Factors associated with readmission within three months of surgery for gastric cancer and their long-term effects on patients' nutritional status and quality of life / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To analyze the factors associated with readmission within three months of surgery for gastric cancer and the impact of readmission on patients' long-term nutritional status and quality of life. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study comprising patients who underwent radical gastrectomy in the Department of Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from October 2018 to August 2019. Patients who failed to complete postoperative follow-up, whose body mass index (BMI) could not be accurately estimated, or who were unable to complete a quality-of-life questionnaire were excluded. The patients were followed up for 12 months. Time to, cause(s) of, and outcomes of readmission were followed up 1, 2 and 3 months postoperatively. BMI was followed up 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Results of blood tests were collected and patients' nutritional status and quality of life were assessed 12 months postoperatively. Nutritional status was evaluated by BMI, hemoglobin, albumin, and total lymphocyte count. Quality of life was evaluated using the European Organization for Research in the Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life scale. The higher the scores for global health and functional domains, the better the quality of life, whereas the higher the score in the symptom domain, the worse the quality of life. Results: The study cohort comprised 259 patients with gastric cancer, all of whom were followed up for 3 months and 236 of whom were followed up for 12 months. Forty-four (17.0%) patients were readmitted within 3 months. The commonest reasons for readmission were gastrointestinal dysfunction (16 cases, 36.3%), intestinal obstruction (8 cases, 18.2%), and anastomotic stenosis (8 cases, 18.2%). Logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment score ≥ 4 points (OR=1.481, 95% CI: 1.028‒2.132), postoperative complications (OR=3.298, 95%CI:1.416‒7.684) and resection range (OR=1.582, 95% CI:1.057‒2.369) were risk factors for readmission within 3 months of surgery. Compared with patients who had not been readmitted 12 months after surgery, patients who were readmitted within 3 months of surgery tended to have greater decreases in their BMI [-2.36 (-5.13,-0.42) kg/m2 vs. -1.73 (-3.33,-0.33) kg/m2, Z=1.850, P=0.065), significantly lower hemoglobin and albumin concentrations [(122.1±16.6) g/L vs. (129.8±18.4) g/L, t=2.400, P=0.017]; [(40.9±5.0) g/L vs. (43.4±3.3) g/L, t=3.950, P<0.001], and significantly decreased global health scores in the quality of life assessment [83 (67, 100) vs. 100 (83, 100), Z=2.890,P=0.004]. Conclusion: Preoperative nutritional risk, total or proximal radical gastrectomy, and complications during hospitalization are risk factors for readmission within 3 months of surgery for gastric cancer. Perioperative management and postoperative follow-up should be more rigorous. Readmission within 3 months after surgery may be associated with a decline in long-term nutritional status and quality of life. Achieving improvement in long-term nutritional status and quality of life requires tracking of nutritional status, timely evaluation, and appropriate interventions in patients who need readmission.

Diagnostic methods for peritoneal molecular residual disease in gastric cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer serving as the most frequent form of metastasis, is one of the leading causes of death. A portion of surgically treated patients often suffer from small peritoneal residual metastasis, which will lead to recurrence and metastasis of gastric cancer patients after surgery. Given these, the prevention and treatment of peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer deserves more attention. Molecular residual disease (MRD) refers to the molecular abnormalities of tumor origin that cannot be found by traditional imaging or other laboratory methods after treatment, but can be found by liquid biopsy, representing the possibility of tumor persistence or clinical progress. In recent years, the detection of MRD based on ctDNA has gradually become a research hotspot in the prevention and treatment of peritoneal metastasis. Our team established a new method for MRD molecular diagnosis of gastric cancer, and reviewed the research achievements in this field.

Prognosis and Related Factors of Patients with Pathological Complete Response after Neoadjuvant Therapy for Gastric Cancer / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To investigate the related factors of pathological complete response(pCR)of patients with gastric cancer treated by neoadjuvant therapy and resection,and to analyze the risk factors of prognosis. Methods The clinical and pathological data of 490 patients with gastric cancer who received neoadjuvant therapy followed by radical gastrectomy from January to December in 2008 were retrospectively analyzed.Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors affecting pCR and prognosis. Results Among the 490 patients,41 achieved pCR,and the overall pCR rate was 8.3%(41/490).The pCR rate was 16.0% in the neoadjuvant chemoradiation group and 6.4% in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group.The results of multivariate analysis showed that neoadjuvant chemoradiation(

Comparison of long-term outcomes between endoscopic submucosal dissection and surgical resection for early gastric cancer with undifferentiated histology / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of undifferentiated early gastric cancer (UD-EGC) remains controversial due to high positive rate of horizontal and vertical resection margins and the risk of lymph node metastasis. The purpose of this study was to compare long-term outcomes of patients with UD-EGC undergoing ESD versus surgery. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study. Inclusion criteria: (1) patients with early gastric cancer undergoing ESD or surgical resection; (2) histological types included poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, poorly differentiated adenocarcima with signet ring cell carcinoma, and signet ring cell carcinoma; (3) no lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis was confirmed by preoperative CT and endoscopic ultrasonography. Exclusion criteria: (1) previous surgical treatment for gastric cancer; (2) synchronous tumors; (3) death with unknown cause; (4) additional surgical treatment was performed within 1 month after ESD. According to the above criteria, clinical data of patients with UD-EGC who received ESD or surgery treatment in Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2009 to December 2016 were collected. After further comparing the clinical outcomes between the two groups by 1:1 propensity score matching, 61 patients in the ESD group and 61 patients in the surgery group were finally included in this study. The disease-free and overall survivals were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. Results: All patients in the two groups completed operations successfully. In the ESD group, the median operation time was 46.3 (26.5, 102.3) minutes, 61 cases (100%) were en-bloc resection, and 57 cases (93.4%) were complete resection. Positive margin was found in 4 (6.6%) patients, of whom 2 were positive in horizontal margin and 2 were positive both in horizontal and vertical margins. In the surgery group, only 1 case had positive horizontal margin and no positive vertical margin was observed. There was no significant difference in the positive rate of margin between the two groups (P>0.05). Median follow-up time was 59.8 (3.0, 131.5) months. The follow-up rate of ESD group and surgery group was 82.0% (50/61) and 95.1% (58/61), respectively. The 5-year disease-free survival rate in ESD group and surgery group was 98.2% and 96.7%, respectively (P=0.641), and the 5-year overall survival rate was 98.2% and 96.6%, respectively (P=0.680). In the ESD group, 1 patient (1.6%) had lymph node recurrence, without local recurrence or distant metastasis. In the surgery group, 1 case (1.6%) had anastomotic recurrence and 1 (1.6%) had distant metastasis. Conclusion: ESD has a sinilar long-term efficacy to surgery in the treatment of UD-EGC.

Postoperative complications and their influence on the prognosis factors in gastric cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant treatment / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To investigate postoperative complications of patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy followed by radical gastrectomy, and to analyze their influence on the prognosis. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was used. Case inclusion criteria: (1) gastric adenocarcinoma confirmed by histopathology; (2) preoperative imaging examination showed no distant metastasis or peritoneal dissemination; (3) undergoing radical gastrectomy and D2 lymph node dissection after neoadjuvant therapy; (4) complete clinicopathological and follow-up data. According to the above criteria, clinical data of 490 gastric cancer patients who underwent radical gastrectomy in the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College from January 2008 to December 2018 were retrospectively collected, including 358 males and 132 females with mean age of (55.0±10.6) years. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens included SOX (S-1+ oxaliplatin, n=151), XELOX (capecitabine+oxaliplatin, n=155), FLOT (docetaxel+oxaliplatin+fluorouracil, n=66), and DOS (docetaxel+ oxaliplatin+S-1, n=68). Preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy was performed in 100 patients. SOX regimen was used for 2-4 cycles as induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy (3D IMRT+S-1). Postoperative complications were defined as surgery-related complications, mainly including hemorrhage, anastomotic leakage, obstruction, anastomotic stenosis, pulmonary infection, abdominal infection, etc. Postoperative complications were graded according to Clavien-Dindo classification. Log-rank test and Cox regression model were used for univanriate multivariate prognostic analysis, respectively. Results: A total of 101 complications ocaured after operation in 87 (17.8%) patients, including 29 cases of major complications (Clavien-Dindo III to V), and 58 cases of minor complications (Clavien-Dindo I to II). Multivariate analysis showed that age > 65 years (HR=3.077, 95% CI: 1.827-5.184, P<0.001) and total gastrectomy (HR=1.735, 95% CI: 1.069-2.814, P=0.026) were independent risk factors for postoperative complications in patients with gastric cancer undergoing neoadjuvant therapy and radical gastrectomy (both P<0.05). The follow-up period was 0.7 to 131.8 months (median 21.5 months), and the 5-year overall survival rate was 47.4%. The 5-year overall survival rates of the complication group (87 cases) and the non-complication group (403 cases) were 33.2% and 50.9%, respectively (P=0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age (HR=1.906, 95% CI: 1.248-2.913, P=0.003), ypTNM II to III stage (II stage: HR=5.853, 95% CI: 1.778-19.260, P=0.004; III stage: HR=10.800, 95% CI: 3.411-34.189, P<0.001), surgery time>3.5 h (HR=1.492, 95% CI: 1.095-2.033, P=0.011), total gastrectomy (HR=1.657, 95% CI: 1.216-2.257, P=0.001) and postoperative complications (HR=1.614, 95% CI: 1.125-2.315, P=0.009) were independent risk factors for prognosis, and postoperative adjuvant therapy (HR=0.578, 95% CI: 0.421-0.794, P=0.001) was an independent protective factor for prognosis. Conclusions: The occurrence of postoperative complications in gastric cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy is closely related to the age of the patients and the range of surgical resection. It is beneficial to improve the prognosis for these patients by paying more attention to the prevention of postoperative complications and the reinforcement of postoperative adjuvant therapy.

Risk factors associated with postoperative hospital stay after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a retrospective study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Postoperative hospital stay after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is relatively longer than after other gastrointestinal operations. The aim of the current study was to investigate the risk factors associated with prolonged hospital stay after PD.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Patients who had PD at the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between December 2008 and November 2012 were selected for this retrospective study. Clinical and pathological data were collected and analyzed. The primary outcome was postoperative length of stay. Normal discharge or recovery was defined as a postoperative hospital stay of no more than 10 days; otherwise it was defined as delayed discharge or recovery (including hospital death).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 152 patients were enrolled in the present study. Postoperative hospital stay was (19.7 ± 7.7) days (range 7-57). Of the 152 patients, 67 were discharged within the normal time and 85 had delayed discharge. Postoperative complications occurred in 62.5% (95/152), and the mortality rate was 3.29% (5/152). Multiple regression analysis showed that delayed discharge was significantly associated with postoperative complications (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 10.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.58-30.22), age (adjusted OR 4.09, 95% CI 1.16-14.39), body mass index (BMI) (adjusted OR 4.40, 95% CI 1.19-16.23), surgical procedure (adjusted OR 26.14, 95% CI 4.94-153.19), blood transfusion (adjusted OR 7.68, 95% CI 2.09-28.27), and fluid input (adjusted OR 3.47, 95% CI 1.24-11.57).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Postoperative complications increase the time to postoperative hospital discharge. The length of hospital stay after PD is also associated with age, BMI, blood transfusion, surgical procedure, and fluid input. Further studies with more patients are needed in future.</p>

Clinical analysis of 17 cases of gastric small cell carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the clinical data and prognosis of gastric small cell carcinoma (GSCC), summarize recent progress in diagnosis and therapy of this disease reported in the literature, and to provide the theoretical basis for its appropriate treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinicopathological data of 17 patients with pathologically confirmed GSCC, treated in our hospital between 1999 to 2012, were retrospectively reviewed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were 16 males and 1 female, ranged from 46 to 75 years (mean 64.6 years). The tumor was located in the gastric cardia in 13 cases, three in the gastric fundus, and one in the gastric body. All the 17 patients received surgery and 10 of them received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, one received preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Thirteen patients were followed up. Among them, two 1ived for 40 months all along, the other 3 cases died of recurrence and extensive metastasis in 6 month after operation. The median survival was 13.0 months. The median survival of the patients with and without lymph node metastasis were 42 months and 13 months, respectively. The median survival time of stage II and III patients were 24 months and 14 months, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>It is difficult to make a definite diagnosis before or during the operation for GSCC. Radical operation could be done according to other gastric cancers and lymph node dissection could be simplified. Postoperative chemotherapy with the same scheme as lung small cell carcinoma may help to improve the outcome and prolong the survival of the patients.</p>

Mismatch repair, minichromosome maintenance complex component 2, cyclin A, and transforming growth factor β receptor type II as prognostic factors for colorectal cancer: results of a 10-year prospective study using tissue microarray analysis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The expression of genes encoding a number of pathogenetic pathways involved in colorectal cancer could potentially act as prognostic markers. Large prospective studies are required to establish their relevance to disease prognosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We investigated the relevance of 19 markers in 790 patients enrolled in a large randomised trial of 5-fluorouracil using immunohistochemistry and chromogenic in situ hybridisation. The relationship between overall 10-year survival and marker status was assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Minichromosome maintenance complex component 2 (MCM2) and cyclin A were significantly associated with overall survival. Elevated MCM2 expression was associated with a better prognosis (HR = 0.63, 95%CI: 0.46 - 0.86). Cyclin A expression above the median predicted an improved patient prognosis (HR = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.53 - 0.95). For mismatch repair deficiency and transforming growth factor β receptor type II (TGFBRII) overexpression there was a borderline association with a poorer prognosis (HR = 0.69, 95%CI: 0.46 - 1.04 and HR = 2.11, 95%CI: 1.02 - 4.40, respectively). No apparent associations were found for other markers.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study identified cell proliferation and cyclin A expression as prognostic indicators of patient outcome in colorectal cancer.</p>

The role of slow-release 5-fluorouracil implantation in treatment of unresectable pancreatic cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the role of slow-release 5-fluorouracil implantation in treatment of unresectable pancreatic cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>85 cases of untreated patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) were randomized into two groups: Trial group: slow-release 5-fluorouracil implantation (50 patients) and control group (35 patients). Observing the objective tumor response, clinical benefit response, toxicity, complications and survival of patients of the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the trial group the overall response rate (PR + NC) was 76.0%, and the clinical benefit response rate was 52.0%. No toxicity was observed. Pancreatic fistula occurred in 2 patients. The median survival time of the two groups was 9.0 months and 4.0 months, respectively. The survival rates of 6- and 12-month were 56.8% vs. 31.4% and 22.9% vs. 2.9% in the two groups, respectively (P = 0.012).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Slow-release 5-fluorouracil implantation is a simple, safe and effective method in treatment of LAPC.</p>

Multivariate analysis of risk factors of lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinicopathological factors affecting lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer(EGC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinicopathological data of 369 patients with EGC from Jan. 1999 to Jun. 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. Multivariate analysis was performed to find the risk factors affecting lymph node metastasis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The age, gender, tumor size, invasion depth, histological classification and vascular cancer thrombosis were associated with lymph node metastasis. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size and depth of invasion were main independent risk factors.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The main independent risk factors affecting lymph node metastasis in EGC are tumor size and invasion depth. The gender, vascular cancer thrombosis, tumor size, invasion depth and histological classification should be considered to establish the surgical program.</p>

Significance of positive ductal margin and prognostic factors of surgical resection in middle and distal bile duct carcinoma / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To discuss the significance of a positive ductal margin and evaluate the prognostic factors related to surgical resection for middle and distal bile duct carcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective clinicopathological analysis of 79 patients who had undergone surgical resection for middle or distal bile ductal cancer between January 1990 and December 2006 was conducted. The surgical procedures consisted of pancreatoduodenectomy in 46 patients, bile duct resection in 25 patients, bile duct resection plus hepatectomy in 6 patients, and bile duct resection with partial resection of portal vein in 2 patients. In 74 patients, 5 patients were excluded because they died after surgery without being discharged from the hospital, 15 clinicopathologic factors were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The overall 5-year survival rate and the median survival time was 30.7% and 36 months, respectively. Sixteen of 74 patients (20.3%) were determined to have positive ductal margins on the final pathological examination. As a result, hepatic-side ductal margin, duodenal-side ductal margin and both was found to be positive in 6, 3 and 2 patients, respectively. Five patients had positive radial margins. The 5-year survival rate was 34.4% in 58 patients without microscopic residual disease (R0), and 15.5% in 16 patients with microscopic residual tumor (R1). The ductal recurrence rate of 16 patients with R1 resection was higher than 58 patients with R0 resection (62.5% vs. 17.2%, chi(2) = 13.024, P < 0.01). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were better in the patients with R0 (92.5%, 56.7%, and 34.4%, respectively) than those in the patients with R1 resection (75.0%, 23.2%, and 15.5%, respectively) (P < 0.05). Twelve patients received postoperative adjuvant therapy. The 5-year survival rate was not significantly different between patients with postoperative adjuvant therapy and those without (18.2% vs. 31.8%, P = 0.221). The preoperative serum level of hemoglobin, pathological differentiation grade, the depth of neoplastic invasion, lymph node metastasis, R1 resection, and TNM stage were significant prognostic factors on the univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis and R1 resection were the independent prognostic factors.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In the treatment of middle and distal bile duct cancer, radical resection should be made to obtain a tumor-free margin. An aggressive surgical approach may improve the survival for middle bile duct cancer. Adjuvant therapy needs to be further developed.</p>

Surgical treatment and prognosis of primary duodenal carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinicopathological features, surgical treatment and prognosis of primary carcinoma of the duodenum.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinicopathological data of 86 patients with primary duodenal carcinoma from January 1996 to June 2007 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed by SPSS 13.0.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The clinical manifestation includes upper abdominal pain, jaundice, anemia, gastrointestinal obstruction, melena and weight loss. Four patients had a tumor located in the first portion of the duodenum, 66 in the second portion, 12 in the third portion and 4 in the fourth portion. The preoperative correct diagnostic rate by BUS was 41.7%, by CT 69.4%, by MRI 75.0%, by duodenal endoscopy 84.0%, and by air barium double radiography 80.9%. Complete resection of the tumors was achieved in 38 patients, palliative resection in 45 cases, and exploration alone in 3 cases. The median survival time of the group with complete resection was 42 months versus 13 months in the group with palliative resection, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Primary carcinoma of the duodenum has no specific symptoms. Early diagnosis and complete resection are effective to improve prognosis.</p>

Application of tru-cut biopsy combined with fine needle aspiration biopsy in the intraoperative pathological diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the method and value of tru-cut biopsy (TCB) combined with fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in the pathological diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma during operation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From April 2007 to October 2008, 22 cases who were suspected to suffer from pancreatic carcinoma were enrolled into this prospective study. All of them underwent a tru-cut biopsy combined with fine needle aspiration biopsy for the pathological diagnosis during operation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 22 patients, 20 were finally diagnosed as having pancreatic carcinoma, while 2 having pancreatitis. The diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma was confirmed in 19 by tru-cut biopsy combined with fine needle aspiration biopsy, while other 3 cases were not confirmed as pancreatic carcinoma. Among those 3 cases, one was diagnosed as having pancreatic carcinoma with hepatic metastasis by liver nodular biopsy, one as suffering from autoimmune pancreatitis, and another case as having chronic pancreatitis confirmed by follow-up for 9 months without any changes after the operation. The accuracy of FNA, TCB and FNA combined with TCB in the diagnosis for suspected pancreatic cancer were 86.4%, 90.9%, and 95.5%, respectively. No pancreatic fistula and bleeding developed after operation.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Tru-cut biopsy is more accurate in diagnosis for the suspected pancreatic cancer than fine needle aspiration biopsy during operation. Tru-cut biopsy combined with fine needle aspiration biopsy can improve the accuracy of diagnosis, and is a safe and effective diagnostic method.</p>

Prognostic factors for elderly patients with pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary tumor / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To analyze the prognostic factors for elderly patients with pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary tumor.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective analysis of the prognostic factors for the mortality rate was made in 127 elderly patients within 30 days of pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary tumor from January 1985 to November 2006 Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, t-test were used.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The prognostic factors for the first-month mortality rate in elderly patients with pancreaticoduodenectomy included time length of the operation, operative hemorrhage, postoperative hemorrhage, pulmonary infection, and postoperative TP.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>An overall consideration should be paid to the factors that affect the prognosis of elderly patients with pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary tumor during the perioperative period. The security of the patients can be promoted by controlling these prognostic factors.</p>

Value of intraoperative fine-needle aspiration cytology and histopathologic biopsy in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical value of intraoperative aspiration cytology and histopathologic biopsy in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>142 patients with suspected pancreatic carcinoma underwent surgical exploration and the data were retrospectively analyzed. Chi-square test (chi2) was used to compare the accuracy between fine-needle aspiration cytology and histopathologic biopsy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 192 patients with suspected pancreatic carcinoma, 80 were confirmed by histological biopsy and 87 by fine-needle aspiration cytology, with an accuracy rate of 83.8% and 93.1%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between these two groups (P = 0.027). No perioperative surgical complication was observed in this series.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Intraoperative aspiration cytology and histopathologic biopsy was safe and helpful with a high accuracy for the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma.</p>

Surgical management for carcinoma of the gallbladder: a single-institution experience in 25 years / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Gallbladder carcinoma is rare and associated with dismal outcomes. Radical surgery is the only curative treatment, and options for adjuvant therapy remain limited. This study aimed to determine the factors influencing outcome of treatment in patients with gallbladder carcinoma, and to identify the patients who might benefit from radical surgery and adjuvant therapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Medical records and follow-up histories of 150 patients with gallbladder carcinoma who had undergone surgery between April 1980 and December 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. The factors predictive for the survival of the patients were identified using multivariate analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Surgery for gallbladder cancer was associated with an overall 5-year survival rate of 26.2%. After curative resection (40% of the patients), the 5-year survival rate was 60.3%. The patients who underwent R0 resection had a significantly longer median survival (97.3 months) than those who had R1/R2 resection (8.3 months) or only laparotomy (3.7 months) (P < 0.0001). Univariate analysis showed that resectability, American Joint Committee on Cancer staging, tumor grade, adjuvant therapy, jaundice at presentation, depth of tumor invasion, lymph node involvement, distant metastasis, and carcinoembryonic antigen level were statistically significant predictors for survival. Multivariate analysis revealed American Joint Committee on Cancer staging and resectability were independent prognostic factors for survival. The patients who underwent noncurative resection might benefit from adjuvant therapy (median survival, 12.4 months vs 7.2 months, P = 0.006).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Favorable survival rate can be achieved after curative resection, even for selected patients with advanced disease. Adjuvant therapy may improve the survival of patients with gallbladder carcinoma.</p>

The value of thin-layer cytology in intraoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsy of pancreatic cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The purpose of this study was to explore the value of thin-layer cytology (TLC) in intraoperative fine needle aspiration cytology diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Results of cytological examination with thin-layer smears were compared with that with conventional smears in intraoperative fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Totally 271 fine needle aspiration biopsies were performed, among them, 70 were examined with thin-layer smears, showing unsatisfactory smear in 5 cases (7.1%); 201 were examined with conventional smears (CS), showing unsatisfactory smear in 9 cases (4.5%). No significant difference in the unsatisfactory smears was observed between those two groups. The positive rate of diagnosis with CS smears was 60.0% (42/70) and that of TLC was 81.6% (164/201), with a significant difference (P < 0.01). The sensitivity of CS and TLC was 68.9% and 87.7%, respectively (P < 0.01). The sensitivity of both FNA and frozen section diagnosis in 20 cases was 90.0%, respectively, but that of FNA combined with frozen section diagnosis was 95.0%. 9 cancer cases diagnosed by pathology were initially negative by cytology, but adenocarcinoma cells were found in 7 cases of them by the second time cytology examination.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The positive rate is high in TLC smears, and unsatisfactory rate is low. TLC smears are one of the best methods in intraoperative confirmation of pancreatic cancer. The use of FNA smears combined with frozen section biopsy can further improve the sensitivity of diagnosis.</p>

Prognostic implication of common bile duct infiltration in adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater after pancreaticoduodenectomy / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prognostic implication of common bile duct infiltration in the adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater after panreaticoduodenectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective study was conducted on clinical manifestation, pathological behavior and survival data in 102 patients with Vater's ampulla adenocarcinoma, who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy from Jan 1980 to Dec 2003. The result of patients with the common bile duct infiltration were compared with that of those without.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were 42 cases in stage I (41.2%), 32 in stage II (31.3%), 27 in stage III (26.5%), and 1 in stage IV (1.0%). As for T stage: 9 cases in stage T1 (8.8%), 40 in T2 (39.2%), 25 in T3 (24.5%), and 28 in T4 (27.5%). As regarding to N stage: 76 cases in stage N0 (74.5%) and 26 in N1 (25.5%). Of these 102 cases, microscopic infiltration in the common bile duct (25.0%) was identified in 26 cases. A significant difference was observed between the patients with bile duct infiltration and those without, in the proportion of pancreatic medullae infiltration: 84.6% (infiltration group) versus 34.2% (non-infiltration group, P < 0.001). Twenty-five cases (24.5%) had recurrence and/or metastases postoperatively, with a median survival of 20 months (range, 2 to 93 months). The overall median survival of the whole group was 46.0 months (2 approximately 192 months), with a significant difference between the common bile duct infiltration group (36 months) and the non-infiltration group (49 months, P = 0.0061). The median non-recurrence survival of the whole group was 43 months (2 approximately 192 months), and a significant difference was observed between the common bile duct infiltration group (35 months) and non-infiltration group (47 months, P = 0.0002).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>If the adenocarcinoma of the Vater's ampulla infiltrated the common bile duct, the invasion to the pancreatic medulla is likely developed, and usually with a poor non-recurrence and overall survival. Therefore, postoperative chemotherapy/radiotherapy is suggested.</p>

Analysis of factors influencing recurrence and metastasis following curative resection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the factors influencing recurrence and metastasis following curative resection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and analyze the prognosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinicopathological and follow-up data of 56 patients who underwent curative resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma between Jan. 1997 and Dec. 2006 in this hospital were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The recurrence rate after curative resection was 73.2% (41/56). The recurrence rate after operation at the time of 3 months, half year, 1 year and 2 years was 26.8% (15/56), 51.8% (29/56), 64.3% (36/56) and 69.6% (39/56), respectively. Hepatic metastasis and local recurrence accounted for 36.6% and 31.7% of the cases, respectively. The 3-year accumulated survival of this group was 22.7%. The symptom presenting time, back pain, preoperative level of CA19-9, tumor size, AJCC stage and T stage were correlated with metastasis/recurrence. Univariate analysis revealed that the preoperative level of CA19-9, T stage and the tumor size were prognostic factors. Cox regression analysis revealed that only tumor size was an independent prognostic factor.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The metastasis or recurrence mostly occurs within 2 years after curative resection, and the liver is the most common site of metastasis. High recurrence rate is the major reason causing the failure of curative resection and short survival time after operation. The symptom presenting time, back pain, preoperative level of CA19-9, tumor size, AJCC stage and T stage are correlated with metastasis/recurrence. The tumor size is an independent prognostic factor.</p>

In vivo effect of annexin I down-regulation on the growth of human pancreatic cancer in nude mice / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To further explore the effect of annexin I on the tumor growth of human pancreatic cancer in nude mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>To knock down the expression of annexin I in pancreatic carcinoma cells by RNAi. A nude mouse model of human pancreatic cancer was established by subcutaneous inoculation of human pancreatic cancer cell line Suit-II cells. The effect of annexin I on tumor growth was assessed by tumor growth curve and tumor weight records, and Westen blot and flow cytometry were used to examine the expression of annexin I after annexin I-knocking down.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The results of Western blot revealed that the expression of annexin I was significantly decreased in Suit-II cells transfected with pSilencer-annexin I-siRNA1, and almost completely inhibited in the cells transfected with pSilencer-annexin I-siRNA2 and pSilencer-annexin I-siRNA3. The growth of tumors transfected with annexin I-siRNA2 and annexin I-siRNA3 was inhibited by 76.6% and 68.4%, respectively, in comparison with that of tumor from the parent Suit-II cells. At 44 days after tumor cell inoculation, the tumor weight was 0.8987 g (transfected with annexin I-siRNA2) and 0.8992 g (transfected with annexin I-siRNA3), significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that of tumor from parent Suit-II cells (2.5866 g) and transfected with annexin I-siRNAN (2.4070 g).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>annexin I promotes the growth and proliferation of pancreatic carcinoma cells in vivo and increases the ability of tumor formation in nude mice. The results of this study support that annexin I may become a potential target in gene therapy for this disease.</p>