Need to restage Korean melanoma patients following publication of the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual

Background: The tumor, nodes and metastasis (TNM) classification and stage grouping have been updated in the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) melanoma staging manual. However, restaging all the previous cases are not recommended. Aims: The aims of the study were to investigate the necessity of restaging Korean melanoma patients staged by the previous edition of the AJCC manual. Methods: Differences in the staging criteria of the 7th and 8th editions of the AJCC manual were identified. The staging of 276 primary melanomas from January 2011 to December 2018 was classified by both 7th and 8th editions of the manual and their differences were compared. Results: Staging by 7th and 8th edition of the AJCC manual differed in 64 cases (23.2%). The pathological prognostic staging changed in 35 (12.7%), and 29 (10.5%) had changes in only TNM classification but not the pathological staging. None of the patients needed additional sentinel lymph node biopsy or systemic treatment as a result of restaging. Additional counseling was needed for the patients, because melanoma-specific survival was increased in the 8th edition. Limitations: This is a retrospective study with relatively small number of patients at a single tertiary center in Korea. Conclusion: Assessment of the need for additional sentinel lymph node biopsy or systemic treatment is recommended because of the latest changes in the AJCC melanoma staging manual. Although the restaging of previously staged melanomas is not significantly needed in our patients, still the differences in TNM classification and/or pathological prognostic staging suggest the need to separately recognize the patients previously staged by 7th edition and recently staged by 8th edition. Careful counseling about melanoma-specific survival is needed for Asian patients

Prognostic analysis of oral cancer based on deep learning / 口腔疾病防治

@#TNM（tumor node metastasis）classification is a common way to evaluate the prognosis of patients with oral cancer; however, many years of application have proven this method to be confined merely in clinical and pathological data and it cannot be adapted to the development of modern medicine. Deep learning (DL) has been widely used in various aspects of human life, has advantages for conducting efficient and intelligent searches and can explore and analyze substantial medical information well. Additionally, the application of DL to medical practice is quickly increasing. In the field of oral cancer prognosis, DL can efficiently process and analyze the pathological, radiographic and molecular data of oral cancer patients represented by lymphocytes, gray level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) and gene maps and make accurate prognostic judgments accordingly. By assisting physicians in optimizing treatment plans, DL can effectively improve patients’ survival. Although DL lacks sufficient data and practical clinical application in prognostic studies, it has shown good clinical application prospects.

Clinical staging and prognostic risk factors for ocular adnexal lymphoma / 中华实验眼科杂志

Objective:To evaluate the influence of the clinical staging and different risk factors for the prognosis of ocular adnexal lymphoma.Methods:An ambispective cohort study was conducted.Seventy-four patients diagnosed with primary ocular adnexal lymphoma by pathology at Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital from November 2010 to December 2018 were enrolled.TNM staging was performed according to local tumor extent, lymph node or systemic involvement.Ann Arbor staging was carried out according to lymph node involvement and extranodal extension.The pathological subtype was classified according to World Health Organization classification of lymphoma.The outcome of disease progression or death was analyzed.Kaplan-Meier method was used for univariate survival analysis.Cox proportional hazard model was employed for multivariate survival analysis to predict the risk factors affecting prognosis, hazard ratio ( HR) and 95% confidence interval ( CI) were estimated.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee of Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital (No.2021KY[L]-32). Written informed consent was obtained from all patients before entering the cohort. Results:For TNM staging, there were 68 cases in stage <T4, accounting for 91.9%, 6 cases in T4, accounting for 8.1%, 71 cases in N0, accounting for 95.9%, 3 cases in ≥N1, accounting for 4.1%, and no case was in stage M. For Ann Arbor staging, there were 72 cases in stage ⅠE, accounting for 97.3%, and 2 cases in stage ⅡE, accounting for 2.7%.As for pathological classification, 64 cases had mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, accounting for 86.5% and 10 cases had non-MALT lymphoma, accounting for 13.5%.The follow-up of the patients was 3 to 117 months, with a median follow-up of 53 months.There were 6 cases dying of disease and 19 cases progressed.The 3-year and 5-year overall survival rates were 96.6% and 86.6%, respectively.The 3-year and 5-year progression-free survival rates were 75.6% and 65.9%, respectively.According to single-factor analysis, T4 stage, non-MALT type and Ki67 positive rate ≥10% were related to declined overall survival rate ( P<0.05). T4 stage, ≥N1 stage, ≥Ann Arbor Ⅱ stage, non-MALT type and Ki67 positive rate ≥10% were related to declined progression-free survival rate ( P<0.05). According to multiple-factor analysis, pathological type ( HR=33.193, 95% CI: 3.388-325.156, P=0.003) was the independent risk factor for overall survival rate.N stage ( HR=11.683, 95% CI: 2.720-50.173, P=0.001) and pathological type ( HR=11.337, 95% CI: 3.841-33.464, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for progression-free survival rate. Conclusions:TNM staging and pathological type are important clinical prognostic indicators for ocular adnexal lymphoma.Patients with high TNM stage or non-MALT lymphoma should be monitored closely.

Cirugía de urgencia en pacientes con cáncer de colon complicado en Hospital Universitario "General Calixto García" / Emergency Surgery in Patients with Complicated Colon Cancer at General Calixto García University Hospital

Introducción: El cáncer de colon mantiene un importante impacto social y una alta morbilidad a pesar de programas de detección precoz existentes. Ocupa el cuarto lugar entre los tumores malignos y un número importante de pacientes son operados de urgencia por las complicaciones de esta enfermedad, muchas veces desconocida hasta el momento de la cirugía. Objetivo: Caracterizar la cirugía de urgencia realizada a los pacientes con diagnóstico de cáncer de colon complicado. Método: Se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo, de corte transversal entre enero de 2014 y diciembre de 2016, en el Servicio de Cirugía General. La muestra fue de 96 pacientes portadores de esta entidad en el Hospital Universitario "General Calixto García". Resultados: Se analizó la incidencia según sexo, relación sexo/localización, relación localización/complicación, estadificación y mortalidad. Prevalecieron los tumores de colon en el sexo femenino y por ende fueron más frecuente las pacientes con complicaciones quirúrgicas por esta entidad en nuestro centro. Predominó la localización derecha globalmente, con predominio femenino. La oclusión intestinal fue la complicación más frecuente. Sobresalió el estadio II según TNM con un 37,5 por ciento y una mortalidad postoperatoria del 31 por ciento. Conclusiones: Nuestros datos coinciden con la tendencia nacional sobre la mayor incidencia del cáncer de colon en pacientes femeninas, son estas las que mayor tasa de morbilidad y mortalidad reportan. Seguir perfeccionando el programa de prevención y detección temprana de la entidad y su tratamiento oportuno causará la reducción de los índices que hoy se exhiben(AU)

Introduction: Colon cancer still has an important social impact and high morbidity despite existing early detection programs. It ranks fourth among malignant tumors, while a significant number of patients undergo emergency surgery for complications of this disease, many times unknown until the time of surgery. Objective: To characterize the emergency surgery performed to patients with a diagnosis of complicated colon cancer. Method: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out, between January 2014 and December 2016, in the general surgery service. The sample consisted of 96 patients with this entity and from General Calixto García University Hospital. Results: The incidence was analyzed according to sex, sex/location relationship, location/complication relationship, staging and mortality. Colon tumors prevailed in the female sex and, therefore, patients with surgical complications from this entity were more frequent in our center. There right location predominated globally, with a predominance in the female sex. Intestinal obstruction was the most frequent complication. Stage two, according to the TNM classification, stood out, accounting for 37.5 percent, together with a postoperative mortality of 31 percent. Conclusions: Our data coincide with the national trend on the highest incidence of colon cancer in female patients, who account for the highest morbidity and mortality rates. Continuing to improve the entity's prevention and early detection program, as well as its timely treatment, will bring about a reduction in the rates nowadays reported(AU)

Validation of the UICC eighth edition of the TNM classification for lung cancer / 中国肿瘤临床

Objective: To evaluate the 8th edition of the TNM classification in an independent cohort of Chinese lung cancer patients. Methods: Using the UICC 7th and 8th editions of the TNM classification, we retrospectively analyzed 3,825 Chinese patients who were diagnosed with stage to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and received surgical treatment. A survival analysis of each subgroup was carried out using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the differences between subgroups. Results: In total, 906 (23.7%) patients were redefined as having a new pStage and shifted to a higher pStage group in the 8th edition. On the basis of the 8th edition of the TNM classification, the differences between every two adjacent stage groups were found to be significant, except between A1 and A2 (P=0.057). Significant differences were observed between every two adjacent groups stratified by the T and N descriptors. Besides, significant differences were observed between M0 and M1a (P<0.001), whereas no significant difference was observed between M1a and M1b (P=0.397). Conclusions: Compared with the 7th edition of the TNM classification, the 8th edition provides more accurate prognostic information, particularly among NSCLC patients at pathologic stages A1, A2, and A3.

A Clinical and Demographic Study on Oropharyngeal Malignancies

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the distribution of oropharyngeal malignancies in terms of age, sex,personal habits, symptoms, site, histopathological type, and differentiation; and the modes of treatment adopted and its results.Materials and Methods: A total of 68 patients treated previously in the Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat of MNR MedicalCollege and Hospital were included in this study. Patients of all age groups and gender were included in the study. Patients withpersistent mass of the neck or throat or with symptoms suggesting oropharyngeal cancer were included in the study. Patientswith symptoms of chronic throat pain, difficulty swallowing, weight loss, earache, voice change, and blood-tinged saliva wereincluded in the study. Patients with severe cardiac, renal and pulmonary diseases were excluded from the study. Patientswith immunodeficiency diseases were excluded from the study. All the patients were initially evaluated by a detailed medicalhistory and comprehensive head and neck examination, which included flexible endoscope examination of the pharynx andlarynx in an outpatient department setting. Patients with suspicious looking lesions (tumors) of the oropharynx were biopsiedfor histopathological evaluation. All patients with a confirmed diagnosis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma weresubjected to evaluation by a multidisciplinary treatment team. Imaging was done to evaluate the primary tumor, involvementof lymph nodes in the neck, and for evidence of metastatic cancer spread beyond the head and neck. The patients weresubjected to either computed tomography scan or magnetic resonance imaging of the neck to evaluate the pharynx and lymphnodes in the neck.Observations and Results: Among the 68 patients, there were 41 males (60.29%) and 27 females (39.70%), with a male tofemale ratio of 1.51: 1. The mean age was 55.63 ± 5.70 years. Thirty-seven patients (54.41%) were in 55–65 years, 24 patients(35.29%) in 45–55 years, and 7 patients (10.29%) were aged above 65 years. Malignant tumors of the tonsil were observedin 21/68 (30.88%), posterior one-third of the tongue in 17/68 (25%), soft palate in 10/68 (14.70%), valleculae in 10 (14.70%),and suprahyoid epiglottis in 6 (8.82%), and posterior pharyngeal wall in 4 (105.88%) of the patients.Conclusions: Oropharyngeal cancers are one of the most common malignant tumors of the aero-digestive tract. Males aremore commonly affected than females and usually in the 5th–6th decade of life. The incidence is rising in females also becauseof using smokeless tobacco products. The most common site was tonsil followed by posterior one-third of the tongue; the leastcommon site was posterior pharyngeal wall. Well-differentiated carcinoma was the most common histopathological finding.

Significance of lymph node metastasis in the survival of stage IV colorectal cancer by hematogenous metastasis

PURPOSE: Although lymph node (LN) metastasis is an important prognostic marker of colorectal cancer (CRC), the effect of LN metastasis on the survival of stage IV CRC is debated yet. METHODS: LN status and survivals as well as clinicopathological features of synchronous stage IV CRC patients, operated for 8 years, were analyzed. Patients with hematogenous metastases were included only but those with peritoneal seeding or preoperative adjuvant therapy were not included. RESULTS: Total 850 patients were enrolled and 77 (9.1%) were without LN metastases (N0M1). N0M1 patients were older and have favorable pathological features including lower CEA than patients with LN metastasis (N + M1). The pathologically poor features accumulated with N stage progression within N + M1. N0M1 had better 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease free survival than N + M1. And 5-year OS's within N + M1 group were stratified and different according to N stage progression, although the effect of N stage progression is different according to curative resection or not. When compared with stage III, 5-year OS of N0M1 with curative resection was comparable to that of anyTN2aM0 and was better than anyTN2bM1. CONCLUSION: LN metastasis is a significant prognostic factor in stage IV by hematogenous metastasis, too. N stage progression accumulates pathologically poor prognostic factors. However, the effect on survival of each N stage progression differs depending on curative resection or not of the hematogenous metastases.

Prognostic factors for patients with pancreatic head carcinoma undergoing operation: a retrospective study on Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results using population-based data / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To study the survival of patients with pancreatic head carcinoma undergoing surgery,and to evaluate the clinicopathological factors associated with prognosis.Methods The data of 4 814 patients who underwent surgery for pancreatic head carcinoma from 2004 to 2009 were extracted from the US SEER database.The life table was used to calculate the survival rate at 5-years.The Kaplan-meier method was used to construct the survival curves of the patients.The univariate and Cox multivariate regression analysis were applied to evaluate the prognostic factors.and the univariate analysis was evaluated by the log-rank x2 test.Results The overall 5-year survival of 4 818 pancreatic head carcinoma patients was 16.3％.The median survival was 18.9 months,and the 5-year survival rates of the stage Ⅰ A,Ⅰ B,Ⅱ A,Ⅱ B,Ⅲ and Ⅳ patients were 38.8％,35.3％,21.8％,12.2％,9.1％,and 7.3％,respectively.The difference was statistically significant (x2 =287.702;P ＜ 0.05).The factors including sex,age,years of diagnosis,pathological grading,tumor size,extent of invasion,lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,and pathological pattern (all P ＜ 0.05) influenced the survival rate on univariate analysis.There was no clear correlation between race,number of lymph node examined and prognosis.The factors including sex,age,years of diagnosis,pathological grading,tumor size (AJCC 8th),range,extent of invasion,lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,and pathological pattern (all P ＜ 0.05) were independent prognostic factors on multivariate analysis.Conclusions With the increase of TNM staging,the overall survival of patients with pancreatic head carcinoma undergoing surgery gradually decreased.Factors including sex,age,years of diagnosis,pathological grading,tumor size,extent of invasion,lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,and pathological pattern were independent prognostic factors of overall survival.

Interpretation of the TNM classification for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in the American Joint Committee on Cancer cancer staging manual (8th edition) / 中华消化外科杂志

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary liver cancer with a very poor prognosis.In order to guide better clinical management of ICC patients,the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) cancer staging manual (7th edition) have established a unique TNM staging scheme for separating ICC from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for the first time,and reflected a difference between risk factor of ICC and HCC.This TNM staging system for ICC has been most recently updated by the AJCC cancer staging manual (8th edition),in which T staging has been redefined without gross features,and lymph node metastasis (N1) in N staging has been grouped as stage Ⅲ B,but not stage Ⅳ as required by the 7th edition of AJCC cancer staging manual.In addition,region lymphatic and distant metastases have been clearly redefined by the AJCC cancer staging manual (8th edition) that also requires recovering at least 6 lymph nodes for the N staging scheme.The apparent advantages of the AJCC cancer staging manual (8th edition) for ICC pathologic staging may better stratify the prognosis of ICC patients and provide an improved guidance in clinical practice.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor: diagnosis and treatment / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (p-NET) is a kind of neoplasm originating from neuroendocrine cell of pancreas.The morbidity of p-NET increased 5 times in the past 40 years and threatened people's life.However,the key points of diagnosis and treatment for p-NET are still unclear.There were no special and easy blood tests or imaging scanning for p-NET.The TNM classification remains controversial.Surgery is the most effective method to cure p-NET.But we still need to clarify which is the best time or method for surgery.In this review,we try to answer above questions based on our experiences and studies.

Retrospective study on factors affecting the prognosis in oral cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment only / 대한악안면성형재건외과학회지

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to evaluate their 5-year survival rates and identify the factors affecting the prognosis of oral cancer patients who had undergone surgical treatment only. METHODS: Among 130 patients who were diagnosed with malignant tumor of oral, maxillofacial, and surgical treated in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Chonnam National University Hospital within a period from January 2000 to December 2010, for 11 years, 84 patients were investigated who were followed up for more than 5 years after radical surgery; oral cancer is primary and received only surgical treatment. The survival rate according to gender, age, type and site of cancer, TNM stage, cervical lymph node metastasis and its stage, recurrence or metastasis, time of recurrence and metastasis, and differentiation were investigated and analyzed. RESULTS: Overall, 5-year survival rate in patients who received only surgical treatment was 81.2 %, and disease-specific 5-year survival rate was 83.1 %. The disease-specific 5-year survival rate based on TNM stage, metastasis of cervical lymph node, N stage, and presence of recurrence/metastasis was a significant difference (p 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that good survival rate can be obtained with surgical treatment only, and stage of oral cancer, cervical lymph node metastasis and stage, recurrence or metastasis, time of recurrence, and metastasis have a significant effect on survival rate in oral cancer patients.

Validation of the 7th AJCC/UICC staging system for gastric cancer and a proposal for a new TNM system based on a prognostic score: a retrospective multicenter study

PURPOSE: We validate the 7th American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control (AJCC/UICC) staging system for gastric cancer and propose a new staging system that reflects the prognostic significances of each of T and N category. METHODS: Data from 5,957 patients who underwent curative gastrectomies from 2000 to 2007 at 4 university hospitals in Daegu Metropolitan city in Korea were analyzed for the validation of the 7th AJCC/UICC staging system for gastric cancer. The hazard ratios of the respective T and N categories were estimated and converted to weightings and summated to make prognostic score (P-score). Homogeneity and stage grouping were determined according to the P-scores. RESULTS: In the 7th AJCC/UICC staging system for gastric cancer, poor discrimination was noted between stages IIB and IIIA (P = 0.152). In addition, heterogeneity in stage IIB (P = 0.021) and a small gap in 5-year survival rates (1.7%) between stages IA and IB were noted. A new proposed staging system was generated on the basis of P-scores and demonstrated more discrimination between stages and more homogeneity within stages. The new staging system reflects the different prognostic impacts of N3a and N3b. CONCLUSION: Several controversial issues of the 7th AJCC/UICC staging system for gastric cancer were reconfirmed in the present analysis. The TNM system based on P-score appears to be more scientifically accurate than the 7th AJCC/UICC staging system for gastric cancer.

The impact factors on 5-year survival rate in patients operated with oral cancer

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to analyze clinical impact factors on the survival rate, and to acquire basic clinical data for the diagnosis of oral cancer, for a determination of the treatment plan with long-term survival in oral cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Through a retrospective review of the medical records, the factors for long-term survival rate were analyzed. Thirty-seven patients, among patient database with oral cancer treated in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Pusan National University Hospital within a period from March 1998 to March 2008, were selected within the study criteria and were followed-up for more than 5 years. The analyzed factors were gender, age, drinking, smoking, primary tumor site, type of cancer, TNM stage, recurrence of affected region, and metastasis of cervical lymph node. The 5-year survival rate on the impact factors was calculated statistically using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: By classification of clinical TNM at the 1st visit, there were 11 (29.7%) cases for stage I, 11 (29.7%) cases for stage II, 3 (8.1%) cases for stage III, and 12 (32.5%) cases for stage IV. The 5-year survival rate of total oral cancer patients after the operation were 75.7%, pathological TNM stage related 5-year survival rate were as follows: stage I 90.0%, stage II 81.8%, stage III 100% and stage IV 45.5%; in which the survival rate difference by each stage was significantly observed. The recurrence of cervical lymph node was the significant impact factor for the survival rate, because only 30.0% the survival rate in recurrent cases existed. During the follow-up, there were 15 (40.5%) patients with confirmed recurrence, and the 5-year survival rate of these patients was decreased as 46.7%. CONCLUSION: The classification of clinical and pathological TNM stage, local recurrence after surgery, and metastasis of cervical lymph node after surgery were analyzed as the 3 most significant factors.

Evaluación de factores histológicos pronósticos de sobrevida en melanoma maligno cutáneo, seguimiento de 13 años / Prognostic factors for survival of malignant melanomas

Background: The incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing steadily. Aim: To study pathological prognostic factors in malignant melanomas. Material and Methods: Review of pathological records of cutaneous malignant melanomas diagnosed between 1995 and 2008. Medical records of patients were re-viewed and those with distant metastases at the moment of surgery were excluded. Follow up was performed contacting patients and reviewing death records at the Chilean National Identification Registry. The cause of death was classified as related to the melanoma or unrelated. Results: One hundred sixty two records, corresponding to patients aged from 13 to 93 years (51 percent women), were included in the study. Twenty nine percent of patients died during the follow up period that ranged from 1 to 127 months. Five and ten year's survival was 71 and 60 percent respectively. A multivariable Cox analysis demonstrated that only the TNM classification of the primary tumor, which is categorized using the Breslow maximal depth, had prognostic significance. Compared to women, men had a 1.97 higher relative risk of dying due to the melanoma. Conclusions: TNM classification of melanomas is the most important prognostic factor for survival.

Introducción: El Melanoma Maligno (MM) de la piel ha aumentado su incidencia en 5 por ciento anual, se estima que 1 de cada 55 hombres y 1 de cada 77 mujeres desarrollará la enfermedad durante su vida. Método y Diseño: Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo de seguimiento de casos de melanoma maligno primario de la piel diagnosticados en la Unidad de Anatomía Patológica del Hospital Dr. Hernán Henríquez Aravena de Temuco. Se incluyeron 162 casos de MM primario de piel. El período de seguimiento fue de 1 a 164 meses. El análisis estadístico se realizó según método de Kaplan-Meier para la descripción de sobrevida según las variables de interés, utilizando la prueba no paramétrica Log-rank, modelo univariado y multivariado de Cox. Resultados: Se incluyeron 162 casos en la cohorte de estudio. El 28,7 por ciento de los pacientes falleció producto del melanoma durante el tiempo de observación (rango 1 a 127 meses, mediana 23 meses). La sobrevida general de la cohorte a 5 y 10 años fue de 71 por ciento y 60 por ciento respectivamente. El análisis multivariado de Cox demostró que sólo la clasificación del tumor primario según TNM es significativa. Los hombres tienen un riesgo relativo de 1,97 para morir por MM. La edad y distribución topográfica no resultaron ser variables pronosticas. Conclusión: En nuestro estudio se confirman los indicadores histológicos de pronóstico de sobrevida en población de la región de La Araucanía, los factores de mayor importancia son el espesor máximo según Breslow, presencia de úlcera, tipo histológico y nivel de infiltración de Clark.

Adjuvant treatment of gastric cancer in a long term follow-up / Tratamento adjuvante no câncer gástrico em seguimento a longo prazo

BACKGROUND: Advanced gastric cancer carries a poor-prognosis. The best extent of the node dissection and the value of postoperative adjuvant treatments remain open questions.AIM: To study the efficacy of adjuvant chemoradiation and the prognostic value of some clinico-pathological variables in gastric cancer previously submitted to surgery.METHODS: Retrospective single institution study of 69 patients with histological diagnoses of gastric adenocarcinoma, consecutively submitted to radical surgery with curative intent in a five years period. Lymph node dissection was either D1 or D2 at the surgeon's description. All patients were submitted to adjuvant chemoradiation according to MacDonald et al.2. Treatment discontinuation and early deaths were considered as serious toxic events. Clinical-pathological variables (the extent D level of the node dissection, T/N-stage, histological subtype, margin status, number of the dissected nodes) were correlated to the results. Overall survival was estimated according to the Kaplan-Meier method and the curves were compared by the log-rank test.RESULTS: Patients characteristics: 48 male/21 female, median age 56,4 y (30-79). In 25 patients, the extent of node dissection was D1, in 41 was D2 and D0 in 3. Staging (n): T2 (16); T3 (49); T4 (4); No (11); N1 (29); N2 (20); N3 (8); Nx (1). Histological subtype: intestinal (45), diffuse (19) and unknown (5). Margins were free in 57 patients, the median number of dissected nodes was 31 (0-120). They were treated with linear acelerator 6 MV photons, AP/PA fields with 45Gy in 5 weeks in 90% of the patients and the treatment was done in a mean time of 19,2 weeks. In the median follow-up of 19,3mo (8-52,5mo), 52 patients with more than 24 months of follow-up occurred 38 deaths. The median overall survival for all patients was 22,2 months. Seven (10%) patients presented serious toxic events and treatment was discontinued...

RACIONAL: Câncer gástrico avançado é sempre acompanhado de pobre prognóstico. A melhor forma de ser realizada a linfadenectomia e o valor da radioquimioterapia adjuvante ainda estão em tela de juízo.OBJETIVO: Estudar a eficácia da terapia adjuvante e o valor prognóstico de algumas variáveis clínico-patológicas nos pacientes submetidos à ressecção cirúrgica de seus tumores.MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospectivo de uma única instituição hospitalar incluindo 69 pacientes com diagnóstico histológico de adenocarcinoma gástrico consecutivamente submetidos à operação radical com intenção curativa no período de cinco anos. Linfadenectomia foi tanto D1 como D2 e em todos os pacientes foi aplicado o protocolo quimioradioterápico proposto por Macdonald et al.2. Interrupção do tratamento bem como mortes precoces foram consideradas eventos tóxicos sérios. Variáveis clínico-patológicas (extensão do D, estadiamento T/N, subtipos histológicos e número de linfonodos ressecados), foram correlacionados com os resultados. A sobrevida total foi estimada de acordo com o método de Kaplan-Meier.RESULTADOS: Foram 48 homens e 21 mulheres, com idade média de 56,4 anos. Em 25 pacientes a extensão da linfadenectomia foi D1; em 41, D2 e em 3, D0. O estadiamento T2 foi em 16 pacientes; T3 em 49; T4 em 4; N0 em 11; N1 em 29; N2 em 20; N3 em 8; Nx em 1. O subtipo histológico intestinal ocorreu em 45; o difuso em 19 e desconhecido em 5. Em 57 pacientes as margens estavam livres de tumor e foram ressecados em média 31 linfonodos. Foram tratados por acelerador linear 6 MV, AP/PA campos com 45Gy em cinco semanas em 90% dos casos com média de tratamento de 19,2 semanas. No tempo médio de seguimento de 19,3 meses, entre 52 pacientes com mais de 24 meses foram observadas 38 mortes. O tempo médio geral de sobrevida do grupo como um todo foi de 22,2 meses. Sete (10%) apresentaram eventos tóxicos sérios e o tratamento foi interrompido...

Comparison of Nodal Staging, of UICC TNM and Japanese Classification, and Prognostic Nodal Grouping of UICC N3M0 in Advanced Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE: We analyzed cases of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) by using two nodal stagings, UICC and Japanese systems. We also analyzed cases of UICC N3M0 by different ways to see which nodal system or group had better prognostic power. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From Feb.1990 to May 2000, 197 UICC M0 patients of AGC who had undergone curative resection were analyzed by using the nodal stagings of the UICC and the Japanese systems. Also, 58 patients with UICC N3M0 gastric cancer were analyzed by using the Japanese n-staging, metastatic ratio and the metastatic number. RESULTS: The 5-year survival rates were 62.9%, 33.0% and 21.2% for UICC N1, N2 and N3, and 61.2% and 25.3% for Japanese n1 and n2, respectively in patients of N3M0 AGC, the 5-year survival rates were 62.5% for Japanese n1, and 33.0% and 22.9% for metastatic ratios of less than 0.5 and metastatic numbers below 26, respectively significantly better than the 5-year survival rates for higher ratios and numbers (P=0.018, 0.021). CONCLUSION: UICC N staging of gastric cancer has better prognostic power with differentiation between stages than Japanese n staging. In patients with UICC N3M0 gastric cancer, the metastatic ratio and the metastatic number, as well as the Japanese n staging, were valuable prognostic factors.

Nodal Staging by Number of Metastatic Lymph Node and Comparison with Nodal Staging of 5th UICC TNM Classification in Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE: The nodal staging of the 5th edition of the Union Internationale Contra la Cancer (UICC) TNM classification in 1997 was changed based on the number of metastatic lymph nodes. We attempted to classify nodal status according to the number of involved lymph nodes and compare with the nodal staging of the 5th UICC TNM classification in order to evaluate the rationality of the new nodal staging system. METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed 427 patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative resection from 1993 to 1996 at the Department of Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine. Cumulative survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The difference between each nodal status was evaluated by the log rank test and the generalized Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: There were statistical differences between 0 and 1 lymph node involved, between 7 and 8, and between 15 and 16. We classified the nodal status into 4 groups according to the number of involved lymph nodes based on the following: group 1 with no lymph node involved, group 2 with 1~7, group 3 with 8~15 and group 4 with more than 15. There was a significant survival difference among the 4 groups with no survival difference between the number of positive lymph nodes in each group. We compare our results with the nodal staging of the UICC TNM classification and found that there were differences between group 2 (1~7 positive lymph nodes) and pN1 of TNM (1~6 positive lymph nodes) and between group 3 (8~15) and pN2 (7~15). CONCLUSION: We were able to classify nodal status into 4 groups according to the number of involved lymph nodes. There was little difference compared with the new nodal staging of the 5th UICC TNM classification, which suggested that the nodal classification of the UICC TNM classification based on the number of metastatic lymph nodes is acceptable. Further analysis of a larger sample size may be necessary.

Influence of Nodal Yields on Staging of Gastric Cancer and on Survival

PURPOSE: In the fifth edition of International Union Against Cancer (UICC) TNM, nodal staging for gastric cancer is based on the number of metastatic lymph nodes. Variability in the extent of lymphadenectomy and lymph node retrieval can affect the number of metastatic lymph nodes. In this study, the authors attempted to evaluate the influence of nodal yields on the staging of gastric cancer and survival rates. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in 4354 consecutive patients with gastric cancer, who had undergone curative resection (R0) with nodal yields of 15 or more from 1986 to 1995. Patients were classified into three groups according to the number of nodes examined: patients with nodal yields of 15 or more but less than 30 for group A, 30-39 for group B, and 40 or more for group C. The number of metastatic lymph nodes and the survival rates for each pTNM stage were analyzed for each group. RESULTS: The number of metastatic lymph nodes significantly increased with nodal yields. Greater nodal yields resulted in a higher survival rates with a statistically significant difference between patients with nodal yields of 30 or more, and those with less than 30 in stage IB (p<0.05) and IIIB (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest two possibilities of stage migration and survival benefit according to the difference of nodal yields. Therefore, for minimizing stage migration and maximizing the benefit of survival, at least 30 or more lymphnodes should be resected and examined in gastric cancer surgery.

Preoperative Staging of Rectal Cancer by CT & MRI

Accurate staging of rectal cancer preoperatively is important to plan a proper treatment and to predict treatment results. For the preoperative staging of rectal cancer, computed tomography (CT), transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been used, but the role of them remains controversial. This research was intended to compare and analyze the accuracy of CT and MRI in the preoperative staging of rectal cancer. METHODS: From January 1998 to June 1999, sixty patients were studied by CT and MRI before their operations for rectal cancer in our institution, but two patients with local excision were excluded in N-staging as objects. The patients who had preoperative irradiation were also excluded in this study. Preoperative staging with CT and MRI were conducted by one radiologist according to 1997's TNM classification based on AJCC. On the results of pathological findings after operation, preoperative staging with CT and MRI were classified into T-staging and N-staging. Accuracy and agreement rate between pathological staging and preoperative staging by CT and MRI were compared and analyzed by Kappa value. RESULTS: The accuracy of CT was 68 percent in T-staging, and 58 percent in N-staging, MRI showed accuracy of 82 percent in T-staging and 64 percent in N-staging. In the T-staging, the agreement rate between pathological staging and CT staging was 0.54 (95% confidence interval), while the agreement rate was 0.70 in MRI staging, resulting in a higher agreement rate with MRI than with CT. In the N-staging, the agreement rate between pathological staging and CT staging was 0.38, with a relatively lower agreement rate, while the agreement rate was 0.56 in MRI staging. In our study, MRI showed a higher agreement rate than CT. CONCLUSIONS: In the future, more research should be conducted, but it can be conclued that in preoperative staging for rectal cancer, MRI using body arrayed coil has a better accuracy than CT. Subsequently MRI staging should be considered as a more useful investigation method before operation than CT.

Evaluation of TNM classification of gastric carcinoma before operation by endoscopic ultrasonography / 中华消化杂志

70 patients with gastric carcinoma were studied by EUS prior to surgery. The results were correlated with the histology of resected specimens according to the new TNM classification. EUS was accurate in assessing the depth of tumor infiltration, the overall accuracy of EUS was 74.3%. The cancerous ulcer and obstruction are the main causes of over- and understaging, respectively. EUS was relatively accurate in the assessment of lymph node metastasis, the overall accuracy was 57.1%. However, negative-predictive rate is lower, about 42.9%. It is difficult to distinguish between inflammatory and metastatic lymph nodes. EUS was not reliable in diagnosing distant metastasis, due to its limited depth of penetration. In our experience, in staging the gastric carcinoma, greater accuracy would be achieved if we use EUS for T and N factors, and CT for M factor.