Consensus on Treatment and Follow-Up for Biochemical Recurrence in Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: A Report From the First Global Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference for Developing Countries.

PURPOSE: To present a summary of the treatment and follow-up recommendations for the biochemical recurrence in castration-sensitive prostate cancer (PCa) acquired through a questionnaire administered to 99 PCa experts from developing countries during the Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference for Developing Countries. METHODS: A total of 27 questions were identified as related to this topic from more than 300 questions. The clinician's responses were tallied and presented in a percentage format. Topics included the use of imaging for staging biochemical recurrence, treatment recommendations for three different clinical scenarios, the field of radiation recommended, and follow-up. Each question had 5-7 relevant response options, including "abstain" and/or "unqualified to answer," and investigated not only recommendations but also if a limitation in resources would change the recommendation. RESULTS: For most questions, a clear majority (> 50%) of clinicians agreed on a recommended treatment for imaging, treatment scenarios, and follow-up, although only a few topics reached a consensus > 75%. Limited resources did affect several areas of treatment, although in many cases, they reinforced more stringent criteria for treatment such as prostate-specific antigen values > 0.2 ng/mL and STAMPEDE inclusion criteria as a basis for recommending treatment. CONCLUSION: A majority of clinicians working in developing countries with limited resources use similar cutoff points and selection criteria to manage patients treated for biochemically recurrent castration-sensitive PCa.

Predictors of peritoneal carcinomatosis in patients with gastric cancer treated at a single institution in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal carcinomatosis is a common pattern of recurrence in gastric cancer and is associated with a poor prognosis. Determining predictive factors for peritoneal recurrence can help the selection of patients suitable for more aggressive treatment strategies. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 162 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer with no peritoneal carcinomatosis and treated at a single institution in Brazil from January 1994 to December 2004 was carried out. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify patient and tumor-related characteristics associated with the development of peritoneal metastasis. RESULTS: Twenty-three (14.2%) patients developed peritoneal carcinomatosis. Three independent factors associated with the development of peritoneal metastasis were identified by multivariate analysis: signet-ring cell histology (odds ratio [OR] = 4.9; P = 0.018), the presence of vascular invasion (OR = 4.8; P = 0.022), and the presence of visceral metastasis at diagnosis (OR = 5.1; P = 0.011). Tumor stages T3 or T4 showed a trend towards significance (P = 0.062). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with gastric cancer presenting with signet-ring histology, vascular invasion, or visceral metastasis appear to be at higher risk for the development of peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Factors correlated with peritoneal carcinomatosis and survival in patients with gastric cancer treated at a single institution in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of death due to cancer worldwide and is particularly prevalent in Brazil. Promising new therapeutic agents have already shown activity in some gastrointestinal malignancies and their role in gastric cancer will need to be evaluated. Determining the prognostic factors of survival for patients with gastric cancer can help in identifying patients with a worse prognosis after treatment with the current chemotherapeutic regimens. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 186 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer and treated at a single institution in Brazil from January 1994 to December 2004 was carried out. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify patient- and tumor-related characteristics associated with peritoneal metastasis at diagnosis and with overall survival. RESULTS: Of the 186 patients, 76 were alive at the time of this analysis. The median survival for all patients was 30.1 months. Two independent factors associated with the presence of peritoneal metastasis at diagnosis were identified by multivariate analysis: signet-ring cell type (odds ratio [OR], 10.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.1 to 37.5), and visceral metastasis (OR, 51.8; 95% CI, 12.4 to 215.4). The prognostic factors for poor survival were tumor stage T3 or T4 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.87; 95% CI, 1.09 to 3.22) and visceral metastasis (HR, 4.98; 95% CI, 3.02 to 8.20). CONCLUSION: Two factors correlated with peritoneal metastasis and two prognostic factors for survival were identified. These findings may contribute to clinical decision-making, treatment tailoring, and the design of future trials.