Distribution of metastatic lymph nodes in 150 patients who underwent radical resection for pancreatic head cancer / 中华肝胆外科杂志

ObjectiveTo study the characteristics and the impact of lymph node metastasis on radical resection for pancreatic head cancer to provide a theoretical basis for lymphadenectomy in radical resection.To study the reliability of using a surgical microscope to detect lymph nodes in radically resected specimens of pancreatic head cancer.MethodsLymph nodes in the specimens after radical pancreaticoduodeneetomy (pancreaticoduodenectomy + D2 regional lymphadenectomy) were identified using a surgical microscope and they were grouped using the JPS standard.The position and the frequency of the lymph nodes retrieved,and their association with other clinicopathologic factors were analysed.The results were compared with the data published in 2004 on 46 patients to evaluate the reliability of using a surgical microscope.ResultsLymph node metastasis was detected histopathologically in 101 patients (67.3％).The median number of lymph nodes retrieved in the specimens as detected using the surgical microscope was 38.2.The most commonly involved lymph node groups were No.13 (64.5％),No.14 (51.7％),No.17 (38.6％),No.12 (25.8％),No.16 (20.8％).Lymph node metastasis was significantly associated with tumour T stage,tumour invasion and differentiation,preoperative serum level of CA19-9 and CA72-4,but not with patient age,sex,or tumour location.There were no significant differences between the results and the data of the previous study in 2004.ConclusionsExtended lymphadenectomy is necessary because extensive lymph node metastasis was common.Surgical microscopy is an effective and reliable method to detect lymph nodes in resected specimens of pancreatic head cancer for accurate pathologic staging.

Prevention and management of pulmonary complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy / 中国综合临床

Objective To identify the types of pulmonary complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy,and to discuss the prevention and management of these complications.Methods Clinical data of 165 cases of pancreaticoduodenectomy in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.Pulmonary complications were identified,therapeutic effects were observed.Results The incidence rate of pulmonary complications was 19.4％ ( 32/165),case-fatality rate was 6.25％ (2/32),two patients died from pneumonia,respiratory failure and ARDS.Complications mainly included pneumonia 13.9％ (23/165),pleural effusion 4.2％ (7/165),atelectasis 3.6％ (6/165),pneumothorax 1.8％ ( 3/165 ),respiratory failure 2.4％ (4/165) and ARDS 1.2％ (2/165).Conclusion Pulmonary complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy are not rare,especially for pulmonary infection and most are hospital acquired pneumonia.To understand rules and particularity of respiratory physiopathological changes after pancreaticoduodenectomy is very important for patients to safely pass over the perioperative period.

Diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of pancreatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of pancreatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Methods We reported a case and reviewed the medical literature on pancreatic malignant GIST. We searched the Pubmed and main domestic database. The clinical data of the reported cases were studied, and their predictive factors for postoperative recurrence and metastasis were analyzed. Results Between January 1980 and July 2010, 16 cases of pancreatic GIST were reported. There were 7 males and 9 females, with a median age pf 56.5 (31-72)years. The clinical symptoms were nonspecific. The main presentation was upper abdominal pain or discomfort. A preoperative diagnosis was suspected on radiological examination. The tumor mainly appeared as a well-defined solid-cystic mass. Irregular enhancement appeared in the circumferential and solid portion of the tumor on enhanced CT scan sequences. The pancreatic and biliary ducts were rarely dilated. Endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration cytology (EUS-FNA) was helpful in preoperative diagnosis. Of the 15 surgical patients, 14 underwent complete resection, while the remaining received cyst-jejunostomy. A correct diagnosis was made on histopathology and immunohisto-chemistry. On a mean follow up of 21 months (range, 1-60) in 14 patients, all patients were alive.Recurrence or metastasis occurred in 4 patients with tumors of high malignant potential. On univariate analysis, the only significant predictor for adverse outcome was mitoses≥10/50 HPF. Conclusions Pancreatic GIST is a rare tumor of relatively low malignant potential. It has a better prognosis than ductal adenocarcinoma. It is important to arrive at a correct diagnosis and treat the tumor with radical resection. Aggressive surgical resection is potentially curative. Imatinib is recommended in the treatment of patients with tumors with high malignant potential.

Effects of preoperative regional intra-arterial chemotherapy on lymphatic metastasis of pancreatic head carcinoma / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of preoperative regional intra-arterial chemotherapy (RIAC) in the treatment of resectable pancreatic head carcinoma. Methods The clinical data of 50 patients with resectable pancreatic head carcinoma who had been admitted to the Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases of Fudan University from December 2006 to July 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were randomly divided into2 groups (n =25 in each group): patients in group A were treated with preoperative RIAC followed by regional pancreaticoduodenectomy, and patients in group B were treated with surgical procedure routinely. The lymphatic metastases in the 50 specimens of pancreatic head carcinoma were detected by histological examination with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and lymphatic micrometastases were detected by immunohistochemical method with staining of cytokeratin AE1/AE3 in 10 specimens with negative HE staining of the lymph nodes in each group. Results There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications, the length of hospital stay and the 1-, 2-year survival rates between the 2 groups (χ2 = 0.12, 2.88, P > 0.05). The incidence of positive lymph node metastasis in group A was 7.1% (52/734), which was significantly higher than 22.1% (118/532) in group B (χ2 = 60.01, P < 0.05). The incidence of lymphatic micrometastasis was 9.4% (30/319) in group A, and 9.1% (23/252) in group B, with no statistical difference between the 2 groups (χ2= 0.01, P > 0.05). Conclusions Preoperative RIAC is helpful in improving the prognosis of patients with resectable pancreatic head carcinoma by reducing the incidence of lymphatic metastasis and decreasing tumor stage.

Effect of multiple-phase regional intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy on patients with resectable pancreatic head adenocarcinoma / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Regional intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy (RIAC) has been more valuable to improve prognosis and quality of life of patients with inoperable pancreatic adenocarcinomas, and adjuvant RIAC plays an important role in prolonging survival and reducing risk of liver metastasis after radical resection of pancreatic cancer, but the effect of preoperative or multiple-phase RIAC (preoperative combined with postoperative RIAC) for resectable pancreatic cancers has not been investigated. In this prospective study, the effect of multiple-phase RIAC for patients with resectable pancreatic head adenocarcinoma was evaluated, and its safety and validity comparing with postoperative RIAC were also assessed.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Patients with resectable pancreatic head cancer were randomly assigned to two groups. Patients in group A (n=50) were treated with new therapeutic mode of extended pancreaticoduodenectomy combined with multiple-phase RIAC, and those in group B (n=50) were treated with extended pancreaticoduodenectomy combined with postoperative RIAC in the same period. The feasibility, compliance and efficiency of the new therapeutic mode were evaluated by tumor size, serum tumor markers, clinical benefit response (CBR), surgical complications, mortality and toxicity of RIAC. The disease-free survival time, median survival time, incidence of liver metastasis, survival rate at 1, 2, 3 and 5 years were also observed. Life curves were generated by the Kaplan-Meier method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The pain relief rate and CBR in group A was 80% and 84% respectively. Serum tumor markers decreased obviously and tumors size decreased in 26% of patients after preoperative RIAC in group A. No more surgical complications, mortality or severe systemic side effects were observed in group A compared with group B. The incidence of liver metastasis in group A was 34% which was lower than 50% in group B. The disease-free survival time and median survival time in group A were 15.5 months and 18 months respectively. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 54.87%, 34.94%, 24.51% and 12.25% respectively. There was no significant difference of survival time or survival rates between two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Multiple-phase RIAC is effective in combined therapy of resectable pancreatic head carcinomas by enhancing inhibition of tumor growth and reduction of liver metastasis, without negative effect on patients' safety or surgical procedure.</p>