Lipomatous pancreas facilitates late onset of renal cell carcinoma metastases.

BACKGROUND: Late metastasizing into pancreatic tissue is a special hallmark of renal cell carcinomas (RCC). A very low prevalence leads to scarce data about therapy, prognosis and spreading pathways. The aim of the study was to analyze whether a high fat content in the pancreas facilitates RCC metastases formation. A model for density measurement of pancreatic tissue has been developed and evaluated. Pancreatic fat content was measured comparing Hounsfield units (HU) of CT scans. METHODS: In a consecutive single centre retrospective database of 3600 patients with pancreatic resections, only 12 patients (0.3%) cases of RCC metastases in the pancreas were found. HU were measured in 3 pancreatic regions: head, body and tail in patients' CT scans. HU values were compared to a control population and results aligned with recent literature. RESULTS: We revealed a prevalence of pancreatic metastases of RCC in 0.3% of cases. The formation of RCC in the pancreas occurred within 14 ± 5.6 years after initial diagnosis of RCC. 83.3% of the patients were alive after a follow-up period of up to 48 months. Clinical data analysis revealed an affinity for metastatic formation to lipomatous pancreas. This could be objectivized by HU analysis in CT scans. CONCLUSION: Pancreatic metastases occur late after the first diagnosis of renal carcinoma and show an affinity for lipomatous pancreatic tissues. Due to its rarity in occurrence, multicentric studies are highly recommended to further analyze this correlation between fatty pancreas and RCC.

Impact of drains on nausea and vomiting after thyroid and parathyroid surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Nausea and vomiting are common side effects following thyroid and parathyroid surgery. In a prospective controlled randomized trial, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and the number of episodes of vomiting were defined as two primary endpoints. We analysed whether the placement of drains after thyroid or parathyroid surgery enhances PONV and/or influences vomiting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From November 2007 to January 2012, 136 consecutive patients were included for thyroid or parathyroid surgery and were randomly assigned to group A (drain, n = 69) or group B (no drain, n = 67). PONV was assessed with visual analogue scale (VAS; range 0 to 10) measurements. Furthermore, episodes of vomiting as well as analgetic and antiemetic therapies were recorded. Difference in neck circumference was compared pre- and postoperatively. RESULTS: Patients' characteristics did not differ between group A and B. Postoperative VAS values for pain were 2.4 ± 0.3 (group A) and 2.6 ± 0.2 (group B) (p = 0.62), and for nausea 1.4 ± 0.2 (group A) and 1.1 ± 0.2 (group B) (p = 0.57). The relative occurrences of episodes for postoperative vomiting were equal in both groups 0.3 ± 0.1 (p = 1.0). Antiemetic drugs were administered 37 times (group A) and 18 times (group B) (p = 0.099). The total number of treatments of patients with antiemetic drugs was 23 (33.3%) in group A vs. 13 (19.4%) in group B (p = 0.081). The neck circumference postoperatively was significantly larger in group B (p = 0.0025). CONCLUSIONS: Drains after surgery do not enhance postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting. The placement of drains in thyroid surgery is recommended to avoid relevant fluid collection. Drains however may influence the amount of antiemetic drug requirements. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS. GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT01679418.

An audit of outcomes of a series of periampullary carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Non-pancreatic periampullary carcinoma such as ampullary carcinoma (AmpCA), distal cholangiocellular carcinoma (CholCA) and duodenal carcinoma (DuoCA) have a better prognosis than pancreatic head adenocarcinoma (PanCA). This study describes the outcome and parameters, which predict survival of non-pancreatic periampullary carcinoma after resection. METHODS AND PATIENTS: Data from 148 consecutive patients with non-pancreatic periampullary carcinomas were recorded prospectively between 1993 and 2005 and analyzed using univariate and multivariate models. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-three of 148 (90%) patients were resected for histologically proven non-pancreatic periampullary carcinomas. R0 resection was achieved for 92% of AmpCA, for 88% of CholCA and for all the DuoCA. The lowest recurrence rate was seen in DuoCA with 18%, followed by AmpCA with 21% and CholCA with 46%. The mean survival time was 60.9 months for AmpCA patients, 42.9 months for CholCA and 45.4 months for DuoCA patients. Five-year survival was 50.5%, 29.9% and 24.5% for AmpCA, CholCA and DuoCA, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified low bilirubin levels (<100 micromol/l), R0 resections and absence of surgical complications to be strong independent predictors of survival (p<0.05). In AmpCA low tumor stages are also an independent predictor of long-term survival (p<0.01). For T1/T2 AmpCA the 5-year survival rate was 61%, whereas none of the patients with a T3/T4 tumor survived 5 years. CONCLUSION: Only T1/T2 ampullary carcinomas have a good prognosis, whereas T3/T4 ampullary tumors show aggressiveness similar to that of pancreatic head adenocarcinomas. Absence of surgical complications determines long-term outcome. Therefore, the combination of a complication-free and radical resection is essential for long-term survival.