PURPOSE Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) from colorectal cancer traditionally is considered a terminal condition. Approaches that combine cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and perioperative intraperitoneal ...chemotherapy (PIC) have been developed recently. The purpose of this study was to assess early and long-term survival in patients treated with that strategy. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective-cohort, multicentric study from French-speaking countries was performed. All consecutive patients with PC from colorectal cancer who were treated with CRS and PIC (with or without hyperthermia) were included. Patients with PC of appendiceal origin were excluded. Results The study included 523 patients from 23 centers in four French-speaking countries who underwent operation between 1990 and 2007. The median follow-up was 45 months. Mortality and grades 3 to 4 morbidity at 30 days were 3% and 31%, respectively. Overall median survival was 30.1 months. Five-year overall survival was 27%, and five-year disease-free survival was 10%. Complete CRS was performed in 84% of the patients, and median survival was 33 months. Positive independent prognostic factors identified in the multivariate analysis were complete CRS, PC that was limited in extent, no invaded lymph nodes, and the use of adjuvant chemotherapy. Neither the grade of disease nor the presence of liver metastases had a significant prognostic impact. CONCLUSION This combined treatment approach against PC achieved low postoperative morbidity and mortality, and it provided good long-term survival in patients with peritoneal scores lower than 20. These results should improve in the future, because the different teams involved will gain experience. This approach, when feasible, is now considered the gold standard in the French guidelines.
Inflammation is a key factor of myocardial damage in reperfused ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. We hypothesized that colchicine, a potent anti-inflammatory agent, may reduce infarct size ...(IS) and left ventricular (LV) remodeling at the acute phase of ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction.
In this double-blind multicenter trial, we randomly assigned patients admitted for a first episode of ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction referred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention to receive oral colchicine (2-mg loading dose followed by 0.5 mg twice a day) or matching placebo from admission to day 5. The primary efficacy outcome was IS determined by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at 5 days. The relative LV end-diastolic volume change at 3 months and IS at 3 months assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging were among the secondary outcomes.
We enrolled 192 patients, 101 in the colchicine group and 91 in the control group. At 5 days, the gadolinium enhancement-defined IS did not differ between the colchicine and placebo groups with a mean of 26 interquartile range (IQR) 16-44 versus 28.4 IQR 14-40 g of LV mass, respectively (
=0.87). At 3 months follow-up, there was no significant difference in LV remodeling between the colchicine and placebo groups with a +2.4% (IQR, -8.3% to 11.1%) versus -1.1% (IQR, -8.0% to 9.9%) change in LV end-diastolic volume (
=0.49). Infarct size at 3 months was also not significantly different between the colchicine and placebo groups (17 IQR 10-28 versus 18 IQR 10-27 g of LV mass, respectively;
=0.92). The incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events during the treatment period was greater with colchicine than with placebo (34% versus 11%, respectively;
=0.0002).
In this randomized, placebo-controlled trial, oral administration of high-dose colchicine at the time of reperfusion and for 5 days did not reduce IS assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03156816.
Background
The sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy may be an alternative to systematic lymphadenectomy in early cervical cancer. The SLN biopsy is less morbid and has been shown to have high sensitivity ...for metastasis detection. However, the sensitivity of the SLN technique might be overevaluated because SLNs are examined with ultra-staging, and non-sentinel nodes usually are examined only with routine techniques. This study aimed to validate the negative predictive value (NPV) of the SLN technique by the ultra-staging of SLNs and non-sentinel nodes (NSLNs).
Methods
The SENTICOL 1 study data published in 2011 were used. All nodes (i.e., SLNs and NSLNs) were secondarily subjected to ultra-staging. The ultra-staging consisted of sectioning every 200 µm, in addition to immunohistochemistry. Moreover, the positive slides and 10% of the negative slides were reviewed.
Results
The study enrolled 139 patients, and SLNs were detected in 136 (97.8%) of these patiets. Bilateral SLNs were detected in 104 (76.5%) of the 136 patients. A total of 2056 NSLNs were identified (median, 13 NSLNs per patient; range 1–54). Of the 136 patients with SLNs, 23 were shown to have positive SLNs after serial sectioning and immunohistochemical staining. The NSLNs were metastatic in six patients. In the case of bilateral SLN detection, the NPV was 100%, with no false-negatives (FNs).
Conclusions
The pelvic SLN technique is safe and trustworthy for determining the nodal status of patients with early-stage cervical cancer. In the case of optimal mapping with bilateral detection, the NPV was found to be 100%.
Objective
To explore the prevalence of the perfusion‐weighted imaging (PWI)–diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) mismatch and response to intravenous thrombolysis in the WAKE‐UP trial.
Methods
We ...performed a prespecified post hoc analysis of ischemic stroke patients screened for DWI–fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) mismatch in WAKE‐UP who underwent PWI. We defined PWI‐DWI mismatch as ischemic core volume < 70ml, mismatch volume > 10ml, and mismatch ratio > 1.2. Primary efficacy end point was a modified Rankin Scale score of 0–1 at 90 days, adjusted for age and symptom severity.
Results
Of 1,362 magnetic resonance imaging–screened patients, 431 underwent PWI. Of these, 57 (13%) had a double mismatch, 151 (35%) only a DWI‐FLAIR mismatch, and 54 (13%) only a PWI‐DWI mismatch. DWI‐FLAIR mismatch was more prevalent than PWI‐DWI mismatch (48%, 95% confidence interval CI = 43–53% vs 26%, 95% CI = 22–30%; p < 0.0001). Screening for either one of the mismatch profiles resulted in a yield of 61% (95% CI = 56–65%). Prevalence of PWI‐DWI mismatch was similar in patients with (27%) or without (24%) DWI‐FLAIR mismatch (p = 0.52). In an exploratory analysis in the small subgroup of 208 randomized patients with PWI, PWI‐DWI mismatch status did not modify the treatment response (p for interaction = 0.73).
Interpretation
Evaluating both the DWI‐FLAIR and PWI‐DWI mismatch patterns in patients with unknown time of stroke onset will result in the highest yield of thrombolysis treatment. The treatment benefit of alteplase in patients with a DWI‐FLAIR mismatch seems to be driven not merely by the presence of a PWI‐DWI mismatch, although this analysis was underpowered. ANN NEUROL 2020;87:931–938
Thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in acute ischemic stroke aims to restore compromised blood flow and prevent further neuronal damage. Despite the proven clinical efficacy of ...this treatment, little is known about the short-term effects of systemic thrombolysis on structural brain connectivity. In this secondary analysis of the WAKE-UP trial, we used MRI-derived measures of infarct size and estimated structural network disruption to establish that thrombolysis is associated not only with less infarct growth, but also with reduced loss of large-scale connectivity between grey-matter areas after stroke. In a causal mediation analysis, infarct growth mediated a non-significant 8.3% (CI
-8.0, 32.6%) of the clinical effect of thrombolysis on functional outcome. The proportion mediated jointly through infarct growth and change of structural connectivity, especially in the border zone around the infarct core, however, was as high as 33.4% (CI
8.8, 77.4%). Preservation of structural connectivity is thus an important determinant of treatment success and favourable functional outcome in addition to lesion volume. It might, in the future, serve as an imaging endpoint in clinical trials or as a target for therapeutic interventions.
Rationale
In about 20% of acute ischemic stroke patients stroke occurs during sleep. These patients are generally excluded from intravenous thrombolysis. MRI can identify patients within the ...time-window for thrombolysis (≤4·5 h from symptom onset) by a mismatch between the acute ischemic lesion visible on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) but not visible on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging. Aims and hypothesis The study aims to test the efficacy and safety of MRI-guided thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) in ischemic stroke patients with unknown time of symptom onset, e.g., waking up with stroke symptoms. We hypothesize that stroke patients with unknown time of symptom onset with a DWI-FLAIR-mismatch pattern on MRI will have improved outcome when treated with rtPA compared to placebo.
Design
WAKE-UP is an investigator initiated, European, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients with unknown time of symptom onset who fulfil clinical inclusion criteria (disabling neurological deficit, no contraindications against thrombolysis) will be studied by MRI. Patients with MRI findings of a DWI-FLAIR-mismatch will be randomised to either treatment with rtPA or placebo. Study outcome The primary efficacy endpoint will be favourable outcome defined by modified Rankin Scale 0–1 at day 90. The primary safety outcome measures will be mortality and death or dependency defined by modified Rankin Scale 4–6 at 90 days.
Discussion
If positive, WAKE-UP is expected to change clinical practice making effective and safe treatment available for a large group of acute stroke patients currently excluded from specific acute therapy.
Background The CAPTIM trial suggested a survival benefit of prehospital fibrinolysis (FL) compared to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial ...infarction (STEMI) with a presentation delay of <2 hours. We examined the relationship between reperfusion strategy and time from symptom onset on 1-year mortality in a combined analysis of 1,168 patients with STEMI. Methods Individual patient data from CAPTIM (n = 840, 1997-2000) and the more recent WEST trial (n = 328, 2003-2005) were pooled. Results Median age was 58 years, 81% were men, and 41% had anterior myocardial infarction; 640 patients were randomized to FL versus 528 patients to PCI. Both arms received contemporary adjunctive medical therapy. Presentation delay (ie, symptom onset to randomization) was similar in FL and PCI patients (median 105 72-158 vs 106 74-162 minutes, P = .712). Rescue PCI after FL occurred in 26% and 27%, and 30-day PCI, in 70% and 71% in CAPTIM and WEST, respectively. Mortality was not different between FL and PCI (4.6% vs 6.5%, P = .263); however, the interaction between presentation delay and treatment was significant ( P = .043). Benefit with FL was observed with time <2 hours (2.8% FL vs 6.9% PCI, P = .021, hazard ratio HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.20-0.91), whereas beyond 2 hours, no treatment difference was observed (6.9% FL vs 6.0% PCI, P = .529, HR 1.23, 95% CI 0.61-2.46). Conclusions A strategy of early FL demonstrated a reduction in 1-year mortality compared to primary PCI in early presenters. Time from symptom onset should be a key consideration when selecting reperfusion therapy for STEMI.
Background and purpose Polypharmacy is an important challenge in clinical practice. Our aim was to determine the effect of polypharmacy on functional outcome and treatment effect of alteplase in ...acute ischaemic stroke. Methods This was a post hoc analysis of the randomized, placebo‐controlled WAKE‐UP trial of magnetic resonance imaging guided intravenous alteplase in unknown onset stroke. Polypharmacy was defined as an intake of five or more medications at baseline. Comorbidities were assessed by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). The primary efficacy variable was favourable outcome defined by a score of 0–1 on the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days. Logistic regression analysis was used to test for an association of polypharmacy with functional outcome, and for interaction of polypharmacy and the effect of thrombolysis. Results Polypharmacy was present in 133/503 (26%) patients. Patients with polypharmacy were older (mean age 70 vs. 64 years; p < 0.0001) and had a higher score on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale at baseline (median 7 vs. 5; p = 0.0007). A comorbidity load defined by a CCI score ≥ 2 was more frequent in patients with polypharmacy (48% vs. 8%; p < 0.001). Polypharmacy was associated with lower odds of favourable outcome (adjusted odds ratio 0.50, 95% confidence interval 0.30–0.85; p = 0.0099), whilst the CCI score was not. Treatment with alteplase was associated with higher odds of favourable outcome in both groups, with no heterogeneity of treatment effect (test for interaction of treatment and polypharmacy, p = 0.29). Conclusion In stroke patients, polypharmacy is associated with worse functional outcome after intravenous thrombolysis independent of comorbidities. However, polypharmacy does not interact with the beneficial effect of alteplase.
Population-based longitudinal studies of hypertension have usually shown a continuous and positive relationship between blood pressure and mortality. However, several studies in hypertensive patients ...receiving treatment have described this relationship as J-shaped, with an increased risk for events in patients with low blood pressure.
To assess the evidence for a J-shaped relationship between blood pressure and mortality and its relation to treatment.
Meta-analysis of individual-patient data.
Seven randomized clinical trials from the INDANA (INdividual Data ANalysis of Antihypertensive intervention) database.
40 233 persons with hypertension (mean follow-up, 3.9 years).
Primarily beta-blockers or thiazide diuretics versus placebo or no treatment.
Diastolic and systolic blood pressure and number of cardiovascular, noncardiovascular, and all-cause deaths in yearly periods of follow-up.
The analysis included data on 1655 deaths (56% cardiovascular). A J-shaped relationship between diastolic blood pressure and risk for death was observed for total and cardiovascular mortality in treated patients (nadir, 84 and 80 mm Hg, respectively) and untreated patients (nadir, 90 and 85 mm Hg, respectively). For noncardiovascular deaths, the relationship was J-shaped in the treated group (nadir, 84 mm Hg) and negative in the control group. Similar results were observed for systolic blood pressure. The presence of patients with wide pulse pressure did not explain these findings.
The increased risk for events observed in patients with low blood pressure was not related to antihypertensive treatment and was not specific to blood pressure-related events. Poor health conditions leading to low blood pressure and an increased risk for death probably explain the J-shaped curve.
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