Does delayed initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy following the curative resection affect the survival outcome of gastric cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy for nonmetastatic T4a gastric cancer: a meta-analysis of reconstructed individual participant data from propensity score-matched studies

BACKGROUND

​The applicability of laparoscopy to nonmetastatic T4a patients with gastric cancer remains unclear due to the lack of high-quality evidence. The purpose of this study was to compare the survival rates of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) versus open gastrectomy (OG) for these patients through a meta-analysis of reconstructed individual participant data from propensity score-matched studies.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library and CNKI were examined for relevant studies without language restrictions through July 25, 2023. Individual participant data on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were extracted from the published Kaplan-Meier survival curves. One-stage and two-stage meta-analyses were performed. In addition, data regarding surgical outcomes and recurrence patterns were also collected, which were meta-analyzed using traditional aggregated data.

RESULTS

Six studies comprising 1860 patients were included for analysis. In the one-stage meta-analyses, the results demonstrated that LG was associated with a significantly better DFS (Random-effects model: P = 0.027; Restricted mean survival time [RMST] up to 5 years: P = 0.033) and a comparable OS (Random-effects model: P = 0.135; RMST up to 5 years: P = 0.053) than OG for T4a gastric cancer patients. Two-stage meta-analyses resulted in similar results, with a 13% reduced hazard of cancer-related death (P = 0.04) and 10% reduced hazard of overall mortality (P = 0.11) in the LG group. For secondary outcomes, the pooled results showed an association of LG with less estimated blood loss, faster postoperative recovery and more retrieved lymph nodes.

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopic surgery for patients with nonmetastatic T4a disease is associated with a potential survival benefit and improved surgical outcomes.

Clinical Impact of Polyglycolic Acid Mesh to Reduce Pancreas-Related Complications After Minimally Invasive Surgery for Gastric Cancer: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

PURPOSE

Prevention of pancreas-related complications after gastric cancer surgery is critical. Polyglycolic acid (PGA) mesh reduces postoperative pancreatic fistula formation following pancreatic resection. However, the clinical efficacy of PGA mesh in gastric cancer surgery has not been adequately investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study compared the short-term outcomes between two groups: patients who underwent minimally invasive R0 gastrectomy for gastric cancer with the use of a PGA mesh (PGA group) and those without the use of a PGA mesh (non-PGA group) at the Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo, between January 2019 and May 2023. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to adjust for the possible confounding factors.

RESULTS

A total of 834 patients were initially included, of whom 614 (307 in each group) remained after PSM. The amylase levels in the drained abdominal fluid on postoperative days 1 and 3 were similar between the PGA and non-PGA groups. The PGA group had a significantly lower incidence of pancreas-related complications of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥2 than that in the non-PGA group (6.8% vs. 2.9%, P=0.025). In subgroup analyses, the odds ratio for pancreas-related complications appeared to be better in the PGA group than in the non-PGA group in patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification score of 2 or 3, those operated via a laparoscopic approach, and those undergoing procedures other than proximal gastrectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of PGA mesh significantly reduced pancreas-related complications after minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer and might thus benefit patients at risk of such complications.

Indications for Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage II Gastric Cancer After D2 Gastrectomy-A Chinese Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND

The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) for patients with stage II gastric cancer remains controversial. This study aimed to explore the indications for adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II gastric cancer by constructing an individual prediction model.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this Chinese multicenter study, a total of 1012 patients with stage II gastric cancer after D2 radical gastrectomy were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were randomly assigned to a training cohort (n = 674) or a validation cohort (n = 338). A nomogram was constructed according to the training cohort. Concordance index (C-index), the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were applied to evaluate the performance of the nomogram. ROC curves and stratified survival were used to determine the patients' cutoff score for a benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. An additional 338 patients were used as a validation cohort to validate the feasibility of using this nomogram to guide individualized therapy for patients with stage II gastric cancer.

RESULTS

Univariate and multivariate analyses illustrated that age, sex, tumor location, size, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), hemoglobin (HB), and T stage were independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS), and they were used to establish a nomogram. The cutoff value was determined by ROC curve analysis, and patients were divided into a high-risk group (< 239 points) and a low-risk group (≥ 239 points). There was no significant difference in the OS of low-risk patients in either the training cohort or the validation cohort. However, the OS of high-risk patients in the AC group was better than that of patients in the surgery-only group.

CONCLUSIONS

This prediction model can be applied to guide treatment of patients with stage II gastric cancer. High-risk patients (< 239 points) are likely to benefit from AC after D2 radical gastrectomy.

Irregular delay of adjuvant chemotherapy correlated with poor outcome in stage II-III colorectal cancer

AIMS

Adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) plays an important role in improving the survival of stage II-III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients after curative surgery. However, the prognostic role of irregular delay of ACT (IDacT) for these patients has been less studied.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 117 stage II-III CRC patients who underwent radical resection and received at least 3 months ACT were enrolled retrospectively. The significance of IDacT, including total delay (TD) and delay per cycle (DpC), in predicting disease-free survival (DFS) was determined using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. The survival differences between the TD, DpC-short and DpC-long subgroups were tested using Kaplan-Meier analysis, and risk factors for prognosis were determined using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

Using 35.50 and 3.27 days as the optimal cut-off points for TD and DpC, respectively, ROC analysis revealed that TD and DpC had sensitivities of 43.60% and 59.00% and specificities of 83.30% and 62.80%, respectively, in predicting DFS (both P < 0.05). No differences in the clinicopathological parameters were found between the TD, DpC-short or -long subgroups except histological differentiation in different TD subgroups and combined T stages in different DpC subgroups (both P = 0.04). Patients in the TD or DpC-long group exhibited significantly worse survival than in the -short group (TD: Log rank = 9.11, P < 0.01; DpC: Log rank = 6.09, P = 0.01). DpC was an independent risk factor for prognosis (HR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.32-4.88, P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

IDacT had a profound effect on the outcome for stage II-III CRC. Although TD and DpC were significant for the prognosis, DpC was more robust, and patients who presented DpC for a long time had a significantly worse DFS.

The Effect of Delayed Oncology Surgery on Survival Outcomes for Patients With Gastric Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence-Based Strategies

Objective

To evaluate the impact of delay in gastrectomy on gastric cancer patients’ survival outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Databases including PubMed, MEDLINE (using the Ovid platform), Embase, the Cochrane Library, COVID-19 Open Research Dataset Challenge, COVID-19 Research Database (WHO), ClinicalTrials.gov, and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were searched for studies of any design and in any setting that included patients with gastric cancer from their inception to July 31, 2021. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of research endpoints in each study were calculated. Statistical analyses were performed with Stata 12.0.

Results

A total of 8 studies involving 4,052 gastric cancer patients were eligible and included in the present meta-analysis. The result of the meta-analysis was shown that delaying surgery for less than 8 weeks may not decrease OS (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.80~1.04, p = 0.167) and DFS (HR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.62~1.50, p = 0.872) in gastric cancer. Our meta-analysis also illustrated that delay in surgery for more than 4 weeks (HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.56~1.27, p = 0.421), 6 weeks (HR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.61~1.27, p = 0.490), and 8 weeks (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.80~1.07, p = 0.314) was also not associated with a decreased OS.

Conclusion

A delay in surgery of less than 8 weeks is not associated with worse overall survival for patients with gastric cancer.

Adverse impact of postoperative intra-abdominal infectious complications on cancer recurrence-related survival after curative gastric cancer surgery

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of postoperative intra-abdominal infectious complications (PICs) on survival after surgery for gastric cancer.

METHODS

A total of 152 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer were included. The effect of clinicopathological features and PICs on recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were investigated.

RESULTS

The median age was 67 years. The pathological stage was stage I (61), II (40), and III (51). Thirty-two patients (21.1%) had PICs: 9, pancreatic fistula; 14, anastomotic leakage; and 17, intra-abdominal abscess. The five-year RFS and OS rates were significantly lower in patients with PICs than in those without PICs (63.4 vs. 85.6%; p < 0.01 and 56.4 vs. 80.3%; p < 0.01, respectively). In multivariate analysis, intraoperative blood loss was an independent prognostic factor for PICs.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with PICs had worse clinical outcomes. Reducing intraoperative bleeding may improve the prognosis of gastric cancer.

Early Return to Intended Oncologic Therapy after implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathway for gastric cancer surgery

PURPOSE

Time to initiation and completion of adjuvant therapy are critical to improve postoperative oncologic outcomes. This study aims to determine whether an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathway for gastric cancer surgery promotes early Return to Intended Oncologic Therapy (RIOT).

METHODS

This is a before-after intervention study including patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent surgery from January 2016 to January 2021. Two periods were denoted based upon the implementation date of our institutional ERAS pathway (June 2018). Our primary outcome was time to RIOT after surgery. Hodges-Lehmann analysis was used to estimate median differences of non-parametric outcomes.

RESULTS

Seventy patients with gastric adenocarcinoma were included (35 in pre-ERAS period and 35 in post-ERAS period). Fourteen of the pre-ERAS and twenty-two patients of the post-ERAS period received adjuvant therapy. Time to RIOT was reduced in the post-ERAS period (median 39 days, IQR 31-49) by 12 days (95% CI 3-14 days, p = 0.01) compared to the pre-ERAS period (median 51 days, IQR 42-62). Length of hospital stay (LOS) was lower in the ERAS group (6 days, IQR 5-11 vs 10 days, IQR 8-13, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Our institutional ERAS pathway for gastric cancer surgery was associated with earlier RIOT and shorter LOS.

The Value of Gastric Cancer Staging by Endoscopic Ultrasonography Features in the Diagnosis of Gastroenterology

This research was aimed at exploring the application value of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in the diagnosis of gastric cancer staging and the correlation between staging and clinical features of gastric cancer. A total of 72 patients with gastric cancer were selected and randomly divided into two groups. The patients in the pathological group underwent postoperative pathological examination, while those in the EUS group received preoperative EUS examination. The results showed that the staging accuracy of EUS was 73.33% for T1, 78.57% for T2, 27% for T3, and 100% for T4, compared with the pathological staging. The accuracy of N- and N+ was 42.5% and 82.3% in EUS, respectively, and the total accuracy was 55.7%. There was no considerable difference in the accuracy of T staging between early gastric cancer and advanced gastric cancer (P > 0.05), but there was a considerable difference in N staging (P < 0.05). Lymph node metastasis affected the accuracy of N staging (P < 0.05). The number and location of metastatic lymph nodes did not affect the judgment of metastatic lymph nodes (P > 0.05). In addition, the proportion of understaging and overstaging was greatly different among different lesion sizes and histological types of gastric cancer (P < 0.05). To sum up, the accuracy of EUS for T and N staging of gastric cancer needed to be improved. The location of gastric cancer lesions affected the accuracy of T staging, while the depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis affected the accuracy of N staging.

The impact of hiatal hernia on survival outcomes in patients with gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma

Aim

A hiatal hernia (HH) complicates the diagnosis and surgical treatment of gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer. This study aimed to investigate the effect of HH on the survival outcomes of GEJ cancer patients.

Methods

This single‐center study reviewed clinical data of 78 patients with GEJ adenocarcinoma who underwent R0 resection from 2008 to 2017. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether they presented with or without HH: the HH (+) group (n = 46) and the HH (−) group (n = 32).

Results

Patients in the HH (+) group were older than those in the HH (−) group (69.0 vs 67.5 years, P = .018). Regarding surgical outcomes, intra‐abdominal infectious complications was more common in the HH (+) group than in the HH (−) group (23.9% vs 9.4%, respectively; P = .089), particularly abscess formation (17.4% vs 3.1%, respectively; P = .036). Neither overall survival (OS) nor relapse‐free survival (RFS) differed between the two groups. However, survival rates were significantly worse in a subset of patients with T3‐4 disease (OS: log‐rank, P = .036) (RFS: log‐rank, P = .040) in the HH (+) group. In a multivariate analysis for OS in this cohort, HH was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 3.60; 95% confidence interval 1.06‐11.9, P = .032).

Conclusion

Hiatal hernia may adversely affect surgical and survival outcomes in patients with GEJ cancer. Thus, surgical strategy must be carefully considered in these patients.

Could diagnostic and therapeutic delay affect the prognosis of gastrointestinal primary malignancies in the COVID-19 pandemic era? A literature review

BACKGROUND

Emergency situations, as the Covid-19 pandemic that is striking the world nowadays, stress the national health systems which are forced to rapidly reorganizing their sources. Therefore, many elective diagnostic and surgical procedures are being suspended or significantly delayed. Moreover, patients might find it difficult to refer to physicians and delay the diagnostic and even the therapeutic procedures because of emotional or logistic problems. The effect of diagnostic and therapeutic delay on survival in patients affected by gastrointestinal malignancies is still unclear.

METHODS

We carried out a review of the available literature, in order to determine whether the delay in performing diagnosis and curative-intent surgical procedures affects the oncological outcomes in patients with oesophageal, gastric, colorectal cancers, and colorectal liver metastasis.

RESULTS

The findings indicate that for oesophageal, gastric and colon cancers delaying surgery up to 2 months after the end of the staging process does not worsen the oncological outcomes. Oesophageal cancer should undergo surgery within 7-8 weeks after the end of neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Rectal cancers should undergo surgery within 31 days after the diagnostic process and within 12 weeks after neoadjuvant therapy. Adjuvant therapy should start within 4 weeks after surgery, especially in gastric cancer; a delay up to 42 days may be allowed for oesophageal cancer undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Gastrointestinal malignancies can be safely managed taking into account that reasonable delays of planned treatments appear a generally safe approach, not having a significant impact on long-term oncological outcome.

5-Fu-Based Doublet Regimen in Patients Receiving Perioperative or Postoperative Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer: When to Start and How Long Should the Regimen Last?

Background

The duration and the optimal time to adjuvant chemotherapy (TAC) in locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) have net not been sufficiently demonstrated. Sequential adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus gastrectomy is increasingly utilized, making the question more complicated.

Patients and Methods

Data were collected from patients with LAGC who underwent 5-Fu-based doublet regimens as adjuvant treatment after gastrectomy in a single-center database. TAC and duration (cycles) were used to evaluate survival outcomes.

Results

A total of 816 patients were included. Patients received over six cycles and TAC less than 42 days significantly correlated with better survival (log-rank P_trend<0.001). The analysis of TAC and number cycles were separately applied in perioperative chemotherapy (PEC) and postoperative chemotherapy (POC) group using Cox regression. The number of cycles revealed a statistical significance improving OS rate both in POC (HR=0.904, 95% CI=0.836–0.977, P=0.011) and PEC (HR=0.887, 95% CI=0.798–0.986, P=0.026), while only in POC did the TAC show an increasing trend of risk with borderline significance (OS: HR=1.008, 95% CI=0.999–1.018, P=0.094; PFS: HR=1.009, 95% CI=1.000–1.018, P=0.055). A spline model demonstrates the less improvement in survival after cycles of chemotherapy reaching six.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that TAC is more likely to downregulate the survival benefit in POC rather than PEC, while overall survival is susceptible to cumulative cycles of chemotherapy in both groups. Furthermore, six cycles of chemotherapy tended to reach the maximum survival benefits. Prospective confirmation is required.

Appropriate Number of Adjuvant Chemotherapy Cycles for Patients with Stage 2 or 3 Gastric Cancer After Curative Gastrectomy: A Multicenter Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Few studies have presented evidence pertaining to the adequate minimum number of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) cycles required to achieve an oncologic benefit for gastric cancer.

METHODS

From January 2012 to December 2013, data from patients who underwent curative radical gastrectomy and consequently received AC for pathologic stage 2 or 3 gastric cancer at 27 institutions in South Korea were analyzed.

RESULTS

The study enrolled 925 patients, 661 patients (71.5%) who completed 8 cycles of AC and 264 patients (28.5%) who did not. Compared with the mean disease-free survival (DFS) of the patients who completed 8 AC cycles (69.3 months), the mean DFS of patients who completed 6 AC cycles (72.4 months; p = 0.531) and those who completed 7 AC cycles (63.7 months; p = 0.184) did not differ significantly. However, the mean DFS of the patients who completed 5 AC cycles (48.2 months; p = 0.016) and those who completed 1-4 AC cycles (62.9 months; p = 0.036) was significantly lower than the DFS of those who completed 8 AC cycles. In the multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, the mean DFS was significantly affected by advanced stage, large tumor size, positive vascular invasion, and number of completed AC cycles (1-5 cycles: hazard ratio 1.45; 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.08; p = 0.041).

CONCLUSION

The current multicenter observational cohort study showed that the mean DFS for 6 or 7 AC cycles was similar to that for 8 AC cycles as an adjuvant treatment for gastric cancer.