Patterns of local disease failure and outcome after salvage surgery in patients with anal cancer
Open Access
- 28 February 2005
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in British Journal of Surgery
- Vol. 92 (5), 605-614
- https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.4908
Abstract
Background Salvage surgery for anal cancer is usually reserved for local disease failure, but issues relating to the prediction of local failure and surgical outcome are ill defined. Methods Between 1988 and 2000, 254 patients with non-metastatic anal epidermoid carcinoma were treated at a regional cancer centre with radiotherapy (n = 127) or chemoradiotherapy (n = 127). Results There were 99 local disease failures (39·0 per cent), all but five occurring within 3 years of initial treatment. Increasing age (P < 0·001, Cox model), total radiation dose (P = 0·004) and tumour stage (P = 0·010) were independent predictors of local failure. The overall 3- and 5-year survival rates after local disease failure were 46 and 29 per cent; the corresponding rates after salvage surgery (73 patients) were 55 and 40 per cent. A positive resection margin was the strongest negative predictor of survival after salvage surgery (P = 0·008, log rank test). Of 52 patients treated before the routine consideration of primary plastic reconstruction, delayed perineal wound healing occurred in 22 (42 per cent). Conclusion In the management of anal cancer, local disease failure is a major clinical problem requiring early detection followed by radical surgery, often accompanied by plastic reconstruction. By implication, these factors favour the centralization of treatment for this uncommon cancer to a multidisciplinary oncology team.This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cancer of the anal canalThe Lancet Oncology, 2004
- Anal canal cancer treatment: practical limitations of routine prescription of concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapyBritish Journal of Cancer, 2003
- AJCC Cancer Staging ManualPublished by Springer Science and Business Media LLC ,2002
- Carcinoma of the Anal CanalThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2000
- The Swedish National Care Programme for Anal Carcinoma: Implementation and Overall ResultsActa Oncologica, 1998
- Epidermoid anal cancer: results from the UKCCCR randomised trial of radiotherapy alone versus radiotherapy, 5-fluorouracil, and mitomycinThe Lancet, 1996
- Anal cancerInternational Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 1990
- Low dose, continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil plus radiotherapy for anal cancerInternational Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 1990
- Changing nature of anal cancer.BMJ, 1988
- Design and analysis of randomized clinical trials requiring prolonged observation of each patient. II. Analysis and examplesBritish Journal of Cancer, 1977