Intraperitoneal chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer. Meta-analysis of randomized trials

Prophylaxis and treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis of gastric origin using hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials

BACKGROUND

Peritoneal carcinomatosis significantly worsens the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Cytoreduction + hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has shown promising results in the prevention and treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis in advanced gastric cancer (AGC); however, its application remains controversial owing to the variability of the approaches used to perform it and the lack of high-quality evidence. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the role of surgery and HIPEC in the prevention and treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis of gastric origin.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing surgery + HIPEC vs surgery + chemotherapy for the prophylaxis of peritoneal carcinomatosis and cytoreduction + HIPEC vs chemotherapy or other palliative options for the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis.

RESULTS

Sixteen studies enrolling 1641 patients were included. Surgery + HIPEC significantly improved overall survival in both prophylactic (hazard ratio [HR], 0.56) and therapeutic (HR, 0.57) settings. When surgery + HIPEC was performed with prophylactic intent, the pooled 3-year mortality rate was 32%, whereas for the control group it was 55%. The overall and peritoneal recurrence rates were also reduced (risk ratio [RR], 0.59 and 0.40, respectively). No significant difference was found in morbidity between groups (RR, 0.92).

CONCLUSION

Based on the current knowledge, HIPEC in AGC seems to be a safe and effective tool for prophylaxis and a promising resource for the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis. Regarding the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis, the scarcity of large-cohort studies and the heterogeneity of the techniques adopted prevented us from achieving a definitive recommendation.

Initial Experience Using Laparoscopic HIPEC for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis: Safety and Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Peritoneal metastases (PM) develop in approximately 20% of patients with gastric cancer (GC). For selected patients, treatment of PM with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has shown promising results. This report aims to describe the safety and perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic HIPEC for GC/PM.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study evaluated patients who had GC and PM treated with laparoscopic HIPEC (2018-2022). The HIPEC involved cisplatin and mitomycin C (MMC) or MMC alone. The primary end point was perioperative safety.

RESULTS

The 22 patients in this study underwent 27 procedures. The mean age was 58 ± 13 years. All the patients were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0 or 1 (55 and 45%, respectively). Five patients underwent a second laparoscopic HIPEC, with a median of 126 days (interquartile range [IQR], 117-166 days) between procedures. The median peritoneal carcinomatosis index (PCI) was 4 (IQR, 2-9), and the median hospital stay was 2 days (IQR, 1-3 days). No 30-day readmissions or complications occurred. Eight patients (36%) underwent gastrectomy (CRS ± HIPEC). After an average follow-up period of 11 months, 7 (32%) of the 22 patients were alive. The median overall survival was 11 months (IQR, 195-739 days) from the initial procedure and 19.3 months (IQR, 431-1204 days) from the diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic HIPEC appears to be safe with minimal perioperative complications. Approximately one third of the patients undergoing initial laparoscopic HIPEC ultimately proceeded to cytoreduction and gastrectomy. Preliminary survival data from this highly selected cohort suggest that the addition of laparoscopic HIPEC to systemic chemotherapy does not compromise other treatment options. These initial results suggest that laparoscopic HIPEC may offer benefit to patients with GC and PM and aid in the selection of patients who may benefit from curative-intent resection.

Predicting peritoneal recurrence after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer: Validation of a prediction model (PERI-Gastric 1 and PERI-Gastric 2) on a Korean database

BACKGROUND

Peritoneal recurrence is a significant cause of treatment failure after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The prediction of metachronous peritoneal recurrence would have a significantly impact risk stratification and tailored treatment planning. This study aimed to externally validate the previously established PERI-Gastric 1 and 2 models to assess their generalizability in an independent population.

METHODS

Retrospective external validation was conducted on a cohort of 8564 patients who underwent elective gastrectomy for stage Ib-IIIc gastric cancer between 1998 and 2018 at the Yonsei Cancer Center. Discrimination was tested using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC). Accuracy was tested by plotting observations against the predicted risk of peritoneal recurrence and analyzing the resulting calibration plots. Clinical usefulness was tested with a decision curve analysis.

RESULTS

In the validation cohort, PERI-Gastric 1 and PERI-Gastric 2 exhibited an AUROC of 0.766 (95 % C.I. 0.752-0.778) and 0.767 (95 % C.I. 0.755-0.780), a calibration-in-the-large of 0.935 and 0.700, a calibration belt with a 95 % C.I. over the bisector in the risk range of 24%-33 % and 35%-47 %. The decision curve analysis revealed a positive net benefit in the risk range of 10%-42 % and 15%-45 %, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study presents the external validation of the PERI-Gastric 1 and 2 scores in an Eastern population. The models demonstrated fair discrimination and satisfactory calibration for predicting the risk of peritoneal recurrence after radical gastrectomy, even in Eastern patients. PERI-Gastric 1 and 2 scores could also be applied to predict the risk of metachronous peritoneal recurrence in Eastern populations.

Efficacy of Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) + HIPEC in Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Peritoneal carcinomatosis is one of deadliest metastatic patterns of gastric cancer, being associated with a median overall survival (OS) of 4 months. Up to now, palliative systemic chemotherapy (pSC) has been the only recommended treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate a potential survival benefit after CRS + HIPEC compared to pSC.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines in March 2024. Manuscripts reporting patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastric cancer treated with CRS + HIPEC were included. A meta-analysis was performed, comparing the survival results between the CRS + HIPEC and pSC groups, and the primary outcome was the comparison in terms of OS. We performed random-effects meta-analysis of odds ratios (ORs). We assessed heterogeneity using the Q2 statistic.

RESULTS

Out of the 24 papers included, 1369 patients underwent CRS + HIPEC, with a median OS range of 9.8-28.2 months; and 103 patients underwent pSC, with a median OS range of 4.9-8 months. CRS + HIPEC was associated with significantly increased survival compared to palliative systemic chemotherapy (-1.8954 (95% CI: -2.5761 to -1.2146; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

CRS + HIPEC could provide survival advantages in gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis compared to pSC.

Design and synthesis of silver nanoparticle anchored poly(ionic liquid)s mesoporous for controlled anticancer drug delivery with antimicrobial effect

Owing to the importance of drug delivery, the synthesis of advanced nanomaterials for targeted drug delivery plays a considerable role in medical treatment. One of the most prominent nanomaterials is PIL, which is used as controlled anticancer drug delivery and significantly improves the half-life and antitumor effect. In this study, a stable and effective drug carrier containing silver nanoparticles was reported for the drug delivery with an antimicrobial effect, and the capability of the drug carrier . PILP was synthesized by radical polymerization, and silver nanoparticles were anchored into PIL voids by in-situ reduction, which developed the adsorption antimicrobial effect and capability of the drug carrier. The synthesized nanocomposite was characterized. The Ag-PILP nanocomposite showed antibacterial activityagainst both E. coli and S. aureus with a MIC of 256 μg/mL, and bactericidal activity against E. coli and S. aureus strains with a MBC of 256 and 512 μg/mL, respectively.

The Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO): Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer, 2023

The 2023 update of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) Clinical Guidelines for Gastric Cancer focuses on standardizing cancer diagnosis and treatment in China, reflecting the latest advancements in evidence-based medicine, healthcare resource availability, and precision medicine. These updates address the differences in epidemiological characteristics, clinicopathological features, tumor biology, treatment patterns, and drug selections between Eastern and Western gastric cancer patients. Key revisions include a structured template for imaging diagnosis reports, updated standards for molecular marker testing in pathological diagnosis, and an elevated recommendation for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage III gastric cancer. For advanced metastatic gastric cancer, the guidelines introduce new recommendations for immunotherapy, anti-angiogenic therapy and targeted drugs, along with updated management strategies for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive and deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) patients. Additionally, the guidelines offer detailed screening recommendations for hereditary gastric cancer and an appendix listing drug treatment regimens for various stages of gastric cancer. The 2023 CSCO Clinical Guidelines for Gastric Cancer updates are based on both Chinese and international clinical research and expert consensus to enhance their applicability and relevance in clinical practice, particularly in the heterogeneous healthcare landscape of China, while maintaining a commitment to scientific rigor, impartiality, and timely revisions.

Prognostic Analysis of Prophylactic Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Advanced Gastric Cancer: a Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

PURPOSE

To investigate the efficacy of prophylactic hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for advanced gastric cancer (AGC).

METHODS

We included 198 patients treated from December 2016 to January 2019; of these patients, the 132 who had clinical T4 gastric cancer were divided into a hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy group (HIPEC group) and a radical gastrectomy and D2 lymph node dissection group (control group). Because this study was retrospective, we used propensity score matching (PSM) to reduce selectivity bias; we then assessed risk factors for recurrence and compared prognosis in terms of survival in the gastrectomy and prophylactic HIPEC groups.

RESULTS

Prophylactic HIPEC reduced the risk of postoperative peritoneal metastasis (PM: 27.5% vs. 10.5%, P = 0.015) and did not increase the risk of postoperative complications, but there was no significant difference in the effect on hepatic metastases or other distant metastases. Risk factors for recurrence included pT4 staging and positive lymph node metastases. Both disease-free survival (DFS: HR 0.592; 95% CI 0.354-0.990; P = 0.042) and peritoneal recurrence-free survival (PFS: HR 0.314; 95% CI 0.127-0.774; P = 0.008) were better in the prophylactic HIPEC group than in the gastrectomy-only group. In addition, there was no difference in the prognosis of patients between the two groups of raltitrexed (RT) and paclitaxel (PTX) for perfusion dosing.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that prophylactic HIPEC could prevent postoperative PM in patients with AGC and did not increase the incidence of postoperative complications. However, it was not found to be effective in the prevention of other metastases, such as hepatic metastases.

Establishment and verification of prediction model of occult peritoneal metastasis in advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

To investigate the risk factors associated with the development of occult peritoneal metastasis in advanced gastric cancer, and establish and externally validate a nomogram for predicting the occurrence of occult peritoneal metastasis in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

METHODS

A total of 111 patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic exploration or peritoneal lavage cytology examination at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from August 2014 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients diagnosed between 2019 and 2021 were assigned to the training set (n = 64), while those diagnosed between 2014 and 2016 constituted the external validation set (n = 47). In the training set, patients were classified into two groups based on preoperative imaging and postoperative pathological data: the occult peritoneal metastasis group (OPMG) and the peritoneal metastasis negative group (PMNG). In the validation set, patients were classified into the occult peritoneal metastasis group (CY1P0, OPMG) and the peritoneal metastasis negative group (CY0P0, PMNG) based on peritoneal lavage cytology results. A nomogram was constructed using univariate and multivariate analyses. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated using Harrell's C-index, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), decision curve analysis (DCA), and calibration plots.

RESULTS

This study analyzed 22 potential variables of OPM in 111 gastric cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic exploration or peritoneal lavage cytology examination. Logistic regression analysis results showed that Lauren classification, CLDN18.2 score and CA125 were independent risk factors for OPM in patients with gastric cancer. We developed a simple and easy-to-use prediction nomogram of occult peritoneal metastasis in advanced gastric cancer. This nomogram had an excellent diagnostic performance. The AUC of the bootstrap model in the training set was 0.771 and in the validation set was 0.711. This model showed a good fitting and calibration and positive net benefits in decision curve analysis.

CONCLUSION

We have developed a prediction nomogram of OPM for gastric cancer. This novel nomogram has the potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy for occult peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer patients.

Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer: A Clinical Case Involving Long-Term Survival

Peritoneal metastasis is the most common pattern of synchronous and metachronous dissemination in gastric cancer (GC) and is associated with a poor prognosis. Even though systemic chemotherapy is the standard of care, the optimal therapeutic approach to peritoneal disease in this setting is yet to be defined. We present a case of a 26-year-old female diagnosed with locally advanced GC who developed peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). The patient underwent cytoreductive surgery (CRS) along with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) with complete remission. She remained disease-free after six years, presenting with peritoneal recurrence 70 months after the procedure. This report describes a rare case of long-term survival following a controversial therapeutic approach.

Palliative Gastrectomy Improves the Survival of Patients with Metastatic Early-Onset Gastric Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Recent studies have found that patients with incurable gastric cancer might benefit from palliative gastrectomy, but the impact of palliative gastrectomy on metastatic early-onset gastric cancer (mEOGC) patients remains unclear. Methods: We analyzed mEOGC patients enrolled in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry from January 2004 to December 2018. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis with 1:1 matching and the nearest-neighbor matching method were used to ensure well-balanced characteristics between the groups of patients with palliative gastrectomy and those without surgery. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) risk with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Of 3641 mEOGC patients, 442 (12.1%) received palliative gastrectomy. After PSM, 596 patients were included in the analysis, with 298 in each group. For the matched cohort, the median survival was 8 months, and the 5-year survival was 4.0%. The median OS of mEOGC patients undergoing palliative gastrectomy was significantly longer than that of patients without surgery (13 months vs. 6 months, p < 0.001), and palliative gastrectomy remained an independent protective factor after adjusting for confounders (HR 0.459, 95% CI 0.382-0.552, p < 0.001), and the protective effect was robust in the subgroup analysis. Similar results were indicated in CSS. Stratified analyses by treatment modality also warranted the superiority of palliative-gastrectomy-based treatment in improving OS and CSS. Conclusions: mEOGC patients with palliative gastrectomy had a significantly longer survival time than patients without surgery. Exploratory analysis confirmed that surgery-based therapy modality was superior in improving survival time.

Effect of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy on survival and recurrence rates in advanced gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Around 5-20% of patients who undergo surgery for advanced gastric cancer (AGC), which invades into the muscularis propria or beyond, have peritoneal carcinomatosis. The peritoneal recurrence rate is 10-54%, which is associated with a poor prognosis. The role of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in AGC with and without peritoneal carcinomatosis is not clearly defined.

METHODS

The authors conducted a meta-analysis, in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, of the clinical trials and high-quality nonrandomized studies evaluating the role of HIPEC in AGC over the last 10 years. The studies were searched in PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases between January 2011 to December 2021. Clinical data including overall survival, recurrence free survival, overall recurrence rate, peritoneal recurrence rate, and complications analyzed using RevMan 5.4.

RESULTS

Six randomized controlled trials and 10 nonrandomized studies, comprising a total of 1700 patients were included. HIPEC was associated with significantly improved OS at 3 [odd ratio (OR) 1.89, 95% CI: 1.17-3.05] and 5 years (OR 1.87, 95% CI: 1.29-2.71). HIPEC was associated with reduced overall recurrence (OR 0.49, 95% CI: 0.31-0.80) and peritoneal recurrence (OR 0.22, 95% CI: 0.11-0.47). HIPEC was not associated with increased complications. The occurrence of postoperative renal dysfunction was significantly higher in the HIPEC group (OR 3.94, 95% CI: 1.85-8.38).

CONCLUSION

The role of HIPEC in AGC has evolved over the past decade. HIPEC may improve survival rates and reduce recurrence rates in patients with AGC, without significant increase in complications and with a favorable impact on 3 and 5-year survival.

The predictive value of radiomics-based machine learning for peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

For patients with gastric cancer (GC), effective preoperative identification of peritoneal metastasis (PM) remains a severe challenge in clinical practice. Regrettably, effective early identification tools are still lacking up to now. With the popularization and application of radiomics method in tumor management, some researchers try to introduce it into the early identification of PM in patients with GC. However, due to the complexity of radiomics, the value of radiomics method in the early identification of PM in GC patients remains controversial. Therefore, this systematic review was conducted to explore the feasibility of radiomics in the early identification of PM in GC patients.

Methods

PubMed, Cochrane, Embase and the Web of Science were comprehensively and systematically searched up to 25 July, 2022 (CRD42022350512). The quality of the included studies was assessed using the radiomics quality score (RQS). To discuss the superiority in diagnostic accuracy of radiomics-based machine learning, a subgroup analysis was performed by machine learning (ML) based on clinical features, radiomics features, and radiomics + clinical features.

Results

Finally, 11 eligible original studies covering 78 models were included in this systematic review. According to the meta-analysis, the radiomics + clinical features model had a c-index of 0.919 (95% CI: 0.871-0.969), pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.90 (0.83-0.94) and 0.87 (0.78-0.92), respectively, in the training set, and a c- index of 0.910 (95% CI: 0.886-0.934), pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.78 (0.71-0.84) and 0.83 (0.74-0.89), respectively, in the validation set.

Conclusions

The ML methods based on radiomics + clinical features had satisfactory accuracy for the early diagnosis of PM in GC patients, and can be used as an auxiliary diagnostic tool for clinicians. However, the lack of guidelines for the proper operation of radiomics has led to the diversification of radiomics methods, which seems to limit the development of radiomics. Even so, the clinical application value of radiomics cannot be ignored. The standardization of radiomics research is required in the future for the wider application of radiomics by developing intelligent tools of radiomics.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=350512, identifier CRD42022350512.

CXCL8 and the peritoneal metastasis of ovarian and gastric cancer

CXCL8 is the most representative chemokine produced autocrine or paracrine by tumor cells, endothelial cells and lymphocytes. It can play a key role in normal tissues and tumors by activating PI3K-Akt, PLC, JAK-STAT, and other signaling pathways after combining with CXCR1/2. The incidence of peritoneal metastasis in ovarian and gastric cancer is extremely high. The structure of the peritoneum and various peritoneal-related cells supports the peritoneal metastasis of cancers, which readily produces a poor prognosis, low 5-year survival rate, and the death of patients. Studies show that CXCL8 is excessively secreted in a variety of cancers. Thus, this paper will further elaborate on the mechanism of CXCL8 and the peritoneal metastasis of ovarian and gastric cancer to provide a theoretical basis for the proposal of new methods for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer peritoneal metastasis.

A Preliminary Study of Immediate Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Stage III Colorectal Cancer

OBJECTIVES

Investigate the survival of patients with stage III colorectal cancer (CRC) treated with immediate postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

METHODS

The clinical data of 195 patients with stage III CRC admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from June 2017 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into an observation group and a control group, both groups were treated with the routine laparoscopic radical operation, on the basis of which, the patients in the observation group were treated with intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy during the operation. The local recurrence, abdominal cavity metastasis, and liver metastasis were followed up, and the time of disease recurrence and total survival were recorded.

RESULTS

The survival analysis showed that there was a significant difference in progression-free survival (χ 2 = 5.416, P = 0.020) and overall survival (χ 2 = 4.673, P = 0.031) between the observation group and the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

During laparoscopic radical resection of CRC, the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy with raltitrexed can achieve satisfactory results and improve the survival rate of patients with stage III CRC, perioperative use of raltitrexed has been shown to be beneficial in terms of overall survival and progression-free survival.

Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases: Current Status and Prospects for Treatment

Gastric cancer (GC) has a poor prognostic and only one in four patients will have survived by 5 years after diagnosis. These poor results are due to the fact that most patients are diagnosed in advanced stages; peritoneal metastases (PM) are especially frequent and are difficult to treat. Currently, PM are considered a terminal stage of GC with a poor survival rate and are treated with palliative systemic chemotherapy. Since the beginning of the century, the treatment of PM from different origins has evolved; cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) have become the treatment of choice for many malignant diseases that affect the peritoneum. CRS and HIPEC have also been used for patients with GC and PM, achieving survival results that have never been achieved when using systemic chemotherapy alone. The use of HIPEC can even prevent the development of peritoneal recurrences in patients with locally advanced GC as adjuvant therapy, can reduce the volume of peritoneal disease as neoadjuvant therapy, and can control symptoms in a palliative setting. The aim of this review is to collate the current scientific evidence regarding the treatment of PM of GC origin with surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Application of intraperitoneal hyperthermic perfusion chemotherapy in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. Intraperitoneal hyperthermic perfusion chemotherapy is a comprehensive therapy that combines intraperitoneal perfusion, hyperthermia, and chemotherapy. It has a good curative effect in peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer. In recent years, with the continuous progress of technology and the deepening of research, the scope of application of intraperitoneal hyperthermic perfusion chemotherapy is more extensive. In this paper, we discuss intraperitoneal hyperthermic perfusion chemotherapy with regard to its application in gastric cancer, commonly used drugs, safety, and prospects.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) as adjuvant and therapeutic options for patients with advanced gastric cancer at high risk of recurrence or established peritoneal metastases: a single-centre experience

Peritoneal metastases from gastric cancer (PM-GC) have a detrimental prognostic impact on survival and there is a lack of consensus regarding treatment. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) may offer a chance for prolonged survival as compared to standard chemotherapy. This study aims to present our experience in the management of GC with CRS and HIPEC. This is a single-centre retrospective study. Patients were divided into two groups: patients with GC at high risk for developing PM-GC (adjuvant HIPEC group) and patients with PM-GC or positive peritoneal cytology (therapeutic CRS and HIPEC group). Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were considered as outcome measures. A total of 41 patients with a GC primary received surgery and HIPEC: 14 patients (34.1%) were in the adjuvant HIPEC group, while 27 patients (65.9%) were in the therapeutic CRS and HIPEC group. In the adjuvant HIPEC group, the 1- and 3-year OS were 85.7% and 71.4%, while 1- and 3-year DFS were 71.4% and 64.3%, respectively. In the therapeutic CRS and HIPEC group, OS was 60.3% and 35.1% at 1 and 3 years, whereas 1- and 3-year DFS were 38% and 32.6%, respectively. Univariate survival analysis of patients in the therapeutic CRS and HIPEC group showed that the presence of lymph node metastasis and signet ring cell histology predicted worse OS, while PCI > 12 and lymph node metastasis were associated with decreased DFS. Treatment of highly selected patients with GC at high risk of peritoneal recurrence or established PM with CRS and HIPEC showed satisfactory results in terms of OS and DFS.

Identification of metabolism-related genes for predicting peritoneal metastasis in patients with gastric cancer

OBJECTIVE

The reprogramming of metabolism is an important factor in the metastatic process of cancer. In our study, we intended to investigate the predictive value of metabolism-related genes (MRGs) in recurrent gastric cancer (GC) patients with peritoneal metastasis.

METHODS

The sequencing data of mRNA of GC patients were obtained from Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG) and the GEO databases (GSE53276). The differentially expressed MRGs (DE-MRGs) between a cell line without peritoneal metastasis (HSC60) and one with peritoneal metastasis (60As6) were analyzed with the Limma package. According to the LASSO regression, eight MRGs were identified as crucially related to peritoneal seeding recurrence in patients. Then, disease free survival related genes were screened using Cox regression, and a promising prognostic model was constructed based on 8 MRGs. We trained and verified it in two independent cohort.

RESULTS

We confirmed 713 DE-MRGs and the enriched pathways. Pathway analysis found that the MRG-related pathways were related to tumor metabolism development. With the help of Kaplan-Meier analysis, we found that the group with higher risk scores had worse rates of peritoneal seeding recurrence than the group with lower scores in the cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

This study developed an eight-gene signature correlated with metabolism that could predict peritoneal seeding recurrence for GC patients. This signature could be a promising prognostic model, providing better strategy in treatment.

Prophylactic surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC CO2) versus standard surgery for gastric carcinoma at high risk of peritoneal carcinomatosis: short and long-term outcomes (GOETH STUDY)-a collaborative randomized controlled trial by ACOI, FONDAZIONE AIOM, SIC, SICE, and SICO

INTRODUCTION

At the time of diagnosis, 15-20% of gastric carcinomas are in stage T4 or T4b. Furthermore, 5-20% of patients undergoing potentially curative surgery suffer from synchronous or metachronous peritoneal metastases. To date, neither surgery nor systemic chemotherapy successfully controls peritoneal dissemination, offering a limited impact on survival. Peritoneal metastases are in fact responsible for death in around 60% of gastric cancer patients. Several Eastern studies in the past have focused on hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) as a prophylactic measure in patients with serosal extension, nodal involvement, and positive peritoneal fluid cytology. Therefore, a new multimodal therapeutic strategy based on aggressive surgery plus new locoregional treatment may prolong survival in this particular clinical scenario.

METHODS

This study compares the efficacy of prophylactic surgery (radical gastric resection, appendectomy, resection of the round ligament of the liver, and bilateral adnexectomy) plus hybrid CO2 HIPEC system versus standard surgery in patients with T3-T4 N0-N + gastric adenocarcinoma. Patients will be randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to the experimental arm or standard surgery. The primary endpoint is to establish the difference in disease-free survival between the groups. The secondary objective is to compare the safety and tolerability of prophylactic surgery plus HIPEC CO₂ versus standard surgery.

DISCUSSION

Considering the poor prognosis of patients with peritoneal dissemination from gastric cancer, a prophylactic strategy to prevent peritoneal metastases may be beneficial. In patients with gastric cancer at high risk of peritoneal carcinomatosis, we propose aggressive surgical treatment with radical gastrectomy, removal of organs at risk of harbouring tumour cells, and HIPEC.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03917173. Registered on 16 April 2019.

PROTOCOL VERSION

v1, March 27, 2019. Protocol number: IRFMN-GCC-7813. EudraCT number: 2019-001478-27.

Role of radiomics in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal cancer

Gastrointestinal cancer (GIC) has high morbidity and mortality as one of the main causes of cancer death. Preoperative risk stratification is critical to guide patient management, but traditional imaging studies have difficulty predicting its biological behavior. The emerging field of radiomics allows the conversion of potential pathophysiological information in existing medical images that cannot be visually recognized into high-dimensional quantitative image features. Tumor lesion characterization, therapeutic response evaluation, and survival prediction can be achieved by analyzing the relationships between these features and clinical and genetic data. In recent years, the clinical application of radiomics to GIC has increased dramatically. In this editorial, we describe the latest progress in the application of radiomics to GIC and discuss the value of its potential clinical applications, as well as its limitations and future directions.

Risk factors associated with peritoneal carcinomatosis of gastric cancer in staging laparoscopy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

The optimal indications of staging laparoscopy in gastric cancer to detect peritoneal carcinomatosis are still controversial. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the relevance of the preoperative factors with peritoneal carcinomatosis to explore the indications of staging laparoscopy.

Materials and methods

Systematic searches were conducted using Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library in December 2021. On the basis of calculating the odds ratio (OR) of each factor, we quantified the association between the risk factors and peritoneal carcinomatosis such as clinical T/N stage, Borrmann type, and tumor markers, using meta-analysis with a random-effects model.

Results

A total of 21 case-control studies and one cohort study were obtained. T stage, N stage, and differentiation degree were most widely studied, with OR values of 2.96 (95% CI: 1.87–4.69), 1.22 (95% CI: 0.86–1.73), and 1.91 (95% CI: 1.42–2.56), respectively. Among all the factors, elevated CA125 (OR = 19.45, 95% CI: 4.71–80.30), Borrmann type IV (OR = 7.68, 95% CI: 3.62–16.27), and large tumor diameter (OR = 5.12, 95% CI: 2.55–10.31) had the highest OR. In particular, CA125 had the best predictability for peritoneal carcinomatosis but was only mentioned by three articles.

Conclusions

There was a cognitive gap between the awareness and importance of risk factors for peritoneal carcinomatosis. In addition to T4 stage, patients with factors with high OR, such as Borrmann type IV, large tumor diameter, and elevated CA125, should undergo staging laparoscopy.

Altered intraperitoneal immune microenvironment in patients with peritoneal metastases from gastric cancer

Background

The peritoneal cavity contains many site-specific immune cells which constitute a unique immune microenvironment. However, it is unclear how the local immune signature is altered in patients with peritoneal metastases (PM).

Methods

Peritoneal lavage fluid or ascites were obtained from 122 patients with various stages of gastric cancer (GC). Cells recovered from peritoneal fluids were immunostained with mAbs for lymphocyte-, macrophage- and tumor cell-specific antigens and the frequencies of leukocyte subsets and antigen expression levels were evaluated with multi-color flowcytometry.

Results

The proportions of CD8(+) T cells, CD3(+)CD56(+) NKT-like cells, and CD3(-)CD56(+) NK cells to CD45(+) leukocytes were significantly reduced in patients with PM compared to those without PM. In patients with PM, the rates of CD8 (+) T cells and NKT-like cells correlated inversely with the tumor leukocyte ratio (TLR), the relative frequency of CD326(+) tumor cells to CD45(+) leukocytes. In contrast, the proportion of CD19(+) B cells was significantly increased in patients with PM, and their proportion correlated positively with the TLR and peritoneal carcinomatosis index (PCI) score. In patients with PM, CD14(+) macrophages tended to be increased with enhanced expression of CD14, CD16 and a M2-macrophage marker, CD163. In particular, macrophages in patients with high TLR contained many granules with high side scatter and CD14 expression in their flow profile compared to those without PM.

Conclusion

PM are accompanied by a drastic change in phenotypes of lymphocyte and macrophage in the peritoneal cavity, which might be involved in the development and progression of intraperitoneal tumor growth.

Poorly cohesive cells gastric carcinoma including signet-ring cell cancer: Updated review of definition, classification and therapeutic management

While the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) in general has decreased worldwide in recent decades, the incidence of diffuse cancer historically comprising poorly cohesive cells-GC (PCC-GC) and including signet ring cell cancer is rising. Literature concerning PCC-GC is scarce and unclear, mostly due to a large variety of historically used definitions and classifications. Compared to other histological subtypes of GC, PCC-GC is nevertheless characterized by a distinct set of epidemiological, histological and clinical features which require a specific diagnostic and therapeutic approach. The aim of this review was to provide an update on the definition, classification and therapeutic strategies of PCC-GC. We focus on the updated histological definition of PCC-GC, along with its implications on future treatment strategies and study design. Also, specific considerations in the diagnostic management are discussed. Finally, the impact of some recent developments in the therapeutic management of GC in general such as the recently validated taxane-based regimens (5-Fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin and docetaxel), the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy as well as pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy and targeted therapy have been reviewed in depth for their relative importance for PCC-GC in particular.

Prediction of anti-proliferation effect of [1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine derivatives by random forest and mix-kernel function SVM with PSO

In order to predict the anti-gastric cancer effect of [1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine derivatives (1,2,3-TPD), quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) studies were performed. Based on five descriptors selected from descriptors pool, four QSAR models were established by heuristic method (HM), random forest (RF), support vector machine with radial basis kernel function (RBF-SVM), and mix-kernel function support vector machine (MIX-SVM) including radial basis kernel and polynomial kernel function. Furthermore, the model built by RF explained the importance of the descriptors selected by HM. Compared with RBF-SVM, the MIX-SVM enhanced the generalization and learning ability of the constructed model simultaneously and the multi parameters optimization problem in this method was also solved by particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with very low complexity and fast convergence. Besides, leave-one-out cross validation (LOO-CV) was adopted to test the robustness of the models and Q² was used to describe the results. And the MIX-SVM model showed the best prediction ability and strongest model robustness: R² = 0.927, Q² = 0.916, MSE = 0.027 for the training set and R² = 0.946, Q² = 0.913, MSE = 0.023 for the test set. This study reveals five key descriptors of 1,2,3-TPD and will provide help to screen out efficient and novel drugs in the future.

Predicting peritoneal carcinomatosis of gastric cancer: A simple model to exempt low-risk patients from unnecessary staging laparoscopy

Background

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) of gastric cancer indicates a poor outcome and is mainly diagnosed by staging laparoscopy (SL). This study was designed to develop a risk stratification model based on the number of risk factors to exempt low-risk patients from unnecessary SL.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study based on a single institution between January 2015 and December 2019. SL is indicated for patients of advanced locoregional stage, and clinicopathologic characteristics of 535 consecutive patients were included. PC-associated variables were identified by logistic regression analysis. A risk stratification model based on the number of risk factors was constructed, and we defined its predictive value with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and negative predictive value.

Results

In total, 15.9% of included patients were found to have PC during SL. Borrmann type IV, elevated CA125, and tumour diameter ≥5 cm were independent risk factors of PC. These three factors combined with cT4 were selected as predictive factors, and the number of predictive variables was significantly related to the possibility of PC (2.0%, 12.8%, 20.0%, 54.2%, and 100%, respectively). When the cutoff value is more than one predictive factor, the negative predictive value is 98.0%, with an area under the curve of 0.780. This model could exempt 29.8% of unnecessary SL compared to the indication of the current NCCN guideline.

Conclusions

We constructed a simple model to predict the probability of PC using the number of predictive factors. It is recommended that patients without any of these factors should be exempt from SL.

Investigating the mechanisms of peritoneal metastasis in gastric adenocarcinoma using a novel ex vivo peritoneal explant model

Gastric adenocarcinoma, commonly known as stomach cancer, has a predilection for metastasis to the peritoneum, which portends limited survival. The peritoneal metastatic cascade remains poorly understood, and existing models fail to recapitulate key elements of the interaction between cancer cells and the peritoneal layer. To explore the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of peritoneal metastasis, we developed an ex vivo human peritoneal explant model. Fresh peritoneal tissue samples were suspended, mesothelial layer down but without direct contact, above a monolayer of red-fluorescent dye stained AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma cells for 24 h, then washed thoroughly. Implantation of AGS cells within the explanted peritoneum and invasion beyond the mesothelial layer were examined serially using real-time confocal fluorescence microscopy. Histoarchitecture of the explanted peritoneum was preserved over 5 days ex vivo. Both implantation and invasion were suppressed by restoration of functional E-cadherin through stable transfection of AGS cells, demonstrating sensitivity of the model to molecular manipulation. Thus, our ex vivo human peritoneal explant model permits meaningful investigation of the pathways and mechanism that contribute to peritoneal metastasis. The model will facilitate screening of new therapies that target peritoneal dissemination of gastric, ovarian and colorectal cancer.

Novel CT based clinical nomogram comparable to radiomics model for identification of occult peritoneal metastasis in advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Occult peritoneal metastasis (OPM) in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients remains a major diagnostic challenge. The aim of this study was to develop novel predictive models for identification of OPM in AGCs.

METHOD

A total of 810 patients with primary AGCs from two hospitals were retrospectively selected and divided into training (n = 393), internal validation (n = 215) and external validation cohorts (n = 202). CT based machine learning models were built and tested to predict the OPM status in AGCs., which are 1) Radiomic signatures: using venous CT imaging features, 2) Clinical models: integrating tumor location, differentiation and extent of serosal exposure, and 3) Radiomics models: combining of radiomic signature, tumor location and tumor differentiation.

RESULT

Total incidence of OPM was 8.27% (67/810). Clinical models yielded comparable classification accuracy with the corresponding radiomics models with similar AUCs (0.902-0.969 vs. 0.896-0.975) while the radiomic signatures showed relatively low AUCs of 0.863-0.976. In the case where the specificity is higher than 90%, the overall sensitivity of clinical model and radiomics model for OPM positive cases was 76.1% (51/67) and 82.1% (55/67). A nomogram based on the logistic clinical model was drawn to facilitate the usage and verification of the clinical model.

CONCLUSION

Both the novel CT based clinical nomogram and radiomics model provide promising method to yield high accuracy in identification of OPM in AGC patients.

Gastric Cancer With Peritoneal Metastasis-A Comprehensive Review of Current Intraperitoneal Treatment Modalities

The treatment of patients with peritoneal metastasis from gastric cancer continues to evolve. With various forms of intraperitoneal drug delivery available, it is now possible to reach the sites of peritoneal metastases, which were otherwise sub-optimally covered by systemic chemotherapy, owing to the blood peritoneal barrier. We conducted a narrative review based on an extensive literature research, highlighting the current available intraperitoneal treatment options, which resulted in improved survival in well-selected patients of peritoneally metastasized gastric cancer. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy showed promising results in four different treatment modalities: prophylactic, neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and palliative. It is now possible to choose the type of intraperitoneal treatment/s in combination with systemic treatment/s, depending on patients' general condition and peritoneal disease burden, thus providing individualized treatment to these patients. Randomized controlled trials for the different treatment modalities were mainly conducted in Asia and lack further validation in the other parts of the world. Most recent application tools, such as pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy, seem promising and need to pass the ongoing clinical trials.

Development of the PERI-Gastric (PEritoneal Recurrence Index) and PERI-Gram (Peritoneal Recurrence Index NomoGRAM) for predicting the risk of metachronous peritoneal carcinomatosis after gastrectomy with curative intent for gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

A model that quantifies the risk of peritoneal recurrence would be a useful tool for improving decision-making in patients undergoing curative-aim gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC).

METHODS

Five Italian centers participated in this study. Two risk scores were created according to the two most widely used pathologic classifications of GC (the Lauren classification and the presence of signet-ring-cell features). The risk scores (the PERI-Gastric 1 and 2) were based on the results of multivariable logistic regressions and presented as nomograms (the PERI-Gram 1 and 2). Discrimination was assessed with the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating curves. Calibration graphs were constructed by plotting the actual versus the predicted rate of peritoneal recurrence. Internal validation was performed with a bootstrap resampling method (1000 iterations).

RESULTS

The models were developed based on a population of 645 patients (selected from 1580 patients treated from 1998 to 2018). In the PERI-Gastric 1, significant variables were linitis plastica, stump GC, pT3-4, pN2-3 and the Lauren diffuse histotype, while in the PERI-Gastric 2, significant variables were linitis plastica, stump GC, pT3-4, pN2-3 and the presence of signet-ring cells. The AUC was 0,828 (0.778-0.877) for the PERI-Gastric 1 and 0,805 (0.755-0.855) for the PERI-Gastric 2. After bootstrap resampling, the PERI-Gastric 1 had a mean AUC of 0.775 (0.721-0.830) and a 95%CI estimate for the calibration slope of 0.852-1.505 and the PERI-Gastric 2 a mean AUC of 0.749 (0.693-0.805) and a 95%CI estimate for the slope of 0.777-1.351. The models are available at www.perigastric.org .

CONCLUSIONS

We developed the PERI-Gastric and the PERI-Gram as instruments to determine the risk of peritoneal recurrence after curative-aim gastrectomy. These models could direct the administration of prophylactic intraperitoneal treatments.

Current role for cytoreduction and HIPEC for gastric cancer with peritoneal disease

Gastric cancer (GC) is an aggressive malignancy with a high burden of peritoneal disease. Evidence regarding the use of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to improve outcomes has been growing. However, given multiple limitations, there remains a lack of international consensus regarding the optimal treatment paradigm. This review article discusses the burden of peritoneal disease in GC patients and the role of CRS + HIPEC in all treatment intents—curative, prophylactic, and palliative.

The lncRNA SEMA3B-AS1/HMGB1/FBXW7 Axis Mediates the Peritoneal Metastasis of Gastric Cancer by Regulating BGN Protein Ubiquitination

Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is one of the main causes of a poor prognosis in patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC). lncRNAs have been confirmed to play a very crucial role in the occurrence, development, and metastasis of many human cancers, including gastric cancer. However, the mechanism of lncRNA in PM of GC is rarely studied. We explored the mechanism of PM of GC through lncRNA gene sequencing and protein profiling analysis to detect PM-associated lncRNAs and proteins. A quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to identify the mRNA expression of SEMA3B-AS1 and BGN in GC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. The biological function of SEMA3B-AS1 in the PM of GC was identified through gain- and loss-of-function assays. Chromatin isolation by RNA purification (ChIRP), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter, and coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) assays was carried out to demonstrate the potential mechanism between SEMA3B-AS1 and its downstream genes, including HMGB1, FBXW7, and BGN. Finally, the biological function of SEMA3B-AS1 was demonstrated in animal experiments. The mRNA expression level of SEMA3B-AS1 was downregulated in GC and PM tissues compared to normal stomach tissues; however, BGN was highly expressed at the mRNA level. SEMA3B-AS1 was closely related to PM and the overall survival (OS) of GC patients. Functionally, the overexpression of SEMA3B-AS1 was related to GC progression, PM, and prognosis. Mechanistically, SEMA3B-AS1 could combine with HMGB1 to regulate the transcription of FBXW7, thus facilitating the ubiquitination of BGN. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that the SEMA3B-AS1/HMGB1/FBXW7 axis plays an inhibitory role in the PM of GC by regulating BGN protein ubiquitination. It also provides a new biological marker for the diagnosis and treatment of the PM of GC.

Prophylactic hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy may benefit the long-term survival of patients after radical gastric cancer surgery

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been proven to improve the survival rate of gastric cancer and reduce peritoneal recurrence. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of prophylactic HIPEC after radical gastric cancer surgery in this study. Researchers searched for studies published in PubMed, Embase, Web of science, Scopus, Cochrane, Clinical key databases and Microsoft Academic databases to identify studies that examine the impact of prophylactic HIPEC on the survival, recurrence and adverse events of patients undergoing radical gastric cancer surgery. RevMan 5.3 was used to analyze the results and risk of bias. The PROSERO registration number is CRD42021262016. This meta-analysis included 22 studies with a total of 2097 patients, 12 of which are RCTs. The results showed that the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rate was significantly favorable to HIPEC (OR 5.10, 2.07, 1.96 respectively). Compared with the control group, the overall recurrence rate and peritoneal recurrence rate of the HIPEC group were significantly lower (OR 0.41, 0.24 respectively). Significantly favorable to the control group in terms of renal dysfunction and pulmonary dysfunction complications (OR 2.44, 6.03 respectively). Regarding the causes of death due to postoperative recurrence: liver recurrence, lymph node and local recurrence and peritoneal recurrence, the overall effect is not significantly different (OR 0.81, 1.19, 0.37 respectively). 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival follow-up may be incremented by the prophylactic HIPEC, and which reduce the overall recurrence rate and peritoneal recurrence rate. HIPEC may have high-risk of pulmonary dysfunction and renal dysfunction complications. No difference has been found in the deaths due to recurrence after surgery.

Review of Regional Therapies for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases

Simple Summary

Gastric cancer is usually diagnosed at late stages and is associated with poor five-year survival rates. Metastasis to the peritoneal cavity is common and leads to even worse outcomes. Currently, the mainstay of treatment for metastatic gastric cancer is systemic chemotherapy or supportive care. These recommendations remain despite evidence that suggests systemic therapy has poor penetration into the abdominal cavity, limiting efficacy against peritoneal disease. Newer treatments have been developed to address this problem, specifically regional therapies aimed at delivering chemotherapy directly into the peritoneal cavity to eradicate tumor cells. These novel therapies include hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, normothermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, and pressurized intraperitoneal aerosolized chemotherapy. Regional therapies may also be combined with surgery to remove both macroscopic and microscopic disease. Although more clinical trials are needed to evaluate its efficacy, early studies have shown promising outcomes with intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Abstract

Gastric cancer carries a poor prognosis and is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Patients with gastric cancer who develop peritoneal metastases have an even more dismal prognosis, with median survival time measured in months. Since studies have demonstrated that systemic chemotherapy has poor penetration into the peritoneum, multimodal treatment with intraperitoneal chemotherapy has been proposed for the treatment of peritoneal metastases and has become the foundation for newer therapeutic techniques and clinical trials. These include heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) with cytoreductive surgery (CRS), which involves the application of heated chemotherapy into the abdomen with or without tumor debulking surgery; normothermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (NIPEC), in which non-heated chemotherapy can be delivered into the abdomen via a peritoneal port allowing for repeat dosing; and pressurized intraperitoneal aerosolized chemotherapy (PIPAC), a newer technique of pressurized and aerosolized chemotherapy delivered into the abdomen during laparoscopy. Early results with intraperitoneal chemotherapy have shown promise in increasing disease-free and overall survival in select patients. Additionally, there may be a palliative effect of these regional therapies. In this review, we explore and summarize these different intraperitoneal chemotherapy treatment regimens for gastric cancer with peritoneal metastases.

Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in the Management of Gastric Cancer: A Narrative Review

Gastric cancer (GC) patients with peritoneal metastasis tend to achieve poor clinical outcomes. Until recently, the treatment options were limited mainly to either palliative chemotherapy or radiation therapy in exceptional cases. Currently, these patients benefit from multimodal treatment, such as cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Despite good overall results, this treatment modality is still widely debated. The following study is designed to assess the papers about the possible application and utility of HIPEC in GC. A search in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was performed to assess the papers devoted to the role of HIPEC in GC treatment; a literature search was performed until March 21st; and, finally, 50 studies with a total number of 3946 patients were analyzed. According to the most recent data, it seems to be reasonable to limit the duration of HIPEC to the shortest effective time. Moreover, the drugs used in HIPEC need to have equal concentrations and the same solvent. Perioperative chemotherapy needs to be reported in detail and, furthermore, the term “morbidity” should be defined more clearly by the authors.

Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis—Indian Experience

Introduction Peritoneal metastasis secondary to gastric cancer is associated with poor prognosis. Recent studies have shown that cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) may be an efficacious treatment option for an otherwise palliative condition.

Methods A retrospective single institutional study of patents diagnosed with gastric carcinoma and peritoneal metastasis and treated with CRS and HIPEC from February 2015 to December 2019.

Results Sixteen patients with gastric cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis were treated with CRS and HIPEC. Three patients underwent upfront surgery, and five patients underwent interval surgery. The mean peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was 3.5, and adequate complete cytoreduction (CC) score of 0/1 was achieved in all patients. All patients received HIPEC with mitomycin C. Major surgical complications were in 12.5% of patients. Grade I surgical site infection was present in one patient. Three patients had prolonged gastrointestinal (GI) recovery. The 30-day mortality was zero. Median follow-up time was 39 months. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 12 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.86–17.13). The median overall survival (OS) was 17 months (95% CI 6.36–27.64).

Conclusion Multidisciplinary treatment of perioperative chemotherapy with CRS and HIPEC is a promising treatment option, which may prolong survival in selected patients, and large randomized clinical trials are warranted for it to become standard of care.

A Bounding Box-Based Radiomics Model for Detecting Occult Peritoneal Metastasis in Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Multicenter Study

Purpose

To develop a bounding box (BBOX)-based radiomics model for the preoperative diagnosis of occult peritoneal metastasis (OPM) in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients.

Materials and Methods

599 AGC patients from 3 centers were retrospectively enrolled and were divided into training, validation, and testing cohorts. The minimum circumscribed rectangle of the ROIs for the largest tumor area (R_BBOX), the nonoverlapping area between the tumor and R_BBOX (peritumoral area; PERI) and the smallest rectangle that could completely contain the tumor determined by a radiologist (M_BBOX) were used as inputs to extract radiomic features. Multivariate logistic regression was used to construct a radiomics model to estimate the preoperative probability of OPM in AGC patients.

Results

The M_BBOX model was not significantly different from R_BBOX in the validation cohort [AUC: M_BBOX model 0.871 (95% CI, 0.814–0.940) vs. R_BBOX model 0.873 (95% CI, 0.820–0.940); p = 0.937]. M_BBOX was selected as the final radiomics model because of its extremely low annotation cost and superior OPM discrimination performance (sensitivity of 85.7% and specificity of 82.8%) over the clinical model, and this radiomics model showed comparable diagnostic efficacy in the testing cohort.

Conclusions

The BBOX-based radiomics could serve as a simpler reliable and powerful tool for the preoperative diagnosis of OPM in AGC patients. And M_BBOX-based radiomics is simpler and less time consuming.

Oxaliplatin plus S-1 with intraperitoneal paclitaxel for the treatment of Chinese advanced gastric cancer with peritoneal metastases

BACKGROUND

In this study, we tried to access the efficacy and safety of oxaliplatin plus S-1 with intraperitoneal paclitaxel (PTX) for the treatment of Chinese advanced gastric cancer with peritoneal metastases.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty patients diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer underwent laparoscopic exploration and were enrolled when macroscopic disseminated metastases (P1) were confirmed. PTX was diluted in 1 l of normal saline and IP administered through peritoneal port at an initial dose of 40 mg/m² over 1 h on day1,8, respectively. Oxaliplatin was administered intravenously at an initial dose of 100 mg/m² on day1, and S-1 was administered orally at an initial dose of 80 mg/m² for 14 days followed by 7 days rest, repeated by every 3 weeks.

RESULTS

Of all these 30 patients, the median number of cycles was 6 (range 2-16) due to the limitation of hematotoxicity and peripheral neuropathy by oxaliplatin. There were 11 (36.7%) patients received conversion surgery. The median progression free survival (PFS) was 6.6 months (95% CI = 4.7-8.5 months) and the median overall survival (OS) was 15.1 months (95% CI = 12.4-17.8 months). The grade 3-4 hematological toxicities were leucopenia (23.3%), neutropenia (23.3%), anemia (16.7%), and thrombocytopenia (20%), respectively. The grade 3-4 non-hematological toxicities were tolerated, most of which were peripheral sensory neuropathy (40%) due to oxaliplatin, diarrhea (20%), nausea and vomiting (26.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

SOX+ip PTX regimen was effective in advanced gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis. Survival time was significantly prolonged by conversion surgery. Grade 3-4 toxicities were uncommon. Large scale clinical trial is necessary to get more evidence to identify its efficacy.

TRAIL REGISTRATION

ChiCTR, ChiCTR-IIR-16009802 . Registered 9 November 2016.

Looking for a strategy in treating peritoneal gastric cancer carcinomatosis: an Italian multicenter Gastric Cancer Research group's analysis

BACKGROUND

The present study provides a snapshot of Italian patients with peritoneal metastasis from gastric cancer treated by surgery in Italian centers belonging to the Italian Research Group on Gastric Cancer. Prognostic factors affecting survival in such cohort of patients were evaluated with the final aim to identify patients who may benefit from radical intent surgery.

METHODS

It is a multicentric retrospective study based on a prospectively collected database including demographics, clinical, surgical, pathological, and follow-up data of patients with gastric cancer and synchronous macroscopic peritoneal metastases. Patients were surgically treated from January 2005 to January 2017. We focused on patients with macroscopic peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) treated with upfront surgery in order to provide homogeneous evidences.

RESULTS

Our results show that patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis cannot be considered all lost. Strictly selected cases (R0/R1 and P1 patients) could benefit from an aggressive surgical approach performing an extended lymphadenectomy and HIPEC treatment.

CONCLUSION

The main result of the study is that GC patients with limited peritoneal involvement can have a survival benefit from a surgery with "radical oncological intent", that means extended lymphadenectomy and R0 resection. The retrospective nature of this study is an important bias, and for this reason, we have started a prospective multicentric study including Italian stage IV patients that hopefully will give us more answers.

Phase 1 trial of intraperitoneal paclitaxel in combination with intravenous cisplatin and oral capecitabine in patients with advanced gastric cancer and peritoneal metastases (IPGP study)

AIMS

Gastric cancer with peritoneal involvement has a poor prognosis. Intraperitoneal (IP) paclitaxel has shown promising results in these patients. However, this approach has only been studied in the Asian population, and in combination with S-1. We investigated the maximum tolerated dose of IP paclitaxel, with a standard chemotherapy combination, in the Australian population.

METHODS

The study of the population included metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative gastric adenocarcinoma with peritoneal involvement. Treatment included six 21-day cycles of cisplatin (80 mg/m² IV, day 1) plus capecitabine (1000 mg/m² PO BD, days 1-14) plus IP paclitaxel (days 1 and 8). IP paclitaxel doses for cohort 1-3 were 10, 20, and 30 mg/m² , respectively, in a 3 + 3 standard dose-escalation design.

RESULTS

Fifteen patients were enrolled of which 6 were female and the median age was 63. Two patients developed dose-limiting toxicities. No grade 4/5 toxicities were recorded. The maximum tolerated dose was not reached. Therefore, as defined by the study protocol, the recommended phase-2 dose for IP paclitaxel was determined to be 30 mg/m² . The 12-month survival rate was 46.7%, and the median survival was 11.5 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 15.3-6.9).

CONCLUSIONS

IP paclitaxel is safe in combination with cisplatin and capecitabine and the recommended phase-2 dose is 30 mg/m² .

Preventive HIPEC in combination with perioperative FLOT versus FLOT alone for resectable diffuse type gastric and gastroesophageal junction type II/III adenocarcinoma - the phase III "PREVENT"- (FLOT9) trial of the AIO /CAOGI /ACO

BACKGROUND

The main reason for treatment failure after curative surgical resection of gastric cancer is intra-abdominal spread, with 40-50% peritoneal seeding as primary localization of recurrence. Peritoneal relapse is seen in 60-70% of tumors of diffuse type, compared to only 20-30% of intestinal type. Hyperthermic IntraPEritoneal Chemoperfusion (HIPEC) is an increasingly used therapy method for patients with peritoneal metastases. The preventive use of HIPEC could represent an elegant approach for patients (pts) before macroscopic peritoneal seeding, since pts. with operable disease are fit and may have potential risk of microscopic involvement, thus having a theoretical chance of cure with HIPEC even without the need for cytoreduction. No results from a PCRT from the Western hemisphere have yet been published.

METHODS

This is a multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label study including a total of 200 pts. with localized and locally advanced diffuse or mixed type (Laurens's classification) adenocarcinoma of the stomach and Type II/III GEJ. All enrolled pts. will have received 3-6 pre-operative cycles of biweekly FLOT (Docetaxel 50 mg/m2; Oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2; Leucovorin 200 mg/m2; 5-FU 2600 mg/m2, q2wk). Pts will be randomized 1:1 to receive surgery only and postoperative FLOT (control arm) or surgery + intraoperative HIPEC (cisplatin 75 mg/m2 solution administered at a temperature of 42 °C for 90 min) and postoperative FLOT (experimental arm). Surgery is carried out as gastrectomy or transhiatal extended gastrectomy. Primary endpoint is PFS/DFS, major secondary endpoints are OS, rate of pts. with peritoneal relapse at 2 and 3 years, perioperative morbidity/mortality and quality of life. The trial starts with a safety run-in phase. After 20 pts. had curatively intended resection in Arm B, an interim safety analysis is performed. Recruitment has already started and first patient in was on January 18th, 2021.

DISCUSSION

If the PREVENT concept proves to be effective, this could potentially lead to a new standard of therapy. On the contrary, if the outcome is negative, pts. with gastric cancer and no peritoneal involvement will not be treated with HIPEC during surgery.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study is registered on June 25th, 2020 under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04447352 ; EudraCT: 2017-003832-35 .

Prognosis of poorly cohesive gastric cancer after complete cytoreductive surgery with or without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CYTO-CHIP study)

BACKGROUND

The incidence of gastric poorly cohesive carcinoma (PCC) is increasing. The prognosis for patients with peritoneal metastases remains poor and the role of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is controversial. The aim was to clarify the impact of gastric PCC with peritoneal metastases treated by CRS with or without HIPEC.

METHODS

All patients with peritoneal metastases from gastric cancer treated with CRS with or without HIPEC, in 19 French centres, between 1989 and 2014, were identified from institutional databases. Clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes were compared between PCC and non-PCC subtypes, and the possible benefit of HIPEC was assessed.

RESULTS

In total, 277 patients were included (188 PCC, 89 non-PCC). HIPEC was performed in 180 of 277 patients (65 per cent), including 124 of 188 with PCC (66 per cent). Median overall survival (OS) was 14.7 (95 per cent c.i. 12.7 to 17.3) months in the PCC group versus 21.2 (14.7 to 36.4) months in the non-PCC group (P < 0.001). In multivariable analyses, PCC (hazard ratio (HR) 1.51, 95 per cent c.i. 1.01 to 2.25; P = 0.044) was associated with poorer OS, as were pN3, Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI), and resection with a completeness of cytoreduction score of 1, whereas HIPEC was associated with improved OS (HR 0.52; P < 0.001). The benefit of CRS-HIPEC over CRS alone was consistent, irrespective of histology, with a median OS of 16.7 versus 11.3 months (HR 0.60, 0.39 to 0.92; P = 0.018) in the PCC group, and 34.5 versus 14.3 months (HR 0.43, 0.25 to 0.75; P = 0.003) in the non-PCC group. Non-PCC and HIPEC were independently associated with improved recurrence-free survival and fewer peritoneal recurrences. In patients who underwent HIPEC, PCI values of below 7 and less than 13 were predictive of OS in PCC and non-PCC populations respectively.

CONCLUSION

In selected patients, CRS-HIPEC offers acceptable outcomes among those with gastric PCC and long survival for patients without PCC.

Effect of Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy on the Survival Rate of Patients with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis of Gastric Origin

INTRODUCTION

Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a new surgical technique for the treatment of initially unresectable peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). Our objective was to compare the results of PIPAC associated with systemic chemotherapy (PIPAC_CHEM) with those of systemic chemotherapy alone (ONLY_CHEM) in patients with gastric PC without metastasis other than peritoneal, and the WHO performance status < 3.

METHODS

This was a retrospective, single center, comparative non-randomized study. Seventeen PIPAC_CHEM patients were compared to 29 ONLY_CHEM patients. The primary endpoint was overall survival at 6 months from diagnosis of PC.

RESULTS

Ninety-eight patients were screened and 46 were included (PIPAC_CHEM, n = 17; ONLY_CHEM, n = 29). The PIPAC_ CHEM population was significantly younger (median 64 years [56; 68] vs 74 years [61; 79]; p = 0.0054). Median PIPAC session per patient is 2 [1-3]. Six-month survival was significantly higher in the PIPAC_CHEM group than in the ONLY_CHEM group 16/17 (94.1% [65-99.2]) vs 19/29 (65.5% [45.4-79.7]), respectively; p = 0.029. Over the entire follow-up, median survival [95% CI] was 12.8 months [7.2-34.3] with PIPAC vs 9.1 months [5.4-11.5] without, p = 0.056. At 6 months, median length of additional hospitalization was significantly less for PIPAC_CHEM (median 2 days [2-7]) than without PIPAC (median 11 days [3-21]) (p = 0.045).

CONCLUSION

The overall survival at 6 months after the diagnosis of carcinomatosis was significantly better for PIPAC_CHEM patients. This difference appears to continue until at least 18 months. At 6 months, days of additional hospitalization was significantly less in the PIPAC_CHEM group.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT 04,879,953.

Neoadjuvant intraperitoneal chemotherapy for advanced stage gastric cancer (Review)

Gastric cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies especially when diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease; most often patients diagnosed later during the progression of their disease will present a certain degree of peritoneal contamination such as positive peritoneal cytology or peritoneal metastatic nodules. In such cases most often they then progress to peritoneal carcinomatosis and succumb to the disease within one year. In order to increase the lifespan in such cases multiple therapeutic strategies have been proposed such as radical surgery and intraperitoneal heated chemotherapy or direct intraperitoneal chemotherapy followed by radical surgery. To date, the benefits of intraperitoneal heated chemotherapy at the time of resection have been widely investigated; however the method is still associated with increased rates of perioperative complications. Therefore, attention was focused on investigating the benefits of such procedures as neoadjuvant therapies followed by radical surgery. The aim of the present review was to examine the most efficient therapeutic strategies in advanced-stage gastric cancer such as neoadjuvant laparoscopic heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy, perioperative heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy and neoadjuvant systemic and peritoneal chemotherapy.

Can pressurised intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy with oxaliplatin (PIPAC-O+) be added to standard treatment for resectable high-risk gastric cancer patients? A study protocol

Objectives

Gastric cancer remains one of the most fatal cancers, despite an intensive treatment regime of chemotherapy–surgery–chemotherapy. Peritoneal metastatic disease is commonly diagnosed post treatment regime and once established, patients are likely to die in 3–9 months. Systemic chemotherapy does not increase survival for these patients due to the poor vascularisation of this area. We are proposing the addition of pressurised intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) to the treatment regime for curative patients as a preventive measure to reduce the risk of peritoneal metastases occurring.

Methods

This is a prospective, single centre, non-randomised, open-label pilot trial evaluating the addition of PIPAC to the standard multimodal treatment pathway. Patients will undergo standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy with four cycles of fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin and docetaxel (FLOT), then PIPAC, followed by gastrectomy. Four cycles of FLOT will be administered post-surgery. Primary outcome is safety and feasibility, assessed by perioperative morbidity and possible interruptions of the standard multimodal treatment pathway.

Gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology: survival benefit after induction chemotherapy and conversion to negative peritoneal cytology

Background

The optimal treatment in patients with gastric cancer and peritoneal disease remains controversial. Some guidelines indicate palliative treatment only, while others consider surgical treatment in case of positive lavage cytology (CY+) or limited peritoneal disease. Here, we analyzed the role of peritoneal disease in patients with gastric cancer, and the prognostic relevance of response to neoadjuvant therapy.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort analysis, we analyzed patients with adenocarcinoma of the stomach or esophago-gastric junction from a single center operated between 2011 and 2019. According to histology and lavage cytology, patients were classified into four risk groups: (A) no peritoneal disease, (B) CY+ who converted to negative lavage cytology (CY−) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, (C) CY+ without conversion after chemotherapy, and (D) patients with visible peritoneal metastasis.

Results

Overall, n = 172 patients were included. At initial presentation, n = 125 (73%) had no peritoneal disease, and about a third of patients (n = 47, 27%) had microscopic or macroscopic peritoneal disease. Among them, n = 14 (8%) were CY+ without visible peritoneal metastasis, n = 9 converted to CY− after chemotherapy, and in n = 5 no conversion was observed. Median overall survival was not reached in patients who had initially no peritoneal disease and in patients who converted after chemotherapy, resulting in 3-year survival rates of 65% and 53%. In contrast, median overall survival was reduced to 13 months (95% CI 8.7–16.7) in patients without conversion and was 16 months (95% CI 12–20.5) in patients with peritoneal metastasis without difference between the two groups (p = .364). The conversion rate from CY+ to CY− was significantly higher after neoadjuvant treatment with FLOT (5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel) compared to ECF (epirubicin, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil) (p = 0.027).

Conclusion

Conversion of CY+ to CY− after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with FLOT is a significant prognostic factor for a better overall survival. Surgical treatment in well-selected patients should therefore be considered. However, peritoneal recurrence remains frequent despite conversion, urging for a better local control.

The Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO): Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer, 2021

There exist differences in the epidemiological characteristics, clinicopathological features, tumor biological characteristics, treatment patterns, and drug selections between gastric cancer patients from the Eastern and Western countries. The Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) has organized a panel of senior experts specializing in all sub-specialties of gastric cancer to compile a clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer since 2016 and renews it annually. Taking into account regional differences, giving full consideration to the accessibility of diagnosis and treatment resources, these experts have conducted expert consensus judgment on relevant evidence and made various grades of recommendations for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer to reflect the value of cancer treatment and meeting health economic indexes in China. The 2021 CSCO Clinical Practice Guidelines for Gastric Cancer covers the diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and screening of gastric cancer. Based on the 2020 version of the CSCO Chinese Gastric Cancer guidelines, this updated guideline integrates the results of major clinical studies from China and overseas for the past year, focused on the inclusion of research data from the Chinese population for more personalized and clinically relevant recommendations. For the comprehensive treatment of non-metastatic gastric cancer, attentions were paid to neoadjuvant treatment. The value of perioperative chemotherapy is gradually becoming clearer and its recommendation level has been updated. For the comprehensive treatment of metastatic gastric cancer, recommendations for immunotherapy were included, and immune checkpoint inhibitors from third-line to the first-line of treatment for different patient groups with detailed notes are provided.

Largely varying patterns and trends of primary cancer-directed resection for gastric carcinoma with synchronous distant metastasis in Europe and the US: a population-based study calling for further standardization of care

Aims:

The role of resection remains debated in cases of metastatic gastric carcinoma (mGC). Some mGCs are technically resectable. At the population level, the real-world application of resection for mGC remains largely unclear in most Western countries. This large, population-based international investigation aimed to reveal the resection patterns and trends for mGC and the treatment-associated factors in Europe and the US.

Methods:

Data on cases with microscopically-confirmed primary invasive stomach carcinoma with distant metastasis were obtained from the nationwide cancer registries of the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, and Slovenia and the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-18 database. We calculated age-standardized rates of primary cancer-directed resection and assessed resection trends using linear regression. We investigated associations of treatment with patient and cancer factors using multivariable-adjusted log-binomial regression.

Results:

Among 133,321 patients with gastric cancer, overall, 40,215 cases with mGC diagnosed between 2003–2017 were investigated. Age-standardized resection rates significantly declined over time in the US, Belgium, Sweden, and Norway (by 5–14%). Resection rates greatly differed from 5% to 16% in 2013–2014. Cases with older ages, cardia tumors, or tumors involving adjacent structures were significantly less often operated across most countries. Sex was not significantly associated with resection. Across countries the association patterns and strengths differed largely. With multivariable adjustment, resection rates decreased significantly in all countries except Slovenia and Estonia (prevalence ratio per year = 0.90–0.98), and the decreasing trends were consistently observed in various stratifications by age and location.

Conclusion:

In Europe and the US, resection patterns and trends largely varied across countries for mGCs, which were mostly less often resected in the early 21st century. Various resection-associated factors were shown, with greatly varying association patterns and strengths. Our report could aid to identify discrepancies in clinical practice and highlight the great need for further clarifying the role of resection in mGCs to enhance standardization of care.

The benefits of surgery plus extensive intraoperative peritoneal lavage (EIPL) for patients with gastric cancer compared with surgery alone: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This study aims to synthesize the benefits of surgery plus extensive intraoperative peritoneal lavage (EIPL) for patients with gastric cancer compared with surgery alone. We searched Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library, ClinicalTrials.gov and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) for randomized controlled trials from 2000 to 2021 according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The reference lists of studies meeting the criteria were also screened for additional studies. The quality of these studies was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool. An inverse-variance random-effects model of DerSimonian and Laird was used to synthesize the HRs and corresponding 95% CIs of short-term outcomes: hospital mortality and postoperative complications. For long-term outcomes (peritoneal recurrence and 3-year or 5-year overall survival rate), narrative synthesis was used. 4 of 43 studies were included for quantitative analysis. For short-term outcomes, the pooled HRs of hospital mortality and postoperative complications are 0.422 (95%CI: 0.037, 4.790) and 0.774 (95%CI: 0.376, 1.592). For long-term outcomes, despite the inconsistent results, patients receiving EPIL did not have reduced peritoneal recurrence and 3-year or 5-year overall survival rate. Compared with surgery alone, surgery plus EIPL does not have more benefits for patients with gastric cancer.