Neoadjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and systemic chemotherapy for the treatment of undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver in children

BACKGROUND Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver(UESL)is a rare and aggressive mesenchymal tumor in children.Herein,we describe our experience in neoadjuvant therapy(NAT)and subsequent surgery for the treatment of UESL in children.AIM To evaluate the efficacy of NAT and explore a new choice for successful operation of UESL in children.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed six patients newly diagnosed with unresectable UESL who received NAT and then surgery at our center between January 2004 and December 2019.The tumor was considered unresectable if it involved a large part of both lobes of the liver or had invaded the main hepatic vessels or inferior vena cava.The NAT included preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembol ization(TACE)and systemic chemotherapy.The patients were 4 boys and 2 girls with a mean age of 7 years.The longest tumor at presentation ranged from 8.6 to 14.8 cm(mean,12 cm).Extrahepatic metastases were present in 2 cases.Preoperative systemic chemotherapy was administered 3 wk after TACE.Tumor resection was performed 3 wk after one or two cycles of NAT.The patients received systemic chemotherapy after surgery.RESULTS All patients successfully underwent NAT and complete resection.The tumor volumes decreased by 18.2%–68.7%,with a mean decrease of 36%after 1 cycle of NAT(t=3.524,P=0.017).According to the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors criteria,4 patients had a partial response and underwent surgery,while 2 had stable disease and received another cycle of NAT before surgery.Massive tumor necrosis was seen on pathological examination of the surgical specimen:>90%necrosis in two,>50%necrosis in three,and 25%necrosis in 1,with an average of 71.8%.Post-NAT complications included fever,nausea and vomiting,and mild bone marrow suppression.Elevated alanine transaminase levels occurred in all patients,which returned to normal within 7–10 d after treatment.No cardiac or renal toxicity,severe hepatic dysfunction,bleeding and nontarget embolization were observed in the patients.The median follow-up period was 8 years with an overall survival of 100%.CONCLUSION NAT effectively reduced tumor volume,cleared the tumor margin,and caused massive tumor necrosis.This may be a promising choice for successful surgery of UESL in children.

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy and its evolving role in management of gastric cancer with peritoneal metastases

Advanced gastric cancer （GC） has been recognized as lethal disease when peritoneal metastases （PM） occurred.There is no standard treatment for advanced GC with PM.Until 1980s,the therapeutic arena for these patients had remained stagnant,with no therapeutic approach having shown a survival gain in GC with PM.However,cytoreductive surgery （CRS） with peritonectomy procedures and intraperitoneal chemotherapy （IPC） promising new combined therapeutic approach to achieve disease control for GC with PM.The recent publications changed the GC with PM treatment landscape by providing an evidence that CRS and IPC led to prolongation in overall survival （OS）.This review will provide an overview of the evolving role of CRS and IPC in the management of advanced GC with PM in the current era.

Current treatment strategies for patients with only peritoneal cytology positive stage IV gastric cancer

Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and surgery remains the only potentially curative treatment option for it.Although a significant proportion of GC patients are found with distant metastases already at the initial diagnosis.Peritoneal dissemination is the most common site of metastases.Positive peritoneal cytology(Cy1)is associated with poor long-term outcomes;thus,these patients are considered as stage IV even if macroscopic carcinomatosis is absent.Currently,there is no clear evidence for the most optimal treatment for this distinct subpopulation of the stage IV cohort.Available strategies vary from palliative chemotherapy to upfront gastrectomy.This comprehensive review summarized current evidence of different treatment strategies for Cy1 GC including roles of surgery,systemic and intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Target Therapy in Platinum-Refractory/Resistant Ovarian Cancer:From Preclinical Findings to Current Clinical Practice

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the sixth most common malignancy in women. Ovarian tumors consist of several clinical and pathological entities that share an anatomic site. The gold standard treatment, both in front-line and in adjuvant setting, is represented by carboplatin/paclitaxel combination. Conversely, the second-line treatment is not well defined. The response to platinum is the major prognostic factor for survival. In this review we discuss the current views on platinum-refractory/resistant patient treatment only, which includes patients progressing or relapsing within 6 months from the last platinum-based course. Concerning this subgroup, the activity of several conventional drugs was confirmed in different trials without a significant impact in terms of overall survival. In the last years particular emphasis was given to targeted anti-angiogenetic therapy which produced a survival improvement with an acceptable toxicity profile. New “ad hoc” approaches, with a major attention to outcome-predictive factors, are eagerly awaited.

Comparison of regional arterial chemotherapy and systemic intravenous chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer(stageⅢ/Ⅳ).However,conventional systemic intravenous chemotherapy(SIC)has been unsatisfactory for pancreatic cancer.In recent years,regional arterial infusion chemotherapy(RAIC)has been clinically used as a new chemotherapy regimen for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer,but its efficacy is controversial.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of RAIC.We searched literatures in databases such as PubMed,EMBASE,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,and CNKI.After screening,this meta-analysis finally included 9 randomized controlled trials(RCTs)with 444 patients(230 RAIC and 214 SIC).We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool to assess risk of bias for included RCTs.Outcomes were overall survival(OS),overall response rate(ORR),adverse events rate(AER),and pain remission rate.Outcome indicators used relative risk(RR)and its 95%confidence interval(CI)as effect analysis statistics.The results showed that RAIC had some advantages over SIC in terms of ORR,OS,incidence of leukopenia,and pain remission.In conclusion,compared with SIC,RAIC has better clinical efficacy and lower toxicity in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.

Liver metastasis of pancreatic cancer: the new choice at the crossroads

In recent years,the incidence of pancreatic cancer has increased markedly both in China and internationally.For patients with pancreatic cancer,surgical resection remains the only effective method of obtaining a cure and long-term survival,although only few patients can expect this benefit.