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Erozkan K, Elamin D, Tasci ME, Liska D, Valente MA, Alipouriani A, Schabl L, Lavryk O, Catalano B, Krishnamurthi S, Miller JA, Purysko AS, Steele SR, Gorgun E. Evaluating complete response rates and predictors in total neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer. J Gastrointest Surg 2024:S1091-255X(24)00544-4. [PMID: 39067745 DOI: 10.1016/j.gassur.2024.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a paradigm shift in the management of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) from conventional neoadjuvant treatment to total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT). Despite its growing acceptance, there are limited studies that have examined its effects on disease presentation. In addition, it is important to determine the factors that play a role in complete response (CR). Our previous data from 119 patients revealed that the CR rate was 37%, and low rectal tumors and the absence of extramural vascular invasion (EMVI) were predictors of CR. Unfortunately, there continues to be a lack of data, and reliable markers are still needed to consistently identify the best respondents. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors associated with CR. Moreover, this study hypothesized that both predictive factors and the CR ratio might evolve over time because of the growing patient population. METHODS This retrospective study included patients who completed TNT for LARC at our tertiary care center between 2015 and 2022. The primary outcome was to determine the predictors of CR. The secondary outcomes were the 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate. CR consists of patients who sustained clinical CR (cCR) for at least 12 months under watch and wait or had pathologic CR (pCR) after surgery. RESULTS Of 339 patients with LARC, 208 (61.3%) successfully completed TNT. Among 208 patients, 57 (27.4%) achieved cCR, and 166 (80.0%) sustained cCR without tumor regrowth after 1 year. The remaining 151 patients (72.6%) underwent surgery, and 42 patients had pCR. The final CR rate was 42.3%. The median age of the patients was 56 years (IQR, 49-66). Moreover, 132 participants (63.5%) were male, whereas 76 participants (36.5%) were female. The median tumor size was 4.95 cm (IQR, 3.60-6.43), with most tumors in the low rectum (119 [57.2%]). Based on the MRI findings, the mesorectal facia (MRF) involvement rate was 25.0% (n = 52), and EMVI was observed in 43 patients (20.7%). Low rectal tumors, the absence of MRF involvement, and the absence of EMVI were predictors of CR. With a median follow-up of 24.7 months, 2-year DFS and OS were significantly higher among patients with CR than among patients with incomplete response (91.3% vs 71.0% [P < .01] and 98.8% vs 90.2% [P = .03], respectively). CONCLUSION An increasing CR rate was observed in our updated dataset compared with that in our previous study. In addition to previously identified predictors, low tumor location, and the absence of EMVI, the absence of MRF involvement was determined as a predictor of CR. Our findings offer valuable insights into clinical practice and help clinicians set clear expectations when counseling patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamil Erozkan
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Doua Elamin
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Muhammed Enes Tasci
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - David Liska
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Michael A Valente
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Ali Alipouriani
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Lukas Schabl
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Olga Lavryk
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Brogan Catalano
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Smitha Krishnamurthi
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jacob A Miller
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Andrei S Purysko
- Section of Abdominal Imaging and Nuclear Radiology Department, Imaging Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Scott R Steele
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Emre Gorgun
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States.
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Bedrikovetski S, Traeger L, Seow W, Dudi-Venkata NN, Selva-Nayagam S, Penniment M, Sammour T. Oncological Outcomes and Response Rate After Total Neoadjuvant Therapy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: A Network Meta-Analysis Comparing Induction vs. Consolidation Chemotherapy vs. Standard Chemoradiation. Clin Colorectal Cancer 2024:S1533-0028(24)00056-2. [PMID: 38945765 DOI: 10.1016/j.clcc.2024.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
TNT is now considered the preferred option for stage II-III locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). However, the prognostic benefit and optimal sequence of TNT remains unclear. This network meta-analysis (NMA) compared short- and long-term outcomes amongst patients with LARC receiving total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) as induction (iTNT) or consolidation chemotherapy (cTNT) with those receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT) alone. A systematic literature search was performed between 2012 and 2023. A Bayesian NMA was conducted using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method with a random-effects model and vague prior distribution to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% credible intervals (CrI). The surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) curves were used to rank treatment(s) for each outcome. In total, 11 cohorts involving 8360 patients with LARC were included. There was no significant difference in disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) amongst the 3 treatments. Compared with nCRT, both cTNT (OR 2.36; 95% CrI, 1.57-3.66) and iTNT (OR 1.99; 95% CrI, 1.44-2.95) significantly improved complete response (CR) rate. Notably, cTNT ranked as the best treatment for CR (SUCRA 0.90) and iTNT as the best treatment for 3-year DFS and OS (SUCRA 0.72 and 0.87, respectively). Both iTNT and cTNT strategies significantly improved CR rates compared with nCRT. cTNT was ranked highest for CR rates, while iTNT was ranked highest for 3-year survival outcomes. However, no other significant differences in DFS, OS, sphincter-saving surgery, R0 resection and postoperative complications were found amongst the treatment groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei Bedrikovetski
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia; Department of Surgical Specialties, Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
| | - Luke Traeger
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia; Department of Surgical Specialties, Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Warren Seow
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
| | | | | | - Michael Penniment
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Tarik Sammour
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia; Department of Surgical Specialties, Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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Choi H, Baek JH, Seo AN, Park SY, Kim HJ, Park JS, Choi GS, Kim JG, Kang BW. Systemic Inflammatory Response Following Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy Can Affect Oncologic Outcomes in MSI-H/dMMR Rectal Cancer. Chonnam Med J 2024; 60:105-112. [PMID: 38841607 PMCID: PMC11148308 DOI: 10.4068/cmj.2024.60.2.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Systemic inflammatory response (SIR) is a crucial determinant of disease progression and survival in patients with colorectal cancer. This study investigated the prognostic relevance of changes in the platelet count on survival and the predictive value of changes in the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on the pathological tumor response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) rectal cancer. From 2011 to 2022, data of 46 consecutive patients with MSI-H rectal cancer who were treated with preoperative CRT followed by curative surgery at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital (Daegu, South Korea) were retrospectively analyzed. A 235 cut-off value was used to define whether PLR was high or low. Any change in the PLR or NLR was calculated on the basis of subtracting the pre-CRT PLR or NLR from the post-CRT values. Both pre-CRT and post-CRT values of the NLR and PLR were not significantly associated with clinical outcomes. Simple logistic regression analysis showed that a change in the PLR following CRT was not significantly associated with survival outcomes; however, patients who maintained a high change in the PLR following CRT showed significantly better pathologic T-stage. No statistically significant association was noted between changes in the platelet count and clinical outcomes of patients. The results suggested that changes in the PLR following CRT are associated with pathologic T-stage of the group. However, the SIR markers showed no prognostic values on the survival outcomes of the patients with MSI-H/mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyukjin Choi
- Department of Oncology/Hematology, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Cancer Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
| | - Jin Ho Baek
- Department of Oncology/Hematology, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Cancer Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
| | - An Na Seo
- Department of Pathology, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Cancer Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
| | - Su Yeon Park
- Department of Surgery, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Cancer Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
| | - Hye Jin Kim
- Department of Surgery, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Cancer Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
| | - Jun Seok Park
- Department of Surgery, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Cancer Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
| | - Gyu Seog Choi
- Department of Surgery, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Cancer Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
| | - Jong Gwang Kim
- Department of Oncology/Hematology, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Cancer Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
| | - Byung Woog Kang
- Department of Oncology/Hematology, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Cancer Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
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Lin W, Li C, Clement EA, Brown CJ, Raval MJ, Karimuddin AA, Ghuman A, Phang PT. Surgical Outcomes in Total Neoadjuvant Therapy for Rectal Cancer Versus Standard Long-course Chemoradiation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Ann Surg 2024; 279:620-630. [PMID: 38009646 DOI: 10.1097/sla.0000000000006161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This systematic review and meta-analysis seeks to evaluate the impact of total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) for rectal cancers on surgical complications and surgical pathology when compared with standard long-course chemoradiotherapy (LCRT). BACKGROUND The oncological benefits of TNT are well published in previous meta-analyses, but there is little synthesized information on how it affects surgical outcomes. A recent study has suggested an increase in local recurrence and higher rates of breached total mesorectal excision (TME) plane in TNT patients. METHODS This study conformed to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. A search was performed in Medline (via PubMed), Cochrane databases, EMBASE and CINAHL to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing outcomes between TNT and LCRT. Meta-analyses of pooled proportions between TNT and LCRT were performed, comparing primary outcomes of surgical mortality, morbidity and all reported complications; surgical-pathology differences, namely mesorectal quality, R0 resection rates, circumferential resection margin positive rates, and sphincter preservation rates. Death and progression of disease during neoadjuvant treatment period was also compared. Risk of bias of RCTs was performed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool by 2 independent reviewers. RESULTS A total of 3185 patients with rectal cancer from 11 RCTs were included in the analysis: 1607 received TNT and 1578 received LCRT, of which 1422 (TNT arm) and 1391 (LCRT arm) underwent surgical resection with curative intent. There was no significant difference in mortality [risk ratio (RR)=0.86, 95% CI: 0.13-5.52, P =0.88, I2 =52%] or major complications (RR=1.04, 95% CI: 0.86-1.26, P =0.70, I2 =0%) between TNT and LCRT. There was a significantly higher risk of breached TME in TNT group on pooled analysis (RR=1.49, 95% CI: 1.03-12.16, P =0.03, I2 =0%), and on subgroup analysis there is higher risk of breached TME in those receiving extended duration of neoadjuvant treatment (>17 weeks from start of treatment to surgery) when compared with LCRT (RR=1.61, 95% CI: 1.06-2.44, P =0.03). No difference in R0 resection rates (RR=0.85, 95% CI: 0.66-1.10, P =0.21, I2 =15%), circumferential resection margin positive rates (RR=0.87, 95% CI: 0.65-1.16, P =0.35, I2 =10%) or sphincter preservation rates (RR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.83-1.25, P =0.88, I2 =57%) were observed. There was a significantly lower risk of progression of disease to an unresectable stage during the neoadjuvant treatment period in TNT patients (RR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.39-0.92, P =0.03, I2 =18%). On subgroup analysis, it appears to favor those receiving extended duration of neoadjuvant treatment (RR=0.44, 95% CI: 0.26-0.80, P =0.002), and those receiving induction-type chemotherapy in TNT (RR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.07-0.88, P =0.03). CONCLUSIONS TNT increases rates of breached TME which can contribute to higher local recurrence rates. TNT, however, improves systemic control by reducing early progression of disease during neoadjuvant treatment period. Further research is warranted to identify patients that will benefit from this strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Lin
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Surgery Division, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Christine Li
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Surgery Division, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Elizabeth A Clement
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Surgery Division, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Carl J Brown
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Surgery Division, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Manoj J Raval
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Surgery Division, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Ahmer A Karimuddin
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Surgery Division, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Amandeep Ghuman
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Surgery Division, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Paul T Phang
- Department of Surgery, Colorectal Surgery Division, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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5
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Glimelius B. Recent advances in rectal cancer treatment - are we on the right track? Ups J Med Sci 2024; 129:10537. [PMID: 38449909 PMCID: PMC10916366 DOI: 10.48101/ujms.v129.10537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Staging and treatment of rectal cancer have evolved over several decades with considerably fewer locoregional recurrences but no marked improved survival since systemic recurrence risks remain virtually unchanged. This development will briefly be summarised followed by a thorough discussion of two recent developments. Methods A systematic approach towards the literature is aimed at focusing on organ preservation and the delivery of all non-surgical treatments prior to surgery or total neoadjuvant treatment (TNT). Results Organ preservation, that is to defer surgery if the tumour happens to disappear completely after any pre-treatment given to locally advanced tumours to decrease recurrence risks has increased in popularity and is, if not universally, widely accepted. To give neo-adjuvant treatment to intentionally obtain a clinically complete remission to avoid surgery is practised in some environments but is mostly still experimental. TNT, that is to provide both radiotherapy and chemotherapy aimed at killing microscopic disease in the pelvis or elsewhere has been subject to several trials. Collectively, they show that the chance of achieving a complete response, pathologically or clinically, has approximately doubled, increasing the chance for organ preservation, and the risk of distant metastasis has decreased at least in some trials. The best schedule remains to be established. Conclusions To obtain substantial progress and also improve survival, the systemic treatments need to be improved even if preoperative delivery is more effective and better tolerated than postoperative. The locoregional treatment may be further optimised through better risk prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bengt Glimelius
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Nilsson PJ. T3 N1 M0 rectal cancer: optimal initial management is total neoadjuvant therapy. Br J Surg 2024; 111:znad322. [PMID: 37995257 DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znad322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Per J Nilsson
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Flom E, Schultz KS, Pantel HJ, Leeds IL. The Predictors of Complete Pathologic Response in Rectal Cancer during the Total Neoadjuvant Therapy Era: A Systematic Review. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5853. [PMID: 38136397 PMCID: PMC10742121 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15245853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The modern rectal cancer treatment paradigm offers additional opportunities for organ preservation, most notably via total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) and consideration for a watch-and-wait (WW) surveillance-only approach. A major barrier to widespread implementation of a WW approach to rectal cancer is the potential discordance between a clinical complete response (cCR) and a pathologic complete response (pCR). In the pre-TNT era, the identification of predictors of pCR after neoadjuvant therapy had been previously studied. However, the last meta-analysis to assess the summative evidence on this important treatment decision point predates the acceptance and dissemination of TNT strategies. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess preoperative predictors of pCR after TNT to guide the ideal selection criteria for WW in the current era. An exhaustive literature review was performed and the electronic databases Embase, Ovid, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cochrane were comprehensively searched up to 27 June 2023. Search terms and their combinations included "rectal neoplasms", "total neoadjuvant therapy", and "pathologic complete response". Only studies in English were included. Randomized clinical trials or prospective/retrospective cohort studies of patients with clinical stage 2 or 3 rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent at least 8 weeks of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in addition to chemoradiotherapy with pCR as a measured study outcome were included. In this systematic review, nine studies were reviewed for characteristics positively or negatively associated with pCR or tumor response after TNT. The results were qualitatively grouped into four categories: (1) biochemical factors; (2) clinical factors; (3) patient demographics; and (4) treatment sequence for TNT. The heterogeneity of studies precluded meta-analysis. The level of evidence was low to very low. There is minimal data to support any clinicopathologic factors that either have a negative or positive relationship to pCR and tumor response after TNT. Additional data from long-term trials using TNT is critical to better inform those considering WW approaches following a cCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Flom
- Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Kurt S Schultz
- Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Haddon J Pantel
- Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Ira L Leeds
- Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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Tanaka MD, Geubels BM, Grotenhuis BA, Marijnen CAM, Peters FP, van der Mierden S, Maas M, Couwenberg AM. Validated Pretreatment Prediction Models for Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Patients with Rectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3945. [PMID: 37568760 PMCID: PMC10417363 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15153945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Pretreatment response prediction is crucial to select those patients with rectal cancer who will benefit from organ preservation strategies following (intensified) neoadjuvant therapy and to avoid unnecessary toxicity in those who will not. The combination of individual predictors in multivariable prediction models might improve predictive accuracy. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize and critically appraise validated pretreatment prediction models (other than radiomics-based models or image-based deep learning models) for response to neoadjuvant therapy in patients with rectal cancer and provide evidence-based recommendations for future research. MEDLINE via Ovid, Embase.com, and Scopus were searched for eligible studies published up to November 2022. A total of 5006 studies were screened and 16 were included for data extraction and risk of bias assessment using Prediction model Risk Of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST). All selected models were unique and grouped into five predictor categories: clinical, combined, genetics, metabolites, and pathology. Studies generally included patients with intermediate or advanced tumor stages who were treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Evaluated outcomes were pathological complete response and pathological tumor response. All studies were considered to have a high risk of bias and none of the models were externally validated in an independent study. Discriminative performances, estimated with the area under the curve (AUC), ranged per predictor category from 0.60 to 0.70 (clinical), 0.78 to 0.81 (combined), 0.66 to 0.91 (genetics), 0.54 to 0.80 (metabolites), and 0.71 to 0.91 (pathology). Model calibration outcomes were reported in five studies. Two collagen feature-based models showed the best predictive performance (AUCs 0.83-0.91 and good calibration). In conclusion, some pretreatment models for response prediction in rectal cancer show encouraging predictive potential but, given the high risk of bias in these studies, their value should be evaluated in future, well-designed studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max D. Tanaka
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara M. Geubels
- Department of Surgery, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Surgery, Catharina Hospital, 5602 ZA Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Brechtje A. Grotenhuis
- Department of Surgery, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Corrie A. M. Marijnen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Femke P. Peters
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stevie van der Mierden
- Scientific Information Service, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Monique Maas
- GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alice M. Couwenberg
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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