Extracapsular lymph node spread as a negative prognostic factor of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and cancer of the papilla of vater

Extranodal extension influences prognosis in pancreatic body/tail cancer: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Extranodal extension (ENE) is an established prognostic factor in various malignancies, affecting survival in pancreatic head cancer (PHC). However, its significance in pancreatic body/tail cancer (PBTC) remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the impact of ENE on PTBC prognosis.

METHODS

We analyzed data collected from electronic medical records of patients with PBTC who underwent distal pancreatectomy at a single center between January 2011 and December 2015. The patients were categorized based on ENE presence and prognostic implications were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

PBTC cases involving lymph node (LN) metastasis and ENE exhibited significantly lower disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates compared to cases without LN metastasis or ENE (median DFS; N0, 23 months; LN+/ENE-, 10 months; LN+/ENE+, 5 months; p < .001). No statistically significant difference was observed in DFS and OS rates between patients with N1/N2 in the group without ENE and those with ENE+. Multivariate analysis confirmed ENE as a significant adverse prognostic factor.

CONCLUSIONS

ENE significantly predicts poor prognosis in PBTC, particularly in cases with nodal metastasis. The current cancer staging system for PBTC should incorporate ENE status. Moreover, different staging systems should be considered for PHC and PBTC.

Prognostic Significance of Extranodal Extension of Nodal Metastasis in Adenocarcinoma of the Ampulla of Vater

Although nodal metastasis (NM) is an important prognostic factor of ampullary adenocarcinoma, the prognostic implication of extranodal extension (ENE) is not well characterized. NM with ENE status was investigated in 279 surgically resected ampullary adenocarcinoma patients and compared with other clinicopathologic factors, including overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, including E-cadherin, Twist, and Snail, was assessed in a subset of the cohort. NM was observed in 94 cases (33.7%), of which ENE was observed in 32 cases (34%). NM with ENE was more frequently associated with tumors with poor differentiation than NM without ENE (P=0.017). The 5-year OS and RFS rates of patients with NM and ENE was significantly worse (13.0% and 6.3%) than those with NM without ENE (37.7% and 21.4%) and those without NM (57.6% and 50.2%, respectively; P<0.001). When pN category was matched, the OS and RFS was worse in patients with ENE than in those without ENE (P<0.05). Moreover, the expression of E-cadherin and Twist was significantly different between NM areas with and without ENE (all, P<0.001). Since ENE was associated with poorly differentiated ampullary adenocarcinomas and showed different expression of EMT markers, EMT could be a possible mechanism of ENE. Ampullary adenocarcinoma patients with ENE had worse OS and RFS than those without ENE. Therefore, evaluation of ENE can provide additional survival information for patients with surgically resected ampullary carcinoma.

Extranodal extension influences prognosis in pancreatic head cancer: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Extranodal extension (ENE) is an established prognostic factor in several gastrointestinal cancers. However, the prognostic impact remains unclear. Here, we investigated the prognostic implications of ENE in patients with surgically resected pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 476 surgically resected pancreatic head cancer patients who consecutively underwent upfront pancreaticoduodenectomy for pathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma between January 2009 and December 2013. We compared the disease-free survival (DFS) rates of the patients according to ENE status.

RESULTS

Among the 476 patients, patients with ENE had lower DFS rates than those without ENE (N0, 13 months; LN+/ENE-, 7 months; LN+/ENE+, 6 months; P < .001). In addition, even in the same N stage, patients with ENE had lower DFS rates than those without ENE (N0, 13 months; N1/ENE- 8 months; N1/ENE+, 7 months; N2/ENE-, 7 months; N2/ENE+, 4 months, P < .001). However, there was no significant difference in survival rates between patients in the N1/ENE+ group and those in the N2/ENE- group. Additionally, ENE was an independent prognostic factor for pancreatic cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Extranodal extension significantly predicted a poor prognosis among patients with pancreatic head cancer, especially those with nodal metastasis. Therefore, ENE should be considered a prognostic factor in future editions of the staging system.

Reappraisal of Tumor Deposit as a Prognostic Factor in Pancreatic Cancer

PURPOSE

Tumor deposits (TDs) are discrete tumor nodules within the lymphatic drainage area of the primary tumor without histological evidence of lymph node tissue or identifiable vascular or neural structure. This study aims to analyze the prognostic impact of TDs in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and explore their potential role in staging system.

METHODS

The prospectively maintained database from the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center was queried for patients undergoing resection for PDAC. Patients with TDs were matched by propensity score with those without TDs. The cumulative prevalence of recurrence was estimated using the cumulative incidence function. Overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves.

RESULTS

A total of 123 patients (9.7%) had TDs, of whom 108 were matched at a 1:3 ratio with 324 patients without TDs. The cumulative incidence of recurrence was significantly higher for TD-positive patients than TD-negative patients (P = 0.04). The median overall survival was significantly shorter for patients with TDs than for those without TDs (15.9 versus 21.8 months, P < 0.001). The presence of TDs attenuated the effect of lymph node metastasis on survival, with no significance between node-negative and node-positive subpopulations (P = 0.165). Patients with TDs had comparable survival to N2 patients without TDs (15.9 versus 17.1 months, P = 0.383).

CONCLUSIONS

TD is an important prognostic factor for recurrence and survival in patients undergoing resection for PDAC. We suggest that patients presenting TDs be classified into the stage III category in the next edition of the staging system.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram for the Prediction of Inguinal Lymph Node Metastasis Extranodal Extension in Penile Cancer

Purpose

To determine whether a clinicopathologic and laboratory-based nomogram is capable of predicting the risk of lymph node extranodal extension (ENE) in patients with penile cancer.

Materials and Methods

From June 2006 to January 2021, 234 patients who underwent bilateral inguinal lymph node dissection (ILND) surgery were included in the analysis. A Lasso regression model was utilized to select the most useful predictive features from among 46 laboratory variables. Then, a logistic regression analysis was used to develop the prediction model. Calibration curves, concordance index (C-index) and Areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were performed to evaluate the performance of the nomogram. We also investigated model fit using changes in Akaike Information Criteria (AICs). Decision curve analyses (DCAs) were applied to assess the clinical usefulness of this nomograms. Its internal validation was confirmed.

Results

Among the 234 patients, 53 were confirmed to have ENE. The platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) were significantly associated with ENE (P<0.05). The individualized prediction nomogram, including the PLR, SCC-Ag, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and pathologic tumor stage(pT-stage), showed good discrimination, with a C-index of 0.817 (95% CI, 0.745 to 0.890) and good calibration. Clinical-laboratory nomogram (AIC, 180.034) become the best-fitting model. DCA findings revealed that the clinical-laboratory nomogram was more clinically useful than the pT-stage or tumor grade.

Conclusions

This study presents a clinicopathologic and laboratory-based nomogram that incorporates PLR, SCC-Ag, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and pT-stage, which can be conveniently utilized to facilitate the individualized prediction of lymph node metastasis ENE in patients with penile cancer.

Ampullary Adenocarcinoma with Incidental Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor: Report of an Extremely Rare Case and Review of Literature

Periampullary neoplasms are a heterogeneous group of tumors arising within 2 cm of the ampulla of Vater. Neuroendocrine tumors can originate throughout the entire body, from neuroendocrine cells. These neoplasms exhibit deep differences, according to their origin and biological behavior.

We describe a case of a 79-year-old man who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater after proper staging. At gross histology, an incidental pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor was also documented. Despite two synchronous neoplasms, the patient survived 34 months with no evidence of recurrence at follow-up.

The synchronous presence of a second primitive tumor in patients affected by a neuroendocrine tumor is reported in the literature; incidence is variable and the most common site is the gastrointestinal tract. Diagnostic workup for ampullary neoplasms includes abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). These investigations infrequently may detect subcentimetric lesions.

We believe this case is currently extremely rare. Preoperative diagnosis of synchronous PanNET would not have changed our approach since surgical therapy represents the gold standard in resectable ampullary neoplasms, and it has a primary role in the prognosis of the present patient.

Primary Penile Cancer: The Role of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in the Management of Extranodal Extension in Lymph Nodes

BACKGROUND

In head and neck cancer, the presence of extranodal extension (ENE) in lymph nodes (LNs) has been shown prospectively to require adding chemotherapy to postoperative radiation therapy (RT). Limited data exist regarding ENE in LNs from primary penile cancer (PeCa).

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association of RT and ENE in PeCa.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 93 patients with pT1-4 N3 M0 (American Joint Committee on Cancer 7th edition) squamous cell carcinoma of the penis across four international centers.

INTERVENTION

If the inguinal nodal specimen had ENE or two or more positive inguinal LNs, RT was delivered to an ipsilateral inguinal field. An ipsilateral pelvic field was added for positive pelvic LNs on dissection. The delivered dose was usually 50Gy in 25 daily fractions.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Clinical and demographic characteristics of relapse-free (RFS), disease-specific (DSS), and overall (OS) survival were compared by ENE status and receipt of adjuvant RT.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

Seventy-two percent of patients had inguinal ENE, and 49% had pelvic ENE. On multivariable analysis (MVA) of ENE-negative patients, an OS benefit was noted with postoperative chemotherapy (p=0.038) and inguinopelvic RT (p=0.037). RFS suffered with worsening grade of the lesion (moderately: p=0.027; poorly: p=0.038), but was improved with groin (p=0.016) and inguinopelvic (p=0.006) RT. On MVA of patients with ENE, inguinopelvic RT was associated with better DSS (p=0.041). Grade impacted DSS (moderately: p=0.043; poorly: p=0.033), and poorly differentiated lesions impacted RFS (p=0.013).

CONCLUSIONS

Inguinopelvic RT may benefit regional control in PeCa patients with positive pelvic LNs, but this appears to be limited to those without ENE.

PATIENT SUMMARY

For patients with penile cancer and positive pelvic lymph nodes, postoperative radiation therapy was found to decrease the likelihood of disease recurrence in the groin or pelvis only if extranodal extension was absent.

International Multicenter Study on the Impact of Extracapsular Lymph Node Involvement in Primary Surgery Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus on Overall Survival and Staging Systems

OBJECTIVE

The current pathological lymph node (pN) staging is based on the number of positive lymph nodes but does not take into consideration characteristics of the involved lymph nodes itself. The current study aims to examine the prognostic value of extracapsular lymph node involvement (EC-LNI) and intracapsular lymph node involvement (IC-LNI) for esophageal adenocarcinoma treated by primary surgery.

METHODS

From the databases of five European high volume centers, 1639 adenocarcinoma patients with primary R0-resection were withheld after excluding 90-day mortality. Oncologic variables, including number of resected lymph nodes, number of resected positive lymph nodes, and EC-LNI/IC-LNI were examined. The Union Internationale contre le Cancer (UICC) 7th edition prognostic staging was used as baseline staging system. Statistical analysis was performed by Cox proportional hazards modeling and verified using the Random Survival Forest technique.

RESULTS

EC-LNI showed significantly worse overall 5-year survival compared with IC-LNI overall (13.4% vs 37.2%, P < 0.0001), including in each pN-category [16.4% vs 45.6% in pN1 (P < 0.0001), 16.1% vs 23.8% (P = 0.047) in pN2 (P = 0.065), and 8.7% vs 26.3% in pN3 categories, respectively]. pN1 IC-LNI patients show a 5-year overall survival comparable (P = 0.92) with stage IIB (ie, pT3N0). Reclassifying the UICC prognostic stages according to these findings into an adapted staging model showed a significant (P < 0.0001) increase in homogeneity, discriminatory ability, and monotonicity compared with the original UICC TNM 7th edition prognostic staging.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that lymph node capsular status is an important prognostic factor and should be considered for the future edition of the TNM staging system for esophageal cancer.

Extranodal extension in N1-adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and papilla of Vater: a systematic review and meta-analysis of its prognostic significance

The aim of the study was to investigate the prognostic role of extranodal extension (ENE) of lymph node metastasis in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (PDAC) and papilla [cancer of the papilla of Vater (CPV)]. A PubMed and SCOPUS search from database inception until 5 January 2015 without language restrictions was conducted. Eligible were prospective studies reporting data on prognostic parameters in individuals with PDAC and/or CPV, comparing participants with the presence of ENE (ENE+) with those with intranodal extension (ENE-). Data were summarized using risk ratios for number of deaths/recurrences and hazard ratios for time-dependent risk related to ENE+, adjusted for potential confounders. ENE was found to be very common in these tumors (up to about 60% in both N1-PDAC and CPV), leading to a significant increased risk for all-cause mortality [risk ratio=1.20; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-1.35, P=0.003, I(2)=44%; hazard ratio=1.415, 95% CI: 1.215-1.650, P<0.0001, I(2)=0%] and recurrence of disease (risk ratio=1.20, 95% CI: 1.03-1.40, P=0.02, I(2)=0%). On the basis of our results, in PDAC and CPV, ENE should be considered mandatorily from the gross sampling and pathology report to the oncologic staging and therapeutic approach.

Endoscopic ultrasound: Elastographic lymph node evaluation

Different imaging techniques can bring different information which will contribute to the final diagnosis and further management of the patients. Even from the time of Hippocrates, palpation has been used in order to detect and characterize a body mass. The so-called virtual palpation has now become a reality due to elastography, which is a recently developed technique. Elastography has already been proving its added value as a complementary imaging method, helpful to better characterize and differentiate between benign and malignant masses. The current applications of elastography in lymph nodes (LNs) assessment by endoscopic ultrasonography will be further discussed in this paper, with a review of the literature and future perspectives.