Current Opinion and Practice on Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Management: The North African Perspective.

Background: The status of peritoneal surface malignancy (PSM) management in North Africa is undetermined. The aim of this study was to assess and compare current practice and knowledge regarding PSM and examine satisfaction with available treatment options and need for alternative therapies in North Africa. Methods: This is a qualitative study involving specialists participating in PSM management in North Africa. The survey analyzed demographic characteristics and current knowledge and opinions regarding PSM management in different institutions. We also looked at goals and priorities, satisfaction with treatment modalities and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) usefulness according to specialty, country, years of experience, and activity sector. Results: One-hundred and three participants responded to the survey (response rate of 57%), including oncologists and surgeons. 59.2% of respondents had more than 10 years experience and 45.6% treated 20-50 PSM cases annually. Participants satisfaction with PSM treatment modalities was mild for gastric cancer (3/10 [IQR 2-3]) and moderate for colorectal (5/10 [IQR 3-5]), ovarian (5/10 [IQR 3-5]), and pseudomyxoma peritonei (5/10 [IQR 3-5]) type of malignancies. Good quality of life and symptom relief were rated as main priorities for treatment and the need for new treatment modalities was rated 9/10 [IQR 8-9]. The perceived usefulness of systemic chemotherapy in first intention was described as high by 42.7 and 39.8% of respondents for PSM of colorectal and gastric origins, while HIPEC was described as highly useful for ovarian (49.5%) and PMP (73.8) malignancies. Conclusions: The management of PSM in the North African region has distinct differences in knowledge, treatments availability and priorities. Disparities are also noted according to specialty, country, years of expertise, and activity sector. The creation of referral structures and PSM networks could be a step forward to standardized PSM management in the region.

Predictive factors of disease-free survival after complete pathological response to neoadjuvant radiotherapy for rectal adenocarcinoma: retrospective case series.

BACKGROUND: Many data suggest that patients with low rectal adenocarcinoma who achieved ypT0N0 status have improved survival and disease-free survival (DFS) compared to all other stages however only few data are available regarding the specific prognosis factors of this subgroup. This study aimed to evaluate predictive factors for disease free survival after complete pathological response (CPR) in cases of low rectal adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2005 to December 2013, all patients with low rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by total mesorectal excision and achieved CPR were included at 7 Moroccan and 1 Algerian centres. Predictive factors for disease-free survival were analysed by uni and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Eigthy-four (12.1%) patients achieved a CPR (ypT0N0). Multivariate analysis revealed that both poorly differentiated tumors (OR, 9.23; 95 CI 1.35-62.82; P = 0.023) and the occurrence of perineal sepsis (OR, 13.51; 95 CI 1.96-93.12; P = 0.008) were independently associated with impaired DFS. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with low rectal cancer who exhibited a CPR after neoadjuvant therapy have good prognoses; however, the occurrence of perineal sepsis and/or poor initial differentiation may be associated with impaired DFS in these patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was retrospectively registered the 28th July 2018 in ClinicalTrials.gov register with the reference NCT03601689.

Impact of Conversion to Open Surgery on Early Postoperative Morbidity After Laparoscopic Resection for Rectal Adenocarcinoma: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of conversion to open surgery after a laparoscopic resection for rectal adenocarcinoma on postoperative morbidity is still unclear. Most previous studies included colon and rectal carcinomas and produced conflicting results. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of conversion to open surgery on early postoperative morbidity in patients who underwent a laparoscopic resection for rectal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: This was a retrospective bicentric study. It included all consecutive patients who underwent a laparoscopic resection for nonmetastatic rectal adenocarcinoma between January 2005 and December 2013. The impact of conversion to open surgery on 30-day postoperative morbidity was analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. Risk factors for conversion were also investigated by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-one patients were included. The conversion rate was 26.7%. The global 30-day morbidity rate was 31.3% (41 patients). The conversion to open surgery was associated with higher rates of postoperative complications, anastomotic leaks, and reoperations. It was also an independent predictive factor to postoperative morbidity in the multivariate analysis (P = .01; odds ratio 2.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23-6.63), in addition to T4 tumors (P = .04; odds ratio 3.92; 95% CI 1.05-14.61). Risk factors for conversion in the multivariate analysis were T4 tumors (P = .006; odds ratio 6.09; 95% CI 1.66-22.32) and the height of the tumor (P = .025; odds ratio 2.7; 95% CI 1.13-6.43). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that conversion to open surgery after laparoscopic proctectomy for rectal adenocarcinoma was associated with higher rates of early postoperative complications. It also showed that T4 tumors and the height of the tumor were independent factors associated with the conversion to open surgery. Reducing postoperative morbidity could be achieved by a better patient selection and a policy of early conversion.