Major hepatic resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma without preoperative biliary drainage.

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer in western countries but very high incidence in the northeast of Thailand. The only chance to cure is surgical resection. Preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) for improving liver function to decrease perioperative morbidity and mortality is claimed to be beneficial. To determine whether liver resection with hilar resection is a safe procedure in obstructive jaundice patients caused by hilar cholangiocarcinoma, the records of 30 consecutive patients undergoing surgery between May 1999 and May 2002 at Srinagarind hospital, Khon Kaen University, were retrospectively analyzed. Two patients died during hospitalization, an operative mortality of 6.7%. Survival was 33% at 1 year, 12% at 2 years,10% at 3 years and 6.7% at 4 years. In our experience, it is safe in most patients with obstructive jaundice due to hilar cholangiocarcinoma to perform liver resection without preoperative biliary drainage (PBD).

5-fluorouracil and mitomycin-C: effective, low-cost chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the regimen of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin-C (MMC) in terms ofresponse rate and overall survival in advanced colorectal cancer. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between January 1993 and December 2000, 121 from 559 patients with advanced colorectal cancer were treated with chemotherapy. Bolus MMC (10 mg/m2) on first day, 5-FU (600 mg/m2/day) was given as a continuous infusion for 5 days, repeated every 4 weeks for 6 cycles. Toxicity and response were analyzed according to WHO criteria, and survival was analyzed according to Kaplan-Meier methodology. RESULTS: In the chemotherapy group (121 patients), 70 were males and 51 were females, the mean age was 52 years. The ratio of colon and rectal cancer was 0.57. Nearly all patients (88.89%) had tumors with moderate differentiation. Forty patients with liver metastasis showed an overall response rate of 45% (95% CI 35.4-54.6) with a CR in 3 (7.5%) and PR in 15 (37.5%). The median survival was 13.1 months. The regimen was well tolerated with 11.64% of patients experiencing WHO grade 3-4 toxicity. CONCLUSION: The present study has indicated a highly active, acceptable toxic, inexpensive regimen of old drugs to be used as an alternative to the more expensive combination including CPT-11 or oxaliplatin.

Palliative surgical bypass versus percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage on unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the survival probability of unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients who have been managed by palliative surgical bypass versus percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). MATERIAL AND METHOD: A historical (retrospective) cohort study was performed by retrospective and prospective data collection. From January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2002, all unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients who received only one type of palliative surgical bypass or PTBD in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University were included in the present study. The patients were followed until December 31, 2004. Survival analysis was completed for all of the patients. STATISTIC ANALYSIS: Survival analysis was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression analysis, and Log-rank test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: During the study period, 83 patients were included. Palliative surgical bypass was performed in 42 patients and PTBD was performed in 41 patients. Demographic data, peri-operative complication rate, and late complication rate were comparable. The median survival time of the palliative surgical bypass group was 160 days,(95% CI: 85.33, 234.67) and 82 days (95% CI: 29.76, 134.24)for PTBD group. Comparing survival experience by Log-rank test gave statistical significant diference (p = 0.0276). Hazard ratio was 0.599 (p = 0.03) CONCLUSION: Survival rate of the palliative surgical bypass group was higher than the PTBD group. The survival rate of both groups was comparable to previous reports.

Descending colon obstruction caused by a parietocolic band: a case report.

A 54-year-old male who had no history of previous surgery presented with chronic intermittent constipation. A barium enema showed a 2-cm stenotic lesion at the junction between splenic flexure and descending colon. A colonoscopy revealed extra-luminal compression without mucosal lesion. Laparotomy revealed a parietocolic band compressing the proximal part of the descending colon. The band was lysed. The patient's symptom has improved since the procedure.