Current status and progress in the standardized surgical management of specimens after radical gastric cancer surgery / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Standardized surgical management of postoperative specimens of gastric cancer is an important part of the standardized diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer. It can reflect the accurate number and detailed distribution of lymph nodes in the specimen and lay the foundation for accurate and standardized pathological reports after surgery. Meanwhile, it can evaluate the scope of intraoperative lymph node dissection, the safety of cutting edge, and the standardization of surgery (principle of en-bloc dissection), which is an important means of surgical quality control. It also provides accurate research samples for further research and is an important way for young surgeons to train their clinical skills. The surgical management of postoperative specimens for gastric cancer needs to be standardized, including specimen processing personnel, processing flow, resection margin examination, lymph node sorting, measurement after specimen dissection, storage of biological specimens, documentation of recorded data, etc. The promotion of standardized surgical management of specimens after radical gastrectomy can promote the homogenization of gastric cancer surgical diagnosis and treatment in medical institutions and further promote the high-quality development of gastric cancer surgery in China.

Application of modified Kamikawa anastomosis in digestive tract reconstruction after proximal gastrectomy / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: Traditional Kamikawa anastomosis in digestive tract reconstruction after proximal gastrectomy can greatly decrease the anastomosis-related complications and reduce the incidence of reflux esophagitis, but its complexity limits the wide application. To decrease the complexity of Kamikawa anastomosis, the surgical team of Changzhi People's Hospital of Shanxi Changzhi Medical College improved this technique by using novel notion and reduced surgical procedures. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of modified Kamikawa anastomosis in digestive tract reconstruction after proximal gastrectomy. Methods: A descriptive cohort study was carried out. Case enrollment criteria: (1) upper gastric carcinoma or esophagogastric junction carcinoma without distant metastasis was confirmed by preoperative gastroscopic biopsy and imaging examination; (2) tumor diameter was less than 4 cm; (3) preoperative clinical staging was cT1-3N1M0. Exclusion criteria: (1) patients received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy; (2) patients had severe heart or lung disease, or poor nutritional status so that they could not tolerate surgery. Clinical data of 25 patients with upper gastric carcinoma or esophagogastric junction carcinoma who underwent modified Kamikawa anastomosis in digestive tract reconstruction in Heji Hospital (8 cases) and Changzhi People's Hospital (17 cases) from April 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively collected. Of 25 patients, 21 were male and 4 were female, with mean age of 63.0 (49 to 78) years; 3 underwent open surgery and 22 underwent laparoscopic surgery. The modified Kamikawa anastomosis was as follows: (1) the novel notion of total mesangial resection of the esophagogastric junction was applied to facilitate the thorough removal of lymph nodes and facilitate hand-sewn anastomosis and embedding; (2) the diameter of the anastomotic stoma was selected according to the diameter of the esophageal stump, between 2.5 and 3.5 cm, to reduce the occurrence of anastomotic stenosis; (3) an ultrasonic scalpel was used to incise the esophageal stump, which could not only prevent bleeding of the esophageal stump, but also closely seal the esophageal mucosa, muscle layer and serosa to prevent esophageal mucosa retraction; (4) barbed suture was used to suture the remnant stomach fundus and esophagus to fix the stomach fundus in order to reduce the cumbersome and difficult intermittent sutures in a small space; (5) two barbed sutures were used to continuously suture the front and back walls of the anastomosis and complete the suture and fixation of the muscle flap. Relevant indicators of surgical safety, postoperative complications (using the Clavien-Dindo classification), esophageal reflux symptoms and the occurrence of esophagitis (using Los Angeles classification) were analyzed. The gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) score, gastroscopy, multi-position digestive tract radiography during postoperative follow-up were used to evaluate the residual gastric motility and anti-reflux efficacy. Results: Modified Kamikawa anastomosis in digestive tract reconstruction after proximal gastrectomy was successfully performed in 25 patients. The surgical time was (5.8±1.8) hours, the intraoperative blood loss was (89.2±11.8) ml, and the average hospital stay was (13.8±2.9) days. Three cases (12.0%) developed postoperative anastomotic stenosis as Clavien-Dindo grade III and were healed after endoscopic dilation treatment. Postoperative upper gastrointestinal radiography showed 1 case (4.0%) with reflux symptoms as Clavien-Dindo grade I. Gastroscopy showed no signs of reflux esophagitis, and its Los Angeles classification was A grade. No anastomotic bleeding, local infection and death were found in all the patients. At postoperative 6-month of follow-up, GERD score showed no significant difference compared to pre-operation (2.7±0.6 vs. 2.4±1.0, t=-1.495, P=0.148). Conclusion: Modified Kamikawa anastomosis in digestive tract reconstruction after proximal gastrectomy is safe and feasible with good anti-reflux efficacy.

Current status of research on standardized management of specimens after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The quality control and standardization of procedures in radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer, especially the standardized processing of specimens after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer, is very important. It is not only the basis of accurate pathological staging, but also the evidence of surgical quality and the original data of clinical research, which plays a pivotal role. The examination and classification of lymph nodes, specimens processing records, and data uploading and archiving after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer are indispensable. It is necessary for surgeons to participate in the processing of surgical specimens. This article will combine the current research status and progress at home and abroad to review the standardized processing of specimens after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer.