Treatment-related leukopenia in anal cancer patients associated with worse outcome: results of a retrospective cohort study

Impact of preoperative white blood cell count on outcomes in different stage colorectal cancer patients undergoing surgical resection: a single-institution retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE

To explore the association between preoperative WBC count and the long-term survival outcomes and clinical outcomes in different stage patients who underwent surgical resection for colorectal cancer (CRC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A cohort of 8121 Chinese patients who underwent surgical resection for CRC from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2014 were enrolled as part of the retrospective cohort were retrospectively analyzed. Based on that the preoperative WBC optimal cut-off value was 7*109/L (7,000/µL), the high preoperative WBC group and the low preoperative WBC group was defined. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) using the propensity score was used to reduce confounding. The impact of preoperative WBC count on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was investigated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Univariate Cox proportional hazards models in different stage subgroup respectively.

RESULTS

After IPTW, the clinical characters in the high preoperative WBC count group and the low preoperative WBC count group were balanced. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the 5-year OS rate were significantly lower in the high preoperative WBC count group overall, in stage II and IV. The 5-year DFS rate was significantly lower overall, in stage II and III in the high preoperative WBC count group. High preoperative WBC count was associated with poorer OS overall in stage II and stage IV.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that preoperative WBC count is an independent risk factor for survival in patients undergoing colorectal surgery and may need to consider the stage of cancer when applied to predict long-term adverse outcome prognosis.

Dosimetric and Clinical Predictors for Acute and Late Gastrointestinal Toxicity Following Chemoradiotherapy of Locally Advanced Anal Cancer

AIMS

To analyse dosimetric and clinical predictors for acute and late gastrointestinal toxicity following chemoradiotherapy of anal cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Consecutive patients with locally advanced (T2 ≥4 cm - T4 or N+) anal cancer were selected from an institutional database (n = 114). All received intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concomitant 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C. Gastrointestinal toxicity was retrospectively graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0 and bowel cavity, small bowel and large bowel were contoured. Dosimetric and clinical variables were tested for associations with acute grade ≥3 gastrointestinal toxicity and late grade ≥2 gastrointestinal toxicity using the Mann-Whitney test, area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and logistic regression.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 40 months. Acute grade ≥3 gastrointestinal toxicity was seen in 51 (44.7%) of the patients; late grade ≥2 gastrointestinal toxicity was seen in 36 of the patients (39.6% of 91 patients with >1 year recurrence-free follow-up). Bowel cavity V30Gy was the best dosimetric predictor for acute gastrointestinal toxicity (AUC 0.633; P = 0.02). Large bowel V20Gy was the best dosimetric predictor for late gastrointestinal toxicity (AUC 0.698; P = 0.001) but showed no association with acute gastrointestinal toxicity. In multivariate logistic regression, increasing age was significantly associated with acute gastrointestinal toxicity; smoking and large bowel V20Gy were significantly associated with late gastrointestinal toxicity. Patients who experienced acute grade ≥3 gastrointestinal toxicity were not at an increased risk of late grade ≥2 gastrointestinal toxicity (odds ratio 1.3; P = 0.55).

CONCLUSIONS

Factors of importance for acute and late gastrointestinal toxicity were not the same. Bowel cavity V30Gy is a good metric to use for the prediction of acute gastrointestinal toxicity, but the results of our study indicate that individual large and small bowel loops need to be contoured for better prediction of late gastrointestinal toxicity. The role of the large bowel as an important organ at risk for late gastrointestinal toxicity merits further research.

Sarcopenia and dosimetric parameters in relation to treatment-related leukopenia and survival in anal cancer

Background

Treatment-related white blood cell (WBC) toxicity has been associated with an inferior prognosis in different malignancies, including anal cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate predictors of WBC grade ≥ 3 (G3+) toxicity during chemoradiotherapy (CRT) of anal cancer.

Methods

Consecutive patients with locally advanced (T2 ≥ 4 cm—T4 or N+) anal cancer scheduled for two cycles of concomitant 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C chemotherapy were selected from an institutional database (n = 106). All received intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT; mean dose primary tumor 59.5 Gy; mean dose elective lymph nodes 45.1 Gy). Clinical data were extracted from medical records. The highest-grade WBC toxicity was recorded according to CTCAE version 5.0. Pelvic bone marrow (PBM) was retrospectively contoured and dose-volume histograms were generated. The planning CT was used to measure sarcopenia. Dosimetric, anthropometric, and clinical variables were tested for associations with WBC G3+ toxicity using the Mann–Whitney test and logistic regression. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to assess predictors for overall survival (OS) and anal cancer specific survival (ACSS).

Results

WBC G3+ was seen in 50.9% of the patients, and 38.7% were sarcopenic. None of the dosimetric parameters showed an association with WBC G3+ toxicity. The most significant predictor of WBC G3+ toxicity was sarcopenia (adjusted OR 4.0; P = 0.002). Sarcopenia was also associated with an inferior OS (adjusted HR 3.9; P = 0.01), but not ACSS (P = 0.07). Sensitivity analysis did not suggest that the inferior prognosis for sarcopenic patients was a consequence of reduced doses of chemotherapy or a prolonged radiation treatment time. Patients who experienced WBC G3+ toxicity had an inferior OS and ACSS, even after adjustment for sarcopenia.

Conclusions

Sarcopenia was associated with increased risks of both WBC G3+ toxicity and death following CRT for locally advanced anal cancer. In this study, radiation dose to PBM was not associated with WBC G3+ toxicity. However, PBM was not used as an organ at risk for radiotherapy planning purposes and doses to PBM were high, which may have obscured any dose–response relationships.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13014-021-01876-5.