Optimal timing of portal vein embolization (PVE) after preoperative biliary drainage for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) followed by portal vein embolization (PVE) has increased the chance of resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (CCC). We aim to identify the optimal timing of PVE after PBD in patients undergoing hepatectomy for hilar CCC. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 64 patients who underwent hepatectomy after PBD and PVE for hilar CCC. The patients were classified into 3 groups: Group 1 (PBD-PVE interval ≤7 days), Group2 (8-14 days) and Group 3 (>14 days). The primary end points were 90 days mortality and grade B/C posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in primary end points between three groups. A marginally significant difference was found in the incidence of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥3 complications and wound infection (57.1% vs 38.1% vs 72.4%, p = 0.053 and 21.4% vs 38.1% vs 55.2%, p = 0.099). In multivariable analysis, Bismuth type IIIb or IV was independent risk factors for grade B/C PHLF (HR: 4.782, 95% CI 1.365-16.759, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Considering that the PBD-PVE interval did not affect PHLF, and the surgical complications increased as the interval increases, PVE as early as possible after PBD would be beneficial.

The diagnostic and prognostic values of inflammatory markers in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm.

BACKGROUND: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) is an broad-spectrum disease from benign to malignant. Inflammatory markers are known as prognostic predictors in various diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive value of inflammatory markers for prognosis in IPMN. METHODS: From April 1995 to December 2016, patients who underwent pancreatectomy with pathologically confirmed IPMN at four tertiary centers were enrolled. Patients with a history of pancreatitis or cholangitis, and other malignancies were excluded. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) were calculated. RESULTS: Of all, ninety-eight patients (26.8%) were diagnosed as invasive IPMN. The NLR and PLR were significantly elevated in invasive IPMN than in non-invasive disease (2.0 vs 1.8, p = 0.004; 117.1 vs 107.4, p = 0.009, respectively). ALI was significantly higher in non-invasive IPMN than in invasive disease (58.1 vs 45.9, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, only NLR showed significant association among the inflammatory markers studied (p = 0.044). In invasive IPMN, the five-year recurrence-free survival rate for NLR less than 3.5 was superior to the rest (59.1 vs 42.2, p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: NLR may help to rightly select IPMN patients who will require surgery and may serve as a useful prognostic factor.

The effects of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity after pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with pancreatic head cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recently, several studies have reported that sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity (SO) could worsen postoperative complications after PD. This study aims to evaluate the effects of preoperative sarcopenia and SO following PD in pancreatic head cancer (PHD). METHODS: Preoperative sarcopenia and SO were assessed in 548 patients undergoing PD for PHC at Samsung Medical Centre between 2007 and 2016. The visceral adipose tissue-to-skeletal muscle ratio was calculated from cross-sectional visceral fat and muscle areas on preoperative CT images. The overall survival (OS) and rate of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) among postoperative complications were extracted from prospectively maintained databases. RESULTS: Preoperative sarcopenia was present in 252 patients (45.9%). The 5-year survival rates of patients with non-sarcopenia and sarcopenia were 28.4% and 23.4% (p = 0.046). Preoperative SO was present in 202 patients (36.9%). After multivariable analysis, the presence of SO was the only independent risk factor for CR-POPF (p = 0.018). CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia can be a risk factor affecting decreased OS after PD in patients with PHC. SO is the only predictive factor for CR-POPF after PD in patients with PHC. More observational studies are needed to evaluate the effects of sarcopenia and SO on survival after PD.

Neoadjuvant therapy versus upfront surgery for borderline-resectable pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant therapy is recommended for patients with borderline-resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC). In this study, we compare survival outcomes of neoadjuvant therapy with upfront surgery. METHODS: From January 2011 to June 2016, 1415 patients underwent treatments for pancreatic cancer in Samsung Medical Center. Among them, 112 (7.9%) patients were categorized as BRPC by the NCCN 2016 guideline. They were classified by type of initial treatments into neoadjuvant group (NA, N.=26) and upfront surgery group (US, N.=86). RESULTS: The median survival duration of all patients was 18.3 months. Patients in the NA group had more T4 disease than those in the US group (38.5% in NA versus 15.1% in the US group; P=0.010). Arterial involvement was more frequent in the NA group (42.3% versus 15.1%; P=0.003). In the NA group, ten (38.5%) patients underwent surgery, and seven of them had complete R0 resection. In the US group, 83 (96.5%) patients received radical surgery, and 42 (48.8%) had R0 resection. In survival analysis according to intent to treat, the overall two-year survival rate was 51.1% in the US group and 36.7% in the NA group (P=0.001). However, among patients who underwent surgery (N.=96), the two-year overall survival rate was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.089). According to involved vessels, the survival rate was not different between patients with arterial or both arterial and venous involvement and in patients with only venous involvement (P=0.649). CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to demonstrate the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy and to standardize the regimens through large-scale, multicenter, randomized controlled studies.

Nomogram for predicting postoperative pancreatic fistula.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies analyzed risk factors for postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) and developed risk prediction tool using scoring system. However, no study has built a nomogram based on individual risk factors. This study aimed to evaluate individual risks of POPF and propose a nomogram for predicting POPF. METHODS: From 2007 to 2016, medical records of 1771 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenctomy were reviewed retrospectively. Variables with p < 0.05 in multivariate logistic regression analysis were included in the nomogram. Internal performance validation was executed using a repeated cross validation method. RESULTS: Of 1771 patients, 222 (12.5%) experienced POPF. In multivariable analysis, sex (p = 0.004), body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001), ASA score (p = 0.039), preoperative albumin (p = 0.035), pancreatic duct diameter (p = 0.002), and location of tumor (p < 0.001) were identified as independent predictors for POPF. Based on these six variables, a POPF nomogram was developed. The area under the curve (AUC) estimated from the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) graph was 0.709 in the train set and 0.652 in the test set. CONCLUSIONS: A POPF nomogram was developed. This nomogram may be useful for selecting patients who need more intensified therapy and establishing customized treatment strategy.

Long-term outcome of portomesenteric vein invasion and prognostic factors in pancreas head adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to clarify the post-operative prognosis of pancreatic head cancer with pathologic portal vein (PV) or superior mesenteric vein (SMV) invasion. METHODS: From May 1995 to December 2009, preoperative, intra-operative and post-operative data from 276 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were reviewed retrospectively. The long-term prognosis was compared between patients with a pathologic PV-SMV invasion and those without invasion. RESULTS: Fourty-six patients (16.7%) underwent PV-SMV resection during pancreaticoduodenectomy. Pathologic PV-SMV invasion was observed in 30 (65.2%). Post-operative severe morbidity (grade 3 or 4) was similar for patients with and without PV-SMV resection (8.7% with versus 7.0% without P = 0.754). The mortality rate was 2.2% with PV-SMV resection and 0.9% without PV-SMV resection (P = 0.423). Survival of PV-SMV resection and no resection group had no significant difference (median survival, 16 versus 12 months; P = 0.086). No significant difference in overall survival was seen between patients with and without pathologic PV-SMV invasion (median survival, 13 versus 16 months; P = 0.663). Tumour differentiation, R status, tumour size and type of operation were revealed as independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: 34.8% of patients who underwent PV-SMV resection had no pathologic invasion. And PV-SMV resection did not increase the rate of severe complications and mortality. Furthermore, the prognosis for patients with pathologic PV-SMV invasion may be nearly the same as patients with no invasion. So, PV-SMV resection with reconstruction should be considered in pancreatic head cancer patients with suspected PV-SMV invasion.

Localization and surgical treatment of the pancreatic insulinomas.

OBJECTIVES: Insulinomas are rare tumours that originate from the islet cells of the pancreas. The aims of this study were to gain an understanding of the clinical features of insulinomas and to establish the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. METHODS: A review was carried out in 20 patients with insulinoma surgically treated in our institution over the last 10 years. Presenting symptoms, biochemical studies, preoperative and intraoperative localization studies, operative management and complications were analysed. RESULTS: The male-to-female ratio was 8:12, with a mean age of 46.4 years. Each patient suffered from significant neuroglycopenic symptoms, usually manifested by dizziness, sweating, headache and confusion. The preoperative median serum levels of glucose, insulin and C-peptide at the termination of the fast were 37.5 mg/dL, 23.5 microU/mL, 5.6 ng/mL, respectively. Preoperative tumour localization was achieved by means of ultrasonography (US), computed tomography, selective angiography or intra-arterial calcium injection with hepatic venous sampling, and sensitivities of these examinations were 81.8, 73.7, 94.1 and 100%, respectively. Intraoperative localization was carried out by a combination of manual palpation and intraoperative US with retrospective sensitivities of 80 and 100%, respectively. Enucleation was carried out in 16 patients and distal pancreatectomy in 4. The mortality and morbidity rates were 0 and 10%, respectively. One patient developed late diabetes mellitus type 1 after distal pancreatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the diagnosis of insulinoma can be made on the basis of the results of a supervised fast, careful palpation with intraoperative US is essential for intraoperative detection of insulinomas and surgical resection is the best choice for treatment of benign insulinomas.