Efficacy of jejunostomy combined with Ivor-Lewis or McKeown operation in the treatment of middle and lower esophageal cancer: A retrospective cohort study / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To investigate the effect of jejunostomy combined with Ivor-Lewis or McKeown operation on the treatment of middle and lower esophageal cancer. Methods    The clinical data of 127 patients with middle and lower esophageal cancer admitted to our hospital from June 2018 to October 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, including 89 males and 38 females, aged 62.82±8.65 years. The patients were divided into an Ivor-Lewis group (IL group, 72 patients) and a McKeown group (MK group, 55 patients) according to surgical methods. Patients in the IL group received jejunostomy combined with Ivor-Lewis operation, and patients in the MK group received jejunostomy combined with McKeown operation. The operation time, postoperative bedside electrical impedance tomography (EIT) parameters, postoperative inflammatory factor levels, postoperative complications and rehabilitation of the two groups were compared. Results    The operation time (262.65±49.78 min vs. 303.04±60.13 min), postoperative eating time (10.54±2.22 d vs. 11.47±2.49 d) and postoperative hospital stay (14.78±2.47 d vs.15.72±2.36 d) in the IL group were significantly shorter than those in the MK group (P<0.05). The blood loss (156.13±52.43 mL vs. 158.87±48.47 mL) and the number of lymph node dissection (29.47±8.88 vs. 30.17±9.80) in the IL group were less than those in the MK group, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The repeated measurement analysis of variance showed that the time point could significantly affect tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-8 levels (Ftime point=520.543, 272.379, 147.688, all P<0.05), but the surgical methods and the interactive effect of time point and surgical methods did not affect the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 (P>0.05). Postoperative bedside EIT image parameters were statistically different on the postoperative 1 d, 3 d, 5 d and 7 d between the two groups (P<0.05). Compared with the MK group, the incidences of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, arrhythmia, pulmonary infection and atelectasis, anastomotic leakage, gastric wall necrosis and stump fistula, secondary thoracotomy and abdominal hemostasis, and intestinal obstruction were lower, but the differences were not statistically different (P>0.05). The recurrence rate of patients in the IL group within 6 months was lower than that in the MK group, but the difference was not statistically significant (8.33% vs. 9.09%, P>0.05). Conclusion    Jejunostomy combined with Ivor-Lewis or McKeown surgery have equivalent effects on patients with middle and lower esophageal cancer.

Comparison of International Guidelines on the Accompanying Therapy for Advanced Gastric Cancer: Reasons for the Differences

The purpose of this study was to determine if international guidelines differ in their recommendations concerning additive therapy for advanced, but potentially curable, gastric cancer. A systematic search of the English and German literature was conducted in the databases Medline, Cochrane Database, Embase, and PubMed. The search terms used were 'guidelines gastric cancer,' 'guidelines stomach cancer,' and 'Leitlinien Magenkarzinom.' Six different guidelines published after January 1, 2010, in which the tumors were classified according to the seventh edition of the TNM system (2010), were identified. Although the examined guidelines were based on the same study results, their recommendations concerning accompanying therapy for gastric cancer differ considerably. While perioperative chemotherapy is recommended in Germany, Great Britain, and large parts of Europe, postoperative adjuvant radiochemotherapy or perioperative chemotherapy is recommended in the USA and Canada. In Japan, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended.The results of identical studies were interpreted differently in different countries. Since considerable effort is required for each country to separately test relevant studies for their validity and suitability, an international cooperation could simplify the creation of a common basis for guidelines and contribute to improved comparability of international guidelines.

Can Perioperative Chemotherapy for Advanced Gastric Cancer Be Recommended on the Basis of Current Research? A Critical Analysis

PURPOSE: According to current guidelines, perioperative chemotherapy is an integral part of the treatment strategy for advanced gastric cancer. Randomized controlled studies have been conducted in order to determine whether perioperative chemotherapy leads to improved R0 resection rates, fewer recurrences, and prolonged survival. The aim of our project was to critically appraise three major studies to establish whether perioperative chemotherapy for advanced, potentially resectable gastric cancer can be recommended on the basis of their findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the validity of the three most important studies (MAGIC, ACCORD, and EORTC) using a standardized questionnaire. Each study was evaluated for the study design, patient selection, randomization, changes in protocol, participating clinics, preoperative staging, chemotherapy, homogeneity of subjects, surgical quality, analysis of the results, and recruitment period. RESULTS: All three studies had serious shortcomings with respect to patient selection, homogeneity of subjects, changes in protocol, surgical quality, and analysis of the results. The protocols of the MAGIC and ACCORD-studies were changed during the study period because of insufficient recruitment, such that carcinomas of the lower esophagus and the stomach were examined collectively. In neither the MAGIC study nor the ACCORD study did patients undergo adequate lymphadenectomy, and only about half of the patients in the chemotherapy group could undergo the treatment specified in the protocol. The EORTC study had insufficient statistical power. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that none of the three studies was sufficiently robust to justify an unrestrained recommendation for perioperative chemotherapy in cases of advanced gastric cancer.