Transanal Versus Laparoscopic Total Mesorectal Excision: A Comparative Prospective Clinical Trial from Two Centers.

Purpose: Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LapTME) faced many obstacles in obese male with narrow pelvis and bulky mesorectum with increased risk of incomplete mesorectal excision and positive circumferential resection margin (CRM) and distal resection margin (DRM). Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) is reported to result in a better quality total mesorectal excision (TME) specimen, lower incidence of CRM and DRM involvement, and higher rates of sphincter preservation. To date, there is still a debate about the feasibility and efficacy of transanal versus the laparoscopic approach for TME in middle and low rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective controlled clinical trial where 38 patients of middle or low rectal cancer from two tertiary centers were nonrandomly assigned to either TaTME or LapTME. Results: Eighteen patients were operated by TaTME versus 20 patients by LapTME. Mean body mass index was significantly higher in the TaTME group (30.74 ± 7.79) than in the LapTME group (25.99 ± 4.68) (P = .03). TaTME was associated with more transanal specimen extraction (55.5% versus 20%, P = .06). No significant differences were detected in CRM, DRM, peri- or postoperative complications, or conversion rates with more reported Clavien-Dindo grade III complications in the TaTME group (P = .29). Conclusions: TaTME facilitated rectal cancer surgery in obese patients and increased the chance of transanal specimen extraction with equivalent oncological outcomes to conventional LapTME. Further studies are recommended to build better evidence.

Short-Term Surgical Outcomes of Standard and Lateral Video Endoscopic Inguinal Lymphadenectomy: A Multinational Retrospective Study.

Background: Video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy (VEIL) is a minimally invasive technique that gives superior surgical outcomes than open inguinal lymphadenectomy (IL) for treating lymph node metastasis in penile, vulvar, and skin cancers. This study compared surgical outcomes obtained with two different approaches of VEIL, standard VEIL and lateral VEIL (L-VEIL), in cancer patients. Methods: Sixty-two patients who underwent standard VEIL (n = 15) or L-VEIL (n = 47) for treatment of lymph node metastasis were evaluated retrospectively from three centers in Brazil, Egypt, and India. Primary endpoint analyzed was conversion rate to open IL in the two groups, and the secondary endpoints included operative time, estimated blood loss, nodal yield, nodal positivity, postoperative drain duration, and postoperative complications. Results: The conversion rate to open IL was higher in L-VEIL compared with VEIL group (2% vs. 0%). Significantly lesser blood loss was reported with L-VEIL compared with VEIL (mean difference: 3.63 mL; P = .01). Postoperative drain duration was significantly lower with L-VEIL (-4.34 days; P < .05) than VEIL. The L-VEIL group had a higher number of lymph nodes without infiltration (mean difference: -0.48; P = .02). Operative time, nodal yield, nodal positivity, and hospitalization duration were similar in both groups. Postoperative complications were higher in the L-VEIL versus VEIL group (35 vs. 11 cases). Lymphedema events were significantly higher with L-VEIL in comparison with VEIL (38.8% vs. 16.7%; P = .03). Among patients with penile cancer, no significant difference was observed in outcomes obtained with VEIL and L-VEIL. Conclusion: As L-VEIL and VEIL approaches lead to comparable surgical outcomes, surgeons may choose either of these as per their convenience.

Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision for Rectal Cancer: Short Term Outcomes from Two Centers.

BACKGROUND: Rectal cancer is now an increasing problem in both developed and developing countries. In the last 7 years, minimally invasive surgery for this disease has entered a new era of transanal resection with/without laparoscopic assistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present here a prospective study done in Egypt (probably the earliest experience) and Spain on the feasibility of hybrid NOTES in rectal cancer. RESULTS: From September 2015 till November 2017, 18 cases underwent transanal total mesorectal excision with no detected mortality and with morbidities in 44% of cases, from which 5 were class III on Clavien-Dindo scale requiring intervention. Good quality total mesorectal excision was obtained in more than three quarters of our patients. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, the technique was technically demanding with a long learning curve; however, the short term results were very good in alliance with other few similar reports.

Minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy for small follicular thyroid nodules.

Minimal access surgery in the thyroid compartment has evolved considerably over the past 10 years and now takes many forms. This study examined the feasibility and reliability of minimally invasive thyroid surgery for the management of small benign thyroid lesions. A total of 68 patients with small thyroid nodules admitted to the Oncology Center of Mansoura University, Egypt, were enrolled in this prospective randomized trial. Patients were allotted to one of two procedures: minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy (MIVAT) or minimally invasive open thyroidectomy using the Sofferman technique of strap muscle transection. Exclusion criteria were nodules > 4 cm, presence of thyroiditis, and thyroid gland volume > 20 ml. Preoperative diagnosis, operating time, blood loss, postoperative pain, complications, and cosmetic outcome were all evaluated. The MIVAT group included 35 patients, and the Sofferman group included 33 patients. The main preoperative pathology was a benign follicular lesion (70.5%), and the main postoperative final pathology was follicular adenoma (54.4%). The two groups were comparable regarding age, sex, and extent of thyroid surgery. Operating time was significantly longer in the MIVAT group (115.4 +/- 33.5 minutes) compared to the Sofferman group (65.6 +/- 23.7 minutes). The postoperative course was significantly less painful in the MIVAT group (p < 0.05). Although patients in the MIVAT group had smaller incisions (p < 0.05), the cosmetic outcome in the two groups was comparable. No long-term complication was encountered in either group. Two distinct approaches of minimally invasive thyroidectomy are now available and can be performed safely in selected patients. Despite some MIVAT advantages of less postoperative pain and slightly better cosmesis, minimally invasive open thyroidectomy offers an advantage of less operating time with comparable cosmetic results.

Preoperative isolated limb infusion of Doxorubicin and external irradiation for limb-threatening soft tissue sarcomas.

BACKGROUND: At present, limb-sparing surgery is the most appropriate and acceptable treatment option for soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities. To increase the number of limb-sparing resections in the treatment of locally advanced soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities, preoperative radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy are often used. Isolated limb perfusion of cytostatic agents is an effective alternative option but technically complex. Isolated limb infusion, essentially a low-flow isolated limb perfusion without oxygenation via a percutaneous catheter, had been developed as a simple alternative. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to achieve limb-sparing surgery in patients with locally advanced soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities that would otherwise have required an amputation or a functionally mutilating surgery by performing preoperative isolated limb infusion with doxorubicin and external beam irradiation to obtain local control and make limb-sparing surgery feasible. METHODS: A total of 40 patients with locally advanced soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities were evaluated between 2002 and 2005. Tumors were located in the lower limb in 28 patients (70%) and in the upper limb in 12 patients (30%). All of these patients were felt to be unresectable and were referred because amputation was considered the only available treatment option. They underwent preoperative isolated limb infusion with doxorubicin (0.7 and 1.4 mg/kg for the upper and lower limbs, respectively). Preoperative external beam radiotherapy started within 3-7 days after isolated limb infusion was administered. The total dose was 35 Gy in ten fractions. After 3-7 weeks, surgery was performed aiming at limb preservation. RESULTS: Tumor response was seen in 85% of patients, rendering these large sarcomas resectable in most cases. The mean values of pretreatment tumor volume and post-treatment volume were 2797 cm(3) and 1781 cm(3), respectively, with a significant p value of 0.0001. Histologic response was seen in 80% of patients. At a median followup of 15 months (range = 5-35), limb salvage was achieved in 82.5%. Procedure-related complications were limited and easily managed. CONCLUSION: Isolated limb infusion with doxorubicin is a simple and safe method of regional chemotherapy. The addition of preoperative external beam irradiation helped to increase the rate of limb salvage in patients with large and/or high-grade soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus primary surgery in advanced ovarian carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced ovarian cancer should be treated by radical debulking surgery aiming at complete tumor resection. Unfortunately about 70% of the patients present with advanced disease, when optimal debulking can not be obtained, and therefore these patients gain little benefit from surgery. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has been proposed as a novel therapeutic approach in such cases. In this study, we report our results with primary surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy as treatment modalities in the specific indication of operable patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma (no medical contraindication to debulking surgery). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 59 patients with stage III or IV epithelial ovarian carcinomas were evaluated between 1998 and 2003. All patients were submitted to surgical exploration aiming to evaluate tumor resectability. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was given (in 27 patients) where optimal cytoreduction was not feasible. Conversely primary debulking surgery was performed when we considered that optimal cytoreduction could be achieved by the standard surgery (32 patients). RESULTS: Optimal cytoreduction was higher in the NACT group (72.2%) than the conventional group (62.4%), though not statistically significant (P = 0.5). More important was the finding that parameters of surgical aggressiveness (blood loss rates, ICU stay and total hospital stay) were significantly lower in NACT group than the conventional group. The median overall survival time was 28 months in the conventional group and 25 months in NACT group with a P value of 0.5. The median disease free survival was 19 months in the conventional group and 21 months in NACT group (P = 0.4). In multivariate analysis, the pathologic type and degree of debulking were found to affect the disease free survival significantly. Overall survival was not affected by any of the study parameters. CONCLUSION: Primary chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery in select group of patients doesn't appear to worsen the prognosis, but it permits a less aggressive surgery to be performed.