Research progress on neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy combined with immunotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

For locally advanced (T 3-4/N +M 0) rectal cancer (LARC), neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) followed by total mesorectal excision (TME) is the standard treatment, which have been demonstrated to decrease the local recurrence rate and increase the tumor response grade. However, the distant metastasis remains an unresolved issue. Radiotherapy and immunotherapy can supplement each other and the combination of the two treatments has a good theoretical basis. Recently, multiple clinical trials are ongoing in terms of the combination of nCRT and immunotherapy in LARC. These trials have achieved promising short-term efficacy in both microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) and microsatellite stable (MSS) rectal cancers, which could further improve the rate of tumor response and rate of pathological complete response, increase the possibility of organ preservation and "watch and wait" approach. Large-scale clinical trials need to be performed in the future to demonstrate these findings and to improve long-term prognosis.

Language Intervention for Late Talkers: The Experiences of Speech-Language Pathologists in Malaysia (Intervensi Bahasa untuk Kanak-kanak Lambat Bercakap: Pengalaman Terapis Pertuturan-Bahasa di Malaysia) / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

@#A few studies have investigated the practise patterns of Malaysian speech-language pathologists (SLPs) when working with children with speech and language problems whose language intervention is necessary. However, these studies did not provide in-depth information about the SLPs' experiences as the studies were conducted quantitatively. Moreover, none of the studies focus on late-talkers (LTs), in which intervention for them can vary along a continuum from a wait/ watch-and-see approach to direct intervention. Thus, this study aimed to explore SLPs’ experiences in managing LTs in Malaysia. Twelve SLPs participated in individual, semi-structured phone interviews. They were asked about their experiences in managing LTs. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and a content analysis was performed. Two themes were identified; a) practises of SLPs and b) challenges faced by SLPs in managing LT cases. The practises of SLPs included conducting assessments, developing intervention plans, providing intervention, sharing information, giving homework, providing support, and managing appointments. The challenges faced were related to parents, other individuals close to LTs, LTs themselves, and resources. Although the SLPs’ practises aligned with the international standard of speech-language pathology service delivery, there is room for improvement, especially in collaborating with parents, as one-to-one direct interventions for LTs might not be suitable due to the challenges related to resources. In addition, a few suggestions related to centred-based care and trusted social media pages can be provided to parents to assist them outside therapy sessions besides initiating the development of awareness programs and information resources for parents and other caregivers.

A practical review of watch-and-wait approach in rectal cancer

Rectal resection surgery after neoadjuvant treatment has been the mainstay treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer. However, functional outcomes and quality of life after radical resection of the rectum remain suboptimal. The excellent oncologic outcomes in patients who achieved pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant treatment questioned the need for radical surgery. The watch-and-wait approach is a noninvasive therapeutic alternative for organ preservation and avoiding operative morbidity. In the watch-and-wait approach, patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who achieve excellent clinical response after neoadjuvant treatment undergo active surveillance rather than rectal cancer surgery. In this practical review, we summarized the main results of studies on the watch-and-wait approach and provided a practical method for implementing the watch-and-wait approach.

Prognostic factors from squamous cell carcinoma of the hard palate, gingiva and upper alveolar ridge

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinicodemographic characteristics and treatment protocol as prognostic factors in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of the hard palate, upper gingiva, and alveolar ridge (HPUGAR). This retrospective cohort study collected data of patients treated in two head and neck surgery departments in southern Brazil between 1999 and 2021. Information on clinicodemographic data, habits, site, size, clinical aspect, clinical staging, cervical metastasis, treatment, and survival was collected. Associations between independent variables and outcomes were assessed using Pearson's chi-square test and binary regression. Kaplan-Meier test was employed to compare the survival between the neck approaches. Forty-one patients were included; most were male (61%), with a mean age of 68.8 (± 13.9) years. The consumption of tobacco (p = 0.003) and alcohol (p = 0.02) was significantly higher in male than in female patients. The main clinical features observed in the study sample were lesions larger than 2 cm (48.7%), no cervical (90.2%), or distant metastasis (90.2%). Surgery alone was the main treatment approach (48.8%). The watch-and-wait strategy was adopted in 34 cases (83.0%), while elective neck dissection was applied in five (12.2%). Only two patients with cN0 disease (4.9%) presented with cervical metastasis at follow-up. Eight patients (12.2%) died of the disease. Clinicodemographic variables, habits, surgical margins, and histological subtype were not significantly associated with cervical metastasis or survival. Cervical metastasis (p = 0.004) was associated with poor survival. No difference was detected in survival between different neck approaches (p = 0.28). Cervical metastasis and local recurrence are negative prognostic factors for HPUGAR OSCC.

Surgical Treatment of Low-Lying Rectal Cancer: Updates

Despite innovative advancements, distally located rectal cancer remains a critical disease of challenging management. The crucial location of the tumor predisposes it to a circumferential resection margin (CRM) that tends to involve the anal sphincter complex and surrounding organs, with a high incidence of delayed anastomotic complications and the risk of the pelvic sidewall or rarely inguinal lymph node metastases. In this regard, colorectal surgeons should be aware of other issues beyond total mesorectal excision (TME) performance. For decades, the concept of extralevator abdominoperineal resection to avoid compromised CRM has been introduced. However, the complexity of deep pelvic dissection with poor visualization in low-lying rectal cancer has led to transanal TME. In contrast, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) has allowed for the execution of more sphincter-saving procedures without oncologic compromise. Significant tumor regression after NCRT and complete pathologic response also permit applying the watch-and-wait protocol in some cases, now with more solid evidence. This review article will introduce the current surgical treatment options, their indication and technical details, and recent oncologic and functional outcomes. Lastly, the novel characteristics of distal rectal cancer, such as pelvic sidewall and inguinal lymph node metastases, will be discussed along with its tailored and individualized treatment approach.

Interpretation of the 2020 American society of colon and rectal surgeons clinical practice guidelines for the management of rectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Located in the pelvic cavity and contiguous to the anal sphincter complex and urogenital organs, the rectum has more intricate anatomical features compared with the colon. Consequently, the treatment of rectal cancer involves more consideration, including pelvic radiation, lateral lymph node dissection, transanal access, postoperative function, sphincter preservation, and nonoperative management. Based on the last set of American society of colon and rectal surgeons (ASCRS) practice parameters for the management of rectal cancer published in 2013, the 2020 guidelines present evidence-based updates for both long-existing and emerging controversies on surgical management of rectal cancer. These updates include the indication for local resection, lymph node dissection for radical proctectomy, minimally invasive surgery, the "watch and wait" strategy for patients with clinical complete response, and prevention of anastomotic leak. Meanwhile, the guidelines recommend a risk-stratified approach for perioperative therapies for non-metastatic disease, and an individualized multimodality treatment based on treatment intent for synchronous metastatic disease.

MRI Assessment of Complete Response to Preoperative Chemoradiation Therapy for Rectal Cancer: 2020 Guide for Practice from the Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology

Objective@#To provide an evidence-based guide for the MRI interpretation of complete tumor response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for rectal cancer using visual assessment on T2-weighted imaging (T2) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). @*Materials and Methods@#PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched on November 28, 2019 to identify articles on the following issues: 1) sensitivity and specificity of T2 or DWI for diagnosing pathologic complete response (pCR) and the criteria for MRI diagnosis; 2) MRI alone vs. MRI combined with other test(s) in sensitivity and specificity for pCR; and 3) tests to select patients for the watch-and-wait management. Eligible articles were selected according to meticulous criteria and were synthesized. @*Results@#Of 1615 article candidates, 55 eligible articles (for all three issues combined) were identified. Combined T2 and DWI performed better than T2 alone, with a meta-analytic summary sensitivity of 0.62 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43– 0.77; I2 = 80.60) and summary specificity of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.80–0.94; I2 = 92.61) for diagnosing pCR. The criteria for the complete response on T2 in most studies had the commonality of remarkable tumor decrease to the absence of mass-like or nodular intermediate signal, although somewhat varied, as follows: (near) normalization of the wall; regular, thin, hypointense scar in the luminal side with (near) normal-appearance or homogeneous intermediate signal in the underlying wall; and hypointense thickening of the wall. The criteria on DWI were the absence of a hyperintense signal at high b-value (≥ 800 sec/mm2) in most studies. The specific algorithm to combine T2 and DWI was obscure in half of the studies. MRI combined with endoscopy was the most utilized means to select patients for the watch-and-wait management despite a lack of strong evidence to guide and support a multi-test approach. @*Conclusion@#This systematic review and meta-analysis provide an evidence-based practical guide for MRI assessment of complete tumor response after CRT for rectal cancer.

Current Status of “Watch-and-Wait” Rectal Cancer Treatment in Asia-Pacific Countries

Purpose@#Current acceptance of the watch-and-wait (W&W) approach by surgeons in Asia-Pacific countries is unknown. An international survey was performed to determine status of the W&W approach on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Coloproctology (APFCP). @*Methods@#Surgeons in the APFCP completed an Institutional Review Board-approved anonymous e-survey and/or printed letters (for China) containing 19 questions regarding nonsurgical close observation in patients who achieved clinical complete response (cCR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). @*Results@#Of the 417 responses, 80.8% (n = 337) supported the W&W approach and 65.5% (n = 273) treated patients who achieved cCR after nCRT. Importantly, 78% of participants (n = 326) preferred a selective W&W approach in patients with old age and medical comorbidities who achieved cCR. In regard to restaging methods after nCRT, the majority of respondents based their decision to use W&W on a combination of magnetic resonance imaging results (94.5%, n = 394) with other test results. For interval between nCRT completion and tumor response assessment, most participants used 8 weeks (n = 154, 36.9%), followed by 6 weeks (n = 127, 30.5%) and 4 weeks (n = 102, 24.5%). In response to the question of how often responders followed-up after W&W, the predominant period was every 3 months (209 participants, 50.1%) followed by every 2 months (75 participants, 18.0%). If local regrowth was found during follow-up, most participants (79.9%, n = 333) recommended radical surgery as an initial management. @*Conclusion@#The W&W approach is supported by 80% of Asia-Pacific surgeons and is practiced at 65%, although heterogeneous hospital or society protocols are also observed. These results inform oncologists of future clinical study participation.

Primary thymic mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: 7 clinical cases report and a review of the literature / 中华血液学杂志

Objective@#To reveal clinical features, pathological diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of primary thymic mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and review literatures.@*Methods@#The clinical characteristics, pathological diagnosis, laboratory texts, treatment and prognosis of 7 cases of primary thymic MALT lymphoma identified at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from November 2017 to January 2019 were collected and analyzed.@*Results@#Of 7 primary thymic MALT lymphoma cases, six were female. Patients were often asymptomatic and were found mediastinal mass by chest CT. After mediastinal mass resection, pathologist reported a primary thymic MALT lymphoma. Laboratory tests showed all patients were positive for anti-nuclear antibody, anti-Ro52 antibodies and anti-Sjogren’s syndrome A antibodies, and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) . Four were diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) . After surgery, the patients were given the positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET-CT) scans. All cases received "watch and wait" approach. Up to now, all cases showed good prognoses and none of them relapsed.@*Conclusion@#Primary thymic MALT lymphoma was rare, and it was often associated with autoimmune diseases. Such patients who usually had good prognoses should be followed up closely and avoided excessive treatments if there were no indications of intervention.

"Watch and wait" strategy after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer: status survey of perceptions, attitudes and treatment selection in Chinese surgeons / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective@#To understand the perceptions, attitudes and treatment selection of Chinese surgeons on the "watch and wait" strategy for rectal cancer patients after achieving a clinical complete response (cCR) following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT).@*Methods@#A cross-sectional survey was used in this study. Selection of subjects: (1) Domestic public grade III A (provincial and prefecture-level) oncology hospitals or general hospitals possessing the radiotherapy department and the diagnosis and treatment qualifications for colorectal cancer. (2) Surgeons of deputy chief physician or above. Using the "Questionnaire Star" online survey platform to create a questionnaire about cognition, attitude and treatment choice of the "watch and wait" strategy after cCR following nCRT for rectal cancer. The questionnaire contained 32 questions, such as the basic information of doctor, the current status of rectal cancer surgery, the management of pathological complete remission (ypCR) after nCRT for rectal cancer, the selection of examination items for diagnosis of cCR, the selection of suitable people undergoing "watch and wait" approach, the nCRT mode for promotion of cCR, the choice of evaluation time point, the willingness to perform "watch and wait" approach and the treatment choice, and the risk and monitoring of "watch and wait" approach. A total of 116 questionnaires were sent to the respondents via WeChat between January 31 and February 19, 2019. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher′s exact test for categorical variables.@*Results@#Forty-eight hospitals including 116 surgeons meeting criteria were enrolled, of whom 77 surgeons filled the questionnaire with a response rate of 66.4%. "Watch and wait" strategy was carried out in 76.6% (59/77) of surgeons. Seventy surgeons (90.9%) were aware of the ypCR rate of rectal cancer after preoperative nCRT and 49 surgeons (63.6%) knew the 3-year disease-free survival of patients with ypCR in their own hospitals. Fifty-five surgeons (71.4%) believed that patients with ypCR undergoing radical surgery met the treatment criteria and were not over-treated. Three most necessary examinations in diagnosing cCR were colonoscopy (96.1%, 74/77), digital rectal examination (DRE) (90.9%,70/77) and DWI-MRI (83.1%, 64/77). Responders preferred to consider a "watch and wait" strategy for patients with baseline characteristics as mrN0 (77.9%, 60/77), mrT2 (68.8%, 53/77) and well-differentiated adenocarcinoma (68.8%, 53/77). Sixty-six surgeons (85.7%) believed that long-term chemoradiotherapy (LCRT) with combination or without combination of induction and/or consolidation of the CapeOX regimen (capecitabine + oxaliplatin) should be the first choice as a neoadjuvant therapy to achieve cCR. Forty-one surgeons (53.2%) believed that a reasonable interval of judging cCR after nCRT should be ≥ 8 weeks. Forty-four surgeons (57.1%) routinely, or in most cases, informed patient the possibility of cCR and proposed to "watch and wait" strategy in the initial diagnosis of patients with non-metastatic rectal cancer. Thirteen surgeons (16.9%) would take the "watch and wait" strategy as the first choice after the patient having cCR. Fifty-two surgeons (67.5%) would be affected by the surgical method, that was to say, "watch and wait" approach would only be recommended to those patients who would achieve cCR and could not preserve the anus or underwent difficult anus-preservation surgery. Sixteen surgeons (20.8%) demonstrated that "watch and wait" strategy would not be recommended to patients with cCR regardless of whether the surgical procedure involved anal sphincter. Eleven surgeons (14.3%) believed that the main risk of "watch and wait" approach came from distant metastasis rather than local recurrence or regrowth. Twenty-nine of surgeons (37.7%) did not understand the difference between "local recurrence" and "local regrowth" during the period of "watch and wait". Twenty-six surgeons (33.8%) thought that the monitoring interval for the first 3 years of "watch and wait" strategy was 3 months, and the follow-up monitoring interval could be 6 months to 5 years. Surgeons from cancer specialist hospitals had higher approval rate, notification rate, and referral rate of "watch and wait" strategy than those from general hospitals. Thirty-one surgeons (42.5%) considered that the difficulty and concern of carrying out "watch and wait" approach in the future was the disease progress leading to medical disputes. Twenty-six surgeons (35.6%) demonstrated that their concern was lack of uniform evaluation standard for cCR.@*Conclusions@#Chinese surgeons seem to have inadequate knowledge of non-operative management for rectal cancer patients achieving cCR after nCRT and show relatively conservative attitudes toward the strategy. Chinese consensus needs to be formed to guide the non-operative management in selected patients. Chinese Watch & Wait Database (CWWD) is also needed to establish and provide more evidence for the use of alternative procedure after a cCR following nCRT.

Advances of optimized neoadjuvant therapy in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is the current standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer. However, this modality is facing more and more challenges. The research progress on this issue around the world can be summarized into three aspects. The first is to increase the intensity of treatment to obtain better tumor regression, such as adding a second drug during the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, prolonging the interval and receiving sufficient chemotherapy before surgery. Current research data are not sufficient to support strategies for adding drugs or receiving sufficient chemotherapy before surgery, but it may be worth looking forward to adding irinotecan during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, and an appropriate extension of the interval before surgery may also be a good option. Secondly, we can reduce the intensity of treatment to improve the quality of life of patients with a non-inferior clinical outcome, such as non-surgical approach, local excision rather than total mesorectal excision and removal of preoperative radiotherapy. The data of the International Watch & Wait Database (IWWD) suggest that patients with a Watch & Wait strategy have similar long-term survival outcomes as those who have undergone surgery and have pathologic complete response, meanwhile the data are still inadequate to support using local excision instead of total mesorectal excision, or removal of preoperative radiotherapy strategies. Finally, to achieve a precise individual treatment, some potential biomarkers are investigated via genomics, metabolomics and radiomics. But so far, there is no recognized biomarker for clinical treatment in the field of neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer. This article summarizes the clinical research progress of locally advanced rectal cancer in recent years from the above three aspects.

Principle of surgical management for rectal cancer patients with complete clinical response after neoadjuvant therapy / 中华胃肠外科杂志

A proportion of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer will achieve clinical complete response (cCR) or pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. With the proposal of the concept of total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT), higher complete response rates will be observed. The management of patients with cCR has long been an issue of controversy and is attractive for clinical trials. A "watch and wait" strategy for patients with cCR has been put forward by some scholars. A non-operative approach can preserve the organfunction and avoid complications after radical surgery. The safety and feasibility of a "watch and wait" strategy have been established in several non-randomized controlled studies. There is no consensus on how to make an optimal decision for patients with cCR. For example, it is only observed in partial patients that cCR is consistent with pCR and the molecular biomarkers for predicting pCR are suboptimal. Besides, cCR is inconsistently defined and surveillance recommendations varies. Furthermore, there are insufficient high-level evidence for the "watch and wait" strategy. For patients with good response after chemoradiotherapy, local excision is an attractive alternative to total mesorectal excision, however with uncertain indications and challenged oncological safety. For patients with cCR, we implement the therapeutic principles of goal-orientation, layered treatment and the whole process management.

Effectiveness of rectal MRI and endorectal ultrasound predicting the complete response of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy / 中国实用外科杂志

OBJECTIVE: To offer some important insights into clinical decision-making by evaluating endorectal ultrasound and rectal MRI when they were used to predict pathological complete response for rectal cancer patients who were performed neoadjuvant therapy. METHODS: The study was a prospective cohort study which was conducted at a single tertiary care center. Patients diagnosed with mid-low rectal cancer between May 2014 and June 2018 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were collected in the study. Both of their endorectal ultrasound and rectal MRI were performed to evaluate the tumor stage before their preoperative chemoradiation and were reevaluated at the 6 to 7 th weeks after their preoperative radiation treatment. The pathological preoperative tumor staging achieved by endorectal ultrasound and rectal MRI was compared with postoperative staging by pathologic examination. Sensitivity,specificity,accuracy and Youden index of each evaluation method and their combination were calculated. The ROC curve was administered likewise. RESULTS: A total of 247 patients were enrolled in the study. The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and Youden index for ypT0 N0 separate evaluation of for whom was qualified as compete endorectal ultrasound(163 patients) and of rectal MRI(212 patients) was15.9% and 23.1%,94.0% and 94.9%,77.8% and 83.4%,0.1 and 0.2. Combined two methods,the data were recorded as 13.6%,98.1%,83.6% and 0.1.Area under curve ROC for ultrasound and MRI when using specifically for ypT0 N0 measurement was 0.656 and 0.742.The two modalities showed 0.517 and 0.667 in terms of AUC when comparing with each other. CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of MRI and ERUS as terms of diagnosing complete response is rather unsatisfactory,although they all bear a relatively good specificity. For the patients not diagnosed with clinical response by one of the two methods,radical operations were strongly recommended. For the patients confirmed as complete response by both modalities,there still exists possibilities that residual tumor persists,“watch and wait”approach can be taken cautiously and the patient must be followed up intensely.

Manejo no operatorio del cáncer de recto con respuesta clínica completa luego de quimiorradioterapia neoadyuvante: experiencia en 8 casos / Non-operative management of rectal cancer with complete clinical response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: experience in 8 cases

Introducción: Se diagnostican hasta 13000 nuevos casos de cáncer colorrectal por año, y esto va en aumento. El cáncer de recto debe ser tratado mediante un abordaje multimodal. Luego de la implementación del tratamiento neoadyuvante y de la aparición de la respuesta patológica completa se implementó el manejo no operatorio. Nuestro objetivo es describir nuestra experiencia con el manejo inicial no operatorio de pacientes con cáncer de recto, que recibieron neoadyuvancia y desarrollaron una respuesta clínica completa inicial. Diseño: Estudio observacional, descriptivo, retrospectivo. Pacientes y Métodos: 49 pacientes con diagnóstico de cáncer de recto bajo (< 8 cm), recibieron tratamiento neoadyuvante con radioquimioterapia (RQT). Se realizó radioterapia (RT), a una dosis de 5040 cGy por un total de 5 semanas, y concomitante a esta, quimioterapia (QT) con 5-Fu-leucovorina en las semanas 1 y 5. Aquellos pacientes en los cuales se encontró cCR inicial a la neoadyuvancia, y la cirugía resectiva implicaba alto riesgo quirúrgico debido a sus comorbilidades y/o imposibilidad de la conservación de esfínteres se planteó la posibilidad de tomar una conducta no operatoria. Resultados: Se incluyeron 8 pacientes con cCR. El promedio de edad de los pacientes fue de 70 años (mediana 69,5 años), el promedio de altura del tumor fue de 5,8 cm; todos en estadio IIa. La mediana de seguimiento fue de 72,5 meses. 3 pacientes presentaron recaídas, todas endoluminales, 2 fueron tempranas (9 y 12 meses) y una tardía (18 meses), los cuales fueron operados, 2 de ellos se encuentran actualmente libres de enfermedad y el tercero óbito a los 30 días POP. La sobrevida global de los pacientes fue de un 87,5% y se evitó una cirugía mayor en 5 pacientes (62,5%). Conclusión: La implementación del tratamiento inicial no operatorio del cáncer de recto en aquellos pacientes que desarrollaron cCR luego del tratamiento neoadyuvante puede ser seguro, siempre y cuando estos pacientes estén incluidos en un programa de seguimiento estricto que permita una cirugía de rescate. El tratamiento conservador sin cirugía debe ser reservado para pacientes de alto riesgo quirúrgico o en los que la cirugía implique la necesidad de una cirugía de amputación abdominoperineal. (AU)

Introduction: 13000 new cases of colorectal cases are diagnosed per year. Rectal cancer must be treated with a multimodal approach. After the administration of neoadjuvant treatment and the appearance of a pathologic complete response, nonoperative management was implemented. Our objective is to describe our experience with nonoperative management of patients with rectal cancer that received neoadjuvant therapy and developed an initial complete clinical response. Design: Retrospective descriptive observational study. Patients and Methods: Forty-nine patients with low rectal cancer (< 8 cm) received neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy. Radiotherapy was performed with a total dose of 5040 cGy for 5 weeks, and concomitant 5-FU-leucovorin-based chemotherapy in weeks 1 and 5. Nonoperative management was attempted on patients experiencing initial cCR to neoadjuvant therapy and with a higher surgical risk due to their comorbidity and/or impossibility of conserving the sphincters. Results: Eight patients with cCR were included. The average age of the patients was 70 years; the average height of the tumor was 5.8 cm; all of them at stage IIA. Median follow-up was 72.5 months. Two patients developed an early endoluminal recurrence (after 9 and 12 months) and one had a late recurrence (18 months). All of them had surgery. Two of them are disease-free and one died 30 days after surgery. Conclusion: Implementation of initial nonoperative treatment of rectal cancer in patients that developed cCR after neoadjuvant therapy can be safe, provided that those patients are included in a strict monitoring programme that would allow for a rescue surgery. Conservative treatment without surgery must be reserved for patients with a higher surgical risk or who require an abdominoperineal resection. (AU)

Research progress of neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The clinical application of novel chemotherapeutic drugs including oral 5-FU and targeted drugs and preoperatively accurate imaging grading has brought challenges to the indication criteria developed by NCCN and ESMO for neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Extended hotspots have focused on the effectiveness of using capecitabine instead of fluorouracil infusion, the combination of multiple drugs and the feasibility of using neoadjuvant chemotherapy instead of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for selective patients. Traditionally, the evaluation of the effect of neoadjuvant therapy has been based on the effect on the pathological complete remission (pCR) rate. However, current studies recommend the disease-free survival (DFS) as a more important outcome. Besides, seeking for effective biomarkers as predictive markers for neoadjuvant therapies or as prognostic markers remains a hotspot in the field of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The "watch and wait" approach refers to taking a close follow-up strategy instead of direct operation for patients achieving clinically complete remission (cCR) after neoadjuvant therapy. However, there is no unified evaluation criteria and time point for the evaluation of cCR following neoadjuvant therapy. Therefore, there remain a lot of controversies regarding the clinical application of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in LARC. In this manuscript, research progress in the indication for neoadjuvant therapy, improvement in the neoadjuvant therapeutic schedule, advancement of the efficacy evaluation criteria of neoadjuvant therapy, the "watch and wait" approach and other hot topics is summarized to provide references for clinical practice.

Imaging analysis of rectal cancer patients with clinical and pathological complete remission after concurrent chemoradiotherapy / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To analyze the imaging data of patients with complete clinical remission ( cCR ) and postoperative pathological complete remission ( pCR ) after concurrent chemoradiotherapy, aiming to evaluate the values of MRI and rectal ultrasound in predicting pCR. Methods Clinical data of 42 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with operation were retrospectively analyzed. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and pathological data were statistically compared between patients with cCR and pCR. Results After concurrent chemoradiotherapy,12 patients obtained cCR and 7 patients achieved pCR.The consistency rate of cCR between MRI and EUS was 3/12(25％), and 4/12(33％) for pCR.The consistency rate of pCR of MRI combined with EUS was 5/12 ( 42％) . Conclusion Rectal ultrasound combined with MRI cannot fully predict pCR. More accurate detection approach remains to be explored to evaluate the clinical outcomes of watch-and-wait patients.

2107 hotspots review and future prospects in colorectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Radical surgeries and(neo) adjuvant therapies have significantly prolonged survival of patients with colorectal cancer. Microinvasive surgery and function preservation become more important with the prerequisite of R0 resection. As for colorectal cancer, long term survival after laparoscopic curative surgery is proved non-inferior to its open counterpart. The new transanal approach of total mesorectal excision, while avoiding abdominal incision for extraction, may as well improve surgical quality. Local excision and the "watch and wait" strategy, though attractive for organ-preservation, are undermined by suboptimal clinical and radiographic assessment of lymph node and treatment response, respectively. Meanwhile, fresh changes are challenging long-established perioperative regiments. Shortening of adjuvant chemotherapy to 3 months reduces adverse events without compromising survival. Moving part of, or all, adjuvant courses to before surgery may improve response, thereby omitting protectomy or radiotherapy. To summarize, function preservation and quality of life has, together with survival, increasingly become the ultimate aim of colorectal cancer treatment, a field of constant evolvement.

Functional outcome and quality of life following treatment for rectal cancer / Resultados funcionais e qualidade de vida após tratamento do câncer retal

Introduction: Over the last decades, treatment for rectal cancer has substantially improved with development of new surgical options and treatment modalities. With the improvement of survival, functional outcome and quality of life are getting more attention. Study objective: To provide an overview of current modalities in rectal cancer treatment, with particular emphasis on functional outcomes and quality of life. Results: Functional outcomes after rectal cancer treatment are influenced by patient and tumor characteristics, surgical technique, the use of preoperative radiotherapy and the method and level of anastomosis. Sphincter preserving surgery for low rectal cancer often results in poor functional outcomes that impair quality of life, referred to as low anterior resection syndrome. Abdominoperineal resection imposes the need for a permanent stoma but avoids the risk of this syndrome. Contrary to general belief, long-term quality of life in patients with a permanent stoma is similar to those after sphincter preserving surgery for low rectal cancer. Conclusion: All patients should be informed about the risks of treatment modalities. Decision on rectal cancer treatment should be individualized since not all patients may benefit from a sphincter preserving surgery "at any price". Non-resection treatment should be the future focus to avoid the need of a permanent stoma and bowel dysfunction.

Introdução: Ao longo das últimas décadas, o tratamento do câncer retal melhorou substancialmente com o desenvolvimento de novas opções terapêuticas. Com a melhoria da sobrevida, os resultados funcionais e a qualidade de vida são cada vez mais tidos em consideração. Objetivos do estudo: Rever as modalidades atuais de tratamento do câncer retal, com enfase nos resultados funcionais e qualidade de vida. Resultados: Os resultados funcionais após tratamento para o câncer retal é influenciado pelas características do doente, do tumor, da técnica cirúrgica, do uso de radioterapia pré-cirúrgica e do método e nível da anastomose. A cirurgia poupadora de esfíncter do câncer retal baixo resulta frequentemente em maus resultados funcionais que prejudicam a qualidade de vida, denominados síndrome da ressecção anterior baixa. A amputação abdominoperitoneal impõe a necessidade de uma colostomia definitiva mas evita os riscos de resultados funcionais deficitários. Contrariamente à crença geral, a qualidade de vida a longo-prazo em doentes com colostomia definitiva é semelhante à qualidade de vida após cirurgia poupadora de esfíncter do câncer retal baixo. Conclusão: Todos os doentes devem ser informados sobre o risco das opções terapêuticas. A decisão do tratamento do câncer retal deve ser individualizada uma vez que nem todos os doentes beneficiarão de uma cirurgia poupadora de esfíncter "a qualquer preço". A possibilidade de tratamento sem ressecção devem ser o foco futuro para evitar a necessidade de uma colostomia definitiva e disfunção gastrointestinal.

What Can Physicians Propose to Help Children with Aspecific Cough? Review of the Literature.

Aims: New cough guidelines recommend a wait, watch and review attitude without any prescription of medication. However, practitioner adhesion is low. We aimed to search what alternative physician could proposed to drug prescription and what attitude could be effective. Study Design: Review of the litterature. Methodology: The review was performed by two reviewers covering the period from 2008, the date we finished the literature search for our previous guidelines, to March 2015 for guideline, systematic reviews and RCTs. The inclusion criteria were interventions without pharmacological treatment compared with no treatment in coughing children. The target population was the paediatric population between 0 and 18 years old, suffering from cough and not known to be suffering from a specific lung disease. Results: We found three systematic reviews and two primary articles. Interventions used were honey, placebo, GP’s communication skill, and written material given to parents. Outcomes were perception of cough by the parents as assessed by Likert scales, consultation rate and parental literacy. Placebo or honey seemed to be more efficient as regards parents’ perception of their child’s cough. Providing parents with informative, illustrated booklets had an effect on the parents’ knowledge and intention to consult about such symptoms. Conclusion: Our findings support the recommendation of giving information to parents. Placebo seemed to be more efficient than nothing. Its proper use should be specified. There is a need for other studies on which approach works in which circumstances, and when placebo or sugar syrups could be useful.

Clinical manifestations of autoimmune disease-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a Korean single-center, retrospective clinical study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recently, large cohort studies regarding associations between autoimmune disease and lymphomas have been reported in a few Western countries. However, Asian data concerning autoimmune-related lymphomas are limited. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with autoimmune disease-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in a single center in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed the data from 11 patients with autoimmune-related NHL. Patients were categorized into two groups, those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and those with non-RA-related NHL. Then patients were re-categorized into a group with methotrexate (MTX) usage and a MTX non-usage group. Histological subtype, MTX duration, autoimmune disease duration, treatment modalities, and other data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Our study revealed that older RA patients have a greater likelihood of occurrence of NHL (p = 0.042). We confirmed that MTX duration and cumulative dose of MTX have no significant correlation with autoimmune disease and NHL (p = 0.073). In the management of autoimmune disease-related NHL, all patients were directly treated with systemic chemotherapy instead of employing a wait and watch approach. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in all autoimmune disease-related NHL were 100% and 87.5%, with no treatment-related mortality during the 2-year follow-up period of our study. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that patients with RA-NHL are characterized by older age at onset compared to those with non-RA-NHL. Also considering of OS and PFS, intensive treatment strategy instead of delayed watchful managements may be required for autoimmune disease-related NHL including of old age group.