• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.2477-2481
• /
• 2013

Aims and Background: The purpose of the research was to study the prognostic value of tumor 18F-FDG PET-based parameters in neoadjuvant chemoradiation for patients with squamous esophageal carcinoma. Methods: Sixty patients received chemoradiation therapy followed by esophagectomy and two 18FDG-PET examinations at pre- and post-radiation therapy. PET-based metabolic-response parameters were calculated based on histopathologic response. Linear regression correlation and Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine prognostic value of all PET-based parameters with reference to overall survival. Results: Sensitivity (88.2%) and specificity (86.5%) of a percentage decrease of SUVmax were better than other PET-based parameters for prediction of histopathologic response. Only percentage decrease of SUVmax and tumor length correlated with overall survival time (linear regression coefficient ${\beta}$: 0.704 and 0.684, P<0.05). The Cox proportional hazards model indicated higher hazard ratio (HR=0.897, P=0.002) with decrease of SUVmax compared with decrease of tumor size (HR=0.813, P=0.009). Conclusion: Decrease of SUVmax and tumor size are significant prognostic factors in chemoradiation of esophageal carcinoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.3183-3186
• /
• 2013

Purpose: The 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual for esophageal cancer (EC) categorizes N stage according to the number of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs), irrespective of the site. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of subcarinal LN metastasis in patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 507 consecutive patients with ESCC was conducted. Potential clinicopathological factors that could influence subcarinal LN metastasis were statistically analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were also performed to evaluate the prognostic parameters for survival. Results: The frequency of subcarinal LN metastasis was 22.9% (116/507). Logistic regression analysis showed that tumor length (>3cm vs ${\leq}3cm$; P=0.027), tumor location (lower vs upper/middle; P=0.009), vessel involvement (Yes vs No; P=0.001) and depth of invasion (T3-4a vs T1-2; P=0.012) were associated with 2.085-, 1.810-, 2.535- and 2.201- fold increases, respectively, for risk of subcarinal LN metastasis. Multivariate analyses showed that differentiation (poor vs well/moderate; P=0.001), subcarinal LN metastasis (yes vs no; P=0.033), depth of invasion (T3-4a vs T1-2; P=0.014) and N staging (N1-3 vs N0; P=0.001) were independent prognostic factors. In addition, patients with subcarinal LN metastasis had a significantly lower 5-year cumulative survival rate than those without (26.7% vs 60.9%; P<0.001). Conclusions: Subcarinal LN metastasis is a predictive factor for long-term survival in patients with ESCC.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.231-242
• /
• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the recurrence patterns in patients who underwent curative surgery for gastric cancer (GC) and analyze their prognostic value for post-recurrence survival (PRS). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 204 patients who experienced GC recurrence following curative gastrectomy for GC at a single institution between January 2012 and December 2017. Specific recurrence patterns (lymph node, peritoneal, and hematogenous) and their multiplicity were analyzed as prognostic factors of PRS. Results: The median PRS of the 204 patients was 8.3 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 3.2-17.4). For patients with a single recurrence pattern (n=164), the difference in each recurrence pattern did not show a significant prognostic value for PRS (lymph node vs. peritoneal, P=0.343; peritoneal vs. hematogenous, P=0.660; lymph node vs. hematogenous, P=0.822). However, the patients with a single recurrence pattern had significantly longer PRS than those with multiple recurrence patterns (median PRS: 10.2 months [IQR: 3.7-18.7] vs. 3.9 months [IQR: 1.8-10.4]; P=0.037). In the multivariate analysis, multiple recurrence patterns emerged as independent prognostic factors for poor PRS (hazard ratio, 1.553; 95% confidence interval, 1.092-2.208; P=0.014) along with serosal invasion, recurrence within 1 year after gastrectomy, and the absence of post-recurrence chemotherapy. Conclusions: Regardless of the specific recurrence pattern, multiple recurrence patterns emerged as independent prognostic factors for poor PRS compared with a single recurrence pattern.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.243-251
• /
• 2011

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic value of metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on initial positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and investigate the clinical value of SUVmax for early detection of locoregional recurrent disease after postoperative radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Materials and Methods: A total of 100 patients with locally advanced HNSCC received primary tumor excision and neck dissection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. The MTV and SUVmax were measured from primary sites and neck nodes. The prognostic value of MTV and SUVmax were assessed using initial staging PET/CT (study A). Follow-up PET/CT scan available after postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy were evaluated for the SUVmax value and correlated with locoregional recurrence (study B). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to define a threshold value of SUVmax with the highest accuracy for recurrent disease assessment. Results: High MTV (>41 mL) is negative prognostic factor for disease free survival (p = 0.041). Postradiation SUVmax was significantly correlated with locoregional recurrence (hazard ratio, 1.812; 95% confidence interval, 1.361 to 2.413; P < 0.001). A cutoff value of 5.38 from follow-up PET/CT was identified as having maximal accuracy for detecting locoregional recurrence by ROC analysis. Conclusion: MTV at staging work-up was significantly associated with disease free survival. The SUVmax value from follow-up PET/CT showed high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of locoregional recurrence in postoperatively irradiated HNSCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.16
• /
• pp.6761-6766
• /
• 2014

Background: CD44v6 (CD44 variant exon 6) is the chief CD44 variant isoform regulating tumor invasion, progression, and metastasis. The prognostic value of CD44v6 expression in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been evaluated in many studies, but the results have remained controversial. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis of currently available studies to investigate the prognostic value of CD44v6 expression in NSCLC patients and the relationship between the expression of CD44v6 and clinicopathological features. Materials and Methods: Two independent reviewers searched the relevant literature in Pubmed, Medline and Embase from 1946 to January 2014. Overall survival (OS) and various clinicopathological features were collected from included studies. This meta-analysis was accomplished using STATA 12.0 and Revman 5.2 software. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated to estimate the effects. Results: A total of 921 NSCLC patients from ten studies met the inclusion criteria. The results showed that CD44v6 high expression was a prognostic factor for poor survival (HR=1.91, 95%CI=1.12-3.26, p<0.05). With respect to clinicopathological features, CD44v6 high expression was related to histopathologic type (squamous cell carcinoma versus adenocarcinoma: OR=2.72, 95%CI=1.38-5.38, p=0.004), and lymph node metastasis (OR=3.02, 95%CI=1.93-4.72, p<0.00001). Conclusions: Our results suggested CD44v6 high expression as a poor prognostic factor for NSCLC, and CD44v6 expression is associated with lymph node metastasis and histopathologic type. Therefore, CD44v6 expression can be used as a novel prognostic marker in NSCLC cases.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.12
• /
• pp.5101-5106
• /
• 2016

Purpose: We aimed to establish an inflammatory prognostic index (IPI) in early and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients based on hematologic and biochemical parameters and to analyze its predictive value for NSCLC survival. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of 685 patients with early and advanced NSCLC diagnosed between 2009 and 2014 was conducted with collection of clinical, and laboratory data. The IPI was calculated as C-reactive protein ${\times}$ NLR (neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratio)/serum albumin. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the prognostic value of relevant factors. Results: The optimal cut-off value of IPI for overall survival (OS) stratification was determined to be 15. Totals of 334 (48.8%) and 351 (51.2%) patients were assigned to high and low IPI groups, respectively. Compared with low IPI, high IPI was associated with older age, greater tumor size, high lymph node involvement, distant metastases, advanced stage and poor performance status. Median OS was worse in the high IPI group (low vs high, 8.0 vs 34.0 months; HR, 3.5; p<0.001). Progression free survival values of the patients who had high vs low IPI were determined 6 months (95% CI:5.3-6.6) and 14 months (95% CI:12.1-15.8), respectively (HR; 2.4, P<0.001). On multivariate analysis, stage, performance status, lactate dehydrogenase and IPI were independent prognostic factors for OS. Subgroup analysis showed IPI was generally a significant prognostic factor in all clinical variables. Conclusion: The described IPI may be an inexpensive, easily accessible and independent prognostic index for NSCLC patients, useful for clinical practice.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.56 no.6
• /
• pp.412-413
• /
• 2023

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.26-30
• /
• 2009

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the peripheral blood lymphocyte count before surgery in those patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: The study group was comprised of a series of 1,054 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy. The appropriate lymphocyte count cutoff value was determined. The prognostic factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The lymphocyte count cutoff value was 1,500/ul. The patients were classified into two groups: Group A had a lymphocyte count $\geq$ 1,500/ul (n=765) and Group B had a lymphocyte count <1,500/ul (n=289). There were statistically significant differences between the groups according to their age (P<0.001), the tumor stage (P=0.038) and the tumor size (P<0.001). The 5- and 10-year survival rates of Group A were 80.1% and 76.6%, respectively and those of Group B were 72.4% and 63.5%, respectively (P=0.002). When multivariate analysis was performed by the Cox proportional hazards model, the lymphocyte count was not an independent prognostic factor. Conclusion: Although the prognosis of patients with a high lymphocyte count was better than that of the patients with a low lymphocyte count, our results did not support using the preoperative peripheral blood lymphocyte count as an independent prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.11
• /
• pp.5767-5772
• /
• 2012

Introduction: Identification of simple and measurable prognostic factors is an important issue in treatment evaluation of breast cancer. The present study was conducted to evaluate the prognostic role of vascular invasion in lymph node negative breast cancer patients. Methods: in a retrospective design, we analyzed the recorded profiles of the 1,640 patients treated in the breast cancer department of Motahari clinic affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, from January 1999 to December 2012. Overall and adjusted survivals were evaluated by the Cox proportional hazard model. All the hypotheses were considered two-sided and a p-value of 0.05 or less was considered as statistically significant. Results: Mean age in lymph node negative and positive patients was 50.0 and 49.8 respectively. In lymph node negative patients, the number of nodes, tumor size, lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, progesterone receptor, and nuclear grade were significant predictors. In lymph node and lymphatic negative patients, vascular invasion also played a significant prognostic role in the survival which was not evident in lymph node negative patients with lymphatic invasion. Discussion: The results of our large cohort study, with long term follow up and using multivariate Cox proportional model and comparative design showed a significant prognostic role of vascular invasion in early breast cancer patients. Vascular invasion as an independent prognostic factor in lymph node negative invasive breast cancer.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.164-172
• /
• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the prognostic significance of tumor size for 5-year survival rate in patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,697 patients with gastric cancer, who underwent potentially curative gastrectomy, were evaluated. Patients were divided into 4 groups as follows, according to the median size of early and advanced gastric cancer, respectively: small early gastric cancer (tumor size ${\leq}3$ cm), large early gastric cancer (tumor size >3 cm), small advanced gastric cancer (tumor size ${\leq}$ 6 cm), and large advanced gastric cancer (tumor size >6 cm). The prognostic value of tumor size for 5-year survival rate was investigated. Results: In a univariate analysis, tumor size is a significant prognostic factor in advanced gastric cancer, but not in early gastric cancer. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size is an independent prognostic factor for 5-year survival rate in advanced gastric cancer (P=0.003, hazard ratio=1.372, 95% confidence interval=1.115~1.690). When advanced gastric cancer is subdivided into 2 groups, according to serosa invasion: Group 1; serosa negative (T2 and T3, 7th AJCC), and Group 2; serosa positive (T4a and T4b, 7th AJCC), tumor size is an independent prognostic factor in Group 1 (P=0.011, hazard ratio=1.810, 95% confidence interval=1.149~2.852) and in Group 2 (P=0.033, hazard ratio=1.288, 95% confidence interval=1.020~1.627), respectively. Conclusions: Tumor size is an independent prognostic factor in advanced gastric cancer irrespective of the serosa invasion, but not in early gastric cancer.