Evaluation of metastatic lymph nodes in cN0 thoracic esophageal cancer patients with inconsistent pathological lymph node diagnosis

Identifying the Trends of Urinary microRNAs within Extracellular Vesicles for Esophageal Cancer

Background: The advancement of multidisciplinary treatment has increased the need to develop tests to monitor tumor burden during treatment. We herein analyzed urinary microRNAs within extracellular vesicles from patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and normal individuals using a microarray. Methods: Patients with advanced ESCC who underwent esophagectomy (A), endoscopic submucosal resection (ESD) (B), and healthy donors (C) were included. Based on microRNA expression among the groups (Analysis 1), microRNAs with significant differences between groups A and C were selected (Analysis 2). Of these candidates, microRNAs in which the change between A and C was consistent with the change between B and C were selected for downstream analysis (Analysis 3). Finally, microRNA expression was validated in patients with recurrence from A (exploratory analysis). Results: For analysis 1, 205 microRNAs were selected. For Analyses 2 and 3, the changes in 18 microRNAs were consistent with changes in tumor burden as determined by clinical imaging and pathological findings. The AUC for the detection of ESCC using 18 microRNAs was 0.72. In exploratory analysis, three of eighteen microRNAs exhibited a concordant trend with recurrence. Conclusions: The current study identified the urinary microRNAs which were significantly expressed in ESCC patients. Validation study is warranted to evaluate whether these microRNAs could reflect tumor burden during multidisciplinary treatment for ESCC.

Comparison of clinical outcomes of conservative treatment and surgery for esophageal cancer patients who achieve a clinical complete response following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Although the clinical complete response (cCR) for esophageal cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) may be related to the good survival prognosis, the choice of conservative and surgical treatments is still controversial. This study sought to compare the clinical outcomes of these two treatments.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted according to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases to retrieve articles published between January 1, 2010 and March 31, 2022 on the efficacy of conservative treatment or surgery in esophageal cancer patients who had achieved a cCR after nCRT The predominant endpoints were overall survival (OS), disease-free-survival (DFS), local recurrence, and distant metastasis. Odds ratios (ORs) were generated for the dichotomous variants by meta-analysis. The software implemented was Stata 16.0 MP. This research was prospectively registered under PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42022332143).

Results

Ultimately, eight retrospective cohort studies and one randomized controlled trial, comprising 749 patients (nCRT group: 333 and nCRT + surgery group: 416), were included in the meta-analysis after two researchers independently assessed the risk of bias for all included studies. The 2-year OS [OR =1.239, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.891 to 1.723] and 5-year OS (OR =1.369, 95% CI: 0.963 to 1.947) were comparable between the nCRT group and nCRT plus surgery (nCRT + S) group. Patients in the nCRT + S group had significantly longer DFS (2 and 5 years, OR ranging from 0.303 to 0.357) and lower local recurrence rate (OR =0.179, 95% CI: 0.104 to 0.291) than those in the nCRT group. However, the distant metastasis rate was similar between the nCRT group and the nCRT + S group.

Conclusions

Esophageal cancer patients who achieved a cCR after nCRT and received an esophagectomy had better DFS and lower local recurrence than those who received conservative treatment; however, this DFS advantage did not lead to a significant difference in OS. Salvage surgery may be a feasible option for resectable patients who have local recurrence after achieving cCR.

Risk factors for cervical lymph node metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A retrospective population-based study

INTRODUCTION

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by high frequency of early cervical lymph node metastases (LNMs), resulting in poor survival of patients. However, cervical LNMs are difficult to detect, which makes the decision-making of which patients should undergo neck dissection surgery challenging for surgeons. This study aimed to analyze the clinicopathological risk factors associated with cervical LNM and determine the indications for neck dissection in HNSCC patients.

METHODS

The medical records of patients diagnosed with HNSCC who were treated at our hospital between January 2010 and June 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. A database of their clinicopathological data, including sex, age at diagnosis, primary tumor regions, tumor size, and grade, was constructed. The associations of these clinicopathological features with cervical LNM were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The TCGA database were used to externally validate the risk factors.

RESULTS

Overall, 531 patients with HNSCC were included; 38.6% had confirmed pathological cervical LNM. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified that tumor size and grade were independent risk factors associated with LNM (odds ratio = 1.338, 95% CI: 1.015-1.767, p < 0.05; odds ratio = 1.936, 95% CI: 1.46-2.587, p < 0.0001, respectively). The significant positive associations of tumor size and grade with LNM were externally validated in the TCGA datasets.

CONCLUSIONS

HNSCC patients with large tumor size or poor tumor differentiation degree were at high risk of lymph node metastasis and were recommended to undergo neck dissection.

A case study of combined neoadjuvant chemotherapy and neoadjuvant immunotherapy in resectable locally advanced esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

The prognosis of patients under existing neoadjuvant chemotherapy or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy requires improvement. Whereas programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors have shown promising response in advanced esophageal cancer, they have not been used in the perioperative treatment of resectable locally advanced esophageal cancer. Whether immunotherapy can be incorporated into neoadjuvant therapy has became a challenging question for researchers.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present a case of a 65-year-old male who had a history of progressive dysphagia for approximately 1 month. He underwent pertinent studies including computed tomography (CT)，gastroscopy，and pathological biopsy resulting in a diagnosis of medium-low differentiated squamous carcinoma of the thoracic segment of the esophagus (cT2N2M0 stage III). After 4 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, gastroscopy showed the lesion in the esophagus was no longer present. Subsequently, the patient received thoracoscopic radical resection of esophageal cancer and achieved a pathological complete response (pCR) in postoperative pathological evaluation. During the whole treatment, no adverse effect was recorded and to date no evidence of recurrence has been recorded.

CONCLUSION

Our report suggest that neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy not only improve the R0 resection and pCR rate in patients with resectable locally advanced esophageal cancer, but also the adverse effects are within the control range. However, the selection of therapeutic strategy, predictors of response to treatment, and interval time between neoadjuvant treatment and surgery still await more reliable evidence-based studies with large prospective samples.

The Role of Tumor Microenvironment in Invasion and Metastasis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common cancers in the world, with a high rate of morbidity. The invasion and metastasis of ESCC is the main reason for high mortality. More and more evidence suggests that metastasized cancer cells require cellular elements that contribute to ESCC tumor microenvironment (TME) formation. TME contains many immune cells and stromal components, which are critical to epithelial–mesenchymal transition, immune escape, angiogenesis/lymphangiogenesis, metastasis niche formation, and invasion/metastasis. In this review, we will focus on the mechanism of different microenvironment cellular elements in ESCC invasion and metastasis and discuss recent therapeutic attempts to restore the tumor-suppressing function of cells within the TME. It will represent the whole picture of TME in the metastasis and invasion process of ESCC.

Preoperative Clinical Characteristics Predict Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Lymph Node Metastasis and Overall Survival in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study With External Validation

Background

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) lymph node metastasis (LNM) is not rare in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We aimed to develop and externally validate a preoperative nomogram using clinical characteristics to predict RLN LNM in patients with ESCC and evaluate its prognostic value.

Methods

A total of 430 patients with ESCC who underwent esophagectomy with lymphadenectomy of RLN LNs at two centers between May 2015 and June 2019 were reviewed and divided into training (center 1, n = 283) and external validation cohorts (center 2, n = 147). Independent risk factors for RLN LNM were determined by multivariate logistic regression, and a nomogram was developed. The performance of the nomogram was assessed in terms of discrimination, calibration, clinical usefulness, and prognostic value. The nomogram was internally validated by the bootstrap method and externally validated by the external validation cohort.

Results

Multivariate analysis indicated that clinical T stage (P <0.001), endoscopic tumor length (P = 0.003), bioptic tumor differentiation (P = 0.004), and preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen level (P = 0.001) were significantly associated with RLN LNM. The nomogram had good discrimination with the area under the curve of 0.770 and 0.832 after internal and external validations. The calibration curves and decision curve analysis confirmed the good calibration and clinical usefulness of this model. High-risk of RLN LNM predicted by the nomogram was associated with worse overall survival in the external validation cohort (P <0.001).

Conclusion

A nomogram developed by preoperative clinical characteristics demonstrated a good performance to predict RLN LNM and prognosis for patients with ESCC.

Advantages of McKeown minimally invasive oesophagectomy for the treatment of oesophageal cancer: propensity score matching analysis of 169 cases

BACKGROUND

Oesophagectomy, the gold standard for oesophageal cancer treatment, causes significantly high morbidity and mortality. McKeown minimally invasive oesophagectomy (MIE) is preferred for treating oesophageal malignancies; however, limited studies with large sample sizes focusing on the surgical and oncological outcomes of this procedure have been reported. We aimed to compare the clinical safety and efficacy of McKeown MIE with those of open oesophagectomy (OE).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Overall, 338 oesophageal cancer patients matched by gender, age, location, size, and T and N stages (McKeown MIE: 169 vs OE: 169) were analysed. The clinicopathologic features, operational factors, postoperative complications, and prognoses were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

McKeown MIE resulted in less bleeding (200 mL vs 300 mL, p<0.01), longer operation time (335.0 h vs 240.0 h, p<0.01), and higher number of harvested lymph nodes (22 vs 9, p<0.01) than OE did. Although the rate of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in the two groups was not significantly different, incidence of anastomotic leakage (8 vs 24, p=0.003) was significantly lower in the McKeown MIE group. In addition, patients who underwent McKeown MIE had higher 5-year overall survival than those who underwent OE (69.9% vs 40.4%, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

McKeown MIE is proved to be feasible and safe to achieve better surgical and oncological outcomes for oesophageal cancer compared with OE.

Detecting lymph node metastasis of esophageal cancer on dual-energy computed tomography

Background

Using conventional computed tomography (CT), the accurate diagnosis of lymph node (LN) metastasis of esophageal cancer is difficult.

Purpose

To examine dual-energy CT parameters to predict LN metastasis preoperatively in patients with esophageal cancer.

Material and Methods

Twenty-six consecutive patients who underwent dual-energy CT before an esophageal cancer surgery (19 patients with LN metastases) were analyzed. The included LNs had a short-axis diameter of ≥4 mm and were confirmed to be resected on postoperative CT. Their short-axis diameter, CT value, iodine concentration (IC), and fat fraction were measured on early- and late-phase contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT images and compared between pathologically confirmed metastatic and non-metastatic LNs.

Results

In total, 51 LNs (34 metastatic and 17 non-metastatic) were included. In the early phase, IC and fat fraction were significantly lower in the metastatic than in the non-metastatic LNs (IC = 1.6 mg/mL vs. 2.2 mg/mL; fat fraction = 20.3% vs. 32.5%; both P < 0.05). Furthermore, in the late phase, IC and fat fraction were significantly lower in the metastatic than in the non-metastatic LNs (IC = 2.0 mg/mL vs. 3.0 mg/mL; fat fraction = 20.4% vs. 33.0%; both P < 0.05). Fat fraction exhibited accuracies of 82.4% and 78.4% on early- and late-phase images, respectively. Conversely, short-axis diameter and CT value on both early- and late-phase images were not significantly different between the metastatic and non-metastatic LNs (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Using dual-energy CT images, IC and fat fraction are useful for diagnosing LN metastasis in patients with esophageal cancer.

Impact of postoperative lymph node status on the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after esophagectomy following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and surgery are widely used treatments for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Thus, it is critically important to investigate risk factors that affect patient prognosis after preoperative chemoradiotherapy and surgery.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 77 patients with ESCC who received nCRT and underwent surgery at our center from January 2015 to December 2019. We analyzed the primary clinical data, postoperative pathological results, recurrence, and death results.

RESULTS

Among the 77 ESCC patients who received nCRT and surgery, 19 achieved a postoperative pathologic complete response (pCR), and the overall pCR rate was 24.68%. The univariate analysis indicated that postoperative post-neoadjuvant treatment N stage (ypN) metastasis [hazards ratio (HR): 2.908; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.874-9.676; P=0.082], a high lymph-node ratio [(LNR) >0.1] (HR: 7.149, 95% CI: 1.740-29.369; P=0.006), post-neoadjuvant treatment T3-4 (ypT3-4) (HR: 3.626, 95% CI: 0.824-15.956; P=0.088) affected disease-specific survival (DSS). The multivariate analysis indicated that a high LNR (>0.1) (HR: 6.170; 95% CI: 1.472-25.856; P=0.013) was a significant independent predictor of DSS. The univariate analysis indicated that postoperative ypN metastasis (HR: 2.283; 95% CI: 1.047-4.979; P=0.038) and a high LNR (>0.1) (HR: 4.210; 95% CI: 1.547-11.458; P=0.005) were associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS). The multivariate survival analysis showed that a high LNR (>0.1) (HR: 4.289; 95% CI: 1.538-11.965; P=0.005) was also a significant independent predictor of RFS. In this study, 57 positive lymph nodes were found in 30 of the 77 patients, including 16 left gastric lymph nodes, 9 pericardial lymph nodes, and 7 left supraclavicular lymph nodes.

CONCLUSIONS

A high LNR (>0.1) in ESCC patients after nCRT is a risk factor of DSS and RFS. ypN metastasis is also an independent predictor of RFS. Left gastric-arterial lymph nodes, para-cardiac lymph nodes, and left supraclavicular lymph nodes are the most common sites of metastasis in ESCC after nCRT.

Unresected small lymph node assessment predicts prognosis for patients with pT3N0M0 thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

The role of unresected small lymph nodes (LNs) which may contain metastases for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC) has not been addressed. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of unresected small LNs assessment using computed tomography (CT) in prognostic estimates of pT3N0M0 TESCC patients.

Methods

Between January 2009 and December 2017, 294 patients who underwent esophagectomy with R0 resection at Sichuan Cancer Hospital were retrospectively examined, and the last follow-up time was July 2018. Patients were classified into CT-suspect and CT-negative groups according to the shortest diameter and the shape (axial ratio) of the unresected small LNs on preoperative CT. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to compare survival differences in prognostic factors. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors for survival and recurrence.

Results

Eighty-four patients (28.6%) were classified as CT-suspect group according to the diagnostic criteria; survival analysis suggested that CT-suspect group of patients had a relatively poorer prognosis (P<0.05). Cox regression analysis indicated that unresected small LNs status, tumor grade, and postoperative adjuvant therapy were independent prognostic factors for patients with pT3N0M0 TESCC (P<0.05). Further analysis shown the rates of total recurrence (TR) and locoregional recurrence (LR) in the CT-suspect group were significantly higher than that in the CT-negative group (TR, P<0.001; LR, P<0.001). Among the LRs, the rate of supraclavicular lymph node recurrence in the CT-suspect group was significantly higher than that in the CT-negative group (P<0.001).

Conclusions

Unresected small lymph node assessment is critically important and predict prognosis for pT3N0M0 TESCC patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-021-02412-1.

Mapping of Cervical and Upper Mediastinal Lymph Node Recurrence for Guiding Clinical Target Delineation of Postoperative Radiotherapy in Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background

The lower neck and upper mediastinum are the major regions for postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC). However, there is no uniform standard regarding the delineation of nodal clinical target volume (CTVnd). This study aimed to map the recurrent lymph nodes in the cervical and upper mediastinal regions and explore a reasonable CTVnd for PORT in TESCC.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed patients in our hospital with first cervical and/or upper mediastinal lymph node recurrence (LNR) after upfront esophagectomy. All of these recurrent lymph nodes were plotted on template computed tomography (CT) images with reference to surrounding structures. The recurrence frequency at different stations was investigated and the anatomic distribution of recurrent lymph nodes was analyzed.

Results

A total of 119 patients with 215 recurrent lymph nodes were identified. There were 47 (39.5%) patients with cervical LNR and 102 (85.7%) patients with upper mediastinal LNR. The high-risk regions were station 101L/R, station 104L/R, station 106recL/R, station 105 and station 106pre for upper TESCC and station 104L/R, station 106recL/R, station 105, station 106pre and station 106tbL for middle and lower TESCCs. LNR in the external group of station 104L/R was not common, and LNR was not found in the narrow spaces where the trachea was in close contact with the innominate artery, aortic arch and mediastinal pleura. LNR below the level of the cephalic margin of the superior vena cava was also not common for upper TESCC.

Conclusions

The CTVnd of PORT in the cervical and upper mediastinal regions should cover station 101L/R, station 104L/R, station 106recL/R, station 105 and station 106pre for upper TESCC and station 104L/R, station 106recL/R, station 105, station 106pre and station 106tbL for middle and lower TESCCs. Based on our results, we proposed a useful atlas for guiding the delineation of CTVnd in TESCC.

Controversies in EUS: Do we need miniprobes?

This is the fifth in a series of papers entitled "Controversies in EUS." In the current paper, we deal with high-resolution catheter probes, otherwise known as EUS miniprobes (EUS-MPs). The application of miniprobes for early carcinomas in the entire intestinal tract, for subepithelial lesions, and for findings in the bile duct and pancreatic duct as well as endobronchial use is critically discussed. Submucous lesions, especially in the colon, but also early carcinomas in special cases are considered the most important indications. The argument is illustrated by numerous examples.