486 UTILITY OF 18F-FDG/PET FOR PREDICTING HISTOPATHOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO NEOADJUVANT INDUCTION CHEMOTHERAPY AND CHEMORADIOTHERAPY FOR ESOPHAGEAL AND JUNCTIONAL CARCINOMA

Neoadjuvant treatment followed by esophagectomy is the standard therapy for patients with resectable esophageal cancer. Data have demonstrated that patients with pathologic complete response (pCR) have better survival. Several studies have been exploring whether 18F-FDG/PET performed during neoadjuvant treatment can predict a pCR, but the results are conflicting. The aim of this study was to assess the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT for predicting the histopathological response to neoadjuvant induction chemotherapy (IC) and chemoradiotherapy (CR). Methods Patients with proven squamous cell or adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or GEJ were enrolled in this prospective study. Patients received two cycles of IC with carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by concurrent CR and then esophagectomy. Metabolic response was evaluated according to PERSIST criteria by 18F-FDG PET/CT performed at baseline, at day 14 of chemotherapy and four to eight weeks after the completion of CR. Tumoral pretreatment, induction and posttreatment FDG-standardized uptake value normalized to lean body mass SULmean and percentage change were assessed. These parameters were correlated with the pathologic response using the Mandard tumor regression grade (TRG) scale. Results Thirty patients finished the IC plus CR and 16 had esophagectomy. The median age was 57 years, 75% were male and 56% had adenocarcinoma. The mean of SULmean prior to treatment, after one cycle of IC and after CR were respectively 6.12, 4.67 and 1.52. After one cycle of IC, one patient had metabolic progression, eight remained stable and seven had partial metabolic response. All metabolic responders had good histopathological response (Mandard 1 or 2). After CR, five patients had complete metabolic response (CMR). However, three of them had poor histopathological response (Mandard >2). Conclusion Our initial results suggests that the early PERSIST-based metabolic response evaluation appears useful to predict a good histopathological response. Thus, an interim 18FFDG PET/CT may help to identify good responders during the neoadjuvant treatment. However, the late metabolic response evaluation after CR had a poor pathologic correlation. In this way, a CMR after CR should not be assumed to be synonymous of complete pathologic response.

Experience of using an adjustable inextensible compression bandage in a patient with secondary lymphedema of the right upper limb

Introduction. Secondary upper-extremity lymphedema is most commonly caused by lymphadenectomy and radiotherapy (RT) of regional lymph nodes. Lymphatic edema differ in the fact that they lead to fibrotic changes in tissues, as the lymph contains up to 2–4% of protein, which causes a specific histopathological response. Proteins, as well as tissue protein-polysaccharide complexes, undergo transformations leading to pathological collagenization, and then to hyalinization and sclerosis. A vicious circle of pathological processes stemming from biophysical and chemical changes in proteins and polysaccharides with metabolic disorders occurs. Compression therapy is the most important component of the fight against both upper- and lower-extremity edema of various origins at any stage of the disease.The aim is to assess the postoperative stabilization of the upper-extremity edema state due to the patient’s self-bandaging using inelastic bandages and the possibility of personalized adjustment of pressure to be applied at the required level. The article provides indications for the use of an adjustable inelastic compression bandage to stabilize edema, and reviews a clinical example of its postoperative use in a patient with grade 4 secondary right upper-extremity lymphedema. Particular emphasis is placed on the versatility of adjustable inelastic compression bandage and the expediency of its widespread use in clinical practice.Conclusion. Simplicity and ease of use with an option to self-adjust and maintain the stable level of therapeutic pressure throughout the entire period of medical rehabilitation, as well as minimization of doctor’s involvement, allow us to recommend the adjustable inelastic compression bandage for effective use in wide clinical practice.

Correlation between Prognostic Factors and the Histopathological Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Osteosarcoma: A Retrospective Study

Background.Multimodality treatment, incorporating neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy, is the standard management plan for osteosarcoma that increases the overall survival (OS) rate. However, data regarding prognostic factors affecting the histopathological response following neoadjuvant chemotherapy is limited. Patients and Methods. We retrospectively reviewed patients diagnosed with osteosarcoma in our center between 2008 and 2018. We classified patient characteristics according to gender, age, tumor size, site and stage at diagnosis, site of metastasis, type of surgery, necrosis rate based on the Huvos grading system, and the number of neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycles. We divided response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy into poor responder for patients with Huvos grades 1 and 2 and good responder for patients with Huvos grades 3 and 4. We also documented patients’ survival and follow-up information. Results. We reviewed 64 patients within 5–65 years of age, dominated by men (62.5%). The distal femur (53.1%) was the most common site of osteosarcoma. Fifteen (23.4%) patients had a good response while 49 (76.6%) patients were poor responders to neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on the Huvos grading system. Based on multivariate analysis, gender ( p = 0.012), age ( p = 0.029), symptom duration ( p = 0.004), and tumor enlargement after neoadjuvant chemotherapy ( p < 0.001) were significantly associated with histopathological response. A scoring system was proposed integrating these significant variables (age > 20 years = 1 point, female gender = 1 point, symptom duration > 12 weeks = 1 point, and increased tumor size after neoadjuvant chemotherapy = 2 points). This scoring system divides patients into two groups with a total score of more than two predicting a poor responder to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions. Age, gender, symptoms duration, and tumor size after neoadjuvant chemotherapy are the prognostic features that affect the histopathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma.

Survival Analysis of 3 Different Age Groups and Prognostic Factors among 402 Patients with Skeletal High-Grade Osteosarcoma. Real World Data from a Single Tertiary Sarcoma Center

Age is a known prognostic factor for many sarcoma subtypes, however in the literature there are limited data on the different risk profiles of different age groups for osteosarcoma survival. This study aims to provide an overview of survival in patients with high-grade osteosarcoma in different age groups and prognostic variables for survival and local control among the entire cohort. In this single center retrospective cohort study, 402 patients with skeletal high-grade osteosarcoma were diagnosed and treated with curative intent between 1978 and 2017 at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). Prognostic factors for survival were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazard model. In this study poor overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were associated with increasing age. Age groups, tumor size, poor histopathological response, distant metastasis (DM) at presentation and local recurrence (LR) were important independent prognostic factors influencing OS and EFS. Differences in outcome among different age groups can be partially explained by patient and treatment characteristics.