Assessment of sarcopenia and changes in body composition after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and associations with clinical outcomes in oesophageal cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Sarcopenia and changes in body composition following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) may affect clinical outcome. We assessed the associations between CT body composition changes following NAC and outcomes in oesophageal cancer. METHODS: A total of 35 patients who received NAC followed by oesophagectomy, and underwent CT assessment pre- and post-NAC were included. Fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), subcutaneous fat to muscle ratio (FMR) and visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio (VA/SA) were derived from CT. Changes in FM, FFM, FMR, VA/SA and sarcopenia were correlated to chemotherapy dose reductions, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay (LOS), circumferential resection margin (CRM), pathological chemotherapy response, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Nine (26 %) patients were sarcopenic before NAC and this increased to 15 (43 %) after NAC. Average weight loss was 3.7 % ± 6.4 (SD) in comparison to FM index (-1.2 ± 4.2), FFM index (-4.6 ± 6.8), FMR (-1.2 ± 24.3) and VA/SA (-62.3 ± 12.7). Changes in FM index (p = 0.022), FMR (p = 0.028), VA/SA (p = 0.024) and weight (p = 0.007) were significant univariable factors for CRM status. There was no significant association between changes in body composition and survival. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of FM, differential loss of VA/SA and skeletal muscle were associated with risk of CRM positivity. KEY POINTS: • Changes in CT body composition occur after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in oesophageal cancer. • Sarcopenia was more prevalent after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. • Fat mass, fat-free mass and weight decreased after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. • Changes in body composition were associated with CRM positivity. • Changes in body composition did not affect perioperative complications and survival.

The use of biodegradable stents in malignant oesophageal strictures for the treatment of dysphagia before neoadjuvant treatment or radical radiotherapy: a feasibility study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical results of the use of biodegradable oesophageal stents in malignant strictures. METHODS: Eleven patients were included in this prospective analysis in which a woven polydioxanone biodegradable oesophageal stent was used. The inclusion criterion was that the patient underwent neoadjuvant treatment or radical radiotherapy after the stent insertion. Primary end points were dysphagia score at discharge, stent patency, and complication rate. Secondary end points were overall survival and surgical outcome of surgery. RESULTS: There was a 100% procedure technical success rate. Early complications occurred in three patients resulting in failure to restore oral nutrition. In the remaining eight patients, dysphagia was significantly improved at discharge. Mean stent patency rate in this group was 71.5 days. Stent dysfunction occurred in five of eight patients (62.5%); in two of five patients this was due to local inflammatory reaction, and in three of five patients it was due to tumour growth after a mean time of 97.8 days, and a new metallic stent was consequently placed in four of five patients. One patient was successfully treated with esophagectomy. At the end of follow-up (mean time 102.1 days), three of eight stents were patent. The overall patient survival rate was 81.8%. CONCLUSION: Although short-term dysphagia scores improved, biodegradable stents do not appear to offer a clear beneficial effect in most cases of malignant strictures, particularly due to a local inflammatory reaction that may be induced. Technical improvement of the device and delineation of the patient group that would benefit from its use is necessary if further studies are to be conducted in the future.