Role of metastasectomy for liver metastasis in stage IV anal cancer.

INTRODUCTION: There is a paucity of data on the role of metastasectomy for metastatic anal cancer on survival outcomes. We aim to define the role of metastasectomy in stage IV anal cancer. METHODS: National Cancer Database (NCDB) from 2004 to 2014 was accessed to include patients with metastatic anal cancer, excluding adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine, and 'other' histologies. We compared patients undergoing metastasectomy (n = 165) to those who did not have metastasectomy (n = 2093) by age, sex, cancer grade, and site of metastasis, including metastasis to bone, liver, and lung, using chi-square analysis. The primary outcome was overall survival. RESULTS: Patients had equal distribution of metastatic sites between those who underwent metastasectomy versus no metastasectomy: bone (7.64% vs 4.85%, p = 0.22), brain (0.24% vs 0%, p = 1.0), liver (23.22% vs 29.70%, p = 0.07), and lung (11.85% vs 9.09%, p = 0.38). Survival following metastasectomy was increased at one year (71% vs. 61%, p = 0.016), two years (50% vs. 38%, p = 0.014), and five years (30% vs. 19%, p = 0.025). Median overall survival was increased (23 months vs. 16 months; p = 0.015) for patients with metastasectomy. Survival increases were demonstrated only in the group with liver metastasis undergoing metastasectomy. When stratifying for liver metastases only, median overall survival time was further increased (34 months vs. 16 months; p < 0.0001) following metastasectomy. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate a survival benefit for hepatic metastasectomy in stage IV anal cancer. Our findings demonstrate a potential survival benefit in highly select patients with metastatic anal cancer to the liver. These findings support further investigation in a randomized clinical trial to delineate these findings.

Large incidental gastrointestinal stromal tumors in a patient presenting with acutely symptomatic nephrolithiasis: A case report.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms, representing approximately 1%-2% of all primary gastrointestinal malignancies. Incidental GISTs are often less than 1 cm when discovered and have been reported predominantly in obese patients undergoing surgery for other medical indications. We present the rare case of a large incidental GIST in a nonobese patient with acutely symptomatic nephrolithiasis. Large GISTs may be treated with neoadjuvant imatinib mesylate to reduce tumor size prior to surgery, though some tumors may experience little change in size despite effective treatment. Treatment response for GISTs can be monitored via imaging studies, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, but computed tomography is generally preferred over magnetic resonance imaging.

Bilateral ovarian micrometastatic adenocarcinoma upon prophylactic oophorectomy concurrent with low anterior resection for rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: This case report draws attention to the debated role of prophylactic oophorectomy in women undergoing definitive surgical resection of colon and rectal cancers. It can be challenging to discern the indications and appropriate patient population for this procedure based on the current literature. Potential benefits include treatment and prevention of metastatic disease, preventing development of primary ovarian cancer, and prolonging survival. Negative effects include an increase in operative time and potential morbidity, development of osteoporosis, the risk of cardiac events, and decreasing sexual function. Multiple patient factors such as age, menopausal status, patient preference, presence of hereditary conditions, exposure to radiation, site, and stage of disease should be considered. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case in which a premenopausal 49-year-old female underwent a prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy concurrently with a low anterior resection following neoadjuvant chemoradiation for clinical stage III rectal cancer. On pathologic examination, resection margins and all 14 lymph nodes harvested were negative for malignancy. Interestingly, she was found to have micrometastatic adenocarcinoma in the bilateral ovaries which had appeared grossly normal at the time of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: After consideration of the current literature, patient preference, and our clinical judgment, our patient ultimately had a therapeutic effect after undergoing prophylactic bilateral oophorectomy concurrently with a low anterior resection for rectal cancer. The addition of prophylactic oophorectomy in a select population, specifically women 50 years of age or younger and/or women who are in the premenopausal state, may carry a survival benefit in the setting of definitive surgical resection of colon and rectal cancers.

Stage I lung cancer survivorship: risk of second malignancies and need for individualized care plan.

BACKGROUND: Survivors of stage I lung cancer are at increased risk of subsequent malignancies. Specific data on risk of subsequent malignancies are underreported in the literature. We studied the incidence of stage I lung cancer and the incidence of all second malignancies in survivors. METHODS: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results 9 database were analyzed to calculate the incidence of stage I lung cancer and subsequent malignancies from 1998 to 2007. The risk of subsequent malignancies is reported as a standardized incidence ratio (observed incidence [O]/expected incidence [E]). RESULTS: The incidence rate of stage I lung cancer increased slowly from 1988 (8, confidence interval [CI]: 7.6-8.4) to 2003 (9.2, CI: 8.9-9.6) and more rapidly from 2003 to 2007 (11.2, CI: 10.8-11.7). The risk of developing a second lung cancer is highest in the first year with the O/E at 6.78 (CI: 6.29-7.31) and continues to be high at 10 years (O/E 4.12; CI: 4.44-4.80). Laryngeal cancer has the highest incidence in the first year (O/E 9.78; CI: 7.51-12.51) and continues to be high at 10 years (O/E 3.55; CI: 1.77-6.34). For gastrointestinal cancers, there is increased risk of colon (O/E 1.33; CI: 1.22-1.44), esophagus (O/E 2.29; CI: 1.85-2.89), and stomach (O/E 1.43; CI: 1.15-1.75) cancers. The increased risk of bladder cancer (O/E 1.83; CI: 1.65-2.03) remains high even at 10 years after the diagnosis of stage I lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: There is increasing incidence of stage I lung cancer. Survivors of stage I are at increased risk of certain second malignancies.

Phase 2 trial of maintenance bevacizumab alone after bevacizumab plus pemetrexed and carboplatin in advanced, nonsquamous nonsmall cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The authors performed a phase 2 study of bevacizumab plus pemetrexed and carboplatin followed by maintenance bevacizumab in patients with advanced, nonsquamous nonsmall cell lung cancer. METHODS: Previously untreated patients with advanced, nonsquamous nonsmall cell lung cancer and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1 received bevacizumab 15 mg/kg, pemetrexed 500 mg/m(2) and carboplatin at an area under the concentration-time curve of 6 intravenously on day 1 every 21 days. Responding or stable patients who completed 6 cycles then received bevacizumab maintenance every 21 days until disease progression. RESULTS: In total, 43 patients (40 who were evaluable for response) were entered on the study. Treatment-related grade 3/4 toxicities were low and included febrile neutropenia (2%), neutropenia (28%), anemia (18%), thrombocytopenia (11%), hypertension (7%), epistaxis (5%), venous thrombosis (8%), dyspnea (7%), rectovaginal fistula (2.3%), infusion reaction (2%), and cerebrovascular event (2%). One patient died from complications of venous thromboembolism and cerebrovascular accident after Cycle 2. Minimal clinically significant toxicity occurred during maintenance bevacizumab. Two complete responses (5%) were observed, and 17 patients (42%) had a partial response. Fifteen patients (38%) displayed disease stability. The overall disease control rate was 85%. At a median follow-up of 15.8 months, the median progression-free survival was 7.1 months (95% confidence interval, 5.9-8.3 months), and the median overall survival was 17.1 months (95% confidence interval, 8.8-25.5 months). CONCLUSIONS: Combined bevacizumab, pemetrexed, and carboplatin followed by maintenance bevacizumab was well tolerated and displayed remarkable activity in patients with previously untreated, advanced, nonsquamous nonsmall cell lung cancer.

Extrapulmonary small cell: a novel case of small cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland.

Neuroendocrine tumors comprise a large group of malignancies which share unique morphological features and are characterized by the presence of neuroendocrine markers such as synaptophysin, chromogranin-A, and CD56 (N-CAM), ranging from indolent tumors, such as carcinoid tumors, to aggressive tumors, such as small cell carcinoma. The lung is the most common site for primary neuroendocrine tumors. Extrapulmonary primary sites of small cell carcinoma are rare but have been documented arising from various sites including esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum, gallbladder, thymus, salivary gland, ovary, cervix, bladder, prostate, and skin. We present a case of small cell carcinoma arising from the thyroid gland, a site not previously described in the literature. A 59-year-old woman presented with a thyroid mass, which, after resection, showed small cell morphology and positive immunostains for TTF-1, synaptophysin, chromogranin-A, CD56, etc. Five months after diagnosis, she had widely metastatic disease. After a near-complete response to the first chemo-treatment, her disease progressed. Following local radiation and more rounds of chemotherapy, she succumbed to the disease, 15 months after diagnosis. Our patient had no pulmonary lesions at the time of diagnosis to suggest metastasis from the lung. Much like its pulmonary counterparts, this small cell carcinoma of primary thyroid origin displayed an aggressive clinical course and poor outcome. Although it shows early sensitivity to chemotherapy, small cell carcinoma remains a difficult-to-treat cancer with a poor prognosis and can rarely be seen originating in organs outside of the lung.

Adie's pupils in paraneoplastic ganglionopathy with ANNA-1.

Autonomic disturbances are common in patients with paraneoplastic syndromes associated with type-1 antineuronal nuclear autoantibodies (ANNA-1), although pupillary disturbances are infrequent. The authors describe a patient with ANNA-1 associated paraneoplastic sensory neuronopathy and bilateral Adie's pupils.

Phase I study of sequential administration of topotecan and 5-fluorouracil in patients with advanced malignancies.

Topotecan is a topoisomerase-I inhibitor, a drug that stabilizes a covalent complex of enzymes and causes strand cleavage of DNA. 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) is an antimetabolite that interferes with DNA synthesis. Preclinical studies using human cancer cell line models have shown potential therapeutic synergy between these two drugs by showing the maximum cytolytic effect using sequential 5FU followed by topotecan. In the current study, 5FU was used at a fixed dose of 375 mg/m2 given intravenously for five consecutive days on a 28 day cycle. Topotecan was dose-escalated in cohorts of patients from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/m2 given intravenously for 5 days after the 5FU dose. Eleven patients were entered at different dose levels. Both hematological and gastrointestinal toxicity were dose limiting. Diarrhea was the dose-limiting toxicity at the dose of 0.75 mg/m2 of topotecan. Two cases of grade 4 neutropenia were also observed at this dose level. One patient with small cell lung cancer had a complete response, while one patient with metastatic colorectal cancer had a partial remission. Three other patients had stable disease, lasting between 6 and 8 months. Overall, the regimen was well tolerated. A phase II study using a dose of 5FU at 375 mg/m2 followed by topotecan at 0.75 mg/m2 intravenously over 5 days every 28 days is recommended.