Adjuvant Chemotherapy Versus Observation Following Resection for Patients With Nonmetastatic Poorly Differentiated Colorectal Neuroendocrine Carcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) provides a survival benefit in patients with nonmetastatic poorly differentiated colorectal neuroendocrine carcinomas (CRNECs) following resection. BACKGROUND: There is little evidence to support the association between use of AC and improved overall survival (OS) in patients with CRNECs. METHODS: Patients with resected non-metastatic CRNECs were identified in the National Cancer Database (2004-2014). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) method was used to reduce the selection bias. IPTW-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare OS of patients in different treatment groups. RESULTS: A total of 806 patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2014 met the study entry criteria. Of these, 394 patients (48.9%) received AC. IPTW-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves showed that median OS was significantly longer for AC versus observation [57.4 (interquartile range, IQR, 14.8-153.8) vs 38.2 (IQR, 10.4-125.4) months; P = 0.007]. In IPTW-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, AC was associated with a significant OS benefit [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64-0.84; P < 0.001]. The results were consistent across subgroups stratified by pathologic T stage, pathologic N stage, and surgical margin status. Subgroup analysis according to tumor location demonstrated improved OS in the adjuvant therapy cohort among patients with left-sided neuroendocrine carcinomas (HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.44-0.68), but not in those with right-sided disease (HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.74-1.07). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with nonmetastatic CRNECs may derive survival benefit from AC. These findings support current guidelines recommending AC in patients with poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas in the colon and rectum. Efforts in education and adherence to national guidelines for NECs are needed.

Outcomes of Lymph Node Dissection for Non-metastatic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Propensity Score-Weighted Analysis of the National Cancer Database.

BACKGROUND: Although the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend use of lymph node dissection (LND) in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) > 2 cm, there is limited evidence to support the association between use of LND and overall survival (OS). METHODS: Patients with resected pNETs were identified in the National Cancer Database (2004-2014). The inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) method was used to reduce the selection bias. IPTW-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare OS of patients in different treatment groups. RESULTS: A total of 2664 patients diagnosed met the study entry criteria. Of these, 2132 patients (80.6%) received LND, with a median of nine nodes removed. Positive nodes were identified in 28.0% of patients who underwent LND. IPTW-adjusted Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that median OS was similar between the LND and LND-omitted groups (152.8 vs. 147.3 months; p = 0.61). In IPTW-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, LND was not associated with an OS benefit (hazard ratio [HR] 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.94-1.42; p = 0.18). The results were consistent across subgroups stratified by clinical T and N stages. Among patients with lymph node metastasis, the number of removed nodes (NRN) above the median was not associated with an improved OS (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.60-1.13; p = 0.22). CONCLUSIONS: LND had no additional therapeutic benefit among patients undergoing resection for pNETs. The present findings should be considered when managing patients with resectable pNETs.

Effect of Huaier granule on recurrence after curative resection of HCC: a multicentre, randomised clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: There is little evidence that adjuvant therapy after radical surgical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) improves recurrence-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS). We conducted a multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase IV trial evaluating the benefit of an aqueous extract of Trametes robinophila Murr (Huaier granule) to address this unmet need. DESIGN AND RESULTS: A total of 1044 patients were randomised in 2:1 ratio to receive either Huaier or no further treatment (controls) for a maximum of 96 weeks. The primary endpoint was RFS. Secondary endpoints included OS and tumour extrahepatic recurrence rate (ERR). The Huaier (n=686) and control groups (n=316) had a mean RFS of 75.5 weeks and 68.5 weeks, respectively (HR 0.67; 95% CI 0.55 to 0.81). The difference in the RFS rate between Huaier and control groups was 62.39% and 49.05% (95% CI 6.74 to 19.94; p=0.0001); this led to an OS rate in the Huaier and control groups of 95.19% and 91.46%, respectively (95% CI 0.26 to 7.21; p=0.0207). The tumour ERR between Huaier and control groups was 8.60% and 13.61% (95% CI -12.59 to -2.50; p=0.0018), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first nationwide multicentre study, involving 39 centres and 1044 patients, to prove the effectiveness of Huaier granule as adjuvant therapy for HCC after curative liver resection. It demonstrated a significant prolongation of RFS and reduced extrahepatic recurrence in Huaier group. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01770431; Post-results.

Prognostic value of the albumin-bilirubin grade in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: Validation in a Chinese cohort.

AIM: The prognostic value of the newly raised objective liver function assessment tool, the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade, in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma has not been fully validated. We aimed to compare the performance of ALBI grade with the specific Child-Pugh (C-P) score in predicting prognosis in this study. METHODS: The clinical data of 491 C-P class A patients who underwent liver resection as initial therapy from January 2000 to December 2007 in Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Beijing, China) were retrospectively analyzed. The prognostic performances of ALBI and C-P score in predicting the short- and long-term clinical outcomes were compared. RESULTS: The ALBI score gained a significantly larger area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting the occurrence of severe postoperative complications than that of C-P score. With a median follow-up of 57 months, the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival rates of the patients were 92.1%, 65.8%, and 45.2%, respectively. Tumor number, tumor size, and ALBI grade were proved to be the independent prognostic factors for overall survival in the multivariate analysis. Prognostic performance was shown to be better for ALBI grade when it was compared to C-P score in terms of both the Akaike information criterion value and χ2 value of likelihood ratio test. CONCLUSIONS: The ALBI grade, which was featured by simplicity and objectivity, gained a superior prognostic value than that of C-P grade in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent liver resection. Future well-designed studies with larger sample sizes are warranted.

Total tumor volume predicts survival following liver resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Assessing the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by the number and size of tumors is sometimes difficult. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the prognostic value of total tumor volume (TTV), which combines the two factors, in patients with HCC who underwent liver resection. We retrospectively reviewed 521 HCC patients from January 2001 to December 2008 in our center. Patients were categorized using the tertiles of TTV. The prognostic value of TTV was assessed. With a median follow-up of 116 months, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of the patients were 93.1 , 69.9, and 46.3 %, respectively. OS was significantly differed by TTV tertile groups, and higher TTV was associated with shorter OS (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that TTV was an independent prognostic factor for OS. Larger TTV was significantly associated with higher alpha-fetoprotein level, presence of macrovascular invasion, multiple tumor lesions, larger tumor size, and advanced tumor stages (all P < 0.05). Within the first and second tertiles of TTV (TTV ≤ 73.5 cm(3)), no significant differences in OS were detected in patients within and beyond Milan criteria (P = 0.183). TTV-based Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) score gained the lowest Akaike information criterion value, the highest χ (2) value of likelihood ratio test, and the highest C-index among the tested staging systems. Our results suggested that TTV is a good indicator of tumor burden in patients with HCC. Further studies are warranted to validate the prognostic value of TTV.

Impaction of surgical margin status on the survival outcome after surgical resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Conflicting results about the prognostic value of surgical margin status in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) have been reported. We aimed to assess the association between surgical margin status and prognosis in ICC through a meta-analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a literature search of the articles evaluating the prognostic value of surgical margin status in patients with ICC. The pooled estimation of the hazard ratio (HR) with the 95% confidence interval (CI) was performed to determine the influence of surgical margin status on the survival outcome. RESULTS: A total of 21 studies involving 3201 patients were finally included into the meta-analysis. The percentage of patients with positive surgical margin ranged from 7.2% to 75.9% in the enrolled studies. The pooled estimates showed that patients with positive surgical margin had inferior overall survival (HR: 1.864; 95% CI: 1.542-2.252; P < 0.001) and progression-free survival (HR: 2.033; 95% CI: 1.030-4.011; P = 0.041) than patients with negative ones. The subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were consistent with the overall results. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with negative surgical margin had significantly favorable overall survival and progression-free survival after surgical resection for ICC. The notion of achieving the R0 resection should be emphasized.

[Clinicopathological and prognostic analysis of primary clear cell carcinoma of the liver].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of primary clear cell carcinoma of the liver (PCCCL). METHODS: The clinical data of 41 PCCCL patients who underwent hepatic resection for PCCCL from October 1998 to June 2012 in our department were retrospectively analyzed. There were 31 male and 10 female patients. The median age was 56 years (range, 25 to 80 years), and the diagnosis was confirmed by postoperative pathological examination. The data of 106 well or moderately differentiated non-clear cell hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and 86 poorly differentiated non-clear cell HCC patients who underwent hepatic resection in the same period in our hospital in the same period were compared. The χ(2) test or Fischer's exact test, as appropriate, was used to compare group frequencies. Survival analysis was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards model was used in multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The proportion of fibrous capsule formation in the PCCCL tumors (46%, 19/41) was significantly higher than that of the other two groups (P < 0.05), whereas the PCCCL group had a lower rate of intravascular tumor embolus (2/41) and vascular invasion (1/41) (P < 0.05). The median survival time of PCCCL group was 65 months, the 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates for PCCCL patients were 90.2%, 67.4% and 42.0%, significantly better than that of poor differentiated NCCHCC group's (82.9%, 33.3%, 7.2%, P < 0.01). However, there were no statistic significant differences between PCCCL group and well or moderately differentiated NCCHCC group (84.7%, 55.7%, 34.4%, P > 0.05). Tumor capsule formation was an independent favorable prognostic factor. In contrast, preoperative serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level and hepatitis B virus infection were independent unfavorable prognostic factors for PCCCL. CONCLUSIONS: PCCCL is a rare, low degree malignant pathological subtype of HCC. Surgical resection may achieve favorable prognosis and even long-term survival.

[Prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: a study of 832 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic factors of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze the surgical outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 832 patients who underwent hepatic resection between February 2002 and June 2010 in the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Post-resection prognostic factors were assessed using a univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis and a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The overall 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 92.0%, 70.2% and 53.6%, respectively. The disease free survival rates (DFS) were 90.2%, 61.5% and 40.5%, respectively. The univariate analysis showed that a better prognosis for overall survival (OS) was associated with asymptomatic presentation, small tumor, single lesion, high-grade histological differentiation, no vascular tumor embolus, negative serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), negative serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Child-Pugh class A, no ascites, no/mild cirrhosis, new surgical techniques, no blood transfusion, no regional lymph node metastasis, no major vascular invasion, and no extra-hepatic invasion. The multivariate analysis showed that asymptomatic presentation, small tumor, single lesion, no tumor embolus, negative serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), no regional lymph node metastasis, no major vascular invasion, no extra-hepatic invasion, no/mild cirrhosis, and surgical techniques are independent factors for a longer overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of HCC after resection is influenced by a number of factors. Therefore, regularly screening and early diagnosis, applying surgical techniques to minimize the liver injury, and preventing the aggravation of cirrhosis are important measures to improve the overall survival of HCC patients. For those patients with high risk factors of recurrence, routine follow-up is one of the best methods to be recommended.

[Clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of 27 patients with rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinicopathological characteristics of rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and elucidate their associated prognostic factors. METHODS: The clinicopathological data were collected for 27 patients with rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors at our hospital from January 2000 to December 2011. Univariate analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic factors. RESULTS: Changed habit of discharge and hematochezia were the most common symptoms. Most GISTs were localized in lower rectum. The 1, 3 and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 85.19%, 65.04% and 52.04% respectively. Overall survival (OS) and PFS rates were significantly correlated with incisional margin and invasion of surrounding organs. There was no significant difference in PFS and OS between different resection procedures.Due to the limitation of cases multivariate survival analysis can not be performed. CONCLUSION: Incisional margin and invasion of surrounding organs are two important prognostic factors. And transanal excision is both safe and effective for those properly indicated patients.

[Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation with artificial hydrothorax for liver cancer in the hepatic dome].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of application of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with artificial hydrothorax for liver cancer in the hepatic dome. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with 43 lesions of hepatic malignant tumors in the hepatic dome underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with artificial hydrothorax. Artificial hydrothorax was created by infusion of saline via an intrathoracically placed 14-G central venous catheter, which was ultrasound-guided percutaneously inserted before RFA, separating the right lung from the hepatic dome. The adverse reaction and therapeutic efficacy were also analyzed. RESULTS: In the 32 patients with 43 lesions in the hepatic dome (4 tumors in segment IV 21 tumors in segment VII and 18 tumors in segment VIII), 18 lesions of 14 patients were not observed by ultrasound before the operation. Thirty-two patients received the ultrasound-guided placement of intrathoracical catheter, and (1606.3 ± 485.9) ml (1000 - 2500 ml) saline solution was infused successfully. After obtaining an image of the whole tumor, 31 patients received percutaneous RFA therapy on schedule, and 22 patients received percutaneous transdiaphragmatic RFA therapy. One patient with 2 lesions gave up the treatment, because one of his tumors was not detectable by ultrasound. Diaphragmatic muscle hemorrhage was seen in two patients, subcutaneous edema in two patients, and pneumothorax in one patient. All the complications were cured, and no serious complications or related death occurred. 1-month follow-up with contrast-enhanced CT/MRI images showed that 29 patients had complete ablation, and the effective rate of this technique was 93.5% (29/31). CONCLUSIONS: Artificial hydrothorax helps us not only to visualize the whole tumor in the hepatic dome, but also offers a transdiaphragmatic route for therapy. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous RFA with artificial hydrothorax is a feasible, safe, and effective technique for treating liver cancer in the hepatic dome and worthy of being promoted.

[Treatment and prognosis of patients with duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and survival factors of patients with duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). METHODS: The clinical data of 41 patients with duodenal GIST were analyzed retrospectively at Cancer Hospital and Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from June 1996 to August 2011. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the recurrence-free survival rate and the Cox proportional hazard regression model employed for the recurrence-free survival analysis. RESULTS: The lesions of duodenal GIST were predominantly located in the descending (n = 26, 63.4%) and transverse portions (n = 10, 24.4%). Most duodenal GIST presented commonly with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 18, 43.9%) and 12 cases (29.3%) were incidentally detected by physical examinations. Eight patients underwent pancreatoduodenectomy and 27 limited resection. The tumor size varied from 0.6 cm to 30.0 cm (mean: 8.4 cm). The recurrence-free survival rates analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method at 1, 2 and 5-year were 94.1%, 77.5% and 65.0% respectively. The results of Cox proportional hazards regression model indicated that the patients with >10/50 HP mitotic count showed a worse recurrence-free survival than those with ≤ 10/50 HP (HR = 3.7, 95%CI 1.0 - 13.7, P = 0.049). After adjusting other confounding factors, mitotic activity was one significant prognostic factor of recurrence (P = 0.024). There was no significant association between the risk of recurrence and other prognostic factors, including diagnostic age, tumor size, type of operation and the risk of aggressive behaviors (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Mitotic activity is one prognostic factor of duodenal GIST. And R(0) resection should be regarded as an optional treatment for duodenal GIST.

[Ultrasound-guided assistant infusion technique for percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of liver cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of an infusion-based separation technique to assist in ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of liver cancers abutting the liver edge. METHODS: Twenty-four cases of malignant liver tumors abutting the hepatic edge were treated with US-guided puncture accompanied by the assistant infusion technique. The US-guided puncture was made with a 22-G needle through the hepatic tissue and into the abdominal cavity near the target tumor. Infusion of a saline solution was used to separate the liver from any surrounding structures so that percutaneous RFA could be safely performed. Complications, including gastrointestinal injury, hemorrhage and death, were recorded. Technical efficacy and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: Among the 24 patients, the target tumors were adjacent to the right kidney (n=6), colon (n=6), stomach (n=5), pericardium (n=4), and gall bladder (n=3). Twenty-three patients received a successful radical percutaneous RFA with assistant infusion. The assistant infusion volumes ranged from 80-390 ml and created spaces ranging from 0.8-2.5 cm between the liver and surrounding structures. Five of the cases with tumors adjacent to the stomach or colon received the largest volume infusions. The infusion failed to create a separation space in only one case, due to the presence of an adhesion; as a result, this patient was treated with palliative RFA. The mean hospital stay for all 24 patients was four days after surgery. No severe complications or deaths occurred. At 1-month follow-up, computed tomography images showed that 22 cases had complete ablation, yielding a technical success rate of 95.7% (22/23). No needle track implantation was observed. CONCLUSION: Assistant infusion for percutaneous radiofrequency ablation creates a protective space between the liver and surrounding structures in patients with liver tumors abutting the liver edge. This safe and effective assistant technique broadens the range of patients available for percutaneous RFA treatment.

[Surgical management of nodular hyperplasia tumor-like hepatic lesions: a study of 72 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To explore and improve the diagnosis and treatment of benign hyperplasia tumor-like hepatic lesion. METHODS: The clinical data of 72 patients who had undergone hepatic resection for benign non-cystic hepatic lesions between January 1987 and December 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 46 male and 26 female patients. The median age was 49 years (ranging 15 to 72 years), and diagnosis were confirmed by postoperative pathological examination. Thirty-four cases had symptoms, such as abdominal discomfort in right upper quadrant, fever, fatigue. All the cases had undergone hepatic resection; totally 78 lesions were removed. The surgical procedure including hepatic lobectomy for 13 cases, hepatic segmentectomy for 19 cases and non-anatomy resection for 39 cases. RESULTS: The finally diagnosis included focal nodular hyperplasia in 47 cases, adenomatous hyperplasia in 3 cases, hepatic dysplastic nodule in 3 cases, inflammatory pseudotumor in 3 cases, hepatic granuloma in 4 cases, nodular cirrhosis in 3 cases, hepatitis nodule in 6 cases, nodular regenerative hyperplasia in 1 case, lymphoid hyperplasia in 1 case. The postoperative complication rate was low (19.4%, 14/72). The follow-up period was 6 to 96 months. There was no mortality caused by lesion. One patient developed recurrence after 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that symptomatic lesions, lesions when malignancy cannot be excluded, and lesions which have canceration tendency, just like adenomatous hyperplasia, dysplastic nodule, and nodular cirrhosis regenerative hyperplasia need surgical resection. Operation is not necessary for other nodular hyperplasia lesions if the diagnoses are identified.

Long-Term Outcome of Centrally Located Hepatocellular Carcinomas Treated by Radical Resection Combined With Intraoperative Electron Radiotherapy (IOERT).

PURPOSE: To explore the feasibility and safety of centrally located hepatocellular carcinoma (CL-HCC) treated by narrow-margin resection combined with intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: From November 2009 to November 2016, 37 consecutive patients were treated with IOERT as adjuvant treatment during narrow-margin resection for CL-HCC. Long-term outcomes, adverse events for surgery, and acute and chronic toxicities were analyzed. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 57.82 months (range, 3.75-111.41 months). A total dose of 15 Gy (range 12 to 17Gy) (prescribed at the 90% isodose) was delivered with a 0.9cm (range 0.8-1.2 cm) median treatment depth targeting the narrow-margin. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year OS rates were 91.39%, 88.34% and 88.34%, respectively. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year DFS rates were 80.81%, 68.59% and 54.17%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, none of the treatment characteristics were predictive of overall survival. Fifteen (40.5%) patients suffered from a recurrence event. No patient had marginal recurrence. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year intrahepatic recurrence rates were 19.75%, 25.92% and 39.58%, respectively. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year extrahepatic recurrence rates were 2.7%, 5.95% and 9.87%, respectively. There was no 30-day surgical-related death. Three patients had grade 4, and 28 patients had grade 3 alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and seven patients had grade 4, and 30 patients had grade 3 aspartate transaminase (AST) levels. All of them returned to normal within four months. There was no acute radiation-induced liver injury during follow-up. There were no acute or chronic toxicities associated with IOERT. CONCLUSION: IOERT for narrow-margin CL-HCC may achieve good long-term survival outcomes, without significantly increasing acute and chronic toxicities. An IOERT dose of 15Gy may be the safest and most feasible. IOERT might be considered as an adjuvant therapy for CL-HCC patients with a narrow-margin.

Chinese expert consensus on neoadjuvant and conversion therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The low resection and high recurrence rates in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are the major challenges to improving prognosis. Neoadjuvant and conversion therapies are underlying strategies to overcome these challenges. To date, no guideline or consensus has been published on the neoadjuvant and conversion therapies in HCC. Recent studies showed that neoadjuvant therapy for resectable HCC and conversion therapy for unresectable HCC are safe, feasible, and effective. Neoadjuvant and conversion therapies have the following advantages in treating HCC: R0 resection with sufficient volume of future liver remnant, relatively simple operation, and wide applicability. Therefore, it was necessary to conduct a widely accepted consensus among the experts in China who have extensive expertise and experience in treating HCC using neoadjuvant and conversion therapies, which is important to standardize the application of neoadjuvant and conversion therapies for the management of HCC. The strategies of neoadjuvant therapy include the selection of the eligible patients, therapy regimen, cycles, effect evaluations, and multidisciplinary treatment. The management of patients with insufficient volume of future liver remnant and patients who cannot achieve R0 resection is the key to the strategies of conversion therapy. Here, we present the resultant evidence- and experience-based consensus to guide the application of neoadjuvant and conversion therapies in clinical practice.

Prognostic factors for overall survival in patients with primary duodenal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The complete resection of primary duodenal adenocarcinoma (PDA) offers a chance for a cure, but the clinical and pathological characteristics of survivors have not been well studied. METHODS: Patients with stage I-III PDA who underwent surgical resection between 2013 and 2018 were identified retrospectively and followed until December 2019. All patients are from the Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The clinical and pathological information of the patients, such as age, gender, tumor location, operative procedure, pathologic features, TNM stage, common presenting symptoms, lymph node dissection status, serum tumor markers, etc., was collected in detail. The KaplanMeier method and a Cox proportional hazards model were used for the survival analysis. RESULTS: In total, 85 patients with PDA were eligible for this study. Among these patients, 48 were male (56.5%), 37 were female (43.5%), the median age was 59 (range, 22-79) years, 44 (51.8%) patients were aged <60 years, and 41 (48.2%) patients were aged ≥60 years. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 93.7%, 79.4%, and 64.9%, respectively. The median overall survival (OS) was 27 months (range, 2-82 months), and the median follow-up was 27 months (range, 3-82 months). The patients with stage III disease had the worst prognosis (P=0.001). The univariate analysis showed that lymph node positivity (P=0.000), the N stage (P=0.000), the TNM stage (P=0.001) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) positivity (P=0.038) were related to OS. However, the total number of lymph nodes (LN) retrieved (P=0.723), tumor differentiation (P=0.136), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (P=0.812), gender (P=0.477), operation type (P=0.860), tumor size (P=0.869), tumor site (P=0.120), age (P=0.733), intraoperative blood loss (P=0.660), and intraoperative blood transfusion (P=0.748) were not correlated with OS. The multivariate analysis suggested that the lymph node status was an independent prognostic risk factor for OS. CONCLUSIONS: In our study the median OS was 27 months (range, 2-82 months), and the 5-year survival rates was 64.9%. The lymph node status was the only prognostic factor for OS in PDA.

Impact of hepatitis B virus infection on outcome following resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection following surgical resection. METHODS: The clinico-pathological data of 40 consecutive ICC patients including 29 patients with HBV infection were analyzed after surgical resection. RESULTS: Of all 40 ICC patients, the overall 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates and a median survival for 29 (74.4%) patients with current or previous HBV infection were 78.9%, 42.8%, 35.7%, and 32.0 months, respectively. Twenty-nine (74.4%) patients with HBV infection, represented by HBsAg(+) or anti-HBc(+), had a better prognosis than 10(25%) patients without HBV infection represented by all markers-negative. Compared with 10 (25%) patients without HBV infection, 11 (27.5%) ICC patients with HBsAg(+) had a better prognosis as well. Additionally, lymph node metastasis were identified as an independent predictors of poor overall survival on multivariate analysis in the study of all the 40 patients and 29 patients with HBV infection. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with current or previous HBV infection, represented by HBsAg+ or anti-HBc+, had significantly better prognosis than patients without HBV infection. Patients with HBV infection should be distinguished from other ICC patients, because of their favorable outcome after surgery.

[Peri-operative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma patients complied with cirrhosis and hypersplenism].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of combined hepatectomy with splenectomy on safety of operation for hepatocellular carcinoma patients complied with cirrhosis and hypersplenism and the best peri-operative treatment of these patients. METHODS: Clinical data of 177 hepatocellular carcinoma patients complied with cirrhosis and hypersplenism admitted from January 1999 to December 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. Among which, 71 patients received concomitant splenectomy with hepatectomy (splenectomy group), 106 patients only receive a hepatectomy (non-splenectomy group). The safety of operation, complications, liver function and WBC and PLT counts were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There was no significant difference of general conditions, counts of WBC and PLT between the two groups before operation. The counts of PLT at 1, 10, 30 day after operation were (88.4 ± 23.6) × 109/L, (345.3 ± 98.2) × 109/L and (210.8 ± 92.2) × 109/L respectively in splenectomy group, which were significantly higher than that of non-splenectomy group (P < 0.05). The operation time of splenectomy group was (216 ± 105) min, which was longer than that of non splenectomy group (P < 0.05), but the blood loss and transfusion rate had not significantly difference between the two groups. The complication rates of splenectomy group and non-splenectomy group were 11.3% and 6.6% respectively, there was no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Combined hepatectomy with splenectomy will be safe for hepatocellular carcinoma patients complied with cirrhosis and hypersplenism as if the operative indication and increase the ability of peri-operative treatment are strictly obeyed.

The eighth version of American Joint Committee on Cancer nodal classification for high grade pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor should be generalized for the whole population with this disease.

Several indexes evaluating the lymph node metastasis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET) have been raised. We aimed to compare the prognostic value of the indexes via the analysis of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.We identified pNETs patients from SEER database (2004-2015). The prognostic value of N classification which adopted the 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) N classification for well differentiated pNET, revised N classification (rN) which adopted the AJCC 8th N classification for exocrine pancreatic cancer (EPC) and high grade pNET, lymph node ratio and log odds of positive nodes were analyzed.A total of 1791 eligible patients in the SEER cohort were included in this study. The indexes N, rN, lymph node ratio, and log odds of positive nodes were all significant independent prognostic factors for the overall survival. Specifically, the rN had the lowest akaike information criterion of 4050.19, the highest likelihood ratio test (χ) of 48.87, and the highest C-index of 0.6094. The rN was significantly associated with age, tumor location, tumor differentiation, T classification and M classification (P < .05 for all).The 8th version of AJCC N classification for high grade pNET could be generalized for the pNET population.