EPAC-lung: pooled analysis of circulating tumour cells in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: We assessed the clinical validity of circulating tumour cell (CTC) quantification for prognostication of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by undertaking a pooled analysis of individual patient data. METHODS: Nine European NSCLC CTC centres were asked to provide reported/unreported pseudo-anonymised data for patients with advanced NSCLC who participated in CellSearch CTC studies from January 2003 to March 2017. We used Cox regression models, stratified by centres, to establish the association between CTC count and survival. We assessed the added value of CTCs to prognostic clinicopathological models using likelihood ratio (LR) statistics and c-indices. RESULTS: Seven out of nine eligible centres provided data for 550 patients with prognostic information for overall survival. CTC counts of ≥2 and ≥ 5 per 7·5 mL were associated with reduced progression-free survival (≥2 CTCs: hazard ratio [HR] = 1.72, p < 0·001; ≥5 CTCs: HR = 2.21, p < 0·001) and overall survival (≥2 CTCs: HR = 2·18, p < 0·001; ≥5 CTCs: HR = 2·75, p < 0·001), respectively. Survival prediction was significantly improved by addition of baseline CTC count to LR clinicopathological models (log-transformed CTCs p < 0·001; ≥2 CTCs p < 0·001; ≥5 CTCs p ≤ 0·001 for both survival end-points), whereas moderate improvements were observed with the use of c-index models. There was some evidence of between-centre heterogeneity, especially when examining continuous counts of CTCs. CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm CTCs as an independent prognostic indicator of progression-free survival and overall survival in advanced NSCLC and also reveal some evidence of between-centre heterogeneity. CTC count improves prognostication when added to full clinicopathological predictive models.

Prognostic value of circulating tumour cells in limited-stage small-cell lung cancer: analysis of the concurrent once-daily versus twice-daily radiotherapy (CONVERT) randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) is not well defined. We report a planned exploratory analysis of the prevalence and prognostic value of CTCs in LS-SCLC patients enrolled within the phase III randomised CONVERT (concurrent once-daily versus twice-daily chemoradiotherapy) trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Baseline blood samples were enumerated for CTCs using CellSearch in 75 patients with LS-SCLC who were enrolled in the CONVERT trial and randomised between twice- and once-daily concurrent chemoradiation. Standard statistical methods were used for correlations of CTCs with clinical factors. Log-rank test and Cox regression analyses were applied to establish the associations of 2, 15 and 50 CTC thresholds with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). An optimal CTC count threshold for LS-SCLC was established. RESULTS: CTCs were detected in 60% (45/75) of patients (range 0-3750). CTC count thresholds of 2, 15 and 50 CTCs all significantly correlate with PFS and OS. An optimal CTC count threshold in LS-SCLC was established at 15 CTCs, defining 'favourable' and 'unfavourable' prognostic risk groups. The median OS in <15 versus ≥15 CTCs was 26.7 versus 5.9 m (P = 0.001). The presence of ≥15 CTCs at baseline independently predicted ≤1 year survival in 70% and ≤2 years survival in 100% of patients. CONCLUSION: We report the prognostic value of baseline CTC count in an exclusive LS-SCLC population at thresholds of 2, 15 and 50 CTCs. Specific to LS-SCLC, ≥15 CTCs was associated with worse PFS and OS independent of all other factors and predicted ≤2 years survival. These results may improve disease stratification in future clinical trial designs and aid clinical decision making. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00433563.

Thoracic esophageal perforations: surgical management with mechanical bipolar exclusion.

We report 12 cases of thoracic esophageal perforation diagnosed during the last seven years. Management was nonsurgical in 2 patients and the rest were treated surgically. Primary repair and drainage were performed in 2 patients, and 7 patients underwent suture of the perforation and bipolar exclusion using nonresorbable staples. The remaining patient was treated with proximal unipolar exclusion. The approach was always through a posterolateral thoracotomy. The result was optimal in 8 patients; the most important postsurgical complications were 2 esophageal fistulas that required surgery, and only one of the patients died of fulminating sepsis. Bipolar exclusion is a procedure that needs only one operation and provides excellent morbidity-mortality rates compared with other exclusion techniques with later reconstruction. We consider suturing with nonresorbable staples to be a simple and safe procedure, with spontaneous recanalization of the esophageal lumen in 2 weeks.

[Neonatal systemic candidiasis in the nineties]. / Candidiasis sistémica neonatal en los noventa.

OBJECTIVE: Retrospective study of newborns with systemic candidiasis during the period January 1990-March 1994 admitted to the Neonatology Unit at tertiary hospital. We analyzed the predisposing factors, clinical course, diagnosis, treatment and outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fourteen newborns were diagnosed of systemic candidiasis on the basis of positive blood culture associated with compatible clinical condition and/or involvement of any organ. All the patients had as predisposing factors the use of broad spectrum antibiotics, prolonged intravascular catheterization and parenteral nutrition, and 12 newborn infants had mechanical ventilation. RESULTS: Twelve newborns were preterm infants, 10 of them weighing less than 1.500 g and 2 were term infants who required abdominal surgery due to ileal atresia and omphalocele. The mean age at onset of systemic candidiasis was 40 days. Clinical presentation was indistinguishable from that of bacterial sepsis. C. albicans was isolated from the blood of 12 infants, from the urine of 6 infants and from the cerebrospinal fluid of two infants. Six infants were treated with intravenous amphotericin, one infant was treated with intravenous amphotericin B associated with oral flucytosine and two infants were treated with liposomal amphotericin. Six of the infants died one of them while still receiving antifungal therapy. CONCLUSION: Systemic candidiasis should be considered in any septic infant mainly preterm infant less than 1.500 g with predisposing risk factors. We truly believe that a high index of suspicion, rapid diagnosis, early initiation of systemic fungal therapy, and removal of indwelling catheters may markedly reduce the mortality and improve the prognosis associated with neonatal systemic candidiasis.

[Retractile mesenteritis. Report of 3 cases]. / Mesenteritis retráctil. A propósito de tres casos.

Mesenteric panniculitis is an infrequent pathology; the diagnosis is made by the pathologist and it is characterized by inflammation, fibrosis and retraction of the mesenteric fat. We report three new cases of retractile mesenteritis or mesenteric panniculitis, two cases presented with intestinal obstruction and the other had an abdominal tumour. In all cases the pathological diagnosis was retractile mesenteritis.

[Cerebellar tuberculoma. Clinical and radiological course]. / Tuberculoma cerebeloso. Evolución clínica y radiológica.

A six-year-old child with intracranial hypertension is described. Cranial computed tomography showed an expansive mass surrounded by a contrast enhancement ring in the right cerebellar hemisphere. Chest roentgenograms showed signs of pulmonary tuberculosis. Intracranial lesion was diagnosed as a tuberculoma and treated with tuberculostatic agents. Serial computed tomography scans showed a reduction of size of tuberculoma and appearance of a residual calcified image.