Surgical Oncology Insight最新文献

Introduction

Approximately 5 % of patients with new breast cancer diagnoses have stage IV disease and 10 % of these patients have liver-confined metastases. The surgical management of synchronous liver metastases remains controversial.

Methods

The National Cancer Database was queried for patients presenting with liver-confined stage IV breast cancer between 2010 and 2018. The cohort was stratified by surgical management: no surgery [NS], primary breast tumor resection [BR], liver resection [LR], and primary breast tumor and liver resection [BR + LR]. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Additionally, a retrospective institutional review of patients who underwent surgical intervention and/or microwave ablation from 2013 - 2023 is presented.

Results

In the NCDB, we identified 3747 patients: 2115 NS, 1458 BR, 22 LR, and 134 BR + LR. Median time to primary resection was 5.5 months (IQR 1.2 – 7.1). Median OS was 49.3 months (46.7 – 53.1). Patients receiving BR + LR had the highest unadjusted 5-year OS (68.9 %), followed by BR (52.4 %), NS (36.8 %), and LR (30.6 %). This association was preserved in an adjusted analysis for BR + LR (HR 0.34, 0.24 – 0.47; p < 0.01). The institutional cohort consisted of 8 patients with a median follow-up of 3.6 years who underwent BR + LR after a median of 16 cycles of chemotherapy, yielding 100 % OS.

Conclusions

A minority of patients who present with liver-confined stage IV breast cancer will undergo any operation, though BR+LR was associated with improved survival. Hepatic metastasectomy may be considered in highly selected patients.

Synopsis

Multivariable analysis of an NCDB cohort of 3747 patients presenting with de novo metastatic breast cancer confined to the liver between 2010–2018 demonstrates an association between improved overall survival and combined resection of both the primary breast tumor and hepatic metastases.

Background

The oncology patient population is vulnerable to elevated levels of anxiety and depression. These states of psychological distress have been associated with negative effects on treatment course and outcomes, but reported prevalence rates are varied. The General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) questionnaires are screening tools that can be utilized to assess the levels of anxiety and depression, respectively.

Methods

This prospective, surgeon-blinded study assessed the preoperative prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with abdominal malignancies who underwent curative-intent resection. Postoperative outcomes and survival were assessed.

Results

Overall, 218 patients were enrolled and included in the final analysis. Patients were stratified into groups by severity of anxiety and depression. 67 (31 %) patients reported at least mild anxiety as defined by GAD-7 score of 5 +, and 74 (34 %) patients reported at least mild depression, as defined by PHQ-9 score of 5 +. Functional status as defined by Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scores was associated with anxiety (P = 0.003) and depression (P = 0.024). Depression was associated with race and ethnicity (P = 0.014) and marital status (P = 0.021), with Hispanic/Latino and unpartnered patients reporting higher rates of depression.

Conclusion

Anxiety and depression are common in the surgical oncology population, affecting a third of the patient population in this prospective study. In addition to a thorough social assessment, the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 questionnaires can be utilized preoperatively to identify patients with psychological distress.

Synopsis

Anxiety and depression were assessed preoperatively in patients with abdominal malignancies who underwent curative-intent resection. These states of psychological distress were highly prevalent, affecting a third of the population, and significantly associated with certain vulnerable groups.

Background

Warfarin has been shown to reduce cancer risk via Vitamin K related AXL tyrosine kinase inhibition. Although AXL has been implicated in disease progression and therapy resistance in preclinical melanoma models, there are no clinical studies evaluating the impact of warfarin on melanoma prognosis. Hence, we sought to evaluate the relationship between warfarin and survival in melanoma.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study of melanoma patients aged ≥ 65 years diagnosed between 2009–2013 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database. Patients were grouped according to warfarin therapy 6 months prior and after melanoma diagnosis. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare overall (OS) and melanoma-specific survival (MSS) between groups.

Results

Overall, 10,778 patients with invasive melanoma were included. 13.2 % were prescribed warfarin, with atrial fibrillation being the most common indication (74.1 %). Warfarin prescription was associated with older age, male sex, and a greater number of comorbidities (all p < 0.001). Patients prescribed warfarin more frequently presented with ulceration, T3 and T4 disease, and stage II disease (all p < 0.05). Warfarin prescription was associated with greater MSS and OS in multivariable models (MSS adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.72, 95 % CI 0.54–0.96, p = 0.02; OS aHR 0.88, 95 % CI 0.79–0.99, p = 0.04).

Conclusions

Warfarin was associated with greater MSS and OS among melanoma patients. These findings highlight the potential for Vitamin K related pathways to impact cancer specific activity. Further study of AXL and Vitamin K inhibition will be of significant interest in melanoma, targeted strategies actively under investigation.

Background

The PRIORITY-CONNECT 2 pilot trial will establish the feasibility and acceptability of a virtual multimodal programme following gastrointestinal cancer surgery. The secondary aims are to obtain pilot data on the likely difference in key outcomes, data elements that will guide future implementation studies, and to identify barriers and facilitators that inform the development and execution of a substantive randomised clinical effectiveness trial of teleprehabilitation/rehabilitation.

Methods

This is a multicentre, assessor-blinded, pilot, randomised controlled trial utilising a Hybrid Type I effectiveness-implementation design. 20 participants undergoing major gastrointestinal cancer surgery will be randomised (1:1 allocation) to attend a virtual multimodal prehabilitation-rehabilitation hub (intervention group), delivered before (1–6 weeks) and after (up to 3 months) surgery plus usual care, or to usual care alone (control group). An individualised intervention will be delivered by an experienced multidisciplinary team including a physiotherapist, psychologist, dietitian, nurse, social worker, and a geriatrician. Outcomes will be collected at baseline, 1–2 days before surgery, during the hospital stay, day of discharge from hospital, and 3 months postoperatively. The primary outcomes will be feasibility and acceptability of the virtual multimodal hub. Secondary outcomes assess the rate of postoperative complications within 30 days after surgery, quality of life, the number of days at home within 30 and 90 days after surgery, healthcare use, and implementation outcomes.

Discussion

The PRIORITY-CONNECT 2 pilot trial will generate findings about the feasibility and acceptability of delivering an evidence-based virtual multimodal preoperative (prehabilitation) and postoperative (rehabilitation) intervention targeting patients having major gastrointestinal cancer surgery.

Trial registration

This trial was registered prospectively with the National Library of Medicine ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT06212700) on 8th January 2024.

Background

Oncology navigation programs offer information and assistance to patients diagnosed with cancer and have evolved significantly along disease-specific care pathways. However, there is limited information on how to prioritize navigation services to meet the unique and complex needs of patients with peritoneal surface malignancies (PSMs). To define the navigation needs of PSM patients, we conducted a survey-based study to quantify the relative importance of various cancer-related stressors as perceived by patients, caregivers, and providers.

Methods

A questionnaire was administered to PSM patients or caregivers and providers involved in the care of PSM patients, and the assessed measures of disease or treatment-related stress were compared among subgroups consisting of patients and caregivers vs. providers.

Results

Of the 72 PSM patients and caregivers surveyed, 93.1 % identified stressors related to receiving treatment to be somewhat or extremely challenging. Relative to patients/caregivers, providers tended to significantly over-prioritize the navigation domains of family care, transportation, long-distance travel, financial, insurance, work-related, and legal stress. Our survey data illustrates gaps between the experience of stressors among PSM patients/caregivers and the perceptions of providers.

Conclusions

PSM programs should align resources with the navigation needs as experienced by patients and caregivers, while recognizing that providers tend to emphasize logistical considerations over cancer-related emotional distress. PSM-specific navigation pathways could improve the experience and satisfaction level of patients undergoing treatment for this complex condition.

Synopsis

The authors report results of a survey provided to peritoneal surface malignancy patients, caregivers and providers. This analysis illustrates gaps between how patients and caregivers experience navigation needs and how providers perceive those needs.

Background

The readability of cancer educational content often exceeds the average reading level of the U.S. population. This study evaluated the readability of online educational material for the five deadliest cancers in the US.

Methods

We assessed the readability of diagnosis and treatment information across 34 NCCN member institution websites. Readability was analyzed using four validated formulas: Fry Readability Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning-Fog Index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook. The primary outcome was the mean organizational readability level for each resource, and secondary outcomes included differences in readability between diagnosis and treatment materials and an analysis of sentence and word complexity.

Results

The mean readability level across 34 websites was 13 ± 1.96, equivalent to a university freshman level. Treatment materials were significantly harder to read than diagnosis materials (14 ± 1.8 vs. 12 ± 1.8, p < 0.01) across all cancers. Readability varied significantly depending on the type of cancer, with material relating to the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer requiring the highest educational level (13 ± 1.9) and material relating to treating breast cancer requiring the lowest reading proficiency (12 ± 1.7). Furthermore, the analysis demonstrated that cancer diagnosis materials contained a lower median percentage of complex and long words than treatment materials but had a higher percentage of long sentences.

Conclusions

These findings underscore the need for organizations to prioritize matching the nation’s literacy levels. Despite the growing reliance on online resources for patient education, the current readability levels hinder patient comprehension

Introduction

In non-metastatic appendiceal adenocarcinoma, the relationship between the number of lymph nodes harvested and overall survival is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine whether the number of lymph nodes harvested impacts survival in patients with mucinous and non-mucinous appendiceal cancer.

Methods

Retrospective cohort analysis was conducted in patients who underwent surgery for appendiceal adenocarcinoma in the SEER database from 2000–2019. Exclusion criteria included patients without the number of regional nodes harvested/node positivity, missing survival data, stage IV disease, and certain subtypes of appendiceal tumors. The primary outcome was 10-year overall survival.

Results

A total of 1651 patients were identified, 1101 with mucinous and 550 with non-mucinous cancer. The majority of patients were male (54 %) and between the ages of 50–74 (52 %). Mean ± SD number of lymph nodes harvested was 17.04 ± 10.41. The ten-year survival rates for patients with mucinous appendiceal cancer were 43–74 % and 25–68 % for non-mucinous cancer, depending on AJCC stage. Multivariate Cox-regression analysis displayed that the number of lymph nodes harvested was an independent predictor of survival (p < 0.0001). The optimal threshold predicted by Cox-regression for maximal survival benefit was harvest of a minimum of 15 nodes for mucinous and 12 for non-mucinous cancer. Additionally, for mucinous cancer, per each additional 3 nodes harvested past 15, the 10-year risk of mortality decreased by 7 % (HR 0.93 (0.88 to 0.98), p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The number of lymph nodes harvested is an independent predictor of survival for patients with appendiceal adenocarcinoma. To maximize this survival benefit, a minimum of 15 regional lymph nodes must be harvested for mucinous and 12 for non-mucinous cancer.

Background

An ovarian mass in the setting of colorectal cancer (CRC) can be concerning due to the uncertainty of it being metastatic disease or primary ovarian neoplasm, leading to different referral and treatment options. Our objective was to determine the incidence of ovarian metastasis compared to primary ovarian pathology in women diagnosed with CRC.

Methods

Women aged 18 years or older, diagnosed with CRC in 2014 were included. 806 records were screened for findings of an ovarian mass until 2023. Pathology was determined via resection, biopsy, or imaging with follow-up.

Results

Forty women (5.0 %) had an ovarian mass; 11 at index surgery and 29 on follow-up. Median age at CRC diagnosis was 62.7 years. The incidence of Krukenberg tumour (KT) was 3.2 % accounting for 65 % of ovarian masses. Approximately 20 % presented with synchronous KTs (n = 5) and 53.8 % had synchronous peritoneal carcinomatosis (n = 14). On follow-up, KTs were found in 72.4 % of the patients (n = 21). The Overall Survival (OS) in the KT group was 7.8 % with median survival of 30.4 months. The median time to developing KTs was 20.8 months with 2-year disease-free survival of 19.2 %. Synchronous KT presentation was the only factor associated with worse OS on univariate and multivariate analysis (HR 7.23, 95 % CI 1.57–33.28, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The risk of developing KT in women with CRC is 3.2 %, of which most (72.4 %) present with metachronous disease within 2 years of CRC diagnosis. Initial evaluation by a gastrointestinal tumor group is warranted.

Synopsis

In this multicenter study involving 806 women diagnosed with colorectal cancer, most ovarian masses that were detected during or following surgery are colorectal metastases and not primary ovarian pathology.

Reoperative parathyroidectomy presents unique challenges and increased risks compared to initial surgeries. A thorough preoperative assessment is crucial, incorporating history, physical exams, laboratory evaluations, imaging studies, operative notes, pathology reports analysis, and postoperative complication reviews. Ectopic parathyroid glands further complicate reoperative procedures, necessitating careful consideration in surgical planning. Radioguided parathyroidectomy offers a safe and successful option for reoperative cases, and is particularly beneficial for detecting ectopic glands.

Purpose

To compare health-related quality of life (HRQL) in primary ovarian cancer (OC) patients with peritoneal metastases (PM) after undergoing upfront cytoreductive surgery with or without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) as part of a phase 2 trial (NCT-02124421).

Methods

Patients with stage III/IV high-grade serous OC were randomized (1:1) to either CRS/HIPEC with carboplatin followed by 6 cycles of adjuvant systemic chemotherapy (carboplatin/paclitaxel) or CRS followed by 6 cycles of combination intraperitoneal/intravenous chemotherapy (cisplatin/paclitaxel). The trial outcome index (TOI) of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Ovarian (FACT-O) questionnaire was used to assess HRQL. The FACT-O was administered at randomization and postoperatively at 6 weeks and 6, 12, and 24 months, or until disease recurrence/death. HRQL was analyzed using a linear mixed model.

Results

Sixteen patients were enrolled in each group. All (32/32) patients completed questionnaires at baseline and 53.1 % (17/32) at 24 months. Reasons for missing scores were similar between groups. Average TOI was similar between treatment arms at each time point. In both arms, mean TOI was below baseline at 6 weeks (p = 0.798) and 6 months (p = 0.821) after CRS, but recovered at 12 months (p = 0.518). No significant differences were found in FACT-O total score or FACT-O individual dimensions over time between groups.

Conclusions

No long-term HRQL impairment was observed when HIPEC was added to CRS in primary OC. Access to CRS/HIPEC as primary treatment of PM in OC should not be solely limited by concerns for patient HRQL.

Synopsis

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) was evaluated in primary ovarian cancer patients participating in a phase 2 trial comparing cytoreductive surgery (CRS)/HIPEC vs CRS + intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy. No differences between groups or long-term HRQL impairment were observed.