Multimodal Treatment of Metastatic Rectal Cancer in a Young Patient: Case Report and Literature Review.

Metastatic colorectal cancer requires a multidisciplinary and individualized approach. Herein, we reported the case of a young woman diagnosed with metastatic rectal cancer who received an individualized multimodal treatment strategy that resulted in a remarkable survival. There were several particular aspects of this case, such as the early onset of the disease, the successful use of conversion therapy, the application of liquid biopsy to guide treatment, and the specific nature of the bone metastasis. To offer more insights for navigating such challenges in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, we have conducted a literature review to find more data related to the particularities of this case. The incidence of early onset colorectal cancer is on the rise. Data suggests that it differs from older-onset colorectal cancer in terms of its pathological, epidemiological, anatomical, metabolic, and biological characteristics. Conversion therapy and surgical intervention provide an opportunity for cure and improve outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer. It is important to approach each case individually, as every patient with limited liver disease should be considered as a candidate for secondary resection. Moreover, liquid biopsy has an important role in the individualized management of metastatic colorectal cancer patients, as it offers additional information for treatment decisions.

Bevacizumab Treatment for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Real-World Clinical Practice.

Background and Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality and morbidity worldwide. Bevacizumab was approved for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) based on favorable benefit-risk assessments from randomized controlled trials, but evidence on its use in the real-world setting is limited. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the outcomes and safety profile of bevacizumab in mCRC in a real-world setting in Romania. Patients and Methods: This was an observational, retrospective, multicentric, cohort study conducted in Romania that included patients with mCRC treated with bevacizumab as part of routine clinical practice. Study endpoints were progression-free survival, overall survival, adverse events, and patterns of bevacizumab use. Results: A total of 554 patients were included in the study between January 2008 and December 2018. A total of 392 patients (71%) received bevacizumab in the first line and 162 patients (29%) in the second line. Bevacizumab was mostly combined with a capecitabine/oxaliplatin chemotherapy regimen (31.6%). The median PFS for patients treated with bevacizumab was 8.4 months (interquartile range [IQR], 4.7-15.1 months) in the first line and 6.6 months (IQR, 3.8-12.3 months) in the second line. The median OS was 17.7 months (IQR, 9.3-30.6 months) in the first line and 13.5 months (IQR, 6.7-25.2 months) in the second line. Primary tumor resection was associated with a longer PFS and OS. The safety profile of bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy was similar to other observational studies in mCRC. Conclusions: The safety profile of bevacizumab was generally as expected. Although the PFS was generally similar to that reported in other studies, the OS was shorter, probably due to the less frequent use of bevacizumab after disease progression and the baseline patient characteristics. Patients with mCRC treated with bevacizumab who underwent resection of the primary tumor had a higher OS compared to patients with an unresected primary tumor.

Embryologic Origin of the Primary Tumor and RAS Status Predict Survival after Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases.

Background and objectives. In colorectal cancers, the embryologic origin of the primary tumor determines important molecular dissimilarities between right-sided (RS) and left-sided (LS) carcinomas. Although important prognostic differences have been revealed between RS- and LS-patients with resected colorectal liver metastases (CLMs), it is still unclear if this observation depends on the RAS mutational status. To refine the impact of primary tumor location (PTL) on the long-term outcomes of patients with resected CLMs, the rates of overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS) and survival after recurrence (SAR) were compared between RS- vs. LS-patients, according to their RAS status. Material and Methods. All patients with known RAS status, operated until December 2019, were selected from a prospectively maintained database, including all patients who underwent hepatectomy for histologically-proven CLMs. A log-rank test was used to compare survival rates between the RS- vs. LS-group, in RAS-mut and RAS-wt patients, respectively. A multivariate analysis was performed to assess if PTL was independently associated with OS, RFS or SAR. Results. In 53 patients with RAS-mut CLMs, the OS, RFS and SAR rates were not significantly different (p = 0.753, 0.945 and 0.973, respectively) between the RS and LS group. In 89 patients with RAS-wt CLMs, the OS and SAR rates were significantly higher (p = 0.007 and 0.001, respectively) in the LS group vs. RS group, while RFS rates were similar (p = 0.438). The multivariate analysis performed in RAS-wt patients revealed that RS primary (p = 0.009), extrahepatic metastases (p = 0.001), N-positive (p = 0.014), age higher than 65 (p = 0.002) and preoperative chemotherapy (p = 0.004) were independently associated with worse OS, while RS location (p < 0.001) and N-positive (p = 0.007) were independent prognostic factors for poor SAR. Conclusions. After resection of CLMs, PTL had no impact on long-term outcomes in RAS-mut patients, while in RAS-wt patients, the RS primary was independently associated with worse OS and SAR.