Update and interpretation of Elsevier clinical pathway for gastric, gastroesophageal junction and esophageal cancer ( Chinese edition, 2022) / 中华消化杂志

The standardized treatment of malignant tumor has always been the direction of continuous improvement of major medical institutions. In recent years, the basic research, prevention, screening and diagnosis and treatment level of gastric, gastroesophageal junction and esophageal cancer have been greatly improved, resulting in a significant improvement in the 5 years′ survival rate of patients, but there are still great differences in the diagnosis and treatment level among different regions. Chinese gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer and esophageal cancer differ greatly from European and American countries in etiology, pathological types, high incidence sites, etc. Therefore, the relevant guidelines of European and American countries cannot fully meet Chinese clinical practice. In 2021, Elsevier Publishing Group launched the Chinese edition of Elsevier clinical pathway for gastric, gastroesophageal junction and esophageal cancer, and the first update edition was made in 2022, which aims to promote the quality control of tumor diagnosis and treatment, standardize tumor diagnosis and treatment behaviors, promote the homogenization and standardization of tumor diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately improve the survival rate and quality of life of patients with malignant tumor. This pathway refers to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network clinical practice guidelines, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines, combines evidence-based medicine and clinical experience, and follows the scientific, universal, standardized and operable principles. It has been promoted and applied in clinical practice, and is constantly updated according to the latest research results.

Efficacy and Safety of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Therapy on Advanced Gastric Cancer or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer: A Meta-analysis / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction cancer (GC/GEJC). Methods CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials, Cochrane Library and other databases were searched to collect the clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of advanced GC/GEJC. The retrieval time was from the inception to Nov. 2019. Outcome measures mainly included ORR, DCR, PFS, OS and toxicities. The adoption rate difference and hazard ratio were effect measures. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Results We included seven literatures with a total of 1949 patients. Meta-analysis showed that for the patients with advanced GC/GEJC, the second-line or later immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy improved the overall survival rate at 12 and 18 months; the OS of the patients was prolonged, compared with chemotherapy/placebo therapy (all P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions of any grade or ≥grade 3 caused by immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy was lower than that caused by chemotherapy/placebo. Conclusion Immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment could improve survival endpoints in some patients with advanced GC/GEJC, and the incidence of common adverse reactions is low.

Surgical Treatment of Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

Although the incidence of gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma has been increasing worldwide, no standardized surgical strategy for its treatment has been established. This study aimed to provide an update on the surgical treatment of GEJ adenocarcinoma by reviewing previous reports and propose recommended surgical approaches. The Siewert classification is widely used for determining which surgical procedure is used, because previous studies have shown that the pattern of lymph node (LN) metastasis depends on tumor location. In terms of surgical approaches for GEJ adenocarcinoma, a consensus was reached based on two randomized controlled trials. Siewert types I and III are treated as esophageal cancer and gastric cancer, respectively. Although no consensus has been reached regarding the treatment of Siewert type II, several retrospective studies suggested that the optimal treatment strategy includes paraaortic LN dissection. Against this background, a Japanese nationwide prospective trial is being conducted to determine the proportion of LN metastasis in GEJ cancers and to identify the optimal extent of LN dissection in each type.

Clinical-pathological features and prognosis analysis of 218 esophagogastric junction malignant tumor / 中华消化杂志

Objective To explore the relation between clinical-pathological features,Siewert classification and prognosis of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) carcinoma,and to assess the applicability of the new edition of American Joint Committee of Cancer (AJCC) staging guideline on EGJ adenocarcinoma in China.Methods From 2002 to 2012,the clinical data,pathological features,treatment and prognosis of 218 patients with EGJ malignant tumor were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were typed according to Siewert classification criteria and each case was staged according to 7th edition of AJCC TNM staging criteria for esophagus adenocarcinoma and gastric cancer.Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were performed for survival analysis.Results According to the Siewert classification,type Ⅰ was rare (nine cases,4.1％),type Ⅱ was the most common type (150 cases,68.8％) and followed by type Ⅲ (59 cases,27.1％).There was no significant difference in survival curve among the three types (P＞0.05).The survival curve was drawn according to 7th edition of AJCC TNM staging criteria for esophagus adenocarcinoma.In T staging,the prognosis of patients at T4b was better than that of patients at T4a,the prognosis of patients at ⅡB was better than that of patients at ⅡA.The survival curve of patients at Ⅲ C obviously crossed with that of patients at Ⅳ,which was not in conformity with clinical results.The survival curve was drawn according to 7th edition of AJCC staging criteria for gastric cancer.In T staging,the survival curve of patients at Tis was overlapped with that of patients at T1a.The survival rate of patients at ⅡB could not be accurately predicted by the overall staging.In general,the survival of patients with EGJ carcinoma was better predicted according to 7th edition of AJCC staging criteria for gastric cancer than 7th edition for esophagus adenocarcinoma.Conclusions Neither 7th edition of AJCC staging criteria for esophagus adenocarcinoma nor for gastric cancer could accurately predict its prognosis.In our country,EGJ malignant tumor was similar to gastric cancer and had specific clinical-pathological features.It is necessary to research and establish EGJ carcinoma staging criteria instead of applying the current staging criteria for esophagus adenocarcinoma or gastric cancer.