Prognostic significance of the Gustave Roussy immune (GRIm) score in cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of the Gustave Roussy immune (GRIm) score in cancer patients has been widely reported but remains inconsistent. The aim of this study is to systematically investigate the relationship between the GRIm score and survival outcomes in cancer patients. METHODS: Relevant literature was identified using electronic databases including Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase from the inception to March 2023. The primary endpoints were long-term oncological outcomes. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were conducted during the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Fifteen studies (20 cohorts) including 4997 cancer patients were enrolled. The combined results revealed that patients in the high GRIm group had a deteriorated overall survival (HR = 2.07 95%CI: 1.73-2.48; p < 0.0001; I2 = 62%) and progression-free survival (HR = 1.42; 95%CI: 1.22-1.66; p < 0.0001; I2 = 36%). The prognostic values of GRIm on overall survival and progression-free survival were observed across various tumour types and tumour stages. Sensitivity analysis supported the stability and reliability of the above results. CONCLUSION: Our evidence suggested that the GRIm score could be a valuable prognostic marker in cancer patients, which can be used by clinicians to stratify patients and formulate individualized treatment plans.

Clinical significance of the advanced lung cancer inflammation index in gastrointestinal cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) has been identified as a scientific and clinical priority in multiple malignancies. The aim of this study is to investigate the value of the ALI before treatment in evaluating postoperative complications (POCs) and survival outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. Methods: Electronic databases including PubMed, Embase and Web of Science were comprehensively reviewed up to June 2022. The endpoints were POCs and survival outcomes. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were also performed. Results: Eleven studies including 4417 participants were included. A significant heterogeneity in the ALI cut-off value among studies was observed. Patients in the low ALI group showed increased incidence of POCs (OR=2.02; 95%CI:1.60-2.57; P<0.001; I2 = 0%). In addition, a low ALI was also significantly associated with worse overall survival (HR=1.96; 95%CI: 1.58-2.43; P<0.001; I2 = 64%), which remained consistent in all subgroups based on country, sample size, tumor site, tumor stage, selection method and Newcastle Ottawa Scale score. Moreover, patients in the low ALI group had an obviously decreased disease-free survival compared to these in the high ALI group (HR=1.47; 95%CI: 1.28-1.68; P<0.001; I2 = 0%). Conclusion: Based on existing evidence, the ALI could act as a valuable predictor of POCs and long-term outcomes in patients with GI cancer. However, the heterogeneity in the ALI cut-off value among studies should be considered when interpreting these findings.

Comparisons of perioperative and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer after neoadjuvant therapy: an updated pooled analysis of eighteen studies.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes of laparoscopic surgery in advanced gastric cancer patients who received neoadjuvant therapy represent a controversial issue. We performed an updated meta-analysis to evaluate the perioperative and long-term survival outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) versus conventional open gastrectomy (OG) in this subset of patients. METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were comprehensively searched up to May 2023. The short-term and long-term outcomes of LG versus OG in advanced gastric cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy were evaluated. Effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals were always assessed using random-effects model. The prospective protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022359126). RESULTS: Eighteen studies (2 randomized controlled trials and 16 cohort studies) involving 2096 patients were included. In total, 933 patients were treated with LG and 1163 patients were treated with OG. In perioperative outcomes, LG was associated with less estimated blood loss (MD = - 65.15; P < 0.0001), faster time to flatus (MD = - 0.56; P < 0.0001) and liquid intake (MD = - 0.42; P = 0.02), reduced hospital stay (MD = - 2.26; P < 0.0001), lower overall complication rate (OR = 0.70; P = 0.002) and lower minor complication rate (OR = 0.69; P = 0.006), while longer operative time (MD = 25.98; P < 0.0001). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of proximal margin, distal margin, R1/R2 resection rate, retrieved lymph nodes, time to remove gastric tube and drainage tube, major complications and other specific complications. In survival outcomes, LG and OG were not significantly different in overall survival, disease-free survival and recurrence-free survival. CONCLUSION: LG can be a safe and feasible technique for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy. However, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are still needed to further validate the results of our study.

Prophylactic drainage versus non-drainage following gastric cancer surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and observational studies.

BACKGROUND: The role of prophylactic drainage (PD) in gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC) is not well-established. The purpose of this study is to compare the perioperative outcomes between the PD and non-drainage (ND) in GC patients undergoing gastrectomy. METHODS: A systematic review of electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure was performed up to December 2022. All eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies were included and meta-analyzed separately. The registration number of this protocol is PROSPERO CRD42022371102. RESULTS: Overall, 7 RCTs (783 patients) and 14 observational studies (4359 patients) were ultimately included. Data from RCTs indicated that patients in the ND group had a lower total complications rate (OR = 0.68; 95%CI:0.47-0.98; P = 0.04; I2 = 0%), earlier time to soft diet (MD = - 0.27; 95%CI: - 0.55 to 0.00; P = 0.05; I2 = 0%) and shorter length of hospital stay (MD = - 0.98; 95%CI: - 1.71 to - 0.26; P = 0.007; I2 = 40%). While other outcomes including anastomotic leakage, duodenal stump leakage, pancreatic leakage, intra-abdominal abscess, surgical-site infection, pulmonary infection, need for additional drainage, reoperation rate, readmission rate, and mortality were not significantly different between the two groups. Meta-analyses on observational studies showed good agreement with the pooled results from RCTs, with higher statistical power. CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis suggests that routine use of PD may not be necessary and even harmful in GC patients following gastrectomy. However, well-designed RCTs with risk-stratified randomization are still needed to validate the results of our study.

Detection of asymptomatic recurrence following curative surgery improves survival in patients with gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: To date, there is no evidence that intensive follow-up provides survival benefit in gastric cancer patients undergoing curative gastrectomy. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of detection of asymptomatic recurrence using intensive surveillance strategy in long-term survival after curative gastric cancer surgery. Methods: A systematic review of electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Clinical Trials Registry and Google Scholar was performed up to April 2022. The primary outcomes were survival outcomes: overall survival, recurrence-free survival and post-recurrence survival. The secondary endpoints were clinicopathological features, recurrence patterns and treatment after recurrence. The registration number of this protocol is PROSPERO CRD42022327370. Results: A total of 11 studies including 1898 participants were included. In the pooled analysis, the detection of asymptomatic recurrence was significantly associated with an improved overall survival compared to patients showing symptoms of recurrence (HR=0.67; 95%CI: 0.57-0.79; P<0.001), which was primarily driven by the prolongation of post-recurrence survival (HR=0.51; 95%CI: 0.42-0.61; P<0.001), since there was no significant difference observed in recurrence-free survival (HR=1.12; 95%CI: 0.81-1.55; P=0.48) between the two groups. Meanwhile, male sex and advanced T stage were more frequently observed in the symptomatic recurrence group. Furthermore, patients in the symptomatic recurrence group had a higher proportion of peritoneal relapse but lower proportion of distant lymph node metastasis. Additionally, patients in the symptomatic recurrence group were less likely to receive surgery treatment and post-recurrence chemotherapy. Conclusion: The detection of asymptomatic recurrence using intensive follow-up was associated with an appreciable improvement in overall survival. However, more robust data from high-quality studies are still required to verify this issue. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=327370, identifier CRD42022327370.

Assessment of indocyanine green fluorescence lymphography on lymphadenectomy during minimally invasive gastric cancer surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, indocyanine green fluorescence lymphography has been introduced for lymphatic mapping in gastric cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of ICGFL in lymph node dissection during minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer. METHODS: A systematic review of electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure was performed from the inception to January 2021 for all studies comparing ICGFL with non-ICGFL in GC patients undergoing minimal access gastrectomy. The primary outcome was the total number of harvested lymph nodes. The secondary endpoints were the number of metastatic LNs, operative time, estimated blood loss, and postoperative complications. The registration number of this protocol is PROSPERO CRD42020203443. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies including 1882 participants were included. In this meta-analysis, the use of ICGFL was associated with a higher number of harvested LNs (40.33 vs. 33.40; MD = 6.93; 95%CI: 4.28 to 9.58; P < 0.0001; I2 = 86%). No significant difference was found between the ICGFL and control groups in terms of metastatic LNs (2.63 vs. 2.42; MD = 0.21; 95%CI: -0.46 to 0.87; P = 0.54; I2 = 0%). In addition, the use of ICGFL could be safely performed without increasing the operative time (P = 0.49), estimated blood loss (P = 0.26) and postoperative complications (P = 0.54). CONCLUSION: The use of ICGFL may be a useful tool facilitating complete lymph node dissection during minimally invasive GC resection. However, more high-quality RCTs with large sample size are needed to validate this issue.

Clinical significance of lower perigastric lymph nodes dissection in Siewert type II/III adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction: a retrospective propensity score matched study.

PURPOSE: The optimal surgical procedure, whether total gastrectomy (TG) or proximal gastrectomy (PG), for Siewert type II/III adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG) has not been standardised, primarily because the optimal extent of lymph node (LN) dissection for AEG based on the metastatic rate of perigastric LNs remains under debate. The aim of this study was to investigate the metastatic incidence and prognostic significance of lower perigastric lymph nodes (LPLN), including No.4d, 5, 6 and 12a LN stations, in Siewert type II/III AEG. METHODS: A total of 701 patients with Siewert type II/III AEG who received transabdominal open gastrectomy (425 patients with TG and 276 patients with PG) from 2010 to 2015 in West China Hospital were retrospectively included. Based on the clinicopathological information of TG patients, the risk factors of LPLN-positive patients were evaluated, and the metastatic incidence as well as the therapeutic value (TV) index of each LN station was assessed. Moreover, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates between LPLN-positive and LPLN-negative groups were compared in TG patients, and the postoperative survival difference between TG and PG patients was also compared, using propensity score matching (PSM) method. RESULTS: Tumour size (≥ 5 cm, OR = 1.481, p = 0.002) and pT stage (pT4, OR = 2.755, p = 0.024) were significant risk factors for patients with LPLN metastasis. For patients with tumour size more than 5 cm or pT4 stage, the metastatic rates of LPLN for Siewert type II, III and II/III AEG were 31.67%, 34.69% and 33.03%, whereas the TV indexes of LPLN for them were 5.76, 5.62 and 5.38, respectively. LPLN was a significant independent prognostic factor (HR = 1.422, p = 0.028), and positive LPLN was related to worse prognosis (p < 0.05). For patients with tumour size more than 5 cm or pT4 stage, TG patients were illustrated to have a better prognosis than PG patients, with 5-year OS rates of 58.9% vs 38.2% for Siewert type II AEG (χ2 = 4.159, p = 0.041), 68.9% vs 50.2% for Siewert type III AEG (χ2 = 5.630, p = 0.018) and 65.1% vs 40.3% for Siewert type II/III AEG (χ2 = 12.604, p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LPLN metastasis is a poor prognostic factor for patients with Siewert II/III AEG. LPLN dissection may improve the long-term survival of patients with tumour size more than 5 cm or pT4 stage, and TG might be more suitable for this kind of cancer.

Impact of Type of Postoperative Complications on Long-Term Survival of Gastric Cancer Patients: Results From a High-Volume Institution in China.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of postoperative complication and its etiology on long-term survival for gastric cancer (GC) patients with curative resection. METHODS: From January 2009 to December 2014, a total of 1,667 GC patients who had undergone curative gastrectomy were analyzed. Patients with severe complications (SCs) (Clavien-Dindo grade III or higher complications or those causing a hospital stay of 15 days or longer) were separated into a "complication group." Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to reveal the relationship between postoperative complications and long-term survival. A 2:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline parameters between the two groups. RESULTS: SCs were diagnosed in 168 (10.08%) patients, including different etiology: infectious complications (ICs) in 111 (6.66%) and non-infectious complications (NICs) in 71 (4.26%) patients. Multivariate analysis showed that presence of SCs (P=0.001) was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival, and further analysis by complication type demonstrated that the deteriorated overall survival was mainly caused by ICs (P=0.004) rather than NICs (P=0.068). After PSM, patients with SCs (p=0.002) still had a significantly decreased overall survival, and the presence of ICs (P=0.002) rather than NICs (P=0.067) showed a negative impact on long-term survival. CONCLUSION: Serious complications, particularly of an infectious type, may have a negative impact on overall survival of GC patients. However, additional multicenter prospective studies with larger sample size are required to verify this issue.

Safety and Efficacy of Laparoscopic Versus Open Gastrectomy in Patients With Advanced Gastric Cancer Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Given the expanding clinical applications of laparoscopic surgery and neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer treatment, there is an emerging need to summarize the few evidences that evaluated the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). METHODS: From January 1 to 2, 2021, we searched Ovid Embase, PubMed, Cochrane central register Trials (Ovid), and web of science to find relevant studies published in English, and two authors independently performed literature screening, quality assessment of the included studies, data extraction, and data analysis. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021228845). RESULTS: The initial search retrieved 1567 articles, and 6 studies were finally included in the meta-analysis review, which comprised 2 randomized control trials and 4 observational studies involving 288 laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) and 416 open gastrectomy (OG) AGC patients treated with NAC. For intraoperative conditions, R0 resection rate, blood transfusion, intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph nodes dissected, proximal margin, and distal margin were comparable between LG group and open OG group. For postoperative short-term clinical outcomes, LG has significantly less postoperative complications (OR = 0.65, 95%CI: 0.42-1.00, p = 0.05) and shorter postoperative time to first aerofluxus (WMD = -0.57d, 95%CI: -0.89-0.25, p = 0.0004) than OG, and anastomotic leakage, pulmonary infection, pleural effusion, surgical site infection, thrombosis, intestinal obstruction, peritoneal effusion or abscess formation, postoperative time to first defecation, postoperative time to first liquid diet, and postoperative length of stay were comparable between the two groups. For postoperative survival outcomes, there were no significant differences in disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The available evidences indicated that LG is an effective and feasible technology for the treatment of AGC patients treated with NAC, and LG patients have much less postoperative complications and faster bowel function recovery than OG patients. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO database (identifier, CRD42021228845).

Comparisons of perioperative and survival outcomes of laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy for serosa-positive (pT4a) gastric cancer patients: a propensity score matched analysis.

BACKGROUND: Data about whether laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) is applicable in serosa-positive (pT4a) gastric cancer patients remain rare. The purpose of this study is to compare the perioperative and long-term outcomes between the laparoscopic and open gastrectomy (OG) in pT4a gastric cancer patients who underwent curative resection. METHODS: A total of 1086 consecutive pT4a patients (101 patients with LG and 985 with OG) who underwent curative gastrectomy in a high-volume center between 2006 and 2016 were evaluated. Demographics, surgical, and oncologic outcomes were analyzed. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to balance baseline confounders, and COX regression analysis was performed to identify independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: After PSM adjustment, a well-balanced cohort comprising 101 patients who underwent LG and 201 who underwent OG was analyzed. Operative time (288.7 vs. 234.2 min; P < 0.001) was significantly longer, while estimated blood loss (172.8 vs. 220.7 ml; P < 0.001) was significantly less in the LG group compared with the OG group. There were no significant differences between groups in total number of harvested lymph nodes, postoperative stays, readmission rate, and postoperative complication rate. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was not significant different in the LG and OG groups (66.7% vs. 62.8%, P = 0.668), and the subsequent multivariate analysis revealed that the surgical approach was not an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR = 1.123; 95%CI: 0.803-1.570; P = 0.499). In sensitivity analysis including 78 pairs well-matched patients operated by an experienced surgeon, the results were similar to these for the matched entire cohort. CONCLUSION: LG can be a safe and feasible approach for pT4a gastric cancer treatment. However, well-designed high-quality RCTs are expected to draw a definitive conclusion on this topic.

Indocyanine green fluorescence angiography prevents anastomotic leakage in rectal cancer surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The role of intraoperative use of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence angiography (ICGFA) to prevent anastomotic leakage (AL) in rectal cancer surgery remains controversial. METHODS: The systematic review for studies evaluating ICGFA in patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was performed up to April 30, 2020. The primary outcome was the incidence of AL. The analysis was performed using RevMan v5.3 and Stata v12.0 software. RESULTS: Eighteen studies comprising 4038 patients were included. In the present meta-analysis, intraoperative use of ICGFA markedly reduced AL rate (OR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.24-0.45; P < 0.0001; I2 = 0%) in rectal cancer surgery, which was still significant in surgeries limited to symptomatic AL (OR = 0.44; 95% CI: 0.31-0.64; P < 0.0001; I2 = 22%). This intervention was also associated with shorter postoperative stays (MD = - 1.27; 95% CI: - 2.42 to - 0.13; P = 0.04; I2 = 60%). However, reoperation rate (OR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.34-1.10; P = 0.10; I2 = 6%), ileus rate (OR = 1.30; 95% CI: 0.60-2.82; P = 0.51; I2 = 56%), and surgical site infection rate (OR = 1.40; 95% CI: 0.62-3.20; P = 0.42; I2 = 0%) were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The use of ICGFA was associated with a lower AL rate after rectal cancer resection. However, more multi-center RCTs with large sample size are required to further verify the value of ICGFA in rectal cancer surgery.

Is Preoperative Fibrinogen Associated with the Survival Prognosis of Gastric Cancer Patients? A Multi-centered, Propensity Score-Matched Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic significance of preoperative plasma fibrinogen in patients with operable gastric cancer remains under debate. This study aimed to elucidate the prognostic value of fibrinogen in gastric cancer patients underwent gastrectomy. METHODS: A total of 4351 patients with gastric cancer collected from three comprehensive medical centers were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were categorized by minimum P value using X-tile, while the baseline confounders for fibrinogen was balanced through propensity score matching (PSM). The relationships between fibrinogen and other clinicopathologic features were evaluated, and nomogram was constructed to assess its prognostic improvement compared with TNM staging system. RESULTS: Fibrinogen was significantly correlated with macroscopic type, tumor differentiation, tumor size, and T and N stage. The factors, fibrinogen and T stage as well as N stage, were identified to be independent prognostic factors after PSM. Nomogram based on fibrinogen demonstrated a smaller Akaike information criterion (AIC) and a larger concordance index (C-index) than TNM staging system, illustrating that fibrinogen might be able to improve the prognostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels in gastric cancer patients were significantly correlated with tumor progression, which could be regarded as a reliable marker for survival prognostic prediction.