Background
Approximately 20 % of patients affected by pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma are amenable to surgical resection. Several tumours are reported as “borderline resectable” because of their ...proximity to the major vessels. In the effort to achieve a radical tumour removal, vein resection has been proposed, but its oncological benefits remain debated.
Methods
Our aim is to investigate morbidity, mortality and survival after pancreatectomy with vein resection.
Results
Forty patients underwent pancreatectomy and vein resection (group A), and 20 patients (group B) underwent bilio-enteric and/or gastro-entero bypass. In group A, cancer vein invasion was microscopically proven in 14 cases (35 %). Vein infiltration, tumour differentiation and node-positive disease were not adverse prognostic variables. No difference in survival was seen over a 1-year follow-up. After this period, group A showed significant survival benefits with a longer stabilisation of the disease (
p
= 0.005). Tumour-free resection margins and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy were the most important prognostic factors (
p
< 0.05).
Conclusions
Suspicion of vein infiltration should not be a contraindication to resection. Pancreatectomy can be safely performed with an acceptable morbidity and better survival trend.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Background
Placement of intraperitoneal drain (ID) after abdominal surgery is a common practice. Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), incidence of which ranges from 2% to more than 30%, ...represents the most common major complication after pancreatic resection. The goal of this paper is to review the state of the art in ID management after pancreatic resection.
Methods
Data from randomized controlled trials (RCT) are reported together with data from our institution in the period before and after the start of the two reported RCTs.
Results
One thousand five hundred eighty patients underwent surgical resection for pancreatic lesions at our institution from 1990 to 2010. The overall rate of POPF was 23% before and 19.5% after (
P
= 0.24) the performance of the RCTs. Both postoperative morbidity and average in-hospital stay were higher in the period before the RCTs (13.6 ± 11.4 versus 13.4 ± 10.3 days, respectively).
Conclusions
POPF is a complex and multifactorial complication after pancreatic surgery. On the basis of the present results and review of the RCTs, the value of ID and its management after pancreatic surgery remain unclear.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Pancreatoblastoma in Adults: A Review of the Literature Cavallini, Alvise; Falconi, Massimo; Bortesi, Laura ...
Pancreatology : official journal of the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) ... et al.,
01/2009, Volume:
9, Issue:
1-2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Background: Pancreatoblastoma is a very uncommon neoplasm in adults and its management represents a great challenge with regards to different treatment options. Given the rarity of the disease, the ...aim of this study was to review our personal experience with adult pancreatoblastoma as well as the cases reported in the literature in order to support clinicians observing this entity. Methods: Adult patients with histologically proven pancreatoblastoma were identified from our prospective database of pancreatic resections. After a search on the Medline database, a review of all cases was performed as well, focusing on clinical, radiological and hystopathological features and treatment options. Results: At our Institution, 2 adult males, 26 and 69 years old, underwent successful pancreatic resection for pancreatoblastoma. The diagnosis of pancreatoblastoma mainly depends on the pathological findings characterized by squamoid corpuscles at histopathology. Only 21 cases of adult pancreatoblastoma have been identified in the literature. In general, despite aggressive treatment, pancreatoblastoma in adults is associated with poorer outcome than in children, with a median survival time of 18.5 months. Both our patients are disease free after 15 months (case 2) and 51 months (case 1). The latter represents the most successful result in long-term disease-free survival. Conclusion: Pancreatoblastoma is a rare neoplasm in adults. The differential diagnosis includes nonfunctional pancreatic endocrine tumor, acinar cell carcinoma, solid pseudopapillary tumor and adenocarcinoma. Surgical resection is the only treatment associated with long-term survival. Chemotherapy may play a role as palliative treatment in advanced disease.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The role of surgically placed intra-abdominal drainages after pancreatic resections has not been clearly established. In particular, their effect on morbidity rates and the optimal timing for their ...removal remains controversial.
A total of 114 eligible patients who underwent standard pancreatic resections and at low risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula according to our institutional protocol (amylase value in drains < or =5000 U/L on postoperative day POD 1) were randomized on POD 3 to receive either early (POD 3) or standard drain removal (POD 5 or beyond). The primary end point of the study was the incidence of pancreatic fistula. Secondary endpoints included abdominal complications, pulmonary complications, in-hospital stay, and perioperative mortality. Cost-analysis between the 2 groups was also made.
Early drain removal was associated with a decreased rate of pancreatic fistula (P = 0.0001), abdominal complications (P = 0.002), and pulmonary complications (P = 0.007). Median in-hospital stay was shorter (P = 0.018), and hospital costs decreased (P = 0.02). Mortality was nil. A significant association with pancreatic fistula was found for timing of drain removal (P < 0.001), unintentional weight decrease before surgery (P = 0.022), type of pancreas texture (P = 0.015), serum amylase levels on POD 1 (P = 0.001), and albumin levels on POD 1 (P = 0.039). Multivariate analysis showed that timing of drain removal (P = 0.0003) and unintentional weight decrease before surgery (P = 0.02) were independent risk factors of pancreatic fistula.
In patients at low risk of pancreatic fistula, intra-abdominal drains can be safely removed on POD 3 after standard pancreatic resections. A prolonged period of drain insertion is associated with a higher rate of postoperative complications with increased hospital stay and costs. The manuscript is a randomized trial, registered in the NLM database as NCT00931554.
Little is known about the molecular anomalies involved in the development and progression of malignancy of pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs). A recently identified member of the Ras family, Ras ...homologue member I (ARHI), has been shown to be involved in breast, ovary, and thyroid carcinogenesis. Unlike other members, it acts as a tumor suppressor gene that inhibits cell growth. Here we analyzed the mRNA expression of ARHI in 52 primary PETs and 16 normal pancreata using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. ARHI expression showed a statistically significant difference between either normal pancreas or well-differentiated endocrine tumors (WDET) and poorly differentiated endocrine carcinomas (PDECs) (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). Moreover, ARHI expression among WDEC samples was more heterogeneous than in WDET, with several tumors showing level of expression analogous to that observed in PDECs. A significant correlation between lower ARHI expression and shorter survival (P = .020) was identified, and a low ARHI expression was associated to a shorter time to progression (P < .001), even considering the proliferation index Ki67 in the multivariate analysis. ARHI is involved in PET progression. Its mRNA expression seemed to be a prognostic factor for disease outcome and, in association with the proliferative index Ki67, a predictor for a rapid tumor relapse.
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Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The aim of the present study was to critically reappraise the experience at our high-volume institution to obtain new insights for future directions.
The indications, surgical techniques, and ...perioperative management of pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) have profoundly evolved over the last 20 years.
All consecutive PDs performed during the last 20 years at the Verona Pancreas Institute were divided into four 5-year timeframes and retrospectively analyzed in terms of indications, intraoperative features, and surgical outcomes. Significant milestones were provided to understand practice changes using a before-after analysis method.
The study population consisted of 3000 patients. The median age, ASA ≥ 3 and number of nonbenchmark cases significantly increased over time ( P < 0.005). Pancreatic cancer was the leading indication, representing 60% of patients/year in the last timeframe, 40% of whom received neoadjuvant treatment. Conversely, after the development of International Guidelines, the proportion of resected cystic neoplasms progressively and thoroughly decreased. Given the increased complexity of surgery for pancreatic cancer, the evolution of technologies, surgical techniques, and postoperative management allowed the maintenance of favorable surgical outcomes over time, with a stable 20.0% of patients with a Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ 3, an 11.7% failure to rescue and a 2.3% in-hospital mortality rate. The incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula, hemorrhage, and delayed gastric emptying was 22.4%, 13.4%, and 12.4%, respectively.
PD significantly evolved in Verona over the past 2 decades. Surgeries of greater complexity are currently performed on increasingly frailer patients, mostly for pancreatic cancer and often after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. However, the progression of all fields of pancreatic surgery, including the expanding use of postoperative pancreatic fistula mitigation strategies, has allowed satisfactory outcomes to be maintained.
Background
Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) is increasing in popularity thanks to the benefits that have been recently demonstrated by many authors. The Da Vinci
®
Surgical System could ...overcome some limits of laparoscopy, helping the surgeons to perform safer and faster difficult procedures. Nowadays, prospective clinical trials comparing LDP to robotic distal pancreatectomy (RDP) are lacking. The aim of this study is to present a prospective comparison between the two techniques.
Methods
Since November 2011, all patients suitable for minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy were assigned either to LDP or RDP, depending on the availability of the Da Vinci
®
Surgical System for our Surgical Unit. Demographics, clinical, and intra- and postoperative data, including estimated costs of the procedure, were prospectively collected. Follow-up included cross-sectional imaging ended on April 2014.
Results
Twenty-two patients underwent RDP and 21 LDP; patients’ characteristics were similar. The median operative time was longer and procedures’ cost was double in RDP group. The conversion to open rate and the median length of postoperative hospital stay were 4.5 % and 7 days, respectively, in both groups. Pancreatic fistula developed in 57.1 % (12/21) and 50 % (11/22) of LDP and RDP, respectively (
p
= 0.870), being grade A the most frequent. Mortality was nil and an R0 resection was achieved in all Patients. The overall number of lymph nodes harvested was similar between the two groups.
Conclusions
Both RDP and LDP are valid techniques for the treatment of distal pancreatic tumors. The advantages of RDP are claimed by many but still under investigation. Some of these advantages are more subjective than objective, and it seems difficult to demonstrate a real superiority of one technique over the other in a standardized fashion. In our experience, laparoscopy has not been abandoned in favor of the robot: we continue to perform both approaches choosing upon single patient’s characteristics.
Full text
Available for:
EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
<p data-select-like-a-boss="1">Objective: The aim of this study was to compare oncological outcomes after minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) with open distal pancreatectomy (ODP) in ...patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Background: Cohort studies have suggested superior short-term outcomes of MIDP vs. ODP. Recent international surveys, however, revealed that surgeons have concerns about the oncological outcomes of MIDP for PDAC.
Methods: This is a pan-European propensity score matched study including patients who underwent MIDP (laparoscopic or robot-assisted) or ODP for PDAC between January 1, 2007 and July 1, 2015. MIDP patients were matched to ODP patients in a 1:1 ratio. Main outcomes were radical (R0) resection, lymph node retrieval, and survival.
Results: In total, 1212 patients were included from 34 centers in 11 countries. Of 356 (29%) MIDP patients, 340 could be matched. After matching, the MIDP conversion rate was 19% (n = 62). Median blood loss 200 mL (60–400) vs 300 mL (150–500), P = 0.001 and hospital stay 8 (6–12) vs 9 (7–14) days, P < 0.001 were lower after MIDP. Clavien-Dindo grade ≥3 complications (18% vs 21%, P = 0.431) and 90-day mortality (2% vs 3%, P > 0.99) were comparable for MIDP and ODP, respectively. R0 resection rate was higher (67% vs 58%, P = 0.019), whereas Gerota's fascia resection (31% vs 60%, P < 0.001) and lymph node retrieval 14 (8–22) vs 22 (14–31), P < 0.001 were lower after MIDP. Median overall survival was 28 95% confidence interval (CI), 22–34 versus 31 (95% CI, 26–36) months ( P = 0.929).
Conclusions: Comparable survival was seen after MIDP and ODP for PDAC, but the opposing differences in R0 resection rate, resection of Gerota's fascia, and lymph node retrieval strengthen the need for a randomized trial to confirm the oncological safety of MIDP.
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