Preoperative chemoradiotherapy according to the chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer followed by surgery study (CROSS) has become a standard of care for patients with locally advanced resectable ...esophageal or junctional cancer. We aimed to assess long-term outcome of this regimen.
From 2004 through 2008, we randomly assigned 366 patients to either five weekly cycles of carboplatin and paclitaxel with concurrent radiotherapy (41.4 Gy in 23 fractions, 5 days per week) followed by surgery, or surgery alone. Follow-up data were collected through 2018. Cox regression analyses were performed to compare overall survival, cause-specific survival, and risks of locoregional and distant relapse. The effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy beyond 5 years of follow-up was tested with time-dependent Cox regression and landmark analyses.
The median follow-up was 147 months (interquartile range, 134-157). Patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy had better overall survival (hazard ratio HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.89). The effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on overall survival was not time-dependent (
value for interaction,
= .73), and landmark analyses suggested a stable effect on overall survival up to 10 years of follow-up. The absolute 10-year overall survival benefit was 13% (38%
25%). Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy reduced risk of death from esophageal cancer (HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.80). Death from other causes was similar between study arms (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.68 to 1.99). Although a clear effect on isolated locoregional (HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.72) and synchronous locoregional plus distant relapse (HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.72) persisted, isolated distant relapse was comparable (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.52 to 1.13).
The overall survival benefit of patients with locally advanced resectable esophageal or junctional cancer who receive preoperative chemoradiotherapy according to CROSS persists for at least 10 years.
The success of cellular therapies will depend in part on accurate delivery of cells to target organs. In dendritic cell therapy, in particular, delivery and subsequent migration of cells to regional ...lymph nodes is essential for effective stimulation of the immune system. We show here that in vivo magnetic resonance tracking of magnetically labeled cells is feasible in humans for detecting very low numbers of dendritic cells in conjunction with detailed anatomical information. Autologous dendritic cells were labeled with a clinical superparamagnetic iron oxide formulation or (111)In-oxine and were co-injected intranodally in melanoma patients under ultrasound guidance. In contrast to scintigraphic imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allowed assessment of the accuracy of dendritic cell delivery and of inter- and intra-nodal cell migration patterns. MRI cell tracking using iron oxides appears clinically safe and well suited to monitor cellular therapy in humans.
To assess tumor behavior and the efficacy of active surveillance (AS) in patients with desmoid-type fibromatosis (DTF).
AS is recommended as initial management for DTF patients. Prospective data ...regarding the results of AS are lacking.
In this multicenter prospective cohort study (NTR4714), adult patients with non-intraabdominal DTF were followed during an initial AS approach for 3 years. Tumor behavior was evaluated according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Cumulative incidence of the start of an active treatment and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Factors predictive for start of active treatment were assessed by Cox regression analyses.
A total of 105 patients started with AS. Median tumor size at baseline was 4.1cm (interquartile range 3.0-6.6). Fifty-seven patients had a T41A CTNNB1 mutation; 14 patients a S45F CTNNB1 mutation. At 3 years, cumulative incidence of the start of active treatment was 30% (95% confidence interval CI 21-39) and PFS was 58% (95% CI 49-69). Median time to start active treatment and PFS were not reached at a median follow-up of 33.7 months. During AS, 32% of patients had stable disease, 28% regressed, and 40% demonstrated initial progression. Larger tumor size (≥5 cm; hazard ratio = 2.38 95% CI 1.15-4.90) and S45F mutation (hazard ratio = 6.24 95% CI 1.92-20.30) were associated with the start of active treatment.
The majority DTF patients undergoing AS do not need an active treatment and experience stable or regressive disease, even after initial progression. Knowledge about the natural behavior of DTF will help to tailor the follow-up schedule to the individual patient.
To improve local control, neoadjuvant radiotherapy (nRT) followed by surgery is the standard of care in myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) because of its infiltrative growth pattern. Nevertheless, local ...recurrence rates are high. Data on prognostic factors for poor clinical outcomes are lacking. This retrospective study thus investigates the prognostic relevance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics before and after nRT in 40 MFS patients, as well as their association with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). A vascular pedicle, defined as extra-tumoral vessels at the tumor periphery, was observed in 12 patients (30.0%) pre-nRT and remained present post-nRT in all cases. Patients with a vascular pedicle had worse DFS (HR 5.85; 95% CI 1.56-21.90;
= 0.009) and OS (HR 9.58; 95% CI 1.91-48.00;
= 0.006). An infiltrative growth pattern, referred to as a tail sign, was observed in 22 patients (55.0%) pre-nRT and in 19 patients (47.5%) post-nRT, and was associated with worse DFS post-nRT (HR 6.99; 95% CI 1.39-35.35;
= 0.019). The percentage of tumor necrosis estimated by MRI was increased post-nRT, but was not associated with survival outcomes. The presence of a tail sign or vascular pedicle on MRI could support the identification of patients at risk for poor clinical outcomes after nRT.
Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is often reported as an unmet concern by cancer patients. The aim of our study was to investigate (1) the prevalence of FCR in sarcoma survivors; (2) the factors ...associated with a higher level of FCR; the relationship between (3) FCR and global health status and (4) FCR and use of follow-up care.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among sarcoma survivors 2 to 10 years after diagnosis. Patients completed the Cancer Worry Scale (CWS), the global health status subscale of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and a custom-made questionnaire on follow-up care.
In total, 1047 patients were included (response rate 55%). The prevalence of high FCR was 45%. Factors associated with high FCR were female sex with 1.6 higher odds (95% CI 1.22-2.25;
= 0.001); having ≥1 comorbidities and receiving any treatment other than surgery alone with 1.5 (95% CI 1.07-2.05;
= 0.017) and 1.4 (95% CI 1.06-1.98;
= 0.020) higher odds, respectively. Patients on active follow-up had 1.7 higher odds (95% CI 1.20-2.61;
= 0.004) and patients with higher levels of FCR scored lower on the global health status scale (72 vs. 83
≤ 0.001).
Severe FCR is common in sarcoma survivors and high levels are related to a decreased global health status. FCR deserves more attention in sarcoma survivorship, and structured support programs should be developed to deliver interventions in a correct and time adequate environment.
Diagnosing and treating soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) remains challenging, stressing the urgency for centralisation. This nationwide survey aimed to evaluate the centralisation of STS surgery and its ...effect on survival.
Patients operated for primary STS from 2006 to 2015 were queried from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Hospitals in which STS surgery was performed were allocated into three categories: low-volume (1–9 resections per year), medium-volume (10–19 resections) or high-volume (≥20 resections). Differences in tumour characteristics and outcome were calculated. A multivariable regression analysis was performed to adjust for case-mix.
Of the 5282 identified patients, 42% was treated in low-volume hospitals, 7.7% in medium-volume hospitals and 51% in high-volume hospitals, with a significant trend over time towards treatment in a high-volume hospital (p < 0.01). In high-volume hospitals, more often patients with non low-grade, large and deep-seated tumours were treated than in low-volume hospitals. For the whole group, there was no survival benefit for patients treated in high-volume hospitals, with 10-year net survival rates of 76% (low-volume), 68% (medium-volume) and 68% (high-volume). However, subgroup analysis for patients with non low-grade and deep-seated tumours did reveal a benefit from treatment in a high-volume hospitals with 10-year survival rates of 54% (high-volume), 49% (low-volume) and 42% (medium-volume) and a relative risk of 1.3 (high-volume versus low-volume, p = 0.03).
Centralisation of STS surgery has increased in the past decade. Surgery in a high-volume hospital improved survival of patients with non low-grade and deep-seated tumours, and therefore these patients should be referred to such a hospital.
•Centralisation of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) surgery has increased over time.•Patients with deep and large STS are more often referred to high-volume hospitals.•Treatment in high-volume hospitals reduced surgery-related morbidities.•Centralisation improved survival for patients with non low-grade and deep-seated STS.
Purpose
To evaluate the results of restaging completely resected stage IIIB/C melanoma prior to start of adjuvant therapy.
Patients and Methods
One hundred twenty patients with stage IIIB or IIIC ...(AJCC 2009) melanoma who underwent complete surgical resection were screened for inclusion in our trial investigating adjuvant dendritic cell therapy (NCT02993315). All patients underwent imaging to exclude local relapse or metastasis before entering the trial. The frequency of recurrent disease within 12 weeks after resection and the method of detection were investigated.
Results
Sixty-nine (58%) stage IIIB and 51 (43%) stage IIIC melanoma patients were screened. Median age was 54 (range 27–79) years. Twenty-two (18%) of 120 patients with completely resected stage IIIB/C melanoma had evidence of early recurrent disease, despite exclusion thereof by prior imaging. Median interval between resection and detection of relapse was 7.4 (range 4.3–10.7) weeks. Recurrence was asymptomatic in 17 (77%) patients, but metastasis was noticed by the patient or physician in 5 (23%). Eight patients with local relapse received local treatment with curative intent, and one was treated with systemic therapy. The remaining patients had distant metastasis, 1 of whom underwent resection of a solitary liver metastasis while 12 patients received systemic treatment.
Conclusions
Patients with completely resected stage IIIB/C melanoma have high risk of early recurrence before start of adjuvant therapy. Restaging should be considered for high-risk melanoma patients before start of adjuvant therapy.
Atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) and pleomorphic dermal sarcoma (PDS) are rare cutaneous neoplasms forming a spectrum. Case reports with recurrences and metastasis have been published despite the current ...view that AFX is benign. The aim of this study was to identify clinical and histopathological features that predict tumor recurrence.
A retrospective review of AFX and PDS cases was performed. Clinical characteristics were obtained from patient records.
A total of 29 AFX and 23 PDS cases were identified. Review led to re-classification of 12 cases (18%). In 14/50 (26.9%) cases a recurrence occurred. Recurrences were significantly more likely to occur when the tumor showed any infiltration in the subcutaneous fat (100% vs 43.2%, p = 0.000) or when the tumor diameter exceeded 2 cm (46.2% vs 16.2%, p = 0.030).
This study shows that histopathological distinction between AFX and PDS remains difficult with reclassification in 12 out of 52 (18%) cases upon review. All AFX cases solely confined to the dermis behaved benign. We therefore advocate to classify all cases with any form of subcutaneous extension as PDS, and only lesions without as AFX. This contrasts with the current general opinion in which superficial subcutaneous invasion is still accepted in AFX.
•AFX lesions are strictly confined to the dermis and behave benign without recurrences.•Differentiation between AFX and PDS is essential to predict patient outcome and guide treatment decisions.•Approximately one third of PDS cases is underdiagnosed as AFX.
Current biomarkers are unable to adequately predict vaccine-induced immune protection in humans with infectious disease or cancer. However, timely and adequate assessment of antigen-specific immune ...responses is critical for successful vaccine development. Therefore, we have developed a method for the direct assessment of immune responses in vivo in a clinical setting. Melanoma patients with lymph node (LN) metastases received dendritic cell (DC) vaccine therapy, injected intranodally, followed by 18F-labeled 3'-fluoro-3'-deoxy-thymidine (18FFLT) PET at varying time points after vaccination. Control LNs received saline or DCs without antigen. De novo immune responses were readily visualized in treated LNs early after the prime vaccination, and these signals persisted for up to 3 wk. This selective 18FFLT uptake was markedly absent in control LNs, although tracer uptake in treated LNs increased profoundly with as little as 4.5 x 105 DCs. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed injected DC dispersion to T-cell areas and resultant activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The level of LN tracer uptake significantly correlates to the level of circulating antigen-specific IgG antibodies and antigen-specific proliferation of T cells in peripheral blood. Furthermore, this correlation was not observed with 18F-labeled fluoro-2-deoxy-2-D-glucose. Therefore, 18FFLT PET offers a sensitive tool to study the kinetics, localization, and involvement of lymphocyte subsets in response to vaccination. This technique allows for early discrimination of responding from nonresponding patients in anti-cancer vaccination and aid physicians in individualized decisionmaking.
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