Associating portal embolization and artery ligation to induce rapid liver regeneration in staged hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Insufficient volume of the future liver remnant (FLR) is a major cause of unresectability in patients with bilobar colorectal liver metastases (CLM). The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the novel associating portal embolization and artery ligation (APEAL) technique before extended right hepatectomy during a two-stage procedure for CLM. METHODS: All patients who had undergone extended right hepatectomy during two-stage surgery for CLM between 2012 and 2014 were identified retrospectively from a prospectively maintained database. In the first stage, right portal vein embolization, partial right hepatic artery ligation and devascularization of segment IVb along the round ligament without parenchymal transection were associated with clearance of the FLR and/or primary tumour resection. Liver volumetry was performed using OsiriX software on postoperative day (POD) 7 and 30. RESULTS: Ten patients underwent the APEAL procedure. During the first stage, APEAL was combined with colorectal resection in seven patients. The median (range) interval between the two stages was 45 (31-71) days. The FLR volume increased from 327 (214-537) cm(3) before surgery to 590 (508-1072) cm(3) on POD 7 and 701 (512-1018) cm(3) on POD 30. This corresponded to a FLR regeneration rate of 104 (42-185) and 134 (53-171) per cent respectively. There were no deaths. The overall morbidity rate was 60 per cent (6 of 10) after each procedure, with severe morbidity occurring in two and three of ten patients after the first and second procedures respectively. CONCLUSION: APEAL induces fast, safe, reproducible and effective FLR growth when an extended right hepatectomy is scheduled in patients with multiple bilobar CLM.

Retroperitoneal nodal metastases from colorectal cancer: Curable metastases with radical retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in selected patients.

BACKGROUND: Retroperitoneal nodal metastases (RNM) represent 1-2% of metastases from colorectal cancer (CRC). Non-surgical treatments achieve 5-year overall survival (OS) of 0-12%. Radical retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy (RRL) in this setting remains controversial, but most published series do not distinguish local retroperitoneal recurrences from RNM. We specifically report outcomes after RRL for RNM from CRC. METHODS: We analyzed prospectively recorded data from patients who underwent standardized RRL for RNM from CRC between January 1997 and August 2012 in our institution. Local retroperitoneal recurrences were excluded. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients underwent RRL for synchronous (n = 19) or metachronous (n = 6) RNM from CRC. Fifteen patients had extra-retroperitoneal metastases. Median hospital stay was 16 [7-23] days. Grade ≥ III morbidity was 8% with no perioperative deaths. Median follow-up was 85 [4-142] months. Median OS and progression free survival (PFS) were 60 [4-142] and 14 [1-116] months. One, three- and 5-year OS were 92%, 64% and 47%. One, three- and 5-year PFS were 51%, 26% and 26%. Retroperitoneal nodal metastases from stage III CRC were associated with better median OS compared to those from stage IV CRC (p = 0.02). This variable did not impact on PFS. Subject to substantial risk of type II error on small samples data statistical analysis, survivals were not affected by timing and location of RNM, extra-retroperitoneal metastasis, nodal disruption, neoadjuvant nor adjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the largest series yet reported which specifically studied outcomes of RRL for RNM from CRC. RRL allows favorable outcomes in selected patients with acceptable morbidity.

Lack of prognostic significance of conventional peritoneal cytology in colorectal and gastric cancers: results of EVOCAPE 2 multicentre prospective study.

AIM: In digestive cancers, the prognostic significance of intraperitoneal free cancer cells remains unclear (IPCC). The main objective of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of IPCC in colorectal and gastric adenocarcinoma. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the predictive significance of IPCC for the development of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) and to evaluate the prevalence of synchronous PC and IPCC. METHODS: This was a prospective multicentre study. All patients undergoing surgery for a digestive tract cancer had peritoneal cytology taken. Patients with gastric and colorectal cancer with no residual tumour after surgery and no evidence of PC were followed-up for 2 years. The primary end point was overall survival. RESULTS: Between 2002 and 2007, 1364 patients were enrolled and 956 were followed-up over 2 years. Prevalence of IPCC was 5.7% in colon cancer, 0.6% in rectal cancer and 19.5% in gastric cancer. The overall 2-year survival rate for patients with IPCC was 34.7% versus 86.8% for patients with negative cytology (p<0.0001). By multivariate analysis, IPCC was not an independent prognostic factor. No relationship between cytology and recurrence was found. CONCLUSION: The presence of IPCC was not an independent prognostic and didn't add any additional prognostic information to the usual prognostic factors related to the tumour (pTNM and differentiation). Moreover the presence of IPCC detected with this method didn't appear to predict development of PC. Peritoneal cytology using conventional staining doesn't seem to be a useful tool for the staging of colorectal and gastric cancers.

[Severe thoracic radionecrosis: muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi flap (MSLD)]. / Radionécrose thoracique sévère : couverture par lambeau avec préservation partielle du latissimus dorsi (PPLD).

INTRODUCTION: Cutaneous radionecrosis and osteoradionecrosis are severe complications of the radiotherapy which can arise after a variable free interval. The loss of substance is frequently associated with a peripheral radiodermatitis and stays an infectious front door exposing patients to a sepsis. The reference treatment remains surgical and consists in realizing the debridment of necrosis tissues associated with flap in order to cover the soft tissus defect. The purpose of our study is to estimate efficiency and tolerance of management radionecrosis thoracique by muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi flap (MSLD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We realized a study on a series of cases of thoracic radionecrosis with costal exposure covered by MSLD. Fat transfer into peripheral radiodermitis was performed at the same time surgical. Efficiency and tolerance surgery were estimated. The duration of the postoperative antibiotic treatment was estimated. The complications (hematoma, infection, cutaneous suffering, necrosis, seroma, radionecrosis relapse) were screened. The follow-up was realized by the same surgeon. RESULTS: Seven patients managed by the same surgeon were included, They had radionecrosis after radiotherapy for processing adjuvanting of mastectomy after breast cancer. The average age was 66 years (from 61 to 76 years). The average time of hospitalisation was of four days. The average follow-up was of six months. The average treatment of the antibiotic treatment was four weeks. We didn't notice any complications and any recurrence of the radionecrosis. We noticed one dorsal collection (30 cm(3)) 15 days after surgical procedure for one patient. The follow-up showed a stable and good quality cutaneous cover in six months postoperative. CONCLUSIONS: MSLD flap is reliable and reproducible to cover moderate thoracic defect. The surgical parage-wash has a fundamental importance to avoid any infectious complication. The management of the thoracic radionecrosis is complex and multidisciplinary. In conclusion, MSLD flap seems to be an elegant surgical alternative insuring a custom-made optimal cover with a reduction of the morbidity of the site donor.

Pattern of failures in gastric cancer patients with lymph node involvement treated by surgery, intraoperative and external beam radiotherapy.

AIMS: High local failure rates in gastric cancer have been reported, up to 67%. To achieve a better local control, we evaluated intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in association with surgery for gastric cancer patients with lymph node involvement. We report here the analysis of the patterns of failure for patients involved in this IORT protocol. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-two positive lymph node (N+) gastric cancer patients were operated on (31 total, three subtotal and eight extended gastrectomies) with IORT procedure between 1985 and 1997 (33 males, nine females, mean age 61.3 years). IORT was focused on coeliac area (mean dose 15 Gy), followed by EBRT (46 Gy) in 36 patients. Ten patients were pN1 and 32 were pN2. A concurrent systemic chemotherapy (five Fluoro-Uracil and Cisplatinum) was performed in 14 patients. RESULTS: One patient died postoperatively. Actuarial pN+ 10 year survival rate was 44.8%. The 5 year actuarial local control and disease-free survival rates were 78.8 and 47.5%, respectively. As far as patterns of failure were explored, 5 patients have a local coeliac recurrence (12%) and 12 have distant metastases with no evidence of coeliac recurrence. CONCLUSION: This retrospective analysis suggests a potential effect of IORT and/or EBRT in promoting local control and long-term survival in gastric cancer patients with lymph node involvement.

Surgery combined with peritonectomy procedures and intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia in abdominal cancers with peritoneal carcinomatosis: a phase II study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the tolerance of peritonectomy procedures (PP) combined with intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia (IPCH) in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC), a phase II study was carried out from January 1998 to September 2001. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-six patients (35 females, mean age 49.3) were included for PC from colorectal cancer (26 patients), ovarian cancer (seven patients), gastric cancer (six patients), peritoneal mesothelioma (five patients), pseudomyxoma peritonei (seven patients), and miscellaneous reasons (five patients). Surgeries were performed mainly on advanced patients (40 patients stages 3 and 4 and 16 patients stages 2 and 1) and were synchronous in 36 patients. All patients underwent surgical resection of their primary tumor with PP and IPCH (with mitomycin C, cisplatinum, or both) with a closed sterile circuit and inflow temperatures ranging from 46 degrees to 48 degrees C. Three patients were included twice. RESULTS: A macroscopic complete resection was performed in 27 cases. The mortality and morbidity rates were one of 56 and 16 of 56, respectively. The 2-year survival rate was 79.0% for patients with macroscopic complete resection and 44.7% for patients without macroscopic complete resection (P =.001). For the patients included twice, two are alive without evidence of disease, 54 and 47 months after the first procedure. CONCLUSION: IPCH and PP are able to achieve unexpected long-term survival in patients with bulky PC. However, one must be careful when selecting the patients for such an aggressive treatment, as morbidity rate remains high even for an experienced team.

[Segmental resection of tumoral invasion of the inferior vena cava without reconstruction]. / Résection segmentaire de la veine cave inférieure pour envahissement tumoral, sans rétablissement de la continuité.

STUDY AIM: Oncological complete surgery of retroperitoneal tumours may require segmental resection of part of the invaded inferior vena cava. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess whether reconstruction of the inferior vena cava is necessary and presents any advantage. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included four patients who underwent partial resection of the inferior vena cava invaded by a retroperitoneal tumour, without reconstruction. Tumours were one renal cancer, one malignant phaeochromocytoma, one malignant retroperitoneal histiofibroma and one undifferentiated retroperitoneal carcinoma. The resection was located at the level of the renal confluence, associated with right nephrectomy, in 3 patients, and above this confluence, at the level of the retrohepatic inferior vena cava in 1 patient. RESULTS: Only one case of transient acute renal failure was observed during the postoperative course. One patient developed right deep vein thrombosis after three months and another one after 30 months. One patient died from cancer recurrence after 19 months. The other 3 patients were alive with anticoagulant therapy and without sequelae after 3, 6 and 15 years.

[Stomach adenocarcinoma. Evolution of surgical treatment in a series of 350 cases]. / L'adénocarcinome de l'estomac. Evolution du traitement chirurgical dans une série de 350 cas.

STUDY AIM: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate, in a series of 350 gastric adenocarcinomas, the evolution of their clinical and histological features and the evolution of their surgical management. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1970 to 1996, 350 patients with gastric carcinoma (cardiac cancer excluded) were operated on in the same center. Mean age was 68.8 years and the sex ratio 1:4. These patients were divided into three groups which were analysed and compared (group 1 operated on between 1970 and 1988, group 2 between 1979 and 1987, group 3 between 1988 and 1996). RESULTS: Antropyloric cancer was the most common (56% in group 3). Tumor size decreased but there were in group 3 more undifferentiated tumors (54.2%) and more tumors with lymph node involvement (72%). Stage III and IV tumors were still common (70% in group 3) and early gastric cancer incidence very low (9.9%). After 1980, surgical management was more radical, with more total gastrectomies and larger lymph node dissections. Adjuvant intraoperative and postoperative radiotherapy has been associated since 1985. Postoperative mortality rate decreased (13.8% in group 1 vs 6.1% in group 3) (P = 0.04) as did the postoperative morbidity rate (31.8% in group 1 vs 17.5% in group 3). The five-year actuarial survival rate was respectively 18.9% and 39.2% for groups 1 and 2 (P = 0.003); it was respectively 59.8% and 43.6% for all patients treated by adjuvant radiotherapy and for those with lymph node involvement. CONCLUSION: Prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma is still poor. A more radical surgical treatment did not increase the postoperative morbidity rate, but increased the survival rate. New adjuvant treatments including radiotherapy have to be evaluated in order to improve the prognosis.

Intraoperative radiotherapy and external beam radiation therapy in gastric adenocarcinoma with R0-R1 surgical resection.

INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to evaluate the results of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) and external beam therapy (EBRT) in the treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma. METHODS: From 1986 to 1999, 87 patients who underwent surgical resection for gastric adenocarcinoma combined with IORT were reviewed. A R0 surgical resection was performed in 82 patients and five underwent R1 resection. The stage was: pT1 in 12, pT2 in 19, pT3 in 44 and pT4 in seven. Thirteen patients were pN1 and 43 were pN2, The IORT dose ranged from 12 to 23 Gy. Patients with pT3 and/or pN tumours underwent EBRT with a standard dose of 44-46 Gy. RESULTS: The post-operative mortality and morbidity rates were 2.3 and 6.8%, respectively. The 5-year survival rate for R0 patients was 60%, for R0-pN0 was 90% and for R0-pN+ patients was 55%. The local failure rate in the 19 pN+ patients was 21%. CONCLUSION: IORT and EBRT combined with surgical resection may provide overall survival, improving the local control after gastrectomy.

[Splenectomy for splenomegaly of more than 1000 grams. A retrospective study of 36 patients]. / Splénectomie pour splénomégalie de plus de 1000 g. Etude rétrospective sur 36 patients.

Splenectomy for massive splenomegaly is frequently performed for hematologic disorders for diagnostic and therapeutic indications. The role of splenectomy is complex and controversial. The aims of our retrospective study were to focus on postoperative complications and advantages of splenectomy for massive splenomegaly. Thirty six patients with splenomegaly weighing 1000 g or more, underwent splenectomy at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Lyon Sud, from January 1st, 1982, to December 31, 1995. Thirty-one (85%) of these patients had hematologic malignancy and more than half of them were older than sixty years. The main indications for splenectomy were hypersplenism (18 patients) and diagnosis (14). Preliminary ligation of the splenic artery was performed in 25 patients (42%). All patients had drainage. The mortality and morbidity rates were 5.5% and 20%, respectively. No major septic or thromboembolic complications occurred. There was only one major bleeding complication. The advantages of splenectomy included histopathological diagnosis in 13 of 14 patients with splenomegaly of unknown origin, permanent pain relief in all cases, and immediate correction of hematological cytopenia in 27 cases (75%). We conclude that the large weight of the spleen does not constitute a contraindication to splenectomy, but indications must be carefully selected, and the operative and perioperative management, must be appropriate.

[Intraperitoneal chemo-hyperthermia with mitomycin C in cancer of the stomach with peritoneal carcinosis]. / Chimiohyperthermie intrapéritonéale avec mitomycine C dans les cancers de l'estomac avec carcinose péritonéale.

We report 42 cases of gastric cancer with peritoneal carcinosis treated with intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia. Intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia was achieved with a closed sterile circuit containing mitomycin C, 10 mg/l producing an input temperature varying from 46 to 49 degrees C for 90 minutes. There were three postoperative deaths: one pulmonary embolism at day 4, one multiple organ failure et day 4, and one septic shock at day 25 due to a colonic fistula. Two patients suffered complications: one opening of the duodenal stump requiring reoperation on day 5, and one prolonged postoperative ileus lasting to day 10. Of the 12 patients with ascites, resorption was achieved in 8. In patients with early-stage peritoneal carcinosis (granulations less than 5 mm) survival at 1, 2 and 3 years was 90%, 61% and 41% respectively. For those with more extensive carcinosis, survival at 1 year was 10%. Five patients survived more than 30 months, three have survived to 34, 43 and 73 months. Intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia is a new treatment for carcinosis of gastric origin. These early results must be assessed further with larger controlled.