Disease-free Survival Rates Of Group Research Articles

Treatment Decision for Locally Resected T1 Colorectal Carcinoma-Verification of the Japanese Guideline Criteria for Additional Surgery Based on Long-Term Clinical Outcomes.

To verify the value of the pathological criteria for additional treatment in locally resected pT1 colorectal carcinoma (CRC) which have been used in the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum (JSCCR) guidelines since 2009. We enrolled 4,719 patients with pT1 CRC treated at 27 institutions between July 2009 and December 2016 (1,259 patients with local resection alone [group A], 1,508 patients with additional surgery after local resection [group B], and 1,952 patients with surgery alone [group C]). All 5 factors of the JSCCR guidelines (submucosal resection margin, tumor histologic grade, submucosal invasion depth, lymphovascular invasion, and tumor budding) for lymph node metastasis (LNM) had been diagnosed prospectively. Any of the risk factors were present in 3,801 patients. The LNM incidence was 10.3% (95% confidence interval 9.3-11.4) in group B/C patients with risk factors, whereas it was 1.8% (95% confidence interval 0.4-5.2) in those without risk factors ( P < 0.01). In group A, the incidence of recurrence was 3.4% in patients with risk factors, but it was only 0.1% in patients without risk factors ( P < 0.01). The disease-free survival rate of group A patients classified as risk positive was significantly worse than those of groups B and C patients. However, the 5-year disease-free survival rate in group A patients with no risk was 99.2%. Our large-scale real-world multicenter study demonstrated the validity of the JSCCR criteria for pT1 CRC after local resection, especially regarding favorable outcomes in patients with low risk of LNM.

The management of metastatic neck nodes following induction chemotherapy in N2/3 classification hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

For patients with less chemosensitive neck nodes, poor prognosis after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) could be predicted and neck dissection is needed. Ninety-two N2/3 hypopharyngeal carcinoma patients were retrospectively studied. According to response after induction chemotherapy (ICT), patients were treated with neck dissection followed by concurrent CRT (CCRT) (group 1), surgery plus postoperative CRT (group 2), or CCRT for primary and regional sites (group 3). Overall survival and disease-free survival rates of group 1 were significantly higher than group 2 (p=0.038, p=0.031) and group 3 (both p=0.018). Regional control rate of group 1 was significantly higher than group 3 (p=0.041). There were no significant differences between groups 1 and 2 regarding local and regional control (p=0.746, p=0.302). Neck dissection followed by CCRT is the best choice for patients with responsive primary but nonresponsive nodes.

Level IV neck dissection in cN0 HPV-negative oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundAs opposed to observation of the neck, elective neck dissection has a survival benefit for cN0 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). However, there are limited date on level IV neck dissection in human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative OPSCC because most earlier studies did not stratify by P16 or HPV status. Thus, whether to exclude level IV from selective dissection (SND) of cN0 HPV-negative OPSCC remains controversial.MethodsIn this single-center retrospective cohort study, disease-free survival (DFS) was estimated as the primary endpoint for 124 cN0 HPV-negative OPSCC patients who received SND of levels I-III (Group A) and I-IV (Group B). Overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were considered secondary endpoints.ResultsFor the entire cohort, the 5-year DFS rates of Groups A and B were 55.0% and 60.1%, respectively. Five-year OS rates were 58.9% and 61.5%, and 5-year DSS rates were 74.0% and 64.8%, respectively. Group B did not show higher 5-year DFS, OS, or DSS than Group A.ConclusionsThis retrospective cohort study validated that in cN0 HPV-negative OPSCC, SND including level IV does not have substantial benefits regarding DFS, OS or DSS.

A twice-daily or a three-times-daily tegafur-uracil and leucovorin calcium regimen as adjuvant therapy in patients with resected colorectal cancer: A phase III study.

38 Background: Tegafur-uracil (UFT)/leucovorin calcium (LV) is an adjuvant chemotherapy treatment for colorectal cancer. We conducted a multicenter randomized trial to assess the noninferiority of a twice-daily compared with a three-times-daily UFT/LV regimen for stage II/III colorectal cancer in an adjuvant setting. Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to group A (three doses of UFT [300 mg/m2 per day]/LV [75 mg per day]) or B (two doses of UFT [300 mg/m2 per day]/LV [50 mg per day]). The schedule of 28-day oral administration followed by a 7-day rest period was repeated. Five 35-day cycles were repeated. The primary endpoint was 3-year disease-free survival. The secondary endpoints included 5-year overall survival and toxicity. Results: In total, 386 patients were enrolled between July 28, 2011, and September 27, 2013. The 3-year disease-free survival rates of group A (n = 194) and B (n = 192) were 79.4% and 81.4% (95% confidence interval, 72.6-84.4-74.5-85.9), respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates of group A and B were 89.7% and 91.0% (95% confidence interval, 83.3-92.8-84.8-93.8), respectively. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events in group A and B were diarrhea (3.9% vs. 7.3%), neutropenia (2.9% vs. 1.6%), increase in aspartate aminotransferase (4.0% vs. 3.9%), increase in alanine aminotransferase (6.2% vs. 6.8%), nausea (1.7% vs. 3.4%), and fatigue (1.1% vs. 2.3%). Conclusions: Group B outcomes were not inferior to group A outcomes, and adverse events did not increase. Clinical trial information: UMIN000005594.

Excision margin of T3 basal cell carcinoma in maxillofacial area: A retrospective cohort study of Asians.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer worldwide. Surgical excision is considered as the mainstay of treatment, while the evidence of excision margin in advanced stage is lacking, especially in maxillofacial area. We conducted a 2-center retrospective cohort study. Disease-free survival rate was estimated for 116 Asian patients with T3 basal cell carcinoma in maxillofacial area who received stand surgical excision with margin of 3-5mm (Group A), 6-9mm (Group B), and 10-15mm (Group C). For the entire cohort, five-year disease-free survival rates of Groups A, B, and C were 82.1%, 93.5%, and 92.4%, respectively. When compared with Group B, Group A was correlated with lower disease-free survival rate (HR 5.48, p=.04), and Group C was not associated with different disease-free survival rate (HR 0.85, p=.62). Perineural invasion (p=.006) and pathologic subtypes of infiltrative basal cell carcinoma (p=.01) were independent prognosticator for disease-free survival rate. This multicenter cohort study validated that T3 basal cell carcinoma Asian patients of maxillofacial area treated with excision margin of 6-9mm had a substantial benefit of disease-free survival rate and skin conservation.

Effective Radiotherapy in Tracheobronchial Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma With Positive Surgical Margin

The study aimed to evaluate the role of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in the treatment of trachea and main bronchus adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) with a positive surgical margin. Patients with pathologically confirmed trachea or main bronchus ACC operated on at Shanghai Chest Hospital were enrolled. Survival, univariate, and multivariate analyses were performed. The χ2 test was applied to analyze the failure patterns among different groups (R0/0: negative margin resection without PORT; R1/0: positive margin resection without PORT; R1/1: positive margin resection with PORT). From January 2001 to December 2014, 77 patients were deemed eligible for the study. Pairwise comparisons showed that the overall survival rate of group R1/1 was comparable to that of group R0/0 (P=.438), and significantly longer than the rate of group R1/0 (P= .032). Additionally, the local disease-free survival rate of group R1/1 was much higher than that of group R0/0 (P= .023) and R1/0 (P= .001). Cox multivariate analysis identified the radiologic feature (P= .012) and PORT (P= .006) as significantly favorable prognostic factors for locoregional disease-free survival. By contrast, for overall survival, PORT (P= .032) was the only corresponding variable identified by univariate analysis. Furthermore, PORT significantly decreased the locoregional recurrence rate (P= .002) but not distant metastases (P > .999). PORT helped patients with tracheobronchial ACC and microscopic positive surgical margins to achieve a similar outcome as patients with complete resection. R0 resection may not be necessary for tracheobronchial ACC if it is difficult to be completely resected.

Drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization sequentially combined with radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of untreated and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUNDDrug-eluting beads transarterial chemoem-bolization (DEB-TACE) has the advantages of slow and steady release, high local concentration, and low incidence of adverse drug reactions compared to the traditional TACE. DEB-TACE combined with sequentially ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy has strong anti-cancer effects and little side effects, but there are fewer related long-term studies until now.AIMTo explore the outcome of DEB-TACE sequentially combined with RFA for patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).METHODSSeventy-six patients with primary HCC who underwent DEB-TACE sequentially combined with RFA were recruited. Forty patients with untreated HCC were included in Group A, and 36 patients with recurrent HCC were included in Group B. In addition, 40 patients with untreated HCC who were treated with hepatectomy were included in Group C. The serological examination, preoperative magnetic resonance imaging examination, and post-treatment computed tomography enhanced examination were performed for all patients. The efficacy was graded as complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), stable disease and progressive disease at the 3rd, 6th, and 9th. All patients were followed up for 3 years and their overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed.RESULTSThe efficacy of Group A and Group C was similar (P > 0.05), but the alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin of Group A were lower than those of Group C (all P < 0.05). The proportions of CR (32.5%), PR (37.5%) were slightly higher than Group A (CR: 27.5%, PR: 35%), but the difference was not statistically significant (χ2 = 0.701, P = 0.873). No operational-related deaths occurred in Group A and Group C. The OS (97.5%, 84.7%, and 66.1%) and the DFS (75.0%, 51.7%, and 35.4%) of Group A at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year after treatment were similar with those of Group C (OS: 90.0%, 79.7%, and 63.8%; DFS: 80.0%, 59.7%, and 48.6%; P > 0.05). The OS rates in Group A and Group B (90%, 82.3%, and 66.4%) were similar (P > 0.05). The DFS rates in Group B (50%, 31.6%, and 17.2%) were lower than that of Group A (P = 0.013).CONCLUSIONThe efficacy of DEA-TACE combined with RFA for untreated HCC is similar with hepatectomy. Patients with recurrent HCC could get a longer survival time through the combined treatment.

Intraoperative Diagnosis and Surgical Procedure with Imprint Cytology for Small Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: For patients with multiple small-sized pulmonary cancers, a lobectomy can disrupt future therapeutic options for other lesions. It was recently reported that limited pulmonary resections were not inferior to lobectomy for the management of selected peripheral small-sized pulmonary adenocarcinomas. Patients with adenocarcinoma in situ or minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, as proposed by the International Association for the Study of Cancer classification, have been reported to have 100% survival after 5 years. However, that classification can be applied postoperatively. Since 2005, we have been intentionally performing limited pulmonary resection procedures for small-sized adenocarcinoma cases based on intraoperative imprint cytological diagnosis and our classification (Nakayama-Higashiyama's classification).Materials and Methods: A total of 120 consecutive cases were included in this study. Lung tumors were removed intraoperatively by wedge resection, and stump smear cytology was performed, from which the cases were classified into 5 groups based on our classification. When the tumor was classified as Group I or II, the operation was finished. When diagnosed as a more advanced classification, a lobectomy and lymph node dissection were additionally performed.Results: The 5-year survival rate for Group I and II was 100%, while those for Group III and IV-V were 95.8% and 94.4%, respectively. The 5-year disease-free survival rates for Group I and Group II were 100% and 97.1%, respectively, and for Group III and IV-V they were 100% and 94.1%, respectively.Conclusion: Use of cytological findings along with Nakayama-Higashiyama's classification for determining operation procedure is effective for treatment of patients with small-sized pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

Adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization after radical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with tumor size less than 5 cm: a retrospective study

Objective: Our aim is to retrospectively compare the disease-free survival (DFS) of adjuvant TACE after surgical resection on patients with tumor less than 5 cm.Methods: A total of 307 patients with HCC underwent hepatic resection between January 2014 to December 2016 were enrolled in this study. Among these, 172 patients underwent surgical treatment only (group A) and 135 patients received surgical resection followed by adjuvant TACE (group B). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis is used to minimize baseline differences between two groups. DFS was compared between the two groups and Cox proportional hazard model was used to predict the factor for recurrence.Results: Before PSM, the 1, 2, 3 year DFS rate of group A and B were 90.1%, 83.3%, 75.3% versus 85.2%, 73.9%, 68.1%, respectively (p = .286). After PSM, the 1, 2, 3 year DFS rate of group A and group B were 90.3%, 80.8%, 71.9% versus 89.2%, 77.8%, 71.3%, respectively (p = .791). In subgroup analysis where patients presented with microvascular invasion (MiVI), before PSM the 1, 2, 3 year DFS rate were 77.8%, 77.8%, 77.8% and 70%, 70%, 47.3%, for group A and B, respectively (p = .491). After PSM the 1, 2, 3 year DFS rate for group A and B were 71.4%, 71.4%, 71.4% and 100%, 100%, 50%, respectively (p = .440). Cox proportional hazard model identified tumor size ≥3 cm as factor related to recurrence.Conclusions: Adjuvant TACE does not improve the DFS of HCC patients with tumor size less than 5 cm.

Long-term oncologic outcomes of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma according to the presence of clinically apparent lymph node metastasis: a large retrospective analysis of 5,348 patients.

PurposeActive surveillance (AS) of low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) may reduce the risk of overtreatment of clinically insignificant cancer. However, the absence of predictor for the progression of PTMC resulted in treatment delay and potentially compromising cure of aggressive disease. Therefore, to anticipate potential damage of delayed surgery, we investigated the oncologic outcomes of patients with low-risk PTMC initially eligible for AS except clinically apparent lymph node metastasis (LNM), imitating delayed surgery with neck dissection.Materials and methodsA total of 5,348 patients, enrolled between 1987 and 2016, with low-risk PTMC initially eligible for AS were included regardless of LNM. We classified our study patients into two groups: Group I, lobectomy with prophylactic central cervical node dissection; Group II, total thyroidectomy with modified radical neck dissection for LNM. In addition, we investigated the oncological outcomes of patients with second-wave surgery due to lateral lymph node recurrence (Group III, subgroup of Group I).ResultsGroup I showed more favorable clinicopathological characteristics compared with Group II. In Group I, only 29 (0.58%) of 4,927 patients underwent second-wave surgery with neck dissection for lateral lymph node recurrences, whereas in Group II, all 22 (5.23%) of 421 patients underwent second-wave selective node dissection because of nodal recurrence. Disease-free survival rates were significantly different between Groups I and II (P<0.05). Of note, the recurrence rate of Group II was still significantly higher than that of Group III (5.2% vs 0%, respectively; P=0.021). In addition, Kaplan–Mayer survival analysis indicated poor disease-free survival rates in Group II compared with Group III (P<0.05).ConclusionThe long-term treatment outcome of PTMC without LNM was favorable even if the recurrence occurs during follow-up period compared with that of PTMC with LNM. It should be noted that AS might be able to cause poor prognosis due to clinically apparent LNM.

COMBINED MODALITY TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH INOPERABLE COLORECRAL LIVER METASTASES

The purpose of the study was to improve treatment outcomes for patients with inoperable colorectal liver metastases using the combination of chemoembilization of the hepatic artery and radiofrequency ablation.Material and methods. Treatment outcomes of 60 patients with methachronic unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer were analyzed. Eligibility criteria were as follows: absence of extrahepatic metastases, size of metastases from 3 to 5 cm, and inability to perform resection. All patients were divided into two groups. Group I included 30 patients who received combination of regional chemotherapy and radiofrequency ablation. Group II (the control group) consisted of 30 patients who received radiofrequency ablation only.Results. Post-embolization and post-ablation syndromes were observed in both groups of patients. Rightsided hydrothorax (Clavien-Dindo grade II) was found in 4 out of 60 patients (2 patients in Group I and 2 patients in Group II). One-, two- and three-year disease-free survival rates in Group I patients were 96.6 %, 76.6 % and 53.3 %, respectively. The corresponding rates in the control group patients were 90.0 %, 53.6 % and 30.0 %, respectively (p=0.049). The overall one-, two-and three-year survival rates in Group I patients were 100 %, 90 % and 63.3 %, respectively. The corresponding rates in the control group patients were 100 %, 70 % and 50.0 %, respectively (p=0.202).Conclusion. The combination of regional chemotherapy and radiofrequency ablation led to the improvement in overall and disease-free survival rates.

Prognostic Value of Different Patterns of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen Level for the Recurrent Cervical Cancer

PurposeIn some unusual cases, in patients with cervical cancer, an elevation of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) was not observed at diagnosis but was observed on recurrence, or vice versa. The objective of this study was to identify patient-, disease-, and treatment-related factors associated with this unusual level of SCC-Ag, and to determine whether SCC-Ag is a useful tumor marker in such patients.Materials and MethodsAmong 129 patients with recurrence, 14 who showed a normal SCC-Ag level at diagnosis but an elevated level at recurrence were classified as group I; 22 patients with an elevated SCC-Ag level at diagnosis but not at recurrence were classified as group II; and 76 patients with an elevated SCC-Ag level at both diagnosis and recurrence were classified as group III.ResultsIn univariate analysis, unusual SCC-Ag showed statistically significant relationships with pathology and biochemical response to treatment. However, in the multivariate analysis, none of the clinicopathologic factors showed a statistical relationship with unusual levels of SCC-Ag. The 5-year disease-free survival rates for groups I, II, and III were 7.1%, 9.1%, and 0% (p=0.418), and the 5-year overall survival rates were 34.3%, 58.4%, and 33.3% (p=0.142), respectively.ConclusionThe value of SCC-Ag has been confirmed in all patients; thus, check of SCC-Ag level at follow-up should be considered. Although no statistically significant differences were observed among the groups, we conclude that patients with a high initial SCC-Ag and elevated SCC-Ag at relapse have poor prognosis due to high SCC-Ag level.

Clinical Significance of Serial Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Values for Treating Rectal Cancer with Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy

PurposePreoperative chemoradiotherapy is now widely accepted to treat rectal cancer; however, the prognosis for rectal cancer patients during and after chemoradiotherapy must be determined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serial serum carcinoembryonic antigen (s-CEA) samples in patients with rectal cancer who underwent radical surgery after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT).MethodsThis study evaluated 236 patients with rectal cancer who received preoperative CRT followed by curative surgery between June 2005 and June 2010. We measured the patient's s-CEA levels pre-CRT, post-CRT and post-surgery. Patients were classified into four groups according to their s-CEA concentrations (group 1, high, high, high; group 2, high, high, normal; group 3, high, normal, normal; group 4, normal, normal, normal). We analyzed the clinicopathologic factors and the outcomes among these groups.ResultsOf the 236 patients, 12 were in group 1, 31 were in group 2, 67 were in group 3, and 126 were in group 4. The 3-year disease-free survival rate in group 1 was poorer than those in group 3 (P = 0.007) and group 4 (P < 0.001). In a univariate analysis, type of surgery, clinical N stage, pathologic T or N stage, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and CEA group were prognostic factors. A multivariate analysis revealed that type of surgery, pathologic T stage, and lymphovascular invasion were independent prognostic factors; however, no statistical significance was associated with the CEA group.ConclusionHigh pre-CRT, post-CRT, and post-surgery s-CEA levels in patients with rectal cancer were associated with high rates of systemic recurrence and poor survival. Therefore, patients with sustained high s-CEA levels during CRT require careful monitoring after surgery.

The Role of Standard-dose Cytarabine in Children With Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

There are very limited data reported about the role of cytarabine (Ara-C) in childhood acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). We review the clinical course and treatment outcome of APL and explore the role of standard-dose Ara-C for children. Between January 1999 and December 2008, 36 children (<14 y) with newly diagnosed APL were included. The overall complete remission rate was 97.2% (35/36). Two patients were lost to follow-up after induction. Two groups of patients were identified according to different consolidation chemotherapy regimens. Seventeen patients were given polychemotherapy in combination with standard-dose Ara-C (group I), 16 patients were given daunorubicin alone (group II). Although the 5-year estimate of disease-free survival between groups I and II had no statistically significant difference (P = 0.614), there was a 12% higher disease-free survival rate for group I. Standard-dose Ara-C might play some role in the consolidation treatment of children suffering from APL.

Is neoadjuvant chemotherapy necessary for patients with initially resectable colorectal liver metastases in the era of effective chemotherapy?

Backgrounds/AimsHepatic resection has only guaranteed long-term survival in patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) even in the era of effective chemotherapy. The definite role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) is to improve outcomes of unresectable CRLMs, but it its role has not been defined for initially resectable CRLMs (IR-CRLMs).MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of 226 patients, who had been diagnosed and treated for IR-CRLM between 2003 and 2008; the patients had the following pathologies: 10% had more than 4 nodules, 11% had tumors larger than 5 cm, and 61% had synchronous CRMLs. Among these patients, 20 patients (Group Y) were treated with NCT, and 206 (Group N) did not receive NCT according to their physician's preference. The median follow-up time was 34.1 months.ResultsThe initial surgical plans were changed after NCT to further resection in 20% and to limited resection in 10% of 20 patients. Complication rates of Groups Y (30%) were indifferent from Group N (23%) (p=0.233), but intraoperative transfusions were more frequent in Group N (15%) than in Group Y (5%) (p=0.006). There was one case of hospital mortality (0.44%). Disease-free survival rates in Groups Y and N were 23% and 39%, respectively, and patient survival rates were 42% and 66% (p>0.05). By multivariate analysis, old age (≥60 years), differentiation of primary tumor (poorly/mucinous), resection margin involvement, and no adjuvant chemotherapy were associated with poor patient survival; the number of CRLMs (≥4) was associated with poor disease-free survival.ConclusionsNCT had neither a positive impact nor a negative impact on survival, even with intraoperative transfusion, as observed on operative outcomes for patients with IR-CRLM. Further study is required to elucidate the role of NCT for treatment of patient with IR-CRLMs.

Hepatectomy sequencing two vessels therapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective To summarize the experience of adjuvant therapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods 316 cases of operable hepatocellular carcinoma were divided into three groups. Only hepatectomy were performed in group one (21 8cases).Preopemtive adjuvant TACE were done in group two (52 cases). Preoperative adjuvant TACE and postoperative trans-portal vein chemotherapy were done in group three (46 cases), which was named hepatectomy sequencing two vessel therapy. Results 1, 3 and 5 year survival rote were 51.2 %, 30.0 % and 20.5 % respectively in group one, 57.2 %, 43.0 % and 31.5 % in group two, 84.0 %, 62.5 % and 51.0 % in group three. The postoperative disease-free survival rate in group three was significantly higher than that in group one and group two (P ＜0.05). Conclusion Hepatectomy sequencing two vessels therapy in perioperative period might improve the survival rate, which can prevent and delay the incidence of recurrence and may improve the effect of liver resection. Key words: Liver neoplasms; Hepatectomy; Chemoembolization, therapeutic; Chemotherapy, cancer, regional perfusion; Hepatocellular

Adaptation of hepatectomy for huge hepatocellular carcinoma

We retrospectively identified prognostic factors in patients with huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) more than 10 cm in diameter and established a clinical strategy for such patients at our institution. Three-hundred and twenty patients with HCC underwent hepatectomy. Twenty-nine of them were diagnosed with HCC 10 cm or more in diameter (group L). Two hundred and ninety-one patients were diagnosed with HCC less than 10 cm (group S). The overall and disease-free survival rates in the two groups were compared, and the prognostic factors in group L were analyzed. The overall 3-and 5-year survival rates in group L were 33.6% and 33.6%, and these rates in group S were 61.4% and 45.0%, respectively. The difference between the two groups was significant (P=0.0048). The disease-free survival rates in group L (3-year, 21.5%; 5-year, 21.5%) were also significantly worse than those in group S (3-year, 37.1%; 5-year, 25.4%; P=0.0022). Background liver (cirrhosis vs no cirrhosis) (P=0.0380) and TNM stage according to the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan (stage II or III vs stage IV; P=0.0308) were significantly associated with prognosis by multivariate analyses. Hepatic resection is a safe and effective treatment for huge HCC of more than 10 cm in diameter. However, we suggest that cirrhotic patients with huge HCC with the presence of both macrovascular invasion and multiple tumors may not be appropriate candidates for hepatic resection.

No prognostic impact of isolated lymphovascular invasion after radical resection of rectal cancer—results of a multicenter observational study

The prognostic impact of isolated lymphovascular invasion (LVI) after radical resection of rectal cancer is controversially discussed. However, it could be relevant to decide for an adjuvant treatment. The aim of the analysis was, based on the data of an observational study, to determine the prognostic relevance of the isolated LVI. Patients after radical resection of rectal cancer with no hemangioinvasion were subdivided in three groups: I-no LVI, no lymph node metastases (LNM); II-positive LVI, no LNM; III-positive LNM. Five-year local recurrence rate, distant metastases-free and disease-free survival were determined uni- and multivariate. Patients, n = 846, were studied (I, n = 471; II, n = 75; III, n = 300). The univariate comparison between the groups revealed the following 5-year results: local recurrence rate: 9.4 vs 10.0 vs 14.0%; distant metastases-free survival: 84.1 vs 82.5 vs 49.3%; disease-free survival: 83.2 vs 80.7 vs 45.5%. The differences between groups I and III were significant, but not between groups I and II. The determined higher disease-free survival rate in group II vs group III was significant (P = 0.041), but the differences in local recurrence rate and rate of distant metastases did not reach statistical significance. The multivariate analysis revealed no impact of the isolated LVI on the oncological outcome. The isolated LVI has no independent prognostic impact on the local recurrence rate and long-term survival after radical resection of rectal cancer. Based on this finding, no indication for an adjuvant treatment in these patients can be derived.

Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) versus PORT alone in high risk bladder cancer patients. A phase III randomized controlled trial

4626 Background: Locally advanced bladder cancer patients have low survival rates after radical cystectomy. Postoperative radiotherapy though improved this survival, yet this improvement was not satisfactory. Methods: A prospective randomized trial started on August 2002 included 59 locally advanced bladder cancer patients so far. Patients who underwent radical cystectomy and had P3b, P4a, GIII and / or pelvic nodal involvement were randomized into 2 groups: Group I (27 patients) received post-operative radiotherapy (PORT) 45 Gy/30 fractions /3 weeks. Group II (32 patients) received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in the form of 2 courses of Gemcitabine 1 g/m2 D1 and D8 and cisplatin 70 mg/m2 D2, same regimen of PORT as in group I followed by another 2 courses of Gemcitabine- cisplatin. The toxicities of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy were evaluated using WHO scoring system. The primary end point is disease-free survival (DFS). Results: Group II patients received 103 cycles of chemotherapy, only 3 patients (9%) could not complete their prescribed regimen. Chemotherapy was tolerated in most of the patients with grade 1/2 toxicities. Grade3/4 anemia were observed in 10% of the cycles. No grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia or neutropenia were observed in these patients. Grade 3 vomiting was observed in 38% of the cycles, while grade 3/4 renal complications were observed in one patient only. Early radiation reactions were also tolerable in both groups. Only 15% of the patients experienced grade 3 diarrhea with no differences between the 2 treatment groups. Severe abdominal colics (grade3) were experienced by 22% of patients, that was higher in group II(37.5%) than group I (4%) (p<0.001). Severe Tensmus (grade 3) were experienced by 2 patients (3%). Patients were followed up for 3–17 months. The one- year DFS rate for group I patients was 59±15% while that of group II patients was 64±11%, with no statistical difference of significancen (p=0.4). Conclusions: Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy using Gemcitabine- cisplatin and PORT were tolerable with minimal severe toxicities. The one year disease free survival was encouraging for such high risk patients. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Postoperative radiotherapy for patients with invasive cervical cancer following treatment with simple hysterectomy.

This study aimed to investigate the survival and complications of patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy for invasive cervical cancer following inadvertent simple hysterectomy. From September 1992 through to December 1998, 54 patients who had received simple hysterectomies for benign lesions, but were incidentally found with invasive carcinoma of the cervix in the surgical specimen, were referred to our department for postoperative irradiation. They were categorized into two groups according to pathological findings. Group A consisted of 25 patients whose specimen showed microinvasion alone, with the depth of stromal invasion <5 mm. Group B consisted of 29 patients whose pathological findings included deep stromal invasion, tumor emboli in cervix, lymphovascular permeation, positive or close resection margin, endometrial or myometrial invasion and vaginal involvement. After external beam irradiation dose of 44 Gy in 22 fractions over 4-5 weeks to the whole pelvis, the radiation field was reduced to true pelvis for a further 10 Gy in five fractions. Brachytherapy was performed using an Ir-192 remote after-loading technique for 1-2 courses. The prescribed dose for each treatment was 7.5 Gy to the vaginal surface. A retrospective analysis was conducted to compare radiation-therapy outcomes for these 54 patients. After 37-102 months of follow-up (median, 58 months), 47 patients were alive without evidence of disease; five patients in Group B died of the disease (three with distant metastasis, one with local relapse, one with both). Two patients died of other concurrent diseases. The 5-year actuarial survival (AS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates for all patients were 88 and 90%, respectively. The respective 5-year AS and DFS rates for Group A/B were 95/82% (P = 0.07) and 100/83% (P = 0.03). Ten patients (18.5%) developed RTOG Grade 1-4 rectal complications. Five patients (9.3%) developed RTOG Grade 3-4 bladder complications. Eight patients (14.8%) had RTOG Grade 1-4 non-rectal gastrointestinal complications. For patients with invasive cervical cancer following inadvertent simple hysterectomy, external beam radiotherapy combined with one or two fractions of intravaginal brachytherapy could achieve satisfactory disease control. It is recommended to select a high-risk group for intensive adjuvant treatment. Further optimization of the irradiation strategy is also imperative to decrease the incidence of complications.