Luigi Masoni

High-dose preoperative radiation and full-thickness local excision. A new option for patients with select cancers of the rectum.

Faced with the responsibility of treating patients with invasive distal rectal cancer who were medically unacceptable for the indicated radical surgery, a prospective study was initiated in which high dose preoperative radiation and full-thickness local excision were used. High dose preoperative radiation permitted full-thickness local excision of select cancers, which, by conventional standards, otherwise would have required radical surgery and permanent colostomy. Feasibility was measured on the basis of safety of the technique, control of the cancer, and the quality of anal sphincter function expected. Patients were selected initially because of their predicted inability to tolerate radical surgery, but indications were broadened to include those whose tumors had completely disappeared after irradiation. From 1984 to 1988, 20 patients underwent 21 operative procedures for cancers located between 0 and 7 cm from the anorectal ring. This report is concerned with the 14 patients of this group who were observed for a minimum of 24 months. High-dose preoperative radiation was administered for a total dose of 4500 cGy. Excision and repair were performed 4 to 6 weeks after completion of radiation therapy. Full-thickness disc or hemicircumferential excision was accomplished by transanal, transsphincteric, and transsacral techniques, which included, in several instances, excision of the sphincter mechanism and perineal body, and/or the vaginal wall. Full-thickness local excision after high-dose radiation therapy for rectal cancers has never been reported. Follow-up observation ranged from 24 to 48 months with a median of 31 months. Rectal reservoir function and sphincter control were good in 13 patients. Local recurrence developed in three patients (21 percent), two of whom had postradiation therapy B2 mucinous cancers. Three-year actuarial rate of local recurrence is 23 percent. One (7 percent) patient died of recurrent disease. Actuarial Kaplan-Meier survival at 3 years is 61 percent. Based on the results of this small, select patient group, high-dose radiation therapy followed by full-thickness local excision appears to be a reasonable option for patients who cannot tolerate radical surgery. This bimodal approach also may serve as an option for those who aregoodmedical risks, but for whom sphincter preservation is at stake, and to whom radical surgery offers limited benefits.

The reality of radical sphincter preservation surgery for cancer of the distal 3 cm of rectum following high-dose radiation☆

PURPOSE The inordinately high rate of locoregional recurrence following sphincter-preserving surgery for cancer of the distal rectum led to the conviction that restorative surgery was inappropriate for the low level cancer. A rectal cancer management program initiated in 1976 that selectively uses high-dose preoperative radiation and sphincter-preserving surgery produced lower than expected local recurrence rates. Exploring the safety of extending the indication for sphincter-sparing surgery to include post-radiation mobile cancers as low as the 0.5 cm level is the purpose of this report. METHODS AND MATERIALS Of 218 rectal cancer patients treated with high-dose preoperative radiation and sphincter-preserving procedures, 69 had radical curative surgery for cancers at or below the 3 cm level. Data regarding the first 52 patients whose ages ranged from 39 to 77 years form the basis of this report. Fifty-seven percent were men. Twenty-five (48%) patients had post-radiation unfavorable cancers (B2, C1, C2). Forty-five to sixty Gy high energy photon radiation was administered over 4 1/2 to 6 weeks followed by a similar interval prior to radical proctosigmoidectomy with anastomosis in the distal 1 cm of rectum. Temporary fecal diversion was performed in all patients; colostomies were closed after 8 weeks. RESULTS There was zero mortality and two self-limiting anastomotic leaks. Local recurrence developed in 6/43 (14%) patients followed for 24 months or longer. By stage, there were 0/21 (0%) recurrences among O, A, B1 tumors; 6/22 (27%) among unfavorable tumors. By distal margins 1/9 (11%) occurred in .3-1 cm; 4/13 (31%) 1.1-2 cm; 1/18 (5%) 2.1-3 cm. Five-year Kaplan Meier actuarial survival for the 52 patients was 85%. CONCLUSION Our data indicates that sphincter preservation can be accomplished in cancers of the distal 3 cm of rectum if high-dose preoperative radiation is administered and fixed cancers are excluded. This is the first reported study of sphincter-preserving surgery for the distal rectal cancer after high-dose radiation. The data are important to the design of new treatment options.

Transrectal ultrasonography: three years' experience.

Since 1983 we have used radial and linear ultrasound probes in the laboratory and clinical examination of the rectum. Normal endosonographic appearances have been characterised by examining polyethylene membranes and resection specimens. Twenty normal subjects and 11 patients with rectal cancer have been examined, and of these 9 were correctly staged.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiation for locally advanced carcinoma of the rectum.

Aims and background The aim of this paper is to confirm the efficacy to reduce incidence of relapses, to increase rates of conservative radical surgery and eventually survival of concomitant neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy. Methods From January 1992 to October 1999, 140 stage II (50.7%) and III (49.3%) patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectum were treated with concomitant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery. Treatment consisted of 25 fractions of 180 cGy (5 days per week), for a total dose of 45 Gy on the whole pelvis. Chemotherapy consisted of 5-FU (350 mg/m2) and leucoverin (10 mg/m2) in bolus for 5 days on days 1-5 and 29-33 of radiation. After an interval of 4-6 weeks, all patients were submitted to surgery. Results The median follow-up was 48 months (median, 1-97). At 5 years the overall survival was 71.3% and relapse-free survival was 79.4%. The rate of local control was 90%. Twenty-two (15.7%) patients developed distant metastases. All patients underwent surgery: 26 (18.6%) local excision, 79 (56.4%) anterior resection, 33 (23.6%) abdomino-perineal resection, and 2 (1.4%) Hartmann resection. Consequently, 107 cases (75.4%) underwent conservative surgery. At the time of surgery, 34 patients had negative specimens (24.3%), 45 were in stage I (32.2%), 31 in stage II (22.1%), 32 in stage III (21.4%). The incidence of any grade 3 acute toxicity (WHO) was 5% diarrhea, 20% tenesmus and 11.4% myelosuppression. Conclusions The results of this study confirm good tolerance, minor surgery-related complications and efficacy of this regimen on local and distant disease control, with a high percentage of sphincter-saving surgery.

Diaphragmatic rupture with right colon and small intestine herniation after blunt trauma: a case report

IntroductionTraumatic diaphragmatic hernias are an unusual presentation of trauma, and are observed in about 10% of diaphragmatic injuries. The diagnosis is often missed because of non-specific clinical signs, and the absence of additional intra-abdominal and thoracic injuries.Case presentationWe report a case of a 59-year-old Italian man hospitalized for abdominal pain and vomiting. His medical history included a blunt trauma seven years previously. A chest X-ray showed right diaphragm elevation, and computed tomography revealed that the greater omentum, a portion of the colon and the small intestine had been transposed in the hemithorax through a diaphragm rupture. The patient underwent laparotomy, at which time the colon and small intestine were reduced back into the abdomen and the diaphragm was repaired.ConclusionsThis was a unusual case of traumatic right-sided diaphragmatic hernia. Diaphragmatic ruptures may be revealed many years after the initial trauma. The suspicion of diaphragmatic rupture in a patient with multiple traumas contributes to early diagnosis. Surgical repair remains the only curative treatment for diaphragmatic hernias. Prosthetic patches may be a good solution when the diaphragmatic defect is severe and too large for primary closure, whereas primary repair remains the gold standard for the closure of small to moderate sized diaphragmatic defects.

Is proliferative colonic disease presentation changing

AIM To compare the site, age and gender of cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) and polyps in a single referral center in Rome, Italy, during two periods. METHODS CRC data were collected from surgery/pathology registers, and polyp data from colonoscopy reports. Patients who met the criteria for familial adenomatous polyposis, hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease were excluded from the study. Overlap of patients between the two groups (cancers and polyps) was carefully avoided. The χ² statistical test and a regression analysis were performed. RESULTS Data from a total of 768 patients (352 and 416 patients, respectively, in periods A and B) who underwent surgery for cancer were collected. During the same time periods, a total of 1693 polyps were analyzed from 978 patients with complete colonoscopies (428 polyps from 273 patients during period A and 1265 polyps from 705 patients during period B). A proximal shift in cancer occurred during the latter years for both sexes, but particularly in males. Proximal cancer increased > 3-fold in period B compared to period A in males [odds ratio (OR) 3.31, 95%CI: 2.00-5.47; P < 0.0001). A similar proximal shift was observed for polyps, particularly in males (OR 1.87, 95%CI: 1.23-2.87; P < 0.0038), but also in females (OR 1.62, 95%CI: 0.96-2.73; P < 0.07). CONCLUSION The prevalence of proximal proliferative colonic lesions seems to have increased over the last decade, particularly in males.