Correlation of CT with histopathological findings in patients with gastric and gastro-oesophageal carcinomas following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Gastric carcinoma is the fourth commonest cause of death from malignant disease in United Kingdom. In the Western hemisphere, it usually presents with advanced disease, which contributes to its very poor prognosis. Pre-operative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy offers the possibility of down-staging such tumours and the potential to render tumours operable. Computed tomography (CT) plays a central role in the assessment of patients presenting with the disease, and in those who undergo chemotherapy, in evaluating their response.


OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of CT in predicting loco-regional spread of tumour following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in non-metastatic gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancers.


METHODS
We correlated CT evidence of loco-regional spread with pathological findings following surgery in 21 patients who received pre-operative chemotherapy.


RESULTS
Residual masses were seen on CT in 19 patients, and 15 contained active tumour, although in four patients no viable tumour was demonstrated at histopathology. The overall accuracy of CT in assessing loco-regional disease was disappointing with sensitivities, specificities, positive and negative predictive values of 57%, 43%, 75% and 33%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that CT is not accurate in identifying residual loco-regional spread and therefore should not preclude surgery in those patients who have received neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Ng
C S
CS
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey, UK.
Husband
J E
JE
MacVicar
A D
AD
Ross
P
P
Cunningham
D C
DC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed