Clinical and pathologic prognostic factors for curative resection for pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Operative resection is the only therapeutic option with curative potential for this disease. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to correlate clinical and pathologic parameters with survival in patients submitted to pancreatic resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Surgical resection with curative intent (R0 and R1 resections) was performed in 65 pancreatic cancer patients between 1990 and 2006. The overall results of surgical treatment were retrospectively analyzed and compared with the clinicopathologic features of these patients. RESULTS: Pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy was performed in 37 patients (56.9%), classic resection in 35.4%, distal pancreatectomy in 4.6% and total pancreatectomy in 3.6%. The inhospital mortality was 5% (three patients). Postoperative complications occurred in 28 patients (43%). Mean survival and five-year survival rate after curative resection were 27 months and 9.0%, respectively. Sex, TNM stage, tumor differentiation, neural invasion, tumor size and involvement of resection margin were significant prognostic factors on univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed tumor differentiation and neural invasion as prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Patients with pancreatic cancer, even those with poor prognostic factors should be given the opportunity of surgical resection with curative intent.

Surgical and interventional treatment of chronic pancreatitis.

The management of patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) remains a challenging problem. Main indications for surgery are intractable pain, suspicion of malignancy, and involvement of adjacent organs. The main goal of surgical treatment is improvement of patient quality of life. The surgical treatment approach usually involves proximal pancreatic resection, but lateral pancreaticojejunal drainage may be used for large-duct disease. The newer duodenum-preserving head resections of Beger and Frey provide good pain control and preservation of pancreatic function. Thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy and the endoscopic approach await confirmatory trials to confirm their efficiency in the management of CP. Common bile duct obstruction is addressed by distal Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy but when combined with dudodenal obstruction must be treated by pancreatic head resection. Pancreatic ascites due to disrupted pancreatic duct should be treated by internal drainage. The approach to CP is multidisciplinary, tailoring the various therapeutic options to meet each individual patient's needs.

Radial endoscopic ultrasound and spiral computed tomography in the diagnosis and staging of periampullary tumors.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The early detection and accurate staging of pancreatic and ampullary cancer is of utmost importance for the achievement of surgical radical treatment. The aim of this study was to assess prospectively the role of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in detection and staging of pancreatic and ampullary cancer, comparing its results to those obtained with spiral computed tomography (SCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-one patients with suspected pancreatic and ampullary tumors were included, 46 (75, 4%) of whom presented with obstructive jaundice. Patients underwent EUS and SCT within a 7-day period. Examiners were unaware of the previous imaging results, except conventional echography. Image interpretation was compared to surgical and histopathological findings. RESULTS: Fifty-six (91, 8%) patients were surgically explored. Clinical follow-up and/or tissue diagnosis determined the correct diagnosis in the remaining five patients. Pancreatic cancer and ampullary cancer were observed in 29 (47, 6%) and 10 (16, 4%) patients, respectively. Chronic pancreatitis and choledocholithiasis were the most common diagnosis in patients with non-neoplastic disease. EUS was more effective than SCT for the definition of the final diagnosis in patients with obstructive jaundice (87.0 vs. 67.4%, p = 0.04). Both exams were equally effective for detecting pancreatic cancer but EUS predicted more accurately the involvement of portal-mesenteric axis by the tumor (87.0 vs. 67.4%, p = 0.04). EUS was particularly useful in the diagnosis of cancer of papilla of Vater. CONCLUSION: In patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma without unequivocal signs of distant metastatic disease, EUS is more accurate than SCT to predict venous involvement by the tumor. EUS is superior to SCT to detect ampullary adenocarcinoma. Both methods are equally ineffective to detect nodal involvement in pancreatic and ampullary cancer.

Tratamento cirúrgico dos insulinomas: estudo de 59 casos / Surgical treatment of insulinoma: study of 59 cases

Após a confirmaçao clínica e laboratorial de hiperinsulinismo, o principal problema consiste na localizaçao precisa da lesao no parênquima pancreático, propiciando tratamento cirúrgico adequado. Objetivo. Analisar os métodos utilizados para o diagnóstico e localizaçao pré e intra-operatório dos insulinomas, bem como as técnicas e os resultados do tratamento cirúrgico. Métodos. Foram estudados 59 casos consecutivos de insulinoma submetidos a intervençao cirúrgica. Cada um dos métodos utilizados para a localizaçao pré-operatória dessas lesoes foi avaliado quanto à sua eficiência em confronto com os achados intra-operatórios. A palpaçao do pâncreas, isoladamente ou associada à ultra-sonografia intra-operatória, como métodos de localizaçao dos insulinomas, foi também estudada. Os tipos de intervençao cirúrgica foram analisados quanto aos seus resultados imediatos e tardios. Resultados. Dos 59 insulinomas, 55 eram benignos e quatro, malignos. Dos métodos utilizados para a localizaçao pré-operatória, a ultra-sonografia foi eficiente em 28,1 por cento dos casos, a tomografia computadorizada em 25 por cento, a ultra-sonografia endoscópica em 27,2 por cento, a arteriografia seletiva em 54,1 por cento e a colheita de amostras de sangue portal para dosagem de insulina em 94,4 por cento dos casos. A palpaçao bidigital, durante a intervençao cirúrgica, localizou as lesoes em 54/55 casos (98,2 por cento). A ultra-sonografia intra-operatória foi decisiva em apenas um caso. Cinco doentes apresentavam neoplasia endócrina múltipla tipo I e em todos as lesoes pancreáticas eram múltiplas. Foram efetuadas 29 enucleaçoes e 32 ressecçoes pancreáticas nos doentes com lesoes benignas. Os doentes com lesoes malignas foram submetidos a ressecçoes pancreáticas e quimioterapia. Nao houve mortalidade, porém observaram-se complicaçoes (fístulas) em 29/59 casos. Os resultados foram bons em 98,1 por cento dos doentes com lesoes benignas. Apenas um dos doentes com lesoes malignas. sobreviveu cinco anos. Três doentes portadores de lesoes benignas e submetidos a ressecçoes pancreáticas evoluíram com diabetes tardiamente. Conclusoes. A localizaçao pré-operatória nao é absolutamente necessária desde que a palpaçao bidigital associada a ultra-sonografia intra-operatória permite a localizaçao de todas as lesoes. As enucleaçoes devem ser utilizadas, quando possível, de preferência às ressecçoes pancreáticas nas lesoes benignas.