Prognostic analysis and beneficiary identification of adjuvant external beam radiotherapy for stage pT4b sigmoid colon cancer.

The clinical efficacy of adjuvant radiotherapy in sigmoid colon cancer remains questioned. To evaluate the clinical efficacy of adjuvant external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for patients with pathologic stage T4b sigmoid colon cancer. Patients with stage pT4b sigmoid colon cancer receiving adjuvant EBRT or not followed by surgery between 2004 and 2016 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Analysis of overall survival (OS) was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and prognostic factors were identified using Cox proportional hazards regression models with 95% confidence intervals within the entire cohort. A risk-stratification system was then developed based on the ß regression coefficient. Among 2073 patients, 284 (13.7%) underwent adjuvant EBRT. The median OS in the group receiving adjuvant EBRT was significantly longer than that in the non-radiotherapy group (p < 0.001). Age, serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, perineural invasion, lymph node dissection (LND) number, and adjuvant EBRT were independent factors associated with OS. A risk-stratification system was generated, which showed that low-risk patients had a higher 5-year survival rate than high-risk patients (75.6% vs. 42.3%, p < 0.001). Adjuvant EBRT significantly prolonged the 5-year survival rate of high-risk patients (62.6% vs. 38.3%, p = 0.009) but showed no survival benefit among low-risk patients (87.7% vs. 73.2%, p = 0.100). Our risk-stratification model comprising age, serum CEA, perineural invasion, and LND number predicted the outcomes of patients with stage pT4b sigmoid colon cancer based on which subgroup of high-risk patients should receive adjuvant EBRT.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with unresectable locally advanced sigmoid colon cancer: clinical feasibility and outcome.

BACKGROUND: Patients with locally advanced sigmoid colon cancer (LASCC) have limited treatment options and a dismal prognosis with poor quality of life. This retrospective study aimed to further evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) followed by surgery as treatment for select patients with unresectable LASCC. METHODS: We studied patients with unresectable LASCC who received NACRT between November 2010 and April 2019. The NACRT regimen consisted of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of 50 Gy to the gross tumor and positive lymphoma node and 45 Gy to the clinical target volume. Capecitabine­based chemotherapy was administered every 2 (mFOLFOX6) or 3 weeks (CAPEOX). Surgery was scheduled 6-8 weeks after radiotherapy. RESULTS: Seventy­two patients were enrolled in this study. Patients had a regular follow-up (median, 41.1 months; range, 8.3-116.5 months). Seventy­one patients completed NACRT, and sixty-five completed surgery. Resection with microscopically negative margins (R0 resection) was achieved in 64 patients (88.9%). Pathologic complete response was observed in 15 patients (23.1%), and multivisceral resection was necessary in 38 patients (58.3%). The cumulative probability of 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 75.8 and 70.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with unresectable LASCC, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is feasible, surgery can be performed safely and may result in increased survival and organ preservation rates.

A population-based study on the prognostic impact of primary tumor sidedness in patients with peritoneal metastases from colon cancer.

Primary tumor location is an established prognostic factor in patients with (metastatic) colon cancer. Colon tumors can be divided into left-sided and right-sided tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of primary tumor location on treatment and overall survival (OS) in patients with peritoneal metastases (PM) from colon cancer. This study is a retrospective, population-based cohort study. Records of patients diagnosed with colon cancer and synchronous PM, from 1995 through 2016, were retrieved from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Data on diagnosis, staging, and treatment were extracted from the medical records by specifically trained NCR personnel. Information on survival status was updated annually using a computerized link with the national civil registry. In total, 7930 patients were included in this study; 4555 (57.4%) had a right-sided and 3375 (42.6%) had a left-sided primary tumor. In multivariable analysis right-sided primary tumor was associated with worse OS (HR: 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.19, P = .007). Of all patients diagnosed with PM, 564 (7.1%) underwent cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC). Patients with left-sided primary tumors were more often candidates for CRS-HIPEC (6.5% vs. 8.0%, P = .008). OS of patients with right- and left-sided tumors who underwent CRS-HIPEC did not significantly differ. In conclusion, primary right-sided colon cancer was an independent prognostic factor for decreased OS in patients diagnosed with synchronous PM. In patients treated with CRS-HIPEC location of the primary tumor did not influence survival.

The effect of primary tumor radiotherapy in patients with Unresectable stage IV Rectal or Rectosigmoid Cancer: a propensity score matching analysis for survival.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of primary tumor radiotherapy on survival in patients with unresectable metastatic rectal or rectosigmoid cancer. METHODS: From September 2008 to September 2017, 350 patients with unresectable metastatic rectal or rectosigmoid cancer were retrospectively reviewed in our center. All patients received at least 4 cycles of chemotherapy and were divided into two groups according to whether they received primary tumor radiotherapy. A total of 163 patients received primary tumor radiotherapy, and the median radiation dose was 56.69 Gy (50.4-60). Survival curves were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method to roughly compare survival between the two groups. Subsequently, the 18-month survival rate was used as the outcome variable for this study. This study mainly evaluated the impact of primary tumor radiotherapy on the survival of these patients through a series of multivariate Cox regression analyses after propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 21 months. All 350 patients received a median of 7 cycles of chemotherapy (range 4-12), and 163 (46.67%) patients received primary tumor radiotherapy for local symptoms. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the primary tumor radiotherapy group had a significant overall survival (OS) advantage compared to the group without radiotherapy (20.07 vs 17.33 months; P = 0.002). In this study, the multivariate Cox regression analysis after adjusting for covariates, multivariate Cox regression analysis after PSM, inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis and propensity score (PS)-adjusted model analysis consistently showed that primary tumor radiotherapy could effectively reduce the risk of death for these patients at 18 months (HR: 0.62, 95% CI 0.40-0.98; HR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.93-1.45; HR: 0.70, 95% CI 0.55-0.99 and HR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.59-0.94). CONCLUSION: Compared with patients with stage IV rectal or rectosigmoid cancer who did not receive primary tumor radiotherapy, those who received primary tumor radiotherapy had a lower risk of death. The prescription dose (59.4 Gy/33 fractions or 60 Gy/30 fractions) of radiation for primary tumors might be considered not only to relieve symptoms improve the survival of patients with inoperable metastatic rectal or rectosigmoid cancer.

Outcomes of high versus low ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery with lymph node dissection for distal sigmoid colon or rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: We compared the complication rates and oncologic and functional outcomes of high versus low ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA). METHODS: We reviewed data retrospectively from 776 patients, divided into high and low IMA ligation groups. Low ligation was performed with lymph node dissection around the IMA root. Postoperative complications and oncologic and functional outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 613 patients in the high ligation group and 163 patients in the low ligation group. Most clinicopathological variables were similar. There were no significant differences in complication rates (25.1% vs. 28.8%; p = 0.336), anastomotic leakage (2.8% vs. 2.5%; p = 1.000), colonic ischemia (2.8% vs. 1.2%; p = 0.393), 5-year overall survival (79.6% vs. 81.3%; p = 0.137) or 5-year relapse-free survival (77.4% vs. 73.3%; p = 0.973) between the groups. In terms of functional outcomes, both techniques were equivalent. The International Prostate Symptom Score and Fecal Incontinence Severity Index were significantly better in the low ligation group 12 months postoperatively than 3 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The oncologic and functional outcomes, as well as postoperative complications, after low ligation of the IMA with lymph node dissection are not significantly different from those after high ligation of the IMA.

Rectal NETs and rectosigmoid junction NETs may need to be treated differently.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are heterogeneous, and the incidence of NETs is rapidly increasing. We observed different survival in patients with rectal NETs and rectosigmoid junction NETs, which are treated similarly. We included patients with rectal and rectosigmoid junction NETs from the SEER database. The 5-year survival was set as the end-point. 6675 patients with rectal NETs and 329 patients with rectosigmoid junction NETs, were eligible for the analysis. Initially, the survival analyses suggested that the 5-year survival significantly differed between the patients with rectal and rectosigmoid junction NETs (HR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.70-0.95; P = .01). Tumor differentiation, an invasion deeper than T2, and lymph node and distant metastases were still important risk factors affecting survival for both location. While, the males showed better survival (HR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.55-0.88; P < .01) and primary tumor surgery had no benefits (P = .56) for patients with rectosigmoid junction NETs. The factors that predict regional lymph node metastases varied by location. In rectal NETs, invasion deeper than T1 and a tumor larger than 1 cm could significantly increase the risk of regional lymph node metastases (all OR > 5, P < .01). In rectosigmoid junction NETs, the risk of regional lymph node metastases was considered significantly higher with invasion deeper than T1 (all OR > 5, P < .01) and a tumor larger than 2 cm (OR = 31.32, 95% CI 2.53-387.57; P < .01). We advocate a clear and consistent definition of the rectosigmoid junction for future studies, and more studies are needed to determine the reason underlying differences between rectum and rectosigmoid junction.

Comparison of efficacy between natural orifice specimen extraction without abdominal incision and conventional laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of sigmoid colon cancer and upper rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: To compare the short-term efficacy between natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) without abdominal incision and conventional laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of sigmoid colon cancer and upper rectal cancer. METHODS: A total of 86 patients scheduled to undergo laparoscope-assisted radical surgery of sigmoid cancer or upper rectal cancer from January 2015 to September 2017 (T1-3 stages in preoperative imaging evaluation, no distant metastasis, and body mass index <28 kg/m2) were selected and randomly divided into the NOSE group (no abdominal incision, n=43) and conventional laparoscopy group (LA group, n=43). The operation time, amount of intraoperative bleeding, postoperative exhaust time, postoperative diet time, postoperative hospitalization duration, postoperative pain score and perioperative complications were compared between the two groups. The pathological conditions of surgical specimens were recorded. The postoperative recurrence rate of tumor and survival rate of patients were also recorded and compared. RESULTS: The general clinical features were comparable between the two groups, and there were no perioperative deaths. The operation time in NOSE group was slightly longer than that in LA group, without statistically significant difference (p=0.130). In NOSE group, the amount of intraoperative bleeding was significantly smaller than in LA group [(59.31±14.64) mL vs. (75.41±18.16) mL, p<0.001], the postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score was significantly lower than that in LA group [(4.2±1.6) points vs. (5.9±1.4) points, p<0.001], and the postoperative exhaust time and regular diet time were significantly shorter than those in LA group [(2.1±1.0) d vs. (2.6±1.2) d, p=0.039, (3.8±1.1) d vs. (4.4±1.4) d, p=0.030]. The cosmetic result in NOSE group was better than that in LA group [(8.0±1.5) vs. (6.4±1.1), p<0.001]. Moreover, the comparison results of surgical specimens showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the intestine resection length, proximal and distal resection margins, tumor size, number of lymph nodes dissected and TNM stage of tumor between the two groups (p>0.05). The postoperative tumor recurrence rate had no significant difference between the two groups (p=0.359), and the Log-rank test revealed that the disease-free survival (DFS) rate had no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p=0.280). CONCLUSIONS: NOSE without abdominal incision has a comparable short-term clinical efficacy to conventional laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of sigmoid cancer and upper rectal cancer, but it significantly reduces the amount of intraoperative bleeding and lowers the pain of patients, with rapid postoperative recovery and high safety, so it is worthy of clinical popularization.

Trombosis segmentaria sigmoidea consecuente a neoplasia maligna de colon. A propósito de un caso interesante / Sigmoid segmental thrombosis consequent to colon malignant neoplasia. On the purpose of a case

RESUMEN Se presentó un caso de una paciente de 78 años de edad, procedente del municipio de Calimete, con antecedentes patológicos personales de infarto agudo miocárdico sin elevación del segmento ST e hipertensión arterial. Llegó a la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de Emergencia, de Colón con un estado toxico infeccioso severo. Fue intervenida quirúrgicamente con el diagnóstico presuntivo de una trombosis mesentérica. Se constató dicho diagnóstico complementario a una neoplasia maligna de colon sigmoides. Falleció producto a un shock séptico refractario a aminas. En la necropsia se reportaron hallazgos de interés (AU).

ABSTRACT The authors present the case of a 78-years-old female patient from the municipality of Calimete, with personal pathological antecedents of acute myocardial infarct without ST segment elevation and arterial hypertension. She arrived to the Emergency Intensive Care Unit of Colon with a severe toxic-infectious status. She underwent a surgery with a presumptive mesenteric thrombosis. It was stated that diagnosis, complementary to a sigmoid colon malignant neoplasia. She died as a product of an amine-refractory septic shock. The autopsy showed findings of interest (AU).

Trombosis segmentaria sigmoidea consecuente a neoplasia maligna de colon. A propósito de un caso interesante / Sigmoid segmental thrombosis consequent to colon malignant neoplasia. On the purpose of a case

RESUMEN Se presentó un caso de una paciente de 78 años de edad, procedente del municipio de Calimete, con antecedentes patológicos personales de infarto agudo miocárdico sin elevación del segmento ST e hipertensión arterial. Llegó a la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de Emergencia, de Colón con un estado toxico infeccioso severo. Fue intervenida quirúrgicamente con el diagnóstico presuntivo de una trombosis mesentérica. Se constató dicho diagnóstico complementario a una neoplasia maligna de colon sigmoides. Falleció producto a un shock séptico refractario a aminas. En la necropsia se reportaron hallazgos de interés.

ABSTRACT The authors present the case of a 78-years-old female patient from the municipality of Calimete, with personal pathological antecedents of acute myocardial infarct without ST segment elevation and arterial hypertension. She arrived to the Emergency Intensive Care Unit of Colon with a severe toxic-infectious status. She underwent a surgery with a presumptive mesenteric thrombosis. It was stated that diagnosis, complementary to a sigmoid colon malignant neoplasia. She died as a product of an amine-refractory septic shock. The autopsy showed findings of interest.

Mortality From Postscreening (Interval) Colorectal Cancers Is Comparable to That From Cancer in Unscreened Patients-A Randomized Sigmoidoscopy Trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Endoscopic screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) is performed at longer time intervals than the fecal occult blood test or screenings for breast or prostate cancer. This causes concerns about interval cancers, which have been proposed to progress more rapidly. We compared outcomes of patients with interval CRCs after sigmoidoscopy screening vs outcomes of patients with CRC who had not been screened. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of a randomized sigmoidoscopy screening trial in Norway with 98,684 participants (age range, 50-64 years) who were randomly assigned to groups that were (n = 20,552) or were not (n = 78,126) invited for sigmoidoscopy screening from 1999 through 2001; participants were followed up for a median 14.8 years. We compared CRC mortality and all-cause mortality between individuals who underwent screening and were diagnosed with CRC 30 days or longer after screening (interval cancer group, n = 163) and individuals diagnosed with CRC in the nonscreened group (controls, n = 1740). All CRCs in the control group were identified when they developed symptoms (clinically detected CRCs). Analyses were stratified by cancer site. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratio (HRs), adjusted for age and sex. RESULTS: Over the follow-up period, 43 individuals in the interval cancer group died from CRC; among controls, 525 died from CRC. CRC mortality (adjusted HR, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-1.35; P = .92), rectosigmoid cancer mortality (adjusted HR, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-1.92; P = .74), and all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.76-1.27; P = .91) did not differ significantly between the interval cancer group and controls. CONCLUSIONS: In this randomized sigmoidoscopy screening trial, mortality did not differ significantly between individuals with interval CRCs and unscreened patients with clinically detected CRCs. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00119912.

The risk of long-term bowel dysfunction after resection for sigmoid adenocarcinoma: a cross-sectional survey comparing complete mesocolic excision with conventional surgery.

AIM: To investigate whether complete mesocolic excision (CME) might carry a higher risk of bowel dysfunction and subsequent reduction in quality of life compared with conventional resection. METHOD: A cross-sectional questionnaire study based on data from a national survey regarding long-term bowel function and a population-based cohort study comparing CME (study group) with conventional resection (control group). A total of 622 patients undergoing elective resection for Stage I-III sigmoid adenocarcinoma at four university colorectal centres between June 2008 and December 2014 were eligible to receive the questionnaire in mid-November 2015. Primary outcomes were four or more bowel movements daily, nocturnal bowel movements, unproductive call to stool, obstructive sensation and impact of bowel function on quality of life (QOL). RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-seven (69.0%) and 289 (66.0%) patients in the study and control groups, respectively, responded to the questionnaire after medians of 4.41 [interquartile range (IQR) 2.50, 5.83] and 4.57 (IQR 3.15, 5.82) years, respectively (P = 0.048). CME was not associated with: increased risk of four or more bowel movements daily [adjusted OR 1.14 (95% CI 0.59-2.14; P = 0.68)], nocturnal bowel movements [adjusted OR 1.31 (0.66-2.53; P = 0.43)], unproductive call to stool [adjusted OR 0.99 (0.54-1.77; P = 0.97)] or obstructive sensation [adjusted OR 1.01 (0.56-1.78; P = 0.96)]. While one in five patients in both groups had moderate to severe impact of bowel function on QOL, there was no association with CME. CONCLUSION: For patients with sigmoid cancer, CME is associated with neither higher risk of bowel dysfunction nor impaired QOL.

Survival impact of low anterior resection in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer grossly confined to the pelvic cavity: a Korean multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate survival impact of low anterior resection (LAR) in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) grossly confined to the pelvis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 397 patients who underwent primary staging surgery for treatment of 2014 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage II-IIIA EOC: 116 (29.2%) IIA, 212 (53.4%) IIB, and 69 (17.4%) IIIA. Patients with grossly enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes positive for metastatic carcinoma were excluded. Of 92 patients (23.2%) with gross tumors at the rectosigmoid colon, 68 (73.9%) underwent tumorectomy and 24 (26.1%), LAR for rectosigmoid lesions. Survival outcomes between patients who underwent tumorectomy and LAR were compared using Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: During the median follow-up of 55 months (range, 1-260), 141 (35.5%) recurrences and 81 (20.4%) deaths occurred. Age (52.8 vs. 54.5 years, p=0.552), optimal debulking (98.5% vs. 95.0%, p=0.405), histologic type (serous, 52.9% vs. 50.0%, p=0.804), FIGO stage (p=0.057), and platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy ≥6 cycles (85.3% vs. 79.2%, p=0.485) were not different between groups. No significant difference in 5-year progression-free survival (PFS; 57.9% vs. 62.5%, p=0.767) and overall survival (OS; 84.7% vs. 63.8%, p=0.087), respectively, was noted between groups. Postoperative ileus was more frequent in patients subjected to LAR than those who were not (4/24 [16.7%] vs. 11/373 [2.9%], p=0.001). The 5-year PFS (60.3% vs. 57.9%, p=0.523) and OS (81.8% vs. 87.7%, p=0.912) between patients who underwent tumorectomy and those who did not were also similar. CONCLUSION: Survival benefit of LAR did not appear to be significant in EOC patients with grossly pelvis-confined tumors.

Influence of primary site on metastatic distribution and survival in stage IV colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: To assess pattern distribution and prognosis of the three anatomical entities of metastatic colorectal cancer, and influence of treatment of metastases on survival. METHODS: Patients presenting with stage IV colorectal cancer (synchronous group), or who developed metastatic recurrence (metachronous group) after initial curative treatment between January 2005 and August 2015 were reviewed. Right sided (cecum to transverse colon), left sided (splenic flexure to sigmoid colon) and rectal cancers were identified. Distribution of metastases were noted as hepatic, lung or peritoneal. RESULTS: Of 374 patients, 276 were synchronous, 98 were metachronous. Metachronous group had a better 3-year survival (54%, 95% CI: 42-64 versus 33%, 95% CI: 27-39, log rank P = 0.0038). There were equal numbers of right (n = 119), left (n = 115) and rectal cancers (n = 140). Rectal cancers had a higher metastatic recurrence, yet demonstrated better 3-year survival (right colon 45%, 95% CI: 19-67, left colon 49%, 95% CI: 27-68, rectum 59%, 95% CI: 42-72, P = 0.39) due to higher proportions of metachronous patients undergoing treatment for metastases (40 versus 14%). Over half of all organ metastases spread to liver, with equal distribution from all three anatomical groups. Rectal cancers showed highest preponderance for lung metastases. CONCLUSION: Rectal cancers have a higher chance of recurring, with a higher metastatic rate to the lung, yet demonstrate better survival outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer, reflecting the benefit of intervention for metastases.

Early detection versus primary prevention in the PLCO flexible sigmoidoscopy screening trial: Which has the greatest impact on mortality?

BACKGROUND: Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) with flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) has been shown to reduce CRC mortality. The current study examined whether the observed mortality reduction was due primarily to the prevention of incident CRC via removal of adenomatous polyps or to the early detection of cancer and improved survival. METHODS: The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial randomized 154,900 men and women aged 55 to 74 years. Individuals underwent FS screening at baseline and at 3 or 5 years versus usual care. CRC-specific survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and proportional hazards modeling. The authors estimated the percentage of CRC deaths averted by early detection versus primary prevention using a model that applied intervention arm survival rates to CRC cases in the usual-care arm and vice versa. RESULTS: A total of 1008 cases of CRC in the intervention arm and 1291 cases of CRC in the usual-care arm were observed. Through 13 years of follow-up, there was no significant difference noted between the trial arms with regard to CRC-specific survival for all CRC (68% in the intervention arm vs 65% in the usual-care arm; P =.16) or proximal CRC (68% vs 62%, respectively; P = .11) cases; however, survival in distal CRC cases was found to be higher in the intervention arm compared with the usual-care arm (77% vs 66%; P<.0001). Within each arm, symptom-detected cases had significantly worse survival compared with screen-detected cases. Overall, approximately 29% to 35% of averted CRC deaths were estimated to be due to early detection and 65% to 71% were estimated to be due to primary prevention. CONCLUSIONS: CRC-specific survival was similar across arms in the PLCO trial, suggesting a limited role for early detection in preventing CRC deaths. Modeling suggested that approximately two-thirds of avoided deaths were due to primary prevention. Future CRC screening guidelines should emphasize primary prevention via the identification and removal of precursor lesions. Cancer 2017;123:4815-22. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Locally advanced primary recto-sigmoid cancers: Improved survival with multivisceral resection.

BACKGROUND: Multivisceral resection (MVR) is considered a radical operation with many surgeons only using it as a last resort. However, when locally advanced colorectal cancers invade adjacent organs, MVR is an important consideration for select patients. The current study addresses the outcomes of MVR in locally advanced recto-sigmoid cancer patients subsequent to these recommendations and hypothesizes that MVR yields improved survival. METHOD: SEER data (1988-2008) was used to identify all eligible patients with MVR. Patients were limited to single primary locally advanced non-metastatic colorectal cancers originating from the sigmoid and rectum. RESULTS: A total of 4111 locally advanced non-metastatic recto sigmoid cancer patients were included in the study. Cox regression analysis showed variables predictive of MVR were female (OR = 1.95) and late year period (OR = 1.90). Kaplan Meier analysis showed that five-year survival was highest for MVR (52.7%, 48 months), followed by standard surgery (SS; 38.9%, 32 months) and no surgery (NS; 16.6%, 12 months, P < 0.001). With radiation treatment, five year survival improved for all groups, with the highest being MVR (57%, 52 months). With no radiation treatment, five year survival decreased for all groups, with the highest being MVR (45.1%, 44 months), followed by SS (27.3%, 19 months), and NS (8.7%, 6 months, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study supports that MVR offers greater survival advantage in patients with locally advanced colorectal cancer. MVR are extensive surgical procedures with significant associated morbidity that usually require specialized training and sometimes the coordination of multiple surgical specialists.

Outcomes of preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery in patients with unresectable locally advanced sigmoid colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: Complete resection of locally advanced sigmoid colon cancer (LASCC) is sometimes difficult. Patients with LASCC have a dismal prognosis and poor quality of life, which has encouraged the evaluation of alternative multimodality treatments. This prospective study aimed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neoCRT) followed by surgery as treatment of selected patients with unresectable LASCC. METHODS: We studied the patients with unresectable LASCC who received neoCRT followed by surgery between October 2010 and December 2012. The neoadjuvant regimen consisted of external-beam radiotherapy to 50 Gy and capecitabine-based chemotherapy every 3 weeks. Surgery was scheduled 6-8 weeks after radiotherapy. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were included in this study. The median follow-up was 42 months (range, 17-57 months). All patients completed neoCRT and surgery. Resection with microscopically negative margins (R0 resection) was achieved in 20 patients (95.2%). Pathologic complete response was observed in 8 patients (38.1%). Multivisceral resection was necessary in only 7 patients (33.3%). Two patients (9.5%) experienced grade 2 postoperative complications. No patients died within 30 days after surgery. For 18 patients with pathologic M0 (ypM0) disease, the cumulative probability of 3-year local recurrence-free survival, disease-free survival and overall survival was 100.0%, 88.9% and 100.0%, respectively. For all 21 patients, the cumulative probability of 3-year overall survival was 95.2% and bladder function was well preserved. CONCLUSION: For patients with unresectable LASCC, preoperative chemoradiotherapy and surgery can be performed safely and may result in an increased survival rate.

Right colon cancer: Left behind.

INTRODUCTION: Prognosis of colon cancer (CC) has steadily improved during the past three decades. This trend, however, may vary according to proximal (right) or distal (left) tumor location. We studied if improvement in survival was greater for left than for right CC. METHODS: We included all CC recorded at the Geneva population-based registry between 1980 and 2006. We compared patients, tumor and treatment characteristics between left and right CC by logistic regression and compared CC specific survival by Cox models taking into account putative confounders. We also compared changes in survival between CC location in early and late years of observation. RESULTS: Among the 3396 CC patients, 1334 (39%) had right-sided and 2062 (61%) left-sided tumors. In the early 1980s, 5-year specific survival was identical for right and left CCs (49% vs. 48%). During the study period, a dramatic improvement in survival was observed for patients with left-sided cancers (Hazard ratio [HR]: 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29-0.62, p < 0.001) but not for right CC patients (HR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.50-1.14, p = 0.69). As a consequence, patients with distal CC have a better outcome than patients with proximal CC (HR for left vs. right CC: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.72-0.90, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that, contrary to left CC, survival of patients with right CC did not improve since 1980. Of all colon cancer patients, those with right-sided lesions have by far the worse prognosis. Change of strategic management in this subgroup is warranted.

Regional Lymph Nodes Status and Ratio of Metastatic to Examined Lymph Nodes Correlate with Survival in Stage IV Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although lymph nodes status and the ratio of metastatic to examined lymph node (LNR) are important prognostic factors in early-stage colorectal cancer (CRC), their significance in patients with metastatic disease remains unknown. The study aims to determine prognostic importance of nodal status and LNR in patients with stage IV CRC. METHODS: A cohort of 1109 eligible patients who were diagnosed with synchronous metastatic CRC in Saskatchewan during 1992-2010 and underwent primary tumor resection was evaluated. We conducted the Cox proportional multivariate analyses to determine the prognostic significance of nodal status and LNR. RESULTS: Median age was 70 years (22-98) and M:F was 1.2:1. Rectal cancer was found in 26 % of patients; 96 % had T3/T4 tumor, and 82 % had node positive disease. The median LNR was 0.36 (0-1.0). Fifty-four percent received chemotherapy. Median overall survival of patients who had LNR of <0.36 and received chemotherapy was 29.7 months (95 % CI 26.6-32.9) compared with 15.6 months (95 % CI 13.6-17.6) with LNR of ≥0.36 (P < .001). On multivariate analyses, no chemotherapy (HR 2.36 [2.0-2.79]), not having metastasectomy (HR 1.94 [1.63-2.32]), LNR ≥0.36 (HR 1.59 [1.38-1.84]). nodal status (HR 1.34 [1.14-1.59]), and T status (HR 1.23 [1.07-1.40]) were correlated with survival. Test for interaction was positive for LNR and high-grade cancer (HR 1.51 [1.10-2.10]). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that nodal status and LNR are important prognostic factors independent of chemotherapy and metastasectomy in stage IV CRC patients.

Nationwide implementation of laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer: short-term outcomes and long-term survival in a population-based cohort.

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials show similar outcomes after open surgery and laparoscopy for colon cancer, and confirmation of outcomes after implementation in routine practice is important. While some studies have reported long-term outcomes after laparoscopic surgery from single institutions, data from large patient cohorts are sparse. We investigated short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic and open surgery for treating colon cancer in a large national cohort. METHODS: We retrieved data from the Norwegian Colorectal Cancer Registry for all colon cancer resections performed in 2007-2010. Five-year relative survival rates following laparoscopic and open surgeries were calculated, including excess mortality rates associated with potential predictors of death. RESULTS: Among 8707 patients with colon cancer that underwent major resections, 16 % and 36 % received laparoscopic procedures in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Laparoscopic procedures were most common in elective surgeries for treating stages I-III, right colon, or sigmoid tumours. The conversion rate of laparoscopic procedures was 14.5 %. Among all patients, laparoscopy provided higher 5-year relative survival rates (70 %) than open surgery (62 %) (P = 0.040), but among the largest group of patients electively treated for stages I-III disease, the approaches provided similar relative survival rates (78 vs. 81 %; P = 0.535). Excess mortality at 2 years post-surgery was lower after laparoscopy than after open surgery (excess hazard ratio, 0.7; P = 0.013), but similar between groups during the last 3 years of follow-up. Major predictors of death were stage IV disease, tumour class pN+, age > 80 years, and emergency procedures (excess hazard ratios were 5.3, 2.4, 2.1, and 2.0, respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Nationwide implementation of laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer was safe and achieved results comparable to those from previous randomized trials.

Selective approach for upper rectal cancer treatment: total mesorectal excision and preoperative chemoradiation are seldom necessary.

BACKGROUND: The implementation of preoperative chemoradiation combined with total mesorectal excision has reduced local recurrence rates in rectal cancer. However, the use of both types of treatment in upper rectal cancer is controversial. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to assess oncological results after radical resection of upper rectal cancers compared with sigmoid, middle, and lower rectal cancers and to determine risk factors for local recurrence in upper rectal cancer. DESIGN: This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. SETTINGS: This study was conducted in a tertiary care referral hospital in Valencia, Spain. PATIENTS: Analysis included 1145 patients who underwent colorectal resection with primary curative intent for primary sigmoid (n = 450), rectosigmoid (n = 70), upper rectal (n = 178), middle rectal (n = 186), or lower rectal (n = 261) cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Oncological results, including local recurrence, disease-free survival, and cancer-specific survival, were compared between the different tumor locations. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors for local recurrence in upper rectal cancer. RESULTS: A total of 147 patients (82.6%) with upper rectal tumors underwent partial mesorectal excision, and only 10 patients (5.6%) of that group received preoperative chemoradiation. The 5-year actuarial local recurrence, disease-free survival, and cancer-specific survival rates for upper rectal tumors were 4.9%, 82.0%, and 91.6%. Local recurrence rates showed no differences when compared among all of the locations (p = 0.20), whereas disease-free survival and cancer-specific survival were shorter for lower rectal tumors (p = 0.006; p = 0.003). The only independent risk factor for local recurrence in upper rectal cancer was an involved circumferential resection margin at pathologic analysis (HR, 14.23 (95% CI, 2.75-73.71); p = 0.002). LIMITATIONS: This was a single-institution, retrospective study. CONCLUSIONS: Most upper rectal tumors can be treated with partial mesorectal excision without the systematic use of preoperative chemoradiation. Involvement of the mesorectal fascia was the only independent risk factor for local recurrence in these tumors.