A survey on transarterial chemoembolization refractoriness and a real-world treatment pattern for hepatocellular carcinoma in Korea.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a standard treatment for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but there is much controversy about TACE refractoriness. The aim of this study was to identify trends in the actual clinical application of TACE and recognition of TACE refractoriness by Korean experts. METHODS: In total, 17 questionnaires on TACE refractoriness were administered to 161 clinicians via an online survey. Multiple answers were allowed for some questions. RESULTS: Most clinicians agreed that there is a need for standardization of TACE application through specific scoring systems (n=124, 77.0%). TACE refractoriness was predominantly expected by participants when recurrences were detected within 1 month (n=70, 43.5%), there were 4 to 6 tumors (n=77, 47.8%), the maximal tumor size was 3-5 cm (n=49, 30.4%), and when there was insufficient tumor necrosis despite TACE being repeated more than three times (n=78, 48.4%). Overall, sorafenib therapy (n=137) and radiotherapy (n=114) were preferred when repeated TACE was considered ineffective. CONCLUSION: Treatment of HCC is often based on the clinical judgment of clinicians because of the heterogeneity among individuals. Experts need to continue discussions on the standardization and sub-classification of HCC treatment guidelines in Korea.

The Role of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Therapy in Patients With Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer With Isolated Venous Vascular Involvement.

The rationale for neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (Neo-CRT) and the definition of borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC) are still controversial. In particular, surgical treatment of BRPC with isolated venous vascular involvement (IVVI) is debatable.From January 2000 to December 2013, 84 patients diagnosed with BRPC according to NCCN guidelines were identified, and 70 patients were found to have BRPC with IVVI. We divided all 70 patients into 3 groups: surgery first without Neo-CRT (Group 1); pancreatectomy following Neo-CRT (Group 2); and no operation following Neo-CRT (Group 3). Patient characteristics including oncologic outcomes were analyzed for each of the 3 patients groups.Thirty-seven patients were female and 33 were male, with a mean age of 61.7 ±â€Š9.74 years. Among the 70 BRPC patients with IVVI, 28 patients (40%) belonged to Group 1, 30 patients (42.9%) belonged to Group 2, and 12 patients (17.1%) belonged to Group 3. Pathological tumor size (P < 0.001), pT stage (P = 0.001), pTNM stage (P=0.002), combined vascular resection (P = 0.003), completeness of adjuvant therapy (P = 0.004) were found to be statistically significantly different between Groups 1 and 2. In addition, disease-free survival (P = 0.055) and disease-specific survival (DSS) (P=0.006) were improved in Group 2. Interestingly, when comparing DSS, there was no statistically significant difference between Groups 1 and 3 (P = 0.991).The clinical practice of pancreatectomy following Neo-CRT in BRPC with IVVI provided favorable oncologic outcomes. The effect of Neo-CRT in BRPC with IVVI may be multifactorial, providing proper patient selection, complete adjuvant chemotherapy, and potential therapeutic (downstaging) effect.

Intermediate dose 5-fluorouracil-induced encephalopathy.

As an acute neurotoxicity, high dose 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced encephalopathy is well-known, but encephalopathy associated with lower dose is rarely reported. Here, we report a case of a male with anal cancer who was treated with 5-FU 1000 mg/m(2), continuous infusion for 5 days q4 weeks. At the second and the fourth cycles of chemotherapy, sudden confusion, cognitive dysfunction and disorientation occurred during 5-FU infusion. They were accompanied by hyperammonemia in the absence of focal neurological deficits or structural abnormalities. These symptoms completely disappeared and the serum ammonia level returned to normal after discontinuation of 5-FU and conservative care. In order to investigate a possible deficit of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), we checked its mRNA level before and after treatment using real-time PCR. The patient's pre-treatment level was 80% compared with reference group, and it was elevated up to 187% of initial after 5-FU treatment, implying that that his encephalopathy may be 5-FU catabolite type rather than DPD deficiency. In conclusion, we report that encephalopathy can develop even with the dose of 5-FU lower than ever reported, and it should be considered as a differential diagnosis for proper management.