Guidelines for the Management of Oesophageal and Gastric Cancer
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Guidelines Guidelines for the management of oesophageal and gastric cancer William H Allum,1 Jane M Blazeby,2 S Michael Griffin,3 David Cunningham,4 Janusz A Jankowski,5 Rachel Wong,4 On behalf of the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, the British Society of Gastroenterology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology 1Department of Surgery, Royal INTRODUCTION earlier version, with some evidence provided in Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Over the past decade the Improving Outcomes detail to describe areas of development and to London, UK 2 Guidance (IOG) document has led to service support the changes to the recommendations. The School of Social and fi Community Medicine, University re-con guration in the NHS and there are now 41 editorial group (WHA, JMB, DC, JAJ, SMG and of Bristol, Bristol, UK specialist centres providing oesophageal and gastric RW) have edited the individual sections, and the 3Northern Oesophago-Gastric cancer care in England and Wales. The National final draft was submitted to independent expert Unit, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit, which was review and modified. The strength of the evidence Newcastle upon Tyne, UK 6 4 supported by the British Society of Gastroenter- was classified guided by standard guidelines. Gastrointestinal Oncology Unit, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation ology, the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Trust, London, UK Surgeons (AUGIS) and the Royal College of Categories of evidence 5Department of Oncology, Surgeons of England Clinical Effectiveness Unit, Ia: Evidence obtained from meta-analysis of rand- University of Oxford, Oxford, UK and sponsored by the Department of Health, has omised controlled trials (RCTs). Correspondence to been completed and has established benchmarks for Ib: Evidence obtained from at least one randomised the service as well as identifying areas for future trial. William H Allum, Royal Marsden e NHS Foundation Trust, Fulham improvements.1 3 The past decade has also seen IIa: Evidence obtained from at least one well- Road, London SW3 6JJ, UK; changes in the epidemiology of oesophageal and designed controlled study without randomisation. [email protected] gastric cancer. The incidence of lower third and IIb: Evidence obtained from at least one other type Revised 11 April 2011 oesophago-gastric junctional adenocarcinomas has of well-designed quasi-experimental study. Accepted 17 April 2011 increased further, and these tumours form the most III: Evidence obtained from well-designed descrip- Published Online First common oesophago-gastric tumour, probably tive studies such as comparative studies, correlative 24 June 2011 reflecting the effect of chronic gastro-oesophageal studies and case studies. reflux disease (GORD) and the epidemic of obesity. IV: Evidence obtained from expert committee The increase in the elderly population with signif- reports, or opinions or clinical experiences of icant co-morbidities is presenting significant clinical respected authorities. management challenges. Advances in under- standing of the natural history of the disease have Grading of recommendations increased interest in primary and secondary Recommendations are based on the level of evidence prevention strategies. Technology has improved the presented in support and are graded accordingly. options for diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy Grade A requires at least one RCT of good quality and staging with cross-sectional imaging. Results addressing the topic of recommendation. from medical and clinical oncology trials have Grade B requires the availability of clinical studies established new standards of practice for both without randomisation on the topic of recommen- curative and palliative interventions. The quality of dation. patient experience has become a significant Grade C requires evidence from category IV in the component of patient care, and the role of the absence of directly applicable clinical studies. specialist nurse is fully intergrated. These many changes in practice and patient management are SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS now routinely controlled by established multidis- Prevention ciplinary teams (MDTs) which are based in all < There is no established chemoprevention role for hospitals managing these patients. upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer, and trials are currently assessing this (grade C). STRUCTURE OF THE GUIDELINES < The role of surveillance endoscopy for Barrett’s The original guidelines described the management oesophagus or endoscopy for symptoms remains of oesophageal and gastric cancer within existing unclear, and trials are currently assessing this practice. This paper updates the guidance to (grade B). include new evidence and to embed it within the framework of the current UK National Health Diagnosis Service (NHS) Cancer Plan.4 The revised guidelines < All patients with recent-onset ‘dyspepsia’ over are informed by reviews of the literature and the age of 55 years and all patients with alarm collation of evidence by expert contributors.5 The symptoms (whatever their age) should be key recommendations are listed. The sections of referred for rapid access endoscopy with biopsy the guidelines are broadly the same layout as the (grade C). Gut 2011;60:1449e1472. doi:10.1136/gut.2010.228254 1449 Guidelines < A minimum of six biopsies should be taken to achieve Treatment: surgery a diagnosis of malignancy in areas of oesophageal or gastric < All patients should have antithrombotic (grade A, 1b) and mucosal abnormality (grade B). antibiotic prophylaxis (grade C) instituted at an appropriate < Endoscopic findings of benign stricturing or oesophagitis time in relation to surgery and postoperative recovery. should be confirmed with biopsy (grade C). < Oesophageal and gastric cancer surgery should be performed < Gastric ulcers should be followed up by repeat gastroscopy by surgeons who work in a specialist MDT in a designated and biopsy to assess healing and exclude malignancy (grade B). cancer centre with outcomes audited regularly (grade B). < Patients diagnosed with high grade dysplasia should be < Surgeons should perform at least 20 oesophageal and gastric referred to an UGI MDT for further investigation (grade B). resections annually either individually or operating with < High resolution endoscopy, chromoendoscopy, spectroscopy, another consultant both of whom are core members of the narrow band imaging and autofluorescence imaging are under MDT. The individual surgeon and team outcomes should be evaluation and their roles are not yet defined (grade C). audited against national benchmarked standards (grade B). Staging Treatment: oesophageal resection < Staging investigations for UGI cancer should be co-ordinated < There is no evidence favouring one method of oesophageal within an agreed pathway led by a UGI MDT (grade C). resection over another (grade A), and evidence for minimal < Initial staging should be performed with a CT including access techniques is limited (grade C). multiplanar reconstructions of the thorax, abdomen and pelvis < The operative strategy should ensure that adequate longitu- to determine the presence of metastatic disease (grade B). dinal and radial resection margins are achieved with < Further staging with endoscopic ultrasound in oesophageal, lymphadenectomy appropriate to the histological tumour oesophago-gastric junctional tumours and selected gastric type and its location (grade B). cancers is recommended, but it is not helpful for the detailed staging of mucosal disease (grade B). Treatment: gastric resection < For T1 oesophageal tumours or nodularity in high grade < Distal (antral) tumours should be treated by subtotal dysplasia, staging by endoscopic resection should be used to gastrectomy and proximal tumours by total gastrectomy define depth of invasion (grade B). (grade B). < Positron emission tomography (PET)-CT scanning should be < Cardia, subcardia and type II oesophago-gastric junctional used in combination with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and tumours should be treated by transhiatal extended total CT for assessment of oesophageal and oesophago-gastric gastrectomy or oesophago-gastrectomy (grade B). junctional cancer (grade B). < Limited gastric resections should only be used for palliation or < Laparoscopy should be undertaken in all gastric cancers and in the very elderly (grade B). in selected patients with lower oesophageal and oesophago- < The extent of lymphadenectomy should be tailored to the age gastric junctional tumours (grade C). and fitness of the patient together with the location and stage of the cancer (grade C). Pathology < Patients with clinical stage II and III cancers of the < Diagnosis of high grade dysplasia in the oesophagus and stomach should undergo a D2 lymphadenectomy if fit stomach should be made and confirmed by two histopathol- enough (grade A; Ib). ogists, one with a special interest in gastrointestinal disease < The distal pancreas and spleen should not be removed as part (grade C). of a resection for a cancer in the distal two-thirds of the < Reports on oesophageal and gastric resection specimens stomach (grade A; Ib). should concur with the Royal College of Pathologists < The distal pancreas should be removed only when there is (RCPath) (grade B). direct invasion and still a chance of a curative procedure in < Oesophago-gastric junctional tumours should be classified as patients with carcinoma of the proximal stomach (grade A; Ib). type I (distal oesophageal), type II (cardia) and type III < Resection of the spleen