Health-Related Quality of Life Following Simultaneous Resection for Synchronous Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases.

INTRODUCTION: Up to 25% of colorectal cancer patients present with synchronous liver metastases that can be treated with two operations or a single 'simultaneous' operation. Morbidity and mortality appear similar between approaches, however changes in health-related quality-of-life following simultaneous resection are not well reported. METHODS: A prospective, feasibility trial for simultaneous resection of synchronous colorectal liver metastases was conducted. Patients completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and LMC21 at baseline (preoperatively), and 4 and 12 weeks postoperatively. Week 4 and 12 scores were compared with baseline using t-tests. Minimally important clinical differences were considered as a 10-point difference from baseline. RESULTS: C30 and QLQ-LMC21 were completed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks by 39 (95%), 35 (85%) and 34 (83%) patients, and 39 (95%), 33 (80%) and 33 (80%) patients, respectively; 79% and 75% had at least one MICD according to QLQ-C30 at 4 and 12 weeks. At 4 weeks, physical functioning (mean difference (MD) - 11.9%, p = 0.002), role functioning (MD - 23.6, p = 0.007), and pain (MD + 19.7, p = 0.017) had significant worsening from baseline. At 12 weeks postoperatively, role functioning (MD - 19.7, p = 0.011) and fatigue (MD + 14.3, p = 0.03) were the only domains that remained significantly worse. By 12 weeks, pain and physical functioning had returned to baseline. There were no major demographic differences among those with and without an MICD at 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous resection of colorectal liver metastases led to clinically significant worsening fatigue and role functioning that persisted at 12 weeks post-surgery.

Cytoreduction and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CS/HIPEC) in colorectal cancer: Evidence-based review of patient selection and treatment algorithms.

Cytoreduction and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CS/HIPEC) is increasingly utilized as a treatment strategy for patients with peritoneal metastases from various primary tumor sites. For this heterogenous procedure, related to patient characteristics, patient selection, and the extent of surgical completeness of cytoreduction, high level evidence (ex: multiple randomized controlled trials) is not available to support efficacy. This review of the available literature supporting application of the procedure, focusing on colorectal cancer, provides a summary of current evidence for patient selection and treatment algorithms based on patient presentation.

Collaborative case conferences in rectal cancer: case series in a tertiary care centre.

BACKGROUND: In many hospitals, resource barriers preclude the use of preoperative multidisciplinary cancer conferences (mccs) for consecutive patients with cancer. Collaborative cancer conferences (cccs) are modified mccs that might overcome such barriers. METHODS: We established a ccc at an academic tertiary care centre to review preoperative plans for patients with rectal cancer. Attendees included only surgeons who perform colorectal cancer procedures and a radiologist with expertise in cross-sectional imaging. Individual reviews began with the primary surgeon presenting the case information and initial treatment recommendations. Cross-sectional images were then reviewed, the case was discussed, and consensus on ccc-treatment recommendations was achieved. Outcomes for the present study were changes in treatment recommendations defined as "major" (that is, redirection of patient to preoperative radiation from straight-to-surgery or uncertain plan, or redirection of the patient to straight-to-surgery from preoperative radiation or plan uncertain) or as "minor" (that is, referral to a multidisciplinary cancer clinic, request additional tests, change type of neoadjuvant therapy, change type of surgery). Chart reviews provided relevant patient, tumour, and treatment information. RESULTS: Between September 2011 and September 2012, 101 rectal cancer patients were discussed at a ccc. Of the 35 management plans (34.7%) that were changed as a result, 8 had major changes, and 27 had minor changes. Available patient and tumour factors did not predict for a change in treatment recommendation. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative cccs at a tertiary-care centre changed treatment recommendations for one third of patients with rectal cancer. Given that no specific factor predicted for a treatment plan change, it is likely prudent that all rectal cancer patients undergo some form of collaborative review.

Breast-fed infants achieve a higher rate of brain and whole body docosahexaenoate accumulation than formula-fed infants not consuming dietary docosahexaenoate.

Docosahexaenoate (DHA) has been increasingly recognized as an important fatty acid for neural and visual development during the first 6 mon of life. One important point of controversy that remains is the degree to which adequate levels of DHA can be acquired from endogenous synthesis in infants vs. what should be provided as dietary DHA. We have approached this problem by a retrospective analysis of published body composition data to estimate the actual accumulation of DHA in the human infant brain, liver, adipose tissue, remaining lean tissue, and whole body. Estimating whether infants can synthesize sufficient DHA required comparison to and extrapolation from animal data. Over the first 6 mon of life, DHA accumulates at about 10 mg/d in the whole body of breast-fed infants, with 48% of that amount appearing in the brain. To achieve that rate of accumulation, breast-fed infants need to consume a minimum of 20 mg DHA/d. Virtually all breast milk provides a DHA intake of at least 60 mg/d. Despite a store of about 1,050 mg of DHA in body fat at term birth and an intake of about 390 mg/d alpha-linolenate (alpha-LnA), the brain of formula-fed infants not consuming DHA accumulates half the DHA of the brain of breast-fed infants while the rest of the body actually loses DHA over the first 6 mon of life. No experimental data indicate that formula-fed infants not consuming DHA are able to convert the necessary 5.2% of alpha-LnA intake to DHA to match the DHA accumulation of breast-fed infants. We conclude that dietary DHA should likely be provided during at least the first 6 mon of life.