Extranodal extension influences prognosis in pancreatic head cancer: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Extranodal extension (ENE) is an established prognostic factor in several gastrointestinal cancers. However, the prognostic impact remains unclear. Here, we investigated the prognostic implications of ENE in patients with surgically resected pancreatic cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 476 surgically resected pancreatic head cancer patients who consecutively underwent upfront pancreaticoduodenectomy for pathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma between January 2009 and December 2013. We compared the disease-free survival (DFS) rates of the patients according to ENE status. RESULTS: Among the 476 patients, patients with ENE had lower DFS rates than those without ENE (N0, 13 months; LN+/ENE-, 7 months; LN+/ENE+, 6 months; P < .001). In addition, even in the same N stage, patients with ENE had lower DFS rates than those without ENE (N0, 13 months; N1/ENE- 8 months; N1/ENE+, 7 months; N2/ENE-, 7 months; N2/ENE+, 4 months, P < .001). However, there was no significant difference in survival rates between patients in the N1/ENE+ group and those in the N2/ENE- group. Additionally, ENE was an independent prognostic factor for pancreatic cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Extranodal extension significantly predicted a poor prognosis among patients with pancreatic head cancer, especially those with nodal metastasis. Therefore, ENE should be considered a prognostic factor in future editions of the staging system.

Arterial resection during pancreatectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with arterial invasion: A single-center experience with 109 patients.

Pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer with arterial invasion is controversial and performed infrequently. As its indication evolves and neoadjuvant chemotherapy also evolves, it is meaningful to identify short- and long-term outcomes of pancreatectomy with arterial resection (AR). This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the clinical outcomes of pancreatectomy with AR for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treated with pancreatectomy with AR at our institute between January 2000 and April 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Operative outcome and survival were compared according to the presence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.This study included 109 patients (38 underwent surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 71 underwent upfront surgery). The median hospital stay was 17 (interquartile range, 12-26.5) days. Clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (grade B or C) occurred in 14 patients (12.8%). The major morbidity (≥grade III) and mortality rates were 26.6% and 0.9%, respectively. R0 resection was achieved in 80 patients (73.4%). Microscopic actual tumor invasion into the arterial wall was identified in 25 patients (22.9%). The median overall survival (OS) of all patients was 18.4 months. The neoadjuvant chemotherapy group showed better OS than the upfront surgery group, without statistical significance (25.3 vs 16.2 months, P = .06). Progression-free survival was better in patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (13.2 vs 7.1 months, P = .01). Patients with partial response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed better OS than those with stable disease (33.7 vs 17.5 months, P = .04).Pancreatectomy with AR for advanced pancreatic cancer showed acceptable procedure-related morbidity and mortality. A survival benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was identified, compared to upfront surgery.

Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary tumors: lessons learned from 500 consecutive patients in a single center.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) is a feasible option in selected patients. However, its use has not yet been generalized since it is time-consuming, physically demanding, and technically challenging. It might be essential to share the experience of high-volume centers to understand its use. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 500 consecutive patients who underwent LPD at a single institution between January 2007 and December 2017. RESULTS: The patients included 272 women and 228 men (mean age, 57.1 years). The most common indication for LPD was intraductal papillary neoplasm (n = 104, 20.8%). Overall and major (Clavien-Dindo grades III-V) complication rates were 37.2% and 4.8%, respectively. Fifty-four patients (10.8%) had clinically relevant (grade B/C) pancreatic fistulas. There were 3 (0.6%) 90-day mortalities. The most common late complication was bilioenteric stricture (25, 5%). Two hundred thirty patients were diagnosed with periampullary cancer. The 5-year overall survival rates of pancreatic cancer, common bile duct cancer, ampulla of Vater cancer, and duodenal cancer were 37.4, 63.2, 78, and 88.9%, respectively. We analyzed learning curves of first-generation and second-generation surgeons. A risk-adjusted cumulative sum analysis demonstrated a learning curve of 55 cases for LPD with the first-generation surgeon and earlier competency with the second-generation surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: LPD has the potential to become an alternative surgery to open pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary tumors with acceptable outcomes. We could reduce the steep learning curve with structured training, close supervision, and well-trained operation teams. Perioperative and oncologic outcomes of LPD will be optimized after overcoming the learning curve.

Safety and Feasibility of Robotic Reduced-Port Distal Pancreatectomy: a Multicenter Experience of a Novel Technique.

BACKGROUND: A reduced-port approach including single-site surgery has been used for distal pancreatectomy. However, triangulation is difficult in reduced-port laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, and instrument crowding, and collision may occur, so this approach has not been widely used. Recently, an innovative technique for distal pancreatectomy using a robotic single-site surgical system was introduced. Herein, we evaluate the safety and feasibility of this technique. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with a pancreatic tail mass underwent robotic single-site plus one-port distal pancreatectomy at six centers. We collected clinicopathologic data and evaluated the short-term perioperative outcomes of robotic single-site plus one-port distal pancreatectomy. RESULTS: We evaluated 26 patients who underwent robotic single-site plus one-port distal pancreatectomy excluding one patient who needed more ports because of fatty abdomen. The mean age and body mass index were 47.3 years (range 21-74) and 22.6 kg/m2 (range 15.8-28.8), respectively. The most common pathologic diagnosis was solid papillary neoplasm followed by a neuroendocrine tumor. The mean operating time was 201 min. The mean length of hospital stay after surgery was 7 days (range 4-10). The rate of spleen preservation was 34.6% (9/26). Six patients had postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) grade A, and no patients had POPF grade B or C. Only one patient had class II morbidity. CONCLUSION: Robotic single-site plus one-port distal pancreatectomy is safe and feasible in terms of short-term outcomes. This technique could be performed in select cases to expand the surgical boundaries of the robotic single-site platform. Further studies are needed with more cases to investigate long-term outcomes.

Propensity score-matching analysis comparing laparoscopic and open pancreaticoduodenectomy in elderly patients.

There is little evidence on the safety and benefits of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) in elderly patients; therefore, we evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of this procedure by comparing perioperative and oncological outcomes between LPD and open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD) in elderly patients. We retrospectively reviewed the data of 1,693 patients who underwent PD to manage periampullary tumours at a single institution between January 2014 and June 2017. Of these patients, 326 were elderly patients aged ≥70 years, with 56 patients allocated to the LPD group and 270 to the OPD group. One-to-one propensity score matching (56:56) was used to match the baseline characteristics of patients who underwent LPD and OPD. LPD was associated with significantly fewer clinically significant postoperative pancreatic fistulas (7.1% vs. 21.4%), fewer analgesic injections (10 vs. 15.6 times; p = 0.022), and longer operative time (321.8 vs. 268.5 minutes; p = 0.001) than OPD in elderly patients. There were no significant differences in 3-year overall and disease-free survival rates between the LPD and OPD groups. LPD had acceptable perioperative and oncological outcomes compared with OPD in elderly patients. LPD is a reliable treatment option for elderly patients with periampullary tumours.

The Effect of Fibrinogen/Thrombin-Coated Collagen Patch (TachoSil®) Application in Pancreaticojejunostomy for Prevention of Pancreatic Fistula After Pancreaticoduodenectomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Fibrin sealants and topical glue have been studied to reduce the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistulas (POPF) after pancreatico-enteric anastomosis, but a definitive innovation is still needed. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of fibrin sealant patch applied to pancreatico-enteric anastomosis to reduce postoperative complications, including POPF. METHODS: This study was a single-center, prospective, randomized, phase IV trial involving three pancreaticobiliary surgeons. The primary outcome was POPF; secondary outcomes included complications, drain removal days, hospital stay, readmission rate, and cost. Risk factors for POPF were identified by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients were enrolled. Biochemical leakage (BL) or POPF occurred in 16 patients (25.8%) in the intervention group and 23 patients (37.1%) in the control group (no statistical significance). Clinically relevant POPF occurred in 4 patients (6.5%) in both the intervention and control groups (p = 1.000). Hospital stay (11.6 days vs. 12.1 days, p = 0.585) and drain removal days (5.7 days vs. 5.3 days, p = 0.281) were not statistically different between two groups. Complication rates were not different between the two groups (p = 0.506); nor were readmission rates (12.9% vs. 11.3%, p = 1.000) or cost ($13,549 vs. $15,038, p = 0.103). In multivariable analysis, age and soft pancreas texture were independent risk factors for BL or POPF in this study. Applying fibrin sealant patch is not a negative risk factor, but the p value may indicate a likelihood of reducing the incidence of BL (p = 0.084). CONCLUSIONS: Fibrin sealant patches after pancreaticojejunostomy did not reduce the incidence of POPF or other postoperative complications. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03269955).

The treatment indication and optimal management of fluid collection after laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Recently, laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) has become the standard procedure for resection of left-sided pancreatic tumors. Fluid collection (FC) at the resection margin of the pancreatic stump after LDP is a frequent radiological finding. However, there have been few treatment guidelines and the optimal management for this clinical finding is unclear. The aim of present study is to define the incidence of FC and suggest the optimal management for FC after LDP. METHODS: A total of 1227 patients who underwent LDP between March 2005 and December 2015 were collected. FC was considered present when the longest diameter of the lesion on CT scan was > 3 cm. RESULTS: A follow-up with at least two CT image was available for 1102 patients. Of these, 689 (62.5%) patients showed initial fluid collection (IFC) at the pancreas resection site in immediate postoperative CT. IFC (+) group had higher proportion of men, BMI, and higher rate of concomitant splenectomy than IFC (-) group. Among patients with FC after LDP, the treatment group had more frequent leukocytosis and accompanying symptoms than the observation group. Seventy-seven patients underwent therapeutic interventions for FC after LDP. Among them, 55 (71.4%) patients underwent endoscopic ultrasonography-guided gastrocystostomy (EUS-GC). EUS-GC group had a higher success rate (85.6 vs. 63.6%, p < 0.033) and shorter hospital stay after the intervention (5.2 vs. 13.3 days, p < 0.001) than those who underwent other procedures. CONCLUSIONS: High BMI, male, and concomitant splenectomy contribute to the occurrence of FC after LDP. In most cases, FC after LDP resolved spontaneously over time with observation. The patients with symptomatic FC ultimately required treatment. EUS-GC is the optimal intervention therapy for FC after LDP.

Transduodenal ampullectomy for ampullary tumors - single center experience of consecutive 26 patients.

PURPOSE: Transduodenal ampullectomy (TDA) has been reported in a limited number of cases and in a small number of case series. The aim of this study was to analyze perioperative and long-term oncological outcomes of patients with ampullary tumors who underwent TDA in a single large-volume center. METHODS: Through a retrospective review of data from 2004 to 2016, we identified 26 patients who underwent TDA at Asan Medical Center. RESULTS: Eleven of 26 patients underwent TDA for T1 and carcinoma in situ (high-grade dysplasia) cancer; these patients are still alive without recurrence. A major in-hospital complication (3.8%) occurred in 1 case, but there was no case of 90-day mortality. In addition, none of the patients was diagnosed as having newly developed diabetes mellitus after TDA. No significant differences were found between open and laparoscopic-TDA in terms of operation time, painkiller use, and hospital stay. CONCLUSION: TDA is a feasible and effective surgical procedure for the treatment of selected patients with ampullary tumors. It is an alternative treatment option in cases of ampullary tumors not amenable to endoscopic papillectomy or pancreaticoduodenectomy.