Time intervals to diagnosis and chemotherapy do not influence survival outcome in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The effect of treatment delay on survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unclear. AIMS: This study aimed to assess the prognostic impact of time to diagnosis and chemotherapy in advanced PDAC and factors influencing the time intervals. METHODS: advanced PDAC patients receiving chemotherapy in five centers in the decade 2007-2016 were included. Key time points during care pathway from clinical presentation to beginning of chemotherapy were retrospectively collected. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was performed. RESULTS: A total of 409 patients were included (mean age 66.1 ± 10.3 years; 250 metastatic (61%); 139 received FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy (34%). The median overall survival (OS) was 7.2 months. The median times from first symptoms and from first specialist visit to the beginning of chemotherapy were respectively 100 days and 47 days. None of time intervals was significantly associated with OS. Significant prognostic factors were FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy (HR 0.6 [0.5-0.8]; P < 0.001), metastasis (HR 1.6 [1.3-2.0]; P = 0.001), WHO PS ≥ 2 (HR 1.6 [1.2-2.1]; P < 0.001) and acute pancreatitis as first symptom (HR 2.9 [1.7-4.9]; P < 0.001). Jaundice shortened time to diagnosis (P < 0.001). Acute pancreatitis (P < 0.001) and diabetes (P = 0.01) increased time to treatment. CONCLUSION: Wait times from clinical presentation to beginning of chemotherapy do not influence survival in advanced PDAC.

Safety and efficacy of FOLFIRINOX in elderly patients with metastatic or locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: FOLFIRINOX is a polychemotherapy regimen currently used to treat inoperable pancreatic cancer in patients with a good performance status (PS). FOLFIRINOX lengthens overall survival time (OS), but no specific data are available in elderly patients. METHODS: All cases of inoperable pancreatic adenocarcinoma in patients over 70 years old treated with FOLFIRINOX were retrospectively reviewed between 2008 and 2015 in five institutions in France. The primary objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of FOLFIRINOX in the elderly. RESULTS: Forty-two patients with a median age of 73 years (range: 70-79) and a median PS of 1 (range: 0-2) were included. 88% of patients treated with FOLFIRINOX were enrolled between 2012 and 2015. 24 patients (57%) needed a primary dose reduction but this did not impact OS (median OS 11.7 months (6.9-16.4) compared to 16.6 months (0.37-32.8) without dose reduction, p = 0.69). Twelve patients (29%) experienced grade 3 toxicity. Sensory neuropathy occurred most often (56%). Primary prophylaxis with granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) was administered to 14 patients (33%). One treatment-related death occurred (septic shock), although this patient had not had primary prophylaxis with GCSF. Median follow-up was 86 months. Median OS was 11.6 months (95%CI: 8.9-14.3). CONCLUSION: Median OS observed in the elderly was similar to OS previously reported in younger patients in the ACCORD 11 trial. FOLFIRINOX is effective in selected, fit elderly patients but with greater grade 3 neurotoxicity. Primary dose reduction and primary GCSF prophylaxis may control tolerance.

Primary rectal cancer local staging.

The treatment of patients with a malignant rectal tumor has evolved over the past few years. The role of medical imaging techniques, notably MRI, has become increasingly important in the preoperative assessment of rectal tumors. Radiologists are finding that their presence is requested more and more frequently at multidisciplinary team meetings for decision-making on the treatment of these tumors and therefore they must have a grounding in the therapeutic issues involved. Locoregional assessment of malignant rectal tumors may be performed prior to initiating treatment or as a re-evaluation following neoadjuvant therapy. We are interested in the assessment of the initial locoregional extension of these rectal tumors and we place much emphasis on the ability to identify MRI criteria which determine the patient's prognosis and treatment. We will also examine the advantages of MRI as well as its limits in this assessment.

Is primary tumor resection associated with a longer survival in colon cancer and unresectable synchronous metastases? A 4-year multicentre experience.

AIM: To explore the survival impact of primary tumor resection (PTR) in patients with metastatic colon cancer (mCC) and unresectable metastases. METHODS: We retrospectively studied a multicenter cohort of consecutive mCC patients with unresectable metastases receiving first-line chemotherapy. A weighted Cox proportional regression model was used to balance for clinical variables associated with the probability of undergoing PTR, using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) based on a propensity score. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients were included. PTR was performed in 69 (72%). The rates of secondary resection of metastases (p = 0.02) and bevacizumab administration (p = 0.02) were higher in the PTR group. Raw median overall survival (OS) was 23.1 months (95%CI[14.6-27.8]) in the PTR group and 22.1 months (95%CI[12.3-23.7]) in the non-PTR group (p = 0.11). After adjustment on IPTW, OS was 23.1 months (95%CI[17.0-28.7]) in the PTR group and 17.2 months (95%CI[13.5-22.2]) in the non-PTR group (HR 0.68; 95%CI[0.50-0.93]; p = 0.016). This result remained significant on multivariate analysis (HR 0.71; 95%CI[0.50-1.00]; p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: In mCC patients with unresectable metastases receiving chemotherapy, up-front PTR was independently associated with prolonged OS. Patients eligible for secondary metastases resection and/or bevacizumab may benefit the most from PTR. Randomized controlled trials are mandatory.

Laparoscopic thermal ablation of splenic metastases initial experience and present aspects.

UNLABELLED: Splenic metastases develop in less than 1% of all metastatic cancers, and typically occur in a setting of disseminated disease. When isolated splenic metastasis occurs, the patient may be a candidate for aggressive treatment consisting mainly of splenectomy as described in the literature. However, the increased incidence of post-operative morbidity and severe infection after splenectomy are well known. We report a case of splenic metastasis that developed from colorectal cancer and was treated by laparoscopic-guided radiofrequency ablation. We reviewed the few reported cases of splenic metastasis (from colorectal and other primary cancers) treated by thermal ablation using radiofrequency (RF) or microwave (MW) energy sources. DISCUSSION: Many studies have proved that thermal ablation for benign splenic pathology is both feasible and safe with no sacrifice in efficacy. However only a few cases of MW or RF treatment of splenic secondary tumor have been described; no complications have been reported with this treatment in contrast to the 15 to 27% morbidity rate for splenectomy. CONCLUSION: When treatment of splenic metastasis is proposed with curative intent, thermal ablation by RF or by MW seems to be a feasible and safe technique resulting in spleen conservation with a low morbidity rate. Because of these features, thermal ablation seems an ideal treatment modality to obliterate splenic metastasis and may be an indispensable tool in the armamentarium of modern splenic surgery.