Piecemeal Resection for Large Colorectal Adenomas Remains Essential in 2022: A Single-Center Experience in a Tertiary French Center.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Colorectal lesions measuring greater than 20 mm are unsuitable for en bloc endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR): piecemeal EMR (PM-EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) are needed. The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) recommends ESD only for microinfiltrative lesions, although Japanese teams perform en bloc ESD for all lesions. We report the outcomes obtained in our endoscopy unit for these lesions and assess the hybrid "knife-assisted piecemeal EMR" (KAPM-EMR) technique. The main aim was to assess the short-term outcomes (C1). The secondary objectives were to evaluate the long-term results (C2), adverse event rate and management of recurrence. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients treated by PM-EMR, KAPM-EMR and ESD for a colorectal lesion measuring greater than 20 millimeters using prospective inclusion over four years. RESULTS: Data from 167 patients (median age: 70) with a median follow-up of 15.1 months were analyzed after excluding 95 patients. A total of 131 lesions were removed by PM-EMR, 24 by KAPM-EMR and 12 by ESD; 146/167 (87.4%) patients were considered in remission at C1. Recurrence was treated by endoscopy in 20/21 patients (95%); 86/89 (96.6%) were in remission at C2. A total of 16/167 patients developed adverse events, all of whom except one were endoscopically managed. KAPM-EMR was associated with a higher perforation risk (p=0.037). No differences in postoperative bleeding were found among the three groups (p=0.576). CONCLUSIONS: Piecemeal resection remains an effective and safe technique for large colorectal adenomas. KAPM-EMR may be useful but should be applied with caution due to the risk of perforation.

Dysthyroidism during immune checkpoint inhibitors is associated with improved overall survival in adult cancers: data mining of 1385 electronic patient records.

BACKGROUND: Dysthyroidism (DT) is a common toxicity of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and prior work suggests that dysthyroidism (DT) might be associated with ICI efficacy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ConSoRe, a new generation data mining solution, was used in this retrospective study, to extract data from electronic patient records of adult cancer patients treated with ICI at Institut Paoli-Calmettes (Marseille, France). Every DT was verified and only ICI-induced DT was retained. Survival analyses were performed by Kaplan-Meier method (log-rank test) and Cox model. To account for immortal time bias, a conditional landmark analysis was performed (2 months and 6 months), together with a time-varying Cox model. RESULTS: Data extraction identified 1385 patients treated with ICI between 2011 and 2021. DT was associated with improved overall survival (OS) (HR 0.46, (95% CI 0.33 to 0.65), p<0.001), with a median OS of 35.3 months in DT group vs 15.4 months in non-DT group (NDT). Survival impact of DT was consistent using a 6-month landmark analysis with a median OS of 36.7 months (95% CI 29.4 to not reported) in the DT group vs 25.5 months (95% CI 22.8 to 27.8) in the NDT group. In multivariate analysis, DT was independently associated with improved OS (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.69, p=0.001). After adjustment in time-varying Cox model, this association remained significant (adjusted HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.90, p=0.010). Moreover, patients with DT and additional immune-related adverse event had increased OS compared with patients with isolated DT, with median OS of 38.8 months vs 21.4 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Data mining identified a large number of patients with ICI-induced DT, which was associated with improved OS accounting for immortal time bias.

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery and Endometrial Cancers: Results from an Initial Experience Focused on Elderly Patients.

Endometrial cancer is the fifth most common cancer among French women and occurs most frequently in the over-70-year-old population. Recent years have seen a significant shift towards minimally invasive surgery and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols in endometrial cancer management. However, the impact of ERAS on endometrial cancer has not been well-established. We conducted a prospective observational study in a comprehensive cancer center, comparing the outcomes between endometrial cancer patients who received care in an ERAS pathway (261) and those who did not (166) between 2006 and 2020. We performed univariate and multivariate analysis. Our primary objective was to evaluate the impact of ERAS on length of hospital stay (LOS), with the secondary objectives being the determination of the rates of early discharge, post-operative morbidity, and rehospitalization. We found that patients in the ERAS group had a significantly shorter length of stay, with an average of 3.18 days compared to 4.87 days for the non-ERAS group (estimated decrease -1.69, p < 0.0001). This effect was particularly pronounced among patients over 70 years old (estimated decrease -2.06, p < 0.0001). The patients in the ERAS group also had a higher chance of early discharge (47.5% vs. 14.5% in the non-ERAS group, p < 0.0001), for which there was not a significant increase in post-operative complications. Our study suggests that ERAS protocols are beneficial for the management of endometrial cancer, particularly for older patients, and could lead to the development of ambulatory pathways.

A phase II study of lenalidomide and rituximab (R2) combination in patients with high-risk refractory/relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma have a dismal prognosis in need of innovative treatments. This prospective phase 2 study enrolled 32 patients between 2013 and 2017 with Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma treated with Rituximab and Lenalidomide (R2). Median age was 69 years (40-86), 90.1% had received at least 2 prior lines of treatment, 81% were defined as having High Risk disease according to our criteria and ECOG performance status was > 2 in 51.6%. Patients received a median number of 2 cycles of R2 (1-12). With a median follow up of 22.6 months, the objective response rate was 12.5%. Median progression free survival was 2.6 months (95% CI, [1.7-2.9]) and median overall survival was 9.3 months (95% CI, [5.1-Not estimable]). This study therefore did not achieve its primary endpoint and the R2 regimen cannot be recommended in Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma patients with High Risk features.

Assessment of biological effect of nab-paclitaxel combined with gemcitabine, using contrast enhanced ultrasonography and elastography, in advanced pancreatic ductal carcinoma: A single-center pilot study.

EUS associated with contrast-enhanced harmonic EUS (CH-EUS) and EUS elastography (EUS-E) are used in clinical practice to assess pancreatic tumor at the diagnosis. In case of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with liver metastasis, nab-paclitaxel combined with gemcitabine is a first-line treatment option. We aimed to assess the modification of PDAC microenvironment induced by the combination of nab-paclitaxel with gemcitabine, by endoscopic ultrasonography techinics. This single center phase III study conducted between February 2015 and June 2016 included patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma with mesurable liver metastasis and no prior cancer treatment fit for two cycles of nab-paclitaxel combined with gemcitabine. We aimed to perform EUS with CH-EUS and EUS-E of the pancreatic tumor, CT scan and contrast enhanced ultrasonogram (CE-US) of a reference liver metastasis, before and after the two cylces of chemotherapy. Primary end point was modification of vascularizaion of primary tumor and a reference liver metastasis. Secondary end points were modification of stromal content, safety profile of drug combination and tumor response rate. Sixteen patients were analyzed, but only 13 received two cycled of chemotherapy (CT) (toxicity [n = 1] or death [n = 2]). There was no statistical modification induced by CT concering vascularity of primary tumor (time to maximum intensity P = 0.24, value of maximum intensity P = 0.71, hypoechogenic aspect generated by injection of contrast enhancing agent), vascularity of a reference liver metastasis (time to maximum intensity P = 0.99, value of maximum intensity P = 0.71) and tumor elasticity (P = 0.22). Eleven patients had tumor response assessement, 6/11 (54%) had measurable disease response 4/11 (36%) with partial responses and 2/11 (18%) with stable disease. All other patients showed disease progression. No serious side effects occurred, 6/11 patients had a dose adjustment. We did not show significant modification of vascularity and elasticity but these results should be taken with caution because of important limitations.

The impact of brachytherapy boost for anal canal cancers in the era of de-escalation treatments.

PURPOSE: To analyze clinical outcomes of high-dose-rate (HDR) interstitial brachytherapy boost (ISBT) after external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for the treatment of anal canal cancers (ACC). METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 78 patients with ACC were treated at our institution by ISBT. Local Control (LC), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), colostomy-free survival (CFS) and toxicity rates were analyzed. RESULTS: With a median followup (FU) of 59.8 months (95% CI [55.8-64.2]), six (7.7%) local recurrences with 2 patients (2.6%) having persistent disease at 3 months were observed. The 5-year rate of LC for the entire population was 92% [83-96%]. The 5-year DFS rate was 86% [76-93%]. The 5-year OS was 96% [88-99%]. In the univariate analysis, chemotherapy was significantly associated with morbidity grade ≥2. Late digestive toxicity grade ≥3 was reported in 8.9% patients, 1 patient underwent colostomy due to toxicity. The 5-year CFS rate was 88% [79-94%]. CONCLUSIONS: HDR interstitial brachytherapy boost provide excellent rates of tumor control and colostomy-free survival with a favorable profile of GI toxicity. Continence in anal cancer survivors is a challenge and the boost technique must be discussed in a multidisciplinary approach as part of de-escalation treatments.

Supine bottom-up extralevator abdominoperineal excision for anorectal adenocarcinoma is not inferior to standard approach and may be thus safely performed.

BACKGROUND: Extralevator abdominoperineal excision (APE) for rectal carcinoma has been described in order to improve pathological and oncological results compared to standard APE. To obtain the same oncological advantages as extralevator APE, we have previously described a new procedure starting by a perineal approach: the supine bottom-up APE. Our objective is to compare oncological and surgical outcomes between the supine bottom-up APE and the standard APE. METHODS: All patients with low rectal adenocarcinoma requiring APE were retrospectively included and divided into 2 groups: supine bottom-up APE (Group A) and standard APE (Group B). RESULTS: From 2008 to 2016, 61 patients were divided into Groups A (n = 30) and B (n = 31). Postoperative outcomes and median length of stay were similar between groups. Patients from Group A had a significantly longer distal margin (30 [8-120] vs. 20 [1.5-60] mm, p = 0.04) and higher number of harvested lymph nodes (14.5 [0-33] vs. 11 [5-25], p = 0.03) than those from Group B. Circumferential resection margin involvement was similar between groups (28 vs. 22%, p = 0.6), whereas tumors from Group A were significantly larger and more frequently classified as T4 than those from Group B. Operative time was significantly shorter in Group A (437.5 [285-655] minutes) than in Group B (537.5 [361-721] minutes, p = 0.0009). At the end of follow-up, local recurrence occurred in 7 and 16% of patients from Groups A and B (p = 0.68). Three-year overall and disease-free survival rates were similar between groups (87 vs. 90%, p = 0.62 and 61 vs. 63%, p = 0.88, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that supine bottom-up APE doesn't impair surgical outcomes, pathological results, overall and disease-free survivals in comparison with standard APE. This new procedure may be thus safely performed and decrease the operative time. Further randomized multicentric studies are required to confirm these results.

Establishment and external validation of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in excluding postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreatoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND: Factors excluding postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), facilitating early drain removal and hospital discharge represent a novel approach in patients undergoing enhanced recovery after pancreatic surgery. This study aimed to establish the relevance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in excluding POPF after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). METHODS: A prospectively maintained database of patients who underwent PD at two high-volume centres was used. Patients were divided into three cohorts (training, internal, and external validation). The primary endpoints of this study were accuracy, optimal timing, and cutoff values of NLR for excluding POPF after PD. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2020, in a 2:1 ratio, 451 consecutive patients were randomly sampled as training (n = 301) and validation (n = 150) cohorts. Additionally, the external validation cohort included 197 patients between 2018 and 2020. POPF was diagnosed in 135 (20.8 per cent) patients. The 90-day mortality rate was 4.1 per cent. NLR less than 8.5 on postoperative day 3 (OR, 95 per cent c.i.) was significantly associated with the absence of POPF in the training (2.41, 1.19 to 4.88; P = 0.015), internal validation (5.59, 2.02 to 15.43; P = 0.001), and external validation (5.13, 1.67 to 15.76; P = 0.004) cohorts when adjusted for relevant clinical factors. Postoperative outcomes significantly differed using this threshold. CONCLUSION: NLR less than 8.5 on postoperative day 3 may be a simple, independent, cost-effective, and easy-to-use criterion for excluding POPF.

Musculoskeletal immune-related adverse events in 927 patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors for solid cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of the musculoskeletal immune-related adverse events (irAEs) is probably underestimated, as most studies report only severe side effects. Our aim was to describe and characterize all musculoskeletal irAEs in a large cohort of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study among patients who received ICI from 07/27/2014 to 05/08/2020 at the medical oncology department of the Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Marseille, France. All medical files were systemically reviewed by a rheumatologist who collected clinical features, time of occurrence, treatment regimen, irAEs management, course and outcomes. We also assessed tumor response 3 months after introduction of ICI, according to severity and treatments used to manage musculoskeletal irAEs. RESULTS: Among 927 patients treated with ICI for a solid tumor, 118 patients (12.7%) presented a musculoskeletal irAE. Their median age was 66.5, 61% were male, and they mainly had a lung (57.6%) or urological cancer (27.1%). The most frequently involved ICI was an anti PD-1. Arthralgias and myalgias were the most frequent musculoskeletal irAEs (9.8%) and inflammatory rheumatic features were reported in 36 patients (3.9%) with elevated acute phase reactants and negative immunological markers. The median time of onset was 2 months (IC 95% 1.8; 2.7). Tumor response at 3 months did not differ according to musculoskeletal irAE severity, type of manifestation (arthralgias/myalgias versus inflammatory rheumatic features), pain patterns (mechanical versus inflammatory) or irAE treatments. CONCLUSION: Musculoskeletal irAEs in this large cohort of patients treated with ICI were frequent (12.7%), mostly mild and well tolerated.

Nomogram to predict disease recurrence in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer undergoing rectal surgery after neoadjuvant therapy: retrospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Prognostic models can be used for predicting survival outcomes and guiding patient management. TNM staging alone is insufficient for predicting recurrence after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer. This study aimed to develop a nomogram to better predict cancer recurrence after CRT followed by total mesorectal excision (TME) and tailor postoperative management and follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2002 and 2019, data were retrospectively collected on patients with rectal adenocarcinoma. Data on sex, age, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, tumour location, induction chemotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, tumour downsizing, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, pathological stage, resection margins (R0 versus R1), and pelvic septic complications were analysed. The variables significantly associated with cancer recurrence were used to build a nomogram that was validated in both the training and validation cohorts. Model performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) analyses. RESULTS: After applying exclusion criteria, 634 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma were included in this study. Eight factors (CEA level, adjuvant chemotherapy, tumour downsizing, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, pathological stage, resection margins (R0 versus R1), and pelvic septic complications) were identified as nomogram variables. Our nomogram showed good performance with an AUC of 0.74 and 0.75 in the training and validation cohorts respectively. CONCLUSION: Our nomogram is a simple tool for predicting cancer recurrence in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer after neoadjuvant CRT followed by TME. It provides an individual risk prediction of recurrence to tailor surveillance.

EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy in patients with obstructive jaundice after failed or impossible endoscopic retrograde drainage: A multicenter, randomized phase II Study.

Background and Objectives: Over the last two decades, EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) has emerged as a therapeutic alternative for patients with biliary obstruction and failed ERCP. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) as the gold standard is associated with relevant morbidity and need for re-intervention. The aim of our work was to evaluate in a phase II study the safety and efficacy profile of EUS-HGS. A PTBD arm was considered a control group. Patients and Methods: We conducted a prospective, randomized, noncomparative phase II study in three French tertiary centers involving patients with benign or malignant obstructive jaundice after failure of ERCP. Patients were randomized to either PTBD or EUS-HGS. Results: Fifty-six patients (mean age 64 years) have been included between 2011 and 2015. Twenty-one underwent PTBD and thirty-five were drained using EUS-HGS. An interim analysis after the inclusion of 41 patients revealed an unexpected high 30-day morbidity rate for PTBD (13 out of 21 patients), justifying to stop randomization and inclusion in this control arm in 2013. The primary objective was reached with 10 out of the 35 EUS-HGS patients (28.6%) having observed complications (90%-level bilateral exact binomial confidence interval [CI] [16.4%-43.6%], left-sided exact binomial test to the objectified 50% unacceptable rate P = 0.0083). Both methods achieved comparable technical success rate (TSR) and clinical success rate (CSR) (TSR: PTBD 100% vs. EUS-HGS 94.3%, P = 0.28; CSR: PTBD 66.7% vs. EUS-HGS 80%, P = 0.35). Long-term follow-up showed EUS-HGS patients being at lower risk for re-intervention (relative risk = 0.47, 95% CI [0.27-0.83]). Conclusion: In cases of ERCP failure, EUS-HGS is a valuable alternative for biliary drainage with a high TSR and CSR. PTBD is associated with an unacceptable 30-day morbidity rate, whereas EUS-HGS seems to have a decent safety profile, suggesting that it may be the treatment of choice in appropriately selected patients.

Early clinical outcomes of hybrid brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer: making adverse situations in a favorable scenario.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility and early clinical outcomes of combined intra-cavitary (IC) and interstitial (IS) image-guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGABT) as curative and definitive treatment of patients treated with chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). Material and methods: Data from medical records of all consecutive patients with histologically proven cervical cancer (FIGO 2018 stage IB-IV), treated by brachytherapy after CCRT at our institution between 2017 and 2020 were reviewed. Results: One hundred and forty-two patients with LACC FIGO 2018 stages (IB: 20.4%, II: 31.7%, III: 45.8%, IV: 2.1%) underwent brachytherapy at our institution, out of which 53.5% underwent combined brachytherapy technique (IC/IS). Median number of implanted catheters was 3 (range, 1-6 catheters). None of the 142 patients required invasive hemorrhage management. With a median follow-up of 21.6 (95% CI [confidence interval]: 19.1-23.5%) months, local relapse was observed in nine patients (6.3%), with four showing persistent and progressive disease. The estimated 2-year local and pelvic relapse-free survival were 92% (95% CI: 84-96%) and 90% (95% CI: 83-94%), respectively. The estimated 2-year disease-free survival for the entire population was 80% (95% CI: 71-87%). The 2-year overall survival (OS) rate for the entire population was 92% (95% CI: 84-96%). Acute toxicity G3 was reported in two (1.4%) patients. High-grade late toxicity (grade 3) was reported in 9 (6.3%) patients. Conclusions: Combined IC/IS brachytherapy for LACC allows for recommended doses to achieve local control even in large tumors after CCRT improving target volume coverage, with low rates of acute morbidity. Hybrid brachytherapy technique (IC/IS) is essential to have a favorable scenario at the time of brachytherapy to correctly treat locally advanced cervical cancer patients.

Efficiency of an endoscopic resection strategy for management of submucosal tumors < 20 mm in the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Background and study aims The histologic diagnosis of submucosal tumors (SMTs) < 20 mm is challenging. Monitoring is the main option offered, but compliance is debatable. Endoscopic resection (ER) of malignant SMTs or those with an uncertain diagnosis is an alternative that has already been reported about and proposed in our center. The aims of this study were to confirm the safety of this resection strategy and to perform long-term follow-up of malignant SMTs after resection. Patients and methods All patients who underwent ER for SMTs < 2 cm in a single center between 2007 and 2019 were included retrospectively. Patients were classified into two groups according to the need for postresection follow-up: benign SMTs (B-SMTs) and follow-up SMTs (FU-SMTs). Results One hundred and one patients were included. The mean tumor size was 16.7 mm. In total, 92 of 101 SMTs had an uncertain diagnosis. Macroscopic resection was completed for 95 SMTs (93.1 %), with en bloc resection in 94 (92.1%). The morbidity rate was 3 %, with no mortality. A total of 84 of 101 SMTs (84 %) were B-SMTs and did not need monitoring, and 17 SMTs (19.7 %) were FU-SMTs (8 gastrointestinal stromal tumors, 6 neuroendocrine tumors, and 3 others). No relapse was reported in the FU-SMT group, with a median follow-up duration of 33 months [4-127] (61 months [17-127] for the gastrointestinal stroma tumor group). Conclusions The study results suggest ER is a potentially reliable and effective strategy for upper gastrointestinal tract SMTs < 20 mm. Although the strategy needs further validation in advanced care units, it could eliminate the need for long-term monitoring, therefore targeting such follow-up efforts to patients with FU-SMTs.

Transhiatal esophagectomy as a treatment for locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction: postoperative and oncologic results of a single-center cohort THE for locally advanced GEJC.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To report the postoperative and oncological outcomes of transhiatal esophagectomy for locally advanced cancer of the gastroesophageal junction. METHODS: Medical records of 120 consecutive patients who underwent transhiatal esophagectomy for locally advanced cancer of the gastroesophageal junction with curative intent after neoadjuvant treatment between February 2006 and December 2018 at our center were reviewed. RESULTS: All patients received either chemotherapy (46.7%) or chemoradiation (53.3%). The 90-day mortality and overall morbidity rates were 0.8% and 56.7%, respectively. Respiratory complications were the most common (30.8%). Anastomotic leakage occurred in 19 patients (15.8%), who were treated by local wound care (n = 13) or surgical drainage (n = 6). Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury occurred in 12 patients (9.9%). The median length of hospital stay was 15.5 days. The rate of R0 resection was 95.8%, and the median number of nodes removed was 17.5. Over a median follow-up of 77 months, the rate of recurrence was 40.8%, and the overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 91%, 75%, and 65%, respectively. The median survival time was not reached. In multivariate analysis, disease stage was the only independent significant prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: Transhiatal esophagectomy is a safe and effective procedure with good long-term oncological outcomes for locally advanced tumors after neo-adjuvant treatment. It can be recommended for all patients with cancer of the gastroesophageal junction, regardless of the Siewert classification, tumor stage, and comorbidities.

Clinicopathological characterization of a real-world multicenter cohort of endometrioid ovarian carcinoma: Analysis of the French national ESME-Unicancer database.

BACKGROUND: Prognostic significance of endometrioid epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is controversial. We compared clinical, pathological, and biological features of patients with endometrioid and serous EOC, and assessed the independent effect of histology on outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis of patients with EOC selected from the French Epidemiological Strategy and Medical Economics OC database between 2011 and 2016. Our main objective was to compare overall survival (OS) in endometrioid and serous tumors of all grades. Our second objectives were progression-free survival (PFS) and prognostic features. RESULTS: Out of 10,263 patients included, 3180 cases with a confirmed diagnosis of serous (N = 2854) or endometrioid (N = 326) EOC were selected. Patients with endometrioid histology were younger, more often diagnosed at an early stage, with lower-grade tumors, more frequently dMMR/MSI-high, and presented more personal/familial histories of Lynch syndrome-associated cancers. BRCA1/2 mutations were more frequently identified in the serous population. Endometrioid patients were less likely to receive chemotherapy, with less bevacizumab. After median follow-up of 51.7 months (95CI[50.1-53.6]), five-year OS rate was 81% (95CI[74-85]) in the endometrioid subgroup vs. 55% (95CI[53-57] in the serous subset (p < 0.001, log-rank test). In multivariate analyses including [age, ECOG-PS, FIGO, grade, and histology], the endometrioid subtype was independently associated with better OS (HR = 0.38, 95CI[0.20-0.70], p= 0.002) and PFS (HR = 0.53, 95CI[0.37-0.75], p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinicopathological features at diagnosis are not the same for endometrioid and serous EOC. Endometrioid histology is an independent prognosis factor in EOC. These observations suggest the endometrioid population requires dedicated clinical trials and management.

Prognostic Risk Classification for Biochemical Relapse-Free Survival in Oligometastatic Recurrent Prostate Cancer Determined by Choline PET.

BACKGROUND: Choline positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a new imaging technique for the detection of oligometastatic (OM) prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes after initial OM diagnoses; treatment, particularly metastasis-directed therapy (MDT); and determine risk groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This multi-center, retrospective study included patients with hormone-sensitive biological relapse after local treatment with curative intent and with fewer than six choline PET/CT metastases. The primary endpoint was biochemical relapse-free survival (bRFS). Risk groups were based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≥ 0.8 ng/mL and metastatic sites at OM cancer diagnosis. RESULTS: Between October 2012 and December 2016, 177 patients were included, with a median follow-up of 49.02 months. The median bRFS was 39.74 months. In multivariate analyses, bone metastases and PSA ≥ 0.8 ng/mL were associated with worse bRFS. Four risk groups (I to IV; hazard ratio [HR], 5.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-26.61) were observed, with median bRFS not reached for group I (PSA < 0.8 ng/mL; node metastasis [M1a]), a 40.00-month bRFS for group II (PSA ≥ 0.8 ng/mL; M1a), 29.97-month bRFS for group III (bone metastasis [M1b], whatever the PSA level); and 22.70-month bRFS for group IV (PSA > 0.8 ng/mL and visceral metastasis [M1c]). MDT plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) improved bRFS over MDT alone (48.36 vs. 34.16 months; HR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.38-3.26), particularly for group II (HR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.09-4.00), and reached a limit of significance for group III (HR, ;3.79 95% CI, 0.88- 16.38). CONCLUSION: Prognostic group classifications were confirmed: PSA < 0.8 ng/mL and M1a showed a better outcome than patients with M1c and PSA ≥ 0.8 ng/mL. These results could facilitate patient selection for prospective clinical trials in OM prostate cancer.

Reducing dose to rectum by placement of a rectum-emptying tube in cervical cancer patients treated with brachytherapy.

PURPOSE: Only scarce data are available on the possibility to reduce rectal dose by controlling rectum filling before HDR (high dose rate) IGABT (image-guided adaptive brachytherapy) in LACC (locally advanced cervical carcinoma) patients. We compared dosimetric outcomes before and after the evacuation of gasses using a rectum emptying tube. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Sixty CT (computed tomography) scans from 30 consecutive patients with cancer of the cervix undergoing HDR IGABT after EBRT were reviewed. Patients who underwent at least one gas evacuation were included in the analysis. The three-dimensional dosimetric data of the dosimetric plan performed before and after gas evacuation were compared. Primary endpoint was the difference between D2cc of the rectum before and after the procedure. Expected probability of grade 2-4 overall rectum morbidity was assessed using a probit model from the prospective multicenter EMBRACE study. RESULTS: Thirty five (58.3%) CT scans from 23 patients (76.7%) requiring gas evacuation were analysed. The mean rectum volume, before and after gas evacuation, was 123.1 cc (sd, ± 60.4) and 66.4 cc (sd, ± 34.8), respectively. For each patient, the volume of the rectum after gas evacuation was lower than before. No major complication occurred during and after the procedure. After gas evacuation, a significant reduction in rectal dose per fraction was observed, on average -4.3 Gy (-38.4%, p < 0.001) for D0.1cc and -1.9 Gy (-30.6%, p < 0.001) for D2cc. Estimated mean probability to develop a grade 2-4 rectum morbidity was significantly lower after gas evacuation, 6.9% (sd,± 1.94) versus 9.5% (sd,± 3.17), p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: Gas evacuation using a rectal emptying tube in selected LACC patients treated with HDR BT after chemoradiotherapy, allowed a substantial reduction in the dose to the rectum. Such procedure could be of particular interest when a dose escalation strategy is being considered.

Endoscopic management of concomitant biliary and duodenal malignant obstruction: Impact of the timing of drainage for one vs. two procedures and the modalities of biliary drainage.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Concomitant biliary and duodenal malignant obstruction are a severe condition mainly managed by duodenal and biliary stenting, which can be performed simultaneously (SAMETIME) or in two distinct procedures (TWO-TIMES). We conducted a single-center retrospective study to evaluate the feasibility of a SAMETIME procedure and the impact of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-hepaticogastrostomy in double malignant obstructions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1, 2011, to January 1, 2018, patients with concomitant malignant bilioduodenal obstruction treated endoscopically were included. The primary endpoint was hospitalization duration. The secondary endpoints were bilioduodenal reintervention rates, adverse event rates, and overall survival. Patients were divided into groups for statistical analysis: (i) divided according to the timing of biliary drainage: SAMETIME vs. TWO-TIMES group, (ii) divided based on the biliary drainage method: EUS-HG group underwent hepaticogastrostomy, while DUODENAL ACCESS group underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), percutaneous transhepatic drainage (PCTD) or EUS-guided choledocoduodenostomy (EUS-CD). RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were included (19 women, median age = 71 years). Stenosis was mainly related to pancreatic cancer (17 patients, 54.8%). Sixteen patients were in the SAMETIME group, and 15 were in the TWO-TIMES group. Biliary drainage was performed by EUS-HG in 11 (35.%) patients, PCTD in 11 (35.%), ERCP in 8 (25.8%) and choledoduodenostomy in 1. Thirty patients died during follow-up. The median survival was 77 days (9% confidence interval [37-140]). The mean hospitalization duration was lower in the SAMETIME group: 7.5 vs. 12.6 days, P = 0.04. SAMETIME group patients tended to have a lower complication than TWO-TIMES (26.7% vs. 56.3%, P = 0.10). The EUS-HG group tended to have a lower complication rate (5% vs. 18.2%, P = 0.07) and less biliary endoscopic revision (30% vs. 9.1%, P = 0.37) than DUODENAL ACCESS. CONCLUSIONS: SAMETIME drainage is associated with a lower hospital stay without increased morbidity. EUS-HG could provide better access because it did not exhibit a higher complication rate and showed a tendency toward better patency and fewer complications.

Efficacy of FOLFOX Chemotherapy in Metastatic Enteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

BACKGROUND/AIM: FOLFOX (5-Fluorouracile and oxaliplatin) exhibits promising activity in advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). This retrospective study aimed to analyze the outcome of metastatic enteropancreatic NETs patients treated with FOLFOX. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients treated with FOLFOX for NETs of enteropancreatic or unknown origin among those referred to our Regional Multidisciplinary Tumor Board. RESULTS: Among 48 patients, most often pancreatic NETs (n=33, 68.8%), the median Ki67 index was 10%. The median number cycle of FOLFOX was 6 and median follow-up was 34.8 months. Disease control rate (DCR) was 83.3%. Median PFS and OS were 12.6 and 29.4 months respectively. Median chemotherapy break was 14.1 months. No significant difference was observed between PFS and the following criteria: Ki67 index, primary tumor site, alkaline phosphatase levels, primary tumor surgery and 18F-FDG PET positivity. CONCLUSION: FOLFOX exhibits a high DCR and a short duration of treatment with a relative long chemotherapy break in patients with metastatic enteropancreatic NETs.