Does FDG-PET add information to EUS and CT in the initial management of esophageal cancer? A prospective single center study

Use of endoscopic ultrasound in pre-treatment staging of esophageal cancer did not alter management plan

Background

Initial staging of esophageal cancer relies on EUS in addition to FDG-PET/CT. It is our hypothesis that with the advancement of FDG-PET/CT staging, endoscopic ultrasound may not be required for initial staging in all cases. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether EUS affects initial treatment stratification in patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

Methods

A retrospective database at the University of Virginia was queried for patients diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma who underwent EGD with EUS and FDG-PET/CT at their initial evaluation from 10/2013 to 5/2017. Two thoracic surgeons were asked to determine appropriate management for each case. Options included surgical resection, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by resection, definitive chemoradiotherapy, or chemotherapy with or without palliative radiation. Both surgeons received the FDG-PET/CT report along with the EGD report. For each case, one or both surgeons were randomly allocated to review EUS results in addition to the clinical information. The treatment decisions of each thoracic surgeon were compared to determine if EUS reports impacted clinical management. Simple and weighted correlation coefficients (kappa) were calculated to compare agreement of treatment choices between the two surgeons using McNemars test. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the influence of EUS on the treatment recommendations.

Results

A total of 50 patients (44 male and 6 female) were enrolled and data was collected. The thoracic surgeons agreed on treatment decisions in 39 cases and disagreed on 11 cases. Agreement between surgeons was good despite lack of EUS information for one surgeon on each case (weighted Kappa =0.73, 95% CI: 0.57-0.89). Using conditional logistic regression, EUS did not have a statistically independent association with agreement on treatment plan (P for model =0.17).

Conclusions

EUS did not have a statistically independent association with agreement on treatment plan for newly diagnosed esophageal cancer (P for model =0.17). Our findings suggest that EUS may not be necessary in the algorithm for the initial staging of every case of esophageal cancer. Selective, rather than mandatory use of EUS seems warranted.

A propensity-matched analysis comparing survival after primary minimally invasive esophagectomy followed by adjuvant therapy to neoadjuvant therapy for esophagogastric adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Prognosis for patients with locally advanced esophagogastric adenocarcinoma (EAC) is poor with surgery alone, and adjuvant therapy after open esophagectomy is frequently not tolerated. After minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE); however, earlier return to normal function may render patients better able to receive adjuvant therapy. We examined whether primary MIE followed by adjuvant chemotherapy influenced survival compared with propensity-matched patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy.

METHODS

Patients with stage II or higher EAC treated with MIE (N = 375) were identified. Using 30 pretreatment covariates, propensity for assignment to either neoadjuvant followed by MIE (n = 183; 54%) or MIE as primary therapy (n = 156; 46%) was calculated, generating 97 closely matched pairs. Hazard ratios were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, comorbidity, and final pathologic stage.

RESULTS

In propensity-matched pairs, adjusted hazard ratio for death did not differ significantly for primary MIE compared with neoadjuvant (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-1.16). Recurrence patterns were similar between groups and 65% of patients with IIb or greater pathologic stage received adjuvant therapy. Clinical staging was inaccurate in 37 out of 105 patients (35%) who underwent primary MIE (n = 18 upstaged and n = 19 downstaged).

CONCLUSIONS

Primary MIE followed by adjuvant chemotherapy guided by pathologic findings did not negatively influence survival and allowed for accurate staging compared with clinical staging. Our data suggest that primary MIE in patients with resectable EAC may be a reasonable approach, improving stage-based prognostication and potentially minimizing overtreatment in patients with early stage disease through accurate stage assignments. A randomized controlled trial testing this hypothesis is needed.

Comparative study between endoscopic ultrasonography and positron emission tomography-computed tomography in staging patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Treatment strategy of esophageal cancer mainly depends on accurate staging. At present, no single ideal staging modality is superior to another in preoperative tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging of patients with esophageal cancer. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) for staging of esophageal cancer. We retrospectively studied 118 consecutive patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent esophagectomy with or without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) over a near 3-year period between January 2005 and November 2008 at a tertiary hospital in Taiwan. Patients were separated into two groups: without neoadjuvant CRT (group 1, n= 28) and with CRT (group 2, n= 90). Medical records of demographic data and reports of EUS and PET-CT of patients before surgery were reviewed. A database of clinical staging by EUS and PET-CT was compared with one of pathological staging. The accuracies of T staging by EUS in groups 1 and 2 were 85.2% and 34.9%. The accuracies of N staging by EUS in groups 1 and 2 were 55.6% and 39.8%. The accuracies of T and N staging by means of PET-CT scan were 100% and 54.5% in group 1, and were 69.4% and 86.1% in group 2, respectively. In group 2, 38 of 90 patients (42.2%) achieved pathologic complete remission. Among them, two of 34 (5.9%) and 12 of 17 (70.6%) patients were identified as tumor-free by post-CRT EUS and PET-CT, respectively. EUS is useful for initial staging of esophageal cancer. PET-CT is a more reliable modality for monitoring treatment response and restaging. Furthermore, the accuracy of PET-CT with regard to N staging is higher in patients who have undergone CRT than those who have not.

Staging Accuracy of Endoscopic Ultrasound Based on Pathologic Analysis after Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is a common staging modality used in patients with esophageal cancer. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of EUS in determining the depth of penetration (T stage) and nodal status (N stage) in patients with esophageal cancer who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). A retrospective analysis of all patients at a university hospital who underwent preoperative EUS followed by MIE for cancer was performed. We compared the results of preoperative EUS to final pathologic analyses of the esophageal specimen, examining the accuracy of EUS staging. Ninety-five patients with esophageal cancer who underwent MIE had preoperative EUS. Twenty-four of the 95 patients were excluded for lack of a repeat EUS after neoadjuvant therapy before resection. Hence, 71 patients were evaluated for the accuracy of EUS staging. The accuracy of EUS for TO disease was 80 per cent; T1 disease was 75 per cent; T2 disease was 39 per cent; and T3 disease was 88 per cent. The overall EUS accuracy for T stage was 72 per cent with overstaging occurring mostly for pathologic T1 tumors in 18 per cent and understaging occurring mostly for pathologic T3 tumors in 11 per cent. The sensitivity and specificity for detection of nodal involvement were 79 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively. However the accuracy for T and N staging by EUS after neoadjuvant therapy decreased to 63 per cent and 38 per cent, respectively. Endoscopic ultrasound in the absence of neoadjuvant therapy is a relatively accurate and sensitive modality for determining the depth of tumor penetration and the presence of nodal disease in patients with esophageal carcinoma. The accuracy for T and N staging is less reliable after neoadjuvant therapy.

Endosonographic staging of upper intestinal malignancy

Numerous studies conducted over the last 25 years provide evidence on the high diagnostic accuracy and important role of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in staging oesophageal and gastric carcinoma. This extensive research was recently subjected to metaanalyses, condensing our knowledge on EUS performance and facilitating its comparison with competing methods. It is, however, important to realise that the management of oesophageal and gastric carcinoma is evolving and so are staging algorithms, setting new challenges for EUS and re-defining its position. Restaging after neoadjuvant treatment and precise assessment of early carcinoma before endoscopic treatment are areas of growing interest, but the role of EUS in these settings is rather limited. Rapidly developing cross-sectional imaging has the potential to challenge the position of EUS as the most accurate method in loco-regional staging. On the other hand, EUS guided fine-needle aspiration offers the unique opportunity to obtain cytological confirmation of lymph node metastases, with future potential for molecular staging.

[Clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcome of esophageal cancer. Results from a series of 200 patients]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The esophageal cancer (EC) is a slightly frequent but serious disease. Our aim is to describe the characteristics of the patients with EC in our Hospital.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

We included 200 patients consecutively diagnosed and/or treated for CE between between January, 2003 and December, 2007. The location of the tumor was analyzed, the histological type, the proofs realized for to establish the classification, the treatments, the survival and the morbi-mortality of the surgery.

RESULTS

The endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) modified the therapeutic strategy in 12% of the patients. The survival to the year, 3 years and 5 years was 48%, 25% and 21%, respectively. 74 (32%) patients were operated, 48 (65%) of them was treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The postsurgical mortality was 8% (6 patients) and the morbidity was 57% (114 patients). In multivariate analysis, after adjustment for traditional risk factors, were the location in the average third ( [HR, hazard ratio]=2.3; confidence interval [IC] of 95%, 1.3-4.1) and not accomplishment of surgery after the chemotherapy and radiotherapy (HR=1.9; IC to 95%, 1.15-3).

CONCLUSIONS

The diagnosis is realized very later. The EUS has contributed a better therapeutic strategy to our patients. The mortality continues being high.

Routine positron emission tomography does not alter nodal staging in patients undergoing EUS-guided FNA for esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

Although EUS-guided FNA (EUS-FNA) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) are both used in the staging of esophageal cancer, the utility of routinely performing both tests is unclear.

OBJECTIVES

The primary aim of the study was to determine the benefit of routine FDG-PET for esophageal cancer nodal staging in patients undergoing EUS-FNA. The secondary objective was to determine EUS criteria that selectively identify patients in whom PET yields additional information.

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

SETTING

Tertiary-care academic medical center.

PATIENTS AND INTERVENTIONS

All patients who underwent both EUS and PET for initial staging of esophageal cancer between April 2003 and August 2007.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS

EUS and PET detection of malignant lymph nodes and distant metastases.

RESULTS

Of 242 patients who underwent esophageal EUS for a malignant indication, 148 also underwent PET within 30 days. EUS detected locoregional-node disease by EUS criteria or cytology in 92 patients, and PET was positive in a minority of these patients (n = 41 [45%]). For celiac-node staging, PET was positive in 2 of 17 patients (12%) with celiac-node involvement detected by EUS. EUS was also significantly more sensitive than PET in the detection of nodal disease confirmed by cytology or histology (86% vs 44%). PET did not alter nodal staging in any patient with complete EUS-FNA. PET identified distant metastases only in those patients with incomplete EUS or nodal disease detected by EUS.

LIMITATIONS

Single institution, retrospective analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of PET to a complete EUS examination did not alter regional-node or celiac-node staging. PET performance in overall staging is strongly associated with EUS assessment of lymph nodes.

The early use of PET-CT alters the management of patients with esophageal cancer

INTRODUCTION

The routine use of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in the staging of patients with esophageal carcinoma remains contentious, with conflicting reports of its benefit. In our unit, PET-CT has been used routinely in the staging of all patients considered for radical therapy (surgery or chemoradiotherapy). Our aim was to determine the frequency with which PET-CT influenced decision making in the management of patients with carcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction.

METHODS

CT, PET-CT, and outcome information were collected on 38 patients considered for radical therapy. Patient proformas, with and without PET-CT findings, were constructed and each independently reviewed in a randomized and blinded fashion by five multidisciplinary team members (three surgeons, two oncologists) and a treatment strategy determined.

RESULTS

PET-CT changed the staging for ten patients (26%). This translated into a change in management decision for seven patients (18%). The concordance between individual management plans and treatment intent was 79% for CT (150 of 190 decisions) and it was 92% for PET-CT (175 of 190 decisions). Full concordance between multidisciplinary team members was 66% with CT staging and 74% with the addition of PET-CT.

CONCLUSION

The use of PET-CT early in the staging algorithm for esophageal carcinoma altered the staging for a quarter of patients and the management for a fifth of patients, supporting its inclusion early in the staging algorithm.

Esophageal cancer: ultrasonography

Esophageal malignancy is a major source of morbidity and mortality, despite the recently increased attention to screening and early detection. Prognosis for esophageal cancer remains grim, with advanced tumor stage and lymph node metastases conferring even graver outcomes. Several studies have demonstrated that the addition of preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy may improve survival in patients with locally advanced tumor (T3) disease or local lymph node metastases. It is here that endoscopic ultrasonography finds its niche in the precise staging of these tumors and the subsequent use of stage-dependent treatment protocols.