2.The advances of total neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer
Ganbin LI ; Jiagang HAN ; Zhenjun WANG
Chinese Journal of Surgery 2021;59(5):387-391
The multimodality treatment has significantly increased local control of locally advanced rectal cancer, with a superior oncologic efficacy and reduced local recurrence rate from 35% to less than 10%, and the proportion of patients receiving “watch and wait” strategy or delaying surgery increased as well. However, distant relapse is still the leading cause of cancer-related death without improved long-term survival outcomes. To improve treatment compliance and overall survival benefits, a novel strategy that delivered upfront chemotherapy prior to surgery, which is termed total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT), has been proposed. TNT has two major patterns, including induction and consolidation therapy; the former treatment pattern requires systemic chemotherapy before neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, while consolidation therapy refers to additional cycles of chemotherapy between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery. As a radiosensitizer, upfront chemotherapy not only reduces gross tumor volume, but targets occult micro-metastatic disease at an early stage. Several clinical trials have also reported that TNT achieves better local control of disease with a promising treatment compliance. And organ preservation rate is supposed to increase with an improved pathologic or clinical complete response rate. Besides, there existed no established consensus regarding to specific patterns and chemotherapy regimens and doses, which results in remarkable differences among studies. In conclusion, the exact oncologic efficacy and survival benefits of total neoadjuvant therapy still need clinical trials to confirm.
3.Investigation of prevention and treatment of anastomotic bleeding after colorectal surgery
Ganbin LI ; Jiagang HAN ; Zhenjun WANG
Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 2020;23(12):1149-1154
Anastomotic bleeding is a common complication after colorectal surgery, mainly manifesting as continuous or intermittent bloody stool. The risk factors for anastomotic bleeding mainly include suboptimal surgical skill, surgical methods (such as laparoscopic anastomosis), close distance between the tumor and the anal margin, benign colorectal diseases, anastomotic leakage after colorectal surgery, severe pelvic and abdominal infections, and the patient's own condition, etc. Anastomotic bleeding can be prevented by standardized operation and intraoperative endoscopic examination. Anastomotic bleeding is mostly a self-limited disease, which can be cured by conservative treatments such as fluid resuscitation, blood transfusion and endoscopic treatment. When serious anastomotic bleeding threatens the life of patients, surgical treatment should be taken into consideration decisively.
4.Investigation of prevention and treatment of anastomotic bleeding after colorectal surgery
Ganbin LI ; Jiagang HAN ; Zhenjun WANG
Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 2020;23(12):1149-1154
Anastomotic bleeding is a common complication after colorectal surgery, mainly manifesting as continuous or intermittent bloody stool. The risk factors for anastomotic bleeding mainly include suboptimal surgical skill, surgical methods (such as laparoscopic anastomosis), close distance between the tumor and the anal margin, benign colorectal diseases, anastomotic leakage after colorectal surgery, severe pelvic and abdominal infections, and the patient's own condition, etc. Anastomotic bleeding can be prevented by standardized operation and intraoperative endoscopic examination. Anastomotic bleeding is mostly a self-limited disease, which can be cured by conservative treatments such as fluid resuscitation, blood transfusion and endoscopic treatment. When serious anastomotic bleeding threatens the life of patients, surgical treatment should be taken into consideration decisively.
5.The advances of total neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer
Ganbin LI ; Jiagang HAN ; Zhenjun WANG
Chinese Journal of Surgery 2021;59(5):387-391
The multimodality treatment has significantly increased local control of locally advanced rectal cancer, with a superior oncologic efficacy and reduced local recurrence rate from 35% to less than 10%, and the proportion of patients receiving “watch and wait” strategy or delaying surgery increased as well. However, distant relapse is still the leading cause of cancer-related death without improved long-term survival outcomes. To improve treatment compliance and overall survival benefits, a novel strategy that delivered upfront chemotherapy prior to surgery, which is termed total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT), has been proposed. TNT has two major patterns, including induction and consolidation therapy; the former treatment pattern requires systemic chemotherapy before neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, while consolidation therapy refers to additional cycles of chemotherapy between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery. As a radiosensitizer, upfront chemotherapy not only reduces gross tumor volume, but targets occult micro-metastatic disease at an early stage. Several clinical trials have also reported that TNT achieves better local control of disease with a promising treatment compliance. And organ preservation rate is supposed to increase with an improved pathologic or clinical complete response rate. Besides, there existed no established consensus regarding to specific patterns and chemotherapy regimens and doses, which results in remarkable differences among studies. In conclusion, the exact oncologic efficacy and survival benefits of total neoadjuvant therapy still need clinical trials to confirm.
6.Clinical characteristics and prognosis of brain metastasis in locally advanced rectal cancer
Ganbin LI ; Xiao ZHANG ; Chentong WANG ; Xiaoyuan QIU ; Guannan ZHANG ; Beizhan NIU ; Lai XU ; Junyang LU ; Bin WU ; Yi XIAO ; Guole LIN
Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 2024;27(10):1063-1068
Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of brain metastases after radical surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).Methods:The clinical characteristics of LARC with brain metastases treated in the Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2013 to 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The inclusion criteria were rectal adenocarcinoma within 15 cm of the anal verge and having undergone radical surgery, and the exclusion criterion was primary malignant tumor of the brain. The main outcomes were overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and disease-specific overall survival (determined as the interval between occurrence of brain metastasis to death from any causes). The Kaplan–Meier method was used for survival analysis.Results:We identified 4500 patients with LARC, 20 (0.4%) of whom had brain metastases. The mean age of patients with brain metastases was 63.8±9.3 years. They comprised five women and 15 men. The brain was the first site of metastasis in four patients (20%) whereas 18 patients had heterochronous extracranial metastases before brain metastasis. Two patients also had multi-organ metastases. The most common manifestations of brain metastases were dizziness and headache (five patients, 25%), sudden onset of limb weakness (four, 20%), sudden speech impairment (two, 10%), and polyopia (two, 10%). The metastases were diagnosed during follow-up in three patients (15%). Four of the patients were asymptomatic (20%). Treatment approaches included surgical resection (six patients, 30%), chemoradiotherapy (nine, 45%), and palliative (five, 25%). The median follow-up time was 45.5 (4–112) months until October 2023. 1y-OS, 3y-OS, and 5y-OS were 95.0%, 62.9%, and 43.3%, respectively. 1y-DFS, 3y-DFS, and 5y-DFS were 55.0%, 25.0%, and 5.0%, respectively. With brain metastasis as the starting point, the median duration of survival was 16 (10.2–21.8) months.Conclusion:The incidence of brain metastasis is relatively low in patients with LARC, who often have multiple synchronous extracranial metastases. Brain metastases lack specific manifestations and more often occur in male patients. Surgical intervention or combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy may improve disease-specific survival to a certain extent. However, the overall prognosis remains poor.
7.Clinical characteristics and prognosis of brain metastasis in locally advanced rectal cancer
Ganbin LI ; Xiao ZHANG ; Chentong WANG ; Xiaoyuan QIU ; Guannan ZHANG ; Beizhan NIU ; Lai XU ; Junyang LU ; Bin WU ; Yi XIAO ; Guole LIN
Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 2024;27(10):1063-1068
Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of brain metastases after radical surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).Methods:The clinical characteristics of LARC with brain metastases treated in the Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2013 to 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The inclusion criteria were rectal adenocarcinoma within 15 cm of the anal verge and having undergone radical surgery, and the exclusion criterion was primary malignant tumor of the brain. The main outcomes were overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and disease-specific overall survival (determined as the interval between occurrence of brain metastasis to death from any causes). The Kaplan–Meier method was used for survival analysis.Results:We identified 4500 patients with LARC, 20 (0.4%) of whom had brain metastases. The mean age of patients with brain metastases was 63.8±9.3 years. They comprised five women and 15 men. The brain was the first site of metastasis in four patients (20%) whereas 18 patients had heterochronous extracranial metastases before brain metastasis. Two patients also had multi-organ metastases. The most common manifestations of brain metastases were dizziness and headache (five patients, 25%), sudden onset of limb weakness (four, 20%), sudden speech impairment (two, 10%), and polyopia (two, 10%). The metastases were diagnosed during follow-up in three patients (15%). Four of the patients were asymptomatic (20%). Treatment approaches included surgical resection (six patients, 30%), chemoradiotherapy (nine, 45%), and palliative (five, 25%). The median follow-up time was 45.5 (4–112) months until October 2023. 1y-OS, 3y-OS, and 5y-OS were 95.0%, 62.9%, and 43.3%, respectively. 1y-DFS, 3y-DFS, and 5y-DFS were 55.0%, 25.0%, and 5.0%, respectively. With brain metastasis as the starting point, the median duration of survival was 16 (10.2–21.8) months.Conclusion:The incidence of brain metastasis is relatively low in patients with LARC, who often have multiple synchronous extracranial metastases. Brain metastases lack specific manifestations and more often occur in male patients. Surgical intervention or combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy may improve disease-specific survival to a certain extent. However, the overall prognosis remains poor.