[Updated German S3 guidelines on esophageal cancer and supplements from a surgical perspective]. / Aktualisierte S3-Leitlinie zum Ösophaguskarzinom und Ergänzungen aus chirurgischer Sicht.

The updated German S3 guidelines recommend transthoracic subtotal esophagectomy with 2­field lymphadenectomy for surgical treatment of esophageal cancer in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric (AEG type I) junction of the middle and lower third. For AEG type III transhiatal extended total gastrectomy with distal esophageal resection is favored. Patients with AEG type II can be treated by both procedures under the prerequisite that an R0 resection can be achieved. A limited resection of the distal esophagus and the proximal stomach can only be considered in cT1 N0 M0 possibly cT2 AEG junction without an oncological risk constellation, i.e. grade G1/G2, intestinal type and no poorly cohesive carcinoma, because the rate of lymph node metastasis at the distal stomach is less than 2%. Minimally invasive procedures provide advantages compared to open esophagectomy due to the lower rate of postoperative total and especially pulmonary complications. This is true for hybrid esophagectomy (laparoscopy and thoracotomy) versus open access in cases of intrathoracic anastomoses and for total minimally invasive esophagectomy including robotic techniques versus open access in cervical esophagogastrostomy.

Outcome according to KRAS-, NRAS- and BRAF-mutation as well as KRAS mutation variants: pooled analysis of five randomized trials in metastatic colorectal cancer by the AIO colorectal cancer study group.

BACKGROUND: To explore the impact of KRAS, NRAS and BRAF mutations as well as KRAS mutation variants in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receiving first-line therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 1239 patients from five randomized trials (FIRE-1, FIRE-3, AIOKRK0207, AIOKRK0604, RO91) were included into the analysis. Outcome was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank tests and Cox models. RESULTS: In 664 tumors, no mutation was detected, 462 tumors were diagnosed with KRAS-, 39 patients with NRAS- and 74 patients with BRAF-mutation. Mutations in KRAS were associated with inferior progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) [multivariate hazard ratio (HR) for PFS: 1.20 (1.02-1.42), P = 0.03; multivariate HR for OS: 1.41 (1.17-1.70), P < 0.001]. BRAF mutation was also associated with inferior PFS [multivariate HR: 2.19 (1.59-3.02), P < 0.001] and OS [multivariate HR: 2.99 (2.10-4.25), P < 0.001]. Among specific KRAS mutation variants, the KRAS G12C-variant (n = 28) correlated with inferior OS compared with unmutated tumors [multivariate HR 2.26 (1.25-4.1), P = 0.001]. A similar trend for OS was seen in the KRAS G13D-variant [n = 71, multivariate HR 1.46 (0.96-2.22), P = 0.10]. More frequent KRAS exon 2 variants like G12D [n = 152, multivariate HR 1.17 (0.86-1.6), P = 0.81] and G12V [n = 92, multivariate HR 1.27 (0.87-1.86), P = 0.57] did not have significant impact on OS. CONCLUSION: Mutations in KRAS and BRAF were associated with inferior PFS and OS of mCRC patients compared with patients with non-mutated tumors. KRAS exon 2 mutation variants were associated with heterogeneous outcome compared with unmutated tumors with KRAS G12C and G13D (trend) being associated with rather poor survival.

[New S3 guideline for esophageal cancer : Important surgical aspects]. / Die neue S3-Leitlinie zum Ösophaguskarzinom : Wichtige chirurgische Aspekte.

The current German S3 guideline represents the recommendations for the diagnosis and therapy of squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the esophagus based on evidence from the literature and interdisciplinary expert consensus. Esophagogastroscopy with biopsy, endosonography, and spiral CT scan of the neck, thorax, and abdomen are decisive in staging and the choice of therapy. For a curative approach, surgery, especially transthoracic esophagectomy and gastric pull-up, is the most important therapeutic option, except in the case of mucosal carcinomas or cervical squamous cell carcinomas. The significance of total minimally invasive esophageal resection or a hybrid technique is still uncertain. In category cT3 or resectable cT4 tumors, neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy should be performed in squamous cell carcinomas or adenocarcinomas. Alternatively, perioperative chemotherapy can be carried out in adenocarcinoma. Palliative resections should be avoided and replaced by interventional procedures for palliation.

Prognostic value of microsatellite instability and p53 expression in metastatic colorectal cancer treated with oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of MSI-H and p53 overexpression in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine-based first line chemotherapy. METHODS: Tumour samples were retrospectively obtained from 229 patients from a prospective randomised phase III trial of the AIO colorectal study group, comparing CAPOX and FUFOX in mCRC. Immunohistochemistry of p53 and MMR proteins as well as microsatellite analysis were performed. RESULTS: The incidence of MSI-H and p53 overexpression was 7.9 % and 65.4 %, respectively. MSI-H status was not correlated with ORR, PFS and OS. We observed a trend to lower DCR for MSI-H tumours (65 % vs. 85 %, p = 0.055). p53 overexpression was not correlated with DCR, ORR and PFS. The median OS of patients with tumors with p53 overexpression was significantly longer compared to tumors withhout p53 overexpression (19.6 vs. 15.8 months; p = 0.05). The post-progression survival (PPS) of p53-positive patients undergoing 2nd and/or 3rd line chemotherapy with irinotecan and/or cetuximab was significantly longer compared to p53-negative patients. CONCLUSION: MSI-H tumours tend to have lower disease control rates when treated with an oxaliplatin/fluoropyrmidin combination. mCRC patients with p53 overexpression undergoing an irinotecan containing second- or third-line chemotherapy after oxaliplatin failure have a significantly longer post-progression survival compared to patients without p53 overexpression. To validate the clinical impact of p53 in patients with mCRC treated with irinotecan- and/or cetuximab further studies are needed.

Prognostic factors for 60-day mortality in first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): individual patient analysis of four randomised, controlled trials by the AIO colorectal cancer study group.

BACKGROUND: The 60 day mortality is an established parameter for chemotherapy-related safety in randomised trials for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Prognostic factors associated with 60-day mortality would be helpful to identify high-risk patients in advance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Individual baseline patient data from four randomised, controlled trials from the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie (AIO) study group were retrospectively analysed. Chemotherapy consisted of fluoropyrimidine (5-FU/capecitabine), irinotecan, oxaliplatin with or without bevacizumab or cetuximab. Prognostic factors were identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression models in two cohorts: one limited to ECOG PS 0 and 1 and one including ECOG PS 2 patients. RESULTS: A total of 1377 patients were evaluated. The analysis of ECOG PS 0, 1 and 2 patients consisted of 898 patients where a total of 33 deaths within the first 60 days of treatment (3.7%) occurred. In multivariate analysis, 60-day mortality was significantly associated with ECOG PS 2 and high leucocyte count (white blood cell, WBC). Odds ratio was 6.28 for WBC and 12.92 for ECOG PS 2. Exclusion of ECOG PS 2 patients but inclusion of one trial limited to ECOG PS 0 and 1 patients resulted in 1302 assessable patients and 44 early deaths (3.4%). In both cohorts, around 50% of deaths were disease related. WBC was confirmed as a significant risk factor for early death (OR 7.60). A combined score using ECOG PS 2 and WBC ≥8.000/µl is able to identify high-risk patients with a sensitivity of 18% and specificity of 98%. CONCLUSIONS: In this large retrospective analysis of individual patient data, around 50% of early deaths were disease related. Elevated WBC was found strongly associated with increased 60-day mortality in first-line treatment of mCRC. The proposed AIO-60-Day-Mortality score serves as an additional trial exclusion criterion.

Cetuximab plus cisplatin-5-fluorouracil versus cisplatin-5-fluorouracil alone in first-line metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: a randomized phase II study of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the activity of the mAb cetuximab in combination with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: For a maximum of six 29-day cycles, patients received cisplatin 100 mg/m(2), day 1, plus 5-FU 1000 mg/m(2), days 1-5 (CF), either alone or in combination with cetuximab (CET-CF; 400 mg/m(2) initial dose followed by 250 mg/m(2) weekly thereafter). The primary end point was tumor response. Tumor material was obtained for analysis of KRAS mutation status. RESULTS: Sixty-two eligible patients were included, 32 receiving CET-CF and 30 CF. Cetuximab did not exacerbate grade 3/4 toxicity, except for rash (6% versus 0%) and diarrhea (16% versus 0%). The overall response rate according to RECIST criteria was 19% and 13% and the disease control rate 75% and 57% for the CET-CF and CF arms, respectively. With a median follow-up of 21.5 months, the median progression-free survival was 5.9 and 3.6 months and median overall survival 9.5 and 5.5 months for CET-CF and CF, respectively. No KRAS codon 12/13 tumor mutations were identified in 37 evaluated samples. CONCLUSION: Cetuximab can be safely combined with CF chemotherapy and may increase the efficacy of standard CF chemotherapy.

A rare cause of ulcerative colitis - diarrhoea and perianal bleeding due to posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD).

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is characterised by frequent extranodal manifestation, in 20 - 25 % including the gastrointestinal tract. This entity, which is more frequent after solid organ transplantation, rarely occurs after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). We report the case of a 43-year-old male presenting with a short history of rectal bleeding, diarrhoea and weight loss. He had received a bone marrow transplant two years previously for an acute lymphocytic leukaemia of B-cell origin. On sigmoidoscopy, deep ulcerations of the rectal and sigmoideal mucosa were found. Further investigations revealed a diffuse infiltration of the liver, spleen, both kidneys and lungs. Histologically, a monomorphic post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder was diagnosed, the subtype was a high grade diffuse-large cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B-cell origin. The biopsies showed that a major proportion of cells expressed Epstein-Barr virus encoded proteins typical for latent as well as lytic EBV infection. This is a common feature of PTLD and possibly plays a critical role in its pathogenesis. The current therapeutic approach to the subtype of PTLD we saw in this patient is CHOP chemotherapy, comprising the anti-CD 20 antibody rituximab if CD 20-positivity is present. This patient had a fatal course of the disease and died a few days after the first chemotherapy cycle due to severe multiple organ failure.

[Gastrointestinal oncology - therapy update 2008 / 2009]. / Gastrointestinale Onkologie - Therapieupdate 2008 / 2009.

As a consequence of recent studies the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers has become challenging and is undergoing constant changes on the basis of the results of new trials. The steering committee of the working group on gastrointestinal cancers of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verdauungs- und Stoffwechselkrankheiten has decided to summarise and present recent updates of the current treatment guidelines and recommendations for the most relevant gastrointestinal malignancies. In this review we have included recent findings from large trials on esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, cholangiocellular and liver cancers, as well as colorectal cancers, neuroendocrine tumours and lymphomas. This includes an update on the combination with novel targeted agents and the introduction of potential predictive biomarkers in the selection of the appropriate treatment strategy.

Predictive and prognostic value of microsatellite instability in patients with advanced colorectal cancer treated with a fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin containing first-line chemotherapy. A report of the AIO Colorectal Study Group.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a potential indicator of prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). To date, there are a limited number of studies which investigated its role in advanced CRC. Our study investigated the value of high degree of MSI (MSI-H) in patients treated with 5-FU/oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy which has been done by only one further study recently. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, we investigated tumour tissues from 108 patients with metastatic CRC who were treated in a prospective, randomised trial comparing two oxaliplatin and 5-FU-based therapy regimens (FUFOX vs. CAPOX) involving a total of 474 patients. We determined the incidence and prognostic value of a high degree of microsatellite instability. The specimens were analysed by PCR corresponding to the National Institute of Health reference panel. In addition, immunostaining of the mismatch repair proteins MLH1, MSH2 and MSH6 was performed. RESULTS AND FINDINGS: The incidence of MSI-H was 4%. MSI-H was correlated with a lower rate of disease control compared to non-MSI-H patients (p = 0.02). However, there was no correlation between MSI-H and progression-free survival or overall survival. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: MSI-H incidence in metastatic CRC was low. Our data suggest that MSI-H may be correlated with a poorer response to a 5-FU/oxaliplatin treatment. This finding needs confirmation in a larger cohort.

[Surveillance colonoscopy in ulcerative colitis patients in Germany]. / Uberwachungskoloskopie bei Colitis ulcerosain Deutschland.

It has been assumed that cancer surveillance colonoscopy in patients with ulcerative colitis is not conducted according to the guidelines in Germany. An inquiry of the self-help organisation German Crohn's Disease/Ulcerative Colitis Association (DCCV) among organisation members belonging to colorectal cancer risk groups confirmed that the number of biopsies taken during colonoscopy is less than that proposed by the guidelines. Only with 9.2 % of the risk group did a guideline-conformal colonoscopy take place. In more than 50 % of the cases less than 10 biopsies were taken.

Studies on p53, BAX and Bcl-2 protein expression and microsatellite instability in stage III (UICC) colon cancer treated by adjuvant chemotherapy: major prognostic impact of proapoptotic BAX.

We evaluated the expression patterns of proapoptotic BAX, antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and p53, the proposed upstream effector of these molecules, as potential prognostic markers in UICC stage III colon cancer by immunohistochemical staining. To identify high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI+) individuals, we performed single-strand conformation polymorphism-based analysis for BAT26. A total of 188 patients who had received 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy (5-FU/folinic acid or 5-FU/levamisole) were enrolled. Median follow-up was 84.5 months. We found that BAX, Bcl-2 and p53 protein expressions were high or positive in 59, 70 and 50% of 188 cases, respectively. MSI+ tumours were detected in 9% of 174 evaluable patients. BAX or Bcl-2 was correlated with a higher degree of differentiation or left-sided tumours (P=0.01 or P=0.03, respectively); MSI was correlated with right-sided tumours (P<0.0001). In contrast to p53, Bcl-2, or MSI, low BAX, advanced pN category, low grade of differentiation and treatment with 5-FU/levamisole were univariately associated with poorer disease-free survival (DFS) (P=0.0005, P=0.001, P=0.005 and P=0.01, respectively) and poorer overall survival (OS) (P=0.002, P=0.0001, P=0.003 and P=0.02, respectively). Besides pN category and treatment arm, BAX was an independent variable related to both OS and DFS (P=0.003 and P=0.001, respectively). In both univariate and multivariate analysis, the p53-/BAX high in comparison with the p53+/BAX high subset conferred a significantly improved DFS (P=0.03 and P=0.03, respectively) as well as a marginally improved OS (P=0.07 and P=0.08, respectively). BAX protein expression may be of central significance for clinical outcome to 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III colon cancer, and bivariate analysis of p53/BAX possibly may provide further prognostic evidence.

Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) as paraneoplastic syndrome in metastasized signet ring cell carcinomas: case reports and review of the literature.

We report on two spontaneous cases of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) as first manifestation due to metastasized signet ring carcinoma, one of gastric and one of unknown origin. The patients presented with an acute onset of Coombs negative hemolytic anemia and fragmentocytes in the peripheral blood smear which are typical for MAHA. These case reports present MAHA as a rare paraneoplastic syndrome in patients with metastasized signet ring carcinoma. Parallel to symptomatic treatment we started chemotherapy treatment (ELF and PLF regimen, respectively). In both cases we were able to control the MAHA and cancer progression.

[Differencial diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease -- eosinophilic esophagitis: case report]. / Fallbericht zur Differenzialdiagnose der gastroösophagealen Refluxkrankheit: die eosinophile Osophagitis.

We report on a 22-year-old man with dysphagia and repeated bolus impaction in the esophagus for 10 years. Bolus impactions were frequently mobilised using an endoscope. At endoscopy, esophagitis IV degrees was described. After treatment with omeprazol there was no improvement. The patient was submitted to our hospital for fundoplication. pH-metry demonstrated an increased reflux. At endoscopy of the esophagus, we found red stripes which did not show the typical appearance of erosions. Manometry and X-ray films of the esophagus did not reveal any pathological findings. In combination with anamnesis, symptoms, and endoscopy, the diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis was documented by histology. After administration of oral corticosteroids a rapid improvement of the clinical symptoms was observed. The diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis should be kept in mind in patients with chronic symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux persisting despite medical therapy, pathological pH-metry and repeated bolus impactions.