Intake and biomarkers of folate and folic acid as determinants of chemotherapy-induced toxicities in patients with colorectal cancer: a cohort study.

Background: Capecitabine is an oral chemotherapeutic drug showing antitumor activity through inhibition of thymidylate synthase, an enzyme involved in folate metabolism. There are concerns about the high intake of certain vitamins, and specifically folate, during chemotherapy with capecitabine. Whether folate or folic acid, the synthetic variant of the vitamin, impact treatment toxicity remains unclear.

Transcriptomics and proteomics reveal distinct biology for lymph node metastases and tumour deposits in colorectal cancer.

Both lymph node metastases (LNMs) and tumour deposits (TDs) are included in colorectal cancer (CRC) staging, although knowledge regarding their biological background is lacking. This study aimed to compare the biology of these prognostic features, which is essential for a better understanding of their role in CRC spread. Spatially resolved transcriptomic analysis using digital spatial profiling was performed on TDs and LNMs from 10 CRC patients using 1,388 RNA targets, for the tumour cells and tumour microenvironment.

Postdiagnostic intake of a more proinflammatory diet is associated with a higher risk of recurrence and all-cause mortality in colorectal cancer survivors.

Background: The inflammatory potential of the diet has been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but its association with CRC prognosis is unclear.

Objective: To investigate the inflammatory potential of the diet in relation to recurrence and all-cause mortality among persons diagnosed with stage I to III CRC.

Methods: Data of the COLON study, a prospective cohort among CRC survivors were used.

Liver resection surgery compared with thermal ablation in high surgical risk patients with colorectal liver metastases: the LAVA international RCT.

Background: Although surgical resection has been considered the only curative option for colorectal liver metastases, thermal ablation has recently been suggested as an alternative curative treatment. There have been no adequately powered trials comparing surgery with thermal ablation.

Objectives: Main objective - to compare the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of thermal ablation versus liver resection surgery in high surgical risk patients who would be eligible for liver resection.

Laparoscopic surgery facilitates administration of adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced colon cancer: propensity score analyses.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a laparoscopic approach on long-term oncological outcomes in curative intent surgery for pT4 colon cancer, in both overall and stratified subgroups with distinct clinical entities.

Patients And Methods: Patients with a pT4N0-2M0 colon cancer from four centers between 2000 and 2014 were included. Laparoscopic and open approaches were compared according to the intention-to-treat principle.

Outcomes of Resectability Assessment of the Dutch Colorectal Cancer Group Liver Metastases Expert Panel.

Background: Decision making on optimal treatment strategy in patients with initially unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) remains complex because uniform criteria for (un)resectability are lacking. This study reports on the feasibility and short-term outcomes of The Dutch Colorectal Cancer Group Liver Expert Panel.

Study Design: The Expert Panel consists of 13 hepatobiliary surgeons and 4 radiologists.

Is preoperative chemoradiation in rectal cancer patients modulated by ACE inhibitors? Results from the Dutch Cancer Registry.

Background And Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on tumor response to preoperative chemoradiation for rectal cancer.

Materials And Methods: Data on patients who received chemoradiation prior to surgery for rectal cancer between 2010 and 2015 were retrieved from linkage between the PHARMO Database Network, Dutch Pathology Registry and Netherlands Cancer Registry. Pathological complete response rates (pCR) were compared between patients who did or did not use ACEIs/ARBs during treatment.

The influence of endorectal filling on rectal cancer staging with MRI.

Objective: To assess the influence of endorectal filling (EF) on rectal cancer staging.

Methods: 47 patients who underwent a staging MRI of rectal cancer in the period from 2011 to 2014 were included. The MRI protocol included T weighted fast spin echo sequences without and with EF at 3 T (EF-MRI).

Acute toxicity and surgical complications after preoperative (chemo)radiation therapy for rectal cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Purpose: Preoperative therapy reduces local recurrences and may facilitate surgery in rectal cancer patients. However, in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) this treatment is often withheld due to the perceived risk of excessive side-effects, even though evidence is limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of preoperative therapy on acute toxicity and post-operative complications in IBD patients with rectal cancer.

An increase in physical activity after colorectal cancer surgery is associated with improved recovery of physical functioning: a prospective cohort study.

Background: The influence of physical activity on patient-reported recovery of physical functioning after colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery is unknown. Therefore, we studied recovery of physical functioning after hospital discharge by (a) a relative increase in physical activity level and (b) absolute activity levels before and after surgery.

Methods: We included 327 incident CRC patients (stages I-III) from a prospective observational study.

High prevalence of self-reported shoulder complaints after thyroid carcinoma surgery.

Background: Shoulder complaints are frequently reported after surgical treatment for thyroid carcinoma. However, no specific literature on this topic is available for these patients and, hence, its impact on quality of life (QOL) is unknown and there are no known predictors of shoulder complaints in this specific patient population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of shoulder-related complaints and its relation to QOL and clinical characteristics after thyroid carcinoma surgery by means of a cross-sectional case control study in a tertiary referral center.

Significant increase of synchronous disease in first-line metastatic colorectal cancer trials: Results of a systematic review.

Background: Although synchronous and metachronous metastases are considered as separate entities of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with different outcomes, its proportion is reported infrequently. We compared inclusion rates and survival of synchronous versus metachronous mCRC in different types of studies investigating initial systemic therapy or surgical treatment of mCRC.

Methods: We searched PubMed and EMBASE (January 2004 - February 2016) for mCRC studies investigating first-line systemic therapy or surgical treatment of mCRC including information on synchronous versus metachronous metastases.

Reduced respiratory motion artifacts using structural similarity in fast 2D dynamic contrast enhanced MRI of liver lesions.

The purpose of this work was to improve dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) of liver lesions by removing motion corrupted images as identified by a structural similarity (SSIM) algorithm, and to assess the effect of this correction on the pharmacokinetic parameter K using automatically determined arterial input functions (AIFs). Fifteen patients with colorectal liver metastases were measured twice with a T weighted multislice 2D FLASH sequence for DCE-MRI (time resolution 1.2 s).

Adjuvant dendritic cell vaccination induces tumor-specific immune responses in the majority of stage III melanoma patients.

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of adjuvant dendritic cell (DC) vaccination to induce tumor-specific immunological responses in stage III melanoma patients.

Experimental Design: Retrospective analysis of stage III melanoma patients, vaccinated with autologous monocyte-derived DC loaded with tumor-associated antigens (TAA) gp100 and tyrosinase after radical lymph node dissection. Skin-test infiltrating lymphocytes (SKILs) obtained from delayed-type hypersensitivity skin-test biopsies were analyzed for the presence of TAA-specific CD8(+) T cells by tetrameric MHC-peptide complexes and by functional TAA-specific T cell assays, defined by peptide-recognition (T2 cells) and/or tumor-recognition (BLM and/or MEL624) with specific production of Th1 cytokines and no Th2 cytokines.

No Difference in Overall Survival Between Hospital Volumes for Patients With Colorectal Cancer in The Netherlands.

Background: High-volume hospitals have been associated with improved patient outcomes for tumors with a relatively low incidence that require complex surgeries, such as esophageal and pancreatic cancer. The volume-outcome association for colorectal cancer is under debate.

Objective: This study investigated whether hospital volume for colorectal cancer is associated with surgical care characteristics and 5-year overall survival.

Prophylactic Mesh Placement During Formation of an End-colostomy Reduces the Rate of Parastomal Hernia: Short-term Results of the Dutch PREVENT-trial.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of parastomal hernias (PSHs) after end-colostomy formation using a polypropylene mesh in a randomized controlled trial versus conventional colostomy formation.

Background: A PSH is the most frequent complication after stoma formation. Symptoms may range from mild abdominal pain to life-threatening obstruction and strangulation.

Incidence and origin of histologically confirmed liver metastases: an explorative case-study of 23,154 patients.

Background: The liver is a common metastatic site for a large variety of primary tumors. For both patients with known and unknown primary tumors it is important to understand metastatic patterns to provide tailored therapies.

Objective: To perform a nationwide exploration of the origins of histological confirmed liver metastases.

Towards an evidence-based model of fear of cancer recurrence for breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: In order to understand the multidimensional mechanism of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and to identify potential targets for interventions, it is important to empirically test the theoretical model of FCR. This study aims at assessing the validity of Lee-Jones et al.'s FCR model.

Palliative resection of the primary tumor is associated with improved overall survival in incurable stage IV colorectal cancer: A nationwide population-based propensity-score adjusted study in the Netherlands.

As the value of palliative primary tumor resection in stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) is still under debate, the purpose of this population-based study was to investigate if palliative primary tumor resection as the initial treatment after diagnosis was associated with improved overall survival. All patients with stage IV colorectal adenocarcinoma (2008-2011) were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry, and patients undergoing treatment with curative intent (i.e.

Clinicopathological characteristics predict lymph node metastases in ypT0-2 rectal cancer after chemoradiotherapy.

Aims: Changes in rectal cancer treatment include increasing emphasis on organ preservation. Local excision after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for rectal cancer with excellent clinical response reduces morbidity and mortality compared to total mesorectal excision, although residual lymph node metastases (LNM) may cause local recurrence. Our aim is to identify clinicopathological factors predicting the presence of residual LNM in rectal cancer patients with ypT0-2 tumours after neoadjuvant CRT.

Management of liver metastases in colorectal cancer patients: A retrospective case-control study of systemic therapy versus liver resection.

Objective: To evaluate and compare the overall survival (OS) in case-matched patient groups treated either with systemic therapy or surgery for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM).

Methods: Patients with CRLM, without extra-hepatic disease, treated with chemotherapy with or without targeted therapy in two phase III studies (n = 480) were selected and case-matched to patients who underwent liver resection (n = 632). Matching criteria were sex, age, established prognostic factors for survival (clinical risk score).

Favorable overall survival in stage III melanoma patients after adjuvant dendritic cell vaccination.

Melanoma patients with regional metastatic disease are at high risk for recurrence and metastatic disease, despite radical lymph node dissection (RLND). We investigated the immunologic response and clinical outcome to adjuvant dendritic cell (DC) vaccination in melanoma patients with regional metastatic disease who underwent RLND with curative intent. In this retrospective study, 78 melanoma patients with regional lymph node metastasis who underwent RLND received autologous DCs loaded with gp100 and tyrosinase and were analyzed for functional tumor-specific T cell responses in skin-test infiltrating lymphocytes.

Prior Abdominal Surgery Jeopardizes Quality of Resection in Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Prior abdominal surgery increases complexity of abdominal operations. Effort to prevent injury during adhesiolysis might result in less extensive bowel resection in colorectal cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of prior abdominal surgery on the outcome of colorectal cancer surgery.

Treatment of Locally Recurrent Rectal Carcinoma in Previously (Chemo)Irradiated Patients: A Review.

Background: Local recurrence after rectal cancer treatment occurs in ≈5% to 10% of patients. Neoadjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy for primary rectal cancer renders treatment of recurrent disease more difficult.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to review contemporary multimodality therapies, including their outcome, for locally recurrent rectal carcinoma after (chemo)radiotherapy and complete surgical resection of primary rectal cancer.