Indian Council of Medical Research consensus document for the management of gastric cancer

Impact of pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical D2 dissection in locally advanced gastric cancers: Analysis of 1001 cases

BACKGROUND

Advances in perioperative chemotherapy have improved outcomes in patients with gastric cancers (GC). This strategy leads to tumour downstaging and may result in a pathologic complete response (pCR). The study aimed to evaluate the predictors of pCR and determine the impact of pCR on long-term survival.

METHODS

At the Department of Gastrointestinal and HPB Oncology at the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, 1001 consecutive patients with locally advanced GCs undergoing radical resection following neoadjuvant chemotherapy from January 2005 to June 2022 were included.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up of 61 months, the median OS was 53 months with a 5-year OS of 46.8 %. Ninety-five patients (9.49 %) realized pCR. Non-signet and well-differentiated histology were associated with pCR. pCR was significantly associated with improved OS, 5-year OS 79.2 % vs 43.2 % (HR 0.30, p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, the realization of pCR and completion of adjuvant chemotherapy had superior OS. Whereas, signet-ring histology, linitis-like tumours, and high lymph node ratio had adverse outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Tumour grade and signet-ring histology predict achievement of pCR in locally advanced GCs after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with pCR have significantly improved survival. Future neoadjuvant strategies should focus on enhancing pCR rates to improve overall outcomes.

Role of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Carcinoma Stomach: An Analysis of the Short-Term Outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in carcinoma stomach was introduced in an effort to eliminate micro-metastasis and to improve resectablity before surgery which improves R0 resection rates. We aimed to study the short term outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage and the operative outcomes including R0 resection rate in locally advanced gastric cancer.

METHODS

We prospectively included patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma stomach staged by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in our study. Patients in Group I were started on neoadjuvant chemotherapy (epirubicin, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine). Surgery was done following response assessment CECT. Patients in Group II underwent upfront surgery. We assessed R0 resection rate, number of harvested and metastatic lymph nodes, lymph node ratio, duration of surgery, blood loss, hospital stay and complications between two groups. Response to NACT was assessed in Group I.

RESULTS

Out of 47 patients who received NACT, two patients had complete response (4.2%), 13 had partial response (27.7%), 10 had stable disease (21.3%) and 22 patients had progressive disease (46.8%). We found no significant difference in the rate of R0 resection between the two groups (88.2% in NACT group vs 85.1% in surgery group, P=0.55).

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of R0 resection does not significantly improve with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In view of high progression rates, patient selection is required when NACT is planned in carcinoma stomach which are surgically resectable at presentation. We await survival analysis to further validate the role of NACT.

Does Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Increase the Survival in Patients with Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients? – A Real‑World Evidence

Background: In locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC), perioperative chemotherapy has shown to improve the survival to a larger extent compared to surgery alone. In India, the treatment followed for gastric carcinoma widely varies based on the type of health-care provider and treatment access. There is a paucity of data on the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on survival among LAGC patients in the Indian context. Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) between neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapies among LAGC patients. Subjects and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study involving clinical record review of LAGC patients enrolled between 2015 and 2017 from four tertiary cancer centers in South India. The date for the following events, namely diagnosis, recurrence, death, and last day of visit, was extracted in a mobile-based open-access tool. The median duration of OS and DFS between the neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups was compared using Kaplan–Meier survival curves. Results: Of the 137 patients, 70 (51%) had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and 67 (49%) had adjuvant chemotherapy following the surgery. The mean (standard deviation) age of participants was 55.4 (11.4) years. Seventy-eight percent of the patients were diagnosed at Stage 3 or 4. Regional lymph nodes were involved in 83.9%. The median duration of follow-up was 15 months. The OS in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups was 18.6 months and 8.3 months, respectively. Nonregional lymph node involvement and adjacent organ involvement had independently increased the risk of death. Conclusion: Among LAGC patients, the neoadjuvant chemotherapy indicated a better median and DFS compared to the adjuvant group. However, these findings were statistically not significant. The current study has contributed an important finding to the existing evidences of clinical practice in an Indian setting. Further large-scale studies are required to validate the promising trend of using neoadjuvant chemotherapy in LAGC.

Immunohistochemical Expression of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) and p53 in Gastric Adenocarcinoma: A Pilot Study from Northern India

INTRODUCTION

After the recent approval of Trastuzumab (anti-HER2 antibody) for the treatment of HER2 overexpressed Gastric Adenocarcinoma (GA), importance of HER2 testing is increasingly recognized. However, there is paucity of studies for HER2 overexpression in the Indian patients of GA. Similarly, study of p53 expression in the Indian patients of GA is infrequent.

AIM

To study immunohistochemical expression of HER2 and p53 in GA biopsy samples.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional observational study. The expression of HER2 and p53 by immunohistochemistry were analyzed in 50 cases of GA. The HER2 expression was scored as negative (0 and 1+), equivocal (2+), and overexpression (3+). The p53 expression was quantified as negative (0-9% tumour cells) and positive (≥10% tumour cells). The intensity of p53 expression was assessed as strong and weak.

RESULTS

Mean age of the patients was 56.8±14.8 years. Male:female ratio was 2:1. Histological types of adenocarcinoma were intestinal (68%), diffuse (28%), and indeterminate (4%). HER2 overexpression and equivocal results were present in 10% cases, each. Overall, a positive expression of p53 was seen in 72% (strong and weak intensities: 66.7% and 33.3% cases, respectively).

CONCLUSION

As compared to HER2 overexpression, a higher incidence of p53 expression was seen (10% vs.72%) in GA.

Surgical Outcomes Associated with Operable Gastric Cancer in a Tertiary Care Indian Hospital

Purpose

Data on operable gastric cancer from India is sparse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical details, histopathological demographics, and 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) associated with operable, non-metastatic gastric cancer in a dedicated upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgical unit in India.

Materials and Methods

Data for patients diagnosed with operable gastric cancer between January 2006 and December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Data were collected from electronic hospital records in addition to mail and telephonic interviews when possible.

Results

A total of 427 patients were included. The tumor was located in the pyloro-antral region in 263 patients (61.7%). Subtotal gastrectomy was performed in 291 patients and total gastrectomy in 136 patients. Tumor stage classification revealed 43 patients (10.0%) with stage I, 40 patients (9.4%) with stage IIA, 59 patients (13.9%) with stage IIB, 76 patients (17.8%) with stage IIIA, 96 patients (22.5%) with stage IIIB, and 113 patients (26.4%) with stage IIIC disease. Follow-up data were available for 71.6% of the patients with a mean duration of 32.4 months. Five-year DFS and OS were 39% and 59%, respectively.

Conclusions

Despite presenting at an advanced stage, the 5-year DFS and OS of patients with operable gastric cancer treated at a dedicated upper GI unit of a tertiary care center in India was good.

Global cancer surgery: delivering safe, affordable, and timely cancer surgery

Surgery is essential for global cancer care in all resource settings. Of the 15.2 million new cases of cancer in 2015, over 80% of cases will need surgery, some several times. By 2030, we estimate that annually 45 million surgical procedures will be needed worldwide. Yet, less than 25% of patients with cancer worldwide actually get safe, affordable, or timely surgery. This Commission on global cancer surgery, building on Global Surgery 2030, has examined the state of global cancer surgery through an analysis of the burden of surgical disease and breadth of cancer surgery, economics and financing, factors for strengthening surgical systems for cancer with multiple-country studies, the research agenda, and the political factors that frame policy making in this area. We found wide equity and economic gaps in global cancer surgery. Many patients throughout the world do not have access to cancer surgery, and the failure to train more cancer surgeons and strengthen systems could result in as much as US $6.2 trillion in lost cumulative gross domestic product by 2030. Many of the key adjunct treatment modalities for cancer surgery--e.g., pathology and imaging--are also inadequate. Our analysis identified substantial issues, but also highlights solutions and innovations. Issues of access, a paucity of investment in public surgical systems, low investment in research, and training and education gaps are remarkably widespread. Solutions include better regulated public systems, international partnerships, super-centralisation of surgical services, novel surgical clinical trials, and new approaches to improve quality and scale up cancer surgical systems through education and training. Our key messages are directed at many global stakeholders, but the central message is that to deliver safe, affordable, and timely cancer surgery to all, surgery must be at the heart of global and national cancer control planning.

Investigation of the potential role of preoperative chemotherapy in treatment for gastric cancer with outlet obstruction

Preoperative chemotherapy is currently recognized as the recommended treatment for advanced gastric cancer. Whether there is a role of preoperative chemotherapy in the treatment for advanced gastric cancer with gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) is unknown. In order to explore the potential feasibility of preoperative chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer with GOO, and to encourage the probe into optimal treatment strategies for advanced gastric cancer with GOO in the current era of preoperative chemotherapy prevailing, a systematic literature search was conducted with a multistage process. The characteristics of the retrieved publications were summarized and the essential information was extracted. Only 11 studies associated with preoperative chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer with GOO were identified. Among them, 9 were case reports, while the other 2 were research reports of retrospective studies. None were of prospective studies. The paucity of the literature in this field is a marked finding of the present study, which reports the emerging attempts at preoperative chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer patients with GOO, as no high-quality data are available. The definite role of chemotherapy as an initial treatment for advanced gastric cancer patients with GOO remains unclear. Clinical trials are expected to be conducted in order to explore the feasibility, safety and efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer patients with GOO.