A Real-World Comparative Study of Microwave and Radiofrequency Ablation in Treatment-Naïve and Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The efficacy and safety of microwave ablation (MWA) compared to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for patients with treatment-naïve and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been clarified in Korea. There were 150 HCC patients (100 in the RFA group and 50 in the MWA group) enrolled in our study. The primary outcome was one- and two-year disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary outcomes were complete response (CR) rate, two-year survival rate, risk factors for DFS and complication rate. Treatment outcomes were also assessed using propensity-score matching (PSM). The MWA group had better one- and two-year DFS than the RFA group (p = 0.035 and p = 0.032, respectively), whereas the CR rate, two-year survival rate, and complication rate were similar between the two groups with fewer major complications in the MWA group (p = 0.043). Patients with perivascular tumors, high risk of recurrence, and small tumor size (≤3 cm) were more suitable for MWA than RFA. MWA was also an independent factor for favorable one- and two-year DFS. Finally, the MWA group still showed better one- and two-year DFS than the RFA group after PSM. In conclusion, MWA could be an alternative treatment to RFA especially in patients with a high risk of recurrence, perivascular tumors, and small tumor size.

RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS OF CLINICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL FACTORS FOR THE PROGNOSIS OF RENAL CELL CARCINOMA

This article analyzes the main clinical, morphological factors affecting the outcome of the disease, and determines their proportion. Favorable clinical and morphological signs were: absence of lymphovascular invasion, lymphocytic infiltration of the tumor, small tumor size, absence of concomitant pathology. Adverse prognosis factors include: lymphovascular invasion, absence of tumor infiltration by lymphocytes, large tumor size and severe concomitant pathologies.

ADVANCES IN THE NEUROSURGICAL AND COMBINED TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH ACROMEGALY

Aim. The study was carried out to identify and analyze the factors of a positive outcome of surgical and radiation treatment of acromegaly. Methods. The work was performed on clinical material and summarizes treatment results of 256 patients (90 males and 166 females). 86% of patients underwent surgical treatment, 14% of patients received radiation therapy during 2002–2018. Significance of factors of a positive outcome of treatment was carried out using the RStudio program. Results. The results of the study revealed that: 1. Significant factors (p <0.05) of a positive outcome of surgical treatment of acromegaly are somatostatin analogs (SSA) therapy before surgery, a small tumor size (microadenomas), and the absence of extrasellar tumor spread. 2. The most significant factor in achieving remission of acromegaly after non-radical adenomectomy is postoperative therapy with SSA (p <0.05). 3. Aggressive pituitary tumors invading surrounding structures, high baseline IGF-1 levels, unfavorable histological findings, macroadenomas, growth hormone levels above 10 μg/L before therapy, and extrasellar tumor spread were associated with less favorable outcomes of acromegaly radiation therapy (RT) (p <0.05). The most significant factor in achieving remission of acromegaly is SSA therapy after RT (p <0.05). Conclusion. Surgical treatment is the optimal primary treatment for acromegaly. Drug therapy with SSA is effective and the preferred treatment after non-radical surgery.

Combination of IL-34 and AFP improves the diagnostic value during the development of HBV related hepatocellular carcinoma

Background IL34 involves in host immunity regulated carcinogenesis. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is related to the development of HCC. We explored if combination of IL-34 and APF could improve the diagnostic value in HBV related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBVHCC). Methods Serum was obtained from HBV patients or healthy control. Liver tissue was obtained from liver biopsy in CHB, HBV related cirrhosis patients or curative resection in HBVHCC patients. Serum IL34 and MCSF were measured. Hepatic IL34, MCSF and CD68+ tumor associate macrophages (TAMs) were determined. Results Serum IL34 was 1.7, 1.3 or 2.3-fold higher in HBVHCC than that of CHB, HBV related cirrhosis, or healthy control, which was inhibited following transhepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in HBVHCC patients. Intrahepatic IL34 was higher in HBVHCC than that of the other three groups. Intra-hepatic IL34 was associated with high HBVDNA, HBeAg−, poor differentiation and small tumor size of HBVHCC patients. Intra-hepatic TAMs in HBVHCC were increased 1.7 or 1.3-fold, compared to that from CHB or HBV-cirrhosis patients. Intra-hepatic TAMs were associated with high HBVDNA, high tumor differentiation, small tumor size, abnormal AFP and more tumor number. AFP plus serum IL-34, showed the highest AUC (0.837) with sensitivity (0.632) and highest specificity (0.931), suggesting that AFP plus IL-34 enhances the reliability for prediction of the development of HBVHCC among CHB patients. Conclusions Circulating and intra-hepatic IL34 was upregulated gradually in HBV disease progression from CHB, cirrhosis and HCC. IL-34 may be used as a diagnostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for the management of HBVHCC.

Epithelioid sarcoma: A single-institutional retrospective cohort study of 36 cases

Background: Few studies have focused on the correlation between the clinical variables and the survival in Epithelioid Sarcoma (ES). The aim of this study was to investigate the relevant clinical variables influencing the survival of ES patients. Methods: From March 2000 to April 2018, 36 patients (median age, 38 years, range 22–61 years) with ES were evaluated, treated, and followed up. Results: All 36 patients underwent resection in our hospital. Among them, the 2 and 5 years local recurrence rates were 32.0% and 45.1%, respectively, with a better prognosis in patients with R0 resection margin. Distant metastasis rates for the 33 patients with M0 after 2 and 5 years were 51.5% and 70.8%, respectively. Overall survival rates at 2 and 5 years for 36 patients were 74.8% and 43.3%, respectively. Tumor size (>5 cm) and M1 were significantly associated with a poor overall survival. But the R0 resection margin was the only prognostic factor for influencing the LRFS and DMFS. Conclusions: The R0 resection margin and small tumor size were critical for a better prognosis.

Impact of surgical margins on survival in cutaneous sarcomas: A nationwide study of French Sarcoma Group (FSG) from NETSARC Database.

e23537 Background: R0 surgery in reference centers is the cornerstone for sarcomas treatment with better local control and survival and is mandatory for ESMO-EURACAN and NCCN guidelines. The medical community is out on this issue for cutaneous sarcomas, if they have to follow suit. This retrospective descriptive study focused on margin status and local relapse-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients (pts) with cutaneous sarcomas. Methods: Between 01/01/10 and 30/12/17, surgery was performed on 2044 pts with cutaneous sarcomas from 20 centers. Data were collected from the NETSARC national network database ( http://netsarc.sarcomabcb.org ). Diagnosis of cutaneous sarcoma was reviewed and histologically confirmed by a local expert pathologist of RRePS (“Network for expert pathology diagnosis in sarcoma”). Dermatofibrosarcoma, Kaposi sarcoma and rare subtypes (< 20 cases in the database) were excluded. Univariate analyses were conducted using log rank test or Cox test. Multivariate analyses were conducted using Cox test. Age and tumor size were analyzed as continuous values. Two-sided significant p level was set at < 0.05. Results: Mean age was 66 years. Primary tumor was localized in lower limb, trunk wall, head and neck and upper limb for 30%, 26%, 26% and 18% pts respectively. Main subtypes were leiomyosarcoma, undifferentiated sarcoma, and myxofibrosarcoma for 29%, 29%, and 14% pts respectively. Angiosarcoma was the subtype of 9% of the patients (n = 193). Mean size was 45 mm. FNCLCC grade was 1, 2, and 3 for 14%, 29.5%, and 24% tumors respectively. Before surgery, imaging and biopsy were performed for 21% and 51% pts respectively. Surgery was carried out in a NETSARC center for 26% of the pts. Margin status after initial surgery was R0, R1, and R2 for 35% (n = 724), 34% (n = 696), and 12% pts (n = 246) respectively. Re-excision was performed for 34% (703/2044 pts), leading to a subsequent R0 margin for 74% of them (523/703 pts, equivalent to 26% of the overall population). Local relapse occurred for 21% of pts after a median time of 10 months. Metastatic relapse occurred for 13% of pts after a median time of 11 months. One hundred and ninety-three pts (9%) died. Median follow-up was 12 months. In multivariate analyses, statistically significant favorable prognostic factors for LRFS were: young age, small tumor size and non-angiosarcoma subtype. Significant prognostic factors associated with longer OS were: young age, small tumor size, non-angiosarcoma subtype, FNCLCC grade (1 vs 2 and 1 vs 3) and initial R0 surgery. Conclusions: Cutaneous sarcomas share same favorable clinical prognostic factors than non-cutaneous sarcomas. Quality of surgery remains the mainstay for OS.

Impact of Primary Tumor Size on Prognosis in Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Receiving Cytoreductive Nephrectomy: A Population Study of a Chinese Center and the US SEER Database

Background: The relationship between the size of the primary tumor and the prognosis of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the significance of the size of the primary tumor in mRCC. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients with mRCC who underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) from 2006 to 2013 in a Chinese center (n = 96) and those in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (from 2004 to 2015, n = 4403). Tumors less than 4 cm in size were defined as small. Prognostic factors were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. Results: Patients with small tumors had a longer overall survival than other patients, both in the Chinese cohort (median, 30.0 vs 24.0 months, P = 0.026) and the SEER cohort (median, 43.0 vs 23.0 months, P < 0.001). After adjusting for other significant prognostic factors, small tumor size was still an independent protective factor in the Chinese cohort (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.793; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.587–0.998, P = 0.043). In the SEER cohort, multivariate analysis showed that small tumor size was also an independent protective factor (HR, 0.880; 95% CI: 0.654–0.987, P = 0.008). In addition, as a continuous variable, a 1 cm elevation in tumor size translated into a 3.8% higher risk of death (HR, 1.038; 95% CI, 1.029–1.046; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Patients with small tumors may have a favorable prognosis after CN for mRCC. Although CN is not a standard protocol in mRCC, small tumor size may be a candidate when we are deciding to perform CN because of the potential benefit for OS.

Outcome of multidisciplinary treatment of peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor

Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) constitute very rare and aggressive malignancies. To date, there are no standard guidelines for management of peripheral PNETs due to the paucity of cases arising in various body sites. Therapeutic approach is derived from Ewing sarcoma family, which currently remains multimodal. Our study retrospectively analyzed 86 PNET patients from February 1, 1998 to February 1, 2018 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital with an additional 75 patients from review of literature. The clinicopathologic and treatment plans associated with survival was investigated. Surgery, chemotherapy, female sex, small tumor size, no lymph node metastasis, R0 surgical resection, (vincristine + doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide)/(isophosphamide + etoposide) regimen, and more than 10 cycles of chemotherapy were associated with improved overall survival in univariate analysis. Surgery, more than 10 cycles of chemotherapy, and small tumor size were independent prognostic factors for higher overall survival. Our data indicates that multimodal therapy is the mainstay therapeutic approach for peripheral PNET.

Improvement of the primary efficacy of microwave ablation of malignant liver tumors by using a robotic navigation system

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to assess the primary efficacy of robot-assisted microwave ablation and compare it to manually guided microwave ablation for percutaneous ablation of liver malignancies.Patients and methodsWe performed a retrospective single center evaluation of microwave ablations of 368 liver tumors in 192 patients (36 female, 156 male, mean age 63 years). One hundred and nineteen ablations were performed between 08/2011 and 03/2014 with manual guidance, whereas 249 ablations were performed between 04/2014 and 11/2018 using robotic guidance. A 6-week follow-up (ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) was performed on all patients.ResultsThe primary technique efficacy outcome of the group treated by robotic guidance was significantly higher than that of the manually guided group (88% vs. 76%; p = 0.013). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that a small tumor size (≤ 3 cm) and robotic guidance were significant favorable prognostic factors for complete ablation.ConclusionsIn addition to a small tumor size, robotic navigation was a major positive prognostic factor for primary technique efficacy.