Blood salvage and autotransfusion during orthotopic liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant cause of oncologic mortality worldwide. Liver transplantation represents a curative option for patients with significant liver dysfunction and absence of metastases. However, this therapeutic option is associated with significant blood loss and frequently requires various transfusions and intraoperative blood salvage for autotransfusion (IBS-AT) with or without a leukocyte reduction filter. This study aimed to analyze available evidence on long-term oncologic outcomes of patients undergoing liver transplantation for HCC with and without IBS-AT. METHODS: Per PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of keywords "Blood Salvage," "Auto-transfusion," "Hepatocellular carcinoma," and "Liver-transplant" was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS. Studies comparing operative and postoperative outcomes were screened and analyzed for review. RESULTS: Twelve studies totaling 1704 participants were included for analysis. Length of stay, recurrence rates, and overall survival were not different between IBS-AT group and non IBS-AT group. CONCLUSION: IBS-AT use is not associated with increased risk of recurrence in liver transplant for HCC even without leukocyte filtration. Both operative and postoperative outcomes are similar between groups. Comparison of analyzed studies suggest that IBS-AT is safe for use during liver transplant for HCC.

Personalizing adjuvant therapy for patients with colorectal cancer.

The current standard-of-care adjuvant treatment for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) comprises a fluoropyrimidine (5-fluorouracil or capecitabine) as a single agent or in combination with oxaliplatin, for either 3 or 6 months. Selection of therapy depends on conventional histopathological staging procedures, which constitute a blunt tool for patient stratification. Given the relatively marginal survival benefits that patients can derive from adjuvant treatment, improving the safety of chemotherapy regimens and identifying patients most likely to benefit from them is an area of unmet need. Patient stratification should enable distinguishing those at low risk of recurrence and a high chance of cure by surgery from those at higher risk of recurrence who would derive greater absolute benefits from chemotherapy. To this end, genetic analyses have led to the discovery of germline determinants of toxicity from fluoropyrimidines, the identification of patients at high risk of life-threatening toxicity, and enabling dose modulation to improve safety. Thus far, results from analyses of resected tissue to identify mutational or transcriptomic signatures with value as prognostic biomarkers have been rather disappointing. In the past few years, the application of artificial intelligence-driven models to digital images of resected tissue has identified potentially useful algorithms that stratify patients into distinct prognostic groups. Similarly, liquid biopsy approaches involving measurements of circulating tumour DNA after surgery are additionally useful tools to identify patients at high and low risk of tumour recurrence. In this Perspective, we provide an overview of the current landscape of adjuvant therapy for patients with CRC and discuss how new technologies will enable better personalization of therapy in this setting.

Bendamustine lymphodepletion is a well-tolerated alternative to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide lymphodepletion for axicabtagene ciloleucel therapy for aggressive B-cell lymphoma.

Fludarabine/cyclophosphamide (Flu/Cy) is established for lymphodepletion (LD) prior to standard-of-care CAR T-cell therapy for lymphoma. There is ongoing need to test alternative LD regimens to preserve efficacy, improve safety, and address challenges including the recent national fludarabine shortage. We retrospectively evaluated outcomes among patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell lymphoma who received bendamustine (n = 27) or Flu/Cy (n = 42) LD before axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) at our institution. The median change in absolute lymphocyte count from pre-LD to time of axi-cel infusion was -0.6×109 /L in bendamustine cohort and -0.7×109 /L in Flu/Cy cohort. The best overall response/complete response rates were 77.8% (95% CI: 57.7%-91.4%)/48.1% (95% CI: 28.7%-68.1%) among bendamustine cohort and 81.0% (95% CI: 65.9%-91.4%)/50.0% (95% CI: 34.2%-65.8%) among Flu/Cy cohort. Six-month progression-free survival were 43.8% (95% CI: 24.7%-61.3%) and 55.6% (95% CI: 39.0%-69.3%) in bendamustine and Flu/Cy cohorts, while 6-month overall survival were 81.5% (95% CI: 61.1%-91.8%) and 90.4% (95% CI: 76.4%-96.3%), respectively. Relative to Flu/Cy-treated patients, bendamustine-treated patients did not show an increase in hazards associated with experiencing progression/relapse/death (aHR:1.4 [95% CI: 0.7-2.8]; p = .32) or death (aHR:1.6 [95% CI: 0.5-5.6]; p = .46), after adjusting for baseline number of prior therapies and refractory disease. Any grade/grade ≥3 CRS were observed in 89%/3.7% and 86%/4.8% among bendamustine and Flu/Cy cohorts, while any grade ICANS/grade ≥3 ICANS were observed in 30%/19% and 55%/31% respectively. While more Flu/Cy-treated patients experienced grade ≥3 neutropenia compared with bendamustine-treated patients (100% vs. 68%), grade ≥3 infectious complications were comparable (24% vs. 19% respectively). More patients received bendamustine LD and axi-cel as outpatient than Flu/Cy cohort, without increased toxicities and with shorter median inpatient stays. In conclusion, we observed comparable efficacy and lower any grade ICANS among patients receiving bendamustine relative to Flu/Cy LD, followed by axi-cel.

Multiparametric imaging guided HDR interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) boost in localized prostate cancer: a multidisciplinary experience.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report a monoinstitutional multidisciplinary experience about the use of multiparametric imaging to identify the areas with higher risk of relapse in localized prostate cancer, with the purpose of allowing a biologically planned target dose escalation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective evaluation of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer who received treatments at our Interventional Oncology Center with interstitial interventional radiotherapy from 2014 to 2022. Inclusion criteria were histologically confirmed localized prostate cancer; and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk class unfavorable intermediate or high/very high risk. The diagnostic work-up included multiparametric Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), multiparametric Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography (PET-CT) with choline or PSMA (or alternatively bone scan). All patients were assessed and received one treatment with interstitial high-dose-rate interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) delivering external beam radiotherapy (46 Gy). All procedures were performed using transrectal ultrasound guidance under general anesthesia and the prescribed doses were 10 Gy to the whole prostate, 12 Gy to the peripheral zone and 15 Gy to the areas at risk. RESULTS: We report the data of 21 patients who were considered for the statistical analysis with a mean age of 62.5 years. The mean PSA nadir was 0.03 ng/ml (range 0-0.09). So far, no biochemical nor radiological recurrences have been recorded in our series. Regarding acute toxicity, the most commonly reported side effects were G1 urinary in 28.5% of patients and G2 urinary in 9.5%; all recorded acute toxicities resolved spontaneously. CONCLUSIONS: We present a real-life experience of biologically planned local dose escalation by interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) boost, followed by external beam radiotherapy in patients with intermediate unfavorable- or high/very high risk. The local control and the biochemical control rates are proved to be excellent and the toxicity profile tolerable.

Safety and efficacy of CT-guided radioactive iodine-125 seed implantation as a salvage treatment for recurrent head and neck cancer after two or more courses of radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: In the past, patients with recurrent head and neck cancer (rHNC) who had previously received a high dose of radiation and were unable to undergo surgery were mainly treated with palliative chemotherapy due to the high incidence of side effects from re-irradiation. With the development of radiotherapy technology, re-irradiation of recurrent lesions by radioactive iodine-125 seed implantation (RISI) has been proposed as a feasible therapeutic approach. This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided RISI in the treatment of rHNC after two or more courses of radiotherapy, and to analyze the prognostic factors. METHODS: Data of 33 patients with rHNC who received CT-guided RISI after two or more courses of radiotherapy were collected and statistically analyzed. The median cumulative dose of the previous radiotherapy was 110 Gy. Short-term efficacy was assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (version 1.1) criteria, while adverse events were evaluated by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 5.0) criteria. RESULTS: The median gross tumor volume (GTV) was 29.5 cc, and the postoperative median dose to 90% of target volume (D90) was 136.8 Gy. For adverse reactions, enhanced pain was found in 3 (9.1%) patients, followed by grade 1 to 2 acute skin reactions in 3 (9.1%) patients, grade 2 to 3 late skin reactions in 2 (6.1%) patients, grade 1 to 2 early mucosal reactions in 4 (12.1%) patients, and mandibular osteonecrosis in 1 (3.0%) patient. Regarding the treatment efficacy, the 1- and 2-year local control (LC) rates were 47.8% and 36.4% (median LC time, 10 months), and the 1- and 2-year overall survival (OS) rates were 41.3% and 32.2% (median OS time, 8 months). The absence of adverse events was associated with better LC. CONCLUSIONS: CT-guided RISI, as a salvage therapy, demonstrated acceptable safety and efficacy in the treatment of rHNC after two or more courses of radiotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Register database (Registration No. ChiCTR2200063261 ) in September 2, 2022.

THE USE OF AUTOLOGOUS BLOOD TRANSFUSION IN DIGESTIVE TRACT SURGERY: A LITERATURE REVIEW.

BACKGROUND: The use of autologous blood transfusion in digestive tract surgeries, whether after preoperative blood collection or intraoperative blood salvage, is an alternative to allogeneic blood, which brings with it certain risks and shortage, due to the lack of donors. Studies have shown lower mortality and longer survival associated with autologous blood, however the theoretical possibility of spreading metastatic disease is still one of the limiting factors of its use. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the application of autologous transfusion in digestive tract surgeries, noting the benefits, damages and effects on the spread of metastatic disease. METHODS: This is an integrative review of the literature available in the PubMed, Virtual Health Library and SciELO databases, by searching for "Autologous Blood Transfusion AND Gastrointestinal Surgical Procedures". Observational and experimental studies and guidelines published in the last five years in Portuguese, English or Spanish were included. RESULTS: Not all patients benefit from blood collection before elective procedures, with the time of surgery and hemoglobin levels some of the factors that may indicate the need for preoperative storage. Regarding the intraoperative salvaged blood, it was observed that there is no increased risk of tumor recurrence, but the importance of using leukocyte filters and blood irradiation is highlighted. There was no consensus among the studies whether there is a maintenance or reduction of complication rates compared to allogeneic blood. The cost related to the use of autologous blood may be higher, and the less stringent selection criteria prevent it from being added to the general donation pool. CONCLUSION: There were no objective and concordant answers among the studies, but the strong evidence of less recurrence of digestive tumors, the possibility of changes in morbidity and mortality, and the reduction of costs with patients suggest that the practice of autologous blood transfusion should be encouraged in digestive tract surgeries. It is necessary to note if the deleterious effects would stand out amidst the possible benefits to the patient and to health care systems.

Standard and Hypofractionated Dose Escalation to Intraprostatic Tumor Nodules in Localized Prostate Cancer: 5-Year Efficacy and Toxicity in the DELINEATE Trial.

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to report 5-year efficacy and toxicity of intraprostatic lesion boosting using standard and hypofractionated radiation therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: DELINEATE (ISRCTN 04483921) is a single center phase 2 multicohort study including standardly fractionated (cohort A: 74 Gy/37F to prostate and seminal vesicles [PSV]; cohort C 74 Gy/37F to PSV plus 60 Gy/37F to pelvic lymph nodes) and moderately hypofractionated (cohort B: 60 Gy/20F to PSV) prostate intensity-modulated radiation therapy patients with National Comprehensive Cancer Network intermediate/high-risk disease. Patients received an integrated boost of 82 Gy (cohorts A and C) or 67 Gy (cohort B) to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging identified lesion(s). Primary endpoint was late Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity at 1 year. Secondary endpoints were acute and late toxicity (clinician and patient reported) and freedom from biochemical/clinical failure at 5 years. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-five men were recruited and 256 were treated (55 cohort A, 153 cohort B, and 48 cohort C). Median follow-up for each cohort was >5 years. Cumulative late RTOG grade 2+ GI toxicity at 1 year was 3.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.9%-13.8%) (cohort A), 7.2% (95% CI, 4%-12.6%) (cohort B), and 8.4% (95% CI, 3.2%-20.8%) (cohort C). Cumulative late RTOG grade 2+ GI toxicity to 5 years was 12.8% (95% CI, 6.3%-25.1%) (cohort A), 14.6% (95% CI, 9.9%-21.4%) (cohort B), and 20.7% (95% CI, 11.2%-36.2%) (cohort C). Cumulative RTOG grade 2+ genitourinary toxicity to 5 years was 12.9% (95% CI, 6.4%-25.2%) (cohort A), 18.2% (95% CI, 12.8%-25.4%) (cohort B), and 18.2% (95% CI, 9.5%-33.2%) (cohort C). Five-year freedom from biochemical/clinical failure was 98.2% (95% CI, 87.8%-99.7%) (cohort A), 96.7% (95% CI, 91.3%- 98.8%) (cohort B), and 95.1% (95% CI, 81.6-98.7%) (cohort C). CONCLUSIONS: The DELINEATE trial has shown safety, tolerability, and feasibility of focal boosting in 20 or 37 fractions. Efficacy results indicate a low chance of prostate cancer recurrence 5 years after radiation therapy. Evidence from ongoing phase 3 randomized trials is awaited.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with a hematologic malignancy and a prior history of breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To compare the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for myeloid malignancies in breast cancer survivors to a contemporaneous control group. METHODS: Medical records of all patients with a history of breast cancer who received allogeneic stem cell transplants at a single, tertiary referral Comprehensive Cancer Center between 2002 and 2019 were reviewed. Transplant outcomes were compared to 289 control patients without a history of breast cancer from the same time period. Main outcomes included survival, disease-free survival, non-relapse mortality, relapse or progression of hematologic malignancy, and incidence of recurrent breast cancer after hematopoietic cell transplantation. Comparisons between women with a history of breast cancer and controls utilized propensity score weighting to balance patient characteristics. RESULTS: Forty women, ages 30-74 years, with a history of breast cancer received an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant for a hematologic malignancy between December 2002 and February 2019. Twelve of the 40 patients are alive with a median survival of 7.4 years (range, 1.9-16.8 years). None of the patients had evidence of recurrent breast cancer prior to death or date of last contact. In multivariable Cox models, all transplant outcomes were similar between the patients and the control group with hematopoietic cell transplant comorbidity score as the most important confounding factor for adjustment in these models. CONCLUSION: A history of treated breast cancer should not exclude patients from consideration for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

[Impact of nutritional factors during and after cancer]. / Impact des facteurs nutritionnels pendant et après cancer.

Nutritional factors (diet, weight, alcohol, physical activity) are identified as factors having an impact on the onset of several cancer sites. Less abundant scientific data also underline their impact on the tumor progression. A review of the scientific literature was carried out by a group of experts established by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) to better document the influence of nutritional factors during and after cancer on outcomes such as overall mortality, cancer specific mortality, recurrence, second primary cancers and quality of life. This analysis of the literature completes messages of reduction of alcohol consumption, prevention of undernutrition or excess weight and adherence to dietary recommendations, avoiding the use of dietary supplements, fasting or restrictive diets and strengthens messages promoting the practice of physical activity and the fight against sedentary lifestyle.

Therapeutic Efficacy of Sorafenib in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Liver Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence is still threatening patient survival after liver transplantation (LT). The efficacy and safety of sorafenib in the setting of post-LT recurrence are still equivocal. This study aims to disclose the efficacy and safety profile of sorafenib in treating post-LT HCC recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic databases were searched to retrieve relevant publications suitable for inclusion. Data from 23 studies containing 411 patients were analyzed. The primary outcome of interest was 1-year survival rate after sorafenib treatment, and the secondary endpoints included median overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), treatment response, and adverse events. RESULTS: Patients with HCC recurrence after LT treated with sorafenib achieved a 1-year survival rate of 56.8%, with a median OS of 12.8 months and a median TTP of 6.0 months. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that male gender (P = .048), TTP (P = .021), median duration of sorafenib (P = .021), diarrhea (P = .027), fatigue (P = .044), and partial response (P = .026) were associated with a better 1-year survival rate. In addition, sorafenib exerted a significant superior effect on OS compared with best supportive care in the setting of untreatable post-LT HCC recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this meta-analysis, sorafenib therapy seems to be safe and feasible and exhibits survival benefit in patients with post-LT HCC recurrence. However, prospective randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and more rigorous study design are required to confirm the efficacy of sorafenib.

Transurethral resection of the prostate is an independent risk factor for biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.

Biochemical recurrence (BCR) is important for measuring the oncological outcomes of patients who undergo radical prostatectomy (RP). Whether transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has negative postoperative effects on oncological outcomes remains controversial. The primary aim of our retrospective study was to determine whether a history of TURP could affect the postoperative BCR rate. We retrospectively reviewed patients with prostate cancer (PCa) who had undergone RP between January 2009 and October 2017. Clinical data on age, prostate volume, serum prostate-specific antigen levels (PSA), biopsy Gleason score (GS), metastasis stage (TNM), D'Amico classification, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification were collected. Statistical analyses including Cox proportional hazard models and sensitivity analyses which included propensity score matching, were performed, and the inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighted estimator and standardized mortality ratio-weighted estimator were determined. We included 1083 patients, of which 118 had a history of TURP. Before matching, the non-TURP group differed from the TURP group with respect to GS (P= 0.047), prostate volume (mean: 45.19 vs 36.00 ml, P < 0.001), and PSA level (mean: 29.41 vs 15.11 ng ml-1, P= 0.001). After adjusting for age, PSA level, T stage, N stage, M stage, and GS, the TURP group showed higher risk of BCR (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13-3.94, P= 0.004). After matching (ratio 1:4), patients who underwent TURP were still more likely to develop BCR according to the adjusted propensity score (HR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.05-3.79, P= 0.034). Among patients with PCa, those with a history of TURP were more likely to develop BCR after RP.

Surgical recurrence of solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura treated with microwave (MW) thermoablation: A case report.

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the pleura is a rare neoplasm which is challenging for clinicians to treat and radiologists to diagnose. Herein, we report a case of recurrence of SFT of the pleura in a 77-year-old patient which was diagnosed and surgically treated on the first occasion in 2005. The patient had a recurrence in 2016 which was treated and then six months later, he again experienced chest pain and a further local recurrence was found. Taking into consideration the age and comorbidities of the patient, CT-guided percutaneous microwave-thermal ablation was preferrable to surgery and a safe and highly effective local ablative technique with few side-effects.

The Safety and Short-term Outcomes of Leukocyte Depleted Autologous Transfusions During Radical Cystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine long- and short-term outcomes using cell salvage with a commercially available leukocyte depletion filter following radical cystectomy in an oncologic population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty-seven patients, 87 of whom received a cell salvage transfusion, were retrospectively identified from chart review. Ninety-day outcomes as well as long-term mortality and cancer recurrence data were collected. Chi-square, Student's t, or Mann-Whitney U tests were used as appropriate. Multivariable regressions of survival were performed with a Cox proportional-hazards model. RESULTS: Those who received a cell salvage transfusion did not show any differences in rate of cancer recurrence (23%) vs those who did not receive a cell salvage transfusion (24%; P = .85). There were also no differences noted in mortality rates between the 2 populations (12% vs 17%; P = .36). Furthermore, no differences were noted in postoperative complication rates, length of hospital stay, 90-day culture positive infections or readmissions (P >.05). CONCLUSION: There are no significant differences in short-term or long-term patient outcomes between those who did and did not receive an intraoperative cell salvage transfusion. Cell salvage transfusions with a leukocyte depletion filter are safe and effective methods to reduce the need for allogeneic blood transfusions while controlling for the theoretical risk of metastatic spread.

Preliminary experience on safety of regorafenib after sorafenib failure in recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation.

Regorafenib is one option for second-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), improving overall survival (OS) of sorafenib-tolerant patients who develop progression. We aim to evaluate the safety and outcomes of regorafenib as second-line treatment for HCC recurrence after liver transplantation (LT). This is a retrospective, multicenter, international study including regorafenib-treated LT patients (2015-2018), with analysis of baseline characteristics and evolutionary events during sorafenib/regorafenib treatment. Twenty-eight LT patients (57 years, 7% cirrhotics, 54% performance status 1) were included. Median time from LT to regorafenib initiation was 3.9 (1.1-18.5) years; median time on sorafenib was 11.3 (0.7-76.4) months and 14 (1-591) days from sorafenib discontinuation to regorafenib. During regorafenib (6.3 months), all patients had at least one adverse event (AE), the most common grade 3/4 AEs were fatigue (n = 7) and dermatological reaction (n = 5). While no liver rejection was observed, plasma levels of immunosuppressive drugs increased in five. Twenty-four patients developed progression (38% extrahepatic growth, 33% new extrahepatic lesions/vascular invasion). Median OS from regorafenib initiation was 12.9 (95% CI, 6.7-19.1) and 38.4 months (95% CI, 18.5-58.4) for the sorafenib initiation. This is the first study showing safety of regorafenib after LT, thus providing the rational of considering regorafenib in the clinical decision-making in sorafenib-tolerant patients with HCC recurrence after LT.

Survival analysis of intraoperative blood salvage for patients with malignancy disease: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative blood salvage as a blood-saving strategy has been widely used in surgery. Considering its theoretic risk of malignant tumor cells being reinfused and the corresponding blood metastases, the safety of intraoperative blood salvage in cancer surgery remains controversial. METHODS: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), we searched the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and EMBASE to November 2017. We included only studies comparing intraoperative blood salvage with allogeneic blood transfusion. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 9 studies with 4354 patients with 1346 patients in the intraoperative blood salvage group and 3008 patients in the allogeneic blood transfusion group. There were no significant differences in the 5-year overall survival outcome (odds ratio [OR] 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80-1.58), 5-year disease-free survival outcome (OR 1.08; 95% CI 0.86-1.35), or 5-year recurrence rate (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.71-1.05) between the 2 study groups. Subgroup analysis also showed no significant differences in the 5-year overall survival outcome (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.57-1.67) of hepatocellular carcinoma patients in liver transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with malignant disease, intraoperative blood salvage did not increase the tumor recurrence rate and had comparable survival outcomes with allogeneic blood transfusion.

Not all abdominal masses after colorectal cancer surgery are malignant: intra-abdominal fibromatosis masquerading as recurrence.

AIM: Intra-abdominal fibromatosis is an unusual mesenchymal tumour that can be locally aggressive without any metastatic potential. Fibromatosis may simulate cancer recurrence on imaging surveillance for colorectal cancer follow-up. The optimal treatment of recurrent peritoneal malignancy is cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Confirmatory biopsy of lesions suspicious for colorectal cancer recurrence may not be feasible, thereby rendering surgery the safest option. Our aim was to determine the incidence of fibromatosis in a cohort of patients undergoing CRS and HIPEC for suspected colorectal cancer recurrence. METHODS: One hundred and seventy-one CRS and HIPEC cases were performed at our Peritoneal Malignancy Institute between February 2007 and October 2018 for colorectal peritoneal metastases and were included in a prospectively maintained database. RESULTS: A total of 49 (29%) of 171 cases were performed for primary colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastases, whereas 122 (71%) of 171 cases were performed for suspected colorectal cancer recurrence detected on surveillance imaging after primary colorectal cancer resection. On histological analysis of the resected specimen, five (4.1%) of 122 cases undergoing CRS and HIPEC for colorectal recurrence had fibromatosis. CONCLUSION: Fibromatosis can masquerade as colorectal cancer recurrence. In this series it occurred with an incidence of 4.1% among a cohort of patients undergoing CRS and HIPEC for probable recurrence. Surgical resection may be the only option to confirm the diagnosis and rule out malignancy.

Use of antidepressants after colon cancer diagnosis and risk of recurrence.

OBJECTIVE: Prior research examining the association between use of antidepressants after colon cancer diagnosis and risk of recurrence is scant. We evaluated this association among colon cancer patients diagnosed at two integrated health care delivery systems in the United States. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study of stage I to IIIA colon cancer patients diagnosed at greater than or equal to 18 years of age at Kaiser Permanente Colorado and Kaiser Permanente Washington during 1995 to 2014. We used pharmacy records to identify dispensings for antidepressants and tumor registry records and patients' medical charts to identify cancer recurrences. Using Cox proportional hazards models, we estimated the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of colon cancer recurrence comparing patients who used antidepressants after diagnosis to those who did not. We also evaluated the risk associated with use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) separately. RESULTS: Among the 1923 eligible colon cancer patients, 807 (42%) used an antidepressant after diagnosis and 139 had a colon cancer recurrence during an average 5.6 years of follow-up. Use of antidepressants after colon cancer diagnosis was not associated with risk of recurrence (HR: 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69-1.87). The HR for use of SSRIs was 1.22 (95% CI, 0.64-2.30), and for TCAs, it was 1.18 (95% CI, 0.68-2.07). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that use of antidepressants after colon cancer diagnosis was common and not associated with risk of recurrence. Future larger studies with greater power to examine risk associated with individual antidepressants would be valuable additions to the evidence base.

Pleuropulmonary Recurrence Following Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion for Appendiceal Pseudomyxoma Peritonei.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with pleuropulmonary disease recurrence following cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (CRS/HIPEC) for appendiceal pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) and to evaluate the oncologic impact of pleuropulmonary disease recurrence compared with isolated peritoneal recurrence. METHODS: From a prospective database, we identified patients who developed pleuropulmonary recurrence, isolated peritoneal recurrence, or no recurrence following CRS/HIPEC for appendiceal PMP. Clinicopathologic, perioperative, and oncologic data associated with the index CRS/HIPEC procedure were reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival. Multivariate analyses identified associations with recurrence and survival. RESULTS: Of 382 patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC, 61 (16%) developed pleuropulmonary recurrence. Patients who developed a pleuropulmonary recurrence were more likely to have high-grade (American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] grade 2/3) tumors (74% vs. 56%, p = 0.02) and increased operative blood loss (1651 vs. 1201 ml, p = 0.05) and were more likely to have undergone diaphragm stripping/resection (79% vs. 48%, p < 0.01) compared with patients with an abdominal recurrence. In a multivariate analysis, pleuropulmonary recurrence after CRS/HIPEC was associated with diaphragm stripping/resection, incomplete cytoreduction, and higher AJCC tumor grade. There was a trend towards reduced survival in patients with pleuropulmonary recurrence compared with patients with isolated peritoneal recurrence (median overall survival 45 vs. 53 months, p = 0.87). CONCLUSION: Pleuropulmonary recurrence of appendiceal PMP following CRS/HIPEC is common and may negatively impact survival. Formal protocols for surveillance and therapeutic intervention need to be studied and implemented to improve oncologic outcomes.

The Impact of Positive Resection Margins on Survival and Recurrence Following Resection and Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: Local and distant disease recurrence are frequently observed following pancreatic cancer resection, but an improved understanding of resection margin assessment is required to aid tailored therapies. METHODS: Analyses were carried out to assess the association between clinical characteristics and margin involvement as well as the effects of individual margin involvement on site of recurrence and overall and recurrence-free survival using individual patient data from the European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer (ESPAC)-3 randomized controlled trial. RESULTS: There were 1151 patients, of whom 505 (43.9%) had an R1 resection. The median and 95% confidence interval (CI) overall survival was 24.9 (22.9-27.2) months for 646 (56.1%) patients with resection margin negative (R0 >1 mm) tumors, 25.4 (21.6-30.4) months for 146 (12.7%) patients with R1<1 mm positive resection margins, and 18.7 (17.2-21.1) months for 359 (31.2%) patients with R1-direct positive margins (P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, overall R1-direct tumor margins, poor tumor differentiation, positive lymph node status, WHO performance status ≥1, maximum tumor size, and R1-direct posterior resection margin were all independently significantly associated with reduced overall and recurrence-free survival. Competing risks analysis showed that overall R1-direct positive resection margin status, positive lymph node status, WHO performance status 1, and R1-direct positive superior mesenteric/medial margin resection status were all significantly associated with local recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: R1-direct resections were associated with significantly reduced overall and recurrence-free survival following pancreatic cancer resection. Resection margin involvement was also associated with an increased risk for local recurrence.

Pilot in vitro and in vivo study on a mouse model to evaluate the safety of transcutaneous low-frequency electrical nerve stimulation on cervical cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: To clarify whether the pulse electrical field (PEF) caused by transcutaneous low-frequency nerve electrical stimulation (TENS) enhances the proliferation of cervical cancer cells, leading to recurrence and metastasis, and the effect of such a PEF on a cervical cancer mouse model. METHODS: 1. In vitro experiment: SiHa cervical cancer cells treated with one session of microsecond PEFs for 30 min were divided into four groups: three experimental groups and the control group. Cell proliferation and migration were determined by CCK-8 proliferation and Transwell chamber Matrigel migration assay. 2. In vivo experiment: A mouse cancer model was established by subcutaneous implantation of SiHa cells that were then were randomly divided into the TENS group and control group. The former group received one session of TENS treatment and the control group received a sham pulse. The growth trend and tumor volume of each group were compared 28 days after PEF treatment. The proliferation and apoptosis of the tumor were determined by an immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: (1) The CCK-8 proliferation assay and cell migration ability showed no difference after PEF stimulation treatment (F = 2.478, P = 0.136 > 0.05 and F = 0.364, P = 0.779). (2) Tumor growth, size and weight showed no significant difference between the two groups. (3) Expression of VEGF, CD34, caspase-3 and Ki-67 in the tumor tissue showed no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In vitro and in vivo experiments (mice) showed that the PEF created by TENS had no effect on the proliferation and migration of SiHa cervical cancer cells and also had no effect on the tumor growth, tumor cell apoptosis and proliferation.