Long-term quality of life in pouch patients compared with stoma patients following rectal cancer surgery.

AIM: Low and ultralow anterior resection for rectal cancer with colorectal or coloanal anastomosis does not compromise oncological results compared with abdominoperineal excision. Although avoidance of a permanent colostomy is regarded as beneficial for a patient's quality of life (QoL), patients undergoing sphincter-sparing surgery may develop a number of functional problems. A colonic pouch significantly improves functional outcome after rectal resection and low anastomosis and may positively influence QoL. The aim of this study was to compare QoL in long-term survivors who underwent ultralow anterior resection with total mesorectal excision and colonic J-pouch anastomosis (CPA) with patients treated with abdominoperineal excision (APE) and end colostomy for rectal cancer. METHOD: The medical records from our institution's prospectively maintained rectal cancer database of 151 patients who underwent surgery for ultralow rectal cancer from 2001 to 2007 were analysed. QoL in 59 eligible patients was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 core and Colorectal Cancer 29. Results were compared for patients with CPA and APE. RESULTS: The median follow-up in the 59 patients was 74 (37-119) months. QoL was good in all patients, but it was better in CPA than in APE patients. Global health status (P = 0.009), physical functioning (P = 0.0002), role functioning (P = 0.03), cognitive functioning (P = 0.046), social functioning (P = 0.002), body image (P = 0.053), embarrassment (P = 0.002) and urinary frequency (P = 0.003) were significantly improved for patients with CPA. CONCLUSION: QoL after rectal resection and CPA was better than after APE in several respects. However, QoL should not be regarded as an isolated concept but rather as one of several possible clinical outcomes of interest.

A prospective randomised phase III trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in patients with stage II colon cancer.

The purpose of this trial was to investigate the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) in stage II colon cancer. Patients with stage II colon cancer were randomised to either adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-FU/LV (100 mg m(-2) LV+450 mg m(-2) 5-FU weekly, weeks 1-6, in 8 weeks cycles x 7) or surveillance only. Five hundred patients were evaluable for analyses. After a median follow-up of 95.6 months, 55 of 252 patients (21.8%) have died in the 5-FU/LV arm and 58 of 248 patients (23.4%) in the surveillance arm. There was no statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the two treatment arms (hazard ratios, HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.61-1.27, P=0.49). The relative risk for tumour relapse was higher for patients on the surveillance arm than for those on the 5-FU/LV arm; however, this difference was not statistically significant (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.45-1.06, P=0.09). Consequently, disease-free survival (DFS) was not significantly different between the two trial arms. In conclusion, results of this trial demonstrate a trend to a lower risk for relapse in patients treated with adjuvant 5-FU/LV for stage II colon cancer. However, in this study with limited power to detect small differences between the study arms, adjuvant chemotherapy failed to significantly improve DFS and OS.

A prospective randomised trial to study the role of levamisole and interferon alfa in an adjuvant therapy with 5-FU for stage III colon cancer.

The purpose of this trial was to examine the efficacy of the addition of levamisole (LEV) or interferon alfa (IFN) to an adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in patients with stage III colon cancer. According to a 2 x 2 factorial study design, 598 patients were randomly assigned to one of four adjuvant treatment arms. Patients in arm one received 5-FU weekly for 1 year, patients in arm two 5-FU plus LEV, in arm three 5-FU plus IFN and patients in arm four 5-FU, LEV and IFN. The relative risk of relapse and the relative risk of death were significantly higher for patients treated with LEV compared with those without LEV treatment (HR 1.452, 95% CI 1.135-1.856, P=0.0028; HR 1.506, 95% CI 1.150-1.973, P=0.0027, respectively). No significant impact on survival was observed for therapy with IFN in the univariate analysis. The addition of LEV to adjuvant 5-FU significantly worsened the prognosis of patients with stage III colon cancer. Interferon alfa had no significant influence on survival when combined with adjuvant 5-FU, but increased the toxicity of therapy substantially.

[Long-term outcome of stomach carcinoma achieved in an Austrian standard hospital with an oncologic focus]. / Langzeitergebnisse beim Magencarcinom erzielt in einem österreichischen Standardkrankenhaus mit onkologischem Schwerpunkt.

INTRODUCTION: Although two large prospective and randomized planned European studies failed to show any benefit of radical D2 lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer, the value of radical lymphadenectomy is still a matter of controversy. METHODS: A radical surgical approach principally using D2, D3 lymphadenectomy, as defined by the Japanese Research Society for Gastric Cancer, has been prospectively performed since January 1984. Out of 729 patients with gastric cancer, 521 were surgically treated for potential cure between 1984 and 31 December, 1998. Clinical, histopathological and surgical factors were evaluated for their influence on long-term survival by means of univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Tumor-specific 5- and 10-year survival rates for all patients were 58.5% and 57.5% for patients who underwent tumor resection 59% and 58%. For operated patients upon with the aim of achieving cures, the tumor-specific 5- and 10-year survival rates were 63.3% and 62.2% and the median survival time was more than 144 months. Postoperative hospital mortality was 7.7%, 4.6% for R0 resected patients, 8.6% for R1,2 resected patients and 21.3% for those undergoing palliative procedures. Multivariate analysis using the Cox model identified an age older than 65, total gastrectomy as well as high pN- and pT category as detrimental factors with an independent influence on survival. CONCLUSION: After updating the long-term results of gastric cancer, as already published earlier, it is impressively obvious that also in a European setting of gastric cancer patients, with a presupposed appropriate surgical technique and experience, very constant cure rates are achievable with comparatively low mortality and morbidity.

Long-term prognosis for colon cancer related to consistent radical surgery: multivariate analysis of clinical, surgical, and pathologic variables.

Despite the improvement in its prognosis in most Western countries, death from colon cancer is still a major problem. In a prospectively planned observation study, a large patient collective from a single institution in Austria was analyzed in terms of the surgical approach and factors influencing survival. A total of 696 patients with colonic carcinomas were admitted to our surgical department between January 1, 1984 and December 31, 1997. Radical surgery for localized tumors was consistently performed, including wide resection margins and complete removal of the regional lymph drainage zones. Clinical, histopathologic, and therapy-related factors were examined for their influence on long-term survival by means of univariate and multivariate analysis. The overall tumor resection rate was 99.3% (691/696); complete tumor removal (R0) was possible for 84.8% (590/696) of all patients. The overall postoperative hospital mortality rate was 3.2% (22/696), and it was 13% (7/556) for potentially curative resections. Five- and ten-year tumor-specific survival rates for stage I to III R0 resections were 83.8% and 78.8%, respectively. Adjuvant chemotherapy reduced tumor recurrence for stage III patients by 52.4%. The depth of tumor infiltration, lymph node status, and adjuvant chemotherapy were found to have an independent influence on survival as identified by the Cox models. In conclusion, a consistent radical surgical approach for potentially curative resected colonic cancer patients had survival rates that surpassed those of most published series without sacrificing low complication rates. In addition, adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III substantially improved survival.

Long-term results of radical surgery for rectal cancer: multivariate analysis of prognostic factors influencing survival and local recurrence.

AIMS: To evaluate consistent radical surgery performed over a 13-year period for rectal cancer in terms of local tumour control and long-term survival. METHODS: Radical surgical procedure principally using total mesorectal excision (TME) for middle and lower rectal tumours, high ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery and sphincter-saving resections (SSR) whenever possible, has been performed prospectively since January 1984. RESULTS: Tumour resection was possible in 98.8% (636/644), potentially curative resections (UICC/AJCC R0 resection) in 85.7% (552/644) and sphincter preservation in 71.7% (462/644). Five- and 10-year observed survival rates, surgical mortality not excluded, for all patients were 49.2% and 37.4%. Tumour-adjusted 5- and 10-year survival rates were 60.5% and 55.3%. For curatively operated patients (UICC/AJCC R0) 5- and 10-year observed survival rates were 56.3% and 42.6% and tumour-adjusted survival rates were 68.6% and 62.7%. The 5- and 10-year local recurrence rates for R0 resected patients were 12.0% and 12.6%. Post-operative hospital mortality was 3.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Multivariate analysis using Cox's model identified increasing pT category and pN category, old age and low tumour location as detrimental factors having independent influence on survival. For local tumour failure only pT and pN category as well as adjuvant radiation therapy were identified in the Cox model as having an independent detrimental influence.