Search

Background We investigated the radiodensity of epicardial (EAT), subcutaneous (SAT), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) before and after treatment with anthracyclines in a population of breast cancer (BC) patients, and in controls not treated with anthracyclines, to detect a potential role of EAT density as a biomarker of changes related to chemotherapy cardiotoxicity. Methods We reviewed BC patients treated with anthracyclines who underwent CT before (CT-t0) and after (CT-t1) chemotherapy, and age- and sex-matched controls who underwent two CT examinations at comparable intervals. On non-contrast scans, EAT was segmented contouring the pericardium and thresholding between -190 and -30 Hounsfield units (HU), and SAT and VAT were segmented with two 15-mm diameter regions of interest thresholded between -195 and -45 HU. Results Thirty-two female patients and 32 controls were included. There were no differences in age (p = 0.439) and follow-up duration (p = 0.162) between patients and controls. Between CT-t0 and CT-t1, EAT density decreased in BC patients (-66 HU, interquartile range [IQR] -71 to -63 HU, to -71 HU, IQR -75 to -66 HU, p = 0.003), while it did not vary in controls (p = 0.955). SAT density increased from CT-t0 to CT-t1 in BC patients (-107 HU, IQR -111 to -105 HU, to -105 HU, IQR -110 to -100 HU, p = 0.014), whereas it did not change in controls (p = 0.477). VAT density did not vary in either BC patients (p = 0.911) or controls (p = 0.627). Conclusions EAT density appears to be influenced by anthracycline treatment for BC, well known for its cardiotoxicity, shifting towards lower values indicative of a less active metabolism.

Summary Background Breast cancer may present with distinct cutaneous manifestations that may be paraneoplastic or secondary to direct skin infiltration, distant skin metastases, or dermal lymphatic tumor embolization (inflammatory breast carcinoma). Case report A 51-year-old Asian woman visited the emergency care department during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Northern Italy. About 6 months before, she had noted the onset of right breast swelling accompanied by skin redness and itching. She never consulted a physician, and, over time, the local skin condition progressed to a large scaly plaque covering the entire breast surface including the nipple. At presentation, abduction of the right upper limb was impaired due to severe shoulder pain. CT scan showed the presence of bilateral breast masses with necrotic and colliquative features, and multiple skeletal, nodal, pulmonary, and brain images suggestive of metastases. An ultrasound-guided core biopsy of the contralateral breast showed grade 2 non-special type infiltrating carcinoma. The patient was referred to the breast oncology unit and is currently being treated with aromatase inhibitors and chemotherapy. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the entire spectrum of oncological care including breast cancer. Hopefully, telemedicine will contribute to increase patients’ confidence and will provide earlier diagnosis and treatment while minimizing the risk of contagion.

Objectives We aimed to assess extracellular volume (ECV) through non-gated, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) before and after radiation therapy (RT) in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). Materials and methods EC patients who had undergone CT before and after RT were retrospectively assessed. Patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease or with heavily artifacted CT were excluded. ECV was calculated using density values for the myocardial septum and blood pool. Data were reported as mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range according to their distribution; t test or Wilcoxon and Pearson r or Spearman ρ were subsequently used. Results Twenty-one patients with stage ≥ IB EC, aged 64 ± 18 years, were included. Mean and maximum RT doses were 21.2 Gy (16.9–24.1) and 42.5 Gy (41.8–49.2), respectively. At baseline (n = 21), hematocrit was 39% ± 4%, ECV 27.9% ± 3.5%; 35 days (30–38) after RT (n = 20), hematocrit was 36% ± 4%, lower than at baseline (p = 0.002), ECV 30.3% ± 8.3%, higher than at baseline (p = 0.081); at follow-up 420 days (244–624) after RT (n = 13), hematocrit was 36% ± 5%, lower than at baseline (p = 0.030), ECV 31.4% ± 4.5%, higher than at baseline (p = 0.011). No patients showed signs of overt cardiotoxicity. ECV early after RT was moderately positively correlated with maximum RT dose (ρ = 0.50, p = 0.036). Conclusions In EC patients, CT-derived myocardial ECV was increased after RT and may thus appear as a potential early biomarker of cardiotoxicity.

BACKGROUND: Cancer treatment with anthracyclines may lead to an increased incidence of cardiac disease due to cardiotoxicity, as they may cause irreversible myocardial fibrosis. So far, the proposed methods for screening patients for cardiotoxicity have led to only limited success, while the analysis of myocardial extracellular volume (mECV) at cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has shown promising results, albeit requiring a dedicated exam. Recent studies have found strong correlations between mECV values obtained through computed tomography (CT), and those derived from CMR. Thus, our purpose was to evaluate the feasibility of estimating mECV on thoracic contrast-enhanced CT performed for staging or follow-up in breast cancer patients treated with anthracyclines, and, if feasible, to assess if a rise in mECV is associated with chemotherapy, and persistent over time. METHODS: After ethics committee approval, female patients with breast cancer who had undergone at least 2 staging or follow-up CT examinations at our institution, one before and one shortly after the end of chemotherapy including anthracyclines were retrospectively evaluated. Patients without available haematocrit, with artefacts in CT images, or who had undergone radiation therapy of the left breast were excluded. Follow-up CT examinations at longer time intervals were also analysed, when available. mECV was calculated on scans obtained at 1, and 7 min after contrast injection. RESULTS: Thirty-two female patients (aged 57±13 years) with pre-treatment haematocrit 38%±4%, and ejection fraction 64%±6% were analysed. Pre-treatment mECV was 27.0%±2.9% at 1 min, and 26.4%±3.8% at 7 min, similar to values reported for normal subjects in the literature. Post-treatment mECV (median interval: 89 days after treatment) was 31.1%±4.9%, and 30.0%±5.1%, respectively, values significantly higher than pre-treatment values at all times (P0.548) when compared to post-treatment values. CONCLUSIONS: mECV values from contrast-enhanced CT scans could play a role in the assessment of myocardial condition in breast cancer patients undergoing anthracycline-based chemotherapy. CT-derived ECV could be an imaging biomarker for the monitoring of therapy-related cardiotoxicity, allowing for potential secondary prevention of cardiac damage, using data derived from an examination that could be already part of patients’ clinical workflow.

Intraoperative hyperthermic chemotherapy (HIPEC) is increasingly used in combination with cytoreductive surgery for the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis. The potential survival benefit of adjuvant HIPEC after curative gastrectomy has not been conclusively demonstrated. We describe a newly developed closed system for HIPEC and report the preliminary results of a pilot study. Patients with locally advanced gastric carcinoma at a high risk for peritoneal recurrence were identified from a prospectively collected database. Laparoscopic total or subtotal gastrectomy combined with standard D2 lymphadenectomy was performed. Immediately after resection and 15 min before HIPEC treatment, intravenous induction chemotherapy with folinic acid and 5‑fluorouracil was administered. A closed-system HIPEC with turbulent-flow circuit (Combat PRS™, Peritoneum Recirculation System, Galmaz Biotech, Madrid, Spain) was used to perfuse the peritoneal cavity with a solution of oxaliplatin and glucose during 60 min. After washout of the peritoneal cavity and re-establishment of pneumoperitoneum, a Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy or gastrojejunostomy was performed. Between June 2017 and February 2018, 6 patients were treated according to this protocol. No major postoperative complications occurred. There were no intra- or postoperative complications related to the HIPEC procedure. All patients are alive and disease-free at 3–11 months of follow-up. The preliminary results of this pilot study indicate the safety and feasibility of the closed HIPEC system with CO2 recirculation in selected patients undergoing laparoscopic total or subtotal gastrectomy for locally advanced gastric carcinoma.

Background In the real-world setting outside clinical trials, neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy followed by esophagectomy may represent overtreatment in some elderly individuals with multiple comorbidities. Patients and methods Through an observational cohort study, consecutive patients with esophageal cancer treated with the protocol of the Chemoradiotherapy for Oesophageal Cancer Followed by Surgery Study (CROSS) were compared to patients of similar age who underwent upfront surgery during the same study period. Results Fifty consecutive patients treated between 2010 and 2017 were enrolled. Thirty-two (64%) were older than 65 years and three (9.4%) were octogenarians. Eleven patients dropped-out of the protocol. Sixty-four patients undergoing upfront surgery served as controls. Compared to those who dropped out, patients who completed the protocol were younger (p=0.002) and had a lower Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (p=0.003); the CCI was also lower (p=0.006) in the group treated with upfront surgery. The American Society of Anesthesiologists score did not discriminate between those who dropped out and patients who completed the protocol (p=0.178). Conclusion Routine use of the CCI may help in the pretreatment risk stratification of elderly patients with esophageal carcinoma.

Esophagectomy is a major surgical procedure. Due to the related morbidity and mortality, this operation should be carried out in high-volume referral centers by expert surgeons. Only patients in whom a complete resection is predictable at preoperative staging can consistently benefit from the operation. Chemoradiation therapy should be the first-line approach in patients with locally advanced tumors. A pathological complete response to neoadjuvant therapy is associated with a significantly improved long-term survival.

The combination of folinic acid (FA) and 5-fluorouracil (5FU) is the most active systemic chemotherapy against advanced colorectal cancer. Experimental and clinical studies have suggested that the activity of 5FU can be improved by the addition of alpha-interferon (IFN). To evaluate the possibility of a double modulation of 5FU, a pilot study was conducted in the period July 1989-December 1989 with the following regimen: FA (200 mg/m2 i.v. bolus × 5 days) + 5FU (400 mg/m2 i.v. in 15 min × 5 days) + alpha-2b IFN (10 × 104 IU subcutaneously on alternate days). FA and 5FU administrations were repeated every 28 days; IFN was administered every week. In the 16 treated patients, 4 partial responses, 4 no changes, and 8 with progression of disease were observed, with an objective response rate of 25% (95% CI, 7.8%–55.1%). Median duration of response was 9.5 months, as was overall survival. Toxicity (fever, fatigue, neurotoxicity, stomatitis and diarrhea) was considerable and led to a reduction in IFN doses in 10/16 patients. Due to the unfavorable cost/benefit ratio, the study was closed and a new trial, with different doses and schedule of IFN, was started within the GISCAD (Italian Group for the Study of Digestive Tract Cancer).