Preoperative radiotherapy and local excision of rectal cancer with immediate radical re-operation for poor responders: a prospective multicentre study.

PURPOSE: To assess local control after preoperative radiation and local excision and to determine an optimal radiotherapy regimen. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients with G1-2 rectal adenocarcinoma <3-4 cm; unfavourable cT1N0 (23.6%), cT2N0 (62.9%) or borderline cT2/cT3N0 (13.5%) received 5 × 5 Gy plus 4 Gy boost (71.9%) or 55.8 Gy in 31 fractions with 5-FU and leucovorin (28.1%). Local excision (traditional technique 56.2%, transanal endoscopic microsurgery 41.6%, Kraske procedure 2.2%) was performed 6-8 weeks later. If patients were downstaged to ypT0-1 without unfavourable factors (good responders), this was deemed definitive treatment. Immediate conversion to radical surgery was recommended for remaining patients. RESULTS: Good response to radiation was seen in 67.2% of patients in the short-course group and in 80.0% in the chemoradiation group, p = 0.30. Local recurrence at 2 years (median follow-up) in good responders was 11.8% in the short-course group and 6.2% in the chemoradiation group, p = 0.53. In the total group, a lower rate of local recurrence at 2 years was observed in elderly patients (>69 years, median value) when compared to the younger patients; 8.3% vs. 27.7%, Cox analysis hazard ratio 0.232, p = 0.016. A total of 18 patients initially managed with local excision required conversion to abdominal surgery but either refused it or were unfit. In this group, local recurrence at 2 years was 37.1%. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests an acceptable local recurrence rate after preoperative radiotherapy and local excision of small, radiosensitive tumours in elderly patients.

[Outcome after PET-CT based radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer]. / Wyniki radioterapii planowanej na podstawie badania PET-CTu chorych na niedrobnokomórkowego raka pluca

INTRODUCTION: The value of PET-CT in radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with regard to determination of target volumes is established. It is less clear whether its use can improve clinical outcomes of irradiated NSCLC patients compared to conventional staging. The outcome of NSCLC patients included in a previously published prospective study of the value of PET-CT in curative radiotherapy candidates was assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were treated according to the PET-CT findings. The survival data were compared between 67 patients treated curatively and 22 patients with palliative treatment given after upstaging based on the PET-CT findings. Survival of curatively treated stage III patients was compared with a previously published outcome of 173 stage III patients treated in the same institution with the same radiation schedule but without PET-CT. RESULTS: The 3-year overall survival was 42% and 0% (median: 21 months and 7 months), for curatively and palliatively managed patients, respectively (p 〈 0.0001). However, the median overall survival of 17 months for 50 stage III patients was the same as that in a previously published series of stage III patients treated with the same radiation schedule but without PET-CT. Three-year overall survival rates were 33% for the PET-CT group and 19% for historical group, p = 0.1. Twenty-one local recurrences and 21 distant metastases were reported. Three of 50 patients (6%) treated without elective nodal irradiation developed isolated nodal failure (without local recurrence). CONCLUSIONS: The high early mortality rate in the patients disqualified from curative radiotherapy after PET-CT suggests the potential value of PET-CT for improving the radiotherapy outcome. However, this benefit seems to be limited in stage III patients.

Surgery quality and tumor status impact on survival and local control of resectable liposarcomas of extremities or the trunk wall.

BACKGROUND: The 5-year survival rates for localized liposarcomas reportedly vary from 75% to 91% with histologic grade as the most important prognostic factor. However, it is unclear which other factors, including the initial surgery quality and recurrent tumors, influence survival in localized liposarcomas (LPS). QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We analyzed factors (including AJCC staging system) influencing survival and local control of resectable LPS of the extremities/trunk wall and the impact of surgery quality and tumor status and type of disease recurrences according to pathological subtype. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 181 patients with localized LPS: 110 were treated for primary tumors, 50 for recurrent tumors, and 21 for wide scar resection after unplanned nonradical resection. We determined survival rates and examined factors influencing survival. The minimum followup was 4 months (median, 52 months; range, 4-168 months). RESULTS: Five-year disease-specific (DSS), disease-free (DFS), and local relapse-free survival (LRFS) rates were: 80%, 58%, and 75%, respectively. Five-year local relapse-free survival rates for primary versus clinically recurrent tumor versus scar after nonradical resection were: 86.1%, 52.1%, and 73.3%, respectively. The following were independent negative prognostic factors for DSS (AJCC Stage ≥ IIb), DFS (Grade 3; clinical recurrence; skin infiltration), and LRFS (clinical recurrence; R1 resection). An unplanned excision, although influencing local relapse-free survival, had no impact on disease-specific survival (calculated from date of first excision 5-year rate of 80%, considering impact of combined treatment of clinical recurrence/scar). CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed the value of AJCC staging for predicting disease-specific survival in extremity/trunk wall LPS. Radical reresection of scar after nonradical primary tumor resection (+ radiotherapy) seems to improve disease-free and local relapse-free survival in liposarcomas. Patients with unplanned excision can be cured when referred to a sarcoma unit. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, prognostic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Incidence of isolated nodal failure in non-small cell lung cancer patients included in a prospective study of the value of PET-CT.

PURPOSE: Elective nodal irradiation (ENI) is not recommended in PET-CT-based radiotherapy for NSCLC despite a low level of evidence to support such guidelines. The aim of this investigation is to find out whether omitting ENI is safe. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-seven patients treated within a frame of a previously published prospective trial of the value of PET-CT were included in the analysis. Seventeen (25%) patients received ENI due to higher initial nodal involvement and in the remaining 50 patients (75%) with N0-N1 or single N2 disease ENI was omitted. Isolated nodal failure (INF) was recorded if relapse occurred in the initially uninvolved regional lymph node without previous or simultaneous local recurrence regardless of the status of distant metastases. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 32 months, the estimated 3-year overall survival was 42%, local progression-free interval was 55%, and distant metastases-free interval was 62%. Three patients developed INF; all had ENI omitted from treatment, giving a final result of three INFs in 50 (6%) patients treated without ENI. In this group of patients, the 3-year cause-specific cumulative incidence of INF was 6.4% (95% confidence interval: 0-17%). CONCLUSIONS: The omission of ENI appears to be not as safe as suggested by current recommendations.

[Outcome of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for early stage non-small cell lung cancer patients who met or not inclusion criteria for stereotactic-body radiation therapy]. / Wyniki konformalnej radioterapii chorych na niedrobnokomórkowego raka pluca we wczesnym stopniu zaawansowania spelniajacych kryteria oraz niespelniajacych kryteriów kwalifikacji do napromieniania stereotaktycznego.

INTRODUCTION: In early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) the stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) gives promising results, similar to the results of surgical series. However, not all such patients are the candidates for this treatment method. The retrospective analysis of the results of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) in stage I and II of NSCLC was undertaken, with a special focus on the patients who were candidates for SBRT treatment, but received 3D-CRT due to no access to the SBRT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred thirty-two consecutive stage I-II NSCLC patients who received radical 3D-CRT between 1998 and 2009 were included. Different radiotherapy schedules were used; thus the biologically equivalent doses (BED) were calculated for all. Sixty-eight patients met criteria of qualification for SBRT (peripheral T1-3N0 tumors with diameter £ 5 cm). Overall survival and local progression free survival (LPFS) were estimated for the whole group and compared for patients being and not being candidates for SBRT. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed for prognostic factors. RESULTS: Median BED value was 74 Gy (58-82 Gy). Patients who met SBRT criteria had significantly smaller gross tumor volume (GTV) comparing to the remainder (p 〈 0.00001). Three-year overall and local progression free survival rates were 37% and 50%, respectively. In comparison of SBRT candidates and others, only significant difference in three-year LPFS was obtained, 58% and 35%, respectively, p = 0.04. However, in the multivariate analysis, GTV, performance status, and stage were the only three prognostic factors for LPFS. CONCLUSIONS: After 3D-CRT, superior local control for early stage NSCLC patients who met criteria of inclusion for SBRT in comparison with the remainder was demonstrated. However, this outcome was inferior to the local control after SBRT reported in the literature.

Impact of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT staging on treatment planning in radiotherapy incorporating elective nodal irradiation for non-small-cell lung cancer: a prospective study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively how positron emission tomography (PET) information changes treatment plans for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving or not receiving elective nodal irradiation (ENI). METHODS AND MATERIALS: One hundred consecutive patients referred for curative radiotherapy were included in the study. Treatment plans were carried out with CT data sets only. For stage III patients, mediastinal ENI was planned. Then, patients underwent PET-CT for diagnostic/planning purposes. PET/CT was fused with the CT data for final planning. New targets were delineated. For stage III patients with minimal N disease (N0-N1, single N2), the ENI was omitted in the new plans. Patients were treated according to the PET-based volumes and plans. The gross tumor volume (GTV)/planning tumor volume (PTV) and doses for critical structures were compared for both data sets. The doses for areas of potential geographical misses derived with the CT data set alone were compared in patients with and without initially planned ENI. RESULTS: In the 75 patients for whom the decision about curative radiotherapy was maintained after PET/CT, there would have been 20 cases (27%) with potential geographical misses by using the CT data set alone. Among them, 13 patients would receive ENI; of those patients, only 2 patients had the PET-based PTV covered by 90% isodose by using the plans based on CT alone, and the mean of the minimum dose within the missed GTV was 55% of the prescribed dose, while for 7 patients without ENI, it was 10% (p = 0.006). The lung, heart, and esophageal doses were significantly lower for plans with ENI omission than for plans with ENI use based on CT alone. CONCLUSIONS: PET/CT should be incorporated in the planning of radiotherapy for NSCLC, even in the setting of ENI. However, if PET/CT is unavailable, ENI may to some extent compensate for an inadequate dose coverage resulting from diagnostic uncertainties.

Tumour regression grading in patients with residual rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To explore the utility of tumour regression grading (TRG, the amount of residual tumour cells in relation to extension of fibrosis) after chemoradiation of rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 131 patients who received preoperative chemoradiation in the frame of the randomized trial, pathological complete response (pCR, TRG0), good regression (TRG1), moderate regression (TRG2), and poor regression (TRG3) were recorded in 17%, 31%, 31%, and 22% of patients, respectively. RESULTS: The rates of ypN-positive category for TRG0, TRG1, TRG2, and TRG3 groups were 5%, 23%, 45%, and 46%, respectively, p=0.001. When ypT-category and TRG were evaluated by the logistic regression analysis, only ypT-category remained significant for independent prediction of the risk for mesorectal nodal metastases, p=0.006. The 4-year (median follow-up) disease-free survival (DFS) for TRG0, TRG1, TRG2, and TRG3 groups were 91%, 67%, 54%, and 47%. When patients with persistent disease (TRG1 vs. TRG2 vs. TRG3) were analyzed separately, TRG had no prognostic value for DFS, p=0.402. CONCLUSIONS: TRG in patients with residual cancer had no prognostic value for the incidence of nodal disease and for DFS. Our findings and literature data question the need for the inclusion of TRG assessment into a routine pathological report.

Preoperative radiotherapy and local excision of rectal cancer with immediate radical re-operation for poor responders.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To report an early analysis of prospective study exploring preoperative radiotherapy and local excision in rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mucosa at tumour edges was tattooed. Patients with cT1-3N0 tumour <3-4 cm were treated with either 5x5Gy+4Gy boost (N=31) or chemoradiation (50.4Gy+5.4Gy boost, 1.8Gy per fraction+5-fluorouracyl and leucovorin; N=13). Thirteen patients from the short-course group were unfit for chemotherapy. The interval from radiation to full-thickness local excision was 6 weeks. The protocol called for conversion to a transabdominal surgery in case of ypT2-3 disease or positive margin. RESULTS: The postoperative complications requiring hospitalization were recorded in 9% of patients. The rate of pathological complete response was 41%. The rate of patients requiring conversion was 34%; however, 18% actually underwent conversion and the remaining 16% refused or were unfit. During the 14 months of median follow-up, local recurrence was detected in 7% of patients and all underwent salvage surgery. Of 19 patients in whom initially anterior resection was likely, 16% had abdominoperineal resection performed for a conversion or as a rescue procedure. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the short-course radiation prior to local excision is a treatment option for high-risk patients.

The quality of pathological reports of postoperative specimens in rectal cancer: an audit from the Mazovia region.

BACKGROUND: Recently, pathologists have recommended new standards of post operative specimen evaluation in rectal cancer. These new standards include: macroscopic assessment of the quality of surgical excision of mesorectum, microscopic measurement of circumferential resection margin and the assessment of at least 12 mesorectal lymph nodes regarding the presence of metastases. The purpose of our study was to find out whether those standards have been implemented into a routine practice in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective evaluation of pathological reports of postoperative specimens in 51 consecutive rectal cancer patients who were referred to our institution from 19 hospitals for postoperative chemoradiation between January 2006 and December 2007. Items were audited in pathological reports that were mentioned in the background. RESULTS: Only 14% of pathological reports included the macroscopic assessment of the quality of surgical excision of mesorectum and 57% reported microscopic measurement of circumferential resection margin. The median number of retrieved lymph nodes was 9, with a range between 0 and 36. CONCLUSION: The quality of pathological reports was unsatisfactory. Actions should be taken on a national level to improve the current situation. There is an urgent need for providing pathologists with adequate guidelines.