Comparison Between Biweekly and Weekly Cetuximab in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Although weekly administration of cetuximab is the standard regimen in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), the efficacy and safety of a biweekly regimen is a pending issue. We conducted this meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of a biweekly vs. a weekly regimen of cetuximab in the treatment of mCRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive electronic literature search up to January 2020 to identify studies directly comparing the efficacy and safety of biweekly cetuximab administration and conventional weekly administration in patients with mCRC. We then performed a meta-analysis using random-effects models to calculate risk ratios and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Four studies with a total of 381 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that biweekly administration conferred equivalent efficacy, including objective response rate, disease-control rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival, as well as safety, including skin toxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, and hematologic toxicity, compared with weekly administration in patients with mCRC. CONCLUSION: Results from this meta-analysis support the administration of biweekly instead of weekly cetuximab, which is beneficial for both patients and health resources.

Postoperative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and anastomotic leakage after gastrointestinal anastomoses: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to control postoperative pain; however, their postoperative use has been associated with anastomotic leakage after gastrointestinal surgery. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the correlation between the use of NSAIDs and anastomotic leakage. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive electronic literature search up to August 2018 to identify studies comparing anastomotic leakage in patients with and without postoperative NSAID use following gastrointestinal surgery. We then carried out a meta-analysis using random-effects models to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Twenty-four studies were included in this meta-analysis, including a total of 31 877 patients. Meta-analysis showed a significant association between NSAID use and anastomotic leakage (OR 1.73; 95% CI = 1.31-2.29, P < .0001). Subgroup analyses showed that non-selective NSAIDs, but not selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, were significantly associated with anastomotic leakage. However there was no significant subgroup difference between selective and non-selective NSAIDs. CONCLUSION: Results of this meta-analysis indicate that postoperative NSAID use is associated with anastomotic leakage following gastrointestinal surgeries. Caution is warranted when using NSAIDs for postoperative analgesic control in patients with gastrointestinal anastomoses.

Preoperative lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio predicts postoperative infectious complications after laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Postoperative infectious complications (POI), which can increase length of hospital stay, medical cost, and worsen overall survival, are a concern in minimally invasive colorectal cancer (CRC) surgeries. Recent reports showed that relatively new inflammation-based score, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) is an independent predictor of long-term outcomes after CRC surgeries. In this study, LMR was evaluated as a predictor of short-term postoperative outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a single-institutional retrospective study of 211 consecutive patients who had undergone laparoscopic CRC surgery with primary tumor resection from January 2014 to August 2015 at Nippon Medical School Chiba Hokusoh Hospital. The patients were divided into two groups (no POI; n = 176 and POI; n = 35). The associations between inflammation-based scores, namely neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and LMR, and the occurrence of POI were investigated. Receiving operator characteristic curve analysis was used to determine the cutoff point of preoperative LMR. RESULTS: Low LMR (cut-off 3.46), long operative time, and smoking were found to be independent predictors of POI in a multivariate analysis (LMR: Odds ratio 5.61, 95% confidence interval 1.98-15.9, P = 0.001). Patients with low LMR also appeared to have more advanced and aggressive tumours. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to report that the lower LMR is a predictive factor of POI after laparoscopic CRC surgery, and it may provide additional information for treatment decisions to prevent POI.