ahmed Eldefrawy, Jorge Caso, and Murugesan Manoharan Pushan PrabhakarPushan Prabhakar More articles by this author , Hariharan GanapathiHariharan Ganapathi More articles by this author , Nikhil KulkarniNikhil Kulkarni More articles by this author , Ahmed EldefrawyAhmed Eldefrawy More articles by this author , Jorge CasoJorge Caso More articles by this author , and Murugesan ManoharanMurugesan Manoharan More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003309.12AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION: AND OBJECTIVE: Radical cystectomy and chemotherapy are challenging in the elderly population with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) due to comorbidities and limited physiological reserve. Very few studies compared outcomes between chemoradiation therapy (CRT) and radical cystectomy (RC) among the older population. Current management options for older patients are extrapolated from outcomes based on the younger population. This study aims to compare survival outcomes among octogenarians who underwent CRT and RC for localized MIBC reported in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). METHODS: Patients who underwent CRT or RC for urothelial MIBC (cT2-T4N0M0) were identified in the NCDB (2004-2017). Primary CRT was defined as a radiation dose of ≥39.6 Gy, and chemotherapy received within 90 days of radiation without any definitive surgery. RC was defined as those who underwent RC with or without perioperative chemotherapy. The initial analysis compared proportions between octogenarians and the younger group. Following this, a propensity-matched analysis was performed to compare survival outcomes among octogenarians who underwent CRT and RC. RESULTS: A total of 21095 patients met the inclusion criteria and underwent either primary CRT or RC (4840 were octogenarians, and 16255 were less than 80 years). Among the octogenarian group, 2064 (42.6%) underwent primary CRT, and 2776 (57.4%) had RC. Whereas, in the younger group, 2633 (16.2%) had CRT, and 13622 (83.8%) had RC (p<0.001). Demographic parameters, comorbidity index, and clinical stage were used to generate propensity scores for octogenarians. After a propensity score match of 1:1 using strict criteria, there were 1767 octogenarians in each of the CRT and RC groups. The median overall survival in the primary CRT group was 28.78 months 95% CI [26.55, 31.00] and 26.12 months 95% CI [23.88, 28.36] in the RC group (p=0.326). CONCLUSIONS: CRT and RC groups had comparable survival outcomes in this retrospective analysis of octogenarians in a large national database. Further survival outcomes research in elderly populations will help us to individualize treatment and improve outcomes. Source of Funding: None © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e779 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Pushan Prabhakar More articles by this author Hariharan Ganapathi More articles by this author Nikhil Kulkarni More articles by this author Ahmed Eldefrawy More articles by this author Jorge Caso More articles by this author Murugesan Manoharan More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Safety and efficacy of conversion therapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

362 Background: The increased efficacy of multimodality treatment allows for the consideration of conversion therapy with curative intent for initially unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after initial treatment. Conversion therapy has been commonly defined as treatment aiming at a curable intention after tumors initially deemed technically or oncologically unresectable or only marginally resectable respond to chemotherapy. In our institute, conversion therapy is considered for patients with para-aortic lymph node-positive advanced ESCC who have no other distant metastasis, if the para-aortic lymph node metastases have disappeared after systemic chemotherapy. Methods: There were 33 patients of unresectable esophageal cancer with positive para-aortic lymph node metastases from 2011 to 2021. Nine of these patients showed disappearance of para-aortic lymph node metastases and underwent conversion therapy, seven patients underwent esophagectomy and two patients underwent chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Characteristics, short-term and long-term results of these nine cases are studied. Results: All of the nine patients who had para-aortic lymph node metastases were treated with induction DCF (Docetaxel + Cisplatin + 5-FU) therapy as initial treatment. After disappearance of para-aortic lymph node metastasis, minimally invasive or open esophagectomy was performed in seven patients and CRT was performed in two patients. In operation group, four patients (57%) had Clavien-Dindo grade 2 or 3 complications, but no perioperative death was observed. In CRT group, there was no toxicity over CTCAE grade 3. Four of nine patients (44%) had recurrence, within mediastinum lymph node, abdominal lymph node or adrenal gland. 3-year DFS was 56% and 3-year OS was 67%. Conclusions: Conversion therapy is safe and feasible in cases that responded to systemic chemotherapy. Some cases showed good prognosis. Long-term survival is expected with conversion therapy. In our study, there was few cases that could led to conversion therapy. It is expected that more aggressive initial chemotherapy will be used in the future for patients with positive para-aortic lymph node metastases with a view to conversion therapy.

PATH-06. SURVIVAL ANALYSIS FOR ADULT MIDLINE GLIOMA: DO ADULT MIDLINE GLIOMAS WITH THE H3 K27M MUTATION REALLY HAVE POOR PROGNOSIS?

Abstract PURPOSE Since it is known that midline located glioma with H3K27 mutation in children has a disastrous prognosis, in 2016 WHO classification, these tumors were defined as diffuse midline glioma (DMG) and classified as grade IV. A lot of papers about pediatric DMG have been published, but there are not many papers about adult DMG. In this study, we aimed to identify factors affecting the prognosis of adult midline glioma. This is the first paper to study the prognosis of adult DMG according to histological grade and is the largest study to investigate the survival of adult DMG. METHODS We reviewed the chart of adult patients diagnosed with midline glioma with H3K27M mutation after undergoing resection or biopsy among patients who visited our institution between January 2010 and December 2020. Survival analysis was performed according to tumor location, histological grading, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), and age. RESULTS Among the 125 adult midline gliomas we identified, 45 (36.0%) had the H3K27M mutation. As a result of survival analysis performed on 125 adult midline gliomas, low histological grade, KPS ≥ 80, and age ≤ 60 showed significantly better survival. After adjusting for age, the difference in survival between H3K27M mutation and wildtype group was not significant. As a result of survival analysis performed on 45 DMG, low histological grade, KPS ≥ 80, total resection, and concurrent chemoradiation therapy group showed significantly better survival. CONCLUSION In adult midline glioma, disastrous prognosis due to H3K27M mutation was not observed as in children. The prognosis of adult midline gliomas is determined by histological grade, age, KPS, and extent of tumor resection. Therefore, the current WHO classification, which classifies all H3K27M mutant midline gliomas as grade IV regardless of histological diagnoses, is not suitable for adults.

324. CLINICAL OUTCOME OF CURATIVE SURGERY AND DEFINITIVE CHEMORADIOTHERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH RESECTABLE CERVICAL ESOPHAGEAL CANCER

Abstract Esophagectomy and definitive chemoradiotherapy are standard initial treatment modality for resectable cervical esophageal cancer. We compared the treatment results of both treatment methods and examined treatment strategies for resectable cervical esophageal cancer. Patients who were treated for resectable cervical esophageal cancer at our hospital from January 2003 to March 2017 were divided into surgery group and chemoradiation therapy group (CRT group) for the initial treatment. The treatment results were compared retrospectively. Of all 51 patients, 20 patients received surgery and 31 received CRT. In surgery group, 16 cases lost their laryngeal function by surgery. Recurrence was observed in 7 cases, of which only 1 case was local. In CRT group, 26 cases (83.9%) achieved complete response, of which 13 cases relapsed. 5-year laryngeal-preserving survival rate was 56.2% in CRT group, and 72.3% for non-stenotic patients. There was no significant difference in 5-year survival rate between two groups (surgery, 62.2%; CRT, 66.1; p = 0.648). In stenotic cases, 5-year survival rate was better in surgery group (surgery, 75 0.0%; CRT, 25.0%; p = 0.033). The local control of the primary lesion and the prognosis in the stenotic cases were better in the surgery group. On the other hand, the 5-year laryngeal-preserving survival rate of the CRT group was high in non-stenotic cases. These results can be an important factor in choosing initial treatment for resectable cervical esophageal cancer.

Tumor metabolic alterations after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy predict postoperative recurrence in patients with pancreatic cancer.

We investigated the metabolic changes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to identify the mechanisms of treatment response of neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy. Frozen tumor and non-neoplastic pancreas tissues were prospectively obtained from 88 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who underwent curative-intent surgery. Sixty-two patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy and 26 patients did not receive neoadjuvant therapy (control group). Comprehensive analysis of metabolites in tumor and non-neoplastic pancreatic tissue was performed by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry. Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry detected 90 metabolites for analysis among more than 500 ionic metabolites quantified. There were significant differences in 27 tumor metabolites between the neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy and control groups. There were significant differences in eight metabolites [1-MethylnNicotinamide, Carnitine, Glucose, Glutathione (red), N-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate, N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate, UMP, Phosphocholine] between good responder and poor responder for neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy. Among these metabolites, phosphocholine, Carnitine and Glutathione were associated with recurrence-free survival only in the neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy group. Microarray confirmed marked gene suppression of choline transporters [CTL1-4 (SLC44A1-44A4)] in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissue of neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy group. The present study identifies several important metabolic consequences and potential neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy targets in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Choline metabolism is one of the key pathways involved in recurrence of the patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who received neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy.

Salvage Surgery Compared to Surgery After Induction Chemoradiation Therapy for Advanced Lung Cancer

BackgroundSalvage surgery is performed for selected patients with relapses of locally advanced lung cancer after definitive chemoradiation therapy (CRT), and it seems to be effective. To assess the feasibility of salvage surgery after definitive CRT, this study compared clinical outcomes of surgery after definitive CRT with those of surgery after induction CRT. MethodsMedical records of patients who underwent surgery from January 2000 to January 2018 were reviewed. The study compared patients with salvage anatomic pulmonary resection after definitive CRT with patients with surgery after induction CRT in terms of perioperative and long-term outcomes. ResultsA total of 23 patients underwent salvage surgery after definitive CRT for locally advanced lung cancer (salvage group), and 36 underwent surgery after induction CRT for cN2 stage III non-small cell lung cancer (induction CRT group). The surgical procedures in the salvage group were 2 segmentectomies, 13 lobectomies, 1 bilobectomy, and 7 pneumonectomies, and those in the induction CRT group were 34 lobectomies and 2 bilobectomies. There was no 30-day or 90-day mortality in either group. The 5-year overall survival was 44.7% for the salvage group and 58.6% for the induction CRT group. The 5-year progression-free interval was 42.2% for the salvage group and 47.7% for the induction CRT group. ConclusionsSalvage anatomic pulmonary resection after definitive CRT for locally advanced lung cancer is feasible, with acceptable morbidity and prognosis in highly selected patients.

Computed tomographic colonography versus double-contrast barium enema for the preoperative evaluation of rectal cancer.

We investigated whether or not computed tomographic colonography (CTC) is a viable alternative to double-contrast barium enema (BE) for a preoperative rectal cancer evaluation. The size and distance from the anal canal to the lower or upper tumor borders were laterally measured in 147 patients who underwent CTC and BE. Measurements were grouped into early cancer, advanced, and after chemoradiation therapy (CRT). In the early and advanced cancer groups, all lesions were visualized by BE. In contrast, 3 (7.8%) early and 8 (7.3%) advanced cases, located at the anterior wall near the anal canal, were not visualized by CTC because of liquid level formation. In the CRT group, 16 (23.5%) and 4 (5.8%) cases were not visualized by CTC and BE, respectively. The BE and CTC size measurements were similar among cohorts. However, the distance from the anal canal's superior margin tended to be longer with BE, especially in early cancer. The differences in distance from the anal canal were significantly larger in the early cancer group than in the other two groups (p = 0.0024). CTC may be a viable alternative imaging modality in some cases. However, BE should be employed in anterior wall cases near the anal canal and CRT cases.

Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients with a High Predicted Risk of Irradical Resection: Can Chemoradiotherapy Offer Similar Survival?

PurposeIrradical resection of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a detrimental prognostic factor. Recently, Rasing et al. presented an internationally validated risk score for pre-treatment prediction of irradical resection. We hypothesized that chemoradiation therapy (CRT) could serve as an alternative approach in patients with a high risk score and compared overall survival (OS) outcomes between surgery and CRT.MethodsPatients from a population-based cohort with stage IIB–III NSCLC between 2015 and 2018 in The Netherlands were selected. Patients with a ‘Rasing score’ > 4 who underwent surgery were matched with patients who underwent CRT using 1:1 nearest-neighbor propensity score matching. The primary endpoint of OS was compared using a Kaplan–Meier analysis.ResultsIn total, 2582 CRT and 638 surgery patients were eligible. After matching, 523 well-balanced pairs remained. Median OS in the CRT group was 27.5 months, compared with 45.6 months in the surgery group (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.23–1.70, p < 0.001). The 114 surgical patients who underwent an R1–2 resection (21.8%) had a worse median OS than the CRT group (20.2 versus 27.5 months, HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61–0.99, p = 0.039).ConclusionIn NSCLC patients at high predicted risk of irradical resection, CRT appears to yield inferior survival compared with surgery. Therefore, choosing CRT instead of surgery cannot solely be based on the Rasing score. Since patients receiving an R1–2 resection do have detrimental outcomes compared with primary CRT, the treatment decision should be based on additional information, such as imaging features, comorbidities, patient preference, and the surgeon’s confidence in achieving an R0 resection.

Total neoadjuvant therapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer: A tertiary medical center experience.

The current standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) includes preoperative chemoradiation, followed by total mesorectal excision and adjuvant chemotherapy. This multimodality treatment improves local control but is associated with low compliance rates without clear beneficial effects on overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis. In this retrospective study, the charts of patients diagnosed with cT3/4 or cT2-node-positive rectal cancer between January 2011 and June 2019 were reviewed. The chemoradiation therapy (CRT) group received a long course of CRT with capecitabine followed by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. The total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) group received 6 cycles mFOLFOX and a short course of radiation therapy followed by surgery. A total of 81 patients were included, among which 55 (67.9%) received CRT and 26 (32.1%) received TNT. In the CRT group, 15 (27.3%) patients achieved pathologic complete response (pCR) compared with 10 (38.5%) in the TNT group (P=0.22). A total of 19 (35.8%) cases in the CRT group downstaged to pT0N0 or pT1N0 compared with 11 (42.3%) in the TNT group (P=0.33). The 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 81.0% in the TNT group and 84.0% in the CRT group (P=0.15). Out of 55 patients in the CRT group, 30 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy, 22 (40.0% of CRT cases) of which completed a full course. All 26 patients in the TNT group received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, where 22 (84.6%) patients took a full course (P<0.001). In conclusion, the present study revealed that patients treated with TNT were more compliant to chemotherapy than those treated with CRT. A numerically higher pCR rate, and nodal and tumor downstaging were noted in the TNT group without significance. No difference was noted in the 2-year DFS. Longer follow-up is required.

Trimodality Therapy With or Without Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Bladder-sparing chemoradiation therapy is a definitive first-line treatment option for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Randomized trials have demonstrated that the addition of neoadjuvant chemotherapy to radical cystectomy or radiation monotherapy results in a survival benefit. Whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves outcomes when used with definitive chemoradiation is unknown. We identified 2566 patients in the National Cancer Data Base with cT2-4N0M0 urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder treated with definitive intent concurrent chemoradiation from 2004 to 2015. The exposure of interest was receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus those without neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The primary outcome was overall survival defined from the time of diagnosis. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to compare survival between groups. Sensitivity analyses tested (1) an interaction term for clinical T stage and (2) defining survival from start of radiation (as opposed to time of diagnosis) to address potential leading time bias. We identified 462 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation and 2104 patients treated with chemoradiation alone. With a median follow-up of 6.2 years, we found no difference in survival between groups: 5-year or 10-year overall survival of 30.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 28.4%-32.9%) in the neoadjuvant group versus 31.8% (95% CI, 27.0%-36.8%) in the standard chemoradiation therapy group and 13.3% (95% CI, 11.2%-15.5%) in the neoadjuvant group versus 13.0% (95% CI, 8.4%-18.7%) in the standard chemoradiation therapy group, respectively (log-rank P=.19). On multivariable analysis we found no association between receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and overall survival (hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.88-1.15; P=.921). The sensitivity analyses did not identify any differential effect by clinical T stage nor by defining survival from start of radiation. These results do not support the routine addition of neoadjuvant chemotherapy to definitive chemoradiation for bladder cancer, and optimizing the chemotherapy sequencing and regimens for bladder-preserving approaches to muscle invasive bladder cancer should continue to be studied under prospective clinical trials.

Outcome comparison between radiochemotherapy and surgery in the management of locally advanced non-metastatic laryngeal cancer a single institution experience

he treatment of locally advanced non-metastatic laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma is very controversial. Total laryngectomy associated with lymph node dissection and adjuvant radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy is considered the gold standard treatment. The functional impairment on voice and breathing that result from this approach called for discussion of preservation of this organ. Since the publication of the Veterans' Study in 1991 on laryngeal cancer and the confirmation by subsequent randomized trials of an equivalent survival, treatment strategies for advanced laryngeal carcinoma have shown significant changes in favour of an organ-sparing approach by chemoradiotherapy. Purpose: We aim to assess the outcome of locally advanced non-metastatic laryngeal cancer classified as (T3NxM0 -T4NxM0) by comparing the carcinological results and the survival at one and three years between two cohorts of patients, one treated by surgery and the other by organ preservation protocols. Between the two series, we will analyze the carcinological outcomes, local control, local and lymph node recurrence, distant metastases, overall survival, and recurrence-free survival, lymph Node-free survival, and metastatic evolution. Results: 106 patients were treated for locally advanced squamous cell laryngeal carcinoma of the ENT department and radiation Oncology department of Mohamed VI University hospital between January 2014 and December 2018; Sixty-three patients in surgery group I and forty-three patients in group II went on organ sparing approach by radiochemotherapy. The two groups were compared according to local tumor control, local recurrence, lymph node recurrence, and distant metastasis. Early deaths and patients who were lost to follow-up were excluded from this analysis. The average age was 61 years in the surgery group versus 60 years in the RCC. The male predominance was marked in both treatment groups, 102 were male (96.23%) and only 4 female (3.77 %.).88.7% were smokers with an average consumption of 26.4 package-years. Only 15% of our smoking patients reported a withdrawal period estimated at two months on average. Alcohol-smoking synergy was observed in 19% of cases. In the surgery group, 47 patients or 83.9% had local tumor control compared to 12 patients or 41.4% in the radio-chemotherapy group with a statistically significant difference p&lt;0.0001. Local recurrence was observed in 8 patients (14.5%) in the surgery group against 6 patients (46.2%) in the radio-chemotherapy cohort with a p= 0.02. We noted that there was a large number of missing data (30 patients) in the radio-chemotherapy group due to the large number of patients who were lost to follow-up, early deaths, and patients who did not progress well after treatment. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of lymph node recurrence and metastatic progression. At 1 year, Overall survival was 87.9% of patients were alive (n=51 out of 58) in the surgery arm versus 60.6% (n=20 out of 33) in the radio-chemotherapy arm. At 3 years overall survival was 77.5% for surgery versus 48.4% for radiotherapy (p= 0.005).Lymph node free recurrence and metastatic free progression at 1 year was 94.5% in the surgery group compared with 84.6% for radio-chemotherapy. Survival at 3 years was 85.4% versus 53.8% respectively (p=0.05).In the chemoradiation therapy group, there were 30 missing data due to a large number of deaths and loss of the follow-up during the first year without any indication of the presence or absence of recurrence, compared to 8 missing data for the radio-chemotherapy group. Conclusion: The optimal treatment for advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx is highly controversial. Total laryngectomy associated with cervical lymph node dissection remains the gold standard of treatment but organ-sparing protocols are as effective as surgical therapy. However, in our study, total laryngectomy plus lymph node dissection showed better survival outcomes in terms of locoregional control and significantly increased overall survival and recurrence-free survival. This makes surgery the treatment of choice in the management of locally advanced non-metastatic laryngeal cancer in our single institutional Moroccan setting. Possible reasons for these results may be poor patient selection, inadequate follow-up, incomplete treatment, and interrupted treatment sessions but also the long delay in consultation. Patients and professionals should be made aware of the small but significant disadvantage of the non-surgical therapy approach as part of the shared decision-making process when selecting treatment. Both surgery and radio-chemotherapy can be effective if the treatment indications are well directed. These indications depend on several many several parameters and should be considered at the multidisciplinary consultation meetings and adapted on a case-by-case basis.

Consolidation chemotherapy might improve pathological complete response for locally advanced rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy: a meta‐analysis

AbstractPatients with locally advanced rectal cancer who achieve a pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) have an improved prognosis. The need for surgery in these patients has been questioned; however, the proportion of patients who achieve pCR and receive a wait‐and‐watch strategy is small. This meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate whether neoadjuvant consolidation chemotherapy leads to a higher rate of pCR than standard CRT alone in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. To this end, we carried out a meta‐analysis of three clinical controlled trials, consisting of 466 patients who were divided into the CRT group (n = 211) and the consolidation chemotherapy group (n = 255). The results showed that consolidation chemotherapy could significantly improve the pCR rate compared with neoadjuvant CRT alone (pooled odds ratio for pCR 2.02, 95% confidence interval 1.09–3.57, P = 0.03) and did not increase the adverse events (odds ratio 1.38, 95% confidence interval 0.77–2.50, P = 0.28 for grades 1–2; odds ratio 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.14–6.13, P = 0.93 for grades 3–4). The findings of our study showed that adding consolidation chemotherapy after CRT is a safe approach that could lead to a higher pCR rate in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Comparative analysis of the efficacy of definitive chemoradiation therapy and surgery followed by adjuvant radiation therapy in advanced-stage oral tongue cancer.

It is a retrospective analysis of the treatment outcomes of 211patients with stage III-IVA-B resectable OTSCC. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the treatment modality: 114patients received surgery followed by adjuvant RT or CRT (S-RT/CRT) group; the definitive CRT group consisted of 97patients. The five-year overall survival (OS) was 57.0% in S-RT/CRT group vs 20.4% in CRT group; the five-year disease-free survival (DFS) in S-RT/CRT group was 56.5% vs 15.5%, in the CRT group. Comparison of survival curves revealed statistically significant higher OS and DFS rates in patients of S-RT/CRT group as compared with those in CRT patients (hazard ratio= 0.33 (95% confidence interval 0.23-0.47), p< 0.001vs hazard ratio= 0.25 (95% confidence interval 0.17-0.37), p< 0.001). A multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant prognostic effect of the primary tumor extension cT4 (p= 0.004), cervical lymph node involvement cN2 (p< 0.001), cN3 (p= 0.04) and treatment modality (p< 0.001) on OS. There was also found a statistically significant prognostic effect of the primary tumor extension cT4 (p= 0.02), cervical lymph node involvement cN2 (p< 0.001) and treatment modality (p< 0.001) on DFS. 18 (15.8%) patients of S-RT/CRT group and 13 (13.4%) patients (p= 0.77) of CRT group developed mandibular osteoradionecrosis. Primary surgery with adjuvant RT or CRT in advanced-stage resectable OTSCC significantly increases five-year OS and DFS rates as compared to those after definitive CRT.

Survival Benefits From Surgery for Stage IVa Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Multi-institutional Analysis of 1,033 Cases.

ObjectivesHead and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCs) are frequently diagnosed at the locoregional advanced stage (stage IVa), but controversy remains regarding whether stage IVa HSNCs should be treated with upfront surgery or definitive chemoradiation therapy (CRT). The purpose of this study was to compare overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with stage IVa HNSC treated primarily by surgery with curative intent with/without (neo)adjuvant treatment (surgery group) versus those treated primarily with CRT (CRT group).MethodsWe reviewed data of 1,033 patients with stage IVa HNSC treated with curative intent at 17 cancer centers between 2010 and 2016.ResultsAmong 1,033 patients, 765 (74.1%) received upfront surgery and 268 (25.9%) received CRT. The 5-year OS and DFS rates were 64.4% and 62.0% in the surgery group and 49.5% and 45.4% in the CRT group, respectively. In multivariate analyses, OS and DFS were better in the surgery group than in the CRT group (odds ratio [OR] for death, 0.762; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.592–0.981; OR for recurrence, 0.628; 95% CI, 0.492–0.802). In subgroup analyses, the OS and DFS of patients with oropharyngeal cancer were better in the surgery group (OR for death, 0.548; 95% CI, 0.341–0.879; OR for recurrence, 0.598; 95% CI, 0.377–0.948). In the surgery group, patients with laryngeal cancer showed better OS (OR for death, 0.432; 95% CI, 0.211–0.882), while those with hypopharyngeal cancer DFS was improved (OR for recurrence, 0.506; 95% CI, 0.328–0.780).ConclusionA survival benefit from surgery may be achieved even in patients with stage IVa HNSC, particularly those with oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. Surgery led to a reduction in the recurrence rate in patients with hypopharyngeal cancer.

Comparison of efficacy between adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiation therapy for pancreatic cancer: AJCC stage-based approach.

BACKGROUNDThe adjuvant treatment for patients with resected pancreatic cancer (PC) is not yet standardized. Because the prognosis differs according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, a tailored approach to establish more aggressive treatment plans in high-risk patients is necessary. However, studies comparing the efficacy of adjuvant treatment modalities according to the AJCC stage are largely lacking.AIMTo compare the efficacy of chemotherapy and chemoradiation therapy according to AJCC 8th staging system in patients with PC who underwent surgical resection.METHODSA total of 335 patients who underwent surgical resection and adjuvant treatment for PC were included. Patients were divided into three groups: Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) group, systemic chemotherapy (SCT) group and combined treatment of chemoradiation plus chemotherapy therapy (CRT-SCT) group. The primary outcomes were differences in overall survival (OS) between the three groups. The secondary outcomes were differences in recurrence-free survival, recurrence pattern and adverse events between the three groups.RESULTSPatients received CRT (n = 65), SCT (n = 62) and CRT-SCT (n = 208). Overall median OS was 33.3 mo (95% confidence interval (CI): 27.4-38.6). In patients with stage I/II, the median OS was 27.0 mo (95%CI: 2.06-89.6) in the CRT group, 35.8 mo (95%CI: 26.9-NA) in the SCT group and 38.6 mo (95%CI: 33.3-55.7) in the CRT-SCT group. Among them, there was no significant difference in OS between the three groups. In 59 patients with stage III, median OS in the SCT group [19.0 mo (95%CI: 12.6-NA)] and the CRT-SCT group [23.4 mo (95%CI: 22.0-44.4)] was significantly longer than that in the CRT group [17.7 mo (95%CI: 6.8-NA); P = 0.011 and P < 0.001, respectively]. There were no significant differences in incidence of locoregional and distant recurrences between the three groups (P = 0.158 and P = 0.205, respectively). Incidences of grade 3 or higher hematologic adverse events were higher in the SCT and CRT-SCT groups than in the CRT group.CONCLUSIONSCT and CRT-SCT showed significantly longer OS and recurrence-free survival than CRT in patients with AJCC stage III, while there was no significant difference in OS between the CRT, SCT and CRT-SCT groups in patients with AJCC stage I/II. Different adjuvant therapy according to AJCC stage can be applied in patients with PC.

Direct effectiveness of adding local hyperthermia to the scheme of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer

Purpose of the study. Direct evaluation of the antitumor effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer using local electromagnetic hyperthermia. Materials and methods. The analysis of the direct results of treatment of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer in the clinic of the MRRC them. A.F.Tsyba is a branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution Scientific Research Center for Radiology of the Ministry of Health of Russia from 2015 to 2018. The study included 2 groups of patients: the study group of 54 patients and the control group of 56 people. All patients underwent a comprehensive examination with the aim of staging and morphological verification of the tumor. Patients of the study group in the neoadjuvant mode received conventional radiation therapy with classical dose fractionation in ROD 2 Gy, up to SOD 50 Gy, for 5 weeks with CAPOX chemotherapy, and local electromagnetic hyperthermia on the Yacht 4 unit, in the amount of 6 sessions. Patients in the control group received neoadjuvant treatment in an absolutely identical manner, with the exception of local hyperthermia. After the end of neoadjuvant therapy after 8–10 weeks, a comprehensive examination was again performed to assess the response of the tumor and a decision was made to conduct surgical treatment. During the follow-up examination, the following parameters were evaluated: tumor regression according to clinical and radiological examination. After surgical treatment, a comprehensive evaluation of the removed drug was carried out, including an assessment of the degree of therapeutic tumor pathomorphism according to Lavnikova G. P. Results. When conducting a comparative analysis of the frequency of complete clinical regressions of the tumor in the thermo-chemoradiotherapy group, we more often recorded the full clinical response, 12 patients (22%), compared with the chemoradiotherapy group, 8 patients (14%). In terms of partial response and stabilization in the chemoradiotherapy group, partial regression was observed in 75% of patients, while in the thermochemioradiation group only in 52% of cases. Stabilization in the study and control groups was 14% and 6%, respectively. All patients of the study and control groups with partial tumor regression and stabilization underwent surgical treatment. As a result, the frequency of surgical operations in the control group was slightly higher than 48 (85.7%) versus 42 (77.7%) from the main group (p&gt;0.05). When analyzing the frequency of a complete pathomorphological response, we noted that in the thermochemo-radiation therapy group it was 34% versus 4% in the chemo-radiation therapy group. On the contrary, pathomorphism of the 1st degree was much more common in patients of the control group — 21% versus 2% in the study group. The differences in both cases are statistically highly significant (p&lt;0.001, χ2 15, χ27). Conclusion. The use of thermochemoradiotherapy with high statistical significance (p&lt;0.001) increases the frequency of complete pathomorphological response: 34% in the study group versus 4% in the chemoradiotherapy group.