A Case of Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma with Clinical Benefit from FOLFOX and Bevacizumab

A 44-year-old woman presented with lower abdominal pain and bilateral ovarian masses on ultrasound. Exploratory laparotomy revealed extensive peritoneal and intra-abdominal disease and an abnormal appendix. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, infracolic omentectomy, ileocolic resection and primary anastomosis were performed. Final pathology revealed a primary appendiceal adenocarcinoma, poorly differentiated, of signet ring cell type. CT scan postoperatively revealed gross residual disease. The patient was treated with FOLFOX chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab. Repeat CT scan showed a decrease in residual disease and the patient clinically improved. After her treatment has been continued for 13 months, she remains clinically well and her CT scan shows sustained disease stability. Disseminated appendiceal carcinoma is generally considered to be refractory to 5-FU-based chemotherapy and, to our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a patient with appendiceal adenocarcinoma demonstrating clinical benefit and sustained stability of disease with combination chemotherapy plus bevacizumab

An Open-Label Phase II Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Ramucirumab Combined With mFOLFOX-6 as First-Line Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Background.Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) are believed to mediate angiogenesis in colorectal cancer (CRC). Ramucirumab (RAM; IMC-1121B) is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that inhibits VEGF ligand binding to VEGFR-2, inhibiting VEGFR-2 activation and signaling.Methods.Patients with metastatic CRC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0–1, and adequate organ function who had not received chemotherapy for metastatic disease received RAM and the modified FOLFOX-6 regimen every 2 weeks. Endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate, overall survival, and safety. The sample size was based on a potentially improved median PFS from 8 months to 11 months.Results.Forty-eight patients received therapy. Median PFS was 11.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.6–13.1 months). The objective response rate was 58.3% (95% CI: 43.21–72.39). The disease control rate (complete or partial response plus stable disease) was 93.8% (95% CI: 82.8–98.7). Median overall survival was 20.4 months (95% CI: 18.5–25.1 months). The most frequent grade 3–4 adverse events included neutropenia (grade 3: 33.3%; grade 4: 8.3%), hypertension (grade 3: 16.7%), and neuropathy (grade 3: 12.5%). Two patients died during the study due to myocardial infarction and cardiopulmonary arrest.Conclusion.RAM may enhance the efficacy of modified FOLFOX-6 chemotherapy with an acceptable safety profile in metastatic CRC

Vampires in the village Žrnovo on the island of Korčula: following an archival document from the 18th century

Središnja tema rada usmjerena je na raščlambu spisa pohranjenog u Državnom arhivu u Mlecima (fond: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) koji se odnosi na događaj iz 1748. godine u korčulanskom selu Žrnovo, kada su mještani – vjerujući da su se pojavili vampiri – oskvrnuli nekoliko mjesnih grobova. U radu se podrobno iznose osnovni podaci iz spisa te rečeni događaj analizira u širem društvenom kontekstu i prate se lokalna vjerovanja.The main interest of this essay is the analysis of the document from the State Archive in Venice (file: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) which is connected with the episode from 1748 when the inhabitants of the village Žrnove on the island of Korčula in Croatia opened tombs on the local cemetery in the fear of the vampires treating. This essay try to show some social circumstances connected with this event as well as a local vernacular tradition concerning superstitions

Overview of Systemic Therapy for Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and second leading cause of death from cancer in North America. The authors provide an overview of the indications for both chemotherapy and targeted therapy, as well as discuss the efficacy and toxicity of systemic therapy. They highlight the key studies that lead to the initial historical use of fluorouracil (5FU) based chemotherapy in the adjuvant and metastatic setting, the recent adoption of 5FU plus leucovorin (LV) and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) chemotherapy over 5FU when treating adjuvant patients, and the use of FOLFOX or 5FU plus LV and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) in metastatic patients. They also review the role of chemotherapy in treating rectal cancer and resectable liver metastatic disease. Future areas of research focus for systemic therapy of colorectal cancer are highlighted

The Impact of Virtual Cancer Care on Chemotherapy Delivery and Clinical Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer Patients Receiving Systemic Therapy: A Pre- and Intra-Pandemic Analysis

(1) Background: The coronavirus 2019 pandemic has resulted in an abrupt transition to virtual oncology care worldwide. This study’s objective is to evaluate chemotherapy delivery and clinical outcomes in patients on systemic treatment for colorectal cancer before and during the pandemic. (2) Methods: Clinical data was collected on patients with colorectal cancer receiving intravenous chemotherapy at The Ottawa Hospital from June 2019 to March 2021. Patients were stratified by whether they were started on chemotherapy pre-pandemic (June 2019–January 2020) or intra-pandemic (February 2020–March 2021). Multiple regression analysis was used to compare outcomes between pandemic periods; (3) Results: There were 220 patients included in this study. The proportion of virtual consultations (1.2% to 64.4%) and follow-up visits (5.2% to 83.3%) increased during the pandemic. There was no difference in the incidence of treatment delays (OR = 1.01, p = 0.78), chemotherapy dose reductions (OR = 0.99, p = 0.69), emergency department visits (OR = 1.23, p = 0.37) or hospitalizations (OR = 0.73, p = 0.43) between pandemic periods. A subgroup analysis revealed no difference in outcomes independent of the presence of metastases; (4) Conclusion: These findings serve as an important quality-care indicator and demonstrate that virtual oncology care appears safe in a cohort of high-risk colorectal cancer patients

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios as predictive and prognostic markers in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation

Abstract Background A standard therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) includes fluoropyrimidine (FP)-based neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT). Previous studies have inconsistently demonstrated that baseline neutrophil- and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR and PLR) are predictive of response to nCRT or prognostic of outcomes in LARC. Methods We reviewed patients with LARC undergoing nCRT followed by surgery from 2005 to 2013 across 8 Canadian cancer centres. Outcome measures of interest were pathological complete response (pCR), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess for associations between baseline hematologic variables and outcomes. Results Of 1527 identified patients, 1237 (81%) were included in the DFS/OS analysis. Median age was 62 (range 23–88), 69% were male, and 80% had performance status (PS) 0–1. Twenty-six percent had elevated NLR (≥ 4), and 66% had elevated PLR (≥ 150). Ninety-seven percent of patients received FP-based nCRT, with 96% receiving ≥44 Gy. 81% completed neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 95% completed neoadjuvant radiotherapy, with a pCR rate of 18%. After a median follow-up time of 71 months, 8% developed local recurrence, 22% developed distant recurrence and 24% died. 5-year DFS and OS were 69% (95% CI 66–72%) and 79% (95% CI 77–82%), respectively. In multivariate analyses, elevated baseline NLR and PLR were neither prognostic for DFS and OS nor predictive of pCR. Conclusions NLR and PLR were not found to be independently prognostic for DFS or OS and did not predict for pCR in patients with LARC undergoing nCRT followed by surgery