Perioperative FLOT chemotherapy plus surgery for oligometastatic esophagogastric adenocarcinoma: surgical outcome and overall survival.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines do not recommend surgery for patients with oligometastatic disease from esophagogastric adenocarcinoma (EGAC), although some studies suggest a more favorable survival. We analyzed the outcome of oligometastatic EGAC receiving FLOT chemotherapy followed by surgery. METHODS: The data of patients with either pre-therapeutic, post-neoadjuvant or intraoperative clinical diagnosis of oligometastatic EGAC were extracted from a prospective database of the 2009-2018 treatment period. 48 consecutive patients were identified with oligometastatic disease, who underwent perioperative chemotherapy plus surgery. We retrospectively analyzed surgical outcome and overall survival. RESULTS: The overall 5-year survival was 18%. 12 patients (25%) with pre-therapeutic oligometastatic EGAC, who had no histologic vital tumor evidence of metastases after surgery had a survival rate of 48% compared to an 11% 5-year survival rate of 36 patients (75%), who had histologic vital tumor metastatic evidence after FLOT chemotherapy and surgical resection (p = 0.012). The survival rates after R0, R1 and R2 (non-resected metastases) resection were 21% (n = 33), 0% (n = 4) and 17% (n = 11), respectively (p = 0.273). CONCLUSION: Oligometastatic EGAC is associated with poor overall survival even after complete resection of all tumor manifestations. The subgroup of patients with a complete histologic response of metastatic lesions to neoadjuvant FLOT shows 5-year survival rates similar to non-metastatic EGAC. Trial registration Not applicable.

Pattern of Recurrence and Patient Survival after Perioperative Chemotherapy with 5-FU, Leucovorin, Oxaliplatin and Docetaxel (FLOT) for Locally Advanced Esophagogastric Adenocarcinoma in Patients Treated Outside Clinical Trials.

BACKGROUND: The 5-FU, Leucovorin, Oxaliplatin and Docetaxel (FLOT) protocol provides superior oncologic results compared to other perioperative chemotherapeutic protocols for the treatment of non-metastatic esophagogastric cancer (EGAC). Survival and the pattern of recurrence of EGAC after FLOT and curative tumor resection are analyzed in a collective of patients treated outside clinical trials. METHODS: Two-hundred-seventy-seven patients with EGAC (cT3-4 and/or cN+) were treated with perioperative FLOT-chemotherapy plus curative surgery between 2009 and 2018. Data were analyzed retrospectively from a prospective database. RESULTS: Two-hundred-twenty-eight patients were included in the analysis. Postoperative in-hospital mortality was 2%. The median survival was 61-months, and median recurrence-free survival was 42 months. Multivariate analysis identified postoperative nodal status and T-stage as independent predictors of improved overall and recurrence-free survival. Administration of adjuvant chemotherapy failed to be significant for overall survival but was an independent predictor of recurrence-free survival. Recurrence occurred after a median of 9 months (range 1-46 months). Eighty-nine percent of recurrence occurred during the first 24 months. The rate of local recurrence was low. After surgery for gastric cancer, the major recurrence site was peritoneal carcinomatosis (56%), while esophageal cancer recurred mostly as metastasis to distant organs (78%). The specific site of recurrence had no impact on overall survival time. CONCLUSION: Real-life application of FLOT shows oncologic results comparable to clinical trials. Recurrence after FLOT and surgery for EGAC occurs predominantly early within the first two years after surgery and in the form of distant organ metastasis for esophageal tumors or peritoneal carcinomatosis for gastric tumors.