Impact of pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical D2 dissection in locally advanced gastric cancers: Analysis of 1001 cases.

BACKGROUND: Advances in perioperative chemotherapy have improved outcomes in patients with gastric cancers (GC). This strategy leads to tumour downstaging and may result in a pathologic complete response (pCR). The study aimed to evaluate the predictors of pCR and determine the impact of pCR on long-term survival. METHODS: At the Department of Gastrointestinal and HPB Oncology at the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, 1001 consecutive patients with locally advanced GCs undergoing radical resection following neoadjuvant chemotherapy from January 2005 to June 2022 were included. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 61 months, the median OS was 53 months with a 5-year OS of 46.8 %. Ninety-five patients (9.49 %) realized pCR. Non-signet and well-differentiated histology were associated with pCR. pCR was significantly associated with improved OS, 5-year OS 79.2 % vs 43.2 % (HR 0.30, p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, the realization of pCR and completion of adjuvant chemotherapy had superior OS. Whereas, signet-ring histology, linitis-like tumours, and high lymph node ratio had adverse outcomes. CONCLUSION: Tumour grade and signet-ring histology predict achievement of pCR in locally advanced GCs after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with pCR have significantly improved survival. Future neoadjuvant strategies should focus on enhancing pCR rates to improve overall outcomes.

Pathological N3 Stage (pN3/ypN3) Gastric Cancer: Outcomes, Prognostic Factors and Pattern of Recurrences After Curative Treatment.

BACKGROUND: pN3 or ypN3 stage gastric cancers (GCs) are known to have aggressive clinical behaviour. This study aimed to investigate factors affecting survival and pattern of recurrences of N3 stage GCs, treated with curative intent. METHODS: A total of 196 GC patients, operated on at the Tata Memorial Centre from 2003 to 2017 and reported as pN3 or ypN3 status on histopathology after D2 gastrectomy were included in this retrospective analysis. RESULTS: On multivariate analysis, use of NACT (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) and LN ratio (≤ 0.5/> 0.5) emerged as significant predictors for long-term survival. Patients who received NACT but were still harbouring N3 nodes (ypN3; n = 102) had a worse prognosis than those operated on upfront (pN3; n = 94), with a median survival of 19 months versus 24 months respectively (p = 0.003). The 5-year overall survival of the entire cohort was 16.3% (95% CI 12.8-19.8%), while 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 14.6% (95% CI 12.6-20%). Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, though offered in a small number of patients (n = 38) resulted in improvement in DFS. Median DFS of adjuvant CT versus adjuvant CRT was 13 months versus 23 months (p = 0.020). The commonest site of relapse was the peritoneum (49.18%) and incidence of isolated loco-regional failure was 10.7%. CONCLUSION: In GCs with N3 stage determined after radical D2 gastrectomy, LN ratio of > 0.5 and ypN3 status are predictors of poor prognosis. Considering the high incidence of peritoneal and loco-regional relapse in these patients, the role of more radical surgery, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy after upfront resection and intraperitoneal chemotherapy should be evaluated in prospective randomized clinical trials.

Radical D2 gastrectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy for stage IB/II/III distal gastric cancers in the era of perioperative chemotherapy: A propensity matched comparison.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the impact of treatment sequencing on long-term survival, in distal gastric cancers (GCs) (stage IB/II/III). METHODS: This retrospective study included patients with distal GC undergoing D2 resection. Outcomes were compared between group 1 (surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy) and group 2 (perioperative chemotherapy with surgery). 1:1 matching for baseline characteristics (age, cT, and cN stage) was performed for outcome comparison. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 47.5 months in the included 342 patients, the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 61.1% and disease-free survival (DFS) was 50.5%. OS was comparable in the unmatched (group 1, n = 118; group 2, n = 224) (HR 0.905, 95%CI 0.64-1.33, P = 0.615) and matched groups (group 1, n = 97; group 2, n = 97) (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.48-1.26, P = 0.3). CONCLUSION: D2 resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy provides similar long-term outcomes as compared to perioperative chemotherapy approach for stage IB/II/III distal GCs.

Radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer at Tata Memorial Hospital.

AIM: Tata Memorial Hospital is one of the high-volume tertiary care referral centers for gastric cancer (GC) in India. We aimed to analyze the outcomes after surgery for GC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were collected from the prospective database maintained by the Gastrointestinal and Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Division of the Department of Surgical Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. All consecutive patients who underwent curative resection for adenocarcinoma of the stomach from January 2010 to December 2015 were included. RESULTS: A total of 580 patients underwent curative resection for adenocarcinoma of the stomach in the above mentioned time span. Distal tumors were more common and the tumor epicenter was at the distal body/antrum in 435 (75%) patients. One hundred eighty-two (31.3%) patients underwent upfront surgery and 398 patients (68.6%) were operated after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Surgical procedures included 371 distal/subtotal gastrectomies, 78 proximal, and 131 total gastrectomies. Overall median blood loss was 500 mL and intraoperative blood transfusion was required only in 10.5%. Median hospital stay was 8 days (range, 3-44). Postoperative major morbidity (Clavein-Dindo grade III/IV) was 8.9% and mortality was 1.5%. Median lymph node yield was 18 (range, 2-76). When perioperative outcomes were compared in the initial half of the study period (Period 1, 2010-2012) versus the later half (Period 2, 2013-2015), the median lymph node yield was found to be better in the later half (17 vs. 19) along with reduction in the median hospital stay (16 vs. 11 days). At a median follow-up of 36 months (range, 3-225 months), overall 5-year survival was 51.9%. The disease-free survival at 5 years was 46.9%. CONCLUSION: Results from our study indicate that, with increasing hospital volumes, the median lymph node yield after D2 gastrectomy improves and the median hospital stay is reduced. Surgery for GCs in high-volume centers might result in improved perioperative outcomes.

Major Gastrointestinal Cancer Resections in the Elderly in India: Poised for Future Challenges.

BACKGROUND: There are no data on surgical outcomes of major gastrointestinal cancer resections in the expanding Indian oncogeriatric population. METHODS: A prospective database of patients who underwent major gastrointestinal cancer resections during varying time periods (2006-2014) was analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Two thousand six hundred and forty three patients with a median age of 53 were analyzed. Four hundred and seventy two (17.9%) patients were aged ≥65 years and 235 (8.9%) patients were ≥70 years. Mortality rates were not significantly higher in the elderly (≥65 years) or the very elderly (≥70 years) when compared to younger controls, being 2.8 vs. 1.6% (p = 0.09) and 3.0 vs. 1.7% (p = 0.162) respectively. Overall morbidity was similar for patients ≥65 or <65 years (24.2 vs. 21.7%, p = 0.253), but was higher in patients ≥70 years (29.8 vs. 21.4%, p = 0.003). The incidence of severe complications, however, was not significantly greater in this age group (13.2 vs. 12.5%, p = 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Major gastrointestinal cancer resections in the elderly Indian population, though uncommon, are safe when performed at experienced high volume centres. These results should serve as a starting point for the gradual development of dedicated oncogeriatric programs in the Indian subcontinent.

Primary mediastinal hemangiopericytoma treated with preoperative embolization and surgery.

Hemangiopericytomas are rare tumors originating from vascular pericytes. The mediastinum is an extremely uncommon site with only a few cases reported. Diagnosis is based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry, which differentiates them from synovial sarcoma and solitary fibrous histiocytoma. They have a variable malignant potential. Treatment is mainly surgical extirpation as the role of adjuvant therapy is controversial. Preoperative embolization has been sparingly used. We report a case of primary mediastinal hemangiopericytoma in a 47-year-old man treated successfully with preoperative embolization and surgery.

Epirubicin, oxaliplatin, and capectabine is just as "MAGIC"al as epirubicin, cisplatin, and fluorouracil perioperative chemotherapy for resectable locally advanced gastro-oesophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The perioperative use of epirubicin, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (ECF) significantly improves outcomes in patients with gastric and gastro-oesophageal (GO) cancers but is cumbersome to administer. Given the equivalence of epirubicin, oxaliplatin, and capectabine (EOX) with ECF in advanced setting, we analyzed the compliance, efficacy, and toxicity of perioperative EOX in resectable but locally advanced cancers. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained database of patients treated between January 2012 and September 2013 at Tata Memorial Centre. Patients were planned to receive 3# of neoadjuvant (NA) and 3# of adjuvant EOX (intravenous epirubicin 50 mg/m 2 D1, oxaliplatin 130 mg/m 2 , on D1, capecitabiine 1250 mg/m 2 D1-21) every 21 days. On completion of NA therapy, patients were planned to undergo gastrectomy and D2 lymphadenectomy. RESULTS: A total of 99 patients (76% males, median age 51 years) were treated with perioperative EOX. Preoperatively, 93% patients completed EOX. Post-NA chemotherapy, 4 patients progressed, 1 patient died and 94 were taken up for surgery. Of these, 9 were inoperable and 85 patients underwent radical surgery. Of these, 71% (60/85) were able to complete three cycles of adjuvant EOX. The compliance to complete all 6 cycles of perioperative chemotherapy was 64%. Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were comparable to the MAGIC dataset apart from higher number of diarrhea in our patients. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with resectable GO adenocarcinoma, it is possible to deliver the MAGIC-type perioperative chemotherapy with EOX with better compliance, toxicity, and efficacy rates.