Radical Postoperative Chemotherapy Research Articles

Discussion on the benefits of different treatment strategies in elderly and non-elderly patients with appendix MiNEN: a retrospective study based on SEER database.

To investigate the benefits of surgery alone and postoperative chemotherapy in elderly and non-elderly patients with appendiceal mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNENs) and analyze the factors affecting the prognosis of patients with MiNEN of the appendix. Based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER) of the National Cancer Institute of the USA, 389 patients with appendiceal MiNENs from 2000 to 2016 were collected. All patients were distributed in the elderly group (≥ 60years old) and the non-elderly group (< 60years old) according to their age. The prognosis of the two groups of patients who received simple surgery and postoperative chemotherapy was analyzed and compared. The two treatment methods of the two tranches were matched by propensity score matching method. The effect of different treatment ways on the prognosis of sick persons was compared. The survivorship curves were painted by the Kaplan Meier method, log rank test was used to analyze the subsistence discrepancy of each group, and COX proportional risk model was used to analyze the factors affecting the prognosis of patients with appendiceal MiNENs. No matter the overall survival rate (OS) or cancer-specific mortality (CSM) of the two treatment schemes, the prognosis of patients in the only surgery group was meaningfully higher than that in the postoperative chemotherapy group, with statistically significant difference in component comparison (χ2 = 16.496, χ2 = 16.860, P < 0.001). After propensity score matching of patients in each group, there was no striking discrepancy in the OS of patients in the only surgery group compared with those in the postoperative chemotherapy group, regardless of whether they were elderly patients or non-elderly patients (χ2 = 3.205, χ2 = 1.521, all P > 0.05), the CSM consequences are fitting in with the OS. The consequences of the multivariate COX regression model showed that age (≥ 60years old), sex (female), high histological grade, and lymph node positive were all the influencing factors for the poor OS of patients with MiNEN; the CSM results are consistent with the OS. For patients with appendix MiNEN, whether elderly or non-elderly patients (especially for non-elderly patients), surgical treatment may be a better choice.

Does non-metastatic gastric cancer of the cardia warrant a different treatment strategy?

Multimodal treatment strategies with surgery as its centerpiece have been accepted as the standard of care in nonmetastatic cardia gastric cancer (CGC). There remains a lack of consensus regarding the optimal multimodal treatment strategy. We queried National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2016 to identify patients with resected nonmetastatic CGC who received perioperative chemotherapy (PEC), postoperative chemoradiation therapy (POCR), or postoperative chemotherapy (POC). A subgroup analysis was performed in optimally treated patients defined as initial chemotherapy within 45 days of diagnosis, resection within 45 days of diagnosis, negative margins, adjuvant chemotherapy within 90 days of resection, and standard radiation dose (45 Gy). Kaplan-Meier, Univariate analysis (UVA), and Multivariable analysis (MVA) were performed. We identified 2387 patients. Median survival was 38.8 months in the PEC group, 36 months in the POCR group, and 32.3 months in the POC group (p = 0.1025). On UVA, patients treated with PEC had an association with improved survival (HR, 0.83; p = 0.037) when compared with POC. On MVA, no significant difference was noted in overall survival (OS) between PEC, POCR, and POC, similar to subgroup analysis of optimally treated cohort. OS rate in nonmetastatic CGC is not significantly different between patients receiving PEC, POCR, or POC.

Postoperative chemotherapy significantly improves survival of elderly patients with stage IB-II non-small cell lung cancer: A population-based study.

There is scant evidence-based information about survival benefits of postoperative chemotherapy in elderly patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of this study is to compare the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates of surgery alone versus postoperative chemotherapy in patients aged ≥70 years with stage I-II NSCLC. Elderly patients aged ≥70 years diagnosed with stage I-II NSCLC were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015. OS and CSS were compared between the two groups utilizing overlap weighting analysis, inverse probability of treatment weight (IPTW), and propensity score matching (PSM). Of the 7193 included patients with stage I-II NSCLC who are more than 70 years old, 681 patients (9.5%) received postoperative chemotherapy and 6512 patients (90.5%) received surgery-alone. Median OS was 77 months in postoperative chemotherapy group versus 79 months in surgery-alone group (p = 0.89). The result of IPTW analysis showed the similar results. The probability of patients choosing chemotherapy increased with the AJCC stage and Grade increasing (p < 0.001) and decreased with the growth of age (p < 0.001). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the survival rate of stage IA patients decreased significantly after postoperative chemotherapy (p < 0.01) while the survival rate of stage IB-II patients increased significantly (p < 0.01). At the same time, we found that patients in the postoperative chemotherapy group tended to have better OS than those in the surgery-alone group with the grade and tumor size increasing. The results of this study indicated that postoperative chemotherapy could significantly improve the survival of stage IB-II NSCLC patients aged ≥70 years, and decrease the survival of stage IA patients.

Palliative surgery as a bridge to systemic treatment for malignant bowel obstruction due to peritoneal metastases: A retrospective, case-control study

High-quality data on palliative surgery in patients with malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) caused by peritoneal metastases (PM) are lacking. We aimed to determine the utility of palliative surgery for such patients. We retrospectively analyzed patients considered for surgery for MBO, caused by PM, in our department from January 2019 to October 2020. None of them could tolerate a diet, despite conservative treatment. We investigated the clinical characteristics and perioperative outcomes and calculated overall survival (OS). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed, with the log-rank test to evaluate differences in OS rates. Multivariate Cox regression was performed to determine prognostic factors. Sixty (67%) patients underwent surgery, whereas, 30 (33%) received the best supportive care (BSC) treatment. A better (p=0.002) median OS was observed in patients undergoing surgery (3.9 months) than in those receiving BSC (2.6 months). Severe complications were observed in 12 (20%) patients, including 30-day mortality (7 patients). Forty-eight (80%) patients in the surgery group could tolerate a diet and the hospital stay (mean±standard deviation) was 20.0±23.1 days. Re-obstruction was observed in five (8.3%) patients after 78.6±63.3 days. Patients in the postoperative chemotherapy group exhibited a better (p<0.001) median OS (12.3 months) than did those in the no-postoperative chemotherapy group (3.5 months). Only postoperative chemotherapy (hazard ratio 0.264, 95% confidence interval 0.143-0.487, p<0.001) was identified as an independent prognostic factor. Compared with BSC, surgery is associated with a better OS in patients with MBO due to PM. Surgery should be considered as a bridge to systemic treatment for such patients.

Association of Preoperative Chemosensitivity With Postoperative Survival in Patients With Resected Gastric Adenocarcinoma

Considering its low completion rate, the survival benefit associated with postoperative chemotherapy (PC) is unclear in patients with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma who received preoperative chemotherapy. To determine whether preoperative chemosensitivity is associated with postoperative survival among patients with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma who receive PC. This national, hospital-based cohort study used data from the National Cancer Database, which covers more than 70% newly diagnosed gastric adenocarcinomas in the US, between 2006 and 2017. Participants included patients with clinical stage II or III disease treated with preoperative chemotherapy and curative-intent resection, excluding radiotherapy. Preoperative chemosensitivity was defined as very sensitive (ypT0N0), sensitive (pathological TNM stage less than clinical, excluding ypT0N0), and refractory (pathological greater than or equal to clinical). Data were analyzed in April 2021. Receipt of PC or not. Overall survival from surgical discharge. This study included 2382 patients (1599 men [67%]; median [IQR] age, 63 [54-70] years). Most patients (1524 patients [64%]) received no PC. Most patients (1483 patients [62%]) had refractory disease, followed by sensitive disease (727 patients [31%]) and very sensitive disease (172 patients [7%]). Patients with older age (odds ratio [OR], 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97-1.00), comorbidity (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.57-0.90), longer time from chemotherapy initiation to surgery (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97-1.00), less sensitivity to preoperative chemotherapy (very sensitive vs refractory OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37-0.89; sensitive vs refractory OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.76-1.20), and longer surgical hospitalization (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93-0.97) had a significantly lower likelihood of receiving PC. PC was not associated with improved survival in the whole group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.88; 95% CI, 0.75-1.02). Patients with refractory disease had the worst survival compared with patients with sensitive disease (HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.32-0.46) and those with very sensitive disease (HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.07-0.20). Preoperative chemosensitivity was significantly associated with the survival benefit from PC (P for interaction = .03). PC was significantly associated with longer survival in patients with sensitive disease (5-year survival rate, 73.8% in the PC group vs 65.0% in the no PC group; HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.46-0.91), but not in those with very sensitive disease (5-year survival rate, 80.0% in the PC group vs 90.8% in the no PC group; HR, 2.45; 95% CI, 0.81-7.43) and those with refractory disease (5-year survival rate, 41.8% in the PC group vs 40.7% in the no PC group; HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.79-1.10). In this cohort study, preoperative chemosensitivity was associated with survival among patients with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma who received PC. These findings may help inform future studies to personalize postoperative therapy.

High L-Type Amino Acid Transporter 1 Levels Are Associated with Chemotherapeutic Resistance in Gastric Cancer Patients

Introduction: We investigated whether the expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT-1) in clinical gastric cancer (GC) patients could predict patient therapeutic response to postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to investigate LAT-1, CD98, and phosphorylated-mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) expression in 111 GC patients. To clarify whether LAT-1 influences the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy, the correlation between disease-free survival rates and LAT-1 was determined in 2 groups: 59 patients who did not undergo postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and 52 patients who did undergo postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Results: LAT-1 was significantly correlated with CD98 and p-mTOR expressions. We did not find any statistically significant correlation between LAT-1 and recurrence in the nontreated group. In contrast, a significant association was found between LAT-1 expression and disease-free survival in the chemotherapy group. Moreover, multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that LAT-1 was an independent predictor of disease-free survival in the postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy group (p = 0.012). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that LAT-1 is a useful predictive marker for a successful postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy treatment.

The Prognostic Role of PORT and EGFR Mutation Status in Completely Resected Stage IIIA/N2 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Postoperative Chemotherapy.

Background: The treatment choice for completely resected stage IIIA/N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is still controversial now. Our study aims to identify potential prognostic factors in stage IIIA/N2 NSCLC patients with complete surgical resection and postoperative chemotherapy.Methods: In this study, we screened the stage IIIA/N2 NSCLC patients diagnosed in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2015 to 2019. Completely resected patients with postoperative chemotherapy (PCT) were enrolled. The univariate and multivariate COX proportional hazards regression analyses were used to identify the prognostic factors. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to compare the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in the subgroup analyses.Results: 180 patients were collected, including 142 patients with PCT treatment alone and 38 patients with postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) treatment. The median DFS was 17.8 months (95% CI: 16.5–19.1 months) and the median OS was 50.6 months (47.4–53.9 months) in all the patients. The median DFS of the PORT group was significantly longer than the PCT group (38.7 vs 16.7 months, p < 0.001). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive patients had a worse DFS compared with EGFR mutation-negative patients (16.8 vs 18.0 months, p = 0.032). Possible prognostic factors were evaluated through univariate COX regression analysis. The further multivariate COX regression analysis showed that patients with PORT (HR: 0.318, 95% CI: 0.185–0.547, p < 0.001), EGFR mutation-negative (HR: 0.678, 95% CI: 0.492–0.990, p = 0.044), T1 (HR: 0.661, 95% CI: 0.472–0.925, p = 0.016), and lobectomy (HR: 0.423, 95% CI: 0.191–0.935, p = 0.034), had better DFS. The only independent prognostic factor of OS was the type of surgery (p = 0.013).Conclusion: PORT might improve the DFS of stage IIIA/N2 NSCLC patients with complete surgical resection and PCT, but it cannot increase OS. Besides, EGFR mutation status, T stage, and type of surgery are possible independent prognostic factors for DFS, and type of surgery is associated with OS. These factors remain to be clarified in further studies.

Role of chemotherapy after curative esophagectomy in squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus: A propensity score-matched analysis.

BackgroundThe efficacy of postoperative treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus has not yet been determined. In this retrospective study, we investigated whether postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (POCT) confers a survival benefit on patients who undergo curative esophagectomy.MethodsA total of 782 patients were enrolled in our study. The patients were divided into surgery alone (S) and surgery plus postoperative chemotherapy (S + POCT) groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to eliminate the differences in baseline characteristics. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), which was calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with the log‐rank test. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify factors influencing the prognosis.ResultsOf 782 patients, 343 (43.9%) underwent S alone, and 439 (56.1%) underwent S + POCT before PSM. The five‐year OS rates were 42.3% and 47.8% in the S and S + POCT groups (p = 0.080), respectively. After PSM (296 patients per group), the five‐year OS rates were 48.7% and 56.2% in the S and S + POCT groups (p = 0.025), respectively. For different cycles of POCT, patients with more than three cycles had a better survival than those with less than three cycles. The significant predictive factors for OS were pN stage (HR = 1.861, 95% CI: 1.310–2.645, p = 0.001), number of dissected nodes (HR = 0.621, 95% CI: 0.494–0.781, p < 0.001) and POCT received (HR = 0.699, 95% CI: 0.559–0.875, p = 0.002), which were identified by multivariate Cox regression analyses in the matched samples.ConclusionsPOCT appears to improve the OS rate of patients with ESCC after resection, and at least four chemotherapy cycles are necessary. These conclusions warrant further confirmation in large‐scale multicenter randomized controlled trials.

5-Fu-Based Doublet Regimen in Patients Receiving Perioperative or Postoperative Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer: When to Start and How Long Should the Regimen Last?

BackgroundThe duration and the optimal time to adjuvant chemotherapy (TAC) in locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) have net not been sufficiently demonstrated. Sequential adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus gastrectomy is increasingly utilized, making the question more complicated.Patients and MethodsData were collected from patients with LAGC who underwent 5-Fu-based doublet regimens as adjuvant treatment after gastrectomy in a single-center database. TAC and duration (cycles) were used to evaluate survival outcomes.ResultsA total of 816 patients were included. Patients received over six cycles and TAC less than 42 days significantly correlated with better survival (log-rank Ptrend<0.001). The analysis of TAC and number cycles were separately applied in perioperative chemotherapy (PEC) and postoperative chemotherapy (POC) group using Cox regression. The number of cycles revealed a statistical significance improving OS rate both in POC (HR=0.904, 95% CI=0.836–0.977, P=0.011) and PEC (HR=0.887, 95% CI=0.798–0.986, P=0.026), while only in POC did the TAC show an increasing trend of risk with borderline significance (OS: HR=1.008, 95% CI=0.999–1.018, P=0.094; PFS: HR=1.009, 95% CI=1.000–1.018, P=0.055). A spline model demonstrates the less improvement in survival after cycles of chemotherapy reaching six.ConclusionOur findings suggest that TAC is more likely to downregulate the survival benefit in POC rather than PEC, while overall survival is susceptible to cumulative cycles of chemotherapy in both groups. Furthermore, six cycles of chemotherapy tended to reach the maximum survival benefits. Prospective confirmation is required.

Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for patients with pathologic node-positive esophageal cancer following radical resection is associated with improved survival.

BackgroundDepending on the pathological stage, patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) can experience poor prognosis after surgery. This study was designed to analyze the effect of various treatments on prognosis in pathologic node-positive esophageal cancer patients who undergo radical surgery.MethodsWe evaluated 210 pathologic stage IIb–IIIc patients (pT1-4aN + M0) who had undergone esophagectomy for thoracic ESCC from January 2013 to October 2015 at our institute. Surgery alone was applied in 65 patients, postoperative chemotherapy alone was applied in 112 patients, and postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was applied in 33 patients. Kaplan­-Meier and Cox regression analysis were used to compare overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). A nomogram was constructed to visualize the multivariate Cox regression analysis model.ResultsThe median follow-up period was 49.4 months. The 3- and 5-year OS rates of the patients in the surgery group, postoperative chemotherapy group, postoperative chemoradiotherapy group were 55.4%, 61.6%, and 75.8%, and 30.1%, 44.0%, and 63.0% respectively. The 3- and 5-year DFS rates of the patients in the surgery group, postoperative chemotherapy group, postoperative chemoradiotherapy group were 44.6%, 52.7%, and 72.7%, and 20.0%, 24.1%, and 39.4%, respectively. Both the OS and DFS of the patients in the postoperative chemoradiotherapy group were better than those of the patients in the surgery and postoperative chemotherapy group. Among them, the OS of the postoperative radiotherapy group was longer than that of the surgery group (P=0.011) and the postoperative chemotherapy group (P=0.190), while the DFS of postoperative chemoradiotherapy group was longer than that of the surgery group and postoperative chemotherapy group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05).ConclusionsThis study showed that postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy could improve 3-year OS and DFS compared with treatment using surgery alone or postoperative chemotherapy alone. However, an evaluation of long-term prognosis requires a longer follow-up.

Analysis of the Clinical Efficacy of Dendritic Cell –cytokine Induced Killer Cell-based Adoptive Immunotherapy for Colorectal Cancer

ABSTRACT Background: To analyze the efficacy and safety of dendritic cell – cytokine – induced killer (DC-CIK) immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted in 116 patients from February 2012 to December 2017, who were divided into postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy group alone, combined DC-CIK immunotherapy group, advanced cancer palliative care group, and palliative care + DC-CIK immunotherapy group, to evaluate cellular immune function, disease-free survival(DFS) and overall survival(OS). Results: In the adjuvant therapy and palliative care group, the percentages of CD3+, CD8+ and NK cells after treatment were significantly lower than before, whereas in the other two groups given DC-CIK immunotherapy, the percentages of CD3+, CD8+, NK and NKT cells after treatment were all higher than before, with a significant increase compared with the chemotherapy group (P < .05). DFS (42.4 ± 5.26 m) in the group receiving postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy + DC-CIK immunotherapy was significantly longer than that (23.5 ± 2.79 m) in the group only given postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (P < .05). OS in the group receiving palliative care + DC-CIK immunotherapy was slightly longer than that in the group only given palliative care for advanced cancer (29 m vs 26 m, P > .05).Conclusion: Combination with DC-CIK immunotherapy could effectively improve cellular immune function. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in combination with DC-CIK immunotherapy could significantly prolong DFS, but palliative care in combination with DC-CIK immunotherapy did not significantly prolong OS in patients with advanced cancer.

Postoperative Chemotherapy for Thoracic Pathological T3N0M0 Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The role of postoperative chemotherapy (POCT) in pathologic T3N0M0 thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC) has not been well addressed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy on survival, recurrence, and toxicities in pathologic T3N0M0 TESCC. This study included 582 patients with pT3N0M0 TESCC who were treated at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2009 to December 2017. The patients were divided into two groups: surgery plus postoperative chemotherapy group (S + POCT), and surgery group (S group). Propensity score matching was used to create patient groups that were balanced across several covariates (n = 236 in each group). Outcome measures included overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). After PSM, both groups have balance factors. S + POCT have significantly improved the 5-year OS and DFS (OS, 70.8% vs. 52.8%, p <0.0001; DFS, 66.5% vs. 50.2%, p < 0.0001). Multivariate Cox analyses in the matched samples revealed that S + POCT were independently associated with longer OS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.56, 95% confidence index (CI) 0.41-0.77, p < 0.0001) and longer DFS (HR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.45-0.82, p = 0.001) than surgery alone. Subgroup analyses showed that prognostic effect of POCT was significantly influenced by the number of resected lymph node (≤ 20) and pStage IIB but not influenced by the number of node > 20 and pStage IIA. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is strongly associated with improved OS and DFS in patients with pT3N0M0 TESCC. A multicenter, randomized, phase III clinical trial is warranted to confirm these findings.

EP1.18-09 Analysis of the Role of Postoperative Radiotherapy in Pathological N2 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with Propensity Score Matching

N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a heterogeneous disease. For operable patients with postoperative N2 non-small cell lung cancer, the optimum adjuvant treatment strategy is still in dispute. Our aim was to assess the efficacy of conbine postoperative chemoradiotherapy (POCRT) or postoperative chemotherapy (PCT) alone following surgery in pathological N2 non-small cell lung cancer using propensity score matching, and to explore the factors influencing the prognosis. Between 2004 and 2014, a total of 175 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The initiation of PCT started later than 2 weeks after the operation. The regimens of PCT in the present study included a cisplatin-based regimen and were administered for at least 2 cycles. POCRT was executed sequentially or sandwiched with PCT with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy(3D-CRT) or intensity-modulated radiotherapy technique(IMRT). The prescription dose to clinical target volume (CTV) was 50 (range 44-60) Gy, Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24.0. Survival curves were produced using the Kaplan-Meier estimator method and compared with the log-rank test. Univariable and multivariable analyses of clinical characteristics. All available patient and tumor variables were compared using the χ2 test. Propensity score matching (PSM) analyses were used to compensate for differences in baseline characteristics between the POCRT and PCT groups to confirm the survival difference. The survival of the two groups was followed up and the effect of postoperative radiotherapy was analyzed. The median survival time was 57 vs 40 months in the POCRT and PCT groups, and the 1, 3 and 5-year OS rates in the POCRT and pCT groups were 98.3 vs. 86.1%, 71.7 vs.53.0% and 45.7 vs. 39.0%, respectively (P=0.019). Exploratory subgroup analysis found that compared with PCT, POCRT improved OS in patients with squamous cell subtype (P=0.010), no lymphovascular invasion (P=0.006), pN2a (P=0.006) or total number of metastatic lymph nodes ≤7 (P=0.016). Following PSM, a total of 113 events were identified in both the POCRT and PCT groups, with 60 and 53 patients in each group, respectively. There was no significant difference in the general clinical data between the two groups after matching. The median survival time was 57 vs 63 months in the POCRT and PCT groups after matching, and the 1, 3 and 5-year OS rates in the POCRT and PCT groups were 98.3 vs. 92.5%, 71.7 vs. 64.2% 和 45.7 vs. 50.7% respectively, with no significant difference (P=0.463). Following PSM, the survival differences between POCRT and PCT in the various subgroups were not statistically significant, except in patients with squamous cell lung cancer (P=0.010), there was also a trend toward an increase in the overall survival of pN2-NSCLC with pN2a (P = 0.196) or total number of metastatic lymph nodes ≤7 (P=0.367). Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that T stage, total number of MLNs and POCRT were independent factors affecting OS. POCRT following complete resection clearly demonstrated superior survival compared with pCT. And POCRT may be specifically recommended to N2 patients with squamous cell lung cancer, particularly those with limited nodal involvement and T4 disease.

Comparing the benefits of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy vs. observation for stage IB non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the benefits of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy vs. observation for stage IB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases, and stage IB NSCLC patients were assigned to the postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and observation groups. The 5-year overall survival (OS), 5-year disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence, and distant metastasis were then assessed. In addition, statistical analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.3 software. The meta-analysis involved nine articles and included 1,645 stage IB patients. There was no significance in the 5-year OS [relative risk (RR) =1.05; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.98-1.13; P=0.14] and 5-year DFS (RR =1.29; 95% CI: 0.97-1.72; P=0.08) between the postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and observation groups. However, there was a significant difference in local recurrence (RR =0.43; 95% CI: 0.23-0.80; P=0.007) and distant metastasis (RR =0.68; 95% CI: 0.48-0.97; P=0.03) between the two groups. Adjuvant chemotherapy might not be recommended for stage IB NSCLC.

Clinical use of tumor biomarkers in prediction for prognosis and chemotherapeutic effect in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundGrowing evidence has indicated that tumor biomarkers, including cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21–1 (Cyfra21–1), carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA19–9), carbohydrate antigen 72–4 (CA72–4), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) were reported to be commonly used in diagnosis and prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, which is the best marker for predicting prognosis remains unknown. Few papers focused on the relationship between tumor biomarkers and postoperative treatment in ESCC.MethodsA total of 416 ESCC patients were enrolled in this study. The association between tumor markers and overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test, followed by multivariate Cox regression models.ResultsThe results of Cox multivariate analysis indicated that among these tumor biomarkers, CA19–9 (≥ 37 vs. < 37) [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.130, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.138–3.986, p = 0.018] and CEA (≥ 5 vs. < 5) (HR = 1.827, 95% CI = 1.089–3.064, p = 0.022) were the independent prognostic factors of poor OS. For the ESCC patients with CA19–9 < 37, CEA < 5 or SCC-Ag < 1.5, the surgery plus postoperative chemotherapy group had a significantly longer OS than the surgery group alone (p < 0.05), but this significant difference of OS between these two groups cannot be found in patients with CA19–9 ≥ 37, CEA ≥ 5 or SCC-Ag ≥ 1.5 (p > 0.05).ConclusionsCEA and CA19–9 maybe are superior to other tumor biomarkers as prognostic indicators in ESCC. CA19–9, CEA, SCC-Ag may be useful in predicting the therapeutic effect of postoperative chemotherapy in ESCC.

Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for thoracic pathological T3N0M0 esophageal cancer: A propensity score-matched analysis (APEC Study 1).

e15537 Background: The role of postoperative chemotherapy (POCT) in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC) has not been addressed . The aim of this study was to investigate whether POCT after an R0 resection improves outcomes in pT3N0M0 TESCC compared with operation alone. Methods: This study included 604 patients with pT3N0M0 TESCC who were treated at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2009 to December 2017. The patients were divided into two groups: a surgery plus postoperative chemotherapy group (PORT group) comprising Surgery alone patients who underwent after an R0 resection and a surgery group (S group). Propensity score matching was used to create patient groups that were balanced across several covariates (n= 246 in each group). Outcome measures included overall survival (OS), disease free survival (DFS). Results: In the whole group 5-year OS and PFS were 58.4% and 56.0%. In the overall study cohort, 5-year OS (68.3% versus 50.4%, p &lt; 0.0001) and DFS (65.5% versus 45.8%, p &lt; 0.0001) rates were significantly higher in the POCT group than in the S group. These data were confirmed in the matched samples (5-year OS, 68.3% versus 49.5% [p &lt; 0.0001]; DFS, 65.5% versus 42.5% [p &lt; 0.0001]). Multivariate Cox analyses in the matched samples revealed that surgery and postoperative POCT were independently associated with longer OS (hazard ratio = 0.553, 95% confidence interval: 0.391–0.726, p &lt; 0.0001) and longer DFS (hazard ratio = 0.556, 95% confidence interval: 0.416–0.744, p &lt; 0.0001) than resection alone. Subgroup analysis found : POCT with IIA in pT3N0M0 have not longer OS and DFS ( p = 0.122 and p = 0.193). POCT with IIB in pT3N0M0 have the longer OS and DFS(p &lt; 0.0001 both). Conclusions: Postoperative adjuvant Chemotherapy is strongly associated with improved OS and DFS in patients with pT3N0M0 TESCC. A multicenter, randomized phase III clinical trial is warranted to confirm these findings.

The effect of adjuvant chemotherapy in resectable cholangiocarcinoma: A meta-analysis and systematic review

BackgroundThe benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy for resectable cholangiocarcinoma remains unclear due to the lack of randomized control studies. This study aimed to investigate the possible benefit of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for resectable cholangiocarcinoma. Data sourcesRelevant research articles published before 1st March 2018 in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library databases were retrieved. Published data were extracted and analyzed by RevMan 5.3, and the results were presented as hazard ratios (HRs) [95% confidence intervals (CI)] and forest plots. ResultsOne prospective and eighteen retrospective studies were included, with a total number of 11,458 patients, 4696 of whom received postoperative chemotherapy. There was a significant improvement of the overall survival (OS) for patients who underwent operation + adjuvant chemotherapy compared to those who underwent operation alone (HR = 0.61; P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses show that the postoperative chemotherapy group compared with operation alone group are indicated as follows: hilar cholangiocarcinoma group (HR = 0.60; P < 0.001), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma group (HR = 0.60; P < 0.001), R1 resection group (HR = 0.71; P = 0.04), LN-positive diagnosis group (HR = 0.58; P < 0.001), gemcitabine-based chemotherapy group (HR = 0.42; P < 0.001), distal cholangiocarcinoma group (HR = 0.48; P = 0.17), R0 resection group (HR = 0.69; P = 0.43), and 5-flurouracil-based chemotherapy group (HR = 0.90; P = 0.66), respectively. ConclusionsPostoperative adjuvant chemotherapy can improve the OS in intrahepatic and hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients. However, distal cholangiocarcinoma patients gain no benefit from postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Prospective randomized trials are warranted in order to define the standard chemotherapy regimen.

Are the indications for postoperative radiotherapy in the NCCN guidelines for patients with gastric adenocarcinoma too broad? A study based on the SEER database

BackgroundThe types of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) for whom postoperative radiotherapy can improve the disease-specific survival rate (DSS) remain controversial. This study aims to explore the ideal indications.MethodsPatients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database with T3–4Nx or TxN+ GA from January 1988 to December 2012 were included and divided into a postoperative chemoradiotherapy group (Group R) and a postoperative chemotherapy group (Group C). We established a nomogram to predict DSS and then divided entire patient cohort into low-risk and high-risk groups based on the DSS predicted by the nomogram.ResultsThe Cox multiple regression analysis demonstrated that various risk factors affected DSS for Group R. Based on these risk factors, a nomogram for predicting DSS was established. The decision curve indicated that the best clinical effect could be obtained when the threshold probability was 0–58%. The patients were then divided into low-risk (< 69 points) and high-risk (≥ 69 points) groups according to the five-year DSS predicted. DSS was significantly better for Group R than for Group C for high-risk patients (P < 0.001) but was similar for low-risk patients (P = 0.732).ConclusionAt present, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines may include an overly broad range of indications for postoperative radiotherapy for patients with GA. For intestinal GA patients with a postoperative pathologic stage of T1 N1 who are younger than 65 years, have had more than 15 lymph nodes dissected, and have received postoperative chemotherapy, postoperative radiotherapy should not be recommended.

Impact of CDX2 expression status on the survival of patients after curative resection for colorectal cancer liver metastasis

BackgroundThe prognostic biomarker for patients undergoing curative liver metastasectomy for colorectal cancer (CRC) is lacking. The purpose was to investigate the prognostic role of a lack of CDX2 expression, which has been proposed as a potential biomarker for high-risk relapse in early-stage CRC, in patients undergoing curative liver metastasectomy.MethodsA total of 396 consecutive patients with CRC liver metastasis who underwent potentially curative liver metastasectomy at a single center in Japan between 2005 and 2015 were included. For the immunohistochemical analysis of nuclear CDX2 expression, we adopted the tissue microarray approach using the resected metastatic liver CRCs. Patient subgroups were compared with respect to disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) by applying the Kaplan-Meier curve, log-rank tests, and multivariate analyses based on the Cox proportional hazards method. OS is defined as the period from the date of curative liver resection for metastatic CRC until death. DFS is defined as the length of time from curative liver resection to either the first recurrence or death. In patients without recurrence, the latest imaging inspection date was used as the censored date.ResultsThirty-six of the 396 CRCs (9.1%) reduced CDX2 expression. The reduced expression of CDX2 was associated with poor differentiation (P = 0.02). DFS in days was lower in the patients with CDX2-low CRC than in the patients with CDX2-high CRC (median DFS: 245 days versus 420 days; hazard ratio for disease recurrence: 1.64; 95% confidence interval: 1.08–2.38; P = 0.02). OS in days was lower in the patients with CDX2-low CRC than in the patients with CDX2-high CRC (median OS: 1024 days versus 3145 days; hazard ratio: 2.41; 95% confidence interval: 1.52–3.85; P < 0.001). In patients with CDX2-low CRC, both DFS and OS were similar between the with and without pre- or post-operative chemotherapy groups (median DFS: 243 versus 247 days; P = 0.73, median OS: 1016 versus 1363 days; P = 0.69).ConclusionsReduced expression of CDX2 indicates poor DFS and OS, however, it might not represent chemosensitivity in patients undergoing curative liver metastasectomy. (339/350).

Comparison of different treatment modalities in node-positive patients after radical resection for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus

Objective To compare the efficacy between different modalities in the treatment of positive lymph nodes after radical resection for squamous cell carcinoma of thoracic esophagus (TESCC), and to explore the best treatment mode. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rates. The log-rank test and Cox model were used for univariate and multivariate prognostic analyses, respectively. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed among 548 patients with TESCC who were admitted to our hospital and had positive lymph nodes after radical resection. The efficacy of different treatment methods was evaluated. Propensity scores (PSM) were used to make 1-to-1 patient matching between different treatment groups to further analyze and figure out the best treatment model for patients. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates. The log-rank test was used for survival analysis and univariate prognostic analysis. The Cox regression model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis. Results In all patients, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 79.9%, 38.1% and 28.5%, respectively, while the 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS rates were 68.5%, 39.8% and 32.5%, respectively. After 1-to-1 matching based on PSM, there were no differences in general clinical pathological data between the four groups. After PSM, there were significant differences in 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS and DFS rates between the surgery alone group, the postoperative radiotherapy group, the postoperative chemotherapy group, and the postoperative chemoradiotherapy (POCRT) group (P=0.000, 0.000). There were significant differences in OS and DFS rates between patients with stage N1, N2, and N3 disease (P=0.000, 0.000). The result of the Cox multivariate analysis showed that treatment method and N staging were two independent prognostic factors for OS and DFS (P=0.001, 0.000, 0.025, 0.016). Conclusions Patients with positive lymph nodes after radical resection for TESCC have a poor prognosis. Moreover, the prognosis becomes worse with the increase in metastatic lymph nodes. POCRT may improve the survival in those patients. Prospective studies are needed to further confirm those conclusions. Key words: Esophageal neoplasms/surgery; Esophageal neoplasms/postoperative adjuvant therapy; Prognosis; Propensity score matching