Long-term efficacy of pure transanal total mesorectal excision for middle-low rectal cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To investigate the long-term efficacy of pure transanal total mesorectal excision (PtaTME) for middle-low rectal cancer.Methods The retrospective descriptive study was conducted.The clinicopathological data of 18 patients with middle-low rectal cancer who were admitted to the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from July 2014 to August 2016 were collected.There were 7 males and 11 females,aged (58±13) years,with a range from 40 to 84 years.The body mass index was (22±3) kg/m2.All the 18 patients underwent PtaTME.Observation indicators:(1) surgical and postoperative conditions;(2) postoperative pathological examination;(3) follow-up and survival.Follow-up using inpatient reexamination,outpatient examination,and telephone interview were performed to detect anastomotic complications,anal function,urinary retention,sexual dysfunction,survival and tumor recurrence and metastasis once every 3 months within postoperative 6 months,once every 6 months from 6 months to 3 years,and once a year after 3 years up to June 2019.The measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD,and the measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M (range).Count data were expressed as percentages.Survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method.Results (1) Surgical and postoperative conditions:18 patients successfully underwent PtaTME,without conversion to open surgery.The operation time,volume of intraoperative blood loss,distance between anastomosis and anal verge,time to first flatus,time to urinary catheter removal,and duration of postoperative hospital stay were (202±68) minutes,50 mL (range,20-400 mL),(4.5± 2.0)cm,2 days (range,2-7 days),3 days (range,2-5 days),and 7 days (range,5-10 days) in the 18 patients,respectively.There was no perioperative complication.Among 18 patients,4 underwent preventive ileostomy.(2) Postoperative pathological examinations:the length of surgical specimens,the number of lymph node dissection,distance from tumor to the distal margin were (11.0±3.0)cm,12±6,and 1.0 cm (range,0.8-3.7 cm),respectively.The 18 patients had complete mesorectal membrane excision,with negative proximal margin,distal margin,and circumferential margin.Tumor pathological staging:there were 2 cases in Tis stage,4 in T1 stage,7 in T2 stage,and 5 in T3 stage;16 in N0 stage,1 in N1 stage,and 1 in N2 stage.Tumor histological classification:2 patients had carcinoma in situ,9 had moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma,and 7 had high-differentiated adenocarcinoma.(3) Follow-up and survival:18 patients were followed up for 34.0-59.0 months,with a median follow-up time of 57.5 months.During the follow-up,4 patients developed grade B anastomotic leakage and were cured after conservative treatment.One patient developed anastomotic recurrence at 2 years after surgery,and no recurrence was found after surgical resection of the recurrent lesion.Four patients with prophylactic ileostomy had the stoma closured,and the anus function was satisfactory after surgery.There was no urinary retention or sexual dysfunction in the 18 patients.Of the 18 patients,17 had tumor free survival after surgery.The 3-year disease-free survival rate was 94.4％,and the 3-year overall survival rate was 100.0％ in 18 patients.Conclusion PtaTME can achieve high quality of specimen,which is safe and feasible for the treatment of rectal cancer.

Efficacies of transanal total mesorectal excision and laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To compare the clinical efficacies of transanal total mesorectal excision(TaTME) and laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LapTME)for rectal cancer (RC).Methods The case-control matching method and retrospective cohort study were conducted.The clinicopathological data of 100 RC patients who were admitted to the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between July 2014 and January 2016 were collected.Of 100 patients,50 undergoing TaTME and 50 undergoing LapTME were respectively allocated into the TaTME and LapTME groups by case-control matching method.Observation indicators:(1) operation situations:operation time,volume of intraoperative blood loss,cases with intraoperative complications and preventive stoma;(2) postoperative recovery:time for diet intake,time for out-of-bed activity,occurrence of complications within 30 days postoperatively and duration of hospital stay;(3) postoperative pathological examinations:postoperative pathological specimen length,number of lymph node harvest,distance from lower boundary of tumor to distant margin and cases with positive circumferential margin;(4) follow-up.Follow-up using outpatient examination and network tracing was performed to detect local tumor recurrence and distant metastasis up to December 2016.Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as x±s and comparison between groups was analyzed using the paired-samples t test.Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M (range).Comparisons of count data were analyzed using the chi-square test.Comparisons of measurement data with skewed distribution and ranked data were done by the nonparametric test.Results (1) Operation situations:operation time,volume of intraoperative blood loss,cases with intraoperative complications and preventive stoma were (259±111)minutes,100 mL (range,20-2 000 mL),2,28 in the TaTME group and (220± 80)minutes,50 mL (range,20-1 000 mL),1,33 in the LapTME group,respectively,with no statistically significant difference (t=1.90,Z=-0.30,x2 =0.34,0.01,P＞0.05).(2) Postoperative recovery:time for diet intake and time for out-of-bed activity were (1.6±0.5) days,(2.6±0.6) days in the TaTME group and (2.4±0.5)days,(3.5 ±0.6)days in the LapTME group,respectively,with statistically significant differences (t =8.90,11.30,P＜0.05).Cases with anastomotic fistula,bleeding and stenosis,intestinal obstruction,abdominal abscess and wound infection within 30 days postoperatively were 6,1,1,0,1,0 in the TaTME group and 5,1,2,2,1,2 in the LapTME group,respectively,with no statistically significant difference (x2=0.10,0.00,0.30,2.00,0.00,2.00,P＞0.05).Cases with urinary retention within 30 days postoperatively were 3 and 0 in the TaTME and LapTME groups,respectively,with a statistically significant difference (x2 =3.00,P＜0.05).Two and 2 patients with anastomic fistula underwent reoperation in the TaTME and LapTME groups respectively,and other patients were improved by symptomatic treatment.Duration of hospital stay was 7 days (range,5-36 days)and 8 days (range,6-29 days) in the TaTME and LapTME groups,respectively,with no statistically significant difference (Z =-0.90,P ＞ 0.05).(3) Postoperative pathological examinations:postoperative pathological specimen length,number of lymph node harvest,distance from lower boundary of tumor to distant margin and cases with positive circumferential margin were (11±3)cm,13±5,(1.3±0.7)cm,0 in the TaTME group and (12±3) cm,13±5,(1.3±0.7)cm,1 in the LapTME group,respectively,with no statistically significant difference (t=0.50,0.20,0.10,x2=1.00,P＞0.05).(4) Follow-up:100 patients were followed up for 9-27 months,with an average time of 18 months.During the follow-up,distant metastasis and local tumor recurrence were detected in 2,3 patients of TaTME group and in 2,2 patients of LapTME group,respectively,with no statistically significant difference (x2 =0.00,0.20,P＞0.05).Conclusions TaTME for RC is safe and feasible.Compared with LapTME,TaTME not only achieves identical pathological quality without increasing intra-and postoperative complications,but also benefits postoperative recovery of patients.

Clinical efficacy of unidirectional-loop caudal-medial approach for laparoscopic-assisted radical resection of right colon cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of unidirectional-loop caudal-medial approach for laparoscopic-assisted radical resection of right colon cancer.Methods The retrospective and descriptive study was performed.The clinical data of 37 patients who underwent laparoscopic-assisted radical resection of right colon cancer through unidirectional-loop caudal-medial approach at the Sixth Mfiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2015 to March 2016 were collected.Tumor-free principle was followed and unidirectional-loop caudal-medial approach was conducted.Observation indicators included:(1) surgical situations:operation time,volume of intraoperative blood loss,(2) postoperative recovery:time to initial anal exsufflation,time of draining tube removal,postoperative complications,duration of postoperative hospital stay,(3) postoperative pathological examination:number of lymph node dissection,number of positive lymph node,length of specimen,incision margin,tumor pathological staging and type,(4) follow-up.All the patients were followed up using outpatient examination and telephone interview up to June 2016.Measurement data with normal distribution were presented as x ± s and measurement data with skewed distribution were presented as average (range).Results (1) Surgical situations:37 patients received successful operation,without conversion to open surgery and perioperative death.Operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss in 37 patients were (170 ± 50)minutes and 50 mL (range,20-300 mL).(2) Postoperative recovery:time to initial anal exsufflation,time of draining tube removal and average duration of postoperative hospital stay were (3.5 ± 1.0) days,(4.3 ± 1.1) days and 10 days (range,6-21 days),respectively.Two patients with postoperative wound liquefaction were improved by symptomatic treatment,and the other patients had no complication.(3) Postoperative pathological examination:number of lymph node dissection,number of positive lymph node,number of central lymph node dissection and length of specimen in 37 patients were 22 ±8,0 (range,0-6),6 ±5 and (32 ±9)cm,respectively,with negative incision margins.Postoperative tumor pathological staging showed that stage pT1,pT2,pT3 and pT4a were detected in 0,1,33 and 3 patients,and stage pN0,pN1 and pN2 in 23,12 and 2 patients,respectively.Postoperative tumor pathological type showed that 3,7,23 and 4 patients were respectively diagnosed with mucinous adenocarcinoma,high-differentiated adenocarcinoma,moderate-differentiated adeno-carcinoma and low-differentiated adenocarcinoma.(4) Follow-up:37 patients were followed up for 3-17 months with a median time of 11 months.During the follow-up,1 patient was complicated with anastomotic recurrence and 4 with distant metastases,the other 32 patients had tumor-free survival.Conclusion Unidirectional-loop caudal-medial approach for laparoscopicassisted radical resection of right colon cancer is safe and feasible,with a good short-term outcome,and it should be widely spread.

Learning curve of transanal total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the learning curve of transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) for rectal cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data of 60 rectal cancer patients undergoing taTME from July 2014 to April 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the sequence of operation date, 60 patients were divided into four groups (A, B, C, D) with 15 cases in each group. General information and perioperative, especially the operative indexes were compared among four groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no significant differences in age, sex, preoperative staging, BMI, tumor size among four groups (all P>0.05). The distance from tumor to anal verge in A group was(6.7±2.5) cm, which was significantly different with B group (4.6±1.2) cm, C group (4.5±1.0) cm and D group (4.0±1.0) cm (P=0.000, P=0.000, P=0.001). Ratio of receiving neoadjuvant therapy was 0, 60.0%(9 cases), 26.7%(4 cases) and 26.7%(4 cases) in A, B, C, D groups respectively with significant difference (P=0.004). Ratio of receiving complete taTME was 73.3%(11/15) in A group, 26.7%(4/15) in B group, 13.3%(2/15) in C group and 26.7%(4/15) in D group, while other patients underwent laparoscopy-assisted procedures. This ratio of A group was significantly higher as compared to B, C, D groups (P=0.003). The operation time was significantly different among four groups [A group (223.0±105.2) minutes, B group (299.0±131.0) minutes, C group(278.0±44.8) minutes, D group (246.0±34.0) min, P=0.035]. Fluctuation of operation time was more common in A and B groups, which became stable in C and D groups. Though intra-operative blood loss was not significantly different among four groups [A group (249.0±559.6) ml, B group (288.0±568.1) ml, C group (87.0±43.3) ml, D group (69.0±64.5) ml, P=0.225], but it presented a decline trend in C and D groups. Number of harvested lymph node from postoperative pathological specimen was 10.9±5.9 in A group, 9.6±2.7 in B group, 15.8±4.8 in C group, and 14.2±5.1 in D group, with significant difference among groups (P=0.008; A group vs. C group, P=0.010; B group vs. C group, P=0.002; B group vs. D group, P=0.021). There were no significant differences in specimen length, postoperative complication rate, distal margin distance and hospital stay.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A well-skilled laparoscopic colorectal surgeon, by following the standard surgical procedures, are likely to overcome the learning curve smoothly after performing approximately 30 cases of taTME for rectal cancer.</p>

Upper arm vein versus subclavian vein for totally implantable venous access ports for patients with gastrointestinal malignancy: a retrospective comparison of complications / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare two different routes of totally implantable venous access ports (TIVPs) from the upper arm vein and the subclavian vein in terms of complications for patients with gastrointestinal malignancy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Patients who underwent implantations of TIVPs from September 2013 to January 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. The outcome measurements were rates and types of postprocedural early-stage and long-term complications.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 208 patients(upper arm vein group, 86; subclavian vein group, 122) were included in this study. All TIVPs were implanted successfully. The rate of catheter displacement was higher in upper arm vein group(14.0% vs 5.7%, P=0.04), while other postprocedural early-stage complications had no significant difference between the two groups. The occurrence of transfusion obstacle and rates of overall postprocedural long-term complications were significantly lower in upper arm vein group than that in subclavian vein group(1.2% vs. 9.8%, P=0.02; 7.0% vs. 27.0%, P=0.01, respectively).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with subclavian vein group, upper arm vein group has lower postprocedural long-term complication rates and is recommended as a safe and comfortable choice for port implantation.</p>

5 -FU upregulates stem cell marker CD133 expression in colon cancer cells / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM: To investigate the effect of 5 - fluorouracil ( 5 - FU ) on the expression of the stem cell marker CD133 on colon cancer stem cells. METHODS:CD133 expression on several colon cancer cell lines was detected by flow cytometry. The CD133 positive cells from DLD1 cells were separated by the method of magnetic activated cell separation. Colony assay was used to measure self - renew ability and MTS assay was used to detect the sensitivity to 5 - FU after separation. After 5 - FU treatment, the change of CD133 mRNA level was measured by qPCR. RESULTS: CD133 expression on the surface of colon cacner cell lines DLD1, HT29, SW480, HCT116, Lovo, RKO was 30.20% , 82.00% , 0.34% , 91.80% , 85.30% , 0.28% respectively. DLD1 cells had two obvious populations according to CD133 expression. CD133 positive cells were separated from DLD1 cells, the positive purity was 87.21% ±5.33% and the negative purity was 84.30% ±4.65%. CD133 positive cells formed more colonies with limited dilution colony assay (46.33% ±4.44% vs 31.00% ±2.00% , P <0.05). CD133 positive cells were less sensitive to 5 - FU compared to CD133 negative cells(20% less, P <0.01). 5 - FU at concentration of 1 mg/L upregulated CD133 mRNA expression in both DLD1 and HT29 cells, the relative quantity was increased from 1 to 1.684 ±0.012(P <0.01 )and 30.702 ±0.280 to 49.379 ±0.460(P <0.01) in HT29 and DLD1, respectively. CONCLUSION: Compared to CD133 negative cells, CD133 positive cells show more ability to form colonies in vitro, and are less sensitive to 5 - FU. 5 - FU upregulats the mRNA expression of CD133, resulting in the CD133 colon cancer stem cells enrichment during 5 - FU treatment.