Elevated tumour markers are normalized in most patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei 7 days after complete tumour removal.

AIM: Elevation of the preoperative tumour markers in pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is common and is a risk factor for recurrence. There has, however, been no documentation of the effect of complete tumour removal on tumour markers levels after cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The aim of the study was to compare the tumour markers 7 days after surgery in patients with elevated preoperative levels. METHOD: This was an observational prospective study of patients with PMP of appendiceal origin treated in one of the UK National Referral Centres for this condition. Thirty patients [median age = 61 (range: 31-74) years; six men] with an elevated preoperative level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) and/or carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) underwent repeated estimation, 7 days after CRS and HIPEC for PMP. RESULTS: The median preoperative CEA level of 12 µg/l fell to 0.75 µg/l postoperatively (P < 0.0001), CA-125 fell from 45 to 31 kU/l (P = 0.183) and CA19-9 fell from 134 to 37 kU/l (P = 0.003). The CEA was raised in 22 (73%) of 30 patients preoperatively and in two (7%) of 30 patients 7 days after surgery (P < 0.0001). The corresponding data for CA-125 were 18 (60%) and 13 (43%) (P = 0.196) and for CA19-9 they were 24 (80%) and 16 (53%) (P = 0.028). CONCLUSION: This is the first documentation of a reduction or normalization of CEA 7 days after CRS, but not for CA19-9 or CA-125. This may indicate completeness of surgical resection and could aid selection for adjuvant therapy and predict prognosis. Long-term follow-up is, however, necessary to determine the significance of this observation.

Randomized trial on adjuvant treatment with FOLFIRI followed by docetaxel and cisplatin versus 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid for radically resected gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Some trial have demonstrated a benefit of adjuvant fluoropirimidine with or without platinum compounds compared with surgery alone. ITACA-S study was designed to evaluate whether a sequential treatment of FOLFIRI [irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid (5-FU/LV)] followed by docetaxel plus cisplatin improves disease-free survival in comparison with 5-FU/LV in patients with radically resected gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with resectable adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction were randomly assigned to either FOLFIRI (irinotecan 180 mg/m(2) day 1, LV 100 mg/m(2) as 2 h infusion and 5-FU 400 mg/m(2) as bolus, days 1 and 2 followed by 600 mg/m(2)/day as 22 h continuous infusion, q14 for four cycles) followed by docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) day 1, cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) day 1, q21 for three cycles (sequential arm) or De Gramont regimen (5-FU/LV arm). RESULTS: From February 2005 to August 2009, 1106 patients were enrolled, and 1100 included in the analysis: 562 in the sequential arm and 538 in the 5-FU/LV arm. With a median follow-up of 57.4 months, 581 patients recurred or died (297 sequential arm and 284 5-FU/LV arm), and 483 died (243 and 240, respectively). No statistically significant difference was detected for both disease-free [hazard ratio (HR) 1.00; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.85-1.17; P = 0.974] and overall survival (OS) (HR 0.98; 95% CI: 0.82-1.18; P = 0.865). Five-year disease-free and OS rates were 44.6% and 44.6%, 51.0% and 50.6% in the sequential and 5-FU/LV arm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A more intensive regimen failed to show any benefit in disease-free and OS versus monotherapy. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01640782.

[Limitations of colonic lavage in the cytopathological diagnosis of inflammatory and neoplastic lesions]. / Limitazioni del lavaggio colico nella diagnostica citopatologica di lesioni neoplastiche e infiammatorie.

The authors describe the personal experience on colonic lavage cytology in neoplastic or inflammatory diseases. Although the presence of false negative results in the lesions of right colon, the method could be useful in the diagnosis of selected cases.