Assessing the histopathology reports of colorectal carcinoma surgery: An audit of three years with emphasis on lymph node yield

Background: A comprehensive histopathology report of colorectal carcinoma surgery is important in cancer staging and planning adjuvant treatment. Our aim was to review histopathology reports of operated specimens of colorectal carcinoma in our institution between 2013 and 2015 to assess different histological parameters, including lymph node yield, and to evaluate compliance to minimum data sets. Methods: After approval by the institutional review board (IRB), we analyzed 1230 histopathology reports of colorectal carcinoma between 2013 and 2015. Various gross and microscopic findings (along with age, sex) were noted, for example, specimen type, tumor site, resection margins including circumferential resection margin (CRM), lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, pTNM stage, lymph node yield, etc. Results: Out of 1230 patients, 826 (67.15%) were men and 404 (32.85%) were women. The overall mean age was 52 (range: 18 - 90) years. There were 787 surgeries for rectal cancers. All reports commented on the type of specimen, tumor size (mean = 4.38 cm), proximal, and distal margins. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and the pT stage were mentioned in 98.06% and 99.84%, respectively. The overall mean lymph node yield was 18.38 (median = 15, range = 0-130 lymph nodes). A statistically significant difference in lymph node yield was detected between rectal and colonic cancer patients (14.79 and 27.26); post neoadjuvant therapy (NACT) cases, and NACT naive cases (13.51 and 25.11); and high tumor stage and low tumor stage disease (20.60 and 15.22). Not commenting on extramural vascular emboli, tumor budding, and CRM in non-rectal cancer cases were the lacunae. Conclusion: Our compliance with minimal data sets is satisfactory. The overall mean lymph node yield was 18.38 (median = 15). Extramural vascular emboli, tumor budding need to be captured.

Management of colon cancer at a tertiary referral center in India - Patterns of presentation, treatment, and survival outcomes

AIM: To define the patterns of disease presentation, treatment strategies, and outcomes for patients with colon cancer at a tertiary referral center in India over 1 year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database. All consecutive patients with proven or suspected colonic adenocarcinoma between July 2013 and July 2014 were evaluated in a dedicated analysed multidisciplinary clinic at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. The demography, treatment plan, pathology, stage, and survival data were examined. RESULTS: The median age of presentation was 49 years with 60.1% male patients. In total, 151 cases (57.4%) underwent treatment with curative intent consisting of surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy as indicated. The rest were offered either palliative chemotherapy (36.9%) or best supportive care (5.7%). Approximately, 70% patients had advanced stage disease (Stage III/IV) at presentation and 41.8% presented with metastatic disease with the liver being the most common site of disease dissemination. With a median follow-up of 29 months, the estimated 3-year disease free survival for patients treated with curative intent was 67.1%. The median progression free survival was 12.3 months for patients treated with palliative intent. The estimated 3-year overall survival was 89.7%, 65.5%, and 22.8% for Stage I/II, Stage III, and Stage IV, respectively. CONCLUSION: Indian patients with colon cancer, at a tertiary referral center, tend to present at more advanced stages of the disease as compared to the West. However, curative treatment with surgery and chemotherapy offers similar survival outcomes when compared stage for stage

Analysis of bone and soft-tissue sarcomas registered during the year 2012 at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, with clinical outcomes

ntroduction: Primary bone and soft tissue sarcomas are rare, but diagnostically and therapeutically challenging group of tumors, requiring multidisciplinary management. There are limited documented studies from multidisciplinary teams , in the form of comprehensive analysis of these tumors, from our country. This study is an analysis of cases of osteosarcomas, Ewing sarcomas (ESs), chondrosarcomas (CSs), and soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs), registered at our institution during 2012. Methods: Clinical details, including outcomes of cases of bone and STSs, during the year 2012, were retrieved from the medical records of our institution and were further analyzed. Results: Ninety-five high-grade, extremity-based, treatment-naïve cases of osteosarcomas were treated with a novel, dose-dense, nonhigh-dose methotrexate-based OGS-12 protocol. Good histopathologic response (necrosis ≥90%) was achieved in 59% nonmetastatic and 56% metastatic patients. At a median follow-up of 48 months, the estimated 5-year event-free survival and overall survival (OS) were 67% and 78%, respectively. In the metastatic cohort at a median follow-up of 51 months, the 5-year estimated progression-free survival was 24% and OS was 26%. Among 87 (73.2%) nonmetastatic and 32 (26.8%) metastatic, analyzable cases of ES, at a median follow-up of 40 months, the disease-free survival (DFS) and OS in the nonmetastatic group were 62% and 83%; in the metastatic group, they were 37.5% and 65.6%, respectively. Among 40 cases of CSs (33 nonmetastatic and 7 metastatic), 21 had limb salvage surgery while 5 had amputation. Microscopically, 90.4% were Grade II CSs. Five-year OS and DFS were 84.6% and 71%, respectively. Among 189 high-grade, extremity-based STSs (89% nonmetastatic), synovial sarcoma was the most common subtype (31%). Eighty-five percent had limb preservation surgery; a majority were offered adjuvant radiation with or without chemotherapy. At a median follow-up of 51 (1–63) months, 3-year local control, DFS, and OS were 81%, 48%, and 64%, respectively. Conclusions: The novel OGS 12 and Ewing Family of Tumors 2001 protocols have shown comparable outcomes to international standards in cases of osteosarcoma and ES, respectively, and merit wider applications, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Outcomes in STS and CSs were also comparable and underscore the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for the management of sarcomas in LMICS.

Surgical morbidities and outcomes of major salivary gland neoplasms treated at a tertiary cancer center

Background and Objectives: Salivary gland neoplasms are relatively uncommon. They have a wide variety of histopathological types with diverse biological behavior. It involves all the major and minor salivary glands in the head and neck. This article focuses on the various types of major salivary gland tumors treated at a tertiary cancer center along with their surgical morbidities and outcomes. Materials and Methods: Data of all the salivary gland neoplasms operated in the head and neck services between January 2012 and December 2013 were retrieved from a prospectively collected database. The clinical, demographic data and types of surgeries along with the morbidities were collated from the database and the details regarding the follow-up were collected from the electronic medical record. Results: Out of 235. cases registered, 107. patients were treated at our institute. The parotid gland was most commonly involved; majority were malignant lesions. Sixty-two patients were treatment naive at presentation. Majority presented with advanced disease. Superficial parotidectomy was the most common surgery performed and neck dissection was done in 27. patients. Facial nerve palsy was the most common complication following surgery. (16%). Sixty patients received adjuvant treatment. All patients on follow-up were alive at their last visit, with 10. patients having recurrence. Factors influencing the disease-free survival were extracapsular spread, tumor grade, and perineural invasion. Conclusion: The postoperative morbidities and outcomes for major salivary gland neoplasms in our series were acceptable and comparable to the results available in the literature. Appropriate treatment of the salivary gland neoplasm will yield good outcomes with acceptable morbidity.

A cross-sectional study of the distribution of pediatric solid tumors at an Indian tertiary cancer center

Context: Pediatric solid tumors include a heterogeneous group of tumors, and the burden of these tumors, especially from resource-challenged countries, is not well described. AIMS: The aim of this study was to describe the distribution of solid tumors in children and the treatment outcome of Wilms tumor and hepatoblastoma. Patients and Methods: All patients under 15 years of age with histologically confirmed tumors presenting at a tertiary cancer center from January 2012 to December 2016 were identified from the hospital database. Patients with lymphomas, bone, and central nervous tumors were excluded. The demographic profile including age, sex distribution, and the treatment received were recorded for all patients. Results: The mean age of the eligible 1944 patients was 5.7 years with majority (57.3%) in the 0–4 years age group. The male-to-female ratio was 1.4:1 with a male predominance in all tumors except germ cell tumors. Soft tissue tumors were the most common tumors followed by neuroblastoma and renal tumors, whereas liver tumors formed only 6.7% of all tumors. Seventy percent of the patients received treatment completely or partially at our institute, whereas 18.3% had no cancer-directed treatment. The 3-year overall survival of patients with Wilms tumor and hepatoblastoma was 85.4 and 78.5%, respectively. Conclusions: Extracranial and extraosseous pediatric solid tumors include a wide range of tumors with a predilection for male sex and children below 4 years of age. Soft tissue tumors, neuroblastoma, and renal tumors are the most common; the outcomes of Wilms tumor and hepatoblastoma are favorable.

Are we achieving the benchmark of retrieving 12 lymph nodes in colorectal carcinoma specimens? Experience from a tertiary referral center in India and review of literature.

Introduction: The number of lymph nodes (LNs) retrieved from a specimen of colorectal carcinoma may vary. Factors that can possibly affect LN yield are age of the patient, obesity, location of the tumor, neoadjuvant therapy, surgical technique and pathologist's handling of the specimen. Aim: The aim of our study is to look at lymph node retrieval from colorectal cancer (CRC) specimens in our hands and review the literature. Materials and Methods: From May 2010 to January 2011, a total of 170 colorectal carcinoma cases were operated in our institute. Type of the surgeries, lymph node yield was looked at. Results: There were 103 (60.6%) males and 67 (39.4%) females. The commonest age group was 50-59 years (30.6%). The surgeries included 107 surgeries for rectal carcinoma (63%) and 63 surgeries for colonic carcinoma (37%). Sixty six (38.8%) cases had received preoperative chemoradiotherapy, whereas 104 (61.2%) cases were without adjuvant therapy. The total lymph node positivity (metastatic disease) was 44.7% .The overall mean lymph node yield was 12.68 (range 0-63; median 11). The mean lymph node harvest in the age group < 39 was 15.76 whereas, the lymph node harvest in the group more than 39 years old was 11.90. ( statistically significant; P=0.03). The mean lymph node yield from specimens of rectal cancers (10.30) was lower than the mean lymph node yield from specimens for colonic cancers (16.71);( statistically significant, P<0.01). There was also statistically significant difference between the mean LN yield in chemoradionaiive cases (14.63) and in the cases where neoadjuvant therapy was received, (9.59); P<0.01. Conclusion: Pathologist while assessing a specimen of CRC should aim to retrieve a minimum of 12 LN. Surgical expertise and diligence of the pathologists remain two main alterable factors that can improve this yield. Neoadjuvant or preoperative radiotherapy can yield in less number of nodes.

Kimura disease with proliferative squamous metaplasia: an unusual finding and a potential diagnostic pitfall.

Kimura disease is a rare form of chronic inflammatory disorder involving subcutaneous tissue, predominantly in the head and neck region and frequently associated with regional lymphadenopathy and/or salivary gland involvement. We present a case of Kimura disease in a 28-year-old male which showed florid squamous metaplasia in the salivary gland ducts and salivary duct inclusions in the intraparotid nodes besides the usual features of Kimura disease. The squamous metaplasia was extensive enough to pose a diagnostic dilemma. We describe this case to highlight the rare histological finding of florid squamous metaplasia in Kimura disease and its diagnostic implications.

Hepatic resection for metastasis from adenoid cystic carcinoma of parotid gland.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is the commonest malignant tumor of the submandibular and minor salivary glands; the parotid gland constitutes a small share of this neoplasm. We present a 30-year-old woman with solitary liver metastasis from an adenoid cystic carcinoma of the parotid gland, which had been surgically treated 10 years ago. The patient underwent successful resection of this metastasis.

Gastric carcinoids--a changing trend.

OBJECTIVE: Gastric carcinoids (GC) are rare tumors. Recent studies have reported a higher frequency of GC, with these constituting 10%-30% of all carcinoid tumors. We have observed GC more frequently at our institute in recent years than in the past. METHODS: Endoscopy reports from January 1997 to June 2003 were reviewed to identify patients with GC. For these patients, biopsy specimens were reviewed and details of clinical features were extracted from case records. RESULTS: Seventeen patients with GC (aged 27 to 76 years; 11 men) were identified; in comparison, there had been only 8 cases in the previous 16 years. Of these, 14 patients had multiple tumors; these were located in the fundus (n = 6), fundus and proximal body (4), and body (4) of the stomach. Three patients had solitary tumors in the antrum. The tumor size ranged from pinhead to 4 cm. Etiologically, 13 patients had type 1 GC (associated with chronic atrophic gastritis type A), one had type 2 GC (associated with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome; multiple endocrine neoplasia 1) and three had type 3 GC (sporadic). Treatment included total gastrectomy (2), distal gastrectomy (2), tumor excision (1), endoscopic polypectomy (3), and vitamin B12 supplementation with surveillance (9). CONCLUSION: Our data show an increase in diagnosis of GC, similar to reports from Western countries. The rise is in the proportion of GC associated with atrophic gastritis. Whether this reflects a higher frequency of detection due to more endoscopic biopsy sampling or due to some other reason needs investigation.