肝内胆管细胞癌预后因素分析

Objective:The outcome of surgical treatment of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is poor.This study was designed to analyze prognostic factors after surgical procedure for ICCs.Methods:A retrospective clinical analysis was made in 183 cases of ICC,admitted to Department of Hepatic Surgery,Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital,Second Military Medical University,Shanghai,China,from December 1996 to July 2003.Fifteen clinicopathologic factors that could possibly influence survival were selected.A multivariate analysis of these individuals was performed using the Cox Pro-portional Hazards Model.Results:The accumulative 1-,3- and 5-year survival rates of the patients were 51.3%,21.6% and 11.8% respectively.The statistical analysis showed that surgical procedure,lymph node metastasis,serum level of CA19-9 and pathological differentiation grade affected postoperative survival significantly,but transfusion,postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy,diameter of tumor,serum level of AFP,cirrhosis,preoperative total serum bilirubin level (TBIL),ratio of albumin to globulin (A/G),sex and age were not significant factors influencing postoperative survival.Conclusion:Major hepatectomy with systematic lymph node dissection may be recommended for the surgical treatment of ICC.Aggressive treat-ment and prevention on postoperative intrahepatic recurrence and lymph node metastasis are important strategy to improve the survival for ICC.     

Clinicopathologic features of submucosal carcinoma of the stomach

A retrospective study of 155 patients with submucosal gastric carcinoma compared the clinicopathologic features with mucosal and muscularis proprial gastric carcinoma. Fifty-seven percent of the patients presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, whereas 36.1% had been detected by mass screening. The incidence of curative resection, lymph node metastasis, and complications were 96.1, 20.6, and 14.8%, respectively. Two patients died of sepsis and pulmonary infarction 30 days post-operatively. Five patients died of recurrent gastric cancer 1-5 years postresection. The overall 5-year survival rate was 90.2%. Recurrence patterns, histologic type, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic and venous infiltration, and growth pattern were similar to those of muscularis proprial carcinoma rather than mucosal carcinoma. Therefore, curative gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy (D2) may be feasible for submucosal carcinoma of the stomach.     

A clinicopathologic study of mucinous gastric carcinoma including multivariate analysis

BACKGROUND: Mucinous gastric carcinoma (MGC) is a rare subtype of gastric adenocarcinoma, and its clinical and pathologic features are still controversial. To clarify the significance of this subtype of carcinoma, the authors conducted a case-control study to investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics of MGC and determine whether this mucin-producing histologic type is associated with a worse prognosis than other gastric carcinomas. METHODS: Twenty-two cases of MGC and 46 patients with nonmucinous gastric carcinoma (NGC) were included. Patients were evaluated on the basis of age, gender, tumor size, location, depth of tumor invasion, histologic differentiation, lymph node involvement, organ metastasis, stage at presentation, surgical curability, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. To determine whether the MGC itself was an independent prognostic factor, a multivariate analysis was performed with the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The MGC patients were found to have larger tumors (P < 0.001), tumors more often located in the upper stomach (P < 0.05), more serosal invasion (P < 0.05), more lymph node involvement (P < 0.05), greater frequency of advanced stage disease (P < 0.01), and lower 5-year survival rates (P < 0.05) than NGC patients. There was no significant correlation between the subtypes of differentiation of MGC and other data, including the prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed that clinically important predictive factors were serosal invasion and disease stage at diagnosis. The mucinous histologic type itself was not an independent factor for poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The overall survival rate for patients with MGC was worse than that for patients with NGC. The poor prognosis was correlated with more advanced stage at diagnosis and more frequent serosal invasion, not with the mucinous histologic type.     

Effects of systemic and regional chemotherapy after hepatic resection for colorectal metastases

BACKGROUND: Although the survival benefit of hepatic resection for colorectal metastasis has been established, some controversy remains regarding the significance of adjuvant chemotherapy after hepatic resection. METHODS: One hundred thirty-two consecutive patients who had liver resection for colorectal metastasis at our hospital between 1980 and 1997 were studied. After curative hepatic resection, 37 patients underwent systemic chemotherapy, administered orally or intravenously, and 38 patients underwent regional chemotherapy, given intra-arterially or intraportally. Forty patients had no adjuvant chemotherapy. The chemotherapeutic agents used for oral administration were uracil and Tegafur or Tegafur alone. Mitomycin C (MMC) or 5-FU was used for IV chemotherapy. Combinations of 5-FU/leucovorin or MMC/5-FU (doxorubicin) were used for regional chemotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to test the significance of adjuvant chemotherapy for patient survival or disease-free survival. RESULTS: Overall 5-year survival was 42.2% (95% CL: 31.2%, 53.2%). Among the possible prognostic factors studied, univariate analysis showed a significant difference in survival based on the number of tumors and lymph node metastases in the hepatic hilum. There was a significant difference in disease-free survival based on adjuvant chemotherapy and lymph node metastasis. The multivariate analysis for patient survival selected four prognostic factors (P < .05), including adjuvant chemotherapy, lymph node metastasis, disease-free interval, and tumor size. The multivariate analysis for disease-free survival selected adjuvant chemotherapy, lymph node metastasis, and disease-free interval as significant factors. The most common recurrence site was remnant liver, regardless of adjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved survival and disease-free survival after hepatic resection for colorectal metastases. It did not decrease recurrence rate in the remnant liver.     

Lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer in the upper third of the stomach--surgical treatment on the basis of the anatomical distribution of positive node

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Little is known about the most appropriate surgical procedure for gastric cancer in the upper third of the stomach. The objective of this study was to determine the most appropriate surgical treatment for gastric cancer in the upper third of the stomach. METHODOLOGY: The clinicopathological characteristics of 115 node-positive gastric cancers in the upper third of the stomach were reviewed retrospectively and compared with those of 111 node-negative gastric cancers in the upper third of the stomach. RESULTS: Node-positive gastric cancers showed higher rates of peritoneal metastasis (p < 0.005), larger tumor sizes (p < 0.005), deeper tumor penetration (p < 0.005), higher rates of diffuse type in histology (p < 0.025), and more advanced histological stages (p < 0.005), than node-negative gastric cancers. Patients with node-positive gastric cancer demonstrated a poorer survival rate than those with node-negative gastric cancer (p < 0.005). Lymph node metastasis along the lower stomach was observed in cases of gastric cancer which had invaded beyond the muscularis propria of the stomach but not in those confined within the muscularis propria. No lymph node metastasis in the splenic hilum was found in association with gastric cancer when the depth was limited to the mucosa or the submucosa. CONCLUSION: The appropriate surgical procedures for the treatment of gastric cancer in the upper third of the stomach are as follows: a) proximal gastrectomy without splenectomy for gastric cancer when the depth is limited to the mucosa or the submucosa, b) proximal gastrectomy with splenectomy for gastric cancer when the depth of invasion extends to the muscularis propria, c) total gastrectomy with splenectomy for gastric cancer when the depth of invasion extends beyond the muscularis propria.     

Prognostic factors in oligodendrogliomas

Among 601 patients with early gastric cancer (EGC), the clinicopathological findings of 5 patients (invasion of the mucosal layer in 2 and of the submucosal layer in 3) with distant lymph node metastasis according to TNM classification (third- or fourth-tier lymph node metastasis according to the Japanese classification) were investigated. The proliferating-cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression of EGC was also examined immunohistologically. The sites of distant metastasis were the nodes at the root of the mesentery, in the hepatoduodenal ligament, and the paraaortic nodes. While the PCNA-positive rate of EGC with distant lymph node metastasis (35.4%) was significantly higher than that of EGC without lymph node metastasis (14.7% P = 0.01), it was similar to that of EGC with perigastric lymph node metastasis. The cumulative survival rate of the EGC patients with distant lymph node metastasis (5-year survival rate 20.0%) was significantly lower than that without lymph node metastasis (88.2%, P < 0.0001), first-tier lymph node metastasis (76.9%, P < 0.04), or second-tier lymph node metastasis (77.1%, P < 0.04). Thus, although the prognosis of EGC patients with distant lymph node metastasis was poor, a dissection of the distant lymph nodes should be performed when metastasis is suspected.     

Medical Information Bus usage for automated IV pump data acquisition: evaluation of usage patterns

SUMMARY: lymph node involvement in renal cell carcinoma is factor of very poor prognosis. In a series of 55 node-positive patients, 33 (60%) had simultaneous renal vein or vena cava invasion and 32 (58.2%) had metastases. Gross lymph node involvement was found in 39 patients (70.9%). Patients without venous invasion or metastasis may have a prolonged survival. In this group, those with microscopic nodal involvement can be cured, as the 10 and 15-year the actuarial survival rate is 54.5% Formal lymphadenectomy might have played a role in these results. Surgery can be performed when vein invasion is present without metastasis, but the prognosis is generally poor. Survival does not seem to be influenced by surgery when metastasis is present, regardless of the vein status.     

Efficacy of radical hysterectomy as treatment for patients with small cell carcinoma of the cervix

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to identify pathologic and clinical features that best predict disease free survival of patients with early stage small cell carcinoma of the cervix treated by radical hysterectomy. METHODS: Three hundreds and seventy patients with cervical carcinoma were analyzed retrospectively to define those variable that best predict disease free survival (DFS). Variables included age, weight, race, marital status, economic status, tumor size, depth of invasion (DI), lymph-vascular space involvement (LVSI), cell type, tumor grade, lymph node metastasis (LNM), and total number of lymph nodes removed. Patients with lymph node metastasis, parametrial involvement, and positive or close surgical margins were offered postoperative radiation. RESULTS: Twelve patients were found to have small cell carcinoma (3.2%). One patient had microinvasive carcinoma of the cervix (MIC) as defined by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists with a depth of invasion of 3 mm or less and no lymph-vascular space invasion, and has been reported previously. A detailed analysis of the other patients with nonsmall cell carcinoma is presented separately. Five patients achieved a DFS of at least 5 years, whereas 7 patients died with disease. Excluding the patient with MIC, the 5-year DFS rate was 36.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Relative to other cell types, small cell carcinomas of the cervix is an aggressive neoplasm with a higher rate of LVSI and LNM despite smaller DI and tumor size. These data suggest that multimodality therapy, combining radical surgery and radiation with cytotoxic chemotherapy, may provide these patients with the best chance for cure.     

Relationship between nm23-H1 expression and lymph node metastasis and prognosis in cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of nm23-H1 in cervical carcinoma and its significance. METHODS: Expression of nm23-H1 was examined by immunohistochemical method in 39 cases of adenocarcinoma and 39 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. The relationship between expression of nm23-H1 and clinic-pathologic factors and prognosis was analyzed by chi-square test. RESULTS: Positive staining rate of nm23-H1 was 44.6% in adenocarcinoma and 39.2% in squamous cell Carcinoma. The positive staining rate of nm23-H1 in stage I and II adenocarcinoma was 61.1% and 28.6% respectively (P = 0.044); in patients with recurrence nm23-H1 positive rate was lower than that in patients without recurrence (21.5% vs 56%, P = 0.39); in patients with lymph node negative, nm23-H1 positive staining was more than that in patients with lymph node positive (52% vs 28.6%), however, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.162). None of 14 cases of lymph node metastasis was strong positive stainig, whereas 7 of 25 without lymph node metastasis were demonstrated to have strong positive staining (P = 0.031). The 5-year survival rate in negative staining group was lower than that in the positive staining group (52.5% vs 82.4%, P = 0.042). In squamous cell carcinoma there was no statistically significant relationship between nm23-H1 expression and clinic-pathologic factors and prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: nm23-H1 expression was associated with biologic behavior in cervical adenocarcinoma.     

Preoperative assessment of advanced gastric carcinoma using computed tomography

OBJECTIVES: The role of computed tomography (CT) for the staging of gastric carcinoma is controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of CT in assessing the perigastric spread of advanced gastric carcinoma. METHODS: The study included 56 patients who underwent dynamic CT and laparotomy for the treatment of node-positive gastric adenocarcinoma. Preoperative CT findings were compared with surgical findings, and diagnostic accuracy was estimated. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of preoperative CT in determining the perigastric tumor spreads were 33, 97, and 73% in pancreatic invasion, 36, 97, and 70% in level III lymph node involvement, and 89, 98, and 96% in liver metastasis. Peritoneal dissemination was not detected in 15 of 56 patients (27%), and stage IV disease was not diagnosed correctly in 18 of 40 patients (45%). CONCLUSIONS: Radiologists and surgeons must remember that pancreatic invasion, extended lymph node metastasis, and peritoneal dissemination are sometimes overlooked in CT examination in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma.     

Brachytherapy and breast cancer

The study compares, in true adenocarcinoma of the cardia and in adenocarcinoma in Barrett's esophagus, the prevalence of early cancers and their outcome in those patients suitable for resection surgery. From 1980 to 1993, 26 of 350 (7.4%) resected adenocarcinomas of the esophago-gastric junction were pathologically staged as early cancer or pT1. The prevalence of early cancer was 3.7% (11/294) for true cancer of the cardia and 27% (15/56) for cancer in Barrett's esophagus (P < 0.001). Ten of the 15 latter cancers were diagnosed during endoscopic surveillance for benign Barrett's esophagus. Among early cancers, there were four mucosal and 22 submucosal tumours; of the latter, eight had lymph node metastasis and seven neoplastic permeation of lympho-hematic vessels. The most frequently used surgical procedure was esophago-gastric resection and gastric pull-up. Postoperative morbidity was 15.4%, and hospital mortality 3.8%. Excluding postoperative deaths, the overall 5-year survival rate was 79% for early cancer of the cardia and 83% for early cancer in Barrett's esophagus (log rank test = 0.0214, P = 0.88). Overall, the survival rate was 100% in the absence of lymph node metastasis and 43% in the presence of node metastasis (log rank test = 15.811, P = 0.0001). Only one of five patients with both node metastasis and vessel infiltration survived longer than 5 years. In conclusion, the prevalence of early cancer was significantly greater for cancer in Barrett's esophagus than for true cancer of the cardia. Prognosis of the two types of tumour after resection surgery was the same and depended on lymph node status and neoplastic permeation of lympho-hematic vessels.     

Early gastric cancer in the remnant stomach

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Early gastric cancer in the remnant stomach is rare. Periodical endoscopic examinations are mandatory for patients with partial gastrectomy for a good prognosis. Our goal is to improve the surgical management of gastric cancer in the remnant stomach. We have retrospectively investigated a total of 15 rare cases of early gastric cancer after partial gastrectomy. METHODOLOGY: From 1976 to 1994, a total of 2,102 cases of gastric cancer were resected in our Department. Among these resected cases, 845 cases were histologically diagnosed as having early gastric cancer of the stomach. Of these, 15 patients had previously undergone a partial gastric resection. The time interval between the initial partial gastrectomy and the second resection of the remnant stomach, was more than 10 years for 8 patients (Group 1) and less than 10 years for 7 patients (Group 2). Here we investigate these rare cases of remnant early gastric cancer. RESULTS: The incidence of early gastric cancer in the remnant stomach was 1.8% (15/845). The cancer location in the remnant stomach was around the stoma and suture line in 75% of Group 1 and in 28.6% of Group 2. The incidence rate of mucosal cancer (m-cancer) was 87.5% for Group 1, and 14.3% for Group 2. Total gastrectomy was selected for 37.5% of Group 1, and for 100% of Group 2. No lymph node metastasis was discovered in both groups. The postoperative mortality was zero in both groups. One patient from Group 2, later died of liver metastasis 2 years after the second total gastrectomy, while the other 9 patients continued to live for more than 5 years with no gastric cancer recurrence to date. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome for patients with gastric cancer in the remnant stomach is generally considered poor. However, the outcome of early gastric cancer in the remnant stomach was good without major postoperative complications. Therefore, to improve surgical management of remnant-stump gastric cancer, early diagnosis is most important, using periodic endoscopic follow-up examinations, especially around the stoma. When mucosal cancer around the stoma is diagnosed, subtotal gastrectomy can be selected even in gastrectomized patient for a good prognosis.     

Melanoma of unknown primary site: presentation, treatment, and prognosis--a single institution study. University of Pennsylvania Pigmented Lesion Study Group

BACKGROUND: A retrospective analysis of 40 patients diagnosed with melanoma of unknown primary site (MUP) was undertaken to analyze the etiology and clinical behavior of this presentation. METHODS: The patient records were located by a computer search of the Pigmented Lesion Clinic data base at the University of Pennsylvania. With the Cox proportional hazards model, the survival of the MUP patients with lymph node presentation was compared with that of patients with lymph node disease and a known concurrent primary melanoma. RESULTS: Sixty-five percent of the patients presented with lymph node metastasis only, 28% presented with visceral lesions, and 8% presented with subcutaneous nodules. The prevalence of dysplastic nevi was 22.5%. The overall 4-year survival rate for the 40 MUP patients was 55% +/- 9%. The 4-year survival (57% +/- 12%) of patients with lymph node presentation was compared with that of patients presenting with lymph node disease and a known concurrent primary melanoma (19 +/- 6%). Survival was significantly different between the groups (P = 0.008). This survival difference remained significant (P = 0.02) even after adjustments for number of positive lymph nodes, year of diagnosis, and age at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis revealed that MUP patients with lymph node metastasis survived significantly longer than patients diagnosed with lymph node metastasis concurrent with a known cutaneous primary melanoma. The prevalence of dysplastic nevi in the MUP patient series was intermediate between that reported among primary melanoma patients and that reported among population controls, suggesting the likelihood of a primary cutaneous origin for the metastatic melanoma.     

Dural puncture and activated protein C resistance: risk factors for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis

BACKGROUND: The biologic aggressiveness of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity is reflected in its ability to metastasize to regional cervical lymph nodes. Patients with clinically negative cervical lymph nodes are believed to have a good prognosis; however, the prognosis of patients with lymph node metastasis occurring after excision or radiotherapy of the primary tumor is poor. METHODS: Univariate and multivariate analyses for occult lymph node metastasis (ONM) in 172 patients with clinically negative cervical lymph nodes were performed by the authors to elucidate the clinical and histologic tumor risk factors to enhance their ability to predict ONM. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model and Hayashi's quantification theory type II were used to analyze prognostic factors and to determine the probability of ONM. RESULTS: Using Cox's proportional regression model, the factors linked to cancer specific survival were selected: tumor differentiation (P = 0.0330), mode of carcinoma invasion (P = 0.0175), and ONM (P = 0.0433). Pathologically identified metastatic lymph nodes were found in 21.5% of the cases studied (37 of 172 cases). The 5-year cancer specific survival was 94.0% for patients without lymph node metastasis, and 51.0% for patients with ONM (P < 0.0001, log rank test). The most significant predictors for ONM of each of the clinical and histologic factors, in descending order, were: mode of carcinoma invasion, intensity of lymphocytic infiltration, degree of differentiation, number of mitotic figures, and type of growth by means of Hayashi's quantification theory type II. The presence or absence of ONM in 147 of 172 patients (85.5%) was correctly predicted by the score at the point of intersection of the two curves, which was -0.03. Further investigation revealed that 28 of 32 new cases were differentiated accurately by means of this diagnostic system. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study suggest that this method of analysis can establish a reliable predictor of ONM, thereby facilitating correct choices for surgical procedures to enhance the survival rates of patients with clinically negative cervical lymph nodes.     

High-dose epirubicin in platinum-pretreated patients with ovarian carcinoma: the EORTC-GCCG experience

A follow up study of 20 cases of renal cell carcinoma with regional lymph node metastasis at the department of urology in Niigata Cancer Center Hospital from 1979 to 1993 is presented. During this period, we treated 249 patients with renal cell carcinoma with or without lymph node metastasis. Lymph node metastasis could be estimated in 188 out of 249 patients. Histologically, lymph node metastasis was classified as pN1 in 8 cases, pN2 in 7 cases, and pN3 in 5 cases. The 3- and 5-year survival rates of 20 patients with lymph node metastasis were 45.0% and 16.4%, respectively. Nine of the 20 cases had no distant metastasis and 11 cases had distant metastasis. Three of the 9 patients with distant metastasis had no recurrence. Two of these 3 patients are still alive after 10 years and 3 years and 1 patient died because of acute heart failure. These 3 patients had pN1 metastasis smaller than 1 cm lymph node. Four of the 11 patients with distant metastasis had more than a two-year survival. However, 3 patients died due to renal cell carcinoma although primary and metastatic regions were resected and IFN with chemotherapy were given. Only one patient is still alive without recurrence after 3 years. This case detected as right renal cell carcinoma with pN2 metastasis and bilateral pulmonary metastasis was treated with radical nephrectomy with regional lymph node dissection and administered Methotrexate, VP16 and CisPlatinum chemotherapy and IFN.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Metastatic melanoma of unknown primary origin shows prognostic similarities to regional metastatic melanoma: recommendations for initial staging examinations

BACKGROUND: Metastatic melanoma of unknown primary origin accounts for approximately 2-6% of all melanoma cases. The prognostic significance of this diagnosis is still controversial. METHODS: Of 3258 patients with malignant melanoma recorded during the period 1976-1996, 2.3% had metastases of unknown primary origin. Anatomic distribution, clinical stage, and survival probabilities were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty patients were classified as having cutaneous or subcutaneous in-transit metastases, and they showed a 5-year survival rate of 83%. Thirty-seven patients were classified as having lymph node metastasis, and their 5-year survival rate was 50%. Disseminated disease was diagnosed in only 8 patients, who had a median survival of 6 months. Comparison of survival probabilities for patients with in-transit metastases and unknown primary tumors with the probabilities for those with cutaneous primary tumors revealed a significant advantage for the former group. No significant differences were found for patients with lymph node metastasis when those with unknown primary tumors were compared with those who had cutaneous melanomas with regional lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical disease course of patients with metastatic melanoma of unknown primary origin is similar to that of patients with primary cutaneous melanoma when the same clinical stages of the disease are compared. Based on the assumption that the majority of regional metastases develop from completely regressed primary cutaneous melanoma, recommendations for initial staging examinations in patients with unknown primary tumors are given in this article.     

Characteristics and clinical outcome of proximal-third gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: It is generally accepted that the prognosis of patients with proximal gastric cancer (PGC) is worse than that of patients with more distal gastric cancer. STUDY DESIGN: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical features and outcomes of PGC with those of middle- and distal-third gastric cancers. A total of 646 primary gastric cancers was analyzed as a retrospective study. RESULTS: Proximal gastric cancer occurred in 21.8% of the 646 cancers analyzed, and approximately 21% of PGCs had esophageal invasion. The 5-year survival rate for patients with PGC was significantly lower than that of patients with more distal tumors. When the PGC group was divided into patients with esophageal invasion and without esophageal invasion, patients with esophageal invasion had significantly worse outcomes. When corrected for depth of invasion, lesions with esophageal invasion had significantly worse outcomes than those of other sites in T2 curative cancers. Proximal gastric cancer with esophageal invasion was characterized by a larger tumor, deeper penetration, and a higher incidence of lymph node metastasis compared with tumors in other sites, and in multivariate analysis of all curative cases, these variables were independent prognostic factors for survival. The frequency of positive proximal margins of PGC was higher than those of other sites. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively poor prognosis associated with PGC is mainly from advanced tumor stages of esophageal invasion. Early detection is the most important strategy to improve the survival of patients with PGC. In addition, aggressive lymph node dissection and chemotherapy for esophageal invasion should be considered even if the tumor invasion is moderate (T2 tumor), and a tumor-free margin is important.     

Risk to the health care worker of HIV infection and how to minimize It

PURPOSE: To evaluate survival and time to metastatic disease in patients treated for localized prostatic carcinoma in a Phase III radiotherapy (RT) protocol, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 77-06. Patients with T18N0M0 (A2) or T2N0M0 (B) disease after lymphangiogram (LAG) or staging laparotomy (SL) were randomized between prophylactic radiation to the pelvic lymph nodes and prostatic bed vs. prostatic bed alone. The outcome of both treatment arms, as well as a comparison of the LAG group, to that of the SL group, are updated. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 449 eligible males were entered into RTOG protocol 7706 between 1978 and 1983. Lymph node staging was mandatory but at the physician's discretion; 117 (26%) patients had SL, while 332 (74%) had LAG. Follow-up was a median of 12 years and a maximum of 16 years. For those randomized to receive prophylactic pelvic lymph nodal irradiation, 45 Gy of megavoltage RT was delivered via multiple portals in 4.5-5 weeks, while all patients received 65 Gy in 6.5-8 weeks to the prostatic bed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in survival whether treatment was administered to the prostate or prostate and pelvic lymph nodes. The SL group had greater 12-year survival than the LAG group (48% vs. 38%, p = 0.02). Disease-free survival was statistically significant, with 38% for the SL group vs. 26% for the LAG group (p = 0.003). Bone metastasis was less common in the SL group (14%) than the LAG group (27%) (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: At 12-year median follow-up, there still was no survival difference in those patients treated prophylactically to the pelvic nodes and prostatic bed vs. the prostatic bed alone. Those patients not surgically staged with only LAG for lymph node evaluation were less accurately staged, as reflected by a statistically significant reduced survival and earlier metastases.     

Importance of extended lymphadenectomy with lateral node dissection for advanced lower rectal cancer

A total of 448 patients with advanced lower rectal cancer who underwent curative wide lymphadenectomy with autonomic nerve preservation were reviewed with respect to surgical techniques, operative burdens, node status, survival rate, and mode of recurrence. Operative time and blood loss in patients who underwent lateral dissection were much greater than those encountered with conventional resection. According to the direction of lymphatic spread in patients with Dukes C disease, the incidence of upward spread was 94% and lateral spread 27%. The overall incidence of lateral metastasis was 14%. The overall 5-year survival was 70%. According to the Dukes classification, the 5-year survival rates were 92% for Dukes A, 79% for Dukes B, and 55% for Dukes C, whereas it was 43% in patients with lateral node metastasis. An analysis of the survival rate was carried out with regard to the number of node metastases, direction of lymphatic spread, and autonomic nerve preservation. The overall incidence of local recurrence was 9.3% and amounted to 16.0% in patients with Dukes C disease. The case of advanced lower rectal cancer was characterized by positive lymph nodes or circular lesions around the circumference (both diagnosed by endorectal ultrasonography). We recommend extended lymphadenectomy with lateral node dissection, as it preserves the autonomic nerve.     

Surgical treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma: the role of lymph node dissection

In this retrospective study, 652 patients who had curative resections for gastric cancer from 1977 to 1991 were reviewed to evaluate improvements in gastric cancer surgery and the influence of the extent of lymphadenectomy on survival. The patients were grouped into three time periods: 1977 to 1981, 1982 to 1986 and 1987 to 1991. The percentage of patients with early gastric cancer increased from 17.7% during 1977 to 1981, to 24.3% during 1987 to 1991. The average number of dissected lymph nodes was 7.5 +/- 8.1 during 1977 to 1981 and 16.4 +/- 10.3 during 1987 to 1991, when more radical lymphadenectomy was adopted. Total gastrectomies increased from 10.9% to 25.9% in the same time periods while combined visceral resections increased from 26.7% to 38.1%. Operative mortality decreased from 5.0% to 1.7%. The overall 5-year survival rate increased from 34.8% to 59.4%. In subgroup analysis, significant improvement of the 5-year survival rate was noted in the following groups: patients with stage I, II and III tumors but not stage IV; both proximal and distally located tumors; tumors with or without lymph node metastases; T1 and T2 but not in T3 and T4 (cancer invasion beyond the serosa). The decreased surgical mortality in recent years suggests that curative resection with extensive lymph node dissection can now be safely performed. Radical gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy may be adopted in gastric cancer resection for better control of regional disease.