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Aim: The tumor staging of colorectal cancer (CRC) plays a significant role in both treatment and prognosis, impacting surgical planning and adjuvant therapy decisions. Currently, the staging of CRC is based on the TNM system developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer. Prior studies have suggested that survival rates and recurrent rates of T4a tumors appear to be worse than that of T4b tumors, although there is currently no consensus. Therefore, we collected patient data from Taichung Veterans General Hospital over the past decade in order to conduct further research., Method: Between 2010 and 2018, a total of 5760 newly diagnosed CRC patients were seen at the hospital. To eliminate the influence of any local lymph node involvement or distant organ metastasis on the research results, we focused on patients with pathologic Stage IIc disease (T4a-bN0M0). Patients with rectal cancer who had received neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy were excluded. Ultimately, 132 patients were included in this study. A multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify independent risk factors for both 10-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS)., Results: A total of 132 patients were included in the study, with 90 classified as T4a and 42 as T4b. The 10-year CSS for pT4a and pT4b was 72.5% and 56.5%, respectively, with a p -value of 0.011. The 10-year OS for pT4a and pT4b was 48.4% and 42.5%, respectively, with a p -value of 0.086. There was no significant difference in the site of first recurrence between the pT4a and pT4b groups ( p -value = 0.936). Overall, patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy therapy had a significantly better prognosis ( p -value < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in prognosis between oral 5-FU and FOLFOX., Conclusion: Based on our data, patients diagnosed with pathologic T4aN0M0 CRC appeared to experience a trend toward better 10-year OS when compared to those with T4bN0M0 disease, but this trend lacks statistical significance. Patients with locally advanced Stage II colon cancer clearly benefited from adjuvant chemotherapy therapy; therefore, FOLFOX may not necessarily be required.

Background: Surgery for non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) invading the superior vena cava (SVC) is rarely performed due to surgical complexities and reported poor prognoses. Different methods have been described to reconstruct the SVC, such as direct suture, patch use or prosthesis, according to its circumferential involvement. The aim of our study was to analyze the short- and long-term results of different types of SVC resection and reconstruction for T4 NSCLCs., Methods: Between January 2000 and December 2019, 80 patients received an anatomical lung resection with SVC surgery in this multicenter retrospective study. The partial resection and direct suture or patch reconstruction group included 64 patients, while the complete resection and prosthesis reconstruction group included 16 patients. The primary endpoints were as follows: long-term survival and disease-free survival. The secondary endpoints were as follows: perioperative complications and 30- and 90-day mortality. Unpaired t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests for non-parametric variables were applied to discrete or continuous data, and the chi-square test was applied to dichotomous or categorical data. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test., Results: No differences were found between the two groups in terms of general characteristics and surgical, oncological and survival outcomes. In particular, there were no differences in terms of early (50.0% vs. 68.8%, p = 0.178) and late complication frequency (12.5% vs. 12.5%, p = 1.000), 30- and 90-day mortality, R status, recurrence, overall survival (33.89 ± 40.35 vs. 35.70 ± 51.43 months, p = 0.432) and disease-free survival (27.56 ± 40.36 vs. 31.28 ± 53.08 months, p = 0.668). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that age was the only independent predictive factor for overall survival., Conclusions: According to our results, SVC resection has good oncological and survival outcomes, regardless of the proportion of circumferential involvement and the type of reconstruction.

Background: The surgical treatment of advanced non-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC) invading mediastinal organs and great vessels is still controversial. The aim of this multicentre study is to analyse oncological outcomes, surgical outcomes and prognostic factors of patients with NSCLC involving heart and great vessels., Methods: 362 patients treated surgically for locally advanced T4-NCSLC between 1990 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into five subgroups: pulmonary artery(n = 129), left atrium(n = 82), superior vena cava(n = 80), aorta(n = 43), and multiple vascular structures(n = 28). Resection was complete in 327(90%) patients., Results: Overall 90-day mortality was 8.8%, influenced by poly-transfusions, pneumonectomy, bronchopleural fistula and previous cardiovascular disease (4.5HR.p = 0.03, 3.7HR p = 0.01, 14.0HR.p < 0.001 and 3.0HR p < 0.01). One-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 75%, 43%, 33%, respectively and there were significant differences among the five groups(p < 0.001). Survival was significantly affected by induction radiotherapy, nodal status, pTNM-stage and radicality (3.8HR p = 0.03, 2.6HR p = 0.001, 1.6HR p < 0.05 and 1.6HR p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Surgery provided acceptable results in selected patients with T4-NSCLC with major vascular infiltration in expert centres. Nodal-status and radicality influenced the overall-survival and disease-free survival. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy appears to have a positive effect on long-term results, particularly in N2-patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Background: T4 tumor, lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and perineural invasion (PNI) are regarded as one of risk factors and associated with poor outcomes in colorectal cancer. The relationship between these three combined risk factors and the prognosis for colon cancer is not yet clear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of combining the risk factors T4 tumor, LVI, and PNI in stage II-III colon cancer., Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2019, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent curative resection for stage II-III colon cancer at four Hallym University-affiliated hospitals. These patients are categorized into three groups based on T4, LVI and PNI: no-risk group (no risk factors), low-risk group (one risk factor), and high-risk group (two or more risk factors)., Results: Of 1684 patients, the incidence of no-, low-, and high-risk group were 49.3%, 32.6%, 18.0%, respectively. The median follow-up period was 48.9 months, and the 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate decreased from 78.5% to 58.7% as the number of risk factors increased (P < 0.001). Cox's proportional hazard regression models showed that T4 (P < 0.001), LVI (P = 0.043), and PNI (P = 0.018) were independent prognostic factors for poor RFS. In subgroup analysis in stage II colon cancer, patients with one or more risk factors showed the better 5-year RFS rate when they received adjuvant chemotherapy than in those who did not (P < 0.001). Poor/mucinous differentiation, obstruction, and lymph-node positivity were independent predictors in the high risk group., Conclusion: The present study showed the histological combination of LVI, PNI, and T4 indicates a poor prognosis for RFS in patients with stage II-III colon cancer. Therefore, patients with one of these risk factors should be considered for chemotherapy and have close follow-up., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (© 2022 Kang et al.)

Purposes: Whether laparoscopic colectomy (LC) is safe and effective for patients with locally advanced T4 colon cancer remains controversial. This study aimed to compare the oncological outcomes of LC and open colectomy (OC) for patients with pathological (p) T4 colon cancer., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 151 consecutive patients with pT4M0 colon cancer who underwent curative surgery between 2010 and 2017 using a propensity score-matched analysis., Results: After propensity score-matching, we enrolled 100 patients (n = 50 in each group). Median follow-up was 43.5 months. The conversion rate to laparotomy in this study was 5.5% for the entire patient cohort and 6.0% for the matched cohort. Compared to the OC group, the LC group showed reductions in estimated blood loss and length of postsurgical stay. Clavien-Dindo classification grade ≥ II and all-grade complication rates were significantly lower in the LC group than in the OC group. R0 resection was achieved in all patients with LC. No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of overall, cancer-specific, recurrence-free survival, or incidence of local recurrence among the entire patient cohort and matched cohort., Conclusions: The oncological outcomes were similar between the LC and OC groups. LC offers a safe, feasible option for patients with pT4 colon cancer.

Background: Acral lentiginous and mucosal melanoma that represent lesions without cumulative sun-induced damages account for 65% of melanomas among Asians but constitute only 5% in Caucasians. The distinct clinical manifestations might influence the clinical course, response to treatment, and outcomes. Factors associated with the prognosis of high-risk resected melanoma in Asians are still rarely reported., Methods: Clinical, histological determinants of non-distant metastatic melanoma patients who underwent complete resection in 2014-9 were analyzed., Results: Mucosal melanoma, nodular melanoma, and acral lentiginous melanoma accounted for 45.1%, 40.2%, and 14.2% of total melanoma cases (N = 82), respectively. Among cutaneous melanomas, all patients were diagnosed with Breslow's depth more than 4 mm (T4), 51% with ulceration, 95.6% with diameter more than 6 mm, 59% with lympho-vascular invasion, and 74% with regional lymph node infiltration. In mucosal melanomas, 78.3% were diagnosed in advanced stages, 14.5% with regional spread to lymph nodes and 77% with regional infiltration beyond mucosa. Lesions with ulceration were associated with higher risk of distant metastasis (OR 3.003, 95%CI:1.01-9.09). Infiltration into regional lymph node was associated with shorter overall survival (median survivals were 17 vs 23.4 months, Mantel-Cox test P  = 0.049). Patients diagnosed at Breslow T4 were also associated with poorer overall survival than T1-3 (median survivals were 23 vs 32 months, Mantel-Cox test P  = 0.047)., Conclusion: The majority of melanoma patients in our population were diagnosed in advanced stages with a higher risk for recurrence and progression into distant metastasis. Regional lymph node involvement and thicker tumor (T4) were associated with poor prognosis., Competing Interests: We declare that no potential conflict of interest exists., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Background: It is still controversial whether laparoscopy-assisted colectomy (LAC) is suitable for patients with stage T4 colon cancer. This study aimed to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of LAC and open colectomy (OC) for patients with pathologic T4 colon cancer., Methods: Data of eligible patients with colon cancer in our institution from March 2004 to September 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were followed up to September 2016. Propensity score matching was performed to control the bias., Results: Two hundred and forty two patients were selected by propensity score matching, with 121 patients in the LAC group and 121 in the OC group. Mean operating time and rate of intraoperative blood transfusion were similar between two groups. In LAC group, shorter time to first flatus and first liquid intake were observed in patients with pT4b stage disease, but not for patients with pT4a stage disease. Less blood loss and shorter length of postoperative hospital stay were examined in LAC group, including pT4a and pT4b stages. Conversion was required in 9.1% (11 out of 121) cases. DFS and OS were similar between LAC and OC groups. The 5-year DFS rate was 64.2% for pT4a stage and 35.5% for pT4b stage in LAC group, and 62.9% and 33.7% in OC group for pT4a (p = 0.374) and pT4b (p = 0.385) stage respectively. For 5-year OS rates, two groups did not differ in pT4a stage (LAC 69.2% vs. OC 66.0%, p = 0.151) and pT4b stage (LAC 37.5% vs. OC 38.1%, p = 0.510)., Conclusions: Laparoscopic colectomy appears to be safe for selected patients with pT4 colon cancer in centres with expertise in minimally invasive surgery.

This paper reports on the characteristics, treatment modalities, and outcomes of patients with superior sulcus tumors who underwent surgery over a period of 15 years in 1 institution. Clinical records of 94 consecutive patients operated on by the same surgical team for non-small cell lung cancer between July 1998 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients received lung and chest wall en bloc resection. Forty-eight (51%) received induction treatments. Surgery was an anterior approach in 46 patients (48.9%), Paulson incision in 35 (37.2%), and a combined approach in 13 (13.8%). Lung resections were 78 lobectomies (83%), 3 were pneumonectomies (3.2%), 6 were bronchoplastic reconstructions (6.4%), and 7 were wedge resections (7.4%). Nodal dissection was systematic in 96% of patients. The median number of resected ribs was 2 (1-5), chest wall residual defect was reconstructed in 42 patients (44.7%), and 21 patients had an associated vascular resection (22.3%). Resection was radical in 85 patients (90.4%). Overall 90-day mortality was 9.6%. After a median follow-up of 1.9 years, 5-year and 10-year overall survival rates were 35% and 23%, respectively. A lower 5-year survival was observed in patients with nodal disease (48% in N0 vs 18% in N+; P < 0.0001), incomplete resection (21% for incomplete vs 37% for complete resection; P = 0.15), and anteriorly located tumor (anterior vs posterior: 26% vs 50%; P = 0.05). Pancoast tumor is a severe condition, but long-term survival may be achieved in selected cases. Nodal involvement, completeness of resection, and vascular invasion are the most important prognostic factors, and induction treatment may play a role., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Laparoscopic resection has been considered a contraindication for T4 colorectal cancer. It is argued that it is a challenging and demanding procedure with high conversion rate, inadequate oncologic clearance and surgical outcomes. There are only a few data on short- and long-term operative results. This review aimed at assessing feasibility and operative and oncologic results of laparoscopic resection for T4 colorectal cancer.

We present a case who had left upper lobectomy with total vertebrectomy after arterial embolization in preparation for intraoperative bleeding. A 35-year-old man complained of left back pain. Chest CT revealed a tumor in S1+2 of the left lung, invading the third thoracic vertebra. As no nodal or distant metastasis was detected, we performed left upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection (ND2a-2) after embolization of the vessels feeding the tumor in order to reduce intraoperative bleeding. In addition, the team of orthopedics performed en bloc resection of the third thoracic vertebra and parts of the left third and fourth ribs. Histological examination of the tumor revealed pleomorphic carcinoma (pT4N0M0, stage IIIA).