Prediction of Early Recurrence Following CRS/HIPEC in Patients With Disseminated Appendiceal Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: In patients with disseminated appendiceal cancer (dAC) who underwent cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), characterizing and predicting those who will develop early recurrence could provide a framework for personalizing follow-up. This study aims to: (1) characterize patients with dAC that are at risk for recurrence within 2 y following of CRS ± HIPEC (early recurrence; ER), (2) utilize automated machine learning (AutoML) to predict at-risk patients, and (3) identifying factors that are influential for prediction. METHODS: A 12-institution cohort of patients with dAC treated with CRS ± HIPEC between 2000 and 2017 was used to train predictive models using H2O.ai's AutoML. Patients with early recurrence (ER) were compared to those who did not have recurrence or presented with recurrence after 2 y (control; C). However, 75% of the data was used for training and 25% for validation, and models were 5-fold cross-validated. RESULTS: A total of 949 patients were included, with 337 ER patients (35.5%). Patients with ER had higher markers of inflammation, worse disease burden with poor response, and received greater intraoperative fluids/blood products. The highest performing AutoML model was a Stacked Ensemble (area under the curve = 0.78, area under the curve precision recall = 0.66, positive predictive value = 85%, and negative predictive value = 63%). Prediction was influenced by blood markers, operative course, and factors associated with worse disease burden. CONCLUSIONS: In this multi-institutional cohort of dAC patients that underwent CRS ± HIPEC, AutoML performed well in predicting patients with ER. Variables suggestive of poor tumor biology were the most influential for prediction. Our work provides a framework for identifying patients with ER that might benefit from shorter interval surveillance early after surgery.

Neighborhood-Level Socioeconomic Disadvantage Predicts Outcomes in Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Peritoneal Malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) improves survival in select patients with peritoneal metastases (PM), but the impact of social determinants of health on CRS/HIPEC outcomes remains unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of a multi-institutional database of patients with PM who underwent CRS/HIPEC in the USA between 2000 and 2017. The area deprivation index (ADI) was linked to the patient's residential address. Patients were categorized as living in low (1-49) or high (50-100) ADI residences, with increasing scores indicating higher socioeconomic disadvantage. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes included perioperative complications, hospital/intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), and disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: Among 1675 patients 1061 (63.3%) resided in low ADI areas and 614 (36.7%) high ADI areas. Appendiceal tumors (n = 1102, 65.8%) and colon cancer (n = 322, 19.2%) were the most common histologies. On multivariate analysis, high ADI was not associated with increased perioperative complications, hospital/ICU LOS, or DFS. High ADI was associated with worse OS (median not reached versus 49 months; 5 year OS 61.0% versus 28.2%, P < 0.0001). On multivariate Cox-regression analysis, high ADI (HR, 2.26; 95% CI 1.13-4.50; P < 0.001), cancer recurrence (HR, 2.26; 95% CI 1.61-3.20; P < 0.0001), increases in peritoneal carcinomatosis index (HR, 1.03; 95% CI 1.01-1.05; P < 0.001), and incomplete cytoreduction (HR, 4.48; 95% CI 3.01-6.53; P < 0.0001) were associated with worse OS. CONCLUSIONS: Even after controlling for cancer-specific variables, adverse outcomes persisted in association with neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage. The individual and structural-level factors leading to these cancer disparities warrant further investigation to improve outcomes for all patients with peritoneal malignancies.

Automated machine learning (AutoML) can predict 90-day mortality after gastrectomy for cancer.

Early postoperative mortality risk prediction is crucial for clinical management of gastric cancer. This study aims to predict 90-day mortality in gastric cancer patients undergoing gastrectomy using automated machine learning (AutoML), optimize models for preoperative prediction, and identify factors influential in prediction. National Cancer Database was used to identify stage I-III gastric cancer patients undergoing gastrectomy between 2004 and 2016. 26 features were used to train predictive models using H2O.ai AutoML. Performance on validation cohort was measured. In 39,108 patients, 90-day mortality rate was 8.8%. The highest performing model was an ensemble (AUC = 0.77); older age, nodal ratio, and length of inpatient stay (LOS) following surgery were most influential for prediction. Removing the latter two parameters decreased model performance (AUC 0.71). For optimizing models for preoperative use, models were developed to first predict node ratio or LOS, and these predicted values were inputted for 90-day mortality prediction (AUC of 0.73-0.74). AutoML performed well in predicting 90-day mortality in a larger cohort of gastric cancer patients that underwent gastrectomy. These models can be implemented preoperatively to inform prognostication and patient selection for surgery. Our study supports broader evaluation and application of AutoML to guide surgical oncologic care.

Shared Decision-Making in the Surgical Sciences.

This Viewpoint discusses approaches to identifying areas where shared decision-making in the surgical sciences can be improved.

Validation of the AJCC 8th Edition Staging System for Disseminated Appendiceal Cancer Patients Treated with Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy: A Multi-institutional Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The AJCC 8th edition stratifies stage IV disseminated appendiceal cancer (dAC) patients based on grade and pathology. This study was designed to externally validate the staging system and to identify predictors of long-term survival. METHODS: A 12-institution cohort of dAC patients treated with CRS ± HIPEC was retrospectively analyzed. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were analyzed by using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests. Univariate and multivariate cox-regression was performed to assess factors associated with OS and RFS. RESULTS: Among 1009 patients, 708 had stage IVA and 301 had stage IVB disease. Median OS (120.4 mo vs. 47.2 mo) and RFS (79.3 mo vs. 19.8 mo) was significantly higher in stage IVA compared with IVB patients (p < 0.0001). RFS was greater among IVA-M1a (acellular mucin only) than IV M1b/G1 (well-differentiated cellular dissemination) patients (NR vs. 64 mo, p = 0.0004). Survival significantly differed between mucinous and nonmucinous tumors (OS 106.1 mo vs. 41.0 mo; RFS 46.7 mo vs. 21.2 mo, p < 0.05), and OS differed between well, moderate, and poorly differentiated (120.4 mo vs. 56.3 mo vs. 32.9 mo, p < 0.05). Both stage and grade were independent predictors of OS and RFS on multivariate analysis. Acellular mucin and mucinous histology were associated with better OS and RFS on univariate analysis only. CONCLUSIONS: AJCC 8th edition performed well in predicting outcomes in this large cohort of dAC patients treated with CRS ± HIPEC. Separation of stage IVA patients based on the presence of acellular mucin improved prognostication, which may inform treatment and long-term, follow-up strategies.

Patterns of Unnecessary Insurer Prior Authorization Denials in a Complex Surgical Oncology Practice.

INTRODUCTION: Insurance prior authorization (PA) is a determination of need, required by a health insurer for an ordered test/procedure. If the test/procedure is denied, a peer-to-peer (P2P) discussion between ordering provider and payer is used to appeal the decision. The objective of this study was to measure the number and patterns of unnecessary PA denials. METHODS: This was a retrospective review at a quaternary cancer center from October 2021 to March 2022. Included were all patients with outpatient imaging orders for surgical planning or surveillance of gastrointestinal, endocrine, or skin cancer. Primary outcome was unnecessary initial denial (UID) defined as an order that required preauthorization, was initially denied by the insurer, and subsequently overturned by P2P. RESULTS: Nine hundred fifty seven orders were placed and 419 required PA (44%). Of tests requiring authorization, 55/419 (13.1%) were denied. Variability in the likelihood of initial denial was seen across insurers, ranging from 0% to 57%. Following P2P, 32/55 were overturned (58.2% UID). The insurers most likely to have a UID were Aetna (100%), Anthem (77.8%), and Cigna (50.0%). UID was most common for gastrointestinal (58.9%) and endocrine (58.3%) cancers. Average P2P was 33.5 min (interquartile range 28-40). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of imaging studies initially denied were overturned after P2P. If all UIDs were eliminated, this would represent 108 less P2P discussions with an estimated time-savings of 60.3 h annually within a high-volume surgical oncology practice. Combined personnel costs to the health systems and stress on patients with cancer due to image-associated PAs and P2P appear hard to justify.

Identifying patient profiles of disparate care in resectable pancreas cancer using latent class analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Disparities in pancreas cancer care are multifactorial, but factors are often examined in isolation. Research that integrates these factors in a single conceptual framework is lacking. We use latent class analysis (LCA) to evaluate the association between intersectionality and patterns of care and survival in patients with resectable pancreas cancer. METHODS: LCA was used to identify demographic profiles in resectable pancreas cancer (n = 140 344) diagnosed from 2004 to 2019 in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). LCA-derived patient profiles were used to identify differences in receipt of minimum expected treatment (definitive surgery), optimal treatment (definitive surgery and chemotherapy), time to treatment, and overall survival. RESULTS: Minimum expected treatment (hazard ratio [HR] 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65, 0.75) and optimal treatment (HR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.62) were associated with improved overall survival. Seven latent classes were identified based on age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) attributes (zip code-linked education and income, insurance, geography). Compared to the referent group (≥65 years + White + med/high SES), the ≥65 years + Black profile had the longest time-to-treatment (24 days vs. 28 days) and lowest odds of receiving minimum (odds ratio [OR] 0.67, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.71) or optimal treatment (OR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.72, 0.81). The Hispanic patient profile had the lowest median overall survival-55.3 months versus 67.5 months. CONCLUSIONS: Accounting for intersectionality in the NCDB resectable pancreatic cancer patient cohort identifies subgroups at higher risk for inequities in care. LCA demonstrates that older Black patients and Hispanic patients are at particular risk for being underserved and should be prioritiz for directed interventions.

DNA Damage Repair Classifier Defines Distinct Groups in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

DNA repair pathways have been associated with variability in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) clinical outcomes, but the mechanism through which DNA repair varies as a function of liver regeneration and other HCC characteristics is poorly understood. We curated a panel of 199 genes representing 15 DNA repair pathways to identify DNA repair expression classes and evaluate their associations with liver features and clinicopathologic variables in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) HCC study. We identified two groups in HCC, defined by low or high expression across all DNA repair pathways. The low-repair group had lower grade and retained the expression of classical liver markers, whereas the high-repair group had more clinically aggressive features, increased p53 mutant-like gene expression, and high liver regenerative gene expression. These pronounced features overshadowed the variation in the low-repair subset, but when considered separately, the low-repair samples included three subgroups: L1, L2, and L3. L3 had high DNA repair expression with worse progression-free (HR 1.24, 95% CI 0.81-1.91) and overall (HR 1.63, 95% CI 0.98-2.71) survival. High-repair outcomes were also significantly worse compared with the L1 and L2 groups. HCCs vary in DNA repair expression, and a subset of tumors with high regeneration profoundly disrupts liver biology and poor prognosis.

Surgical outcomes and survival of adrenocortical carcinoma between children and adults.

INTRODUCTION: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is associated with poor outcomes. We compared surgical outcomes between children and adult; and identified factors independently associated with survival. METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database, children and adults with ACC who underwent surgery between 2004 and 2016 were identified. We compared outcomes and survival between groups. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of survival. RESULTS: Of 2553 patients, 2.8% were children. A higher proportion of children were Hispanic (19.1%vs.6.6%) and covered by government insurance (45.1%vs.35.8%) than adults. More pediatric patients received lymphadenectomy and chemotherapy than adults. Pediatric patients had better survival at 1 -(91.4%; 95%CI: 81.2%-96.0% vs.79.6%; 95%CI: 77.9%-81.1%) and 5-years (60.6%; 95%CI:47.5%-71.3% vs.44.9%; 95%CI 42.7%- 47.0) (p = 0.0016). Age≥18 (HR: 2.21(1.50-3.27)), metastatic disease at diagnosis (HR: 3.51(3.04-4.04)), and receipt of lymphadenectomy (HR: 1.30(1.14-1.48)) were independently associated with worse survival. CONCLUSIONS: Children with ACC had better survival than adults. Factors independently associated with worse survival included older age, metastatic disease, and receipt of lymph node surgery.

Intraoperative Pancreatic Neck Margin Assessment During Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma in the Era of Neoadjuvant Therapy: A Multi-institutional Analysis from the Central Pancreatic Consortium.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding the survival impact of converting frozen-section (FS):R1 pancreatic neck margins to permanent section (PS):R0 by additional resection (i.e., converted-R0) during upfront pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are conflicting. The impact of neoadjuvant therapy on this practice and its relationship with overall survival (OS) is incompletely understood. METHODS: We reviewed PDAC patients (80% borderline resectable/locally advanced [BR/LA]) undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy after neoadjuvant therapy at seven, academic, high-volume centers (2010-2018). Multivariable models examined the association of PS:R0, PS:R1, and converted-R0 margins with OS. RESULTS: Of 272 patients receiving at least 2 (median 4) cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (71% mFOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel) and undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy with intraoperative frozen-section assessment of the transected pancreatic neck margin, PS:R0 (n = 220, 80.9%) was observed in a majority of patients; 18 patients (6.6%) had converted-R0 margins following additional resection, whereas 34 patients (12.5%) had persistently positive PS:R1 margins. At a median follow-up of 42 months, PS:R0 resection was associated with improved OS compared with either converted-R0 or PS:R1 resection (median 25 vs. 14 vs. 16 months, respectively; p = 0.023), with no survival difference between the converted-R0 and PS:R1 groups (p = 0.9). On Cox regression, SMA margin positivity (hazard ratio 2.2, p = 0.012), but not neck margin positivity (hazard ratio 1.2, p = 0.65), was associated with worse OS. CONCLUSIONS: In this multi-institutional cohort of predominantly BR/LA PDAC patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy following modern neoadjuvant therapy, pursuing a negative neck margin intraoperatively if the initial margin is positive does not appear to be associated with improved survival.

Does Angiosarcoma of the Breast Need Nodal Staging?

BACKGROUND: Breast angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy classically associated with hematogenous metastases. We sought to determine the prevalence of pathologic nodal involvement in patients with nonmetastatic, resected breast angiosarcoma and its association with overall survival. STUDY DESIGN: The National Cancer Database was used to identify patients with nonmetastatic angiosarcoma of the breast who underwent surgical resection from 2004 to 2017. The prevalence of regional lymph node operation and nodal positivity was calculated. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate overall survival among node-positive and node-negative patients. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to evaluate the adjusted association of nodal positivity with overall survival. RESULTS: We included 991 patients with angiosarcoma. The median age was 69 years (interquartile range 57 to 78), and the cohort was 99% female. A total of 298 patients (30%) had pathologic regional nodal evaluation. Of those, 15 (5.0%) had positive regional lymph nodes. Node-positive patients had significantly worse survival than patients with negative regional lymph nodes. After adjusting for patient, tumor, and treatment factors, a positive regional lymph node was associated with worse overall survival compared with patients with no nodal evaluation (hazard ratio 3.20; 95% CI 1.75 to 5.86; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with nonmetastatic angiosarcoma of the breast have a 5% regional lymph node positivity rate, which is at a common threshold to consider evaluation, and identifies patients with poor survival. A prospective study to determine performance characteristics of sentinel lymph node biopsy is warranted.

Patterns of Adjuvant Chemotherapy Use and Association With Survival in Adults 80 Years and Older With Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

IMPORTANCE: Patients 80 years and older with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have not consistently received treatments that have established benefits in younger older adults (aged 60-79 years), yet patients 80 years and older are increasingly being offered surgery. Whether adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) provides additional benefit among patients 80 years and older with PDAC following surgery is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To describe patterns of AC use in patients 80 years and older following surgical resection of PDAC and to compare overall survival between patients who received AC and those who did not. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort study among patients 80 years or older diagnosed with PDAC (stage I-III) between 2004 to 2016 who underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy at hospitals across the US reporting to the National Cancer Database. EXPOSURES: AC vs no AC 90 days following diagnosis of PDAC. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The proportion of patients who received AC was assessed over the study period. Overall survival was compared between patients who received AC and those who did not using Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. A landmark analysis was performed to address immortal time bias. A propensity score analysis was performed to address indication bias. Subgroup analyses were conducted in node-negative, margin-negative, clinically complex, node-positive, and margin-positive cohorts. RESULTS: Between 2004 and 2016, 2569 patients 80 years and older (median [IQR] age, 82 [81-84] years; 1427 were women [55.5%]) underwent surgery for PDAC. Of these patients, 1217 (47.4%) received AC. Findings showed an 18.6% (95% CI, 8.0%-29.0%; P = .001) absolute increase in the use of AC among older adults who underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy comparing rates in 2004 vs 2016. Receipt of AC was associated with a longer median survival (17.2 months; 95% CI, 16.1-19.0) compared with those who did not receive AC (12.7 months; 95% CI, 11.8-13.6). This association was consistent in propensity and subgroup analyses. In multivariable analysis, receipt of AC (hazard ratio [HR], 0.72; 95% CI, 0.65-0.79; P < .001), female sex (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.80-0.96; P < .001), and surgery in the more recent time period (≥2011) (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-0.99; P = .02) were associated with a decreased hazard of death. An increased hazard of death was associated with higher pathologic stage (stage II: HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.43-1.97; P < .001; stage III: HR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.88-3.04; P < .001), positive surgical margins (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.34-1.65; P < .001), length of stay greater than median (10 days) (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.07-1.28; P < .001), and receipt of oncologic care at a nonacademic facilities (Community Cancer Program: HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.07-1.35; P < .001; Integrated Network Cancer Program: HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.07-1.46; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study, the use of AC among patients who underwent resection for PDAC increased over the study period, yet it still was administered to fewer than 50% of patients. Receipt of AC was associated with a longer median survival.

Disparities in the Management of Peritoneal Surface Malignancies.

Peritoneal surface malignancies are a group of aggressive cancers involving the peritoneum. Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy can improve outcomes and survival in select patients. Despite significant advancements in care, racial disparities in peritoneal malignancy outcomes persist and may have even worsened over time. Poor adherence to guideline-recommended therapy introduces wide variability in patient care and often results in fewer options and suboptimal treatment of vulnerable populations. This review explores biological, sociodemographic, and environmental factors that contribute to disparities in peritoneal malignancy outcomes.

The prevalence of pancreatic incidentalomas in patients undergoing surveillance for abdominal aortic aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Serial imaging in patients with aortic aneurysms may identify non-vascular disease. However, the prevalence and clinical history of pancreatic incidentalomas in this population is unknown. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional study of adults who underwent computed tomography angiography (CTA) surveillance imaging for abdominal or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm at a single academic institution between 2015 and 2020. Descriptive statistics were used for patients with pancreatic lesions. RESULTS: Of 249 patients, 18 (7.2 %) had a pancreatic incidentaloma. Compared to patients without a lesion, those with a lesion were more likely female (50.0 % vs 24.2 %, p = 0.02) and less likely a smoker (72.2 % vs 90.0 %, p = 0.02). 3 patients with pancreatic lesions underwent intervention, and 1 patient received additional imaging. 2 patients had a surgical oncology referral. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic incidentalomas are common in patients with aortic aneurysm, but lesion characteristics and management vary. Results suggest that a multi-disciplinary approach, thorough documentation, and referral to pancreatic specialists may be warranted.

Surgical outcomes and survival rates of colon cancer in children and young adults.

INTRODUCTION: Colon cancer in children and young adults is rare. We sought to compare outcomes and survival between patients ≤and>25 years of age with colon cancer. METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database, patients with colon cancer between 2004 and 2016 were identified. We included patients with histological codes consistent with invasive colon adenocarcinoma and excluded those missing data about treatment. Post-surgical outcomes and survival were compared. RESULTS: Of 531,462 patients meeting criteria, 947 were ≤25 years. Patients ≤25 had more advanced disease (stage III:44.4%vs33.4%, stage IV:27.5%vs.15.3%) and higher rates of total colectomy (8.9%vs.2.7%) and proctocolectomy (5.0%vs.0.0%) than those >25 years. Stage for stage, 5-year survival was higher in patients ≤25 than those >25years. On multivariate regression, age was not associated with increased risk of mortality while male sex and uninsured status were. CONCLUSIONS: Despite presenting with more advanced disease, patients ≤25 years with colon cancer had better survival than those >25 years.

Pathologic nodal staging for clinically node negative soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Synovial, clear cell, angiosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and epithelioid (SCARE) soft tissue sarcoma are at risk for nodal involvement, although the nodal positivity rates and impact on prognostication in clinically node negative patients are not well described. METHODS: Patients with extremity SCARE sarcoma without clinical nodal involvement undergoing surgical resection in the National Cancer Database (2004-2017) were included. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the likelihood of nodal surgery and nodal positivity. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used to assess associations of nodal status to overall survival. RESULTS: We included 4158 patients, and 669 patients (16%) underwent regional lymph node surgery (RLNS). On multivariable logistic analysis, patients with epithelioid (odds ratio [OR]: 3.77; p < .001) and clear cell (OR: 6.38; p < .001) were most likely to undergo RLNS. Forty-five patients (7%) had positive nodes. Clear cell sarcoma (14%) and angiosarcoma (13%) had the highest rates of nodal positivity. Patients with positive nodes had reduced 5-year overall survival, and the stratification was largest in clear cell and angiosarcoma. CONCLUSION: Discordance exists between selection for pathologic nodal evaluation and factors associated with nodal positivity. Clinically node negative patients with clear cell and angiosarcoma should be considered for pathologic nodal evaluation.