Reduction of in-hospital mortality following regionalisation of pancreatic surgery in the south-east of the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: In the late nineties of the former century, surgery for pancreatic and peri-ampullary cancer in the southern part of The Netherlands was performed mainly in low-volume hospitals (<5 resections/year). Results reported by the Comprehensive Cancer Center South (CCCS) in 2005 revealed the clearly disappointing results of this practice. The former stimulated the regionalisation of pancreatic surgery by 3 collaborating surgical units into one non-academic teaching hospital in the eastern part of the CCCS-region starting from July 2005. METHODS: All of the 76 patients in this regional cohort group in whom a resection of a (peri-)pancreatic tumour was performed with curative intent have been followed up prospectively. The results of surgical morbidity and in-hospital mortality were compared with the results of the CCCS cohort group which were reported previously. RESULTS: Ever since the regionalisation the annual number of patients undergoing resection of a pancreatic tumour increased from 10 to 33, resulting in a total number of 76 patients. Post-operative complications, reoperation rate and in-hospital mortality decreased significantly to 34.2%, 18.4% and 2.6% respectively, as compared to 71.9%, 37.8 and 24.4% in the time period before regionalisation (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: These unique comparative prospective data derived from daily practice in a collaborative surgical region in The Netherlands (CCCS) support the need for centralisation of pancreatic surgery in order to improve standard of care in pancreatic surgery. This can be achieved by collaboration in a large regional hospital.

A highly active and tolerable neoadjuvant regimen combining paclitaxel, carboplatin, 5-FU, and radiation therapy in patients with stage II and III esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The present phase II study aimed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a new paclitaxel-based neoadjuvant chemoradiation regimen followed by surgery in patients with stage II-III esophageal cancer. METHODS: From January 2002 to November 2004, 50 patients with a potentially resectable stage II-III esophageal cancer received chemotherapy with paclitaxel, carboplatin, and 5-FU in combination with radiotherapy 45 Gy in 25 fractions. Surgery followed 6-8 weeks after completion of neoadjuvant treatment. PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: male/female: 44/6, median age 60 years (34-75), median WHO 1 (0-2), adenocarcinoma (n = 42), squamous cell carcinoma (n = 8). Toxicity was mild, and 84 % of the patients completed the whole regimen. Forty-seven patients underwent surgery with a curative intention (transhiatal n = 44, transthoracic n = 3). Pathologic complete tumor regression was achieved in 18 of 47 operated patients (38%). R0 resection was achieved in 45 of 47 operated patients (96%). There were four postoperative deaths (8.5). Postoperative complications were comparable with other studies. After a median follow-up of 41.5 months (21-59) estimated 3- and 5-year survival on an intention-to-treat basis was 56 and 48%. Estimated 3-year survival in responders was 61%, in nonresponders 33%. CONCLUSION: This novel neoadjuvant chemoradiation regimen for treatment of patients with stage II-III esophageal cancer is feasible. Results are encouraging with a high pathologic complete tumor regression and R0 resection rate and an acceptable morbidity and mortality. Preliminary survival data are very promising.

A comparison of quality of life, disease impact and risk perception in women with invasive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ.

We compared the health-related quality of life, impact of the disease, risk perception of recurrence and dying of breast cancer, and understanding of diagnosis of patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive breast cancer 2-3 years after treatment. We included all women (N=211) diagnosed with DCIS or invasive breast cancer TNM stage I (T1, N0, and M0) in three community hospitals in the southern part of The Netherlands in the period 2002-2003. After verifying the medical files, 180 disease free patients proved eligible for study entry, 47 of whom had DCIS and 133 stage I invasive breast cancer. One-hundred and thirty-five patients returned a completed questionnaire (75% response). No significant differences were found between women with DCIS and invasive breast cancer on the physical and mental component scale of the RAND SF-36, nor on the WHO-5, which assesses well-being. In contrast, women with DCIS reportedly had a better physical health, better sex life and better relationships with friends/acquaintances than women with invasive breast cancer. Despite their better prognosis, the DCIS-group had comparable perceptions of the risk of recurrence and dying of breast cancer as women with invasive breast cancer. However, this did not appear to affect their well-being significantly.