Surgery, chemoradiotherapy, or chemoradiation plus immunotherapy: Treatment strategies for nonmetastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma

The current standard of care for anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). However, about a third of patients may experience treatment failure. Recently, immunotherapy has emerged as a novel strategy for metastatic ASCC patients. We evaluated the efficacy...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fang He, Mo Chen, Qi-jun Yao, Zhi-min Liu, Yandong Zhao, Fengyun Pei, Jian Zheng, Yuan-hong Gao, Jun Huang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Translational Oncology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1936523324002602
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850282390075736064
author Fang He
Mo Chen
Qi-jun Yao
Zhi-min Liu
Yandong Zhao
Fengyun Pei
Jian Zheng
Yuan-hong Gao
Jun Huang
author_facet Fang He
Mo Chen
Qi-jun Yao
Zhi-min Liu
Yandong Zhao
Fengyun Pei
Jian Zheng
Yuan-hong Gao
Jun Huang
author_sort Fang He
collection DOAJ
description The current standard of care for anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). However, about a third of patients may experience treatment failure. Recently, immunotherapy has emerged as a novel strategy for metastatic ASCC patients. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of surgery, CRT alone, and CRT with immunotherapy (CRT-I) in 100 nonmetastatic ASCC patients, treated from April 2012 through May 2023, by determining survival outcomes and acute adverse events. The median (range) follow-up was 30.7 (7.6 to 134.9) months. The study cohort 3-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rates were 80.7 %, 62.2 %, 71.1 %, and 67.6 %, respectively. The Surgery group had significantly lower rates than the CRT and CRT-I groups for 3-year PFS (33.1% vs. 65.2% vs. 92.9 %, P < 0.001), DMFS (46.7% vs. 74.6% vs. 92.9 %, P = 0.002) and LRFS (37.0% vs. 73.3% vs. 92.9 %, P < 0.001), respectively. All patients receiving CRT-I were alive at last follow-up. Of 100 patients, 26 (26.0 %) experienced severe (≥ grade 3) acute toxicity. Of 24 patients receiving CRT-I, 8 (33.3 %) had severe acute toxicity. Using immunohistochemistry, peritumoural stromal infiltration by CD8+ T cells was significantly higher after CRT-I compared to before CRT-I and to after CRT alone. The addition of immunotherapy to CRT may be an effective first-line treatment option with favourable survival outcomes and acceptable toxicity for patients with ASCC. A prospective, randomized trial assessing the efficacy of CRT combined with a PD-1 inhibitor in patients with locally advanced ASCC is in progress.
format Article
id doaj-art-264ee90a9f094cc884a63df1d4e6bac3
institution OA Journals
issn 1936-5233
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Translational Oncology
spelling doaj-art-264ee90a9f094cc884a63df1d4e6bac32025-08-20T01:47:59ZengElsevierTranslational Oncology1936-52332024-12-015010213310.1016/j.tranon.2024.102133Surgery, chemoradiotherapy, or chemoradiation plus immunotherapy: Treatment strategies for nonmetastatic anal squamous cell carcinomaFang He0Mo Chen1Qi-jun Yao2Zhi-min Liu3Yandong Zhao4Fengyun Pei5Jian Zheng6Yuan-hong Gao7Jun Huang8Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Centre, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Biomedical Innovation Centre, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Genitourinary oncology, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong, ChinaBiomedical Innovation Centre, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Colorectal Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaBiomedical Innovation Centre, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Colorectal Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaBiomedical Innovation Centre, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaBiomedical Innovation Centre, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Colorectal Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Biomedical Innovation Centre, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Centre, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Corresponding author at: Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Centre, 651 East Dongfeng Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, China.Biomedical Innovation Centre, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Colorectal Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Corresponding author at: Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 26 Yuancun Erheng Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China.The current standard of care for anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). However, about a third of patients may experience treatment failure. Recently, immunotherapy has emerged as a novel strategy for metastatic ASCC patients. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of surgery, CRT alone, and CRT with immunotherapy (CRT-I) in 100 nonmetastatic ASCC patients, treated from April 2012 through May 2023, by determining survival outcomes and acute adverse events. The median (range) follow-up was 30.7 (7.6 to 134.9) months. The study cohort 3-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rates were 80.7 %, 62.2 %, 71.1 %, and 67.6 %, respectively. The Surgery group had significantly lower rates than the CRT and CRT-I groups for 3-year PFS (33.1% vs. 65.2% vs. 92.9 %, P < 0.001), DMFS (46.7% vs. 74.6% vs. 92.9 %, P = 0.002) and LRFS (37.0% vs. 73.3% vs. 92.9 %, P < 0.001), respectively. All patients receiving CRT-I were alive at last follow-up. Of 100 patients, 26 (26.0 %) experienced severe (≥ grade 3) acute toxicity. Of 24 patients receiving CRT-I, 8 (33.3 %) had severe acute toxicity. Using immunohistochemistry, peritumoural stromal infiltration by CD8+ T cells was significantly higher after CRT-I compared to before CRT-I and to after CRT alone. The addition of immunotherapy to CRT may be an effective first-line treatment option with favourable survival outcomes and acceptable toxicity for patients with ASCC. A prospective, randomized trial assessing the efficacy of CRT combined with a PD-1 inhibitor in patients with locally advanced ASCC is in progress.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1936523324002602SurgeryChemoradiotherapyImmunotherapySquamous cell carcinomaAnal canal
spellingShingle Fang He
Mo Chen
Qi-jun Yao
Zhi-min Liu
Yandong Zhao
Fengyun Pei
Jian Zheng
Yuan-hong Gao
Jun Huang
Surgery, chemoradiotherapy, or chemoradiation plus immunotherapy: Treatment strategies for nonmetastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma
Translational Oncology
Surgery
Chemoradiotherapy
Immunotherapy
Squamous cell carcinoma
Anal canal
title Surgery, chemoradiotherapy, or chemoradiation plus immunotherapy: Treatment strategies for nonmetastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma
title_full Surgery, chemoradiotherapy, or chemoradiation plus immunotherapy: Treatment strategies for nonmetastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma
title_fullStr Surgery, chemoradiotherapy, or chemoradiation plus immunotherapy: Treatment strategies for nonmetastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma
title_full_unstemmed Surgery, chemoradiotherapy, or chemoradiation plus immunotherapy: Treatment strategies for nonmetastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma
title_short Surgery, chemoradiotherapy, or chemoradiation plus immunotherapy: Treatment strategies for nonmetastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma
title_sort surgery chemoradiotherapy or chemoradiation plus immunotherapy treatment strategies for nonmetastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma
topic Surgery
Chemoradiotherapy
Immunotherapy
Squamous cell carcinoma
Anal canal
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1936523324002602
work_keys_str_mv AT fanghe surgerychemoradiotherapyorchemoradiationplusimmunotherapytreatmentstrategiesfornonmetastaticanalsquamouscellcarcinoma
AT mochen surgerychemoradiotherapyorchemoradiationplusimmunotherapytreatmentstrategiesfornonmetastaticanalsquamouscellcarcinoma
AT qijunyao surgerychemoradiotherapyorchemoradiationplusimmunotherapytreatmentstrategiesfornonmetastaticanalsquamouscellcarcinoma
AT zhiminliu surgerychemoradiotherapyorchemoradiationplusimmunotherapytreatmentstrategiesfornonmetastaticanalsquamouscellcarcinoma
AT yandongzhao surgerychemoradiotherapyorchemoradiationplusimmunotherapytreatmentstrategiesfornonmetastaticanalsquamouscellcarcinoma
AT fengyunpei surgerychemoradiotherapyorchemoradiationplusimmunotherapytreatmentstrategiesfornonmetastaticanalsquamouscellcarcinoma
AT jianzheng surgerychemoradiotherapyorchemoradiationplusimmunotherapytreatmentstrategiesfornonmetastaticanalsquamouscellcarcinoma
AT yuanhonggao surgerychemoradiotherapyorchemoradiationplusimmunotherapytreatmentstrategiesfornonmetastaticanalsquamouscellcarcinoma
AT junhuang surgerychemoradiotherapyorchemoradiationplusimmunotherapytreatmentstrategiesfornonmetastaticanalsquamouscellcarcinoma