Is endoscopic ultrasound examination necessary in the management of esophageal cancer?

Risk of metastasis among patients diagnosed with high-risk T1 esophageal adenocarcinoma who underwent endoscopic follow-up

Esophagectomy and lymphadenectomy have been the standard of care for patients at high risk (HR) of lymph node metastasis following a diagnosis of early esophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) after endoscopic resection (ER). However, recent cohorts suggest lymph node metastasis risk is lower than initially estimated, suggesting organ preservation with close endoscopic follow-up is a viable option. We report on the 3- and 5-year risk of lymph node/distant metastasis among patients diagnosed with early HR-T1 OAC undergoing endoscopic follow-up. Patients diagnosed with HR-T1a or T1b OAC following ER at a tertiary referral center were identified and retrospectively analyzed from clinical records between 2010 and 2021. Patients were included if they underwent endoscopic follow-up after resection and were divided into HR-T1a, low risk (LR)-T1b and HR-T1b cohorts. After ER, 47 patients underwent endoscopic follow-up for early HR OAC. In total, 39 patients had an R0 resection with a combined 3- and 5-year risk of LN/distant metastasis of 6.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.8-25] and 10.9% (95% CI, 3.6-30.2%), respectively. There was no significant difference when stratifying by histopathological subtype (P = 0.64). Among those without persistent luminal disease on follow-up, the 5-year risk was 4.1% (95% CI, 0.6-26.1). Two patients died secondary to OAC with an all-cause 5-year survival of 57.5% (95% CI, 39.5-71.9). The overall risk of LN/distant metastasis for early HR T1 OAC was lower than historically reported. Endoscopic surveillance can be a reasonable approach in highly selected patients with an R0 resection and complete luminal eradication, but clear, evidence-based surveillance guidelines are needed.

Design of risk prediction model for esophageal cancer based on machine learning approach

Background and aim

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a highly prevalent and progressive disease. Early prediction of EC risk in the population is crucial in preventing this disease and enhancing the overall health of individuals. So far, few studies have been conducted on predicting the EC risk based on the prediction models, and most of them focused on statistical methods. The ML approach obtained efficient predictive insights into the clinical domain. Therefore, this study aims to develop a risk prediction model for EC based on risk factors and by leveraging the ML approach to stratify the high-risk EC people and obtain efficient preventive purposes at the community level.

Material and methods

The current retrospective study was performed from 2018 to 2022 in Sari City based on 3256 EC and non-EC cases. The six selected algorithms, including Random Forest (RF), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XG-Boost), Bagging, K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), were used to develop the risk prediction model for EC and achieve the preventive purposes.

Results

Comparing the performance efficiency of algorithms revealed that the XG-Boost model gained the best predictability for EC risk with AU-ROC = 0.92 and AU-ROC-test = 0.889 for internal and validation states, respectively. Based on the XG-Boost, the factors, including sex, drinking hot liquids, fruit consumption, achalasia, and vegetable consumption, were considered the five top predictors of EC risk.

Conclusion

This study showed that the XG-Boost could provide insight into the early prediction of the EC risk for people and clinical providers to stratify the high-risk group of EC and achieve preventive measures based on modifying the risk factors associated with EC and other clinical solutions.

Role of endoscopic ultrasound for pre-intervention evaluation in early esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) stands as an accurate imaging modality for esophageal cancer staging, however utilization of EUS in early-stage cancer management remains controversial. Identification of non-applicability of endoscopic interventions with deep muscular invasion with EUS in pre-intervention evaluation of early-stage esophageal cancer is compared to endoscopic and histologic indicators.

AIM

To display the role of EUS in pre-intervention early esophageal cancer staging and how the index endoscopic features of invasive esophageal malignancy compare for prediction of depth of invasion and cancer management.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent pre-resection EUS after a diagnosis of esophageal cancer at a tertiary medical center from 2012 to 2022. Patient clinical data, initial esophagogastroduodenoscopy/biopsy, EUS, and final resection pathology reports were abstracted, and statistical analysis was conducted to assess the role of EUS in management decisions.

RESULTS

Forty nine patients were identified for this study. EUS T stage was concordant with histological T stage in 75.5% of patients. In determining submucosal involvement (T1a vs T1b), EUS had a specificity of 85.0%, sensitivity of 53.9%, and accuracy of 72.7%. Endoscopic features of tumor size > 2 cm and the presence of esophageal ulceration were significantly associated with deep invasion of cancer on histology. EUS affected management from endoscopic mucosal resection/submucosal dissection to esophagectomy in 23.5% of patients without esophageal ulceration and 6.9% of patients with tumor size < 2 cm. In patients without both endoscopic findings, EUS identified deeper cancer and changed management in 4.8% (1/20) of cases.

CONCLUSION

EUS was reasonably specific in ruling out submucosal invasion but had relatively poor sensitivity. Data validated endoscopic indicators suggested superficial cancers in the group with a tumor size < 2 cm and the lack of esophageal ulceration. In patients with these findings, EUS rarely identified a deep cancer that warranted a change in management.

Imaging Recommendations for Diagnosis, Staging, and Management of Esophageal Cancer

Early staging and treatment initiation affect prognosis of patients with esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancer; hence, it is imperative to have knowledge of proper choice of imaging modality for staging of these patients, to effectively convey relevant imaging findings to the treating physician/surgeon. It is also essential to be aware of pertinent imaging findings that need to be conveyed to the treating physician/surgeon at staging, and after treatment, including post-therapy complications (if any), so as to provide timely management to such patients. In this article, we have provided imaging guidelines for diagnosis, staging, post-therapy response evaluation, follow-up, and assessment of post-therapy complications of esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancer in a systematic manner. Besides, risk factors and clinical workup have also been elucidated. We have also attached comprehensive staging and post-therapy contrast-enhanced computed tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography-based synoptic reporting formats “ECI-RADS” and “pECI-RADS,” respectively, for esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancer in the supplement, for effective communication of imaging findings between a radiologist and the treating physician/surgeon.

Interventional gastroenterology in oncology

Cancer is one of the foremost health problems worldwide and is among the leading causes of death in the United States. Gastrointestinal tract cancers account for almost one third of the cancer-related mortality globally, making it one of the deadliest groups of cancers. Early diagnosis and prompt management are key to preventing cancer-related morbidity and mortality. With advancements in technology and endoscopic techniques, endoscopy has become the core in diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal tract cancers. In this extensive review, the authors discuss the role endoscopy plays in early detection, diagnosis, and management of esophageal, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, ampullary, biliary tract, and small intestinal cancers.

The impact of endoscopic ultrasound on the management and outcome of patients with oesophageal cancer: an update of a systematic review

AIM

To provide an updated systematic review concerning the impact of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in the modern era of oesophageal cancer staging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To update the previous systematic review, databases including MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched and studies published from 2005 onwards were selected. Studies reporting primary data in patients with oesophageal or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer who underwent radiological staging and treatment, regardless of intent, were included. The primary outcome was the reported change in management after EUS. Secondary outcomes were recurrence rate and overall survival. Two reviewers extracted data from included articles. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021231852).

RESULTS

Eighteen studies with 11,836 patients were included comprising 2,805 patients (23.7%) who underwent EUS compared to 9,031 (76.3%) without EUS examination. Reported change of management varied widely from 0% to 56%. When used, EUS fine-needle aspiration precluded curative treatment in 37.5%-71.4%. Overall survival improvements ranged between 121 and 639 days following EUS intervention compared to patients without EUS. Smaller effect sizes were observed in a randomised controlled trial, compared to larger differences reported in observational studies.

CONCLUSION

Current evidence for the effectiveness of EUS in oesophageal cancer pathways is conflicting and of limited quality. In particular, the extent to which EUS adds value to contemporary cross-sectional imaging techniques is unclear and requires formal re-evaluation.

Impact of endoscopic ultrasonography on the accuracy of T staging in esophageal cancer and factors associated with its accuracy: A retrospective study

The sensitivity and specificity of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for esophageal cancer are variable. The aim of the present study was to determine the accuracy of EUS for the T staging of esophageal cancer and to explore the factors that affect the accuracy.This was a retrospective study of patients with esophageal cancer who underwent EUS between January 2018 and September 2019 at the author's hospital. All patients underwent EUS, surgery, and pathological examination. The diagnostic value of ultrasound-based T (uT) staging was evaluated using the pathological T (pT) staging as the gold standard.Finally, 169 patients were included. Among the 169 patients, 37 were overstaged by EUS, 33 were understaged, and 99 were correctly staged. The overall accuracy of EUS was 58.6%. Sensitivity was low, at 0% to 70.8% depending upon the pT stage, but specificity was higher, at 71.0% to 100.0%, also depending upon the pT stage. The multivariable analysis revealed that highly differentiated tumors (odds ratio = 9.167, P = .041) and pT stage ≥T2 (odds ratio = 2.932, P = .004) were independent factors of accurate uT stage.The staging of esophageal cancer using EUS has low sensitivity but high specificity. Highly differentiated tumors and pT stage ≥2 tumors were associated with the accuracy of uT staging.

Paclitaxel plus cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil induction chemotherapy for locally advanced borderline-resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a phase II clinical trial

PURPOSE

This phase II trial aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel in combination with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) induction chemotherapy followed by surgery for locally advanced borderline-resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (BR-ESCC).

METHODS

Patients with primary tumor or bulky lymph nodes that might invade nearby organs were eligible. Treatment started with 2-3 cycles of TPF induction chemotherapy, followed by surgery if the tumor was assessed resectable, or by radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy if unresectable. The primary endpoint was pathologically proven complete resection (R0) rate.

RESULTS

From July 2014 to February 2019, a total of 47 patients were enrolled. After TPF chemotherapy, 27 patients (57.4%) received surgery and 11 patients (23.4%) received radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy. R0 resection was confirmed in 25 patients (53.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 38.9-67.5%). Pathologic complete response was confirmed in four patients (8.5%). The median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for all patients were 33.3 months and 20.3 months, respectively. The median OS was significantly more favorable in surgery group than in chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy alone group [33.3 months vs 14.1 months, hazard ratio 0.32 (95% CI 0.12-0.88), p = 0.027]. During induction chemotherapy, the most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities were neutropenia (29.8%), leucopenia (21.3%) and stomatitis (4.3%). No serious postoperative complications were observed in patients undergoing surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

The treatment strategy of induction chemotherapy followed by surgery is promising for patients with locally advanced BR-ESCC. To further improve the R0 resection rate, more effective induction chemotherapy regimens need to be explored.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02976909.

Initial experience in staging primary oesophageal/gastro-oesophageal cancer with 18F-FDG PET/MRI

BACKGROUND

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (18F-FDG PET/MRI) may improve cancer staging by combining sensitive cancer detection with high-contrast resolution and detail. We compared the diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET/MRI to 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) for staging oesophageal/gastro-oesophageal cancer. Following ethical approval and informed consent, participants with newly diagnosed primary oesophageal/gastro-oesophageal cancer were enrolled. Exclusions included prior/concurrent malignancy. Following 324 ± 28 MBq 18F-FDG administration and 60-min uptake, PET/CT was performed, immediately followed by integrated PET/MRI from skull base to mid-thigh. PET/CT was interpreted by two dual-accredited nuclear medicine physicians and PET/MRI by a dual-accredited nuclear medicine physician/radiologist and cancer radiologist in consensus. Per-participant staging was compared with the tumour board consensus staging using the McNemar test, with statistical significance at 5%.

RESULTS

Out of 26 participants, 22 (20 males; mean ± SD age 68.8 ± 8.7 years) completed 18F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MRI. Compared to the tumour board, the primary tumour was staged concordantly in 55% (12/22) with PET/MRI and 36% (8/22) with PET/CT; the nodal stage was concordant in 45% (10/22) with PET/MRI and 50% (11/22) with PET/CT. There was no statistical difference in PET/CT and PET/MRI staging performance (p > 0.05, for T and N staging). The staging of distant metastases was concordant with the tumour board in 95% (21/22) with both PET/MRI and PET/CT. Of participants with distant metastatic disease, PET/MRI detected additional metastases in 30% (3/10).

CONCLUSION

In this preliminary study, compared to 18F-FDG PET/CT, 18F-FDG PET/MRI showed non-significant higher concordance with T-staging, but no difference with N or M-staging. Additional metastases detected by 18F-FDG PET/MRI may be of additive clinical value.

EUS-guided fiducial marker insertion for radiotherapy in advanced esophageal carcinoma: submucosal insertion may lead to less migration when compared to intratumoral insertion

BACKGROUND

The use of radiotherapy is frequently required in the treatment of locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, the margins of the tumor are often difficult to ascertain on computed tomography. Thus, EUS-guided fiducial marker insertion can aid the localization of the margins of the tumor. However, the optimal technique of the procedure is still uncertain.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of all patients that received EUS-guided fiducial marker insertion between March 2015 and December 2018. All patients suffering from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma scheduled for radiotherapy underwent the procedure within one week of the scheduled appointment. Gold fiducial markers were inserted under EUS guidance either intratumorally or within the submucosa just proximal and distal to the tumor. Outcome parameters included tumor characteristics, early and late migration rates, and tumor response rates.

RESULTS

During the study period, 40 patients were recruited. 10 fiducial markers were placed intratumorally and 30 markers were placed submucosally. When comparing fiducials that were placed in the submucosa versus intratumorally, significantly more fiducials had early (40% vs 0%, RR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.36, 1.00) and late migration (60% vs 0%, RR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.13, 0.84) in the intratumoral group. The submucosal group had significantly more patients intended for curative intent (96.7% vs 70%, RR = 0.34, 95%CI 0.003, 0.361) and more patients with partial and complete response. There was no difference between the gross tumor volume, the clinical target volume, and the total radiation dose.

CONCLUSION

In esophageal carcinomas planned for radiotherapy, fiducial markers placed in the submucosa may lead to less migration.

Correlation between microvessel density (MVD) and multi-spiral CT (MSCT) perfusion parameters of esophageal cancer lesions and the diagnostic value of combined CtBP2 and P16INK4A

Background

This article aims to analyze the correlation between microvessel density (MVD) and multi-spiral CT(MSCT) perfusion parameters of esophageal cancer lesions, and the diagnostic value of combining C-terminal binding protein 2 (CtBP2) and P16 inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 4a (P16^INK4A).

Methods

A total of 42 cases of normal esophageal mucosa tissues >5 cm from the cancer tissue were selected as the control group. The expression levels of CtBP2 and P16^INK4A and the values of MSCT perfusion parameters and MVD were compared in the control group and esophageal cancer group. SP immunohistochemical staining was used to detect protein expression levels of CtBP2 and P16^INK4A. The Pearson method was used to analyze the differences and pertinence of MSCT perfusion parameters and MVD in the control group and esophageal cancer group. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to calculate the diagnostic value of CtBP2 and P16^INK4A combined with MVD and MSCT perfusion parameters in esophageal cancer.

Results

The positive expression rate of P16^INK4A in the esophageal cancer group was significantly lower than that in the control group. The positive expression rates of CtBP2, blood volume (BV), mean transit time (MTT), surface permeability (permeability surface, PS), and MVD values were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in blood flow (BF) value between the 2 groups (P>0.05). The BF value of the tumor invading the fibrous membrane was significantly higher than that of the non-invading fibrous membrane (P<0.05), and the PS and MVD values of the patients with lymph node metastasis were higher than those without lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The MSCT perfusion parameters BF and BV were significantly positively correlated with MVD (P<0.05), while MTT, PS, and MVD were not significantly correlated (P>0.05). ROC results showed that the areas under curve (AUC) of CtBP2, P16^INK4A, and MSCT were 0.625, 0.747, and 0.812, respectively. However, the area under the combined detection curve was larger, at 0.869.

Conclusions

MSCT perfusion imaging of esophageal cancer lesions can indirectly reflect the angiogenesis of esophageal cancer, and the combination of CtBP2 and P16^INK4A can effectively improve the diagnostic efficiency of the disease.

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.

Narrative review of the role of gastroenterologist in the diagnosis, treatment and palliation in gastric and gastroesophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC) carry a high mortality rate. Unfortunately, a majority of patients are asymptomatic and at the time of diagnosis, the disease may invariably be in its advanced stages with limited curative options. Thus, it is imperative to recognize certain risk factors including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), male gender, pre-existing Barrett’s esophagus, smoking history, obesity, Helicobacter pylori infection, atrophic gastritis among others for both EC and GC, intervene on time with screening and surveillance modalities if indicated and optimize treatment plans. With advances in endoscopic techniques, early neoplastic lesions are increasingly managed by gastroenterologists, offering an alternative to surgery. The gold standard for diagnosis of EC and GC is high definition endoscopy with adequate targeted biopsies. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a key in the staging of early cancers dictating the pathway for treatment options. We also play a key role in palliation cases with the aim to reduce the symptoms like nausea, vomiting and even when possible, restore oral intake and improve nutrition in both advanced GC and EC. This review article discusses the risk factors, diagnostic and endoscopic treatment modalities of early EC and GC and palliation of advanced cancer where gastroenterologists play a key role.

Role of Imaging in Esophageal Cancer Management in 2020: Update for Radiologists

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of imaging in the management of esophageal cancer. CONCLUSION. A multimodality-based approach to imaging is essential in clinical practice to achieve the best possible outcome for patients with esophageal cancer. Radiologists must be aware of the strengths and limitations of different imaging modalities in various clinical settings. The role of a radiologist is to combine information from anatomic and functional imaging, assess metastatic disease and changes in the primary tumor during treatment, and identify anatomic complications after treatment.

Indications, contraindications and limitations of endoscopic therapy for Barrett's esophagus and early esophageal adenocarcinoma

Endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) has revolutionized management of Barrett's esophagus (BE)-associated neoplasia, traditionally treated by esophagectomy, which carries very high mortality and morbidity. EET, usually performed in the outpatient setting, has a safe risk profile. It is indicated in patients with BE with high-grade dysplasia and intramucosal cancer, confirmed, and persistent low-grade dysplasia, and in highly selected cases of non-dysplastic BE and submucosal cancers. Multiple EET modalities are available and can be categorized into two groups: ablation therapies and resection techniques with resection techniques usually reserved for nodular/raised lesions or lesions with suspected neoplasia. Patients usually require multiple ablation sessions with a goal of achieving complete eradication of metaplasia. Despite very good results, EET has its limitations and is not 100% effective: it targets a small subset of patients along the spectrum of BE and esophageal adenocarcinoma, as most patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma remain asymptomatic until the disease has progressed to advanced stages. Post-ablation surveillance is mandatory, as recurrences are common. An area of concern is buried metaplasia reported to occur following ablation therapy and thought to be from de novo growth of metaplastic tissue underneath the neosquamous epithelium, following ablation. The focus of this review article is to present the indications, contraindications and limitations of EET.

Clinical impact of FDG PET/CT in alimentary tract malignancies: an updated review

The use of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) is well established in the evaluation of alimentary tract malignancies. This review of the literature and demonstration of correlative images focuses on the current role of PET/CT in the diagnosis (including pathologic/clinical staging) and post-therapy follow-up of esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers. PET/CT provides utility in the management of esophageal cancer, including detection of distant disease prior to resection. In gastric cancer, PET/CT is useful in detecting solid organ metastases and in characterizing responders vs. non-responders after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the latter of which have poorer overall survival. In patients with GIST tumors, PET/CT also determines response to imatinib therapy with greater expedience as compared to CECT. For colorectal cancer, PET/CT has proven helpful in detecting hepatic and other distant metastases, treatment response, and differentiating post-radiation changes from tumor recurrence. Our review also highlights several pitfalls in PET/CT interpretation of alimentary tract lesions.

Endoscopic Ultrasound Stagingof Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer has increased in incidence over the last several decades and is now the sixth leading cause of all cancer deaths, with more than 500,000 deaths in 2018. The 2 most common types of esophageal cancer, squamous cell cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma, make up nearly 95% of diagnoses. Based on the global distribution of these histologic types, esophageal adenocarcinoma is more common in the United States while squamous cell cancer is more common throughout the world. For both the squamous cell cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma variants of esophageal cancer, the most important step in determining prognosis and survival is accurate staging. Endoscopy, computed tomography, whole-body positron emission tomography with 18-fluorodeoxyglucose, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) all have important roles in the diagnosis and staging of esophageal cancer. EUS is key for locoregional staging and guides treatment planning of esophageal cancer in the absence of distant metastases. EUS has been shown to improve survival across various stages of esophageal cancer and to have a positive financial impact in cost-effectiveness analyses. This article describes current EUS technology and the role of EUS in esophageal cancer staging, as well as the applications, challenges, and limitations of EUS in the management of this disease.

Reliability of clinical nodal status regarding response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy compared with surgery alone and prognosis in esophageal cancer patients

Background: Clinical nodal (cN) staging is a key element in treatment decisions in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). The reliability of cN status regarding the effect on response and survival after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) with esophagectomy was evaluated in determining the up- and downstaged pathological nodal (pN) status after surgery alone. Material and methods: From a prospective database, we included all 395 EC patients who had surgery with curative intent with or without nCRT between 2000 and 2015. All patients were staged by a standard pretreatment protocol: 16-64 mdCT, 18 F-FDG-PET or 18 F-FDG-PET/CT and EUS ± FNA. After propensity score matching on baseline clinical tumor and nodal (cT/N) stage and histopathology, a surgery-alone and nCRT group (each N = 135) were formed. Clinical and pathological N stage was scored as equal (cN = pN), downstaged (cN > pN) or upstaged (cN < pN). Prognostic impact on disease free survival (DFS) was assessed with multivariable Cox regression analysis (factors with p value <.1 on univariable analysis). Results: The surgery-alone and nCRT group did not differ in cT/N status. Pathologic examination revealed equal staging (32 vs. 27%), nodal up (43 vs. 16%) and downstaging (25 vs. 56%), respectively (p < .001). Nodal up-staging was common in cT3-4a tumors and adenocarcinomas in the surgery-alone group, while nodal downstaging was found in half of cT1-2 and cT3-4 regardless of tumortype after nCRT. Prognostic factors for DFS were pN (p = .002) and lymph-angioinvasion (p = .016) in surgery-alone, and upper abdominal cN metastases (p = .012) and lymph node ratio (p = .034) in the nCRT group. Conclusions: Despite modern staging methods, correct cN staging remains difficult in EC. Nodal overstaging (cN > pN) occurred more often than understaging impeding an adequate assessment of pathologic complete response and prognosis after nCRT.

Cutaneous Metastasis from Visceral Organs: 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Scan Aiding in Localizing Primary Site

Skin metastases are rare from systemic malignancy, and incidence reported is between 0.7% and 9% in various malignancies and usually occur in advanced stage. Here, we report three cases, one each of carcinoma esophagus, carcinoma breast, and carcinoma lung, where patients presented with metastatic cutaneous lesions and positron-emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan whole body helped in localizing the primary site. Whole-body fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT scan helps in scanning whole body at once and detect occult primary and metastatic sites.

Thalidomide combined with chemo-radiotherapy for treating esophageal cancer: A randomized controlled study

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficiency and safety of a combination of thalidomide and chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) for treating esophageal cancer (EC). Eligible patients received two cycles of chemotherapy using paclitaxel liposome and cisplatin concurrently with three-dimensional radiotherapy. Following radiotherapy, two cycles of maintenance chemotherapy were performed. Patients with elevation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) during radiotherapy were randomly divided into: i) a test group (n=31), who received a combination of CRT and thalidomide; and ii) a control group (n=30), who received CRT only. Patients with locally advanced EC in the test group demonstrated a significantly improved 3-year overall survival (OS) rate, progression-free survival (PFS) rate, local control and median PFS time compared with the control group (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage was associated with the OS time, while TNM stage and the residence of cancer cells following radiotherapy were associated with PFS time. The present data indicate that thalidomide contributes to an improvement of prognosis for patients with locally advanced EC with elevated serum VEGF levels during radiotherapy. In addition, the toxicities induced by thalidomide were demonstrated to be tolerable.

18F-FDG-PET/MRI in preoperative staging of oesophageal and gastroesophageal junctional cancer

AIM

To evaluate integrated 2-[¹⁸F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in comparison with the standard technique, integrated ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT), in preoperative staging of oesophageal or gastroesophageal junctional cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the preoperative staging of 16 patients with oesophageal or gastroesophageal junctional cancer, ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/MRI was performed immediately following the clinically indicated ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT. MRI-sequences included T1-weighted fat-water separation (Dixon's technique), T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and gadolinium contrast-enhanced T1-weighted three-dimensional (3D) imaging. PET was performed with ¹⁸F-FDG. Two separate teams of radiologists conducted structured blinded readings of ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/MRI or ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT, which were then compared regarding tumour measurements and characteristics as well as assessment of inter-rater agreement (Cohen's kappa) for the clinical tumour, nodal and metastatic (TNM) stage.

RESULTS

There were no medical complications. Comparison of tumour measurements revealed high correlations without significant differences between modalities. The maximum standardised uptake value (SUV_max) values of the primary tumour with ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/MRI had excellent correlation to those of ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT (0.912, Spearman's rho). Inter-rater agreement between the techniques regarding T-stage was only fair (Cohen's kappa, 0.333), arguably owing to relative over-classification of the T-stage using ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT. Agreements in the assessment of N- and M-stage were substantial (Cohen's kappa, 0.849 and 0.871 respectively).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative staging with ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/MRI is safe and promising with the potential to enhance tissue resolution in the area of interest. ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/MRI and ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT correlated well for most of the measured values and discrepancies were seen mainly in the assessment of the T-stage. These results facilitate further studies investigating the role of ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/MRI in, e.g., predicting or determining the response to neoadjuvant therapy.

Clinical Evaluation of Javanica Oil Emulsion Injection Combined with the Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Esophageal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives: This meta-analysis aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of Javanica oil emulsion injection (JOEI) combined with the radiotherapy (RT) for treating esophageal cancer (EC). Design: A literature search was conducted for collecting the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on EC treated by JOEI in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed), the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, the China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and the Wanfang Database from inception to February 4, 2017. The quality of the RCTs was evaluated by the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool, and objective remission rate, performance status, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), 1-year survival rate, and 2-year survival rate were analyzed by Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 13.0 software. Results: A total of 11 RCTs with 909 participants were involved in this meta-analysis. The results showed that in comparison with RT alone, the JOEI combined with RT was associated with the better effects on improving objective remission rate (relative risk [RR] = 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI 1.17-1.52], Z = 4.44, p < 0.00001), performance status (RR = 1.52, 95% CI [1.25-1.85], Z = 4.24, p < 0.00001), 1-year survival rate (RR = 1.37, 95% CI [1.17-1.60], Z = 3.86, p < 0.0001), and 2-year survival rate (RR = 1.36, 95% CI [1.09-1.70], Z = 2.68, p = 0.007). The differences between the two groups in objective remission rate, performance status, 1-year survival rate, and 2-year survival rate were statistically significant. Besides, the JOEI combined with RT could reduce the incidence of ADRs. Specifically, the statistically significant difference was detected between these two groups about leukopenia (RR = 0.39, 95% CI [0.25-0.61], Z = 4.19, p < 0.0001), radiation esophagitis (RR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.50-0.93], Z = 2.42, p = 0.02), thrombocytopenia (RR = 0.92, 95% CI [0.12-0.66], Z = 2.95, p = 0.003), and hemoglobin reduction (RR = 0.53, 95% CI [0.35-0.79], Z = 3.14, p = 0.002); however, there was no statistically significant difference for the outcome of nausea and vomiting (RR = 0.61, 95% CI [0.36-1.03], Z = 1.85, p = 0.06) between two groups. Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicated that the combination of JOEI and RT was associated with the more beneficial treatment for patients with EC compared with only receiving RT. However, more well-designed and multicenter RCTs should be carried out to confirm this finding because of the limitations of enrolled 11 RCTs.

Impact of postoperative TNM stages after neoadjuvant therapy on prognosis of adenocarcinoma of the gastro-oesophageal junction tumours

AIM

To compare prognostic relevance of postoperative tumour/node/metastasis (TMN) stages between patients with and without neoadjuvant treatment.

METHODS

Data from patients with adenocarcinoma of the gastro-oesophageal junction (AEG) who had undergone surgical resection at a single German university centre were retrospectively analysed. Patients with or without neoadjuvant preoperative treatment were selected by exact matching based on preoperative staging. Standard assessment of preoperative (c)TNM stage was based on endoscopic ultrasound and computed tomography of the thorax and abdomen, according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control classification system. Patients with cT1cN0cM0 and cT2cN0cM0 stages were excluded from the study, as these patients are generally not recommended for pretreatment. Long-term survival among the various postoperative TNM stages was compared between the groups of patients with or without neoadjuvant treatment. For statistical assessments, a P-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

The study included a total of 174 patients. The group of patients who had received preoperative neoadjuvant treatment included more cases of AEG (Siewert) type 1 carcinoma (P < 0.001), and consequently oesophagectomy was performed more frequently among these patients (P < 0.001). The two groups (with or without preoperative neoadjuvant treatment) had comparable preoperative T stages, but the group of patients with preoperative neoadjuvant treatment presented a higher rate of preoperative N-positive disease (P = 0.020). Overall long-term survival was not different between the two groups of patients according to tumours of different AEG classifications, receipt of oesophagectomy or gastrectomy, nor between patients with similar postoperative TNM stage, resection margin and grading. However, an improvement of long-term survival was found for patients with nodal down-staging after neoadjuvant therapy (P = 0.053).

CONCLUSION

The prognostic relevance of postoperative TNM stages is similar for AEG in patients with or without neoadjuvant preoperative treatment, but treatment-related nodal down-staging prognosticates longer-term survival.

Surgical vs Endoscopic Management of T1 Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: A Modeling Decision Analysis

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Although treatment of T1a esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is shifting from esophagectomy to endoscopic therapy, T1b EACs are considered too high risk to be treated endoscopically. We investigated the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of esophagectomy vs endoscopic therapy for T1a and T1b EACs, and the effects of age and comorbidities, using a decision analytic Markov model.

METHODS

We developed a model to simulate a hypothetical cohort of men 75 years old with Charlson comorbidity index scores of 0 and either T1aN0M0 or T1bN0M0 EAC, as a base case. We used the model to compare the effects of esophagectomy vs serial endoscopic therapy. We performed sensitivity analyses based on age at diagnosis of 60-85 years, comorbidity indices of 0-2, and utilities. Post-procedure cancer-specific mortality was derived from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare database.

RESULTS

In the T1a base case, esophagectomy yielded more unadjusted life years than endoscopic therapy (6.97 vs 6.81), but fewer quality-adjusted life years (QALYs, 4.95 for esophagectomy vs 5.22 for endoscopic therapy). In the T1b base case, esophagectomy yielded more unadjusted life years than endoscopic therapy (5.73 vs 5.01) and QALYs (4.07 vs 3.85 for endoscopic therapy), but was not cost effective (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio $156,981). Sensitivity analyses showed endoscopic therapy optimized QALYs for patients more than 80 years old with a comorbidity index of 1 or 2, or if the ratio of post-esophagectomy to post-endoscopic therapy utilities was below 0.875.

CONCLUSION

In a Markov model, we showed that endoscopic therapy of T1a EAC yields more QALYs and is more cost effective than esophagectomy for patients of all ages and comorbidity indices tested. In contrast, selection of therapy for T1b EAC depends on age and comorbidities, due to surgical mortality and the competing risk of non-cancer death.

Simvastatin inhibits the development of radioresistant esophageal cancer cells by increasing the radiosensitivity and reversing EMT process via the PTEN-PI3K/AKT pathway

Acquired radioresistance compromises the efficacy of radiotherapy for carcinomas including esophageal cancer (EC), thus resulting in recurrence and poor survival. Recent research corroborated radiosensitive function of simvastatin in stem-like breast cancer cells. However, its role in EC radioresistance remains poorly elucidated. Here, we developed a radioresistant EC cell line Ec9706-R with higher resistance to irradiation relative to control Ec9706 cells. Intriguingly, Ec9706-R cells exhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) characteristics with high invasion and migration ability. Simvastatin sensitized radioresistance of Ec9706-R cells and suppressed cell proliferation, but aggravated radiation-induced apoptosis and caspase-3 activity. Furthermore, simvastatin reversed EMT and inhibited cell invasion and migration of Ec9706-R cells. Mechanism assay confirmed the activation of PI3K/AKT pathway after radiation, which was inhibited by simvastatin. After restoring this pathway by its activator, IGF-1, simvastatin-mediated radiosensitivity and EMT reversion were abrogated. Further assay substantiated the PTEN suppression after irradiation, which was elevated following simvastatin pre-treatment. Moreover, PTEN cessation attenuated the inhibitory effect of simvastatin on PI3K/AKT activation, and subsequently antagonized simvastatin-induced radiosensitivity and EMT reversion. Additionally, simvastatin aggravated radiation-mediated Ec9706-R tumor growth inhibition. Together, simvastatin inhibits the development of Ec9706-R cells by increasing radiosensitivity and reversing EMT via PTEN-PI3K/AKT pathway, implying a promising strategy against EC radioresistance.

Comparison of endoscopic ultrasonography and magnifying endoscopy for assessment of the invasion depth of shallow gastrointestinal neoplasms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To conduct a meta-analysis to provide accurate evidence regarding the preferred diagnostic method, magnifying endoscopy (ME) or endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), for assessment of the depth of invasion of the gastrointestinal neoplasms.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid Medline, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies published between January 1946 and October 2016, regarding the use of EUS and ME to assess the invasion depth of gastrointestinal cancers. The quality of diagnostic studies was evaluated using the QUADAS2 instrument. The Meta-DiSc software (version 1.4) was used for meta-analysis of the pooled data regarding the diagnostic accuracy of EUS and ME of the invasion depth of gastrointestinal neoplasms.

RESULTS

Our meta-analysis included the data of 754 patients with gastrointestinal cancers contributed by seven prospective studies. All studies were of high quality (QUADAS2). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) planes were not observed in shoulder and arm forms for either EUS or ME, with Spearman's correlation coefficients of -0.821 and 0.234 for EUS and ME, respectively. The p values of the diagnostic odds ratio for EUS and ME were 0.0038 and 0.0131, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of EUS for the diagnosis of the depth of invasion of gastrointestinal cancers were 0.75 (95% CI 0.69-0.81) and 0.84 (95% CI 0.79-0.88), respectively. In comparison, the sensitivity and specificity for ME were 0.74 (95% CI 0.67-0.69) and 0.85 (95% CI 0.80-0.89), respectively. The values of area under the summary ROC (SROC) curves for EUS and ME were 0.8499 and 0.8757, respectively, with a non-significant Z value between EUS and MR (0.296 < 1.96).

CONCLUSIONS

Both EUS and ME provide a comparable performance for judging the depth of invasion of gastrointestinal neoplasms. However, there is heterogeneity between studies contributed by non-threshold effects.