Peritoneal carcinomatosis index and overall survival in patients taken to cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) secondary to gastrointestinal or gynecological cancer has increased its incidence. It has a worse prognosis compared to other sites of metastasis. The peritoneal carcinomatosis index (PCI) establishes overall survival in patients with gastrointestinal or gynecological tumors and carcinomatosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship of PCI to overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). METHOD: A descriptive, retrolective study of 80 charts of patients with CP was conducted. We included patients with colon, ovarian, appendicular, pseudomyxoma and gastric tumors with CP treated with CRS plus HIPEC. The OS and RFS were determined according to the type of adenocarcinoma and the degree of differentiation. The OS and RFS were determined in months in patients with PCI > 15 PCI as well as in patients with PCI < 15 considering the tumor of origin. RESULTS: Patients with ovarian tumors and pseudomyxoma with PCI < 15 presented OS > 70 months, compared to patients with gastric tumors (4 months). CONCLUSIONS: The PCI and histology are predictors of OS. Patients with ovarian tumors and PCI < 15 have higher OS, similar to pseudomyxomas. RFS was also higher in patients with PCI < 15.

ANTECEDENTES: La incidencia de carcinomatosis peritoneal (CP) secundaria a cáncer gastrointestinal o ginecológico ha aumentado y tiene peor pronóstico en comparación con otros sitios de metástasis. El índice de carcinomatosis peritoneal (ICP) establece la supervivencia global en pacientes con tumores gastrointestinales o ginecológicos y carcinomatosis. OBJETIVO: Evaluar la relación del ICP con la supervivencia global (SG) y la supervivencia libre de recurrencia (SLR) en pacientes tratados con cirugía citorreductora (CCR) más quimioterapia intraperitoneal e hipertemia (HIPEC). MÉTODO: Estudio descriptivo, retrolectivo, de 80 expedientes de pacientes con CP. Se incluyeron tumores de colon, ovario, apendicular, pseudomixomas y gástricos con CP tratados con CCR + HIPEC. Se determinaron la SG y la SLR de acuerdo con el tipo de adenocarcinoma y el grado de diferenciación, en meses, en pacientes con ICP > 15 y con ICP < 15 considerando el tumor de origen. RESULTADOS: Los pacientes con tumores de ovario y pseudomixoma con ICP < 15 tenían una SG > 70 meses, frente a 4 meses con tumores gástricos. CONCLUSIONES: El ICP y la histología son predictores de la SG. Las pacientes con tumores ováricos con ICP < 15 tienen mayor SG, igual que los pseudomixomas. La SLR fue mayor en los pacientes con ICP < 15.

End-of-Life Admission to the Emergency Department: Experience of Mexico's National Cancer Institute of a Developing Country.

BACKGROUND: Admission to the emergency department (ED) of patients with advanced or end-of-life (EoL) cancer saturates the services that provide active medical attention to the complications of anticancer therapy, and the lack of specific protocol limits proper handling. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of patients with advanced cancer admitted to the ED at the EoL in a comprehensive cancer center in Mexico. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to ED of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico City, with 3 or less days before they died, between January 2011 and December 2018. The data collected included clinical and demographic characteristics, reason for admission to the ED, number of admissions to ED in the last month of life, and cancer treatment received. RESULTS: A total of 426 patients were included; 60.8% were female with a median age of 60 years; 71.6% patients were receiving some kind of disease-modifying treatment, although the oncologist had considered they could die within 6 months, and 16 of them were receiving concomitant PC. 8.9% of these patients had been admitted 3 or more times to the ED in the last month. The principal reasons for admission to ED were dyspnea, uncontrolled pain, 12 patients were admitted in active death and 94 died within hours of admission to ED. CONCLUSIONS: Palliative care approach in oncological patients admitted to ED is important to avoid unnecesary suffering at the EoL.

Quimioterapia neoadyuvante en el carcinoma epidermoide de cabeza y cuello. Experiencia en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología / Neoadyuvant chemotherapy in squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck. Experience in the Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia

Con el objeto de identificar factores pronósticos de respuesta clínica completa en carcinoma epidermoide de cabeza y cuello localmente avanzado, se analziaron retrospectivamente los registros de 72 pacientess tratados en el periodo comprendido de enero de 1986 a diciembre de 1994 con quimioterapia neoadyuvante, utilizando el esquema de 5 FU-cisplatino. Se observó que en los pacientes con cuello clínicamente negativo a metástasis ganglionares y con tumores bien diferenciados fue posible obtener un mayor índice de respuestas clínicas mayores al 50 por ciento después del primer ciclo de quimioterapia. Los pacientes que respondieron a la quimioterapia neoadyuvante también tuvieron mejor respuesta a radioterapia. Concluimos que aquellos pacientes con respuesta parcial después del primer ciclo de quimioterapia deben completar tres ciclos de quimioterapia, ya que esto incrementa los porcentajes de casos con respuesta completa, hecho que mejoran la supervivencia y aumenta la probabilidad de conservar el órgano en donde se origina el tumor, conclusión no validada previamente. Por el contrario, en los casos con porcentajes menores de respuesta posterior al primer ciclo, deberán ser aplicados a otros esquemas de tratamiento con el objeto de ofrecer mejores resultados de los ya conocidos